[They weren't on a nighthunt is the thing. They weren't even technically traveling together so much as traveling in the same direction, both on their way to a conference in Qinghe. Jin Ling as sect leader, and Wei Wuxian because Lan Wangji had requested his presence. Had anyone else asked, he'd have laughed, but Lan Wangji specifically requested his aid on a case and it made more sense to meet him in Qinghe than travel all the way back down to Gusu.
So they aren't on a nighthunt, but he and Jin Ling are headed in the same direction, and for whatever reason, his would-be-nephew is making the journey on foot rather than sword. (Personally, Wei Wuxian suspects an argument with Jiang Cheng that has Jin Ling dragging his feet on his arrival, but he can't prove it. Yet.)
It means they are together when they come across a thief running their way, apparently having bitten off more than he could chew. The poor idiot'd had the misfortune of stealing talismans from one of the rare talisman sellers whose work was genuine, and had set off one of the arrays on accident, managing somehow to temporarily blind himself.
It's a mess of a situation, if a somewhat amusing one, and between the two of them they get the thief settled with the authorities of the town they're passing through with promises that the blindness will wear off eventually. None to grateful, the thief spits curses at them as they move away, somehow getting a hold of one of the remaining talismans he'd hidden up his sleeve and throwing it their way. Without thinking on it, Wei Wuxian moves in front of Jin Ling. Real as the talismans were, he isn't exactly worried. From what they'd seen, the talisman maker was creative in their talisman making but not vindictive, and most of their work appeared to be temporary.
So he's surprised when the talisman hits with a wave of dizziness and he has to lean against a nearby wall for support, his vision swimming for a moment as if he's suddenly been hit with a case of vertigo. Though he can see so, evidently the blind thief had not meted out the same punishment he'd been left to suffer.]
Huh...maybe that one was a dud? [Perhaps a disorientation talisman or something of that nature.]
[ Much to Jin Ling's misfortune, he was once again traveling to Qinghe for a conference with Wei Wuxian. Prior to this whole situation, Wei Wuxian had suffered from poisoning (of which Jin Ling is still partially angry about), that took a while to recover. In fact, Jin Ling was still unhappy that he didn't get much from Wei Wuxian after the thought of possibly having a deeper conversation about his supposed uncle's lack of care for his own well being.
He wasn't wrong. Prior to his journey on foot, he got into a massive argument with Jiang Cheng about his curfews again. Despite, being the leader of Lanling Jin Sect, Jin Ling was still a minor and often spent a good amount of time at Lotus Pier. Obviously, he did this in secret because he didn't need to cause Jiang Cheng any issues. However, their petty arguments led to both of them screaming at each other and Jiang Cheng threatening to break his knees per usual.
Of which, Jin Ling just stormed off and here he was, with Wei Wuxian. His luck every time with this man had to always be the worst. Every time he ran into him, things happened. It happened in either ridiculous ways, or it happened in really dangerous ways. In this case, Jin Ling was dealing with a lighter issue. Though, a psychotic guy going around stealing things wasn't exactly light, but compared to the giant spiders-- well he was fine with it.
After apprehending the thief and getting him arrested, they were about to be on their way only for Jin Ling to be faced with yet another threat of someone throwing something at him. Wei Wuxian stepped in front him before he could react, and took the hit. He almost lost it when he saw the other nearly toppled a bit. He was going to reach for the other but retracted his hand as soon as Wei Wuxian spoke. Was it a dud? He wasn't sure. His expression grim once more, hiding the worry that lined his face for a brief moment. ]
Didn't I tell you to stop jumping in front of me?! What if it was something else and not a dud?!
[ Except, somehow he had an uneasy feeling that it wasn't a dud. ]
You're impossible sometimes! Stop being so self destructive, ugh.
[Wei Wuxian waves off the concern with a laugh. Sorry kid, he's never going to stop putting himself in front of you, that's just what being an adult means.]
It's fine, it's fine, we both know none of those things could do any real harm, I don't even—Oh. [The dizziness returns with force and he drops to his knees, sucking in a deep breath when it feels like he might pass out. After a minute of trying to figure out exactly what's going on, the feeling vanishes and everything returns to normal. Blinking, he pats his face and squints as he climbs back to his feet. His vision is fine and everything seems normal.
Huh. Weird.
Grinning, he turns back to Jin Ling, hands on his hips.]
[ One of these days, Jin Ling would really hit him with the back of his bow. He swore it!! What an infuriating man. Every god damn time. He couldn't catch a break. ]
Just because half of those talismans were jokes doesn't mean all of them are-- Hey!!
[ Jin Ling's face twists as he saw Wei Wuxian drop to his knees! See! Something was wrong and he was doing it again. Jin Ling was just getting even more pissed off at this. as her reiterates. EVERY time, he is with Wei Wuxian. He can never catch a god damn break. ]
You're not fine! What's even going with you--- huh?! Did the talisman make your voice go high or something?
[Apparently??? But that's a very strange thing to—Oh. No. In his efforts to see if anything else was happening, Wei Wuxian began patting down his limbs. Everything was working but his arms had uh. Bumped...into something. Blinking in shock, he looks down at his chest...
...and can't see his toes. Because there's. There are breasts in the way. He has breasts? His mouth works open and then closed like a fish.
Congratulations Jin Ling, you get to see your uncle (aunt???) shocked speechless.
Well, he thinks a bit hysterically, he supposes at least he isn't in any kind of danger.]
I. Uh. Well. [He laughs and it's a high pitched girlish thing that makes him laugh even harder.]
Well. I guess. We know what the talisman did. That's. So. This is happening. [And then he loses it, breaking down into laughter so hard that tears spring from his eyes. This...is the funniest thing that has ever happened to him in his life.]
[ Strange isn't even the right words to put on this situation. In fact, strange was not even close. Jin Ling is staring at him, trying to make sure that there is nothing wrong and he immediately just starts noticing things that he probably knows that isn't part of Wei Wuxian normally.
