Chapter Text
“If I, Wei Wuxian, want to kill someone, who dare stop me?”
His shixiong announced to the entire cultivation world that they had just made an enemy of him. The prodigy that was the First Disciple of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, ever cocky and bold with no regard for proprietary anymore just insulted Jiang Cheng in front of all his peers. Jin Guangshan, that wretched man who reeked of shamelessness and innuendo in every breath he took demanding Wei Wuxian to give away the Yin Iron, challenging his loyalty for the Jiang Sect. Even the great Hanguang-Jun pleading him to put down Chenqing wasn’t able to get through to Wei Ying, black tendrils of resentful energy seeping out of the ghoul flute and enveloping Wei Wuxian’s anger in a wall of defence.
Jiang Cheng was feeling dizzy with the scents of various alphas wafting through the air in Koi Tower. If the gold was blinding to his eyes, the scents were nothing short of overwhelming. But he couldn’t manage to lose his wits now; he wanted to rage at everybody in the hall, especially at his brother who was making it really hard for their Sect to have any face. The only reason they even had a standing in the cultivation world was because of the generosity of the Jin Clan and Wei Wuxian had insulted them in their own home.
He grabbed Wei Wuxian by the elbow before things could escalate further and dragged him outside. His brother had tried to put up a struggle at first, but with an icy glare from Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian let himself be dragged outside.
“Jiang Cheng, let go.” Wei Wuxian looked tired, his face gaunt and his eyes red with the anger still burning inside him.
“What do you plan on doing, Wei Wuxian?” Jiang Cheng hissed not loosening of his grip on the other man’s elbow yet.
“Did you hear that asshole Jin Zixun, he wants to kill the Wens!” Wei Wuxian spit his words with anger which scared even him, Jiang Cheng whose temperament was highly known.
“Why should we care about the Wens, huh? Aren’t we enough? Shouldn’t the Jiang Sect be your priority?” Jiang Cheng shot back uncaring of the torment revolving in his brother’s soul.
“Must there be a reason to save innocent people? Should I let politics decide whose life is worth saving and whose isn’t?
“No, but diplomacy is the way to make sure we survive, that our Sect doesn’t perish under your rage.”
“What do you suggest I do, then?”
His shixiong looked so defeated, so unlike the sunny boy who he grew up with, a boy with a blinding smile that could rival the shine of the brightest star in the sky. Jiang Cheng might not accept that he cares about his brother, but nobody gets to lay a finger on his family, not anymore. He already lost his parents and his whole sect in one night and nearly lost his brother to the cruelty of the Wens. He still remembers the anguish he felt those three months without his shixiong beside him, the smiles of his sister not reaching her eyes. If he were to lose his brother again to the Wens, his sister would never forgive him. He is not sure if he would forgive himself.
“Become the Sect Leader, “Jiang Cheng said in an even tone with certainty, leaving no room for argument.
Before his brother could protest, who looked like he was hit from the backlash of spiritual energy, Jiang Cheng raised his hand to stop him. He finally freed Wei Wuxian’s elbow from his hold and guided his brother to the edge of the railings of Koi Tower for some semblance of privacy.
“Do you think I don’t notice the sneers of the other Sect Leaders?” Jiang Cheng scoffed, “They hate that they have to bow to an Omega Sect Leader, I can see it in the way they look at me when they think I’m not noticing. The only reason that they are not asking me to step down is because of you, because I have you by my side. They think you are my biggest weapon and they are not wrong.”
“Jiang Cheng, you will prove them all wrong. You are already a fabulous leader; you built Lotus Pier all by yourself,” Wei Wuxian said with an earnest smile.
“That doesn’t matter, they will always want an Alpha to lead the Sect and if you take over, you can protect the Wens the right way.”
He could see the cogwheels turning in his brother’s mind, weighing their options to fight but make sure they don’t offend the other sects lest Yunmeng lose its newly gained power. Then Jiang Cheng saw hurt flash across his shixiong’s face, his eyes filled with pain and remorse.
“I won’t be able to lead the sect the way our people deserve it to be led,” Wei Wuxian timidly said, ducking his head and not meeting Jiang Cheng’s eyes.
“Why? Is it because you don’t have your golden core anymore?”
Wei Wuxian raised his head so fast, Jiang Cheng thought his neck would break from whiplash. Wei Wuxian’s mouth was opened in shock and his eyes wide like he was seeing a ghost. There were sudden tears streaming down his face and Jiang Cheng shifted on his feet and raised his head to look at the sky above, willing his own tears to not drip forth and giving himself time to speak the next words.
