#yunmeng duo

[aphel1on]

yunmeng sibs go brr (mdzs/untamed tpmeme pt 10)

#im backk #yunmeng siblings #yunmeng trio #yunmeng shuangjie #jiang yanli #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #mdzs #the untamed #text post meme #aphelion.txt #got a lil heavy at the end there whoops #yunmeng duo #jyl #jc #wwx

[thelibranarchives]

JC: I'm a peaceful person.

WWX: You threw a chair at me earlier.

JC: Which is a peaceful compromise from the table I initially wanted to throw.

#wangxian #wei ying #lan zhan #wang yibo #xiao zhan #jiang cheng #yunmeng jiang #lotus pier #twin prides of yunmeng #yunmeng siblings #yunmeng duo

[jayktoralldaylong]

Knowing damn well I'm going to be disputed, I just want to say:

One thing that's discussed a lot is Wei Wuxian always being singled out for punishment in the Jiang Household no matter what happened or how many were involved. It's how he developed his "I'll just do and say what I want since I'll get punished anyway" mentality in the first place. Yet we don't talk enough about how Jiang Cheng still tries to defend him despite being scared of his mum.

Everyone knows that Jiang Cheng often puts pleasing elders first before anything else, that's why he scolds Wei Wuxian so much while they're at Gusu, cause he's causing ruckus and "disgracing the family name. Stop that". Jiang Cheng is not the bravest of people and everyone can talk from now till the next decade about how he should have stood up more for what's right, but he's not the kind of person. Jiang Cheng will not stick out his neck to defend someone he does not give two shits about. 💀 It's family first. People can hate him for that, judge him for that, but let's face it there are very few people that would compromise their family's safety or comfort in the name of doing the right thing.

So when the Wens come and start demanding that the Jiangs submit and that Wei Wuxian should get handed over to them, Jiang Cheng starts begging his mum to spare him (I don't know if that's in the books but it's in the drama and it's in Donghua). In the drama, her maidservants had to literally drag Jiang Cheng off Wei Wuxian when Madam Yu started her brutal whipping. If anything, Jiang Cheng's unwavering care for the child Madam Yu considered his replacement only riled her more. That's why she called him a fool. That's why Jiang Cheng suffered so much emotional abuse, because Jiang Cheng wouldn't stop caring for Wei Wuxian.

"Jiang Cheng only loved Wei Wuxian as a servant" my ass. 🙄 How many nobles get tortured for their servants?

#He might still be a little toxic grape #that got his brother killed in a big bad seige #but don't say Jiang Cheng never tried to stop the abuse #Wei Wuxian knew his own personality that's why he invented ways to wiggle out of punishment #Jiang Cheng being an overbearing #stickler for the rules #was Jiang Cheng being protective #he does not like seeing Wei Wuxian get punished #jiang clan #yunmeng jiang #jiang cheng #jiang wanyin #mdzs wei wuxian #adhd wei wuxian #yunmeng siblings #twin heroes of yunmeng #twin prides of yunmeng #yunmeng prides #yunmeng bros #yunmeng duo

[frankencanon]

jiang cheng sees dead people au

after everything, jiang cheng finds himself experiencing frequent minor qi deviations — not that anyone realizes, since most of the time zidian will discharge the excess volatile qi to stop the qi deviation in its tracks before it can get too severe.¹

unfortunately, so many minor qi deviations have had a negative effect on his mental health — specifically, the worst problem would arguably be the hallucinations of his dead family.

it was something that started small but slowly got worse — at first, just whispers of speech that sounded eerily like his parents... eventually, full-on vivid hallucinations of his entire family — his parents, his sister, even his brother...

astonishingly, there actually is a possibility for a cure — it wouldn't be easy, and it wouldn't be quick, but there exists a solid chance...

alas! jiang cheng refuses to even consider it. he knows he should, but he simply cannot bring himself to — not when this is the closest thing to his family that he has left.

and sure, he has jin ling! but jin ling is naught but a baby at this point — he treasures him, of course, its his only sister's son afterall! but as much as it sickens him to admit, he would forfeit that little baby's life in an instant if it would get him his family back... even just one of them.

but time goes by, and jiang cheng grows to love jin ling as a son — as unwilling to give him up as he would be with jiang yanli herself.

but the thing about raising a baby, is that you don't really filter yourself around them. afterall, why would you? it's not like they're going to remember any of this anyway, not when they're still this small.

but. but. the act of not filtering yourself around a specific person... it can be habit forming. you can forget yourself. when alone with them, you can completely forget that you would normally censor these things around other people. afterall! you've never stopped yourself from doing it around them ever before!

this is all to say this: jin ling grows up with an uncle (father) who talks to people who aren't there.

over the years, there's a lot of confusion over it — times when jin ling thought, maybe, that he was talking to their ghosts... until he gets a little older, and actually learns about ghosts and how they work, and realizes that it can't be that...

he never asks his uncle about it, because ever since he was small any time that he would try to mention it or bring it up, his uncle would get angry and defensive; he would lie and insist that jin ling had heard wrong, that he hadn't been talking to anyone, that he had no idea what he was talking about...

eventually jin ling learned to stop asking... but he never stopped wondering. afterall, how could he? when jiang cheng would address those not-ghosts as a-die, a-niang, a-jie, and — most damning of all — wei wuxian.

he got older. his uncle stopped denying it, but would still avoid any questions about what they were...