The last thing he expects is Wei Wuxian looking completely speechless and not refuting him for his statements for a long time. He even thinks the talisman might have messed with the man's already screwed up brain but boy is he completely missing the mark. In fact, he can fully tell what has happened as well. Wei Wuxian doesn't need to explain it as the little light bulbs goes off in his head. ]
[ He can't hold it in anymore. He's just beyond livid at Wei Wuxian's reaction! Who can even laugh like this?! the talisman completely changed his gender and he's sitting there speechless and then laughing like a mad man. ]
--Wh--Why are you laughing?!! How is this funny!!? Who even makes these kinds of talismans!!!
[ He's clearly sputtering in utter distress right now. ]
[Oh my God, Jin Ling, how on Earth do you expect him to stop laughing when you react like that? Wei Wuxian falls to the floor again, but this time because he is laughing too hard to stand on his own two feet. He's crying. He's actually crying. Every few seconds he tries to pull himself together to speak a few words to try and calm Jin Ling down, and every single time that he sees Jin Ling's face he starts laughing again.
Eventually after several minutes, his ribs aching from laughter, his mirth finally burns off enough for him to stand and wipe at his eyes. A few dry chuckles linger between words, but he's coherent now at least.]
Not funny—Jin Ling, how is this not funny? What am I supposed to do, be mad? Besides. [He fixes Jin Ling with a mischievous grin and does a little twirl.]
[ Jin Ling is beyond fuming at Wei Wuxian for continuing to laugh. While he finds this entire situation comical, Jin Ling does not. In fact, it's making him even more upset and flustered because it's already bad that he has to deal with Wei Wuxian when he's just himself.
It's ten times worse that he's hit with this kind of thing and he just finds it amusing. Jin Ling can't handle that if it were to happen to him. In fact, he gets mad at people simply for teasing him about being a princess. How could he accept being temporarily gender swapped? Also what kind of perverted freak would even have these things?!!!!! ]
WHY aren't you mad?! It doesn't make sense!!! Most people would be unhappy, How can you even be laughing like th--
It seemed like Night Hunts were a thing with Jin Ling, Sizhui, Jingyi, and several others of the same group. For whatever reason, Wei Wuxian wanted to go along with them and no one seemed to complain. Jin Ling was a little unhappy, having to encounter him so soon again, but he just swallowed his frustration and moved on.
The hunt started out fine and things were going really smoothly. They were making immense progress. However, that went awry so fast. Something ferocious was summoned from the depths and no one knew where it spawned from or what had drawn its attention. Worse, being that Jin Ling thought he could take it on without a problem and he went at it while ignorantly ignoring his companions and their plea for him to retreat. It was one beast. How hard could it have been, to kill it, really? He shot arrows powered with his spiritual energy. He even lashed at it with Suihua. He thought he was making progress but Jin Ling soon ate his words moments later.
Long claws dug deep into the right side of his abdomen, ripping into his yellow robes, and sending him crashing into a tree across from where he was fighting. He hissed as pain blossomed and blood drenched his robes. the creature didn't wait for anyone to react. No one could get to Jin Ling at this point and all he could really hear was them screaming at him to get up and move.
He groaned, trying to get rid of the dizziness that stunted his vision. He coughed up blood as he pushed himself against the trunk of the tree, and pulling himself up slowly, but painfully. What a complete disaster.
Wei Wuxian is painfully familiar with the sounds of human flesh tearing and breaking, of a body thumping lifelessly against the ground. He's been a cultivator for too long, been a soldier of war, been surrounded by demons and ghosts for half of his life, so he knows the sound. It's always horrible but at the sight of Jin Ling being tossed carelessly into the air, blood spilling from an open wound, Wei Wuxian feels his heart stop beating.
He isn't fast enough to stop it from happening, but as the yaoguai steps forward and raises another paw to bat at his nephew, Wei Wuxian darts forward to intercept it, Chenqing at his lips playing a shrill piercing tune that forces the creature back one step and then another. His vision swims in red and he plays only long enough to drive it back a few more steps. As soon as it's far enough away, he shouts for the others to handle it. Between Sizhui, Jingyi, and Zizhen, he trusts they'll keep each other safe. They have to, he's out of other options. At the very least, none of them is likely to dive in on their own, and Sizhui has better defenses available to protect the others. Those thoughts pass in a flash, a swift moment, processed and gone as he falls to his knees and sweeps his battered nephew onto his knees to see the damage.
It's bad. Really bad. (Not fatal, not with help, but guilt chokes his heart like a wild vine, thorns piercing as it grows.)
"Stay down. Don't try to get up." The words come out strained, a string ready to snap. For once perhaps, he resembles his estranged brother.
Wei Wuxian doesn't have a golden core, not yet though he's working at it and has been since his return. His spiritual power has increased significantly since he'd begun training it again, but it's nothing compared to Lan Wangji's. Nothing compared to his juniors. That doesn't stop him from beginning to feed Jin Ling energy, fingers clasped tightly around one wrist.
And maybe they could have been okay like that. Maybe the others could have finished the job and then could have taken his place feeding Jin Ling their own spiritual power. Maybe, if the foundation of the ground where they're sitting hadn't been so compromised by the yaoguai's tunneling. Maybe if they had been only a few feet to the left or right. Maybe, maybe, maybe. But they aren't sitting somewhere else and the ground gives beneath them, roots and soil collapsing in a shower into the sinkhole, and it's all Wei Wuxian can do to pull Jin Ling into his arms and hold him tight.
He fucking hates falling.
As they slip through the air, he tucks Jin Ling's head carefully within his arms, curves his body as much as he can around Jin Ling, willing it to cushion Jin Ling's landing even as he feels his own side growing warm and sticky with his nephew's blood.
He lands at an angle—one foot hitting first—and his ankle gives a sickening crunch so loud he wonders if they heard it up above. It doesn't matter. What matters is that the fall wasn't that far and Jin Ling is still cradled to his chest no worse off than before that he can see, even if that isn't exactly a great starting place.
