He heard it, even if he didn't comment, his only reaction the brief flexing of his hand around his sword as he led them up to and into the audience hall where his father was waiting and after moving to speak to him quietly, Jiang Cheng retreated to a corner of the room leaving his father to speak to them.
Jiang Fengmian looked up from his seat, gaze settling on Po for a long moment before moving to his companion. "We were starting to wonder if you'd ever return."
“Wanyin— Hey, Jiang Cheng, don’t be—“ And he was gone, and Po Daxiang was left calling after his Sect’s heir in a way too familiar way right in front of the sect leader. Nice. He grimaced. And then quickly gave a deep bow, arms extended.
“Sect Leader Jiang, I hate to say it, but without the man beside me now, I would have never gotten back at all.” He stood up again, quickly, the joking nature fading a little bit.
“If I’d had any choice, I would have been back months ago. I’ve got some bad news and I’m not even sure how fresh it is. But, uh...” he glanced at Wen Fen.
“The Wen clan is collecting people. Cultivators. Turning them into puppets. I saw it with my own eyes, I swear—“
Wen Fen was already grimacing when Young Master Jiang completely ignored Po Daxiang. That wasn't fair. None of this was his fault... But it was because of who he was associating with, and Wen Fen was suddenly sure how this would end.
But maybe they would believe him first.
He bowed low with arms stretched out, mimicking Poe's movement. "Sect Leader Jiang. What Po Daxiang says is true. The Emperor's been collecting puppets for some time now." He stood straighter, eyes averted to the floor. "I also have information about their resources and future plans. Wen Ruohan is desperate for more pieces of the Yin Iron. He'll destroy anyone he thinks may be in his path."
Of course he listens to their reports, even if it's only confirming what they already knew about Wen Ruohan's activities within his own sect. It hasn't gone unnoticed by any means but they also haven't had anyone on the inside who'd be capable of providing confirmation or actual internal information.
"I'm aware of what the Wen Sect has been doing. It's hardly gone unnoticed with the disappearances, but your information is confirmation of what we've already suspected." Jiang Fengmian is quiet for a moment.
"And I appreciate your escorting Po Daixang here and ensuring his safety, but at the moment, there's little we can do about the situation. I know your actions will mean you likely can't return to your sect, but..." He has to think of his people first, as much as he'd like to offer to shelter the Wen disciple.
"You can rest tonight, but in the morning, i'll have someone escort you to Qinghe."
The word was out of his mouth before he even realised the sheer audacity of saying it, and then grimaced a little.
"I mean - Sect Leader, please. We might not be able to do much about the puppets, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything! We can't just send him away - where's he going to go? He doesn't know anyone in the Nie Sect!"
His fists were balling at his side, trying to resist the urge to cast the spell he knew would flare up his red string. He wanted to make a logical argument, a rational one, rather than the emotional one that was actually flaring in his breast.
"Please - I'll take responsibility for him. I swear. We won't cause you or the sect any trouble."
Honestly, the response was better than he'd thought. Apparently, the rumors of kindness about Sect Leader Jiang were true. And going to Qinghe seemed like a wise move. The Nie Sect was strong and their leader smart in warfare. He would be the one to listen to Wen Fen's words... or lock him away.
Despite himself, his heart twisted in pain from the idea of leaving Poe behind. They had only just found each other, but this was inevitable. It was the main reason he had dreaded coming to Lotus Pier.
But he couldn't dwell on that. Wen Fen bowed- And paused midway when Po Daxiang started speaking up. No, no, no.
Wen Fen stepped forward, putting a hand to the other's chest, trying to draw him back. "Wait, wait- Po Daxiang, please, it's all right-"
Jiang Fengmian lifts a hand, cutting him off because it's not that he doesn't want to help, it's that his hands are tied currently. The Jiang sect can't stand alone against the Wen sect and the Nie sect is the most well-defended when it comes down to withstanding an attack.
"You'll accompany him to the Nie sect and I'll send word ahead but I expect you to return here once he's delivered into their hands. He won't be harmed there, but you have to understand he can't reside here. Not with the situation as it currently stands. I can't put the life of one man above the lives of my sect or clan. Sending him to the Nie sect is the best chance he has."