(jiang cheng didn't want to admit to his nephew that his dear uncle was crazy and saw dead people... didn't want to worry him...)

but as time passed he slowly eased up enough that jin ling could mention it sometimes, offhand and casual-like... say things like, "is grandmother bothering you again?" or "you should listen to mom more!"

(jin ling may not know their personalities first hand, but he can infer things based off of what his uncle would say and how he'd re/act, the faces he'd make...)

time passed by, and he got older. eventually, jin ling learned what was wrong with his uncle. he learned about hallucinations and what they were, how they worked... he understood that the people his uncle saw and spoke to weren't real, they weren't there...

but he didn't do anything. afterall, uncle had always been like this and he seemed fine. some of the hallucinations bothered him, sure (*cough* madame yu *cough*) but others... jin ling can't even imagine trying to take jiang yanli, his mother, away from jiang cheng...

he knew about what caused the hallucinations, too — afterall, how could he not? jiang cheng raised him and would frequently endeavor to spend as much time with him as possible. it's only inevitable that eventually, one day, he would witness his uncle having a qi deviation.

it would either have to be during a time when he wasn't wearing zidian so the spiritual weapon could not ease his qi — perhaps while sleeping or bathing? — or the qi deviation would have to be severe enough that it overpowered zidian's attempts to mitigate it.

during this time, jin ling would finally find out about his uncle's frequent minor qi deviations. maybe it was while he was trying to sleep or bathe, and so when jin ling sees/shows up/happens upon him, jiang cheng has to ask his nephew — through gritted teeth slick with blood — to bring him zidian, quickly.

jin ling would watch as jiang cheng slid zidian on and it immediately started sparking harsher than he'd ever seen it do before. and he would be concerned, of course, that the sparks would hurt his uncle — and so to stop him from ripping it back off, jiang cheng would then have to go through the mortifying ordeal of admitting to your nephew that you secretly suffer from frequent minor qi deviations.

and of course, after that, jin ling would never be able to forget. and so any time he saw zidian going haywire with wild sparks, he would assume (correctly) that his uncle's qi was veering into the danger zone, and so out of fear for his uncle's safety and sanity he would do his absolute best to help his uncle calm down before he hurt himself.

of course, this gets interpreted incorrectly by outsiders — they see sect leader jiang getting pissed off, zidian throwing off sparks, and they see little jin ling frantically trying to calm his uncle down, fear clear in his eyes... it doesn't paint a good picture, suffice to say.

for years and years and years, no one outside of jin ling is aware of jiang cheng's struggles with hallucinations and qi deviations — right up until one day, wei wuxian is raised from the dead.

and, well... it's one thing to try to hide something from strangers — but siblings? they're a lot harder to fool.

(that's not entirely true — jin ling may know the most, and he may be the only one that jiang cheng is even semi-open about it with — but he's far from the only one to ever suspect anything, to notice anything. the closer a disciple is to jiang cheng, the higher up they are, and/or the more they interact with him, the more likely they are to know something is up — to notice the little things jiang cheng does that he thinks no one notices... but they do — they do notice. they just... choose not to say anything. to trust in their sect leader, who has yet to ever lead them astray.

...but they're not the only ones to notice something's up, and unfortunately the next person is a lot less nice... afterall, what with jin ling and all it is only inevitable that jiang cheng will end up spending a fair amount of time with jin guangyao... and, well... let's just say that the scene in the temple goes a lot differently in this au — what with all of the additional secrets jin guangyao has undoubtedly been gathering on jiang cheng...

maybe this is when wei wuxian and et all finally find out. maybe wei wuxian's been suspecting for some time that something's up with jiang cheng but he couldn't put his finger on quite what...

until jin guangyao unflinchingly announces it in front of everyone in the temple, without hesitation. he's been waiting to use this information, this blackmail, for a while now... and finally, the opportunity has arisen.)

