Dance with you

Chapter 44

Nie Mingjue had always been a textbook example of a Nie. Ever since he could walk he would follow his father around, eyeing the mighty sabers during practice and trying to copy the moves of the more experienced disciples with a stick. He had been taller than other kids his age, with broader shoulders and a serious expression that many described as a copy of the Nie Sect Leader at the time.
His mind was always rather...simple. He made very clear distinctions between good and evil, never capable of simply letting bad things happen without trying to do something about it. Some people had murmured that his development was due to not having enough influence from his mother, since she had died giving birth to him. His father was never the most affectionate. He spoke to his child like he did with any other adult, giving commands and expecting perfect obedience. Mingjue remembered being so proud whenever his father would give him an approving pat on the shoulder. He also remembered his first time experiencing true rage. It was when his father took a second wife. He had never spared the woman as much as a friendly look, sometimes even receiving physical punishment from his father for his behavior. She had intruded into his life, taking the spot that had once been occupied by his own mother. Even though he hadn't let himself be swayed by gossip, that didn't mean he didn't hear it when people whispered about the new Madam Nie. His days became a blur of burying himself in his studies and saber practice, becoming stronger and avoiding any contact with her.
But then his world was shaken once more when his younger brother entered his world. He had avoided the second wife of his father so much, he hadn't even known about her pregnancy. His father hadn't been present when she gave birth, busying himself on a nighthunt.

When the midwife placed the fragile but loud little bundle in his arms, he first feared he would break it if he even so much as moved a muscle. As soon as the baby laid eyes on him however, its cries died down. The sparkling dark orbs of his little brother looking up at him woke something inside of Mingjue he had never felt before, protectiveness.

Maybe his father taking a new wife wasn't so bad after all. She had gifted him his younger brother and Mingjue swore to protect him with everything he had. Similar to his own mother however, Huaisang's mother got very sick after giving birth and passed away after suffering a few years. At nine years old, Nie Mingjue had struggled to comfort his weeping younger brother. It felt awkward consoling someone after the death of a person you didn't really have an opinion on.
Still he dutifully wore his white mourning robes, paid his respects at her plaque in the ancestral hall and embraced his brother throughout the nights when he suffered from nightmares or simply couldn't sleep. At least he cared.

His father hadn't even blinked at the woman's death. Not an ounce of sadness or remorse showed as he carried on with his life. A third wife never followed. Instead his father became more temperamental and easier to anger. He beat Mingjue more often whenever he protected Huaisang from his temper and whenever he was dissatisfied with his progress. But Mingjue would gladly endure all the pain in the world if it meant his brother would stay safe.

Ever since the confrontation with Liu Xiaolin in the Unclean Realm, Nie Mingjue found himself lost in his thoughts and memories more often.

'Would you have been so harsh on someone from your own Sect?', her voice echoed through his head.

Would he have been?

What if it had been his brother?

When he had watched Liu Xiaolin step forward, placing herself between the Nie Sect and Meng Yao and Xue Yang without an ounce of fear or doubt in her eyes, he felt like he was watching himself stepping between his father and his little brother. He had known what would happen but he had done it again and again, never feeling regret or doubt. The more he found himself thinking about it, the more he seemed to understand her. He knew, deep down, he would have done the same for Huaisang, no matter how impartial he claimed to be.