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#Xicheng (eventual)
It& #39;s dark by the time Jiang Cheng arrives; he& #39;d received the urgent summons and immediately set foot to sword.
Hanguang-Jun meets him at the gate. Jiang Cheng can see his jaw is clenched, muscle jumping in his cheek; he doesn& #39;t want Jiang Cheng to be here.
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It& #39;s dark by the time Jiang Cheng arrives; he& #39;d received the urgent summons and immediately set foot to sword.
Hanguang-Jun meets him at the gate. Jiang Cheng can see his jaw is clenched, muscle jumping in his cheek; he doesn& #39;t want Jiang Cheng to be here.
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"Your cultivators will be escorted to guest quarters," Hanguang-Jun says, and Jiang Cheng catches Jiang Zhao& #39;s eye and nods.
Jiang Zhao bows. "Yes, Sect Leader Jiang."
"Follow me," Hanguang-Jun says, and Jiang Cheng follows him into the depths of the Cloud Recesses.
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Jiang Zhao bows. "Yes, Sect Leader Jiang."
"Follow me," Hanguang-Jun says, and Jiang Cheng follows him into the depths of the Cloud Recesses.
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They twist and turn through corridor after corridor; wind their way through tall forests of bamboo spearing into the sky. Jiang Cheng doesn& #39;t see any other cultivators; it& #39;s after 9, to be sure, but he& #39;d expected guards, at least.
Hanguang-Jun clearly doesn& #39;t want witnesses.
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Hanguang-Jun clearly doesn& #39;t want witnesses.
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Finally they arrive at a modest two storey building. Hanguang-Jun leads him inside, pauses on the landing.
"Sect Leader Jiang," he says, and Jiang Cheng can see the way his knuckles are white on Bichen. The next words almost come out strangled: "Thank you for coming."
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"Sect Leader Jiang," he says, and Jiang Cheng can see the way his knuckles are white on Bichen. The next words almost come out strangled: "Thank you for coming."
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Jiang Cheng holds back a snort by sheer will. He didn& #39;t come here for Hanguang-Jun& #39;s sake, but it won& #39;t help the situation to say it, and in any case Hanguang-Jun surely already knows.
"Tell me what& #39;s happening."
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"Tell me what& #39;s happening."
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"It& #39;s Brother," Hanguang-Jun says, and Jiang Cheng watches the tightness in his shoulders stiffen, like he might snap at any moment. (Like he might shatter.)
He already knows it& #39;s about Zewu-Jun; there& #39;s no other reason he would have dropped everything to fly this late.
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He already knows it& #39;s about Zewu-Jun; there& #39;s no other reason he would have dropped everything to fly this late.
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"He went into seclusion, after-" Jiang Cheng doesn& #39;t need to say; they were both there.
"He did," Hanguang-Jun says, and then takes a breath. His tone is grudging, like he can& #39;t believe that Jiang Cheng is here at all. (Like he can& #39;t believe that he, Lan Wangji, put brush to+
"He did," Hanguang-Jun says, and then takes a breath. His tone is grudging, like he can& #39;t believe that Jiang Cheng is here at all. (Like he can& #39;t believe that he, Lan Wangji, put brush to+
parchment and wrote to invite him in the first place.)
"But now he won& #39;t wake up."
"He& #39;s sleeping?" Jiang Cheng says, and Hanguang-Jun pulls a piece of paper from his robes, shakes his head.
"Not sleeping," he says. "Cursed."
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"But now he won& #39;t wake up."
"He& #39;s sleeping?" Jiang Cheng says, and Hanguang-Jun pulls a piece of paper from his robes, shakes his head.
"Not sleeping," he says. "Cursed."
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Jiang Cheng knows that Hanguang-Jun would have turned for help first, of course, to Wei Wuxian - but Wei Wuxian had never dabbled in curses. Demonic cultivation had been enough for him, and curses were nasty corrosive things, best avoided.
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Zewu-Jun had the best reputation for curse-breaking; but as he was the one afflicted, he couldn& #39;t, of course, be consulted. And like it or not, with Zewu-Jun out of commission, the next person in the cultivation world with a reputation for curse-breaking is-
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Jiang Cheng watches the muscle jump in Hanguang-Jun& #39;s jaw. He& #39;s not here to antagonise him; he& #39;s here to help Zewu-Jun.