---

¹idea for jiang cheng's qi deviations and zidian's effect on them from anonkun's "hating the hand life has dealt us" on ao3 (strongly recommend)

(it's a sort-of crossover fic with svsss about the og shen jiu being reincarnated as jiang cheng except when jiang cheng regains his memories of being shen jiu he flat out rejects them to the point of accidentally developing a sort of dissociative identity disorder where he sees himself and shen jiu as two separate people just inhabiting the same body)

#the untamed #cql #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #jiang cheng #jiang cheng fanfic #jiang cheng centric #jiang cheng defense squad #jin ling #jin guangyao #meng yao #wei wuxian #yunmeng jiang #yunmeng bros #yunmeng duo #twin heroes of yunmeng #yunmeng shuangjie #qi deviation #hallucinations #fanfic #fan fic #fanfiction #fic #fan fiction #mdzs fanfiction #mdzs fanfic #jiang siblings #jiang yanli #jiang wanyin

[pleasegivejinlingabreak]

Congrats A-cheng! 😿

#jiang wanyin #jiang cheng #mdzs jiang cheng #Mdzs #mo dao zu shi #the untamed #chengxian #xiancheng #yunmeng prides #yunmeng shuangjie #yunmeng bros #twin heroes of yunmeng #twin prides of yunmeng #yunmeng duo

[tolkien-esque]

Yunmeng Jiang Sect seal : crochet

Fun Monday afternoon project & all pattern credit to @ belo.belo.belo on tiktok!!

#yunmeng jiang #jiang cheng #yunmeng duo #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #the untamed #cql #mxtx #mdzs art #crochet #wei wuxian #jiang yanli #jiangcheng #lan zhan #lan wanji #yunmeng sect #fiber art

[tiabwwtws-art]

Oh yeah I was gonna make a bunch of these and then I didn't. But I gotta keep up my legacy as the guy who sticks sonic fandub audio to mdzs, and there's the new shadow fandub out!

#congratulations shadow the hedgehog. get jiang chenged #mo xiang tong xiu #mxtx #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mo dao zu shi fanart #wei wuxian #wei wuxian fanart #jiang cheng #jiang cheng fanart #sonic real time fandub #snapcube #yunmeng siblings #yunmeng duo

[nanime1313]

</3

#chengxian #xiancheng #yunmeng bros #yunmeng duo #mdzs

[florscn]

Jiang Cheng being annoyed by his brother ! A simple animation for now because I haven’t animated in years and needed to get used to the app again lolzz 

Bonus:

#jiang cheng #jiang wanyin #wei wuxain #wwx #wei ying #yunmeng duo #twin heroes of yunmeng #yunmeng bros #jiang cheng loves his brother but he also can’t with him sometimes #i love these two

[spriteofmushrooms]

not a lot, just forever by anti_ela

Rating: Teen

Category: Gen

Archive Warning: Major Character Death

Words: 1,700

Relationships: Jiang Cheng & Wei Wuxian; Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian; Jiang Cheng/Lan Xichen (possibly unrequited)

Summary:

"It's my job," Jiang Cheng says, and it feels like he's floating several feet outside of his body. If the other sect leaders and their lackeys hear, he doesn't notice. "When he goes out into the darkness, it's my job to bring him home."

Lan Xichen turns to him and opens his beautiful mouth. He must say something; his lips are moving. But Jiang Cheng can already feel the grave opening before him, and he knows, now, that Wei Wuxian was right after all: he would never learn how to love anyone but his family. That there is no safe or responsible option but this, because to do anything less would be to destroy his own soul.

Or: Jiang Cheng does what he wants to do, and not what he should.

#pallas.rtf #my writing #mdzs #cry about jiang cheng with me! he's not the protagonist!! #yunmeng duo #yunmeng shuangjie #wangxian #xicheng #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #mdzs fic

[wangxianslillotus]

It was unexpected for everyone, when Wei Ying woke up in the middle of being held to drink some water with a rug, helped by his brother.

He blinked weakly and looked up at Jiang Cheng with a relief that gave the younger boy the chills.

"Good to have you back with the living ones, dumbass," Jiang WanYin said, loud enough to be heard through the lifting fog inside Wei WuXian's brain and also be heard by the Jiang disciples that had accompanied him in the task of retrieving Wei WuXian from the cave.

Wei WuXian let go a grumble and fell back on the floor, letting a couple of moments pass by before he was startling everyone around when he sat back up in a hurry, looking almost frantic.

"'An Zhan?" He asked, his voice strained with feelings.

On cue, Lan WangJi rose from where he had been gathering his strength back attempting to meditate, and it was attempting because he was way too conflicted to accomplish that. "I am here, Wei Ying," he called back.

Wei WuXian's face brightened when he turned around to where Lan WangJi was standing, a wide smile that warmed WangJi's ears to the burning point.

