Backlash Part 1

Chapter 174: Worries and Hope

Upon arriving at their destination, Jiang Yanli had wanted nothing more than to immediately find Wei Wuxian. She wanted to know he was safe. Jiang Yanli held herself back. She had other people to look after. With Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang, Jiang Yanli had determined the situation in the village. Nie Huaisang and a few senior cultivators had gone to greet Nie Mingjue as soon as they learned the village was safe and he was resting under orders from a doctor.

Jiang Yanli and Lan Xichen had taken care of assigning duties to the cultivators they had brought with them. Some assisted in putting the dead to rest. Others established a perimeter and guard rotation. From there Jiang Yanli accompanied Lan Xichen to meet with Nie Mingjue. Chifeng-zun was still under orders from the healer to rest, but he was well enough to complain about that. He was also well enough to brief them on how he was freed from Nightless City, and everything that had happened since then.

Jiang Yanli was happy that Chifeng-zun was safe and recovering from his time in Nightless City. She was less happy to learn that soldiers had been sent after him and arrived at the village long before the allied forces did. She didn't like learning that Wei Wuxian had been forced to fight the battle practically alone. Nor did she like the awkward silence that followed Nie Mingjue's description of what Wei Wuxian did in order to win the battle.

The new spiritual tool, Yin Hufu. Lan Wangji had supplied the name to Nie Mingjue. This was apparently what allowed Wei Wuxian to win the battle. Lan Xichen had paled at Chifeng-zun's description of what Wei Wuxian had been able to do with it. Nie Mingjue didn't express much of an opinion. He described what Wei Wuxian accomplished in statements of fact, noting its power, but with nothing about it being good or bad added. Lan Xichen seemed something akin to horrified.

Jiang Yanli did not like that. As much as Lan Xichen cared about Wei Wuxian, Jiang Yanli sometimes felt like his worry caused more problems than it solved. She had seen him asking Wei Wuxian or Lan Wangji questions in camp from time to time. Most of the time she would see something dark and hurt pass through Wei Wuxian's eyes. Something she had gotten very good at spotting.

It had been the sign that it was time to step in and distract, or redirect, whoever was interacting with Wei Wuxian at the time. Jiang Yanli had never actually needed to do that with Lan Xichen. Lan Wangji always beat her to it. Lan Wangji would physically separate Wei Wuxian and Lan Xichen by standing between them. His eyebrows would lower slightly in an expression that Jiang Yanli had learned to read as displeasure or anger. He would say a few words to Lan Xichen, and then he would direct Wei Wuxian elsewhere.

It never lasted long and Jiang Yanli had overheard just enough of these exchanges to guess at what their content usually involved. Namely, Lan Xichen had a problem with Wei Wuxian using resentful energy. To Jiang Yanli's ears the concerns were sweet. Lan Xichen was worried about the resentful energy impacting Wei Wuxian's health. He worried about qi deviation, and the toll it could take on Wei Wuxian's mind and emotional stability.

The problem was not so much what Lan Xichen was worried about. It was more about how Lan Xichen was expressing it. Jiang Yanli could hear the worry and concern for Wei Wuxian's well being in Lan Xichen's words. But, she had spent a long time rechecking everything she thought she knew about Wei Wuxian after the incident in Cloud Recesses.

Jiang Yanli had gotten much better at reading Wei Wuxian. She had gotten much better at showing her care and concern in a way that would actually come across to Wei Wuxian how she intended it to. It had taken effort for Jiang Yanli to develop this skill, and she couldn't fault Lan Xichen for lacking it.

Jiang Yanli admired Lan Xichen as a sect leader. She admired how he held so much respect and authority while also being known for being kind. Jiang Yanli did not carry the same authority. By necessity she could not do things the same as him, but she had strove to maintain her own aspirations of being someone who was kind and calm.  She found ways to still make her opinion known and to turn the conversation in her favour. She found ways to be calm and kind, while not allowing her opinion to be ignored.

