#Baby Ah Qing

[euphoeuphoe]

Yi city babies egg hunting.

#Baby Ah Qing #Lil Xue yang #They both want their doazhang #SongXiao #Yicity Egg hunting #2021

[stiltonbasket]

For the wen!wwx au, how does lwj find out that wwx is a spy for the resistance?

(chapter list here)

On the night Wei Ying's daughter is born, the Wei-fu does not sleep until well past sunrise.

After Wen Qing was summoned to tend to Li Shuai, Wei Ying and Yu Zhenhong began keeping vigil in the rear court's central garden, accompanied by Wen Sizhui. From what little Lan Wangji hears from Wei Ying's private courtyard as the evening draws on, both mother and child seem to be faring well; but as hai shi passes, and then midnight, he takes his wheeled chair to the training field and rolls slowly around the perimeter until Xiao Liuzi comes to bring him a tray of snacks and tea.

"I saw the light in the Jade Courtyard," Xiao Liuzi explains. "Supper was hours ago, Hanguang-jun, so Cook asked me to bring you a tea-tray."

"I have no appetite," Lan Wangji says brusquely, "though I am grateful for your kindness. Tell me, how is Lady Li?"

"Ah, that..."

Lan Wangji's blood runs cold. "Is she—her child, are they—?"

"No, Hanguang-jun! There hasn't been any news at all. This is Lady Li's first child, so it might be early evening before the baby comes."

"And what about Wei Ying? Has he eaten?"

"He and Master Yu are still in the garden," Xiao Liuzi tells him. "My lord managed to eat a little, but he says he won't sleep until everything is over."

He hesitates for a moment, and then:

"He said there was no need for you to wait up for him, Hanguang-jun. You could damage your meridians again, and your legs..."

"One night without sleep can hardly make them worse," Lan Wangji says. "Return to the garden outside Lady Li's courtyard and report back to me the moment you hear anything."

"Yes, Hanguang-jun!"

"And get something to eat."

"Yes, Hanguang-jun! If you don't want the cakes, Cook is making—"

"I meant for yourself."

At that, Xiao Liuzi turns pink and takes to his heels, leaving his plate of cakes behind him; and Lan Wangji comes to a halt under the great oak in the south corner of the field and remains there until Xiao Liuzi comes crashing back through the gates with Wen Sizhui at his heels.

"She's here, Hanguang-jun!" Sizhui cries, grasping Lan Wangji's hands. "I'm a xiongzhang! I have a sister!"

"Lady Li is well, too," Xiao Liuzi jumps in. "Tired, of course, but she had enough appetite to drink a bowl of soup and eat some of the rice left over from supper."

Lan Wangji closes his eyes.

"The general must be delighted," he says thickly.

He could not quite tell what he was feeling, just then. Certainly Lan Wangji is relieved on behalf of Lady Li and her baby daughter—Wei Ying's daughter—but some part of his heart aches as if some small animal had begun to gnaw on it, blind to the fact that even its weak teeth were sturdy enough to do harm. It aches as it had ached on the nights that Wei Ying slept in Yu Zhenhong's courtyard, or spoke of how Li Shuai's beauty had enchanted him at first sight; and though Lan Wangji is dimly aware of the fact merely laying eyes on Wei Ying would be a comfort to him at that moment, he cannot bring himself to go looking for him.

"He is," Xiao Liuzi beams, not noticing the strange look in Lan Wangji's eyes. "Junshang will surely be disappointed, for he was hoping for a new young master, but my lord is overjoyed. Shall I help you to bed now, Hanguang-jun?"

It strikes Lan Wangji then that Wei Ying might not return to his own quarters that day. Perhaps he would sleep on the long sofa in Li Shuai's sitting room, unable to part from his lady and her child. Or perhaps he would go to Yu Zhenhong instead, for he had been too busy preparing for the child's arrival to grant any favor to his most-beloved concubine since the turning of the last month.

He will be a nuisance to Wen Qing and the other physicians if he sleeps in Li Shuai's room, Lan Wangji thinks wretchedly. And if he sleeps in Yu Zhenhong's quarters, then...

But Yu Zhenhong stood vigil with him; he too had not slept, so if Wei Ying could bring himself to leave Li Shuai—and it would be to his credit if he could not, for she had risked her very life to bring Wei Ying's daughter into the world—might he not choose to rest in his own courtyard, rather than troubling Yu Zhenhong?

"Yes, you may," he hears himself say to Xiao Liuzi. "And afterwards, draw a hot bath for your lord and lay out fresh sleeping robes on the bed."

In the end, Lan Wangji breaks his fast alone. Wei Ying does not appear for another three hours; and when he finally returns, heavy-eyed and pale from the night's worry, he has a tiny bundle of blankets clutched close to his chest.

Lan Wangji's heart seizes. "Is that—?"

Wei Ying falls to his knees at Lan Wangji's side.

"Oh, look at her," he whispers, spellbound. "I never dreamed that I would have a daughter, Lan Zhan! Isn't she perfect?"

He draws back the blanket and lets the baby grasp his little finger. "This is your Zhan-shushu!" he murmurs, kissing her downy black head. "His face might be fierce, but his heart is as soft as tofu, really, so A-Mei mustn't be afraid of him."

"A-Mei?"

"It's only her baby name," Wei Ying says, blushing. "A-Shuai always wanted to have a little girl named after the roses that grew in her mother's old garden—but Mei doesn't sound quite right with my name, so we'll have to choose something else for her formal name."

Lan Wangji frowns and opens his mouth, for Wei Mei is a perfectly serviceable name: but then he stops and stares at the crease of pink skin between the child's left thumb and forefinger.

There is a blood-red mole there, shaped like a tiny crescent moon. Lan Wangji ought to have thought nothing of it, for he saw three Lan children born with moles the color of spilt wine on their faces when he was a boy.

But he has also seen a grown man with a mole identical to small Wei Mei's—within the very walls of the Wei-fu, at that—and that man was not Wei Ying.

He reaches out to touch the baby's hand, meeting no resistance from his besotted husband. He places his own finger in the child's left palm, and then in the right; and just as he suspected, the baby's right hand is weaker than the left.

There are no left-handed men in the High General's manor, other than Yu Zhenhong.

Lan Wangji releases the baby's arm and straightens his posture, his heart racing. The more he studies Wei Mei's features, the more he finds of Yu Zhenhong and Li Shuai; but Wei Ying, overwhelmed with happiness at having gained a second child after sixteen years spent wishing for a brother or sister for Sizhui, seems to have noticed nothing at all.

What would he do, if he were to learn that Li Shuai's baby had been fathered by another man? Would he cast her out? Kill Yu Zhenhong? Lan Wangji would keep silent to the end of his days to prevent such a thing from happening, for a wiling affair, while cruel to the utmost, did not merit death as a punishment.

But he knows Wei Ying; and if not for the obedience sigils carved into his back, his husband would have taken up his dao and cut his own throat before spilling even a drop of innocent blood.

"Wei Ying," he says at last. "Return Xiao Mei to her mother. There is something I must ask you."

So Wei Ying goes, ferrying his precious burden back to Li Shuai's courtyard with breathless care, and then he returns to the bedroom he shares with Lan Wangji and brings out the red-jade tea service in the cupboard.

Lan Wangji watches him move about the room, gathering tea leaves and preparing hot water, and decides that the most advantageous way forward is to catch Wei Ying off his guard.

"I know that Yu Zhenhong and Li Shuai are only your concubines in name," he says slowly, for Wei Ying's kindness is not of the sort that might dull a man's wits; and now that Lan Wangji thinks on it, he would certainly have noticed if his concubines were carrying on together in his absence. "But given that you have no interest in either of them, I cannot understand why you took them into the Wei-fu in the first place."