"Lan Zhan!" He called again, scrambling to his feet. When he wobbled, Lan WangJi was at his side in a blink, helping him stand. Wei WuXian smiled at him again, even when Lan WangJi was giving him a stern glare. "Lan Zhan," he said again, softer, "I thought you'd leave as soon as we left that cave. I'm glad you didn't."

WangJi's glare intensified a hundred times, before he looked to the side, clearly embarrassed. Jiang WanYin was a step closer to stop his annoying brother from well, annoying the Lan Heir, when said teenager nodded, "mh."

Wei WuXian beamed.

Jiang WanYin grimaced.

"Hey, Lan Zhan?" Wei WuXian began again, his hands timidly holding onto Lan WangJi's forearm where he supported Wei WuXian so he wouldn't fall over. WangJi gave him attention with a glance, Wei WuXian took that to keep talking, "I... Wa-wangxian is a really good song."

Lan WangJi gasped audibly, letting go of Wei WuXian's arm before grabbing him again as if he couldn't decide what to do with his hand, with the information that Wei WuXian had just provided, or with Wei WuXian in general.

"What song is that?" Jiang WanYin asked, raising an eyebrow. Wei WuXian smiled at him and sighed dramatically.

"Ah, you see! It's my new favorite song ever, A-Cheng. It's so pretty... so gorgeous, so good to hear! I really... fancy it! I like it, I would like to hear it everyday. That's how much I've liked it!" He emphasized every word, squeezing Lan WangJi's forearm in the process.

Lan WangJi's head was down, as if he was staring at their feet, ears incredibly red.

"Wei Ying..." Came weakly from the boy, making Wei WuXian laughs softly.

"Ah, Lan Zhan. I'm being honest here. What do you think? Would you play it for me everyday?" He asked tilting his head to the side, in hopes of getting a look at Lan WangJi's face.

"How could he play the song for you everyday?! Don't be ridiculous, Wei WuXian!" Jiang WanYin admonished his brother.

After a beat, Lan WangJi spoke again, "Mh, ridiculous," he agreed. But he lacked the heat behind the insult, making Jiang Cheng frown further. What was wrong with these two?!

"Ah," Wei Ying noticed, "that's not a no, Lan Zhan," and he pointed it out. Lan WangJi tried to make a step back only to stumble with his own feet. Wei WuXian was there, still holding onto him and helping him to stay standing. "No need to fall for me like that! Lan Zhan!"

Jiang WanYin made a disgusted face, waiting for Lan WangJi to snap at his brother like he always did during their lessons at the Cloud Recesses, but that never came. Instead, all that could be heard in response was a weak "Wei Ying..." from the Lan Heir, and a loud laughter from Wei WuXian, who seemed entirely too happy in the ridiculous situation.

Honestly, Jiang Cheng thought, he didn't wanna know.

#mdzs #wei wuxian #the untamed #lan wangji #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #wei ying #lan zhan #cql #jiang wanyin #yunmeng dumb duo #yunmeng sect #yunmeng bros #yunmeng jiang #twin heroes of yunmeng #lan zhan and wei ying #wangxian.mp3 #wangxian fanfic #wangxian au #au where #au where wei ying wakes up sooner after the cave #lotuslab #sjyl lotus

[kachawo]

"Therefore-"

"Ah, wait just a second your honor." Wei Wuxian says, interrupting the opposing defender from finishing his defense.

He looks to his side, which is just air, and nods along as if he's being told something.

"The victim calls bullshit." The necromancer concludes.

"The victim called bullshit." Jiang Cheng, the laywer of the dead soul, repeats.

The case closes right then and there.

#mdzs #wwx #yunmeng duo in the modern world #mdzs au #jiang cheng #jc is a lawyer that stands by dead people and wwx is his google translator

[dolores-slay]

Wei Wuxian: I haven't lost my virginity because I never lose (joking, evasive)

Jiang Cheng: I haven't lost my virginity because I never lose (completely serious)

#wei wuxian #jiang cheng #mdzs #virginity is a social construct #but yunmeng duo DO NOT LOSE

[pleasegivejinlingabreak]

#chengxian #xiancheng #yunmeng shuangjie #yunmeng bros #twin prides of yunmeng #twin heroes of yunmeng #yunmeng prides #yunmeng duo #wei wuixan #jiang cheng #jiang wanyin #wei ying #mdzs wallpaper #Mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mdzs audio drama

[sandu-zidian]

MDZS/CQL really could’ve used a sister duo. There are so many brothers the show needs sisters to balance it out

#katantalks #once again the story suffers from ‘not enough women’ syndrome #like genuinely I think the number of scenes between women is like. countable on one hand #maybe two #double points if the sister duo fucking tear each other apart like the Yunmeng bros do

[mxtxfanatic]

Jin Ling and the Curse of Escalating Abuse, Pt. 2

This post will cover Jin Ling and Jin Guangyao’s relationship in much the same way that the first part, here, analyzed Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng’s relationship. Note: just as with the first part, I will not be addressing Jin Guangyao’s (supposed) love for Jin Ling. As I said before, the love an abuser has for their victim(s) means absolutely nothing in the face of that unchanged abuse. For each scene I analyze, I will be using one source per scene, but if I have multiple translations for a scene, I will put them under the cut for comparison.