His mouth opened to argue again, but Wen Fen’s hand on his chest brought him up short. His heart was pounding. No, no, no— it had taken years for his thread to reveal itself, and he couldn’t just —
The problem was, he loved Jiang Fengmian. Not in a cursory way - the man has proven himself in Poe’s eyes again and again, and there was a reason that Poe was completely devoted to him and his family. In a world full of schemers and evil, Jiang Fengmian had always been just and fair and kind.
On a level, Poe knew he was being so now, too. He just couldn’t accept it, anyway. He wasn’t going to leave Wen Fen. It wasn’t going to happen. But there was no point arguing it, now.
After visibly struggling for several seconds, he swept his arms out in front of him and did a tight bow.
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
At least the journey would give him time to come up with a better plan.
Po Daxiang didn't exactly look appeased but at least he had settled. That was enough. Wen Fen took a deep breath, stepping away and giving the bow he'd meant to give earlier.
"Thank you, Sect Leader Jiang."
Besides, they'd just been given another gift. They weren't being separated yet. They still had some time. That's far more than Wen Fen had expected.
Had he been from any other sect, it would have been a different story but giving the Wen any more ammunition against his own sect was unfortunately not something he was ready to do without the promise of aid from the other sects and while Lan and Nie might come to his aid, he had no such confidence the Jin sect would look past their own self interest.
"Go, I'll have someone bring you a meal and a boat ready for you two ready at the docks in the morning. Get some rest and I'll talk to you again before you leave."
And Jiang Cheng is still in the corner, expression unreadable.
He made another bow but didn’t bother to linger, turning and leaving immediately.
He didn’t pause until they were just outside his quarters, and Po Daxiang turned to noticed Jiang Cheng had followed them out. He looked at Wen Fen, then titled his head towards his rooms.
“Go on inside. I just- I need a minute. But I’ll be right there.” Once Wen Fen was inside, he turned back to Jiang Cheng, almost with a grimace.
“I can’t do it, shidi, I can’t just leave him there. There’s gotta be a way to convince Sect Leader Jiang—“
Wen Fen tilted his head in a shorter bow to the Sect Leader, but his eyes darted over to Jiang Cheng. Perhaps he only seemed cold or it was because of the situation, but he still didn't like how Po Daxiang was suddenly being treated by him.
They left the main hall with Jiang Cheng following them close behind, unsurprisingly. Equally unsurprising was Po Daxiang ushering him inside so he could speak to Young Master Jiang alone.
The door had barely slid closed before he realized that this was actually quarters that had been lived in, not a guest area... but those thoughts were quickly dashed away when the voices outside began speaking. Wen Fen leaned closer to the door, listening with a pained frown.
He'd been watching the whole meeting, silent and all but expressionless for once, his hands loose at his sides until he follows then out, his posture stiff as Po approaches him, his gaze rising to meet Po's.
"You're going to abandon your sect for him?" It's quiet, his gaze darting back inside for a moment before returning to Po.
“What? No!” He sounded affronted by the very idea, a hint of colour rising in his cheeks.
“The Sect is my family as much as it is yours!” Just because his name wasn’t Jiang didn’t mean he hadn’t been raised here, hadn’t lived here. “I’m not abandoning anything! But I can’t—“
He sucked in a breath, focusing himself, and then raised his hand to clench his fist, pushing his spiritual energy into his red string as he did so. It did so, lighting up as vibrant as red blood, the thread trailing back between the doors behind him. He gave Jiang Cheng a helpless look. He knew he man knew what it meant - that the stringless, flirty Po Daxiang, ever a night’s entertainment but never anything more - finally had a string of his own, after all.
“There’s got to be a way to get your father to let him stay,” he said, his voice dropping quieter. “I— he could take my name, we could go into seclusion a couple of months— no one even needs to know we’re here—“
The concept of Po Daxiang sitting still for a couple of months was a hilarious one on its own, but that was another matter entirely.
"...They know you're a Jiang disciple and you'd obviously come here if you were free, shixiong." Jiang Cheng exhales a breath, gaze drifting to the string before he sighs out a breath.