The blood drains from Wei Ying's face—out of fear, not wrath—and in that moment, Lan Wangji realizes that he has stumbled upon something of far greater significance than a love affair between two concubines, though he knows now that Wei Ying had never belonged to either of them.

"Belong to them?" Wei Ying says with a strangled laugh. "I'll never belong to anyone, other than Wen Ruohan."

Lan Wangji is silent for a moment.

"That is not true," he replies. "There is something more behind all this, I know it. Tell me."

So Wei Ying bows his head, and tells him everything; and when they finally begin preparing for bed, Lan Wangji fetches a sandalwood comb from the nightstand and asks Wei Ying to kneel so that he can brush out his hair.

"You will not always belong to Wen Ruohan," he whispers between strokes, his eyes lingering on the back of Wei Ying's fair neck. "You do not belong to him now. A thief may lay his hands on whatever he pleases; it does not follow that he owns it."

"But he can do whatever he pleases with his stolen goods, can't he?"

"You speak as if you have not already betrayed the thief in question a hundred times over, Wei-jiangjun."

"...En, that's so."

Lan Wangji lays down the comb and weaves Wei Ying's hair into a long, thick braid.

"Now that I know," he says quietly, "I beg of you not to keep such secrets from me again! I will follow your commands from this day forth, whatever they may be; and until your work is over, I will not leave your side."

#wrh raises wwx au #wangxian #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #my fic #this was a long one

[xinyuehui]

Nobody, literally nobody:

Me: What if I did a Guangyan and try to read (all) the manhua in Yiyong's room ヽ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ

Here's short reviews of them, some of them are very Yiyong teenboy kind of manhua, and some of them have similar themes to onhct in general

Guangyan is correct, these are all completed works 🥺

上上籤 Loss of The Holy Seal by YinYin. Only 5 chapters, I read the whole thing. Plot: Heaven is in a frantic mess due to the Holy Seal being lost in the mortal realm. Which uncovers a story about a water goddess, Ling Yu, who feels helpless when she can not help humans who are suffering from natural disasters. Set in modern day with Chinese mythical elements.

地獄遊行 lit. Hell Parade (no official English title I can find) by 布克 L.buBu (the artist is on tumblr @/lbubu) Plot: Fantasy setting. Protag Aili was born with incredible magician abilities compared to a lot of normals but he seems to be uninterested in his magician abilities to save the world.

異人茶跡 Formosa Oolong Tea by 張季雅 Kiya. Plot: The story revolves around the endeavours of John Dodd, a Scottish merchant, and his comprador Li Chunsheng, during the Qing Dynasty. It explores their significant contributions to the growth and establishment of the tea industry in northern Taiwan. This one is pretty good, if you're tea drinker this is some good history!

狗臉的歲月─記1629梯 My Life As A Dog by 李鴻欽 Li Hong Chin. Plot: The main protagonist enlists in the army and tells a story of his time there. This one isn't my thing but Yiyong probably likes a bit of a "lad" comic.

閻王帖 Invitation of Yama by 柚子 You Zih. This one is fun I like it, it reminds me of Hoozuki No Reitetsu and Fukigen Na Mononokean. The protagonist possesses Ying Yang eyes meaning he can see ghosts. After an accident, he meets a guy who wears a mask and is a worker in the underworld. Mask guy's weapon is a massive calligraphy brush!

無名歌 lit. Untitled Song by ROCKAT 搖滾貓. This one is on webtoon! Protagonist Taiyang had a rock music dream, now as a "failure" adult he works in an entertainment company as a manager. He bumps into a girl busking on the street who happened to recognise him from his early music days and has every album (2) his band and him once produced. Then onwards he rediscovers his love for music... probably, I didn't finish it lol

and I couldn't be bothered for now to read the rest:

雲之獸：來自遠古的守護者 Beast of Clouds: The Guardian of Ancient Times by 漢寶包Hambuck

1661國姓來襲 Kongxinga Z by 李隆杰 Li Lung Chieh

九命人 Nine Lives Man by 姜振台 Ah Tui

FLAVORS魔廚 by 爆野家BAKUNOYA

Okay I did read this one though, even though I'm not sure if Yiyong has it or not:

守娘 Tan-Tsiu-Niu by 小峱峱 Nownow. This is a phenomenal heavy read. It's inspired by Tan Tsiu Niu, a women who lived in the Qing Dynasty that died of a tragic murder. Story has themes of folklore, ghosts and superstitions. Main protagonist Jie Niang grew up in a family who did not force foot binding onto her, however that caused a lot of gossip around her "big feet" and how she could ever get married off like that. Through an incident of a women in her village, she begins to uncover what horrors the villagers have been doing to baby girls and women. Let's just say I'm not the same person after reading this.

(I shall update the reviews whenever I find time to finish the rest (●'◡'●)

#oh no! here comes trouble #不良執念清除師 #oh no here comes trouble #不良执念清除师 #manhua #caps #we know yiyong mentioned dragon ball and naruto but surprisingly not a single manga(i could see in sight) yiyong said support local artists #this was pretty insane for me to find considering i know nothing. ive read one(1) tw manhua and it was on webtoon #hours on finding them in the show hours on finding the titles and then hours reading them #i know the entire current tw manhua catalogue back to front now╰(*°▽°*)╯

[sun-and-moon-mushroom]

Day 29: Not Allowed To Die

AO3 link

(Continuation of day 3)

Over his two centuries of life, Luo Binghe had seen many strange things. From the great and horrific beasts of the Endless Abyss, to the most beautiful of secret hidden realms, and even still — what he saw before him baffled him. It really shouldn’t have — after all, he had been on the other end of such a situation once before, meeting another version of himself not too long ago. He had simply never expected the opposite to happen — for another version of him to come crashing into his palace.

The other Luo Binghe — an imposter in his eyes — was as different from him as the younger crybaby version he’d met, who still lived on Qing Jing Peak. This Luo Binghe wore clothes that were much more simple and worn than either of them had, originally black but clearly faded over time into a plain grey. His hair was wild, a far cry from the well-maintained straightness of the demonic emperor, and the fluffy waves of the crybaby disciple respectively. When he smiled up at Luo Binghe, his mouth was full of teeth, his demonic traits let loose from the restraint he normally kept them under.

“Hello, little brother.”

Luo Binghe felt a wave of irritation coming on.

“What makes you the elder?”

The other Luo Binghe smiled wider, a somewhat disturbing sight to his human side with the amount of teeth that were visible.

“You’re what, a few hundred years old? Maybe five hundred? You? You are like a baby to me, little brother.”

He pulled himself up of the floor, casually stretching as he looked around the building. His eyes pass over on the wife at Luo Binghe’s side for a moment — there’s no recognition — before moving on, his gaze shifting to Luo Binghe himself, and then to the sword at his waist.

“Hey,” says the imposter, “try and kill me.”

Luo Binghe has never been one for letting chances pass him by, nor for honour, so he takes the opportunity he’s been given, plunging Xin Mo into the chest of the imposter. He channels his qi though it at the same time, a trick he’s learnt will counteract the regeneration capabilities of most beings.

The imposter goes limp for a moment before casually getting up, pulling Xin Mo out of his chest and Luo Binghe’s hands, casually tossing it aside, like it was nothing more than a piece of scrap metal. The expression on his face seems mildly disappointed.

“I should have known that wouldn’t have worked, but I had to try, you understand?” he explained. Not understanding the explanation, Luo Binghe continued to stand there, an expression that was extremely unfit for a demonic emperor on his face. Catching his confusion, the other Luo Binghe elaborated.

“I don’t die. Trust me I’ve tried. The world just doesn’t allow me — although I had been hoping that your one was different than mine.”

