Chapter Text
The ritual failed.
That is what Nie Huaisang tells Jiang Cheng after the events at Guanyin temple. The ritual failed. Wei Wuxian was supposed to come back in Mo Xuanyu's body, and he didn't.
How is it that even after thirteen years of his death, he still manages to create trouble for everybody else?
"His soul is ruptured." Huaisang told him. "You know they tried to summon and eliminate his soul after his death, but it was so broken that not even a self-sacrificing ritual could make him come back."
The ritual failed.
Wei Wuxian didn't come back.
And Jin Ling’s dead.
*
Jiang Cheng knows this is his fault. Wei Wuxian has been dead for thirteen long years, and even if someone had planned to bring him back from the dead, he had purposely damaged his own soul enough that nothing could put it back together again. Wei Wuxian was supposed to be there, but he was not supposed to at the same time. He was supposed to help Jiang Cheng run the Jiang sect, fulfilling a duty between them and handling the things Jiang Cheng himself was incapable of. Jiang Cheng was never meant to lead the sect alone, his father had made that clear for as long as he could remember. But he is dead, and Jin Ling is dead, and Jiang Cheng should have been paying more attention to him at Dafan Mountain. He should not have had to protect Jin Ling alone; Jiang Cheng is sure that Jin Ling would have still been alive if Wei Wuxian had been there like he was supposed to. No, like he was destined to.
Being a sect leader is not easy; far from it, actually. He knew of it when he saw how his father handled the sect, and how his mother would train the disciples. He knew of it when Lotus Pier could run smoothly when his parents were off on night hunts, and there was no one in charge but his father's right hand man. But he didn’t have any of that from the moment he became a sect leader. He had to raise a sect from the ashes; recruit people capable enough to withstand the training, and with a big enough of a death wish to fight in a war that could but did not affect them yet.
His sect was not completely decimated, not really. There were disciples scattered on night hunts when the Wens attacked, and some of them safely returned to their homes to hide while the Wens were looking for them; but they were still small in numbers, and on the brink of becoming extinct.
Raising a nephew was like raising a sect. The care you had to put to keep everyone alive was the same care he had to put to keep Jin Ling from dying. Like when he was raising his sect, he had the Jins’ help when raising Jin Ling, and while he was grateful for it, it always left a bitter taste in his mouth. Jin Guangyao was one of the few living family members Jin Ling had, and he had gifted Jin Ling with the attention and patience Jiang Cheng himself didn’t have most of the time; Jiang Cheng thought they had made a pretty good team, the two of them, when raising the boy that one day would become the sect leader his father originally had to have been.
Finding out that it was Jin Guangyao that had a hand in not only destroying Wei Wuxian’s public image, but on the reason why Jin Zixuan had been at the ambush where Wei Wuxian had lost control, effectively leaving a baby Jin Ling orphaned after the sacrifice of his sister, and in the care of two people who didn’t know, nor were ready to be parents; it was enough for Jiang Cheng to want to resurrect the bastard to kill him himself.
He lost Jin Ling, though, and that was not Jin Guangyao’s fault.
Jiang Cheng is alone in the Jianghu now. He has no other living family members; there is no one else, and he has no one to blame but himself. Jiang Cheng remembers going on night hunts at fourteen; he was always eager to demonstrate that he was as capable as Wei Wuxian, that he too deserved the praise his father would give Wei Wuxian in front of anyone who would listen. Jiang Cheng remembers how it felt to successfully catch a spirit and put it to rest, using the techniques he had been taught since he was a child. Attempt the impossible, his father always said. He remembers how proud he felt, the smile his sister and Wei Wuxian gave him, the look in his mother’s eyes when the rest of the disciples, including Wei Wuxian, couldn’t do the same thing he did. He remembers all of this, and it’s the reason he encouraged Jin Ling to attempt the impossible himself; it’s the reason he told him not to “come back” if he didn’t catch anything worthwhile. Oh, how he regrets that now.
Jin Ling had signal flares, Jiang Cheng made sure of it when he saw his nephew packing. He added Jiang ones there, too, in his qiankun pouch. Jin Ling knew how to use all the resources he had at hand; the nets, his sword, his bow, the talismans. But Jin Ling was still a child, he was still fourteen years old; he was prideful, and angry, and smart, and he was.
Jiang Cheng should have been there with him. Jiang Cheng should have never left his nephew alone. Jiang Cheng should have accompanied him all the way through the mountain, should have been paying close attention to the signals that showed that this particular night hunt was not normal. He should have, he should have, he should have.
Now Jin Ling is dead and Jiang Cheng knows it’s his fault. He knew it when he picked his nephew’s body from the mountain and had to bring him back to the Jin Tower to get a proper burial. He knew it when he saw the way Jin Guangyao’s eyes tightened around the corners when he told him the news. He knew it when he felt the Jin sect members’ looks on his back, their judgement, and the rumors about him; of not being able to claim Jin Ling as his heir and taking him away from the world in vengeance. Jiang Cheng is not unaccustomed to rumors, he has lived and dealt with them his whole life.
