The next day Chifeng-zun made an unusual visit to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's tent. A-Yuan and Nuan-er were with Jiang Yanli and the other Wens. With the knowledge that Wen Qing was in danger, trying to adjust Nuan-er to being away from Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji had become even more urgent.

Jiang Yanli had suggested taking Nuan-er to help in the infirmary. She had retrieved them after breakfast. Wen Nuan took a bit of coaxing. After securing promises from Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, that they would be there when she came back, Wen Nuan agreed. Wen-popo and San-yi had apparently also signed on to assist. Both were trained healers and many other Wens would be in the infirmary helping as well. There would be no shortage of people there to assist if one of the kids became too restless or needed to be put down for a nap.

Jiang Yanli had noted that Nuan-er seemed to be curious by nature, when she wasn't stressed or overwhelmed. She also seemed very fond of helping people. Something Jiang Yanli had already figured out when she first met Nuan-er. Jiang Yanli was certain Nuan-er would enjoy helping in the infirmary, and she was hopeful that the more challenging and attention demanding activities would give Nuan-er less time to think about things that made her anxious.

Chifeng-zun had met with Lan Xichen and Jiang Yanli early in the morning, and had been told by Jiang Yanli when the children would be out. They had some preliminary discussion about Wen Qing's situation. They knew very little. Only that Wen Qing was alive, in danger, and probably in Nightless City.

'Probably in the Flame Palace.' Chifeng-zun added quietly. He remembered their conversation as they waited for Wen Qionglin to find them. He remembered the way Wen Qing had so casually talked about being, 'chained in one of these rooms.' Like it was something she expected. Like her imprisonment in Wen Rouhan's hall of torture was an eventuality, something that was always going to come to pass. Nie Mingjue had not been in the Flame Palace for very long. All things considered, he had been quite lucky.

'No.' he thought quietly. 'Not lucky.'

It had not been luck that made his stay in the Flame Palace short. It had been Wen Qing's planning and efforts that removed him so quickly. Wen Qing had traded her freedom and safety for his. Because Zewu-jun asked if it could be done, she did it.

'Wen Rouhan has turned our surname into a curse. I'm just hoping I can keep one small village of healers from being killed by it.' Wen Qing had said quietly. A hollowness in her voice that hit differently when Chifeng-zun suddenly found himself in a village too large for the number of people still living in it.

As much as Chifeng-zun hated the Wens. Hated them for the pain and loss his family had suffered. Chifeng-zun did not earn his title or reputation by holding his hatred above honor. He owed a life debt to Wen Qing and the Dafan Wens. Nie Mingjue had helped bury the bodies. He knew how many died when Wen Rouhan's soldiers turned on the Dafan Wen's in their pursuit of Nie Mingjue. He was also not ignorant to what Wen Qing might be suffering now.

Hastening a war he was already fighting in hopes of preserving Wen Qing's life, did not even begin to pay the debt Nie Mingjue owed them. Words Meng Yao had spoken with a placid smile interrupted Nie Mingjue's thoughts. Words describing what Nie Mingjue's future in the Flame Palace would look like. Nie Mingjue wondered if Meng Yao would do to Wen Qing what he had said he would do to Nie Mingjue.

Something in the back of Nie Mingjue's mind whispered, 'Maybe... But she cost him the chance to do those things to you.' In his gut Nie Mingjue knew that, in all likelihood, Meng Yao would do something worse.

All this urged Nie Mingjue on in his decision to speak with Wei Wuxian. He had witnessed what Wei Wuxian did in Dafan. He also knew Wei Wuxian had been unconscious for several days following it. Nie Mingjue had a few ideas about how they could potentially proceed, but he needed to know what he had to work with before he could formalize those plans.

Chifeng-zun needed to know what Wei Wuxian could do. He needed to know if Wei Wuxian would need several days to recover after each time, or if there were steps they could take to reduce the recovery. He needed to know potential risks.

Nie Mingjue hoped Wei Wuxian would be willing to answer those questions. Wei Wuxian made it obvious he did not like to talk about his cultivation of resentful energy and Nie Mingjue had never pried. Nie Mingjue's own sect's cultivation handled resentful energy, although to a much lesser extent. That knowledge was a closely guarded secret. Nie Mingjue could understand Wei Wuxian's reluctance to discuss his cultivation.

Nie Mingjue had a lot of thoughts about Wei Wuxian's cultivation, questions mostly. He wondered if the risk of qi-deviation was higher for Wei Wuxian than the QingheNie style of cultivation. He wondered why Wei Wuxian didn't use spiritual energy and resentful energy at the same time. He wondered if the resentful energy of humans was more volatile than that of animals. He wondered if disturbing the dead bothered Wei Wuxian. Was it something he thought of as an unfortunate necessity, or did Wei Wuxian not hold treatment of the dead as sacred?

