Letting go of self-restraint 2 - All that is missing is a little one

Chapter 31

Nie Huisang was just walking through the streets of Yiling, looking for an inn to rest in after staying in the wilderness for more than a week. Being a sheltered Omega and a brother of the Qinghe Nie sect leader, he only seldom stayed out at night, much less for a whole week and all by himself. As much as he loved Wei Wuxian as his friend, he could not bear to stay in the Burial Mounds one more night. He needed a warm bath and a comfortable bed; he would get back to his search first thing in the morning.

He was growing more and more worried for the Yunmeng Jiang sect disciple as the hours and days passed. He had dispatched all his spies to look for Wei Wuxian discretely, he had forbidden them to engage their target and rather to report to him if they saw him, but so far, there was no report; the other boy's whereabouts remained unknown.

Nie Huisang was slowly starting to doubt that he had guessed his hiding place correctly: "What if Brother Wei is not even in the Burial Mounds? He could be anywhere, maybe suffering and distressed. I know I would certainly be; I do not know what Yu Ziyuan did to him but it seems to have scared him out of his mind, he even abandoned his husband! Objectively speaking, he could be anywhere, it is not sure he stayed nearby after running away. Even pregnant and with his spiritual energy mostly depleted, he still could have gone farther; he always lived up to his sect's motto..."

Suddenly, he was yanked out of his brooding by a glimpse of purple robes in the entrance of an inn. Their owner had just entered the building in a rush; Nie Huisang could not be sure, but he could have sworn that the person was carrying a sword. He had a feeling he knew them but he needed to confirm his suspicion since it was too dark to say with certainty. Curious, he quickly followed and stepped inside the building only seconds after the unknown figure.

Sure enough, it really was Jiang Cheng. He was standing in the middle of the reception hall, talking with the inn keeper in an urgent tone. Nie Huisang was surprised to see that the other had his sword tugged into his belt and not holding it as per usual, he realized his observation but did not pay it much attention. He approached him and called out to him in order not to startle him too much, he hoped that they could perhaps get a room together and discuss their next steps in the search for the Yunmeng Jiang sect leader's brother.

"Brother Jiang, what a coincidence running into you here..." Nie Huisang did not finish his sentence as Jiang Cheng turned around to see who called him. The Qinghe Nie disciple immediately understood what was not sitting right with him, the sword was not in the other's hands because his hands were full, he saw what – or actually who – he was holding. He gave out an undignified yelp and quickly scanned the body of the Yunmeng Jiang head disciple.

When he learned enough about his state he turned to the inn keeper, swiftly taking over any negotiations that Jiang Cheng may have started with for him unusual decisiveness: "We want to get two rooms, both with two beds, hot bath and a good dinner with a spread of various dishes and something light on the stomach. Please prepare it quickly, as you can see, our friend here is in a dire need of assistance."

The inn keeper stood baffled for a heartbeat and then quickly showed them to follow him, leading them to their rooms. He bowed to them while reassuring: "The bath and the food will be ready shortly. Is there perhaps something else you could need? Should I call a doctor here? Your friend does not seem to be doing too well, perhaps..."

Nie Huisang did not have any patience right now so he interrupted his surely good-natured offer: "That will be all, thank you very much."

It would not be good if Wei Wuxian regained consciousness right now and saw so many people around him; or later when an unknown person would be examining him. If the Qinghe Nie disciple's presumptions were correct, the Yunmeng Jiang head disciple would be extremely distressed to see anyone at all, not even talking about several people.

The inn keeper looked like he still wanted to continue but bowed again and went away when Jiang Cheng scowled at him.

The Yunmeng Jiang sect leader did not wait for Nie Huisang's instructions and was already heading to one of the beds and carefully laying his brother down. There was no reaction from the pregnant Omega and the Qinghe Nie disciple started fearing the worst; they needed to get Wen Qing or Wen Nin here, and fast.

Nie Huisang wanted to ask Jiang Cheng about how he had found his brother and if he knew what could have happened but they first needed assistance. Before he could say a word, the Yunmeng Jiang sect leader was already facing him, fist clenched at his sides: "Brother Nie, please take care of my brother. I have found him and Wen Ning not far from here; Wei Wuxian was already in this state and Wen Ning's heat had just started. He is still out there near the woods, all alone, I need to get him here before something happens to him."

Then he looked at his brother with fondness in his eyes that Nie Huisang did not see often and continued somewhat more softly: "Besides, if Wei Wuxian woke up now, I am quite certain he would try to run away again. I am not sure why he had left in the first place, but I can guarantee that your guess was not far from the truth. Yu Ziyuan must have said or done something to make him this afraid for his baby and protective of it. I imagine he would not like to see any Alpha before he calms down or he could overreact."

Nie Huisang nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with the other boy's words: "Go get your husband, you can use the other room when you come back; Wen Ning will need a place to rest. Do not worry, I will take good care of Brother Wei in the meantime." Jiang Cheng nodded in acknowledgment and was already leaving the room with one last glance in the direction of the unmoving figure of his brother.

The Qinghe Nie disciple finally approached the bed to check if Wei Wuxian had any injuries that required immediate attention. When he removed the blanked in which the other boy was wrapped, his breath was stuck in his lungs and he could have sworn that his heart skipped a beat. The Yunmeng Jiang head disciple was in a much worse shape than he had imagined; while he could not find any visible injuries, the pregnant Omega was too thin for comfort and ice cold to the touch.

A knock on the door startled the Qinghe Nie sect disciple, he quickly threw the blanket back over the body of his friend and went to open the door. As expected, there were servants bringing in a bathtub with hot water and the ordered meal. While one of them was setting up the table, the others put up a privacy screen and prepared the bath.

To Nie Huisang it seemed to be taking hours before the servants finally left and he could go back to Wei Wuxian. It occurred to him only now that he was probably not strong enough to manoeuvre the unconscious Yunmeng Jiang sect disciple into the tub. The other desperately needed to be warmed up but he could think of nothing he could do on his own.

He swore internally, stood up from his kneeling position beside the bed and contemplated his options: "I am pretty sure I cannot get Brother Wei to take his bath in his state. It could be dangerous; I am not strong enough not to drop or injure him further in the process... How I wish Brother Jiang was still here, with his high cultivation and strength, it would have been a piece of cake. I could perhaps go ask the inn employees to assist me but if Brother Wei woke up in the process, being in a vulnerable position and surrounded by strangers..."

His calculating mind stopped only when he was disturbed by another knocking on the door.