As discussed in the first post to this duo, Jin Ling does not grow up with a caring uncle from his mother’s side. However, I rarely see people discuss the abuse that Jin Ling faces from his paternal uncle, Jin Guangyao, and I think this is because 1) we don’t see Jin Ling and Jin Guangyao directly interact for much of the story the way that Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling do and 2) Jin Guangyao’s style of abuse looks vastly different from the very straightforward toxicity that Jiang Cheng displays. But still, there are a lot of tidbits in the story to give us insight into this uncle-nephew relationship, so let’s get into it!

From the very beginning, we are shown the ways in which Jin Guangyao cares for Jin Ling, such as that he gifts Jin Ling his spiritual dog who serves as his first and closest friend, pre-canon, and Jin Ling regards this highly:

Jin Ling’s black-maned spirit dog was of a rare species, and it had been given to him by Jin Guangyao.

–Chapt. 20: Sunshine II, fanyiyi

“How could your donkey compare to my spirit dog?” Jin Ling said. “Xianzi was given to me by my younger uncle. If something happens to it, even ten thousand donkeys wouldn’t make up for it!”

–Chapt. 34: Flora II, fanyiyi

Jin Ling is also very protective of his paternal uncle, warning “Mo Xuanyu” away from “his people” even as he is reluctantly charmed by Wei Wuxian’s personality:

“...Don’t bother or mess around with other men, especially if they’re my people! Otherwise, don’t blame me if I do something about it.”

By “my people,” Jin Ling meant both the Lanling Jin Clan and the Yunmeng Jiang Clan. It appeared that his tolerance for the passion of the cut sleeve had increased—as long as Wei Wuxian wasn’t trying to involve himself with men of either clan, he could look the other way.

–Chapt. 45: Beauty III, fanyiyi

He even gets upset that “Mo Xuanyu” has returned to Koi Tower given the scandal of his banishment and especially when he finds “Mo Xuanyu” outside of Jin Guangyao’s private rooms:

As Jin Ling was just about to speak again, he glanced behind Lan WangJi and finally saw Wei WuXian. Temporarily astounded, he blurted, “Why are you here?!”

Wei WuXian, “To get a free meal.”

Jin Ling was somewhat angered, “How dare you still come?! Didn’t I warn...”

–Chapt. 47: Guile, exr

Jin Ling felt goosebumps climb over his body, “Shut up right now! Who’s all lovey-dovey with you?! Didn’t I warn you already not to mess with our sect’s people? Why have you come back?!”

–Chapt. 47: Guile, exr

The first to hurry over was Jin Ling. His sword was already unsheathed in his hand as he asked, “Why are you here?”...

...Jin Ling fumed, “Just what do you want? Everyone is here because of you! This is my uncle’s bedchamber, bedchamber, you understand?! Haven’t I told you not to...”

–Chapt. 50: Guile, exr

But unlike with Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling’s turbulent relationship, the feelings of care seem to be overtly reciprocated between Jin Guangyao and Jin Ling. In the first direct interaction we see between uncle and nephew, Jin Guangyao acts as shield and comfort to Jin Ling, being the calming buffer between Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng:

Jin Ling followed Jin GuangYao out here. He still didn’t dare meet Jiang Cheng alone. Hiding behind Jin GuangYao’s back, he mumbled, “Uncle.”

Jiang Cheng replied harshly, “So you still know that I’m your uncle!”

Jin Ling quickly tugged at the back hems of Jin GuangYao’s robe. Jin GuangYao seemed as though he had been born to resolve conflicts, “Now, Sect Leader Jiang, A-Ling realized his mistake a long time ago. During the past few days, he’s been so scared you’d punish him that he hasn’t even been eating well. Children just like to make mischief. I know you love him the most. Let’s not bother him about it so much.”

–Chapt. 47: Guile, exr

...as well as calming Jin Ling down when he gets upset at “Mo Xuanyu” being present at the discussion conference:

Jin Ling was somewhat angered, “How dare you still come?! Didn’t I warn...”

Jin GuangYao rubbed Jin Ling’s head, pushing him behind himself, and smiled...