Nie Mingjue kept these thoughts and questions to himself. There was a war going on. They didn't have the luxury of being picky. If they did, Nie Mingjue might have devised some sort of rotation for his cultivators to allow them longer time to rest between battles. The resentful energy in their sabres thrived on the battlefield.

Even though the blades only harnessed the resentful energy of animals, that energy was still strengthened by battle and bloodshed. As their sabres grew in strength the resentful energy within them began to affect the temperament of their cultivators. Inching them ever closer to a fatal qi-deviation that Nie Mingjue already expected to claim his life early.

The first few minutes were awkward. Lan Wangji glared at Nie Mingjue with protective anger. Wei Wuxian oscillated between flippant and hostile. Nie Mingjue's own temper was entirely too easy to rile. If he hadn't been prepared for this, the morning might have been a wasted effort.

Nie Mingjue begrudgingly had to acknowledge that San-yi's treatments had been effective in reducing the strain of his cultivation. It was easier to remain calm and consider whether Wei Wuxian's reaction was due to his own mood instability as a result of his cultivation. It was possible. Although between Wei Wuxian's close relationship with Lan Wangji and his budding camaraderie with the Dafan Wens he was in an excellent position to receive the support such a condition would require.

Nie Mingjue explained in uncomfortably plain words what he wanted to do. NIe Mingjue explained why he felt it was vital to speak with Wei Wuxian about his cultivation, and especially the Yin Hufu. Wei Wuxian became more reasonable after that. He became even more cooperative once Nie Mingjue explained his desire to take Nightless City as quickly as possible, in order to recover Wen Qing.

Nie Huaisang had explained that Wei Wuxian had become extremely close with Wen Qing and Wen Qionglin when they were all at Cloud Recesses. Something Nie Mingjue had further seen in the interactions between Wei Wuxian and Wen Qionglin. The two behaved more familially than Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin did. If Wei Wuxian had a similar relationship with Wen Qing, then it was possible that he considered her one of his siblings.

It also explained how they had learned Wen Qing was in danger. Nie Huaisang had been adamant that Lan Xichen's mysterious informant was not the source of the information. Wei Wuxian had invented a number of talismans since before the start of the war. Many of them were even used in camp. It was not hard to imagine that Wei Wuxian might have gifted some sort of talisman to Wen Qing that alerted Wei Wuxian when she was in danger.

Wei Wuxian was still hesitant about discussing the Yin Hufu. Once the hostility had drained away it had left his nerves bare and exposed. Nie Mingjue preferred the hostility. The anxious fidgeting and uneasy gaze made Wei Wuxian look young. Like the teenager he was. The same age as Nie Huaisang, who Nie Mingjue worried about endlessly.

Nie Mingjue finally offered to keep silent about anything Wei Wuxian shared about his cultivation and the Yin Hufu. That seemed to be the last thing needed in order to assuage Wei Wuxian's concerns. What remained of the hostility completely evaporated along with much of the evasive anxiety. Wei Wuxian looked determined, scared, and tired.

'Defensiveness rather than unstable temperament then.' Nie Mingjue commented internally. The product of the fear and scorn that Wei Wuxian was often met with among their own allies.

Nie Mingjue knew this alliance was tenuous at best. Many sects with petty differences and petty young masters who chafed that skill mattered more than station on the battlefield. The alliance only held because of the sword trained at all of their necks by Wen Rouhan. It unified them in a common cause, but it did not remove all of those differences that had separated them in the past. They could hardly afford to punish every cultivator that bad-mouthed one of their allies. They needed every able body they had.

Wei Wuxian seemed to be getting the brunt of that internal conflict. Whether because of his unorthodox cultivation methods, or because of the fact that he was proving himself on the battlefield far and above the cultivators of supposedly higher social standing. Nie Mingjue couldn't do much about all of that. He couldn't risking losing soldiers or, at worst, damaging this fragile alliance.

Nie Mingjue pushed that away and focused on the conversation at hand. Wei Wuxian didn't talk much during strategy meetings and Nie Mingjue now realized that that was quite a shame. Once they moved past some of the awkwardly answered questions about Wei Wuxian's limits on the battlefield, Wei Wuxian threw himself into their discussion with enthusiasm.

Wei Wuxian made connections and generated ideas with alarming speed and variety. Nie Mingjue spent much longer than he had anticipated in discussion. Lan Wangji was an excellent reference for determining how realistic some of Wei Wuxian's suggestions were. Nie Mingjue had expected only to receive insight into how feasible his own plans were. Wei Wuxian had a creative mind worthy of someone who developed a new method of cultivation. He did far more than say whether or not he could do something. He proposed alternatives and suggested ideas for how to go about a particular problem.

The new perspective was very welcome. Nie Mingjue left the tent to finish preparations for the strategy meeting planned for that evening. The other sect leaders would be apprehensive about the plans he would be putting forth. They didn't know what Nie Mingjue knew. Nie Mingjue looked forward to seeing their faces when they cut through Qishan and marched on Nightless City.