Rumors have nothing on what’s going on in his own head.
*
“Did you hear what happened to that lunatic, Mo Xuanyu?”
“What did he do this time?”
“He’s dead!”
“What?”
“I heard he was found in his shed, drained of blood!”
“No, I heard he used his own blood to sacrifice himself.”
“He was crazy!”
“He practiced demonic cultivation, of course he was going to die at some point!”
“What do you think he sacrificed himself for?”
“What else!? He must have used his blood to curse his family!”
“They all died within the night!”
“It’s not all bad, the Mos were notoriously wicked.”
“They were! Always hoarding riches and letting us starve!”
“Mo Xuanyu did us a favor!”
“He did! That lunatic did something good for once.”
“Mo village is free!”
*
Nie Huaisang comes to visit him three months after Jin Ling is properly buried, a few weeks after the confrontation at Guanyin temple. They sit in front of each other, a tea set between them, silence and tension palpable in the room.
“Do you know who Mo Xuanyu is?”
Jiang Cheng stares at him. “A disgusting demonic cultivator.”
Jiang Cheng heard about what happened at Mo village. He knows how people view him, knows the rumors that circulate about him, about how he keeps chasing demonic cultivators because they remind him of Wei Wuxian. They don’t understand. They don’t know how demonic cultivation destroyed his family. Jiang Cheng doesn’t have any family members left because of demonic cultivation; he’s justified in his actions. He’s ridding the world of it, ridding families of the same fate his had. They should be thanking him and-.
“I chose him” Nie Huaisang says, and Jiang Cheng is forced out of his thoughts, “to be Wei Wuxian’s vessel.”
“What the fuck do you mean?”
Nie Huaisang blinks slowly at him. He doesn’t seem nonplussed as he usually does; he looks borderline bored.
“I wanted to bring Wei Wuxian back from the dead.”
Could Jiang Cheng kill another sect leader without starting a war? He doesn’t think he can get away with it, but this is as good as a claim of demonic cultivation if he’s ever heard one. Bringing back someone from the dead? As if that were possible!
“I am well aware that it’s considered to be demonic cultivation, Jiang-xiong.” Huaisang continues, as if he doesn’t notice the way Jiang Cheng’s face is red in anger. “But there was a ritual, you see, one created by Wei Wuxian himself. It allows a person to sacrifice their own soul to bring someone else’s back. A sacrifice, not a possession.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I think you need to know that Wei Wuxian was supposed to be at Dafan Mountain three months ago.” Nie Huaisang drinks a bit of tea, sets his cup down again. “I trusted that Wei Wuxian would be back; that was my mistake. I had to change my plans to out Jin Guangyao’s scheme, I didn’t think it would cost anyone’s life. Especially Jin Rulan’s.”
“Get out.”
“But, you see,” Nie Huaisang continues, as if Jiang Cheng hadn’t said anything. “Wei Wuxian’s soul was fractured when he died. So broken that no one can find its pieces, nobody can summon it. Not even a self-sacrificing ritual that’s supposed to be so powerful, no soul can deny its pull.”
Nie Huaisang looks at him for a few seconds, grabs his cup and moves it closer to his mouth. “But you knew that already, no Jiang-xiong?” He takes a sip, doesn’t pull it away immediately from his mouth. “I mean, you did kill him after all.”
“Get out.” Jiang Cheng repeats.
“That is the only reason Mo Xuanyu failed, you know? Everything was correct. The problem was Wei Wuxian’s soul. He always did have a flair for helping people in need, I thought this time would be the same.”
“Nie Huaisang.”
“He had other arrays and rituals in his cave, things that would make any demonic cultivator happy; things that were hidden from those who raided his home.”
Jiang Cheng knows that Wei Wuxian had many scrolls and talismans spread around in his cave, he doesn’t know how many or what they contained, since he didn’t want to see anything that Wei Wuxian had. Jin Guangyao took many things Wei Wuxian had in his cave. He should have known.
“Making people come back to life, fully aware, conscious. Managing to send someone back to the past, too. Although, I will say, I do not understand how that one works.” Jiang Cheng can hear the ‘yet’ in his tone.
“Why are you telling me this?” Jiang Cheng asks again.
Bringing someone back from the dead is an impossible task to do. No amount of qi transfer could bring Jin Ling back from the dead after the Heavenly Maiden took his soul away. No amount of praying, crying, sword fighting. Nothing. Bringing someone back is an impossible feat, and it does not do to dwell on impossible things. Wei Wuxian could bring Wen Ning back from the dead, though, and he always did know how to represent the Jiang Sect’s motto better than anyone else.
“I just wanted you to know.”
Nie Huaisang bows, stands up, pats his skirt a bit and looks at Jiang Cheng in the eye.
“Thank you for the tea, Sect Leader Jiang. I will take my leave now.”
