Chapter Text
Jiang Cheng has been unaware of the things around him since he was born.
He has no real memories, as a fog covers his mind all the time. He knows he has a father who loves another man's son more than his own, a mother who is tired of her husband and only pushes her son to surpass that child without caring about anything else, and an older sister who loves A-Xian more than A-Cheng.
But he shouldn't know that, because there is no Wei Wuxian with them. In one of his moments of greatest mental clarity, he overheard a conversation between his A-Niang and Lan Qiren, confirming that he was a seer. Apparently, without realising it, he would reveal information he shouldn't know and events that would end up happening, but Jiang Cheng didn't remember talking, he barely even remembered that he existed. When he looked in the mirror, he would see a five-year-old boy with dull purple eyes, but he was unable to recognise himself in him.
At that moment, for some reason, A-Die, A-Niang, Lan Qiren, Lan Xichen, the leader of the Nie sect and his eldest son, Nie Minjue, were looking at him with pale faces. Had he said something again?
“A-Cheng,” he heard his mother say in a careful tone. She had always treated him this way, but he didn't understand why it always baffled him to hear that soft tone. Why didn't she shout? Shouldn't she shout? “Who is Jin Guangyao?”
Jiang Cheng blinked. Thousands of images and thoughts flooded his mind, but he could only focus on one thing. With a trembling finger, he pointed at the future leader of the Nie Sect.
“Your assassin.”
The two members of the Nie Sect paled even further. The current leader composed himself, approaching Jiang Cheng with determined steps before kneeling before him. Jiang Cheng frowned; a sect leader should not do that.
“Please, Jiang-gongzi,” Jiang Cheng blinked, feeling the fog lift. “Is this Jin Guangyao alive right now?”
Jiang Cheng nodded, feeling more like a person than he had ever been.
“Meng Yao,” he said slowly, watching as the sect leader's gaze sharpened, “son of Meng Shi and bastard son of Jin Guangshang. No matter what you do, he will always seek his father's acceptance. And if he has to kill Nie Minjue to do so, so he shall.”
The sect leader closed his eyes for a moment before bowing deeply. The fog suddenly cleared, disorienting Jiang Cheng.
“No,” said Jiang Cheng, feeling more alive than ever. “No no no.”
“A-Cheng,” he heard his father say cautiously, but Jiang Cheng ignored him.
Jiang Cheng stood up, ignoring the piercing stares of those around him.
“Don't let him near A-Ling,” Jiang Cheng grabbed the loose strands of his hair, pulling them. They were never in a bun, why didn't they put them in a bun? “A-Ling is in danger, he'll kill him!”
“A-Cheng!” His mother grabbed his hands, but Jiang Cheng resisted. “A-Cheng, I'll help A-Ling, don't worry, nothing will happen to him. But I need to know who A-Ling is.”
A-Ling wasn't born yet, maybe he would never be born. But then why did he feel his presence? Where was his nephew?! Inexplicably, something clicked into its place. Jiang Cheng looked out the room's window, knowing that for some reason his nephew was there with him, even though he shouldn't have been born.
“Everything,” was all that came out of his mouth. “I would have died without him, there was nothing to live for.”
Jin Ling, where are you, Jin Ling? And suddenly, he knew. Something connected them. Jin Ling was a baby, but whose? He ignored his mother's shaky breathing at his words; the fog was returning, and it wouldn't be long before he was suffocated by it again.
“Oh,” there it was, but it was too good to be true, too much luck! Despite bearing the name Jin, A-Ling, like a true Jiang, had achieved the impossible. “Son of Jiang Yun and Jiang Huang. He has just been born.”
The fog returned and Jiang Cheng remembered nothing more.
*^*^*^*
The next time he regained consciousness, he found himself sitting with a baby in his arms. He blinked, looking into the baby's intelligent eyes, who clung to him with all the strength his tiny hands could muster while letting out little sobs.
“A-Ling…” he murmured, ignoring the sharp intake of breath from the person next to him. He focused only on the baby's surprised but hopeful gaze.
“Is this A-Ling, A-Cheng?” His mother sounded as if she were about to cry. His mother never cried, so why was she so different now? But she had always been like this, so who was she different from?
Jiang Cheng just nodded, not looking at her.
“Don't cry, A-Ling. I'm here,” he murmured to the baby. “I'm your Gege now.” Not Jiujiu, he would never be his Jiujiu again. But it didn't matter as long as A-Ling was still here.
A-Ling frowned, which made Jiang Cheng let out a small laugh, causing everything to fall silent. His parents watched him, both with tears in their eyes, while everyone around him (including A-Ling's parents in this life and the disciples who were training in the field) looked at him with big smiles and hopeful eyes.
His mother closed her eyes as she murmured her thanks to the heavens for A-Ling's presence. Jiang Cheng hummed in agreement, bouncing the baby in his arms.
“Don't frown, A-Ling,” Jiang Cheng put his finger on the infant's furrowed brow. “You're a baby, you'll get wrinkles if you keep doing that.”
That only made his frown deepen, causing Jiang Cheng to laugh again. Oh dear, his mother was crying now.
“Don't cry, A-Niang.” For some reason, that only made his mother sob harder.
She wasn't the only one; many disciples were rubbing their teary eyes with their sleeves. Why was everyone crying?