"I don't know what you think I can do. Die is at least trying to keep him alive without risking the rest of our sect." Which is more than other sect leaders might do, even if it's not fair to Po or Fen.
But having a runaway Wen under their roof is asking for trouble they may not be able to handle.
“You can talk to him. I know it’s not easy to get through to him, but I—“
He sighed, looking away.
“I’m not trying to endanger anyone, you know that. But if he hadn’t have saved my life, they would have finally managed to break me and turn me into one of those puppets. We can’t— we have to stand up to them! What they’re doing is a fate worse than death, and I —“
Ugh. He bit into his lip to shut himself up.
“Get him to give me a mission, then. Give us a mission. Let me be helpful rather than just....”
"You think he listens to me?" There's a bitterness behind the words he can't suppress even as his expression twists, gaze flickering back to the audience hall where his father is dealing with other matters "
He doesn't listen to me or A-nain, Po-shixiong. You should know that given how long you've been here. You want him to listen, you should go find Wei Wuxian." Because at least he seems to have A-die's ear more than Jiang Cheng does.
"He'll likely send you out after you return if you're not needed here but there's nothing I can do to help you with this."
“Yeah, I do think he listens to you,” Poe retorted, more out of Jiang Cheng’s defence than anything else. “I know he doesn’t show it all that much but you are the heir, and your opinion matters to him.”
He was stubborn on this point, if only because he understood it from Jiang Chen’s side, too. His mother had died when he was young and it had opened a rift between Daxiang and his own father, and they had ever seemed at odds, afterward. He understood what it felt like to be ignored by your father.
But Jiang Fengmian was a good man - one of the best of them - and Po Daxiang refused to believe that he didn’t respect his son’s opinion, on some level. Maybe it was because he was a little stupid, or maybe it was projection, but he would argue this to the end of his days.
He made a little bit of a face at he mention of Wei Wuxian. “I know better than that. When was the last time he and I agreed on a course of action that didn’t end up blowing up? I’m asking you because I need you. You care about this Sect more than anyone. If I can convince you that what I’m doing is for the good of everyone, then maybe I can convince him too.”
He paused, grimacing.
“... Or, at least, you can help me come up with a way to do this that doesn’t hurt anyone.”
"Then you don't know things as well as you think you do." His father barely acknowledges his own endeavors, it's only Wei Wuxian's who get praise and Jiang Cheng shakes his head slightly, his posture tense.
"Why are you so against taking him to the Nie sect? It's safer than any other sect you'd have access to if they come after him."
Po Daxiang tsks, because he thinks he has a pretty good handle on the situation but also is pretty sure he'd not going to change Jiang Cheng's mind about it. So he isn't going to keep debating the point.
"I don't want to send him anywhere," he clarifies. "If he has to go somewhere - Nie Sect certainly isn't the worst, but it's hardly the best, either. It's so close to Wen territory that if they get word about him they are going to get there a lot faster than anyone from Lotus Pier could. If he was there and I was here there's no way I'd get there in time - even though I can fly faster than anyone."
A pause, and then a slight huff as he looked away.
"Besides, pretty sure Sect Leader Nie hates me. But. You know. That's sort of beside the point."
"And my father isn't going to keep him here." It's that simple when it comes down to it. "You can try to talk to him again but I doubt he's going to change his mind and I don't know if you'd have better luck at the other sects, Po-shixiong." He exhales a breath.
"And whether he hates you or not, if my father asks, he won't turn it away. Your...friend" Jiang Cheng stumbles over the word briefly before clearing his throat. "will be useful for his plans if he had any sort of access to information from within Qishan." Information that could potentially benefit an assault in time.
"And Nie Zhongzhu is spoiling for a chance at the Wens, anyway." Everyone knew that story and while he'd never spent much time around the Nie sect leader, he'd heard stories from his younger brother and others while they'd been at Cloud Recesses.
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Jiang Fengmian looked up from his seat, gaze settling on Po for a long moment before moving to his companion. "We were starting to wonder if you'd ever return."