Ah, thought Luo Binghe. This is a version of him that had gone made with age. He didn’t know it was possible for it to happen to heavenly demons, but to be fair, no one was quite sure how long their natural life-span was meant to be, since they usually killed each other off before they got that old. Well, it probably wouldn’t hurt to keep him around, especially if he could get some interesting techniques or information about the future from him. He informed his other self of this, making sure to clarify that his wives were still off limits as they had only married this version of Luo Binghe — only for his other self to roll his eyes at him.

“You still think we’re attracted to women?”

#svsss #my writing #luo binghe #febuwhump #febuwhump 2024 #original luo binghe #luo bingge #original draft luo binghe

[mdzs-is-rotting-my-brain]

Wangxian Mermay 2023

Day XII: Teeth

Endure more wangxian family cuteness.

"Lan Zhan."

Blinking the irritation from the computer screen from his eyes, Lan Wangji looked at his office door.

Wei Ying was there in his fluffy bathrobe that made him look comfortable, warm, and fuckable.

Lan Wangji curled his hands into fists, willing absolute control over his urges and desires. The deadline was extremely close, and he was nearly done. Once he finished his section of the score and melodies, he would be free for seven weeks before rehearsals began.

Seven weeks of waking up late, of doing all the cooking, getting to spend time with Wei Ying and their child.

He could do this.

Wei Ying folded himself around Lan Wangji's back, draping there like a contented cat. Taking one of his fists, he kissed each of his fingers, before opening his hand and dropping something small and white into it.

It took a moment for him to place the object with it's origins, and realize what it was.

"When…did he lose it?"

Wei Ying kissed his cheek, somehow snuggling closer, resting his entire weight against Lan Wangji's back.

"This morning during our swim. I had to dive to get it."

Lan Wangji put it in a drawer, he grabbed Wei Ying by the arm pulling him into his lap, kissing him fiercely.

Wei Ying was the only one he ever dated that taunted him. He learned to play him like Lan Wangji could his qugin, he knew what he was doing wearing his fluffiest robe, bringing the first tooth their son lost.

He arched into the kiss, trailing his hand down Lan Wangji's chest, moaning when Lan Wangji pulled on his hair, forcing his back to arch.

"Diedie, baba."

They broke apart, breathing hard. Wei Ying was flushed down his neck, Lan Wangji could feel his own ears warm.

"In the office baobei." Wei Ying called. He pretended to stretch, arching his back in a salacious display of bare chest and legs. He smiled at Lan Wangji, kissing him quickly before he fixed his robes.

A-Yuan, dressed in his dinosaur onesie, came into the room holding the large rabbit plush Huan-ge bought him for his birthday last year.

Wei Ying lifted him up, setting him in his lap, Lan Wangji wrapped his arms around both of them.

"Baba, look!" A-Yuan smiled at him, he was missing two teeth now. He held the other tooth, still bloody, in his hand.

"Ah my poor baby!" Wei Ying hugged A-Yuan tightly, Lan Wangji plucked the tooth out of A-Yuan's hand, adding it to the drawer with the other one.

"It didn't hurt diedie." A-Yuan managed while he was squished against Wei Ying.

"Still, all that blood."

"Baba, diedie's being silly." A-Yuan sighed, much too mature for a child his age.

"Mn. He is." Lan Wangji freed A-Yuan from Wei Ying, holding him close. "You are growing up. He is happy to see it."

Wei Ying was staring at them the same way he did when Yanli-jie came by with A-Ling.

A soft face unable to believe sometimes that he got to be a part of something this warm.

"Do you know the Wen rites?"

There was rites for every Jiaoren Clan when a child lost their first set of teeth, each one as unique and different as the Clans themselves.

"I know some stuff. I know when his Hunting teeth come in he's supposed to make his first solo hunt. I could ask Qing-jie, she might be willing to share, even if they aren't from the same branch."

"I will inquire with Wen Qionglin as well. He might be willing to share."

Wei Ying smiled at him, wrapping his arms around A-Yuan "See, we can do this."

Lan Wangji kissed his forehead, "We have been doing well so far."

A-Yuan snuggled down between them, laying on Wei Ying's chest, with his legs over Lan Wangji's arm.

"Aiyah, he can sleep anywhere. Let me get him back to bed so you can work."

"No." Lan Wangji held them both tighter, "Stay."

Wei Ying stared at him, a bit surprised, "But…your compositions.."

Lan Wangji pulled him as close as he could get without disturbing A-Yuan.

"They can wait a few minutes."

Wei Ying beamed at him, he held A-Yuan, snuggling close, tucking his head under Lan Wangji's chin. Were he a cat, he would have been purring.

Not for the first time was Lan Wangji grateful he'd spent the extra for the larger desk chair. Rolling back slightly so he could rest his feet on the ottoman, he held his family.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #the untamed #wei ying #lan zhan #mirmb wangxian mermay 2023 #wangxian mermay 2023 #mermay 2023 #mermay prompts #mermay

[hils79]

Hils Watches Love Me, Love My Voice - Ep 13

I'm glad she's there to bully him into sleeping properly

Oh no did she apply for the same job that Tune Wrecker got?

I ship them

If you don't want them to know he's your boyfriend you could just say you're a friend of his. You're not exactly dressed like a food courier

Time for a meeting in Multi-purpose Building

I was going to make a joke but actually apart from her mother all her other relatives that we've seen are men. I'd be worried about them making a fuss.

I am definitely not indirectly asking about the boy I like

Oh, yeah, I forgot he doesn't know Qiang Qing Ci and Mo Qingcheng are the same person. Well, at least you won't need to worry about that awkward conversation

Well, he found out way faster than I was expecting. LOL this poor boy

The perfect boyfriend does not exi—

Is this the next couple that everyone is going to get invested in? Because I am on board with that

I ship it

Ah, see, I was right with my guess of 'almost 30'

I'm glad someone said it

Ooooooh! Smooth. Very smooth. I don't know how he's stayed single this long when his game is A+

Feeling emotional about this moment of raw honesty

Aww, baby, no. You've taken care of her, and got to know all her friends and taken care of them too. Any time you've got you spend with Gu Sheng. You're doing more than what you can with the time you have

#hils watches #hils watches love me love my voice #hils watches cdramas #love me love my voice #cdrama

[loosingmoreletters]

eh, start of an Au where they live in the Burial Mounds for a couple years.

They’ve been practicing it since Qing-jie and Ning-gege left their home. His aunt had put a-Mei and a-Xiang into his arms and told him he must tell everyone they are his sisters. Your father is dead, a-Yuan, Aunty tells him. Your mother died in childbirth. You must tell this everyone who asks.

Wen Yuan doesn’t know how it all went wrong. Xian-gege was supposed to see the baby and Aunty used to talk about leaving the mountain soon, going to lands where all kinds of vegetables and roots grew easily.

But that’s not happening anymore.

They can’t stay in Yiling, Aunty told him that as well. In Yiling, they recognize a-Yuan and a-Mei because they went into the city with Xian-gege. Wen Yuan thinks about leaving a-Xiang, but who will want a baby?

Nobody, so a-Xiang stays strapped to his chest and a-Mei holds his hand.

The streets are loud with self-satisfied people talking about the righteous slaughter of a monster. Wen Yuan knows it cannot be about Xian-gege, who smiled and laughed and played with him until he left to see a boy who’d never be a-Yuan’s cousin now.

“Gege,” a-Mei says. “Gege, I’m hungry.”

“We’ll get food soon,” a-Yuan promises, but a-Mei is only three and she doesn’t understand.

A-Mei only starts to cry and a-Xiang follows her example swiftly and a-Yuan wants to cry himself, wants to go back to the Burial Mounds, hoping to return to how it was months ago. It’s not a possibility, so he holds his sister’s hand tighter and marches them down the road. They can’t go to any of the places Aunty or Xian-gege told them to go before.