With a shaky breath, Wei Wuxian pulls back, loosening his grip on Jin Ling and searching him for further injury.
Jin Ling wasn't expecting to end up in the predicament that he did. In fact, he really did think he could handle the entirety of it, but he miscalculated and now he was in this situation, bleeding out. He winces in pain but it doesn't stop him from forcing himself up. At this point, shooting arrows was out of the question. He only had his sword to rely on for the time being. When he manages to stagger to his feet, he coughs violently, blood spewing from his mouth. Jin Ling didn't look good as he staggers.
The yaoguai was on another level. How did something so vicious and ferocious get here?! What had drawn it? No one, not even Wei Wuxian could have drawn something like that to them. So, where did they go wrong? Numbly, through his hazy vision, he could hear the resonating sound of Chenqing. It forces the beast back enough that it allowed Jin Ling to partially collect himself. Though, moving was far difficult. He had to get out of the way or he'd be toast. Especially, if they were trying to still combat things. Even though Wei Wuxian was telling him to stay down, Jin Ling was too damn stubborn to do so.
Even Fairy, who had been with him the entire time seemed to be whimpering in the background at his pain. It was far enough to give some peace to Wei Wuxian and more concerned about its owner than anything. In more ways than one it would have pounced at the ferocious beast just to keep it away from Jin Ling even if it wasn't capable of completely biting it to pieces. Jin Ling was still trying to at least provide some assistance to his own wounds, by channeling his energy but the wound was too big for him to close on its own. He felt the hand tighten around his wrist, channeling energy that was mixing with his own.
His vision continued to swim. He wasn't going to last and at some point, the hazy view became nothing but black, and the ground collapsed as soon as Jin Ling passed out, falling limply into Wei Wuxian at their heavy fall. His limp body, is secured within Wei Wuxian's grasp and unmoving. However, he was still breathing-- a sign that death had not yet embraced him. Even with all of that, his hand securely gripped around Suihua as they fell.
Once they landed, Jin Ling, made no sounds, or indication that was he was conscious, but his face was contorted on the question of them being okay. His breath was uneven, and cold sweat rolled down his face.
When Jin Ling doesn't answer Wei Wuxian lifts a hand to brush hair from his eyes and check his pupil response, but freezes halfway, blood soaked palm catching in the dim light from the afternoon sun far above them.
His own breath hitches and for a moment, it isn't Jin Ling in his arms or Jin Ling's blood on his hands. Maybe it's the way the light catches on the angle of his face, not quite thinned out as it will be in a few more years. Maybe it's the bend of his brow, soft and pained. All he knows is that there is blood on his hands and for a moment in time, it is Jiang Yanli's and she is dying in front of him with her blood sticky and warm on his fingers.
He slams his aching foot into the ground in response, grounding himself with the pain and stifling a cry into his sleeve. When he blinks next, it is Jin Ling once more.
He can't afford to lose himself like that when Jin Ling needs his help.
After reassuring himself of Jin Ling's breathing (there but labored) he carefully positions the boy's head on his lap and then rips one sleeve of his outer robe from its seams, moving to tear the material into strips. From there, it's steady work to clean and bandage the wound as best he can, working quickly to apply pressure. The blood has slowed indicating that Jin Ling's own spiritual energy has begun the healing process, but it's a decent sized wound, the kind that'll take days to fully heal even at Jin Ling's cultivation level.
And he doesn't like how it continues to bleed, however slowly.
A shout from above catches his attention and he squints upwards, shielding his gaze with one hand. Sizhui is saying something, calling out to them. Before he can respond, the light of the sun is swallowed by darkness and it takes him a moment to understand what's happened.
Not exactly a sinkhole then, not just unstable ground. The very roots infected with the yaoguai's resentment. The hole they'd fallen through has closed. He lets out a steady breath and ignites a light talisman. There isn't time yet to focus on any of that yet.
He finishes bandaging Jin Ling's wound as best he can and then rests him back on his lap, beginning to feed him spiritual energy again. A faint breeze, warm but there slips through hair fallen loose around his face and he lets out a shaky breath of air. They won't suffocate then. Wherever they've fallen, somewhere there is a pathway back to the forest.
It's one less thing to worry about at least.
"Jin Ling. Jin Ling, open your eyes for me. I know it's hard, but I need you to wake up."
Jin Ling was out cold from the shock of bleeding out and exhaustion. His energy levels were very low and they were struggling to keep him afloat. With the help of Wei Wuxian, it didn't seem like he was in too much danger. However, he remained unconscious for the time that Wei Wuxian is going to through his moment of hallucinating. Eventually, even the pressure on his unconscious form only made his face twist in pain while more cold sweat dripped down his face.
His hand may have twitched a few times throughout the process, responding to the movement and the pain that was igniting in his lower abdomen. The wound was no joke and like Wei Wuxian said, even with Jin Ling's level of cultivation, these wounds would take a while to fully cover. He'd be lucky if it doesn't leave a scar. Eventually, the labored breathed, evened itself out with Wei Wuxian's work. His breaths were shallow, but soft and even at some point. He briefly shifted in the man's lap, but no response yet. Jin Ling had been extremely careless and he would punish himself for it. Lesson learned-- in the hardest way possible.
He should have been a lot more cautious when he felt things were awry. Instead of diving into it like he could take it on. Something he will keep in mind for the next time they do Night Hunts. Of course, it's not the first time he will be scolded for reckless behavior. Once Wei Wuxian had patched him the best he could, Jin Ling looked less worn, but his pale face, seemed even paler than before. The cold sweat still dripping down his face, and potentially, all that had caused his forehead to warm up some.
He doesn't groan, and he doesn't make any gesture to get up. The only thing he gets from Jin Ling is a shift. At the very least it proves he's alive. His eyes felt extremely heavy and so did his body. The searing pain continued to shoot through his nerves. Eventually, a small groan from him, but no words.