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“Sect Leader Jiang, I hate to say it, but without the man beside me now, I would have never gotten back at all.” He stood up again, quickly, the joking nature fading a little bit.
“If I’d had any choice, I would have been back months ago. I’ve got some bad news and I’m not even sure how fresh it is. But, uh...” he glanced at Wen Fen.
“The Wen clan is collecting people. Cultivators. Turning them into puppets. I saw it with my own eyes, I swear—“
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But maybe they would believe him first.
He bowed low with arms stretched out, mimicking Poe's movement. "Sect Leader Jiang. What Po Daxiang says is true. The Emperor's been collecting puppets for some time now." He stood straighter, eyes averted to the floor. "I also have information about their resources and future plans. Wen Ruohan is desperate for more pieces of the Yin Iron. He'll destroy anyone he thinks may be in his path."
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"I'm aware of what the Wen Sect has been doing. It's hardly gone unnoticed with the disappearances, but your information is confirmation of what we've already suspected." Jiang Fengmian is quiet for a moment.
"And I appreciate your escorting Po Daixang here and ensuring his safety, but at the moment, there's little we can do about the situation. I know your actions will mean you likely can't return to your sect, but..." He has to think of his people first, as much as he'd like to offer to shelter the Wen disciple.
"You can rest tonight, but in the morning, i'll have someone escort you to Qinghe."
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The word was out of his mouth before he even realised the sheer audacity of saying it, and then grimaced a little.
"I mean - Sect Leader, please. We might not be able to do much about the puppets, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything! We can't just send him away - where's he going to go? He doesn't know anyone in the Nie Sect!"
His fists were balling at his side, trying to resist the urge to cast the spell he knew would flare up his red string. He wanted to make a logical argument, a rational one, rather than the emotional one that was actually flaring in his breast.
"Please - I'll take responsibility for him. I swear. We won't cause you or the sect any trouble."
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Despite himself, his heart twisted in pain from the idea of leaving Poe behind. They had only just found each other, but this was inevitable. It was the main reason he had dreaded coming to Lotus Pier.
But he couldn't dwell on that. Wen Fen bowed- And paused midway when Po Daxiang started speaking up. No, no, no.
Wen Fen stepped forward, putting a hand to the other's chest, trying to draw him back. "Wait, wait- Po Daxiang, please, it's all right-"
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"You'll accompany him to the Nie sect and I'll send word ahead but I expect you to return here once he's delivered into their hands. He won't be harmed there, but you have to understand he can't reside here. Not with the situation as it currently stands. I can't put the life of one man above the lives of my sect or clan. Sending him to the Nie sect is the best chance he has."
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The problem was, he loved Jiang Fengmian. Not in a cursory way - the man has proven himself in Poe’s eyes again and again, and there was a reason that Poe was completely devoted to him and his family. In a world full of schemers and evil, Jiang Fengmian had always been just and fair and kind.
On a level, Poe knew he was being so now, too. He just couldn’t accept it, anyway. He wasn’t going to leave Wen Fen. It wasn’t going to happen. But there was no point arguing it, now.
After visibly struggling for several seconds, he swept his arms out in front of him and did a tight bow.
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
At least the journey would give him time to come up with a better plan.
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"Thank you, Sect Leader Jiang."
Besides, they'd just been given another gift. They weren't being separated yet. They still had some time. That's far more than Wen Fen had expected.
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"Go, I'll have someone bring you a meal and a boat ready for you two ready at the docks in the morning. Get some rest and I'll talk to you again before you leave."
And Jiang Cheng is still in the corner, expression unreadable.
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He didn’t pause until they were just outside his quarters, and Po Daxiang turned to noticed Jiang Cheng had followed them out. He looked at Wen Fen, then titled his head towards his rooms.
“Go on inside. I just- I need a minute. But I’ll be right there.” Once Wen Fen was inside, he turned back to Jiang Cheng, almost with a grimace.
“I can’t do it, shidi, I can’t just leave him there. There’s gotta be a way to convince Sect Leader Jiang—“
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They left the main hall with Jiang Cheng following them close behind, unsurprisingly. Equally unsurprising was Po Daxiang ushering him inside so he could speak to Young Master Jiang alone.