Jiang Cheng will complain but he won’t turn you away, Shijie will take good care of you, Lan Zhan, ah, your Rich-gege, he will—

They have to go somewhere.

There has to be someone who wants them.

Wiping his sisters’ tears away, Wen Yuan sets his eyes on the nearest mountain. Immortals never cared for sect politics before and if this isn’t the right mountain, then they’ll simply go to the next one and the one after until they’re safe.

#mdzs #the untamed #wei wuxian #lan sizhui #fanfic #mdzs fanfic #aus and ideas #eventually they do find baoshan sanren #and then idk canon happens #lwj is busy with the murder mystery and wwx is trying to find the wen kids #and maybe ayuan left the mountain to check in on xiao xingchen???

[wangxianficrecs]

❤️Gentians in bloom by teawater

❤️Gentians in bloom

by teawater

M, 251k, wangxian

Summary: Lan Wanji was never told the details of his parents' story. Now that he has discovered his own desires, his life's goal is to keep Wei Wuxian from finding out. But life is cruel and truths get revealed at the worst possible times. Since I suck at summaries, here are some key features: - it's Wangxian mainly - plus some development of the prev generation Lans - plus going to war with the Wens - plus Wen Qing being totally badass - plus Jin family craziness - plus just about every character ever mentioned on the show and some assumed ones getting screentime and storylines And if you're still wondering, here's a taste: ------------------------------ “Ah, but there are other Wens here though,” Jin Guangshan gave an appraising look to Wen Ning and Wen Qing. “Who could say where they were last night.” “Where do you think I was,” Wen Qing retorted quickly, “on my wedding night?” [...] “What about him then?” a Jin pointed at Wen Ning. “He was with me,” Nie Mingjue said flatly. “All night?” Nie Huaisang peeked over his fan to stare at his brother. “What were you doing?” “Talking,” Nie Mingjue said in a threatening tone. The fan went back up.

Part 1 of Gentians garden

My comments: Really fascinating and entertaining, epic fix-it with depth and twists and just, wild and uninhibited creativity along the lines of Magical Marriage Ribbons and Fallen. In which wangxian get together (after awkward adolescent stumbling) as students - a relationship that begins to solidify as they study together and debate cultivation theory and invention. (Wwx is already a prolific inventor, and lwj is reluctantly fascinated.) When the Wens attack CR (and WQ turns coat to warn the Lans that it's going to happen) it is, of course, wangxian who save the day with an insane off-the-cuff invention through which they fool the wens into thinking they burned the sect and then quite literally bag them.

There are so many departures from canon! For example, wwx figures out how to call the other Yin pieces to them; wangxian learn to combine their qi and make a single big, extremely powerful entity out of their two selves; wwx never loses his core and while he uses demonic energy, it's not in the same way it is in canon, so he's not universally reviled. And, of course, he and lwj are paired up since their student days. There is heavy focus on his talismans and inventions (yay!) They save the Wens; and stumble over child mo xuanyu (whose sass blossoms once he understands he's safe with wangxian).

Story is loaded with plot and action and character interactions and transitions seamlessly between all of them so that when your teeth ache from fluff there's angst to cleanse your palate, and the same with action and relationships. Wwx's self-worth issues are ENORMOUS and don't seem much settled by the fact that every single other sect wants him and his genius, and there's digging into his past and why he's so fucked up, which gives room for lovely emotional h/c.

And I'm not even going to go into the possessed baby xuanwus (from eggs collected by young mxy), all the illegitimate Jin brothers, the whole province given to wwx by GusuLan as thanks for winning the war (he's SO unprepared to be the Lord of a city), lwj's foul-mouthed secret uncle, the meteor and the volcano. Just. It's epic, trust me.

In the sequel (nearly another 100k) you get wwx trying to face his fears via puppy therapy, a grand cultivation tournament (featuring a newly young adult mxy and his crush), a woman with a strange history, an incredibly awkward jc, wwx hiding a secret he doesn't feel is his to tell and lwj drinking vinegar. It's delicious.

part one: canon divergence, students at cloud recesses, gay panic lan wangji, crushes, teasing, genius wei wuxian, magic theory, cultivation theory, telepathy spell, getting to know each other, accidental bonding, fix-it, pov alternating, talismans, inventor wei wuxian, attack on cloud recesses that is successfully rebuffed, political marriage, emotional hurt/comfort, angst, madam yu's a+ parenting, blending qi, sharing a body, jiang cheng & jin zixuan prickly friends, brotherly feels, wei wuxian cannot feel pain, xuanwu babies, demonic cultivation, wei wuxian keeps his golden core, jealous jiang cheng, oblivious jiang cheng, dysfunctional family dynamics, the jiangs are so fucked up, self-worth issues, self-esteem issues, mo xuanyu is utterly charming, he speaks for all of us, mo xuanyu deserves better, bamf wei wuxian, bamf lan wangji, epic, sharing a brain, lan qiren is good-ish, jin zixuan is pretty cool, jiang cheng has a good character arc and improves himself eventually, madam yu is only mostly terrible, the political marriage couple is a secret, implied/referenced suicide, implied/referenced child abuse

part two: cynophobia, puppy therapy, cultivation tournament, mo xuanwu, reincarnation, misunderstandings, lack of communication, jealous lan wangji, drinking vinegar, happy ending

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

#Wangxian Fic Recs #The Untamed #wangxian #MDZS #Mojo's Rec #mojo's favorites #canon-divergence #cloud recesses study era #getting together #eventual happy ending #genius wwx #cultivation theory #jiang family dynamics #jiang cheng has character development #mo xuanyu deserves better #powerful wei wuxian #powerful lan wangji #kind of lan qiren bashing #fix-it #sunshot campaign #attack on cloud recesses #teawater #gentians in bloom #Mature #epic length fic > 100k

[gravitywonagain]

Ok, but the whole Wen Qing sacrificial Au is like one big clusterfuck. And Wei Wuxian wouldn't know shit about the functions of his own new body. And what if the eyes of the body change color as a reaction to the new soul inhibiting it. He would have monthly bleedings! He would have to deal with cramps and fuck! He would understand so much more about his Shijie and Madame Yu!

Also correlating with the homecoming gift, what if she found a way to package her knowledge as a gift and Wei Wuxian now understands so much better why Wen Qing was so pissed about his disregard for his own health all the time. And he starts to connect that knowledge and know-how to develop his talismans and cultivation further!

How would Lan Wangji react to see the Wen doctor again, only for her to paralyze him after a fight with a monster where Lan Wangji just was not at his best, and actually check him over as if it was the most normal thing to do. What if Wei Wuxian went on and found a way to heal the scars on Lan Zhan's back to a degree where it's not visible anymore unless you know to search for it.

And he would get suibian back as soon as possible and fly with it. He would have his sword back. And if people ask he would just flippantly say that it only responds to people Wei Wuxian trusts and held dear to his heart.