He's in pain, and a lot of it from the looks of things. Wei Wuxian's heart twists in his chest and he brushes his fingers along Jin Ling's forehead again, this time tracing up and through his hair in an instinctive soothing gesture. He doesn't have anything on him to help with the injury, but he pulls out a talisman from his sleeve and ignites it with a flick of his wrist.
It's a talisman of his own creation designed to draw moisture from the air and it works as intended, gathering droplets into a small sphere that hovers in front of him. When enough water has gathered, Wei Wuxian swipes one of the leftover strips of cloth through, wetting it and then squeezing it out before placing it on Jin Ling's head.
His water skin remains at his side, full but kept for actual drinking purposes when Jin Ling should awake.
Eyes flickering up to the dark ceiling above, Wei Wuxian quickly comes to the conclusion that they will not be getting out he way they came in. That means exploring the tunnel further.
And that means moving.
He'd have liked to have kept Jin Ling still, but more than stillness, Jin Ling needs help.
"I'm sorry, a-Ling, please try to bear with it."
What he does next is a study in self-discipline and pain management, and after several painful minutes, he's accomplished what he wanted. Standing on his foot is out of the question. He'd only fall and he can't allow that with Jin Ling's weight to support. Instead, he's shifted himself onto his hands and knees and positioned Jin Ling to lie on his back. Strips of cloth help to keep him in place and minimize the shifting, and once he's as set as he can manage, Wei Wuxian sets his light talisman ahead of him and he begins to crawl.
That instinctive gesture somehow works in Wei Wuxian's favor, as his nephew's expression relaxed a bit. Maybe, it was because his hand was much cooler than Jin Ling's forehead at the moment that it soothed him in his unconscious state.
There's a audible groan from Jin Ling when Wei Wuxian shifted him, over. Still clenching onto his sword for dear life, he twitches briefly, slowly and gradually, regaining some consciousness from passing out as Wei Wuxian is moving the both of them through the tunnel. He feels the cold cloth on his head from the moisture that Wei Wuxian had drawn.
He can feel they are moving but opening his eyes is such a difficult task. He can't seem to get himself to open his eyes as they lay heavy on his lids. Even with the cooler cloth on his forehead, Jin Ling can feel the warmth in the form of a fever spreading from his forehead to the rest of his body. He was leaning onto Wei Wuxian, having no energy to really adjust. He seemed almost like a rag doll being hauled around.
"Nnnnhhh..."
He moaned briefly. The searing paint made it even hard to move. He can't even register what is going on.
Wei Wuxian is going insane. He has been at Carp Tower for eight days and he's absolutely losing his mind. After he'd finally woken up the first time, he'd spent the next three days drifting in and out of naps all day, his body drawing on his meager spiritual power reserves in an attempt to help his ankle recover. It leaves him feeling tired and weak, but after the third day the drain starts to balance out and becomes more tolerable. It's easier to stay awake then and he's grateful for about three whole hours before the boredom hits.
He eventually manages to procure some talisman paper and ink and spends several days working on a few of his tamer designs in progress, but he finishes both by day six and the end of his confinement is nowhere near in sight.
Although Jin Ling had fulfilled his promise to bring him a cane, the pain from walking is still bad enough that he hasn't abused the cane (much) and has largely kept to using it for necessary movement. But even the pain can't make him content lying in bed all day. He spends day seven scooting around his guest rooms on a rug, the following evening and night working furiously on a new talisman idea, and wakes day eight, exhausted but triumphant.
To his credit, he doesn't actually leave his rooms at least. Mostly because he's not willing to risk a run in with Fairy.
But when Jin Ling enters his rooms in the late morning, Wei Wuxian is not expecting him, as is obvious by the fact that he's lying on his back with several pillows stuffed beneath his shoulders and that same large rug stretched out beneath him.
Also the rug is on the floor. Well. It's hovering above the floor a few inches. Also it has several talismans stuck to it. Wei Wuxian lifts his head to peer at Jin Ling and lets out a nervous laugh.
The teen was pleasantly content with himself for making sure Wei Wuxian wasn't wandering around on his shattered ankle. In fact, it was still too early to consider if the ankle had gotten better. He visited at least one a day to ensure his companion wasn't doing anything ridiculous. On the eighth day, he was minding his own business and carrying a tray of food into the room when he was met with the sight of Wei Wuxian-- floating on a rug.
He raised a brow and sets the tray down.
"What's there to talk about? It's the same as always," boring and annoying as hell, but he obviously keeps that thought to himself as he almost sighs at the scene before him.
"What are you doing?"
Nothing surprises Jin Ling anymore. He's fairly used to Wei Wuxian's random experiments-- or whatever. If it's not one thing, it's another. Even if he doesn't spend every waking hour with the other, he's fairly accustomed to the oddity of it all.
Grinning at him, he directs the rug forward and up until he's hovering in front of Jin Ling at eye level.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" But then he continues before Jin Ling can respond.
"I'm experimenting! Look, see? I don't have to stay in bed all day now."
To prove his point, he directs the rug in a full, albeit slow spin, making an entire circle until he's face to face with Jin Ling once more.
"Clever, right?" It'll be nothing to most cultivators of course, who can fly on their swords as easy as anything. But Wei Wuxian hasn't ridden the sword since before he lost his core and even this little bit of height in the air is an achievement. He might not have enough spiritual power to ride the sword again, but that doesn't mean he can't come up with his own methods of getting around.
Jin Ling takes a step back, frowning as he's looking at Wei Wuxian. It does look like something useful. Jin Ling doesn't need these kinds of gimmicks, but he understands why Wei Wuxian uses them-- at least the bare bones of it anyway. He's pretty sure there's other reasons since he hasn't seen Wei Wuxian ride his sword ever since its returned to his side.
"You sure have nothing better do."
