Chapter Text
The servants in the Unclean Realm and several younger disciples did not know where the young master Nie Huaisang, who loved to chat with them, write poetry and escape from training, had gone. In front of them, they only saw a man furious, because a loved one was hurt and in danger of dying. "Make sure the supplies in the infirmary are fully stocked.” It was his first order he give to some closer disciple, one of few who knew what Nie Huaisang was actually capable of.
“We'll take care of it, Young Master Nie!”
“Bring extra gauze pads too, and look for the senior healers and be ready before they arrive!” The other servants and Nie disciples recovered from the surprise of seeing their delicate young master punch down a solid stone column.
“Right away young master” They shouted in chorus as they all swiftly took off to complete his orders, giving a silent lament to the pillar that needed to be fixed the third time this year alone. ‘We have money, but not much like the Jin! We are not Caishen young masters!’
Nie Huaisang did not stop giving orders and instructions, nor did he accept buts or whys. “You there! Prepare at least three guest rooms, no! Let there be at least five instead!"
“Understood Master Nie", responded another maid who rushed to fulfill his order as if the sect leader had given it.
"My Lord, we still haven't found the head healer," one of his personal disciples informed him. He had barely blinked at his young master’s show of force, as he had spent his whole life caring for Nie Huaisang. This allowed him to know that the delicate and somewhat whiny so-called good-for-nothing was no more than a facade which hid a Nie with a brilliant mind and a will as strong as his ancestors.
“Where the hell is the head healer, Tiangyu?!” Nie Hueisang shouted in frustration, as his head healer usually went out to distract himself in the nearest town while he didn´t had patients, and he rarely had one since his elder brother only let disciples who were really injured, or in other words on the verge of death, go to the infirmary.
“Young Master.” Someone tentatively called as they pulled his robe from behind, and Nie Huaisang jumped annoyed and slightly startled.
“What?” the young woman who called for his attention shrank a little as she timidly pointed to the sky where two figures were flying on swords quickly from the north.
Nie Huaisang frowned deeply, because his Da’ge had headed southeast in a straight line towards Yunmeng Jiang, and these cultivators were coming from the other way, so it couldn't be his brother. For a moment, the painter thought it was one of his complaining neighboring sects, and told himself that if that was the case, he would kick them out of his sect himself. As the cultivators got closer, Nie Hueisang noticed their robes were not purple but pure white.
Nie Huaisang gave out a deep sigh of relief upon seeing two Lan cultivators arrive, and one of them was none other than Lan Wangji, who was not only famous for his ethereal appearance or steadfast and righteous character, but also a prodigy in playing the cultivational music of his sect. Particularly cultivational songs that helped deep healing caused by spiritual weapons and beings. Jiang Wanyin would need to hear them more than once, and for some reason Nie Huaisang was also thankful Lan Xichen was not chosen for this task, as the elder of the two brothers might be better at playing the healing songs. However, Nie Huaisang did not doubt that Jiang Cheng would easily distract him and not allow him to finish the song properly.
Lan Wangji landed flawlessly and without a single piece of hair out of place, only to witness his companion who staggered as soon as he landed. The Gusu Lan sect was a little further away from Qinghe Nie than Yumeng Jiang, and Lan Wangji must have flown like crazy to arrive so early. It would explain his pale and exhausted companion, surely a healer judging by the backpack he carried on his back and his rather ordinary sword.
“Jiang Wanyin and Wei Ying?” Lan Wangji bluntly inquired as he directly passed through the stone arch, ignoring greeting courtesies.
Nie Huaisang was once again thankful that Lan Xichen was not in front of him with his calm smiles and diplomatic greetings, as they had neither the mood nor the head to play the host at the moment. "They have not arrived yet," he replied seriously,
Lan Wangji frowned slightly, and Nie Huaisang knew he was worried and even as upset as he himself was about the situation that had occurred with the Jiang siblings and their adoptive brother. “I'll go look for them.” Lan Wangji announced, but the Nie Huaisang was swift to stop him.
“You can't!” The younger jade looked at him angrily, almost challenging him to let him go, but Huaisang only tightened his grip on his sleeve. “You don't understand, there isn't a trained healer here. The one who came with you is exhausted, and if you leave and they come from another place, we will waste time going to look for you too.” Lan Wanji pursed his lips in displeasure, but seemed to accept his logic. Of course, Nie Huaisang's logic was always impeccable, thank you very much.