“Do you think I wouldn’t notice that the spiritual energy coursing through my meridians is yours? We grew up together, Wei Ying. Every time there was an improvement in either of our cultivation, we would let the other feel it. Your spiritual energy is the next best to mine that I am most familiar with.” He took a deep breath and turned to look at his brother, whose face was still wet with tears, “In the beginning, those three months I was too busy looking for you to pay attention but when you came back, so different and distant, It really wasn’t that difficult to put two and two together.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Wei Wuxian’s voice came out hoarse, distressed and filled with loss.
“I wanted to, but each time I tried to talk to you, you’d slip away and we had a war to win. I thought I would help you after we go back home, but then we were constantly fighting, which was my fault. Now, I’m asking you to please let me help you.”
Maybe it was the desperation in Jiang Cheng’s eyes or the fact that he rarely says please, if not ever. Whatever it was, Wei Wuxian was mollified enough to listen to Jiang Cheng’s plan. He was after all trained in the arts of politics and diplomacy since a child, though his skill was in the martial arts, not many people were aware of his sharp mind. His shixiong’s wit always surpassed his own and he never saw a reason to change anybody’s opinion.
“We already have an alliance with the Jins through a-jie.” Looking at the disgust in his brother’s eyes, Jiang Cheng said, “No, even if we don’t like the peacock, we know he is not like his scoundrel father, he will take good care of her. She likes him too, and we need to utilise the Alpha match to our advantage. I don’t like it either but that’s only way to assure the Jins won’t attack us.”
Wei Wuxian nodded, “Ha, Jiang Cheng, who knew my shidi was this smart!” He was smiling in approval which turned into a frown when he must have realised the second part of Jiang Cheng’s plan.
“No, I won’t allow it,” Wei Wuxian looked angry again, frantically shaking his head and fists clenched tight. “I promised you that I’d serve next to you, serve my Sect Leader and now that you are going to step down and ask me to take your position, you want to leave me?”
Jiang Cheng sighed loudly, “I’m an omega, and the least I can do is bring in a good match for our Sect. Alliances are important Wei Wuxian, you know that, especially after a war.”
“And who does Jiang-zongzhu suggest that he marry?” Wei Wuxian asked challenging him to utter a name, the unfortunate person who would meet the ire of his shixiong, convinced that nobody deserved his precious shidi.
“As touched as I am by your show of concern,” Jiang Cheng snorted trying to make light of the situation, even though his heart twisted at the prospect of leaving his home and having to enter an unhappy marriage, “it is not needed, I can take care of myself and I’m not going to let any bull-headed alpha take my virtue.”
“I was thinking an alliance with the Lan Sect would be most beneficial,” Jiang Cheng said in a soft voice, almost inaudible.
Wei Wuxian burst out laughing, clutching his stomach and nearly falling on the floor. “Will you cut it? This is not funny, Wei Wuxian!” Jiang Cheng spat out.
“Oh, but Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian wiped the tears of his face, his eyes still full of mirth, “Just imagining you in those white robes and having to eat their medicinal broth every day, is such a funny picture.” Wei Wuxian started laughing again, this time actually falling on the ground and hitting his fists against the floor.
Jiang Cheng knelt down next to him, sighing in exasperation at his brother’s antics. “I was thinking you could also take a husband, a twofold alliance would be stronger.”
Wei Wuxian stopped laughing at that and was trying to catch his breath, “NO! Absolutely not, Hanguang-Jun hates me!” It was Jiang Cheng’s turn to grin maniacally.
“You can’t be serious Jiang Cheng, the first thing you expect me to do is negotiate betrothals after I take the position of Sect Leader, my shidi is so cruel.” Wei Wuxian looked positively horrified at the aspect of talking to Lan Qiren, “I’m going to complain to a-jie, you are taking advantage of my generous soul, Jiang Cheng!”
“Stop whining, Idiot. I will help you,” Jiang Cheng tried to pacify his brother who continued wailing until they made their way to Yanli’s guest quarters.
“Wei Ying?”
“Mn?”
“Thank you.”
Wei Wuxian looked even more horrified than before and Jiang Cheng could only laugh, everything will be alright, they will be fine, their sect will flourish under their new leader and Jiang Cheng, well at least Lan Xichen was known to be a kind and just man.