Ah, sorry about my rambling, I have brain rot about this thing now. And I had a WIP where I was leaning on the aspect that Wei Wuxian was the son of a servant and had servant skills as well... You make me more work ^^'

yessss i love the rambling!!! i see the next one, too!!! sorry it took me a minute there was brain fog and then wife birthday daytripping and then many sleeps and now we're here

i am now a little bit obsessed with the idea of wq somehow passing on her vast amounts of medical cultivation knowledge to wwx. or at least imparting enough of it that he can do nonsense wwx innovation shit. something something the formation and structure of her core is built around the use of certain skills and techniques and this might have happened with mxy too but all of his previous knowledge was based off of wwx's own.................. yeah. fascinating. fun. i love it.

also the idea of wwx actually trying to pull of just being wq -- at least in public because there's no way he gets away with that around lwj -- is patently hilarious to me. but also! who knows her better than wwx and wn anyway? who else could possibly pull that off if not them? also i do love the shenanigans that ensue in a good identity porn fic.

okay so if i'm being very honest, half the reason for this au even popping up in my head is that i, like @jasontoddiefor, love a good genderswapped resurrection fic specifically because all of the nonsense that comes with having a uterus. (and also the idea of wangxian biological babies, like hell yes, their breeding kink dreams can become a reality, but also only if they try hard enough because actual conception can be fucking difficult!) and yes, after the years of malnutrition and general anxiety of living under threat finally starts to recede, wwx gets to deal with a whole new set of problems! lucky boy.

as for lan yuan, i feel like he might be grateful to see his qing-jie's face again, even though he's forgotten it, but would then mourn her presence and his xian-gege's face. it would be rough for him. moreso than with mxy because wq's face mixed with wwx's mannerisms might actually trigger some more memories earlier? idk, what do you think?

ALSO. i can't get over lwj figuring out how to marry wq without arousing the suspicion of the entire cultivation world. like this is early in my head. this happens just a few years after wwx dies. so a lot of The Nonsense hasn't happened yet. he gets out of seclusion and then immediately goes for the next worst person imaginable? the escaped but somehow not dead last daughter of the wen? lqr would have a fit. lxc would be confused as hell. jc would be furious and hurt and so even more furious. nhs would, probably, figure it out pretty quickly, as would jgy, and now the race is on. like this would be such a political nightmare and i'm living for it!!

#saiaisaiko #asks #wen qing sacrifice au

[hulijingemperor2]

Rusong: *standing outside A-qing's door*

A-qing: *coming out, wearing a beautiful pastel green dress~ along with accessories, her gifted comb, and makeup*

Rusong!

Rusong: *glancing at her*

A-qing: *blushing*

Rusong: you look pretty.

A-qing: thanks. Mo xuanyu did my makeup.

Rusong: that's sweet of uncle Mo.

*grabs her hand and lovingly placed his lips on her ear*

A-qing: R....Rusong....*turning red* what if someone....sees us.....

Rusong: *hugs* everyone knows that we're a couple. And who dares to eavsdrop on us.

A-qing: oh. *blushing* then, I can do this.

*kisses his dimple*

Rusong: *looks into her eyes*

A-qing: Rusong, you have a cute little smile.

Rusong: *lifts chin* you too.

Shall we, A-qing?

A-qing: let's go.

~~

The party was in full swing! The Junior quartet were there sampling wine while a notorious Gumihos, Kitsunes and Hulijings were lounging around, having a good time.

Everyone present were either young business heirs~ and heiresses, or the elite.

Hey Dianxia,

Greetings, Dianxia.

Rusong: hello. Glad you can make it. *smile*

Your party is awesome as always, Dianxia.

Rusong: Jingyi and I had planned it.

Oh nice!

Rusong: mn. This is my girlfriend, A-qing.

You two make a perfect pair.

A-qing: *shy* nice to meet you guys.

Like his A-Die, Rusong loves mingling with the elite and being a proper host.

You have good tastes in women, Dianxia.

Love your style, Wangfei.

A-qing: ah. We're not married yet. *blushing intensely*

And I don't get that a lot.

Rusong: isn't she adorable? She's so cute when she blushes.

Of course Dianxia. She's extremely adorable.

Rusong: A-qing these are the children of merchants, ministers business owners, marquise, and minor nobles.

A-qing: ohh. (Rich Dianxia has rich friends)

Rusong: we'll be over there if you need anything.

Or if you can't find me, just look for er Dianxia.

Sure.

You're a wonderful host!

Er Dianxia! *hugs*

Jingyi: hey dude.

We came all the way to Korea.

Jingyi: ohh! My Gumiho counterparts.

Yea!

Jingyi: pleasure to meet you.

Jingyi: *exhales*

Jinling: finally, you got a job.

Jingyi: Jinling I always had a job. I'm a cultivator!

Jinling: dude that's more of a sport.

Jingyi: cultivation is hard work.

Sizhui: oh guys, don't argue. I totally agree that cultivation is a task by itself.

Jingyi: thank you Sizhui. My well wisher.

Ouyang Zizhen: *chugging down some more wine*

Jingyi: I don't know how Rusong can host a party. It's kinda tough.

Rusong: what's so tough?

Quartet: Rusong!!!

Rusong: hey guys.

Ouyang zizhen: hi Dianxia. And A-qing.

Sizhui: Dianxia. Who's this?

Jingyi: she's my sister-in-law. I'll beat someone up if they do anything to her.

A-qing: since when are nice. Where did your bossiness go.

Jingyi: Jinling was rubbing off on me so that's why I was bossy.

Jinling: hey!

Rusong: she's my girlfriend, Sizhui gege.

Ouyang Zizhen: well we all know the bro code. Our bro's gf is our sister-in-law and we got to protect them.

A-qing: ahh.

Jinling: Rusong, you didn't tell me this!

*nudges* why?!

Rusong: because it wasn't official yet.

Jinling: congrats Song. You little chick magnet.

Rusong: *laughing* thanks Ling gege!

A-qing: who are you? And why do you look like the scary peacock?

Jingyi: that's mistress Jin. Aka princess Jin.

A-qing: lol why are you calling him mistress Jin.

Jingyi: soon you'll find out.

Rusong: A-qing. This is my cousin, Jinling.

He's also like a brother.

A-qing: ohh waww. He looks so fancy, like you.

Jinling: thanks a lot.

And you better treat my baby cousin right.

A-qing: yea I got it.

So you're a Wangzi too?

Jinling: yes. My A-Die is the emperor.

The one you called the scary peacock.

A-qing: my bad.

Jinling: you shouldn't talk about my A-Die like that.

A-qing: fine.

Anyways, you two are the next generation of peacock and fox.

Rusong: exactly.

Jinling: we'll be Huangdis soon! *rests his arm on Rusong's shoulder* just Rusong and I, running the empire.

A-qing: cool!

Jingyi: I'll get so drunk on that day. Celebrating Rusong.

Then I'll congratulate Jinling.

Jinling: you can't stop being sour, can't you.

A-qing: I'm happy that you guys have a healthy bond!

Sizhui: mhm. Yes we do.

Where are you from?

A-qing: Yi city!!

You know. Coffin town!

Jingyi: that foggy place we went, Sizhui. Your remember?

Jinling: your brain is foggy.

Jingyi: because I'm sharing a brain cell with you.

Sizhui: I remember. We were doing some night hunting there once.

Ouyang Zizhen: isn't she gorgeous? Even though we're sharing Rusong Dianxia.

Rusong: ehem.

Ouyang Zizhen: sorry.

Rusong, you and your dimples had really attracted a beauty, as well as myself. Um...

How are you so charming.

Rusong: I think i do it without trying.

Ouyang Zizhen: Rusong, you're fab.

Jinling: you're so suspicious.

Sizhui: in Yi city, we were almost attacked by xue yang.

Jingyi: oh yea! I forgot about that!

A-qing: because you guys were trespassing. He doesn't like when people are in his territory, and also he was already in a bad mood.

Ouyang Zizhen: what happened to him? How can a hot dude be in a bad mood.

Rusong is never in a bad mood...*panics* not that I'm saying you're hot! Well...you are....Rusong, it isn't about you.

Rusong: *confused*

A-qing: he was in a bad mood because Songlan tried to choke him, then he went away with Xingchen.

And on top of that he accidentally soiled his xingchen cosplay.

Jingyi: with dirt?

A-qing: no. With blood.

And blood stains.

Rusong: as expected of uncle muffin.

A-qing: Are you guys princes too?

