Wangxian Oneshots

Melt, Melt Slowly

Summary:
“Shijie, this body is strong, but I won’t make it out of this.”

Jiang Yanli does not die, but it costs her little brother’s life instead.
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At the end, Jiang Yanli wasn’t able to see the cultivator running towards her little brother, brandishing a sword, full of killing intent. All she saw was the sword piercing through Wei Wuxian’s chest, his blood spilling over her face and her white mourning robes.

Jiang Yanli was already distressed and panicked, but seeing Wei Wuxian’s red eyes full of tears and his mouth dripping with blood made her even more panicked. The pain on her back suddenly dissipated, and all she could feel was her limbs shaking and the tears streaming down from her eyes. She moved away from Jiang Cheng’s firm grip and crawled next to Wei Wuxian. She forced him to lie down and rest his head on her legs, while she hugged him tightly and wailed.

Wei Wuxian tried moving, but Jiang Yanli shook her head. “A-Xian, don’t move,” she begged, but he still raised his arm and wiped the tears and the blood on her face away. “Please… stop moving, it will only get you more hurt.”

“Shijie…” he said, hesitantly and weekly, his voice so low that Jiang Yanli could barely hear him. “Jiejie. I’m sorry. I dragged you into this.” He coughed and more blood poured out of his mouth. His lips were trembling, in a way that she could tell he was afraid. Afraid of dying. “I destroy everything around me. But it wasn’t my intention.”

“Stop talking, A-Xian, please.” She chided, caressing his cheeks, using the fabric of her robe to clean his face. Only now she could notice how Wei Wuxian had been sick for months. More than she could imagine. His skin was no longer tanned, it was a sickly white tone, close to gray. And under his eyes, there were dark and purple spots from the lack of sleep. His chubby cheeks, no longer chubby, just hollow. Wei Wuxian wasn’t even dead, yet, he still looked like a living corpse, a step away from death. And maybe, he truly was. “You’re one of the best cultivators from our generation, Didi. We will find a healer and you will be fine.”

She never called him Didi, so Wei Wuxian’s eyes glimmered for half a second, only for him to laugh humorlessly. “Shijie, this body is strong, but I won’t make it out of this.” His voice kept failing at each word he said and he coughed blood once more. “I have two secrets to tell you.”

Feeling worthless and losing hope, Jiang Yanli forced herself to not cry more, and instead, she smiled the way she always did, wiping the sweat on her brother’s forehead, putting some strands of hair behind ears. “I’m listening.”

“This one no longer has a golden core. Don’t tell this to Jiang Cheng. He must not know.” Jiang Yanli was shocked, but she didn’t have the courage to display her feelings, only nodding slowly, hugging him tightly once more. “And… I love someone. I wish I could tell him ” This secret, however, was no surprise. But before Wei Wuxian could continue, both of them noted some commotion.

The majority of cultivators were too focused fighting the undead army, so none glimpsed at the dying body of the Yiling Patriarch. Jiang Cheng stood next to the one who aimed for Wei Wuxian’s body, his body lying down lifeless, his neck twisted. Only then, Jiang Yanli noticed her youngest brother retaliated against him, by breaking his neck. She pushed her thoughts away, and tried to keep her breath steady. Then, someone kneeled close to them, and took Wei Wuxian’s hand in a firm grip.

“ Ah… ” Wei Wuxian murmured, his lips shivering and his eyes almost closing. “Lan Zhan… I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

He let himself finally close his eyes, as if succumbing to sleep. Jiang Yanli froze, unable to say anything, and all she could hear was the static in her ears. For once, Wei Wuxian’s facial features finally softened, and if it wasn’t for the blood, for that damn sword, for everyone around them, she would believe her brother was just sleeping peacefully.