Wei Wuxian opened his eyes with much difficulty when he felt someone was touching his shoulder. For a few seconds, just before his eyes focused, he thought it had been Jiang Yanli waking him up because he had once again overslept and was running late for the young disciples' training. The touch was gentle and careful; it could not have been anyone else.
However, when his sight became clear again, all he could see were red robes and an unfamiliar face. He immediately remembered where he was and what had happened. He did not know how long he had been out of it, fighting the resentful energy which had been trying to take control over him. But he knew he had won that fight, at least for now. Not that he could not feel the resentment gnawing at his defences, but his head was clear.
He flinched away from the unfamiliar touch, alarmed and finally fully conscious. The movement reminded him even stronger about everything as it was tugging at his wounds. His heart was heavy, although his very soul was content that he had saved his family, they were surely already back in the Sunshot campaign's main camp, being taken care of and safe.
His eyes strayed towards his next mission, the Yin iron which was still lazily floating in the air above the altar. It was undisturbed by anything, too dangerous to be left alone yet too powerful to be destroyed by normal means.
Wei Wuxian chuckled a bit, just a broken sound without any actual laughter behind it. Yes, destroying it seemed utterly impossible. And doing the impossible was Wei Wuxian's forte after all, he could do it; he had to. Now it was just the matter of finding a way.
He could not tell how long he had been there already. Was it perhaps too late to help the allied forces in the final siege of Nightless City? No, it could not be, they could not all be dead. They just could not, he refused to believe anything else but that all his friends and family were still alive and well. If he succumbed to despair now, he knew he would never again be able to pick himself up.
He had to get on with his mission immediately, now, when he still had some strength left to resist the will of the Yin iron and enough courage to actually carry on.
"Young Master Wei, are you alright?"
Wei Wuxian flinched again and his eyes darted towards the person who was in the room with him. He had all but forgotten about them until this moment. They had red Qishan Wen sect robes, so they must have been an enemy. Yet, why had their touch felt so gentle and soothing? Surely no Qishan Wen sect soldier would be so careful when waking him up. Was it perhaps a servant? Hope bloomed in Wei Wuxian's guts, was he perhaps getting some food at last? He could not recall the last he had anything to fill his empty stomach.
The realization about the identity of the other only came a second later when he finally focused fully on the person's face. It was actually Wen Ning! The timid Qishan Wen sect disciple who Wei Wuxian had only seen a couple of times, namely during his short studies in Cloud Recesses and then at the indoctrination held in Nightless City. What was he doing here? No, that was not right, this was his sect's territory, him being here made sense.
What was surprising Wei Wuxian more was the reason he was here, in this place where the Yin iron could very easily overwhelm him and turn him into either a mindless puppet or outright a resentful creature. Why was he risking so much? Or had he been ordered to come here by Wen Ruohan? Anger flared in Wei Wuxian's mind at the thought.
It was however quickly quenched by Wen Ning's stuttered whispering: "Young Master Wei, please do not worry, it is just me. I came to tell you that your family made it back to the camp just fine. I have informed them that you are alive as well."
The Qishan Wen sect disciple reached out his hand and there was something hidden in his palm, it was a small steamed meat bun. He pushed it inside the cage and hid in under a piece of Wei Wuxian's robes. Then he shook his arm a bit and a small bottle appeared by sliding out from his sleeve. Wei Wuxian recognized it, he had already received a similar one when Wen Ning came to save him in the dungeons during the indoctrination. If he was not mistaken, there was medicine inside.
"I can only help you like this now. I am sorry, I know it is not much, I will bring more later. I am not supposed to come here so I will have to go back now. Please hold on for just a little longer. There is a siege planned in just two days. I will help you escape then."
Before Wei Wuxian could even thank him or ask from where he had had those pieces of information, Wen Ning was already back on his feet and quickly walking towards the door. He sneaked out, closing the door behind himself without a sound and Wei Wuxian was alone once again.
Although the visit had been short, it had helped him immensely. He was no longer despairing; he knew his family was fine and he had not missed the timing for the final siege, he could still make everything work. There was still hope.
He looked around with a little difficulty, his body was still refusing to obey him properly even after all that time he had spent unconscious. When he determined that there was actually no one in the room with him, he rolled to the side and exposed his two priceless treasures. It only took him three bites to finish the steamed bun. It was one of the best meals he had ever had.
He took several pills from the bottle Wen Ning had given him. He knew that the spirit fortifying medicine would not have much effect on him since he did not have a golden core anymore, but he still hoped that it would help at least a little bit, if only in making his mind sharper so he would be able to resist the resentful energy better.
He started taking deep breaths, preparing to finally study the Yin iron and hopefully come up with a solution how to help the allied forces and destroy it. While he was gathering his courage, he was thinking.
Could Wen Ning be the spy Nie Huisang had told them about? He had said he had a man inside and that was why he was getting insider intel. It had saved them more than once. But Wei Wuxian had a hard time imagining the timid, stuttering and gentle Qishan Wen sect disciple being a sly spy. Then again, it was the most unexpected ones who often came up as a surprise.
He had to smile, it was good knowing that he had at least one ally in Nightless City. If Wen Ning would come back, he would even be able to give him a message for Nie Huisang. He had to let him know that he was working on destroying the Yin iron but that he would probably not make it before the siege.
No! He could not do that, he realized the next second. The siege could not be postponed just because of his inability and uselessness. It would cost too much to the allied forces to prolong the fighting, so many lives would be lost and perhaps it would give Wen Ruohan more time to prepare and they could lose in the end. No, there was only one way, he had to prevail.
He was still one of the Yunmeng Jiang sect, and the motto he had always abided by was to attempt the impossible. And that was just what he had to do. He opened his eyes and fixed the Yin iron still floating in the air without any visible sustenance. He focused on the resentful energy surrounding him, getting to know it better, studying it and trying to get to its source.
He was determined and hoped that his determination would be enough to make him succeed in his task before it would be too late.