Sizhui: cultivators.

A-qing: you're Wangxian's kid?

Sizhui: yes. I was originally a wen.

A-qing: ohhhhh xue yang told me a lot about you! And how your parents do everyday means everyday.

Sizhui: haha. That's what they do best.

Ouyang Zizhen: I'm the sect leader of the Bailing Ouyang clan. For now I'm doing sect leader training.

A-qing: that's great.

Sizhui: and I'm the Wen sect leader.

Aqing: ohh. Well my Rusong is~

Sizhui: the Laoling Qin sect leader.

I know. He's awesome.

Aqing: right!

Afterwards some Kitsunes and Gumihos came and greeted Rusong and Jingyi.

Rusong: hey guys. *speaking Japanese*

Kitsunes: *heart melting*

Yes yes, Dianxia. We're enjoying ourselves.

Dianxia, your Japanese is so cute and quite proper.

Rusong: thank you. I practiced.

Ouyang zizhen: *shocked* Rusong knows Japanese?!

Jinling: and Korean. He has been able to speak them since childhood. Thanks to Xiao shushu and a couple of tutors.

Jingyi: my bro is super talented.

I'm still taking classes for those two languages.

Sizhui: that's cool!

Jinling: I hope you don't stress out the hulijings.

Some random Gumiho: Dianxia, can you tell a joke in Korean?

Rusong: my Korean is still rusty but I'll try. Just for you.

If A-Die was here, he would have helped me.

Er Dianxia, we want to hear your Japanese too.

Jingyi: ok guys. *speaks Japanese*

Awe. Brilliant!

But practice makes perfect!

Jingyi: yea I got to keep practicing.

Gumihos: *cracking up* Dianxia you have one wicked humor.

Rusong: glad you like, lol.

A-qing: Rusong, Rusong. Tell me something pretty in Japanese.

Rusong: *lifts chin* like?

A-qing: something what will make me blush.

Rusong: Anata wa watashi no monodesu.

A-qing: now what does that mean?

Rusong: *kisses her in her forehead* you're mine.

A-qing: *blushing* Rusong.

Rusong: it's true.

Ouyang Zizhen: awwwwwwww. I ship you two!!

A-qing: now i want to learn Japanese so I can understand you and your love talks.

Rusong: *smiling* as you wish.

Ouyang Zizhen: bro, isn't that your code language.

Rusong: nop. My Yunping dialect is. *wink*

Ouyang zizhen: nice!

Jinling: Rusong is very smart as always.

Sizhui: very charming.

Rusong: oh guys.

Lol, let's go take some cocktails. Shrimp and wine.

Jingyi: right behind you! You diva.

Rusong: A-qing, what type of wine do you want?

There's Korean wine there too.

A-qing: well let me go with the Korean one then.

Rusong: delightful choice.

Try the takju.

It's the best.

A-qing: ahh.

~~~

In Jing Manor's main mansion 📍.

Yao: *reclining while eating shrimp and drinking expensive wine from Dongying.

Xue yang: diva. Your shrimp is bussin.

Mo xuanyu: are these from Song'er and Jingyi's party?

Yao: mhm.

Su she: *sipping wine* I bet this will get Lan lips drunk.

Mo xuanyu: one way to find out!!!

Xue yang: Dianxia got some expensive stuff for his bash.

Yao: because he's Song'er.

He has the best things.

Su she: Song'er was born a diva.

Yao: exactly.

Xue yang: Jiggy, Jiggy, let's do some sexy roleplay nah. Since the juniors are busy partying.

Su she: stop acting like wei wuxian.

Anyways, can we, Huangdi?

Mo xuanyu: with your whip.

Yao: *laughing* I don't see why not.

Mo xuanyu: let's do it in your torture chamber.

Yao: excellent idea.

*stood up* i need some more wine.

Xiying.

Xiying: yes Huangdi. I'll order more wine and deliver it to your torture chambers

Fuying: should I get you your execution heels?

Team dimple: YES!!!!

Yao: *glares at them. Then looks at his attendant* certainly, Fuying. Please get them.

(Whenever Yao huangdi operates his torture chamber or handles criminals, he would wear high heeled boots. He has countless pairs of high heeled boots but these are his execution boots~ which are kept in another place.

Hulijings are hoarders when it comes to their Huangdi)

Fuying: yes Huangdi.

~~~

Torture chambers 📍

Yao: *sitting while his fox spirit servants put his execution boots on him, as well as poured him wine and fanned him*

Other fox spirits: *clinging on to their emperor*

Team dimple: *wiping their nosebleed*

Mo xuanyu: Yao gege looks so powerful with his fox spirits.

Su she: he's definitely the lord of fox spirits.

Xue yang: Jiggy can take over the world with them. I'll find it very hot if he do.

Yao: team d.

Trio: *falls on their knees*

Yao: relax. I just called you.

Do you want me to chain you myself. Or should I ask my fox spirits to do it.

Su she: do anything you like, Huangdi.

Xue yang: *grinning*

Yao: *puts some shackles on mo xuanyu* A-Yu.

Mo xuanyu: *blushing* Yao gege.

Yao: I'm going to chain you to a post. *caresses mxy's lips* but don't worry. Team dimple will keep you company.

Mo xuanyu: do whatever, Yao gege.

Yao: perfect hostage. *lifts chin*

*turns to his servants* get the Lan.

Hulijings: yes Huangdi.

Mo xuanyu: why Lan lips?! He doesn't deserve you, Yao gege.

Yao: shhh. *kisses*

Mo xuanyu: oh my goodness.

Yao: don't quarrel. *pats his cheek playfully*

Yao:  xue yang.

Xue yang: *grinning* what do you want Jiggylicious. *goes to hug him*

Yao: *grabs his chin* not so fast.

Xue yang: are you gonna destroy me?

Yao: certainly, my little delinquent.

Xue yang: *goes to touch A-Yao's butt*

Yao: *hits him with his fan.*

Xue yang: dang Jiggy. Why are you protecting your cakes like that.

Are you preserving them for Xichen?

Yao: *glares at him*

*then chained him up and tied him next to mo xuanyu.*

Xue yang: can I have one kiss?! That little cutesleeve xuanyu got one!

Mo xuanyu: because Yao gege loves me!

Xue yang: he loves me more!

Mo xuanyu: I don't believe that!

Yao: enough!

Both: yes Huangdi.

Yao: *caressing xue yang's face* my delinquent. Why are you upset. *shows him some candy* hungry?

Xue yang: for those lips of yours.

Yao: *throws the candy away* as you wish.

Xue yang: how is my savage Jiggylicious not fighting me tonight.

Yao: because I'm a fair person. Everyone deserves a kiss.

*kisses passionately*

Xue yang: Jiggy. You're so sweet! Like honey!

Like candy.  

Yao: ah really.

Xue yang: I love you. You make me feel so drunk! Ah!

Yao: *smiling* do you want to kiss the dimple.

Xue yang: hell yea.

*kisses*

Yao: mn.

Minsh~~

Su she: *kowtowing* I'm here, my emperor. I was waiting for you to chain me up.

*kneels before him and kisses A-Yao's hands*

Yao: my dear. You're the sweetest thing.

Su she: here are the chains and shackles.

Should I bring your whip?

Yao: *amused*

Yao: that isn't necessary. But I'll indeed chain you.

Su she: *stood up*

Yao: *pecks him* devoted henchman.

Mo xuanyu and xue yang: *jealous*

Su she: Huangdi, all my masculine energy is yours. Feel free to use me.

Yao: I'll never hurt you, Shanshan.

*Chains him up*

Hulijings: *coming in with Xichen*

Yao: hi Huan. *sits and crosses his legs*

Xichen: *astonished by his surroundings and A-Yao who was surrounded by fox spirits*

A-Yao you have a whole torture chamber?!

