One Shots (Wangxian)

One Shot 6: Swapped

⚠️ Short story inspired by MydlaMydla story, If You Knew How It Felt
Story may be triggering for some readers as it has themes of self-harm and mental health. Please read with caution ⚠️
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Jiang Cheng was on a mission. He told the other sect leaders that he would go to the burial mounds himself and speak to Wei Wuxian. Talk some sense into him. Though it didn't really seem to work, as in the end, Wei Wuxian seceded. They were to hold a fight the next day, they had to make it look real.

Jiang Cheng tossed and turned that night. He got up from his bed and took a drink of water. He found it tasted kind of bitter. He dumped it and made a fresh cup of water which tasted normal. However, when he finally managed to get some sleep, he woke the next morning feeling cold.

His body felt cold to the point where it was like he was freezing from the inside out. His spiritual energy was extremely low, not only low but his golden core was nonexistent. He looked around and saw that he was not in the inn he fell asleep in, but inside the cave in the burial mounds.

What is this? He questioned.

Moments later, he saw himself, his body running into the cave, "Jiang Cheng, what the hell happened?" He asked.

"You tell me! How am I seeing myself?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"What did you do when you left?" Wei Wuxian asked.

"I went to the inn and went to bed, I got a drink of water but it tasted bitter so I got fresh water and I woke up here in this place," Jiang Cheng said, "why is your body this weak? Is it because of the demonic energy or something?"

"Now is not the time, you said something bitter, you did not keep the water?" He asked.

"In the cup no the pitcher I left alone," Jiang Cheng said.

"Do not leave, as you hold the resentment, it sticks to you so it stays calm. Do not act rash or reckless, it reacts to emotions. I will go get the water," Wei Wuxian said, "which inn?"

"You will see the sect disciples hovering around it," Jiang Cheng said, "pretend to be me and you will be fine."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Wei Wuxian said, "if I find out that you moved and disobeyed my orders I will break your legs!"

Jiang Cheng scowled, "I will break yours if you do not get a move on!"

"Stay calm, if you see Wen Qing, tell her what happened," Wei Wuxian said and left.

Jiang Cheng sighed as he watched Wei Wuxian leave. Jiang Cheng was alone in his lair. He looked around again. Aside from the fur he was sitting on, there were only a few other items in the cave, a stack of talisman papers and two or three unfinished inventions; and of course Wen Ning's body covered in talismans from head to toes. There were however innumerable arrays and scribbles on the cave's walls, some of them Jiang Cheng recognized as protective charms or cleansing talismans, other's he had never seen before.

Those must have been the reason the cave was not overrun with resentful energy earlier. Jiang Cheng clearly remembered that the black swirl never attacked him until he stepped out. How clever, his brother managed to protect the inside, at least he had a safe place to rest, Jiang Cheng was relieved. He was moving around continuously, trying to find a more comfortable position. The floor was hard and uneven and the fur was not really thick, it was too worn-out. No matter how he sat, there was always some bump or stone that was digging painfully into his flesh. It didn't help that he could feel the bones inside him painfully rubbed against each other, knowing very well that they were broken.