He sighs. He's too tired to argue with Wei Wuxian. The morning was exhausting. People are trying to pressure him again and he had to put his foot down. Thankfully, most people are still terrified of Jiang Cheng, so they don't dare to make it anymore difficult for Jin Ling. Soon, he won't have to have the shadow of his uncle hovering over him.
"Just don't fall on your face."
Because, clearly, he trusts Wei Wuxian with his inventions, truly.
"You should eat your meal and take the medicine before you continue messing around."
For once, he's not completely yelling at Wei Wuxian. It also seems like no one has tried to get past Fairy, to his relief. He would have known if someone tried to because Fairy would have taken a chunk out of their skin per his instruction.
Fixing Jin Ling with a brief unreadable look, Wei Wuxian allows his grin to fade into an easy smile, nodding and hovering back to the bed so that he can take a seat and eat properly. Another time, he might have eaten while hovering, but Jin Ling isn't even yelling or being difficult. Instead, he seems...off. Like there's something on his mind.
With the lackluster answer to how his day's been going, it really isn't difficult to figure out what might be bothering him.
"Long meetings today?" It's asked casually because he knows if he comes out and asks, Jin Ling will deny being bothered by anything even if the proof of his mood is literally spelled out across his entire body language.
He doesn't make eye contact with Wei Wuxian, and sighs. Why does this man have to be so perceptive at the worst times? It's not like he'll get away with lying this time around. Wei Wuxian, for whatever reason just always seem to get how he's feeling without him having to say anything.
Jin Ling is definitely tired. In fact, he feels like breaking something, but obviously can't do that.
"It was annoying! The lot of those people..."
He half huffed and muttered, falling into the chair. Thankfully, he relieved himself a bit petting Fairy before he came in. He does feel better than before he entered the room. Clearly, he's not really in the mood to discuss it but at least he got something. The teen is practically pouting now.
Instead of responding immediately, Wei Wuxian takes a few bites of his food, giving Jin Ling a moment to collect his thoughts, unsure if he plans to continue. When he doesn't offer anything else, Wei Wuxian continues to eat peacefully for a moment as he considers.
The thing is, even if Wei Wuxian had the kind of pull that Jiang Cheng does and could glare most of the Jin elders into submission, he can't do it for the same reasons that Jiang Cheng won't either. These...are Jin Ling's battles. He's not a Jin, and even if he was, Jin Ling is the heir and leader. Not that Jin Ling doesn't already know as much or would ever ask them to fight his battles, it's just that sometimes Wei Wuxian really wishes he could.
(Instead, he contents himself with the knowledge that if any of those men were to truly become a threat to Jin Ling's well-being, he has made it abundantly clear that he cares deeply for him, and that any harm that came to him would be met with the full force of the Yiling Patriarch. He may not have their respect, but he sure as hell knows he still has their fear and that is far more useful here.)
Eventually he sets down his chopsticks and crosses his arms.
"Is it about me?"
It very well might not be, there were plenty of reasons for the Jin elders to nag at their young leader, but he's not going to beat around the bush not knowing if it is or isn't.
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no subject
So they aren't on a nighthunt, but he and Jin Ling are headed in the same direction, and for whatever reason, his would-be-nephew is making the journey on foot rather than sword. (Personally, Wei Wuxian suspects an argument with Jiang Cheng that has Jin Ling dragging his feet on his arrival, but he can't prove it. Yet.)
It means they are together when they come across a thief running their way, apparently having bitten off more than he could chew. The poor idiot'd had the misfortune of stealing talismans from one of the rare talisman sellers whose work was genuine, and had set off one of the arrays on accident, managing somehow to temporarily blind himself.
It's a mess of a situation, if a somewhat amusing one, and between the two of them they get the thief settled with the authorities of the town they're passing through with promises that the blindness will wear off eventually. None to grateful, the thief spits curses at them as they move away, somehow getting a hold of one of the remaining talismans he'd hidden up his sleeve and throwing it their way. Without thinking on it, Wei Wuxian moves in front of Jin Ling. Real as the talismans were, he isn't exactly worried. From what they'd seen, the talisman maker was creative in their talisman making but not vindictive, and most of their work appeared to be temporary.
So he's surprised when the talisman hits with a wave of dizziness and he has to lean against a nearby wall for support, his vision swimming for a moment as if he's suddenly been hit with a case of vertigo. Though he can see so, evidently the blind thief had not meted out the same punishment he'd been left to suffer.]
Huh...maybe that one was a dud? [Perhaps a disorientation talisman or something of that nature.]
no subject
He wasn't wrong. Prior to his journey on foot, he got into a massive argument with Jiang Cheng about his curfews again. Despite, being the leader of Lanling Jin Sect, Jin Ling was still a minor and often spent a good amount of time at Lotus Pier. Obviously, he did this in secret because he didn't need to cause Jiang Cheng any issues. However, their petty arguments led to both of them screaming at each other and Jiang Cheng threatening to break his knees per usual.
Of which, Jin Ling just stormed off and here he was, with Wei Wuxian. His luck every time with this man had to always be the worst. Every time he ran into him, things happened. It happened in either ridiculous ways, or it happened in really dangerous ways. In this case, Jin Ling was dealing with a lighter issue. Though, a psychotic guy going around stealing things wasn't exactly light, but compared to the giant spiders-- well he was fine with it.
After apprehending the thief and getting him arrested, they were about to be on their way only for Jin Ling to be faced with yet another threat of someone throwing something at him. Wei Wuxian stepped in front him before he could react, and took the hit. He almost lost it when he saw the other nearly toppled a bit. He was going to reach for the other but retracted his hand as soon as Wei Wuxian spoke. Was it a dud? He wasn't sure. His expression grim once more, hiding the worry that lined his face for a brief moment. ]
Didn't I tell you to stop jumping in front of me?! What if it was something else and not a dud?!
[ Except, somehow he had an uneasy feeling that it wasn't a dud. ]
You're impossible sometimes! Stop being so self destructive, ugh.