–Chapt. 47: Guile, exr

And Jin Guangyao manages to do this all without appearing as overbearing or condescending towards his nephew, allowing Jin Ling to be a vulnerable child with him in a way that he refuses to be with the ornery Jiang Cheng. However, it is this same chapter, still, that we begin to see cracks in the relationship. Not long after the above interactions, Jin Ling runs into his childhood bullies. After Wei Wuxian helps him deal with it, this is what Jin Ling has to say:

Jin Ling glanced at him and couldn’t help but answered, “Why are you like this? My younger uncle has always advised against this, but you’re egging me on.”...

...Jin Ling’s face betrayed faint yearning, yet he still sounded contemptuous, “What are you talking about? Uncle’s advice is for my own good.”

–Chapt. 47: Guile, exr

Despite being Jin Ling’s guardian and leader of the Jin Clan, and despite being aware of the bullying Jin Ling is experiencing by his peers, Jin Guangyao’s solution is to tell Jin Ling... not to defend himself. We are given no other indication in the text, either through Jin Ling or other characters, that Jin Guangyao takes any other steps to mitigate this bullying. He simply washes his hands of the situation and leaves Jin Ling to fend for himself. Wei Wuxian even notes the strangeness of this, how a man who is so good at people-pleasing and reading the room would act ignorant on how to solve his nephew’s issues with socializing:

After a while of silence, he replied, “With Jin Ling’s temper, he offends other people whenever he opens his mouth, he pokes at the hornet’s nest whenever he raises his hand. Your sect’s JingYi calls him Young Mistress—well, he’s right. The many times before this, if it weren’t for how we protected him, he’d have no lives left. Jiang Cheng isn’t at all someone who knows how to teach children. Jin GuangYao, on the other hand...”

–Chapt. 47: Guile, exr

If not for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, Jin Ling would have been dead many times over, particularly at the goading of his maternal uncle, but Jin Guangyao seems illogically unaware of this. But is he really, or does he simply not value Jin Ling’s life outside of his facade as a loving uncle? Enter the second siege and Guanyin Temple, where Jin Guangyao’s true feelings towards his nephew are revealed. At the second siege, Jin Ling is amongst the kidnapped children used as bait to draw in the rest of the established cultivation clans, meaning that Jin Guangyao was perfectly willing to sacrifice his nephew to keep his secrets hidden. And when Jin Ling stumbles upon Guanyin Temple, Jin Guangyao continually betrays Jin Ling’s former affections, from not saying anything to stop his lackeys from taking fatal aim at his nephew, to ordering them to kill Fairy, to even personally threatening Jin Ling’s life:

Within the courtyard, all the cultivators were attentive and high-strung. With arrows drawn on their bows, they aimed at the gate, holding the bowstring tight, waiting for an order...

...The moment Jin Ling reached the top of the wall, he was confronted by an entire courtyard of bows drawn and aimed at him. His pupils shrunk instantly. One of the monks had either never seen Jin Ling before or had already prepared to annihilate any and all intruders. The monk released his bowstring and the arrow soared towards Jin Ling!

–Chapt. 98: A Hatred for Life Part 1, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Jin GuangYao said, “Find it and kill it. This spiritual dog is very intelligent. We wouldn’t want her to lure over other people.”

“Yes sir!”

The monk left with a sword in his hand and the temple’s gate closed behind him. Jin Ling was beyond stunned. “You’re really going to kill her? You gave Fairy to me!”

–Chapt. 99: A Hatred For Life Part 2, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Shrugging, Jin GuanYao smiled, “I can’t help it. Even after doing all the worst things imaginable, I still want the sympathy of others. That’s just the type of person I am.”

At the word “person”, he sudden flicked his wrist. A piece of red qin string looped around Jin Ling’s neck.

Jin GuangYao’s eyes were still brimming with tears when he warned in a low voice, “Don’t move!”

–Chapt. 106: A Hatred For Life Part 9, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Jin Ling is completely surprised by this seemingly 180 his uncle has pulled on him. After all, this was the uncle that had appeared to care for him the most and that he regarded highly:

Jin Ling had always been close with his Youngest Uncle. In the past, Jin GuangYao had often doted on him. Even now, Jin GuangYao still had that pleasant, compassionate look on his face, but it would be near impossible for Jin Ling to ever see him with the same eyes again. Quietly, Jin Ling walked towards Wei WuXian and Lan XiChen, obediently standing by their side.