Yao: mn.

Do you like?

Su she: do you have a problem, Lan lips!

Mo xuanyu: you can leave if you want.

Xue yang: I don't know why this hot emperor Yao even called you.

Yao: *sips some wine*

Xichen: *kneels* A-Yao Huangdi.

Yao: *grabs Xichen's flute and lifted Xichen's chin with it*

Don't listen to team dimple.

Would you stay with me?

Xichen: *hiccups*

Yao: *using the flute to caress Xichen's face* excellent.

Xichen: *hiccups* A-Yao Huangdi, are those heels you're wearing? *hiccups*

Yao: yep. 

Xichen: you look hot, my love. *kisses*

Yao: *kisses him some more*

Xichen: *rubbing A-Yao's hips affectionately* 

Yao: *amused by him*

Huan, I feel cold.

Mo xuanyu: Lan lips, how dare you give Yao gege discomfort.

Su she: evil Lan.

Yao: guys. He didn't give me discomfort.

Winter is about to come soon, so nights would be chilly.

Su she: this Lan lips is turning everything into the cloud recesses.

Yao: *laughing*

Xichen: take my outer robes, A-Yao! You'll feel warmer.

Yao: *looking at his attendants* take it off for him.

And don't touch his headband.

Yes huangdi.

Attendants: *putting the lan robes on him*

Yao: since you're mine Huan, if someone else touches your headband,

they might lose their fingers.

Xue yang: why is Jiggy so hot.

Su she: I know right.

Yao: *ties Xichen's hands with his headband* beautiful.

Xichen: *blushing*

Yao: *drags him* let's go, Lan lips.

#the huli jing emperor #foxyao #hulijing emperor 2 #meng yao #dimpledlianfang #jin guangyao #jin zixuan #part 2 #su she #the untamed #Rusong #juniours #A-qing

[chaoticgoodlawyerwrites]

Preview for Siren Song Ch 16!

Liu Qingge, before he knew it, had ushered both of them to the carriage with their day’s previous purchases. Both of his staff bowed to him before greeting Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan and only exchanged a small glance at the confirmation of their destination being Qing Jing Inn. Shang Qinghua was the first to be seated and Shen Yuan hesitated before climbing in herself.

She put her hand in Liu Qingge’s and said, “I would love to discuss my husband at a later time. Write to me your availability and I will attempt to send you back a corresponding time. As the lead in a quickly developing production, my time is extremely limited, but I would not neglect my friend.”

“As you wish, Shen Yuan,” Liu Qingge promised with bright cheeks as Shen Yuan used his support to climb in after Shang Qinghua. The footman closed the door behind her and they were quickly on their way.

“So,” Shen Yuan asked as they fully pulled away. “What’s your verdict on Liu Qingge’s affections?”

“...would you like me to be polite?” Shang Qinghua asked. “Junshang would like for me to state her displeasure at the man.”

“Be as you would like,” Shen Yuan said wryly as she sat back against the cushions. She looked at a nervous Ning Yingying and added, “Both of you.”

“...his affections appear unwavering to me, Mistress,” Ning Yingying said diplomatically.

“I would guess he had the names of your first three children picked out already,” Shang Qinghua said dryly. 

That had Shen Yuan’s eyebrows raised. “First three?”

“If Gongyi Xiao looked at you during rehearsals with infatuation, Count Liu Qingge looked at you like you were his future.” Shang Qinghua sighed as she slouched back slightly, hand flicking some loose hair from her face. 

Shen Yuan frowned at her. “No, he doesn’t. He’s always looked at me like that, even as children. He just has a very intense personality towards people he favors.”

Both Shang Qinghua and Ning Yingying stared at her. Shang Qinghua said, “He looked at you like that. When you were both children.”

“Yes. I supposed I never explained, but our families were close, with my parents being business and personal associates of the Liu estate. The four of us, Liu Qingge, Liu Mingyan, my brother Shen Jiu, and myself, were put in close proximity often enough. I was often preoccupied with the baby, Mingyan, but Liu Qingge was always particularly kind to me because his finicky sister liked me as well. I recall asking my– my brother why we had not simply gone to the Lius’ after our parents’ passing, especially as they were always kind to us. He chose to go to Yue Qingyuan instead with the understanding that he would be able to control him, but… Well, I was the only one to make it to the Yue estate.

“Anyway, Liu Qingge has always treated me with kindness and loyalty, giving me far more respect than many women receive from other men, let alone those of his birth. How he looks at me is not novel or noteworthy, I promise you.”

“Ah, Junshang is saying… actually, if it would be no bother–”

Shang Qinghua took a deep breath in and straightened with it. Luo Binghe opened her vassal’s eyes and stated calmly, “He is like the Raoul in this production, maish’kl. He sees you as a childhood love returned to his acquaintance after tragedy took you from him. You were a lovely child and now you appear to him a beautiful woman in an impossible situation. He wished to save you, then for you to fall into his arms and bed in gratitude. Unlike many men of this time, he sees your strengths and thus would savor your surrender all the more. You are more than an object to him; you are a fantasy plucked straight from folktales, and he desires your happily ever after.” 

“Mistresses, if I may?” Ning Yingying said shyly. Both Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe looked at the girl and nodded. She cleared her throat and said, “This lowly one agrees with Empress Luo. Cout Liu heard of Consort Shen’s marriage and immediately feared that she was being taken advantage of, missing or dismissing her true happiness as she spoke of her spouse. If this one had to guess, Count Liu might see the jewelry Consort Shen wears, see the wealth she now spends freely, and assume that she was blinded to a rogue by the material freedom from Yue Qingyuan. Perhaps he believes what he says is true, but this one doubts that he would be satisfied until Consort Shen appears beside Empress Luo physically.”

“Well said, young Yingying,” Luo Binghe softly praised before turning back to look at Shen Yuan. “I will not attempt to restrict who you spend your time with, my love. I trust you, but know I do not trust him. I would beg you to keep Queen Shang by your side, to never be alone with him, at least until your abilities are within your grasp.”

Shen Yuan wished she could reach out and hold her wife to her, but that would have to wait. “Of course, Binghe. I would never have been alone with him in any case but I will remember the words of everyone here. Perhaps our history has blinded me to his motives, but I would not jeopardize this peace for anything.”

Luo Binghe sighed and said, “Will you come to me after eating?”

“I will rush to your side, my love.”

“Until then.” 

Shang Qinghua shivered as she came back to herself and winced. “Whew. Okay, Junshang has withdrawn fully from my mind and wow, I’m going to sleep well tonight! But, yes, please take me with you when you go anywhere! I know I may not look like much but I can hold my own against any human!”

“Calm, Qinghua. I’ll be careful.”

“Excellent, because I really like you and think you’ll be a great change to court and Junshang would like. Lose her shit and wipe out this continent's coastline if anything happens to you.”

[purplehanfu]

Self-Indulgent Birthday Post

notes: Spoilers, probably. Yay, it's my birthday! Pay attention to meeee! Warning: this is just a junk drawer of a post. List of all recaps

Recap Recycle Bin

There are many, many recaps that for whatever reason remain unfinished. Here are some from the scrap basket.

My Villain Husband: Episode 1

This scene is extremely necessary for character development.

Can I just say how much I enjoy the way web dramas objectify the male body like this? Is it wrong? I don't know, but feel free to have that discourse with the wind, baby. In this house we have all the time in the world to watch a fit young specimen ladle water over his shoulders. This episode is 6min 35sec long and we spend 1min 03sec of it watching this guy pour dirty bathwater on himself- it’s a little thing called world-building, people.

