Jiang Cheng was kneeling being forcefully held down by a Qishan Wen sect soldiers and he was watching his brother come closer. Wei Wuxian had a smile on his lips but it was clearer than ever that it was not how he was feeling at the moment. He was beaten terribly, Jiang Cheng could still see fresh blood coming out of some of the wounds and he could not believe that his brother was actually still standing, much less walking. But leave it to Wei Wuxian to always not only attempt but also accomplish the impossible.
If his brother was here, not tied and being held prisoner, Jiang Cheng knew that he had a plan to rescue them. Hopefully not one of his stupid and dangerous plans, but one which would actually work without a hitch this time. It must, his family's lives depended on it.
He saw Wen Chao coming down from the small podium and walking behind Wei Wuxian, as if keeping guard. It seemed like despite not being tied or in shackles, Wen Ruohan did not fully trust his brother. Jiang Cheng did not know if it was good or bad for Wei Wuxian's rescue plan.
Wei Wuxian all but fell to his knees in front of them and looked at them with his eyes full of regret and perhaps also guilt. Jiang Cheng had been adamant on apologising to his brother as soon as he would see him again for everything, and especially for all the blame he had put onto his shoulders when the other did nothing wrong, but right now, his voice was locked away. He could not do anything else but to stare at his brother, his eyes hopeful, convinced that whatever Wei Wuxian was about to do would save them.
His parents had been in captivity for far too long already and their captors had not been quite welcoming. Only in the daylight could Jiang Cheng see that his parents had lost a lot of their weight and that their whole appearance was extremely unkept and dirty, surely they had not been treated well. Even Jiang Yanli, although she had been here for a little more than a week was already looking tired and her robes were in rags. He knew he himself was probably looking the most presentable right now.
It was however of no importance, it was far more comforting that they had finally been reunited, all alive if not well. All five of them.
There was a long silence when they were all just staring at each other, happy to see that their whole family was once again whole. It was Jiang Fengmian who spoke first, his voice stuttering and horrified: "A-Ying, what happened to you?"
And as always, Wei Wuxian only smiled at the other and replied: "Uncle Jiang, it is nothing. I am glad you are alive." Then his head turned towards Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Yanli: "Madame Yu, Shijie, it is good to see you." He did not tell Jiang Cheng that he was glad to see him as well but it did not matter too much, they had been together just the day before so he was not really mad.
He could see that Wei Wuxian had unshed tears in his eyes and from the way his own were stinging, he could tell that he was no better. It was a beautiful and heart touching moment.
Until it had been ruined by Wen Chao: "Yeah, yeah, yeah... A touching reunion indeed. Wei Wuxian, do what you have to and do not stall. Or do you want to perhaps make me doubt your intentions? Your cellmates are waiting for you if I see even the faintest attempts at defying my father."
Wei Wuxian's whole figure shuddered and for a brief moment, his eyes glanced towards Wen Chao, full of raw terror. If only those few words could shake his strong brother like this, Jiang Cheng wondered who those cellmates were. Even though, seeing his brother's reaction and looking now more closely at his wounds peaking from the ragged robes, he could take a good guess. Suddenly, his hate for the second heir of the Qishan Wen sect burned like never before.
He knew only too well of Wei Wuxian's fear of dogs and how it always made him cower on the ground or behind the closest person, screaming in panic and begging anyone to get rid of the creature who was not even threatening him. Had Wen Chao really locked Wei Wuxian in a tiny cell with a dog? And not a nice and friendly one either from the extend of the injuries. Jiang Cheng wanted so much to just throw the guards off and murder Wen Chao on the spot.
He did however hold himself back when he saw Wei Wuxian shake his head ever so slightly, looking him directly into his eyes.
It was only then that Jiang Cheng realized what a colossal stupidity such a behaviour would be. They were alone in the very heart of the Qishan Wen sect, surrounded by soldiers and some of the most powerful cultivators there were. If he made only one wrong move, they would all be dead before he would even get to touch Wen Chao's robes.
He took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down, although he continued staring at the offending second heir of the Qishan Wen sect, silently promising a gruesome revenge for his brother's pain. As soon as they would get out, he would start planning how best to torture Wen Chao and perhaps also Wen Xu, for taking Yanli prisoner in Unclean Realm.
Through all his red hot anger, he had almost missed his brother's next words: "I am joining Wen Ruohan and the Qishan Wen sect, there is no place for me in the cultivation world anymore. Demonic cultivators will always be shunned away, and once the Qishan Wen sect wins this war, I would be able to roam freely again. You will be released and that will be a symbolic gesture of me leaving the cultivation world behind."
Jiang Cheng could not believe his brother's words. He had hoped that perhaps Wei Wuxian had for once come up with a solid plan, but no, here he was, saying that he would basically exchange himself for them. And what was it about helping Wen Ruohan win this war? He must have surely been joking!
Promising something like this and then running away with them would just stir Wen Ruohan's ire against all the other cultivation sects. Would they even be able to win the war afterwards? Until now, the Qishan Wen sect did play with them like a cat with a mouse, not taking the allied forces and the Sunshot campaign too seriously. But should Wen Ruohan have a personal vendetta to carry out against one of the major sects? The tables could turn in a blink of an eye.