“A-Ling will make things easier, A-Niang,” he said with a small smile. His mother smiled broadly while his father thanked A-Ling's parents with a deep bow. “Only A-Xian is missing, and then we'll all be here.”
“A-Xian?” His mother seemed excited. Why was she? She had never been happy about his presence.
“My shixiong, although he's more like my gege,” A-Ling seemed interested in the conversation.
“And where do we find A-Xian, A-Cheng?”
Jiang Cheng blinked, tilting his head. He had a feeling, he knew something had just happened. No, it hadn't just happened, it was a few months ago.
“Yilling,”Jiang Cheng said. “He's on the streets, his parents died... five? No, six months ago. But he's not A-Xian yet, his name is Wei Ying.”
His parents froze, but Jiang Cheng ignored them, focusing on his non-nephew. He offered his finger, which A-Ling did not hesitate to grab quite tightly, despite being only a baby.
“He is afraid of dogs, or maybe not yet?” Jiang Cheng asked aloud, not expecting an answer. “He's loyal and stubborn, he does too much for those he loves. And A-Die will love him more than me.”
He didn't understand why his A-Die looked so horrified, Jiang Cheng was only telling the truth. A-Ling looked as if he was about to cry again.
“I don't…” His A-Die held back a sob as A-Niang's furious gaze pierced him. There was the anger he expected from her.
“A-Niang will whip him with Zidian and A-Jie will die for him,” Jiang Cheng began to sway slightly, careful because he still had A-Ling in his arms. “And he will leave me alone after sacrificing his everything for me.”
Lotus Pier had never been so quiet. No one cared that the disciples were listening to the conversation because, apparently, Jiang Cheng had exposed everyone who was disloyal to the sect (which was far fewer than one might expect from a Great Sect), so only trustworthy people remained in the place.
“A-Cheng,” his mother's voice was cold, but he could recognise the determination beneath it. “Do you really want Wei Ying to stay at your side? We can simply find him a family who would take care of him so he doesn't have to live on the streets anymore.”
Jiang Cheng blinked at the question, thoughtful. But A-Ling had dispelled much of the fog that clouded his mind, and he knew that Wei Wuxian would be the one to dispel it completely, one way or another.
“...He'll make the fog go away,” Jiang Cheng admitted.
“What do you mean, A-Cheng?” his father asked, still affected for some reason.
“I don't remember what I say or do because of the fog in my mind. It's all too much.” A-Ling squeezed the finger that was still between her small hands tighter. “A-Ling has made it clearer, but only A-Xian will be able to dispel it completely.”
“A-Cheng,” her mother sounded frantic as she knelt in front of him, not caring about the dirt on her robes, “Will Wei Ying be able to make your visions not affect your memory?”
Jiang Cheng blinked. Was that what they called the fog? Visions? But the name didn't matter. He nodded, watching as hopeful chaos erupted all around him. A-Niang stood up resolutely before looking at the disciples who had long since stopped training, who quickly stood at attention with equally determined looks on their faces.
“We're leaving this afternoon,” A-Niang announced in a powerful voice. There was the famous Violet Spider. “And we're coming back with Wei Ying.”
Surprisingly, A-Ling squeezed his finger harder.
*^*^*^*
His mother kept her word. Just a week after she left with some of the best disciples, they all came back with a kid who wasn't in such bad shape, but still had sunken eyes and was seriously thin. His mother carefully put him on the floor.
“Is this Wei Ying, A-Cheng?” his mother asked as the air filled with anticipation.
Wei Ying wrung his hands nervously; he looked like he was seconds away from having an anxiety attack. Jiang Cheng left A-Ling in the arms of his A-Jie, who looked at him in shock before cradling the baby in her arms. It was sad to think that his A-Jie, who wasn't even A-Ling's mother, was holding him longer now than before.
Jiang Cheng approached Wei Ying, feeling the fog dissipate more and more with each step he took. Something was happening to his golden core, and from the look on the other boy's face, he could tell that he felt it too. After all, his golden core had once belonged to Jiang Cheng, even if that hadn't happened yet.
Wei Ying approached cautiously but determinedly until they stood face to face. The boy took Jiang Cheng's hands in his and, after five years in which the heir to the Lotus Pier Sect had been lost in his mind, the fog had finally lifted.
“You were lost,” Wei Ying's voice was soft, barely audible, but the complete silence of the area made it easily heard.
Jiang Cheng nodded, feeling his consciousness return with each passing second. He could see A-Niang trembling slightly; whether from fear or anticipation, he couldn't say.
“You found me,” was all Jiang Cheng said.
Wei Ying nodded thoughtfully, rubbing Jiang Cheng's hands with his fingers. Wei Ying had only just met this boy, but for some reason, he felt an overwhelming protective feeling towards him. Almost as if he were his...
“...Didi.”
Jiang Cheng's eyes widened in surprise before a big smile spread across his face, making everyone present feel a lump in their throats. His young master had never looked so alive. Wei Ying's eyes hardened, a determination uncharacteristic of someone his age reflected in those eyes as grey as the steel of a sword.
"I'll protect you."
Jiang Cheng shook his head, feeling a sense of calm for the first time. Finally, they were all together again.
“We'll protect each other.”
Wei Ying's eyes lit up, making his face appear less haggard. He squeezed his new didi's hands.
“Together.”
The fog had finally lifted, and it was time for the Yunmeng Twins to shout to the world who they were.