The Path In-Between

Chapter 6: Letters, Secrets, Schemes (NHS)

A/N: ~2200 words! Nie Huaisang POV! Didn't expect that did you? I had a lot of fun writing this one. NHS is one of my favorite characters in MDZS! I absolutely love the idea of Huaisang roping Wei Ying into his sect! Maybe we'll see that soon! The next chapter will be a mix of Nie, Lan, and Wei POVs. It will pick up where we left off I'm this chapter and continue the plot. Enjoy!
Warning: Gore, violence, depressive themes, etc.
~ worldlesswanderer

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The Unclean Realm was always dreary in Nie Huaisang's memories. Da-ge would often reminisce of a time when the sun was brightest and the skies knew no sadness. Of course, that is only when he isn't admonishing Huaisang about refusing to take up the saber.

Nie Huaisang walked up with bird feed for the messenger sparrow. He had yet to fully understand the hasty scrawl on the parchment that the little bird had delivered from his aid in Yilling. His aid should be arriving soon according to the delivery. Apparently, this matter could only be discussed away from wandering eyes and ears. So, he waited in the warded bird tower which no one else entered.

Nie Huaisang smiled as he heard the window clack closed. He turned and sat in the arm chair leisurely.

"Rise. I'm sure whatever my dear friend gave you shouldn't be waited upon."

"Yes master."

There was hesitance Nie Huaisang noted. And something else. Fear... no it was worry. 'Worry for Wei-Xiong?'

Nie Huaisang took the folded robe from his aid's hands. The dusty cloak wrapping the package was undoubtedly one of the few belongings that Wei Wuxian took with him when he left lotus pier. The lotus embroidery on the inside of the robe was delicate and intricate. He folded and set the precious cloak to the side only to pause as a thick pack of parchment tied with coarse strings fell out of the robe's inner pocket.

The first piece was the thinnest, albeit long. It was a letter addressed to him.

Nie-Xiong,

Forgive my lack of a proper greeting in this letter. By the time you receive it, I believe I'll be well on my way from this world. In one way or another. Ah, let's forget the dreary topics. As much as I'd love to chat pleasantries with you, this one may unfortunately not have the chance to have tea with you ever again. Forgive me.

Nie Huaisang sighed in delight. There was no other person than Wei-Xiong that he considered to be so precious. A truly talented individual. A selfless one. A diamond in the rough. Only the beginning words and they're all begging for his forgiveness.

What I'm about to tell you is extremely important. I need your word that the secrets that I now reveal to you will remain yours and mine undisputed.

Wei-Xiong wanted secrecy. Interesting... this was sounding more like a confession than a letter to an old friend. Besides, Wei-Xiong seemed to have taken a lot of time to write this letter. Nie Huaisang recognized that the letter seemed to be written in his best calligraphy. He remembered that during the lectures, the boy never seemed to write script in the proper manner. Always a chickenscratch. He had only seen Wei Wuxian's proper writing a handful of times. That had been enough for him to believe that the boy was a true master iof six arts no matter what others said.

The night that lotus pier burned, Jiang Cheng, Shijie, and I had escaped. Shijie had fallen ill and I went to acquire herbs to get her better. However, when I returned, I found out that Jiang Cheng was missing. He had no doubt been captured or returned to lotus pier in a fit of grief. Shijie's uncle from her mother's side had come to take her to the Yu clan home for the time being. After seeing her off, I fled as soon as I could to lotus pier. That, my friend, was when I met Wen Ning for the first time after the Wen Indoctrination. It seemed he would continue to help me.