–Chapt. 99: A Hatred for Life Part 2, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

So what was the point? Why care for Jin Ling if he didn’t, you know, care about him? Well, simple: Jin Ling represents that perfect life Jin Guangyao thinks Jin Guangshan barred him from. When asked why Jin Guangyao plotted to kill Jin Zixuan, Jin Guangyao finally explains his reasoning:

Turning to Jin Ling, he continued, “A-Ling, can you tell me why then? Why is it that even though I always put up a smiling face for everyone, I rarely received one in return? Meanwhile, your father was arrogant and proud everywhere he went, yet everyone was always chasing after him? Can you tell why is it that, though we had the same father, why is it that your father could leisurely stay at home and tease his child with his most beloved wife while I, who barely dared to stay alone too long with my wife, who’s frightened every time I gaze upon my own son, got sent out to deal with these things by my own father as if it was only natural for me to handle them— to ambush an unstable, dangerous man who could lose control of his fierce corpses at any moment and turn everything into a massacre?!

“Why is it that, though we even shared the same birthday, Jin GuangShan could be throwing a lavish celebration for one of them while watching the other one get kicked off from the Koi Tower on the very same day, all the way from the top of the first stair down to the very bottom?!”

–Chapt. 106: A Hatred For Life Part 9, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

On the outside, Jin Guangyao had a perfect life similar to Jin Zixuan, but on the inside – from being trapped into marrying his sister, to unwittingly (or not) having an incest baby, to being forced to do his father’s dirty work – it was clearly inferior to his arrogant half-brother’s, who had to suffer nothing to be valued by their shared father. Jin Guangyao may have only truly hated Jin Guangshan in this equation, but that hatred made everyone else disposable to him. Jin Zixuan had to die and Mo Xuanyu had to be permanently banished because they stood in the way of Jin Guangyao inheriting what he thought was his due from his father. Jin Rusong had to be killed because he would have revealed the terrible deeds Jin Guangyao committed in the name of protecting his image for his father’s benefit, despite the original sin being committed by his father to begin with. However, Jin Ling was just useful enough to live, because Jin Guangyao couldn’t have another child with Qin Su now that he was fully aware that she was his sister, but he also couldn’t divorce her, cheat, or kill her without risking his alliance with the Qin Clan that helped solidify his power to begin with. So Jin Ling became his neat little pawn: a potential heir that makes his need for biological children unnecessary, but also one who is so endeared to him that Jin Ling (if he were ever to become clan leader) would serve as a new shield and enabler for whatever Jin Guangyao decided to do after he stepped down (if he ever stepped down).

And once Jin Guangyao’s actions are exposed to the cultivation world with his reputation in tatters, he no longer has a need to preserve his “nice uncle” facade to Jin Ling or spare his nephew’s feelings. Jin Ling is no longer useful to Jin Guangyao so they may as well be strangers, and Jin Ling is left to pick up the pieces of what he thought was a loving relationship with one of his last living close relatives who, in reality, only saw him as a bitter rival’s son. Unfortunately, this kind of abuse is more shattering to deal with once the betrayal happens and the victim has to face knowing that they meant nothing to someone they loved (with assumed reciprocity), more so than the overt physical and verbal abuse Jin Ling experienced from Jiang Cheng. But fortunately, Jin Ling has Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji to lean on as he deals with the emotional fallout of these reveals.

Information on Fairy:

This black-haired spiritual dog was a prized species gifted to Jin Ling by Jin Guangyao.

–Chapt. 20: Harmony Part 2: Husband and husband going down the mountain as a pair, taming wangxian

This black-haired spiritual dog was a rare species given to Jin Ling by Jin GuangYao.

–Chapt. 20: Contenment, exr

Jin Ling, “How can that donkey be more important than my spiritual dog? Fairy was given to me by my youngest uncle. If something happened to it, not even ten thousand donkeys could pay for it!”

–Chapt. 34: Grasses, exr

Jin Ling being protective of Jin Guangyao:

“...Don’t go about messing with other men, especially people from our sect! Or else, don’t blame the results on me.”

The “our sect” that he said included both the LanlingJin and the YunmengJiang Sect. It seemed that his ability to tolerate cut-sleeves had increased, that as long as it wasn’t anyone from the two sects, he could turn a blind eye to it.

–Chapt. 45: Allure, exr

Jin Guangyao showing his true disregard for Jin Ling:

Within the courtyard, all the cultivators were tensely braced, bows taut, facing the door and awaiting orders...

...When Jin Ling reached the top of the wall, he was greeted with the sight of an entire courtyard of arrows aimed at him and his eyes widened in shock and fear. One of the monks had either never seen Jin Ling before or was determined to silence any intruders, released his arrow, aiming straight for Jin Ling’s heart!

–Chapt. 98: Hatred – Time to Beat Sister Yao, chiaki_himura

Amid the courtyard, all of the cultivators held their breaths. Resting on the bows, the arrows pointed towards the direction of the doors, waiting for orders...

...On the other hand, Jin Ling saw an entire courtyard of arrows aimed at him as soon as he arrived. His pupils shrank. One of the monks had probably never seen Jin Ling before, or perhaps he had the determination to kill off any intruders. He let go, and an arrow shot towards the direction of Jin Ling!