The door had barely slid closed before he realized that this was actually quarters that had been lived in, not a guest area... but those thoughts were quickly dashed away when the voices outside began speaking. Wen Fen leaned closer to the door, listening with a pained frown.
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"You're going to abandon your sect for him?" It's quiet, his gaze darting back inside for a moment before returning to Po.
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“The Sect is my family as much as it is yours!” Just because his name wasn’t Jiang didn’t mean he hadn’t been raised here, hadn’t lived here. “I’m not abandoning anything! But I can’t—“
He sucked in a breath, focusing himself, and then raised his hand to clench his fist, pushing his spiritual energy into his red string as he did so. It did so, lighting up as vibrant as red blood, the thread trailing back between the doors behind him. He gave Jiang Cheng a helpless look. He knew he man knew what it meant - that the stringless, flirty Po Daxiang, ever a night’s entertainment but never anything more - finally had a string of his own, after all.
“There’s got to be a way to get your father to let him stay,” he said, his voice dropping quieter. “I— he could take my name, we could go into seclusion a couple of months— no one even needs to know we’re here—“
The concept of Po Daxiang sitting still for a couple of months was a hilarious one on its own, but that was another matter entirely.
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"I don't know what you think I can do. Die is at least trying to keep him alive without risking the rest of our sect." Which is more than other sect leaders might do, even if it's not fair to Po or Fen.
But having a runaway Wen under their roof is asking for trouble they may not be able to handle.
no subject
He sighed, looking away.
“I’m not trying to endanger anyone, you know that. But if he hadn’t have saved my life, they would have finally managed to break me and turn me into one of those puppets. We can’t— we have to stand up to them! What they’re doing is a fate worse than death, and I —“
Ugh. He bit into his lip to shut himself up.
“Get him to give me a mission, then. Give us a mission. Let me be helpful rather than just....”
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He doesn't listen to me or A-nain, Po-shixiong. You should know that given how long you've been here. You want him to listen, you should go find Wei Wuxian." Because at least he seems to have A-die's ear more than Jiang Cheng does.
"He'll likely send you out after you return if you're not needed here but there's nothing I can do to help you with this."
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He was stubborn on this point, if only because he understood it from Jiang Chen’s side, too. His mother had died when he was young and it had opened a rift between Daxiang and his own father, and they had ever seemed at odds, afterward. He understood what it felt like to be ignored by your father.
But Jiang Fengmian was a good man - one of the best of them - and Po Daxiang refused to believe that he didn’t respect his son’s opinion, on some level. Maybe it was because he was a little stupid, or maybe it was projection, but he would argue this to the end of his days.
He made a little bit of a face at he mention of Wei Wuxian. “I know better than that. When was the last time he and I agreed on a course of action that didn’t end up blowing up? I’m asking you because I need you. You care about this Sect more than anyone. If I can convince you that what I’m doing is for the good of everyone, then maybe I can convince him too.”
He paused, grimacing.
“... Or, at least, you can help me come up with a way to do this that doesn’t hurt anyone.”
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"Why are you so against taking him to the Nie sect? It's safer than any other sect you'd have access to if they come after him."
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"I don't want to send him anywhere," he clarifies. "If he has to go somewhere - Nie Sect certainly isn't the worst, but it's hardly the best, either. It's so close to Wen territory that if they get word about him they are going to get there a lot faster than anyone from Lotus Pier could. If he was there and I was here there's no way I'd get there in time - even though I can fly faster than anyone."
A pause, and then a slight huff as he looked away.
"Besides, pretty sure Sect Leader Nie hates me. But. You know. That's sort of beside the point."
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"And whether he hates you or not, if my father asks, he won't turn it away. Your...friend" Jiang Cheng stumbles over the word briefly before clearing his throat. "will be useful for his plans if he had any sort of access to information from within Qishan." Information that could potentially benefit an assault in time.
"And Nie Zhongzhu is spoiling for a chance at the Wens, anyway." Everyone knew that story and while he'd never spent much time around the Nie sect leader, he'd heard stories from his younger brother and others while they'd been at Cloud Recesses.