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It's fine, it's fine, we both know none of those things could do any real harm, I don't even—Oh. [The dizziness returns with force and he drops to his knees, sucking in a deep breath when it feels like he might pass out. After a minute of trying to figure out exactly what's going on, the feeling vanishes and everything returns to normal. Blinking, he pats his face and squints as he climbs back to his feet. His vision is fine and everything seems normal.
Huh. Weird.
Grinning, he turns back to Jin Ling, hands on his hips.]
See? Totally fin—what is wrong with my voice?
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Just because half of those talismans were jokes doesn't mean all of them are-- Hey!!
[ Jin Ling's face twists as he saw Wei Wuxian drop to his knees! See! Something was wrong and he was doing it again. Jin Ling was just getting even more pissed off at this. as her reiterates. EVERY time, he is with Wei Wuxian. He can never catch a god damn break. ]
You're not fine! What's even going with you--- huh?! Did the talisman make your voice go high or something?
[ God what is even going on anymore?! ]
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...and can't see his toes. Because there's. There are breasts in the way. He has breasts? His mouth works open and then closed like a fish.
Congratulations Jin Ling, you get to see your uncle (aunt???) shocked speechless.
Well, he thinks a bit hysterically, he supposes at least he isn't in any kind of danger.]
I. Uh. Well. [He laughs and it's a high pitched girlish thing that makes him laugh even harder.]
Well. I guess. We know what the talisman did. That's. So. This is happening. [And then he loses it, breaking down into laughter so hard that tears spring from his eyes. This...is the funniest thing that has ever happened to him in his life.]
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The last thing he expects is Wei Wuxian looking completely speechless and not refuting him for his statements for a long time. He even thinks the talisman might have messed with the man's already screwed up brain but boy is he completely missing the mark. In fact, he can fully tell what has happened as well. Wei Wuxian doesn't need to explain it as the little light bulbs goes off in his head. ]
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--Wh--Why are you laughing?!! How is this funny!!? Who even makes these kinds of talismans!!!
[ He's clearly sputtering in utter distress right now. ]
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Eventually after several minutes, his ribs aching from laughter, his mirth finally burns off enough for him to stand and wipe at his eyes. A few dry chuckles linger between words, but he's coherent now at least.]
Not funny—Jin Ling, how is this not funny? What am I supposed to do, be mad? Besides. [He fixes Jin Ling with a mischievous grin and does a little twirl.]
I'm a pretty cute girl, don't you think?
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It's ten times worse that he's hit with this kind of thing and he just finds it amusing. Jin Ling can't handle that if it were to happen to him. In fact, he gets mad at people simply for teasing him about being a princess. How could he accept being temporarily gender swapped? Also what kind of perverted freak would even have these things?!!!!! ]
WHY aren't you mad?! It doesn't make sense!!! Most people would be unhappy, How can you even be laughing like th--
2/3 i lied....
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[ There it is. He started screaming ]
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2/3 - I lied
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omfg gmail never gave me the notifs for this reply!!!!!
curse you gmail!!!
seriously. gmail for once be nice to me!!
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Trapped, Ill, and Delusional | Wei Wuxian & Jin Ling
The hunt started out fine and things were going really smoothly. They were making immense progress. However, that went awry so fast. Something ferocious was summoned from the depths and no one knew where it spawned from or what had drawn its attention. Worse, being that Jin Ling thought he could take it on without a problem and he went at it while ignorantly ignoring his companions and their plea for him to retreat. It was one beast. How hard could it have been, to kill it, really? He shot arrows powered with his spiritual energy. He even lashed at it with Suihua. He thought he was making progress but Jin Ling soon ate his words moments later.
Long claws dug deep into the right side of his abdomen, ripping into his yellow robes, and sending him crashing into a tree across from where he was fighting. He hissed as pain blossomed and blood drenched his robes. the creature didn't wait for anyone to react. No one could get to Jin Ling at this point and all he could really hear was them screaming at him to get up and move.
He groaned, trying to get rid of the dizziness that stunted his vision. He coughed up blood as he pushed himself against the trunk of the tree, and pulling himself up slowly, but painfully. What a complete disaster.
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He isn't fast enough to stop it from happening, but as the yaoguai steps forward and raises another paw to bat at his nephew, Wei Wuxian darts forward to intercept it, Chenqing at his lips playing a shrill piercing tune that forces the creature back one step and then another. His vision swims in red and he plays only long enough to drive it back a few more steps. As soon as it's far enough away, he shouts for the others to handle it. Between Sizhui, Jingyi, and Zizhen, he trusts they'll keep each other safe. They have to, he's out of other options. At the very least, none of them is likely to dive in on their own, and Sizhui has better defenses available to protect the others. Those thoughts pass in a flash, a swift moment, processed and gone as he falls to his knees and sweeps his battered nephew onto his knees to see the damage.
It's bad. Really bad. (Not fatal, not with help, but guilt chokes his heart like a wild vine, thorns piercing as it grows.)
"Stay down. Don't try to get up." The words come out strained, a string ready to snap. For once perhaps, he resembles his estranged brother.
Wei Wuxian doesn't have a golden core, not yet though he's working at it and has been since his return. His spiritual power has increased significantly since he'd begun training it again, but it's nothing compared to Lan Wangji's. Nothing compared to his juniors. That doesn't stop him from beginning to feed Jin Ling energy, fingers clasped tightly around one wrist.
And maybe they could have been okay like that. Maybe the others could have finished the job and then could have taken his place feeding Jin Ling their own spiritual power. Maybe, if the foundation of the ground where they're sitting hadn't been so compromised by the yaoguai's tunneling. Maybe if they had been only a few feet to the left or right. Maybe, maybe, maybe. But they aren't sitting somewhere else and the ground gives beneath them, roots and soil collapsing in a shower into the sinkhole, and it's all Wei Wuxian can do to pull Jin Ling into his arms and hold him tight.
He fucking hates falling.
