Fluffy WangXian Oneshots Book Two

Come Back To Gusu With Me Part 11

TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF BLOOD/GORE/NIGHTMARE/GOLDEN CORE TRANSFER/SUICIDAL THOUGHTS (regarding Jiang Cheng and by Wei Ying) I will definitely try to keep it at a minimum but this entire chapter is about healing and that cannot happen without delving into the wound. I would ask the readers to be careful and look after themselves first.

******************

The dream starts out in a terrific place; gentle white candy floss clouds drift across a sky so blue, it reminds Wei Ying of cornflowers. He'd once found a patch of them growing near the training grounds in Lotus Pier, and after that, he kept an eye out for a glimpse of the pretty eye-catching petals. It was something to focus on when Yu-Furen was in a snit, and he enjoyed the way the blue stood out, contrasting with the lush green grasses around them.

As he looks around, the mountain takes shape. Truthfully, it could be any mountain really; nothing about it stands out in particular. Meadows that stretch upwards look like any other, wildflowers attracting busy bees collecting nectar, butterflies flit here and there, unfaithful to any one bloom, fluttering with beautiful colourful wings. The sun is hot on his face and that should have been his first clue that he was dreaming.

Next, he notices his companion. His purple robes are hidden away inside a qiankun pouch because both of them are still being hunted like unfortunate prey. They've disguised themselves like common folk, cheap cotton robes covering their bodies, the colours taupe and earthy like the Nie Clan, but more brown and sand toned than green. No sign of Zidian because Jiang Cheng can't use it at the moment. Who knows if it will ever be wielded again by a member of the Jiang Clan? He is the last sole heir, the direct descendant of Jiang Fengmian and Yu ZiYuan. Even if Jiang YanLi had a male child, the chances were that they would follow the traditions of their paternal Clan instead, and it just wouldn't be the same.

Jiang Cheng is wearing a black blindfold and there's a staff in his hand, a branch cut down from a yew tree they passed on their way up. Wei Ying tore off the shoots to make it even if not completely smooth; neither of them have their spiritual swords and the absence of them is a bitter reminder.

The significance of giving Jiang Cheng something to lean on other than himself isn't lost on Wei Ying, because in a few hours from now, he will become utterly useless to his brother. But he doesn't regret this decision. The debts that he owes to the Jiang Clan for taking him in, off the streets, is a reminder that has been branded onto his soul, far deeper and still raw, burning every time Yu-Furen told him he wasn't worth the air he breathed in her presence. Every bite of food that went past his lips, every gulp of life-giving water, and for every stitch of clothing on his back, Wei Ying owed the Jiang Clan everything.

That greatest of all debts is about to be paid in full.

His golden core, obtained far earlier than Jiang Cheng, belonged to the Jiang Clan too, as Yu-Furen never failed to tell him, because it had become powerful using the Jiang training technique. Wei Ying refrained from saying that if that was the case, why wasn't anyone else up to his capabilities? But that kind of insolence would have gotten him another beating, and he's not stupid. Remaining silent around her was the best option most of the time, though she was prone to twisting his purposeful muteness into frustration that she couldn't get a rise out of him. Damned if he did, and damned if he did not, that was the knife's edge Wei Ying constantly walked on around her.

A crow calls out on that quiet mountain path, bringing him back to the dream. It takes flight off a lone oak tree that marks the place where the mountain path  splits off into two opposite directions. Wei Ying sees himself pointing towards the right path and telling Jiang Cheng again not to open his eyes, reminding him that he must say his own name to the Celestial Immortal, Baoshan Sanren, that he is Cangse Sanren’s son, Wei WuXian.