A Means to an End (WangXian)

Questions and Answers

"There was much going on. Jiang-xiong, what happened to us is unbelievable. We didn't want anyone to have to relive it, even if it meant not telling others."

"But you told the Lans, the Wen siblings, and your brother."

Nie Huaisang sighed. He found an old tree stump off in a shaded area. He took a seat before rubbing his eyes.

"It was necessary. We had to be proactive to prevent the future. Sect leaders knowing was a must."

"Then what about Lan Wangji and the Wen siblings?" He crossed his arms and moved closer to the Nie.

"The Wen siblings needed to know because we had to make sure they broke from Wen Rouhan before the war broke out. Also, they infiltrated and retrieved important information that we needed."

"And Lan Wangji?"

Nie Huaisang stared at Jiang Wanyin. His lips set on a frown and his eyes were narrowed. Jiang Wanyin noted the crease in between his eyebrows.

"If you have to question that one, then you are being as dense as you were back in the Cloud Recesses."

Jiang Wanyin scoffed. 

Though, Nie Huaisang was not wrong. He was aware of the relationship between the two. It only made sense that Wei Wuxian would confide in Lan Wangji.

Jiang Wanyin took a seat on the ground beside Nie Huaisang. He stared off at a tree. He just felt irritated. He didn't know if he had specific words to define why he was irritated, he just was. 

"I know I can't answer all your questions. Believe me, I don't think you want to know all the answers, but is there something specific about this that is bothering you?"

Jiang Wanyin stayed quiet. He continued to stare at the tree not far from them. However, Nie Huaisang noted how his posture dropped the more he sat there, the more he was lost in his thoughts.

Nie Huaisang gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "What is the best thing to do when feeling overwhelmed?"

Jiang Wanyin huffed at the comment and turned to face the Nie. "To talk about it."

Nie Huaisang couldn't help the smile. The two had talked about this before, maybe even several times.

"What did I do to him?" Jiang Wanyin finally asked, his jaw clenched.

Nie Huaisang stared at Jiang Wanyin. The question caught him off guard. He felt on edge, trying to figure out exactly how to answer that question.

Jiang Wanyin sighed and turned away. "I'm assuming not something good."

Nie Huaisang bit his lip before proceeding. He slid down off the trunk to sit beside Jiang Wanyin. "You both were hurt so much. It put a strain between your relationship. Yes, you did not always have the best response and some of your actions were unpleasant, but you were also just trying to survive in a chaotic world just as much as the rest of us were."

"Nie Huaisang, you're dodging the question. What did I do?"

Nie Huaisang shook his head. "Wei-xiong and I have to live with the regret of the decisions we made in our previous life. I won't let you do the same." He stood up and held out a hand. "I'm sure dinner is soon."

Jiang Wanyin grabbed Nie Huaisang's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up to his feet. He stared down at their joined hands, questioning whether or not he should let go. 

Nie Huaisang seemed to have the same dilemma.

The two dropped their hands at the same time, turning and heading back to their camp.

"The first group of people should be moved in the morning. It would be dangerous to have them leave now." Nie Huaisang and Jiang Wanyin could hear the voice of the future Lan Sect Leader.

"What do we do about the Jins arriving in the next few hours?" Wei Wuxian asked. 

"We'll need to section off an area for them. Perhaps have the Wen civilians moved into the actual village until morning," Nie Mingjue suggested.

"There are those empty houses now that the women, children, and elderly have been evacuated to a different village," Wei Wuxian added.

"We would still need to discuss with the village chief before we have people moving into their homes," Nie Mingjue replied.

Lan Xichen spoke, "I will go personally to speak with them. In the meantime, we need to finish preparations for the first round of Wen civilians being moved."

Nie Huaisang and Jiang Wanyin joined the conversation, standing beside Nie Mingjue and Wei Wuxian.

"They are nearly complete," Lan Wangji commented.

Lan Xichen nodded his head. "Alright."

Wei Wuxian looked over towards Nie Huaisang and Jiang Wanyin. "Jiang Cheng, do you think you can go with Zewu-jun? They might be more agreeable to their future sect leader."

Jiang Wanyin nodded, instantly understanding what he meant.

"A-Yuan! A-Yuan!" a woman's voice cried out.

The group whipped around quickly. Granny Wen looked around anxiously. 

"Where's A-Yuan?" Wei Wuxian asked in a rush to the elder woman.

"He was here a moment ago. He heard something and ran off. I can't find him."

A pit appeared in Wei Wuxian's stomach. He turned and began running in a different direction. "A-Yuan!" he called out. "A-Yuan!" He looked inside of tents and under tables and behind trees.

"Xian-gege!"

Wei Wuxian halted in his steps. The others who were searching stopped as well. Behind one of the village houses, a head popped out and wobbled over to Wei Wuxian, giant tears running down his little cheeks.

"Xian-gege!" he called out again.

Wei Wuxian, with shaky hands and unsteady breaths, reached out to A-Yuan and instantly pulled the small toddler close to him.

The group that was actively searching for A-Yuan calmly walked over to the two of them. Wei Wuxian was down on his knees and held the toddler as tightly as he could without hurting him. There was a burning behind Wei Wuxian's eyes.

No one questioned the two. They all only felt relieved that he hadn't gone far.

However, Wen Qing stared on in concern.

"Wei Wuxian. Why did he call you that? How does he know your name?"

Wei Wuxian looked up at the Wen. "It's what he used to call me, in the Burial Mounds."