As they slip through the air, he tucks Jin Ling's head carefully within his arms, curves his body as much as he can around Jin Ling, willing it to cushion Jin Ling's landing even as he feels his own side growing warm and sticky with his nephew's blood.
He lands at an angle—one foot hitting first—and his ankle gives a sickening crunch so loud he wonders if they heard it up above. It doesn't matter. What matters is that the fall wasn't that far and Jin Ling is still cradled to his chest no worse off than before that he can see, even if that isn't exactly a great starting place.
With a shaky breath, Wei Wuxian pulls back, loosening his grip on Jin Ling and searching him for further injury.
"Are you okay? Did you break anything?"
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The yaoguai was on another level. How did something so vicious and ferocious get here?! What had drawn it? No one, not even Wei Wuxian could have drawn something like that to them. So, where did they go wrong? Numbly, through his hazy vision, he could hear the resonating sound of Chenqing. It forces the beast back enough that it allowed Jin Ling to partially collect himself. Though, moving was far difficult. He had to get out of the way or he'd be toast. Especially, if they were trying to still combat things. Even though Wei Wuxian was telling him to stay down, Jin Ling was too damn stubborn to do so.
Even Fairy, who had been with him the entire time seemed to be whimpering in the background at his pain. It was far enough to give some peace to Wei Wuxian and more concerned about its owner than anything. In more ways than one it would have pounced at the ferocious beast just to keep it away from Jin Ling even if it wasn't capable of completely biting it to pieces. Jin Ling was still trying to at least provide some assistance to his own wounds, by channeling his energy but the wound was too big for him to close on its own. He felt the hand tighten around his wrist, channeling energy that was mixing with his own.
His vision continued to swim. He wasn't going to last and at some point, the hazy view became nothing but black, and the ground collapsed as soon as Jin Ling passed out, falling limply into Wei Wuxian at their heavy fall. His limp body, is secured within Wei Wuxian's grasp and unmoving. However, he was still breathing-- a sign that death had not yet embraced him. Even with all of that, his hand securely gripped around Suihua as they fell.
Once they landed, Jin Ling, made no sounds, or indication that was he was conscious, but his face was contorted on the question of them being okay. His breath was uneven, and cold sweat rolled down his face.
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His own breath hitches and for a moment, it isn't Jin Ling in his arms or Jin Ling's blood on his hands. Maybe it's the way the light catches on the angle of his face, not quite thinned out as it will be in a few more years. Maybe it's the bend of his brow, soft and pained. All he knows is that there is blood on his hands and for a moment in time, it is Jiang Yanli's and she is dying in front of him with her blood sticky and warm on his fingers.
He slams his aching foot into the ground in response, grounding himself with the pain and stifling a cry into his sleeve. When he blinks next, it is Jin Ling once more.
He can't afford to lose himself like that when Jin Ling needs his help.
After reassuring himself of Jin Ling's breathing (there but labored) he carefully positions the boy's head on his lap and then rips one sleeve of his outer robe from its seams, moving to tear the material into strips. From there, it's steady work to clean and bandage the wound as best he can, working quickly to apply pressure. The blood has slowed indicating that Jin Ling's own spiritual energy has begun the healing process, but it's a decent sized wound, the kind that'll take days to fully heal even at Jin Ling's cultivation level.
And he doesn't like how it continues to bleed, however slowly.
A shout from above catches his attention and he squints upwards, shielding his gaze with one hand. Sizhui is saying something, calling out to them. Before he can respond, the light of the sun is swallowed by darkness and it takes him a moment to understand what's happened.
Not exactly a sinkhole then, not just unstable ground. The very roots infected with the yaoguai's resentment. The hole they'd fallen through has closed. He lets out a steady breath and ignites a light talisman. There isn't time yet to focus on any of that yet.
He finishes bandaging Jin Ling's wound as best he can and then rests him back on his lap, beginning to feed him spiritual energy again. A faint breeze, warm but there slips through hair fallen loose around his face and he lets out a shaky breath of air. They won't suffocate then. Wherever they've fallen, somewhere there is a pathway back to the forest.
It's one less thing to worry about at least.
"Jin Ling. Jin Ling, open your eyes for me. I know it's hard, but I need you to wake up."
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His hand may have twitched a few times throughout the process, responding to the movement and the pain that was igniting in his lower abdomen. The wound was no joke and like Wei Wuxian said, even with Jin Ling's level of cultivation, these wounds would take a while to fully cover. He'd be lucky if it doesn't leave a scar. Eventually, the labored breathed, evened itself out with Wei Wuxian's work. His breaths were shallow, but soft and even at some point. He briefly shifted in the man's lap, but no response yet. Jin Ling had been extremely careless and he would punish himself for it. Lesson learned-- in the hardest way possible.
He should have been a lot more cautious when he felt things were awry. Instead of diving into it like he could take it on. Something he will keep in mind for the next time they do Night Hunts. Of course, it's not the first time he will be scolded for reckless behavior. Once Wei Wuxian had patched him the best he could, Jin Ling looked less worn, but his pale face, seemed even paler than before. The cold sweat still dripping down his face, and potentially, all that had caused his forehead to warm up some.
He doesn't groan, and he doesn't make any gesture to get up. The only thing he gets from Jin Ling is a shift. At the very least it proves he's alive. His eyes felt extremely heavy and so did his body. The searing pain continued to shoot through his nerves. Eventually, a small groan from him, but no words.
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It's a talisman of his own creation designed to draw moisture from the air and it works as intended, gathering droplets into a small sphere that hovers in front of him. When enough water has gathered, Wei Wuxian swipes one of the leftover strips of cloth through, wetting it and then squeezing it out before placing it on Jin Ling's head.
His water skin remains at his side, full but kept for actual drinking purposes when Jin Ling should awake.
Eyes flickering up to the dark ceiling above, Wei Wuxian quickly comes to the conclusion that they will not be getting out he way they came in. That means exploring the tunnel further.
And that means moving.
He'd have liked to have kept Jin Ling still, but more than stillness, Jin Ling needs help.
