Come Back to Gusu

25. No one else is worthy of him.

Avalanche was aptly named. He was going to be subjected to an ever increasing amount of qi over the next few days. Every sichen he would dual cultivate with people of increasing core strength. And on the half sichen, he would be just a receiver to someone trying to dual cultivate with him.

Wen Qing placed something in a brazier; it smelled sweet and sticky and slightly nauseating. "Breathe it in," she instructed as he made a face. "You're going to need it." Whatever was in the smoke made him feel... not quite himself. He was aware that he was in pain and crying as qi was pushed into his body over and over again. He just didn't care enough to worry about it. Nor did he care when his partners flinched or cried out after he shoved every bit of qi circulating through his meridians back into them.

Lan WangJi was forced out of the room when the opium vapors became too much for him to handle. And his jealousy became too much. It was difficult watching a series of men and women parading into and out of the building designated as Wei WuXian's infirmary room. It was difficult listening to Wei Ying giggling over nothing, crying in pain, gasping as more and more qi was forced into, and out of, his body. It was difficult knowing that Jin GuangShan was corrupting more and more of the smaller clans into believing Wei WuXian was a puppet master and not being able to do anything about it.

It was difficult on the second evening, hearing the Nie cultivator, who was the current dual cultivation partner, yelling in pain as he was hit with Wei Ying's qi. It wasn't right that some random person should be the one receiving Wei Ying's qi. It should be me. It should only be me. No one else is worthy of him. Of partnering with him. Of being close to him.

"I refuse," Jiang WanYin argued the third afternoon when informed that he would be a donor and not also a recipient. "I will dual cultivate with him."

Wen Qing looked tired from two sleepless nights. "We need you in full health, Jiang ZongZhu. You were there this morning when Nie HuaiSang informed everyone that Jin GuangShan was going to be coming here to grab Wei WuXian and his amulet or start a war. We can't afford to have you down even for a few hours."

"But you'll let him?" Jiang WanYin pointed a finger, shaking with anger, at Lan WangJi. "You'll keep me healthy and allow one of our strongest cultivators to be laid out as we begin to battle?"

"Yes," she answered through a yawn. "He'll be fully recovered by the time talks devolve into actual fighting." Lan WangJi finished her thought: I'll be useless during the talks.

"I'm the reason he's in this position in the first place," Jiang WanYin grumbled.

"At least you admit it," Lan WangJi snapped. He, too, was tired and grumpy.

"Admit it?" Jiang WanYin yelled. "You have no idea what you're talking about HanGuang-Jun. Do you know how I lost my Core? Whatever story you've been told is not the truth."

Lan WangJi snorted. "Then what is?"

Jiang WanYin's fists clenched and Zidian sparked. "He was going to be captured. I saw them, the Wen. They were going to capture him. I knew they'd torture him and kill him. Wen Chao. he hated Wei WuXian the most. He'd make sure the torture was the worst anyone had ever... I couldn't let that happen. He's always been the better cultivator. Smarter, faster. People like him. He'd make a better sect leader. Even my mother knew that. I think that's part of the reason she hated him so much. Not just that my father adored him or because of the rumors that he was my half brother.

"After the Indoctrination Session, JieJie and I had talked about her marrying him if anything happened to me. He worships her and she loves him; it might not be the happiest of marriages, but it wouldn't be the worst, either.