–Chapt. 98: Hatred, exr

Jin Guangyao rebuked, “Find it and kill it! This spirit dog is very intelligent. It would be highly inconvenient if it manages to attract the attention of others.”

“Right away, Sect Leader Jin!”

The monk then drew his sword and left the temple, closing the doors behind him. Jin Ling was shocked speechless, and implored, “You􏰞re really going to kill Fairy? Fairy was given to me by none other than yourself!”

–Chapt. 99: Hatred – Scars, chiaki_himura

Jin GuangYao, “Find it and kill it. The dog’s quite bright. It wouldn’t do us well if it led someone over.”

 “Yes!” The monk left with his sword, and the doors finally closed.

Jin Ling was more than astonished, blurting, “You’re really gonna kill it? You were the one who gave me Fairy!”

–Chapt. 99: Hatred, exr

Jin Guangyao’s smile remained on his face as he played with his fingers, “It can’t be helped. Still trying to seek others’ sympathy after committing all these evil deeds. I’m just that kind of person.”

Just as he finished saying “person”, he suddenly flicked his wrist. A thin, red zither string wrapped itself around Jin Ling’s neck. 

His eyes still watery, Jin Guangyao growled, “Don’t move!”

–Chapt. 106: Hatred - Gathering Together, chiaki_himura

Jin GuangYao shrugged as he smiled, “I can’t help it. To seek pity even after doing all the bad things—that’s the kind of person I am.”

At the word ‘pity’, he suddenly flipped his wrist. A red guqin string wrapped around Jin Ling’s neck.

Tears still hung at the corners of Jin GuangYao’s eyes as he spoke, voice low, “Don’t move!”

–Chapt. 106: Hatred, exr

Jin Ling’s care for Jin Guangyao:

Jin Ling had always been on amicable terms with his uncle; Jin Guangyao had always spoilt him, and he had always donned a cheerful and affable personality. But as of today, Jin Ling found it very hard to look at Jin Guangyao the same way. He broodingly moved to where Wei Wuxian and Lan Xichen were standing, looking very sombre.

–Chapt. 99: Hatred – Scars, chiaki_himura

Jin Ling had always had a good relationship with this uncle of his. In the past, Jin GuangYao doted on him quite a lot. Right now, he appeared to be as nice as always, but with the way things were, Jin Ling found it difficult to view him in the same light as before. Quietly, he walked towards Wei WuXian and Lan XiChen, looking quite obedient.

–Chapt. 99: Hatred, exr

Jin Guangyao revealing the reason for his hatred:

Turning to Jin Ling, he said, “A-Ling, then can you tell me, why? Why is it that even though I always treat everyone graciously and courteously, I might not even get half an ounce of greeting in return, but your father can ignore everyone, but everyone still flocks around him in awe and respect? Can you tell me, why is it that even though we have the same father, your father can stay at home comfortably with his beloved wife and dote on his own child, but I don’t even dare to be alone with my wife for too long, even getting goosebumps when I see my own child? Why I was sent by my own father to ambush a dangerous man who could lose control anytime and summon hordes of fierce ghosts and corpses?!”

“Why is it that even though we have the same birthday, Jin Guangshan would host a huge banquet for one son, yet watch as his subordinates kick his other son down the stairs of the Golden Pavilion, from the highest floor all the way to the lowest?!”

–Chapt. 99: Hatred – Scars, chiaki_himura

Nie HuaiSang hurried to pull back Jin Ling, who seemed as though he wanted to fight with Jin GuangYao. Jin GuangYao returned the question, “Why?” He turned to Jin Ling, “A-Ling, then could you tell me why? Why is it that even if I face everyone with a smile, I might not even receive the lowest form of respect, while even though your father was extremely arrogant, people flocked to him? Could you tell me why we were born from the same person but your father could relax at home with the love of his life playing with his child, while I never even dared be alone for long with my wife, shivering out of fright at first glance of my son? And I was ordered to do such a thing by my father as if it was natural—to kill an extremely dangerous figure who could flip out and conjure up a bloody massacre with his corpses anytime!

“Why is it that even though we were born on the same day, Jin GuangShan could host a grand banquet for one son, and watch with his own eyes how his subordinate kicked his other son down Koi Tower, from the first stair to the last!”

–Chapt. 106: Hatred, exr

#human reads mdzs: take 2 #human metas mxtx #don't know what this type of abuse is called but yeah #there you have it: jgy was also a bad uncle #he and jc just play 'good cop bad cop' with jin ling's affections #but at the end of the day they're both still cops #good thing jl now has actual caring role models around #or he'd really be fucked up after all this