"I'm sorry, a-Ling, please try to bear with it."
What he does next is a study in self-discipline and pain management, and after several painful minutes, he's accomplished what he wanted. Standing on his foot is out of the question. He'd only fall and he can't allow that with Jin Ling's weight to support. Instead, he's shifted himself onto his hands and knees and positioned Jin Ling to lie on his back. Strips of cloth help to keep him in place and minimize the shifting, and once he's as set as he can manage, Wei Wuxian sets his light talisman ahead of him and he begins to crawl.
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There's a audible groan from Jin Ling when Wei Wuxian shifted him, over. Still clenching onto his sword for dear life, he twitches briefly, slowly and gradually, regaining some consciousness from passing out as Wei Wuxian is moving the both of them through the tunnel. He feels the cold cloth on his head from the moisture that Wei Wuxian had drawn.
He can feel they are moving but opening his eyes is such a difficult task. He can't seem to get himself to open his eyes as they lay heavy on his lids. Even with the cooler cloth on his forehead, Jin Ling can feel the warmth in the form of a fever spreading from his forehead to the rest of his body. He was leaning onto Wei Wuxian, having no energy to really adjust. He seemed almost like a rag doll being hauled around.
"Nnnnhhh..."
He moaned briefly. The searing paint made it even hard to move. He can't even register what is going on.
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hurgh had to before i pass out. >_>
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Post injury @ Carp Tower
He eventually manages to procure some talisman paper and ink and spends several days working on a few of his tamer designs in progress, but he finishes both by day six and the end of his confinement is nowhere near in sight.
Although Jin Ling had fulfilled his promise to bring him a cane, the pain from walking is still bad enough that he hasn't abused the cane (much) and has largely kept to using it for necessary movement. But even the pain can't make him content lying in bed all day. He spends day seven scooting around his guest rooms on a rug, the following evening and night working furiously on a new talisman idea, and wakes day eight, exhausted but triumphant.
To his credit, he doesn't actually leave his rooms at least. Mostly because he's not willing to risk a run in with Fairy.
But when Jin Ling enters his rooms in the late morning, Wei Wuxian is not expecting him, as is obvious by the fact that he's lying on his back with several pillows stuffed beneath his shoulders and that same large rug stretched out beneath him.
Also the rug is on the floor. Well. It's hovering above the floor a few inches. Also it has several talismans stuck to it. Wei Wuxian lifts his head to peer at Jin Ling and lets out a nervous laugh.
"Oh. Hi Jin Ling...how's your morning been?"
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He raised a brow and sets the tray down.
"What's there to talk about? It's the same as always," boring and annoying as hell, but he obviously keeps that thought to himself as he almost sighs at the scene before him.
"What are you doing?"
Nothing surprises Jin Ling anymore. He's fairly used to Wei Wuxian's random experiments-- or whatever. If it's not one thing, it's another. Even if he doesn't spend every waking hour with the other, he's fairly accustomed to the oddity of it all.
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"What does it look like I'm doing?" But then he continues before Jin Ling can respond.
"I'm experimenting! Look, see? I don't have to stay in bed all day now."
To prove his point, he directs the rug in a full, albeit slow spin, making an entire circle until he's face to face with Jin Ling once more.
"Clever, right?" It'll be nothing to most cultivators of course, who can fly on their swords as easy as anything. But Wei Wuxian hasn't ridden the sword since before he lost his core and even this little bit of height in the air is an achievement. He might not have enough spiritual power to ride the sword again, but that doesn't mean he can't come up with his own methods of getting around.
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"You sure have nothing better do."
He sighs. He's too tired to argue with Wei Wuxian. The morning was exhausting. People are trying to pressure him again and he had to put his foot down. Thankfully, most people are still terrified of Jiang Cheng, so they don't dare to make it anymore difficult for Jin Ling. Soon, he won't have to have the shadow of his uncle hovering over him.
"Just don't fall on your face."
Because, clearly, he trusts Wei Wuxian with his inventions, truly.
"You should eat your meal and take the medicine before you continue messing around."
For once, he's not completely yelling at Wei Wuxian. It also seems like no one has tried to get past Fairy, to his relief. He would have known if someone tried to because Fairy would have taken a chunk out of their skin per his instruction.
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With the lackluster answer to how his day's been going, it really isn't difficult to figure out what might be bothering him.
"Long meetings today?" It's asked casually because he knows if he comes out and asks, Jin Ling will deny being bothered by anything even if the proof of his mood is literally spelled out across his entire body language.
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Jin Ling is definitely tired. In fact, he feels like breaking something, but obviously can't do that.
"It was annoying! The lot of those people..."
He half huffed and muttered, falling into the chair. Thankfully, he relieved himself a bit petting Fairy before he came in. He does feel better than before he entered the room. Clearly, he's not really in the mood to discuss it but at least he got something. The teen is practically pouting now.
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The thing is, even if Wei Wuxian had the kind of pull that Jiang Cheng does and could glare most of the Jin elders into submission, he can't do it for the same reasons that Jiang Cheng won't either. These...are Jin Ling's battles. He's not a Jin, and even if he was, Jin Ling is the heir and leader. Not that Jin Ling doesn't already know as much or would ever ask them to fight his battles, it's just that sometimes Wei Wuxian really wishes he could.
(Instead, he contents himself with the knowledge that if any of those men were to truly become a threat to Jin Ling's well-being, he has made it abundantly clear that he cares deeply for him, and that any harm that came to him would be met with the full force of the Yiling Patriarch. He may not have their respect, but he sure as hell knows he still has their fear and that is far more useful here.)
Eventually he sets down his chopsticks and crosses his arms.
"Is it about me?"
It very well might not be, there were plenty of reasons for the Jin elders to nag at their young leader, but he's not going to beat around the bush not knowing if it is or isn't.
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I might fade after this tag Q...Q
no worries, go sleep! <3
lol I need to get his paid acct back because I need expressions ffff