You'll never forget the burning Lotus Pier. Jiang Cheng's cries, desperately reaching for his mother, will haunt your nightmares for a long time.

You wandered through the villages for several days. Previously, you would have been whining about the terrifying pain in your legs, but now you didn't dare say a word, for the image of Jiang Cheng desperately begging for Wei Wuxian's life and his parents' return was still vivid in your mind. You nearly tore your hands apart trying to separate them, and your soft voice grew hoarse in just one night.

There were no jokes from Wei Wuxian, no irritated responses from Jiang Cheng. You felt uneasy. But when you and Wei Wuxian discovered Jiang Cheng was missing, your discomfort gave way to even greater fear, and you were the first to run toward Lotus Pier.

Several days passed. Your feet were raw and bleeding, and it hurt to move. Thank Wen Qing—she truly is a skilled healer, and you are sincerely grateful for everything she's done.

Jiang Cheng woke up, and his words broke your heart. He lost his golden core. Amid Jiang Wanyin's insane laughter and Wei Wuxian's attempts to calm him down, you lost contact with the world for the next couple of days—you barely remembered how Wen Qing knocked Jiang Cheng out with a single needle, how Wei Wuxian decided to give his golden core to his shidi, and how desperately you struggled to take Wei Ying's place.

Jiang Cheng woke up on the second or third day. You and Wei Wuxian had already made a plan, which you reluctantly agreed to.

Having barely managed to persuade Jiang Cheng to eat, you looked worried at Wei Wuxian. He merely sighed, pulling a small bundle from his bosom—all that remained of Jiang Cheng's parents.

"Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu's bodies have already been sent to Qishan. Wen Ning did everything he could, but only returned this."

Jiang Cheng immediately jumped up, his eyes shining with bitterness. Looking at the bell and the little hat, pieces of his happy past, the young man could no longer hold back his tears—he bowed low in a final bow before his parents, sobbing.

Wei Wuxian sank down beside him. Just like you.