A Means to an End (WangXian)

Qishan Wen

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were on one sword, slowly rising from the cliffside. It took an immense amount of concentration to climb their way up. The raging fires from below threatened to burn them alive. It made the trip up even more difficult as it felt like the heat from the flames is draining them of their energy. Even Jiang Wanyin, on his own sword, struggled to keep pace and not give in to the heat. 

If it weren't for the protection talisman Wei Wuxian had used, then perhaps they would have been dead quite some time ago. 

When the three of them reached the top of the cliffside, they immediately hopped off their swords and hid against one of the tall buildings. 

As Wei Wuxian had predicted, there were not many guards in this particular area. There are not many who dare to climb a cliffside where a fiery death awaits them.

"Where is she most likely to be at?" Jiang Wanyin asked.

Wei Wuxian peered around the corner. "That building there," he said. "Wen Rouhan spends quite a bit of time there. His war room is in there as well. Below it is a dungeon. She might be there."

"She might?"

Wei Wuxian shook his head. "I am not completely sure. It is possible that she is beside him still, but is holding her family captive. He's always valued her skills, and I doubt he wants to lose her so soon."

Jiang Wanyin nodded. "Alright. What's the best way in."

"On the other side is a servants entrance. We're less likely to be spotted by guards there, but I don't know their routes as well as I do the guards. It's possible we could be caught by one of the servants."

"It is easier to eliminate the servants and raise less alarms," Lan Wangji commented.

Wei Wuxian nodded. "I agree. The guards are trained to alert each other in subtle ways. The servants aren't nearly as aware. If we run into one, we can take them out more discretely."

"Then let's go."

The three scoured the area with scrutinizing eyes, ensuring that there truly were no guards around and allow themselves enough time to make it to the servants entrance on the other side of the courtyard. Wei Wuxian placed the camouflage talisman over the three of them, giving them a slightly better advantage of not being spotted.

When they finally deemed the coast as clear, they swiftly made it to the servants entrance of Wen Rouhan's main building. The snuck in, not even a sound was made.

Wei Wuxian scanned his surroundings with careful eyes. His footsteps were light and his ears were strained, listening for any sound of approaching footsteps.

Sure enough, there were a few times that servants had walked down the same halls as them. Luckily, there were alcoves where they could hide behind rather large statues, or other times they could disappear behind another door. 

They circled through the building, checking each corridor as they went. There had to be an entrance to the back area where the stairs leading down into the dungeons would be hidden.

They kept searching through the narrow corridors, very much still hidden within the passageways only meant for servants.

Why they were so long and elaborate, Wei Wuxian couldn't fully answer.

Then again, the Wens have never been known to treat those in their servitude with the utmost care. Many of their servants were more like slaves, forced to work away to pay off debts they owed. 

Of course, Wen Rouhan would want them out of sight as much as possible, while ensuring their journey from one location to the next was much longer than it needed to be.