Jiang Yanli had been very flattered when Lan Xichen actually began looking to her for assistance in strategy meetings. She wondered if perhaps Lan Xichen might hold her in enough esteem that he would be open to criticism regarding how he interacted with Wei Wuxian. It was not as though Jiang Yanli was immune to the concerns Lan Xichen seemed to hold.

After using the Yin Hufu Wei Wuxian had apparently fallen unconscious. Jiang Yanli was not happy about that in the least. She was relieved to hear he had apparently awoken some hours before they arrived in the village. She was not thrilled that something so dangerous had been required, but she would never fault Wei Wuxian for helping others. To do so would be like asking water to not be wet.

As soon as she was free of her duties Jiang Yanli made it her mission to locate Wei Wuxian. She had been stopped several times by concerned villagers. Each one seemed to be offering up some request for her to be cautious. They would offer her these requests with pieces of explanations. She would assure them of her understanding, and she would continue towards her destination.

None of these warnings were actually about Wei Wuxian. Jiang Yanli had come to learn that he was currently sharing a room with two young children, as well as Lan Wangji. She had expected Lan Wangji, but the four year old and toddler were new. All of the warnings Jiang Yanli had received were about the older child.

Wen Nuan was four years old.  She was an orphan who lost her parents and subsequent guardians.  Most of them had died at the hands of QishanWen soldiers. The most recent was an older cousin who was killed during the last battle. Wen Nuan's extended family had been worried about her for a long time.

Wen Nuan and her brother were not the only children in the village. They were not the only ones to be orphaned either, but Wen Nuan and Wen Yuan had been unlucky. The other children who lost parents were mostly being raised by close relatives. Direct siblings of one of their parents, or a grandparent. They had suffered tremendous loss, but they had managed to maintain some stability in their lives.

Wen Nuan and Wen Yuan had lost multiple guardians and multiple family members. Their entire lives had been in almost constant upheaval. Their extended family was more than happy to care for them, but Jiang Yanli could feel a hesitance in their voices and could see the small hopeful glint in their eyes.

After so much loss, Wen Nuan hadn't become withdrawn and distant. She had stopped connecting with her caregivers, her extended family, and even other children. She focused solely on her didi. With everyone else Wen Nuan created and maintained an ever increasing distance. She became aloof and detached. Even before this most recent loss, Wen Nuan had stopped doing many things that were normally expected of a young child.

Except, after the last battle, Wen Nuan had become attached to Wei Wuxian. They had not seen anyone successfully soothe Wen Nuan in a long time. They had not seen Wen Nuan seek out comfort from anyone in even longer. That both were happening now was something akin to a miracle and no one in the village wanted to shatter this precious gift.

So, when the villagers learned Jiang Yanli was visiting her didi, Wei Wuxian, they asked that she not disapprove of Wen Nuan. They noted that Wen Nuan was sometimes distressed by having too many other people in the room. They cautioned Jiang Yanli to not enter without warning, to not try to grab Wen Nuan, or take Wei Wuxian out of the room to speak separately.

An elderly man sheepishly explained that they had initially tried to separate Wen Nuan from Wei Wuxian. They had feared Wei Wuxian might attack them like he did the soldiers and tried to take Wen Nuan away to protect her. They understood later that it was not necessary. Sadly, it seemed that Wen Nuan was now almost paranoid that someone might try to separate her from Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Yanli took a deep breath to calm herself as she approached the door. She was anxious to see Wei Wuxian. She wanted to see her didi safe and healthy. She was also more than a little worried about this little girl she had heard so much about. Jiang Yanli didn't want to cause her any distress. There was also a small amount of excitement. Wei Wuxian had always loved kids. They had been in the midst of a war for so long. Jiang Yanli could admit to being excited to see a glimpse of the happy and playful side of her didi that she had rarely seen in the last few years.