"Show me," he says, and holds out a hand for the paper.
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"Show me," he says, and holds out a hand for the paper.
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It& #39;s a sketch of an array, and it& #39;s a scribbled mess; brushstrokes shaking and rushed. Jiang Cheng follows the curves and loops, characters crammed in between.
"This is the array used?" he asks, watches Hanguang-Jun nod out of the corner of his eye. This was clearly Zewu-Jun& #39;s+
"This is the array used?" he asks, watches Hanguang-Jun nod out of the corner of his eye. This was clearly Zewu-Jun& #39;s+
planning sketch, a few characters scribbled out here and there, others written above them.
"He was lying in the centre," Hanguang-Jun says. "He had drawn it with-"
He doesn& #39;t finish, but he doesn& #39;t have to. Jiang Cheng already knows: the strongest curses are drawn in blood.
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"He was lying in the centre," Hanguang-Jun says. "He had drawn it with-"
He doesn& #39;t finish, but he doesn& #39;t have to. Jiang Cheng already knows: the strongest curses are drawn in blood.
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It& #39;s mostly a curse, but it seems to be powered with spiritual and resentful energy - fuelled with both regular and demonic cultivation. Jiang Cheng is, by now, well versed in the theory of both; but Zewu-Jun should only have knowledge of curses. Where had he found his info?
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"Show me the array," Jiang Cheng says, and Hanguang-Jun takes him into a room.
It smells of blood: smudged in the centre of the floor, the array from the sketch has been drawn, an exact copy of the paper in his hand.
The air is tinged with the residue of resentful energy.
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It smells of blood: smudged in the centre of the floor, the array from the sketch has been drawn, an exact copy of the paper in his hand.
The air is tinged with the residue of resentful energy.
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Jiang Cheng takes his time double checking - but the array is a perfect copy, down to the most complex character, to the smallest line and curve.
It& #39;s not enough to be sure, though; he needs to see-
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It& #39;s not enough to be sure, though; he needs to see-
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"I will need to see him," Jiang Cheng says, and does Hanguang-Jun the courtesy of not looking at his face when he says it.
The creak of Hanguang-Jun& #39;s fingers against Bichen is loud in the still air.
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The creak of Hanguang-Jun& #39;s fingers against Bichen is loud in the still air.
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"Very well," Hanguang-Jun says, as though through a mouthful of glass, and Jiang Cheng sighs.
"Hanguang-Jun," he says, because apparently it needs saying, "I am not here for you. I am here to help Zewu-Jun."
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"Hanguang-Jun," he says, because apparently it needs saying, "I am not here for you. I am here to help Zewu-Jun."
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There& #39;s silence for long moments.
"I know," Hanguang-Jun says eventually, the words grudging and stilted.
And then: "Brother is this way."
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"I know," Hanguang-Jun says eventually, the words grudging and stilted.
And then: "Brother is this way."
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Hanguang-Jun takes him into another room.
There& #39;s a dim lamp beside the bed; Zewu-Jun is lying atop the covers. His face is slack, calm - hands folded across his chest, a gentle rise and fall indicating he yet lives.
There& #39;s blood crusted under his nails.
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There& #39;s a dim lamp beside the bed; Zewu-Jun is lying atop the covers. His face is slack, calm - hands folded across his chest, a gentle rise and fall indicating he yet lives.
There& #39;s blood crusted under his nails.
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Jiang Cheng blinks spiritual energy into his eyes, looks at the curse marks. There, a sigil from the array, tied to memory; there, a hook from the curse, tied to emotion.
(A thick coil of resentful energy sunken barbs into his golden core.)
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(A thick coil of resentful energy sunken barbs into his golden core.)
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Jiang Cheng checks the paper, looks back to the curse marks, double checks - but it& #39;s clear, now, what Zewu-Jun was trying to do-
What Zewu-Jun has done.
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What Zewu-Jun has done.
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"Do you know what& #39;s wrong with him?" Hanguang-Jun grits out, and Jiang Cheng turns.
"He created a curse, and used it on himself," Jiang Cheng says, holds up the paper; Hanguang-Jun won& #39;t care for a longer explanation (and Jiang Cheng doesn& #39;t want to go into just why he knows).