Minutes passed, and both young men looked like caged lions. Everything was ready, they had even found the head healer and had scolded him for not letting him know where he was or leaving another trained healer in his place.
Nie Huaisang felt his heart pounding in his chest when a familiar black dot finally appeared in the sky, then lengthened and turned into a larger familiar figure of silvery-green, black, and gray. It was Nie Mingjue, and he seemed to be flying by himself. Lan Wangji wordlessly rose to catch up with two other disciples, while Nie Huaisang squatted on the ground. He regretted for the first time in his life that he didn't carry his silly saber to follow them.
Luckily, it seemed his brother didn't stop or slow down when the other cultivators reached him, and Lan Wangji didn't get separated from the group either, so at least Wei Ying should be safe or his crush would have left to rescue him. Perhaps Nie Mingjue had returned for more cultivators to help search? Perhaps they had found the siblings, but were exhausted from flying and needed more support cultivators? Maybe they were captured by bandits or monsters? Maybe…? Oh how did he hate not knowing what was going on around him!
The group soon landed still surrounding his brother from behind, where something purple jerked roughly. “It hurts.” He heard someone whisper, and then he understood his dear friend, the young man with whom he had laughed and joked for months with, and one whom he secretly admired for being so strong and proud. One who also caused him to feel a lot of tenderness for his friend, who was unable to express his feelings and got easily embarrassed. It scared and infuriated him to see how his friend had been broken to such an extent that he was so vulnerable underneath the eyes of many strangers.
Nie Huaisang rushed over to his injured friend, thinking maybe it would be a good idea to cover him up to save him the embarrassment once he recovered. ‘Of course there was nothing wrong with showing pain, but surely Jiang Wanyin wouldn't see it like that.’ A single glance at his back covered in nothing but bloody bandages that barely covered all the wounds made him cling to his cloak that he was untying, as he realized that wounds like this shouldn't be touched by anyone except qualified healers. Swallowing down another frustrated and angry scream, he headed towards the infirmary, followed by his brother and a few of their Nie disciples, who were not actually surrounding his brother, he thought bitterly, but Jiang Cheng as they passed energy to him.
Nie Mingjue deposited the younger teen on the infirmary bed with a gentle care that not even his little brother would have imagined possible. But still, Jiang Cheng whimpered as if he was being tortured, as his legs twitched like he was trying to escape the pain he felt. “It hurts.” Nie Huaisang heard his friend whimper it out softly, with his eyes closed tightly. Nie Huaisang watched his brother inhale sharply as his seafoam eyes glisten as he leaned down and gently brushed Jiang Wanyin’s hair away from his forehead, and whispered soothing words to him that he had once done for Nie Huaisang when he was a child awoken by nightmares.
Jiang Cheng seemed to calm down a bit with Nie Mingjue by his side, and Nie Huaisang thought perhaps he should retreat to give the healers and Lan Wangji room to begin to heal. However, when the healers discovered his injuries, it didn't matter how loud Lan Wangji played his healing songs. The Yunmeng Jiang heir tossed and turned with all his might moaning and crying, begging his mother not to hurt him anymore. Nie Mingjue looked like a lost puppy, not knowing what to do to calm the young man who was delirious with pain. Nie Huaisang couldn't bear to stare at such a scene and advanced towards them, gently but firmly stopping his friend's shoulder so that she wouldn't move so much. His brother imitated him while he repeated in a broken voice. “You'll be fine, shhh shhh, you'll be fine.”
When they finally finished treating his wounds, the healer who came with Lan Wangji lit an incense that seemed to calm Jiang Wanyin a bit. Everyone breathed a little easier when his screams and moans turned into a soft ragged cry, and his fighting movements turned into small jerks of lost strength. Nie Huaisang gently let go of his friend's arm, wondering if he should stay or go, since he didn't think there was enough space. Although he wanted to accompany his friend, he cared more that he recovered properly.
A hand on his robe stopped him, and he was surprised to see that Jiang Cheng had opened his eyes and was clinging tightly to him. "No… don't..." His hoarse voice lost strength from his screams, and his vision clouded again, losing himself in delirium due to fever or pain. However, it was not necessary for Jiang Cheng to finish the sentence because Nie Huaisang understood.
Jiang Cheng needed him, and he wasn't going to leave, as he took his trembling hand in his, knowing he wouldn't leave his friend’s side as long as Jiang Cheng needed him. Maybe he hadn't stopped him from being hurt in the past, but now he would, and he swore by his fans, by his sect and brother, that nothing would happen to him while he was in underneath his banners and roof.