*
Jiang Cheng sits alone in the empty room after Nie Huaisang leaves. He briefly closes his eyes as he fights to control his breathing, his mind a jumbled mess with the news.
He knows he should have asked Nie Huaisang more questions, to determine exactly why he would try to bring Wei Wuxian, back from the dead when he knew that the cultivation world would condemn anyone who openly supported the Yiling Patriarch.
Nie Huaisang’s words referencing when Wei Wuxian brought Wen Ning back from the dead ring in his ears. An image of Jin Ling resurrected as a fierce corpse rises unbidden into his mind, causing him to crumple forward as he fights to catch his breath, or to stop himself from throwing up, he is not sure which. He is unsure when the panic attack started, but he screws his eyes shut and desperately clings to the table as tears stream down his face. The reality of Jin Ling’s death hits him again in full force, causing him to retch.
He shakily takes a calming breath, wiping his face as he glances around the room. He reminds himself that since Jin Ling’s death, none of the disciples have dared to approach him. He usually appreciates the quiet, but the weight of his loneliness feels as if it's crushing him.
He brings a fist down heavily onto the low table. “Why,” he chokes out. “I tried so hard. I did it all right. I rebuilt the sect, I fought the Wens, I did it all. I tried. I tried. I tried!” He screams into the empty room.
“I can’t bear it,” he whispers as another tear slides down his face. “Wei Wuxian...” he lets out a sob. “You traitor, I was never supposed to do this alone, I was justified in your death. But,” his bottom lip trembles. “Why did you leave me…”
He leans his head down on the table.
After several moments, he leans back on the floor and brings his knees to his chest. Nie Huaisang’s words make their way back into his mind. So much nonsense about Wei Wuxian and the demonic research he was doing, not to mention travel back to the past of all unholy things.
He abruptly sits up.
He has to find Nie Huaisang.
*
Jiang Cheng bursts into Nie Huaisangs quarters without knocking, causing the other man to let out an undignified squeak.
“What the fuck do you mean, sending someone back to the past? What the fuck did Wei Wuxian do?” He demands.
Nie Huaisang clears his throat and quickly covers his face with his fan as he recollects himself. “My, my, Sect Leader Jiang. It is quite undignified of you to burst in on your guest.”
“Cut the shit,” Jiang Cheng growls. “Tell me, what did you mean?”
Nie Huaisang sighs. “It would have been too simple to ask me earlier, would it not? I am afraid I will disappoint you in this, Sect Leader. I only know of the notes, not what they were used for.”
Jiang Cheng does not budge. “Where are they?” He asks. “Jin Guangyao took them but he’s dead. I take it you have them.”
Nie Huaisang raises an eyebrow. “Hmm,” he muses. “What an excellent deduction. If I had such priceless artifacts, why would I hand them to you, the notorious demonic cultivator hunter?”
Jiang Cheng opens his mouth to retort but comes up short.
“Would it be wrong of me to assume that you would destroy something your sect brother made just because of your blind hatred for him?” Nie Huaisang suddenly demands.
“I -” Jiang Cheng starts. “He’s not my brother-”
“Oh?” Nie Huaisang suddenly interrupts. “My mistake, then.” He flutters his fan.
Jiang Cheng clenches his fists and looks down at his feet. He should be furious, but his anger has been replaced by the overwhelming grief that has consumed his life. He takes a shaky breath.
“You, you said that bringing someone back is possible” he starts slowly. “But I saw the Wen dog Wei Wuxian kept as a pet. I don’t think Jin Ling should be brought back that way,” he says quietly.
Nie Huaisang makes a sound.
“But, traveling to the past… maybe, maybe I could go back and save him, maybe fix things.” He mutters to the floor.
“Oh?” Nie Huaisang says again. “Back to when? Fix which things?”
“I don’t know!” Jiang Cheng snaps. “I’m still processing. I don’t know. Maybe all of it? I want my family back, maybe I could even save Lotus Pier from falling…” his voice trails off.
Nie Huaisang suddenly stands and strides across the room to open a qiankun pouch. He briefly rummages around before pulling out a scroll and unceremoniously tossing it across the room.
Jiang Cheng catches it easily.
“That’s what I wanted to hear, Jiang-xiong. Read it, maybe you can make more sense of it than I could. Come back and talk to me in the morning.” Nie Huaisang tells him before pushing him out of the room and closing the door behind him.
Jiang Cheng clutches the scroll in stunned silence, staring at the door for several moments.
He glances down to look at the scroll in his hands. It does not appear to be anything more than a shoddy scrap of material covered in dirt and what might be food stains.
He looks around before hastily placing it inside his robes and striding off to his quarters.
His heart beats wildly in his chest, anxious to discover the contents. If this truly contains the answer to going back to the past, he might have a chance after all. He might be able to return to a happier time, when they were all together and maybe this time he can keep his family alive. He tamps down at the uncertainty flooding his gut as he walks with determination. He has to attempt the impossible, like Wei Wuxian always did.