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"He created a curse, and used it on himself," Jiang Cheng says, holds up the paper; Hanguang-Jun won& #39;t care for a longer explanation (and Jiang Cheng doesn& #39;t want to go into just why he knows).
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"The curse has sent him into his own mind," Jiang Cheng says. "He& #39;s re-living the past over and over again, trying to prevent the tragedies from happening. Trying to see where he went wrong, how he could have stopped everything."
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"How do we wake him up?" Hanguang-Jun says.
"We can& #39;t," Jiang Cheng says, because Zewu-Jun& #39;s sigils are exactingly specific. "It can only be broken from the inside."
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"We can& #39;t," Jiang Cheng says, because Zewu-Jun& #39;s sigils are exactingly specific. "It can only be broken from the inside."
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There& #39;s a beat, while Hanguang-Jun thinks - and then Jiang Cheng dodges as he makes a grab for the paper, Zidian unfurling from his wrist to throw Hanguang-Jun back across the room.
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"You can& #39;t use this," Jiang Cheng snaps as Hanguang-Jun& #39;s hand tightens on Bichen& #39;s hilt. "It requires demonic cultivation."
That, at least, gets him to pause. "Then Wei Ying-"
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That, at least, gets him to pause. "Then Wei Ying-"
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"Wei Wuxian won& #39;t be able to break the curse," Jiang Cheng says. "He& #39;ll just be trapped in there alongside Zewu-Jun."
Hanguang-Jun& #39;s hand slackens on Bichen& #39;s hilt. "Sect Leader Jiang," he says, voice like gravel. "This is my brother. There must be a way."
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Hanguang-Jun& #39;s hand slackens on Bichen& #39;s hilt. "Sect Leader Jiang," he says, voice like gravel. "This is my brother. There must be a way."
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There is a way, of course, and Hanguang-Jun won& #39;t like it - but Jiang Cheng isn& #39;t planning on asking for permission. He& #39;s not here for Hanguang-Jun - he came here for Zewu-Jun.
"There is," Jiang Cheng says, slaps the paper on his own chest, and slashes a hand seal in the air.
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"There is," Jiang Cheng says, slaps the paper on his own chest, and slashes a hand seal in the air.
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"Jiang Wanyin-!" Hanguang-Jun shouts, lunging for him - and is thrown back by the whirlwind of spiritual and resentful energy that& #39;s gathering around him.
"Hanguang-Jun," Jiang Cheng says, and does not flinch as a burst of pain shatters through him, resentful energy already+
"Hanguang-Jun," Jiang Cheng says, and does not flinch as a burst of pain shatters through him, resentful energy already+
snapping at his heels. "Once I enter the curse, do not attempt to interfere."
"Why?" Hanguang-Jun snarls, trying again to pass the whirlwind. "So you can do as you wish with my brother?"
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"Why?" Hanguang-Jun snarls, trying again to pass the whirlwind. "So you can do as you wish with my brother?"
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"No," Jiang Cheng says, "because any outside interference could destroy him utterly," and Hanguang-Jun stops cold.
"Explain," he says.
"I& #39;m saying if the curse isn& #39;t broken from the inside, his soul will be destroyed," Jiang Cheng says, and watches Hanguang-Jun flinch.
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"Explain," he says.
"I& #39;m saying if the curse isn& #39;t broken from the inside, his soul will be destroyed," Jiang Cheng says, and watches Hanguang-Jun flinch.
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Jiang Cheng waits a beat, two, but the whirlwind is restless, energy rising, and if he doesn& #39;t activate the array soon-
"Once I go into the curse," he says, "put me in contact with Zewu-Jun. Allow no-one to interfere. Not Wei Wuxian, not you. No-one. Your brother& #39;s soul+
"Once I go into the curse," he says, "put me in contact with Zewu-Jun. Allow no-one to interfere. Not Wei Wuxian, not you. No-one. Your brother& #39;s soul+
is at stake. Do you understand me?"
"I understand," Hanguang-Jun says like he hates every word, and then the resentful energy flares, and Jiang Cheng is out of time-
He channels the energy into the array-
// TBC
"I understand," Hanguang-Jun says like he hates every word, and then the resentful energy flares, and Jiang Cheng is out of time-
He channels the energy into the array-
// TBC