The Lady in Butcher’s House: Episode 15

This drama was awful, and yet I watched the whole thing. Why? Because of the rare moments of redemption like this scene in episode 15 when Wang Ruo Lin (best known as world’s worst shifu Zhao Jing in Word of Honor), Tong Meng Shi (who is a good actor and doesn’t belong in this mess) and Ren Yu break character several times. You can absolutely tell they were cracking each other up, and because this show is so low budget, they just left it in. 

Stop laughing, Xu Qing Jia; the prince is only trying to help!

The prince has the general kiss his collar and then quizzes the male lead on how to hide the evidence from his wife.

This drama also did one of my favorite things which is advocate for something totally unrelated to the story in a repeated and intrusive fashion. For this particular drama it was moxibustion and brushing your teeth.

Legend of Fei: Episode 45

Ah, as expected, the favorite game of a man with a giant metal hand that looks like a foam rubber Hulk arm that was painted silver. 

Sometimes When We Touch: Episode 1

White Impermanence Ghost is rocking a breezy high fashion look in this modern Taiwanese drama about life, death, and outsourcing the afterlife to the local university’s Supernatural Society.

Hikaru No Go: American Style

My version is set in Cleveland and the ghost is a WWII vet who became a union steel mill worker after the war, the kid is a grad student at Case Western and the name of the game is euchre! However, not sure if anyone who isn’t Great Lakes adjacent will find this interesting. 

Mirror: A Tale of Two Cities: Episode 1

Maybe my understanding of fantasy creatures is lacking, but I always thought that merpeople lived in the water or as paintings on the bedroom walls of 7-year-olds. In this drama, for reasons unknown, they seem to live on desolate and snowy mountain plains. Even Novoland Pearl Eclipse managed to get the merpeople in the water.

Love and Redemption: Episode 6

“Sandra, call my girl and see if she can fit me in- I broke a nail!”

Superlatives

Favorite Douyin To Watch Over and Over  🐸 tiny frog! (thanks @rongzhi​)

Novel I Liked Much More Than I Expected To: Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir trashman forever! (thanks @dangermousie )

Movie That Came Out of Nowhere To Steal My Soul: Tokyo Revengers (thanks @storge) 

Still My Favorite Drama, 3rd Year in a Row: Bloody Romance

“this soup tastes like the woman who raised me!”

Favorite Episode Recap (series): 27 & 28 of Jun Jiuling. It just went totally off the rails.

Favorite Episode Recap (Just the First Episode): Legend of Exorcism

fellas, is it gay? (it is. it is so gay. how is this not more popular?)

#1 DILF:

Shen Shen (thanks @baichoufeis​)

#my villain husband #sometimes when we touch #legend of fei #the lady in butcher's house #holiday special

[ellayuki]

20062022 - The Untamed/MDZS

non-negotiable (this little family we've built)

~

"Absolutely not!" one of the Lan Elders thunders over the slight din rising in the hall, and there are a few more voices agreeing to the sentiment one after the other. 

It’s already tiring.

Sizhui sighs, exchanging a look with his husband, and only his long years of strict Lan upbringing keep him from rolling his eyes. (He thinks Hanguang-Jun would be proud. He also thinks Senior Wei would roll his eyes enough for the lot of them.) "It is not a request," he says, looking from the first, vocal Elder to the next. "Jingyi and I will raise the girl as our own. Clan Leader Lan has already said yes, and we've already made the necessary inquiries to know she has no blood family left alive, so we will take full responsibility for her."

The girl in question, a baby no more than a month and a half old by now, is currently sleeping peacefully in Jingyi's arms, even through all the noise. She's been a quiet child so far, and well-behaved, quick to smile and not as fussy as either of them had expected one so young to be. She's a blessing, really, and one Lan Sizhui will fight for, if he'll have to. (He hopes he will not have to, though, he really does.)

Another Elder snorts, and the sound carries over all the voices in the hall. All at once, it all grows quiet. "Like father, like son," he mutters, just loud enough to be heard over the sudden hush, and there's something like derision in his voice. Sizhui frowns. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Jingyi doing the same. "But then again, what else can we expect, when one is the child of that man," and if he means Senior Wei or Hanguang-Jun, Sizhui can't tell for sure (especially since he knows the Elder has something of a grudge against both), "and the other is… well, not exactly the epitome of what it means to be a Lan."

There's a gasp. Sizhui doesn't know who it comes from, nor does he care. 

What he does care about is- "Elder," he says, taking a step forward. He may be a Lan, he may be Hanguang-Jun's gentle, well-behaved son, he might accept criticisms from those above him. But Lan Sizhui is also Wen Yuan, Wei Wuxian's son, and Auntie Qing's nephew, and there's as much fire in his blood as there is water and air. He will not allow such a slight towards his husband. "Jingyi is a better Lan than you will ever be, and I will thank you not to badmouth him," he says, tranquil fury blanketing him like never before. 

There's a hand, warm and gentle on his sleeve then, a whisper of his name. A-Yi… He doesn't turn his eyes away from the offending Elder, but he does tilt his head to show he's paying attention. "It's alright, Sizhui ah," Jingyi says, and the sadness in his voice breaks Sizhui's heart. "You know I'm used to it."

And if that doesn't infuriate him more.

But he does take a breath, takes a step back, back to his husband's side, and covers the hand on his sleeve with his own. His next words are loud, his tone final. "My husband and I will raise our daughter with or without your blessings or approval. Just like Hanguang-Jun raised me without your blessings or approval. Those of you who disapprove of us taking in a lonely, orphan child and giving her a home, need to go back and study our Lan Clan's rules and teachings."

And with that, he bows, turns, wraps an arm around his family, and together they leave the hall in its stunned silence.

#the untamed #mdzs #lan sizhui #lan jingyi #zhuiyi #cql #by moi #fic #my fic #2022 fi #untamedfics #Sizhui and Jingyi and the thing about forehead ribbons

[llycaons]

ep9: dafan wens my friends the dafan wens

imo this is def the weakest arc in the show. this episode was fun but whew, I think ep8 might have been my least favorite and we're still getting out of it

he asks this question way later in eps 20 and 43 or something and each time lwj is like 'we just gotta rush them' king of rigid problem-solving and only having one solution to any problem <3

threatening jc with lwj is kind of funny but on a rewatch it's like. ah

credit where it is due. jc almost expressed concern here for wwx

wwx defending lwj for zero reason and then turning and giving him such a sweet smile. bud you are so far gone <3

NOW IT'S DAYTIME?? not even dawn but BROAD daylight. mama mia

yeah, I feel like putting the zombied people in the cage would have been safer than putting the healthy ones in

IS HE. HMM

god this is so sad. look how miserable wq looks to see her popo like this

I don't like any of the surreal, drawn-out, misty sequences interspersed with fight scenes. I mean the waterborne abyss. I mean this forest fight. I mean a chunk of yi city. I mean the maze forest. I just hate the hazy atmosphere and there's usually no good character moments and there's a ton of worldbuilding magic that I can't follow very well and don't rly care for

this fight isn't bad tho! there's some fun banter and some cool angles, like the one above

ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT STRANGLING WWX. WHEN WILL HE CATCH A BREAK. this is the first of...four? jc, wrh, and jgy way later...let wwx breathe 2k23

also this is a VERY funny thing to worry about. lwj is very good at going Heady Empty (meditation) but wwx found it challenging due to having so many thoughts

I SEE BABY A-YUAN!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO!!!!!!!!

as much as I complain about him as a character I was THRILLED to see this little guy. I LOVE baby a-yuan and I think he's just precious. his survival was one of the things I needed to be spoiled for in order to watch the show without significant distress

though given the timeline this can't be a-yuan...he'd be way too old by the time the post-sunshot timeline rolls around. that's at least two years later. so I guess this is his older sister who looks the same as him. god but that's a cute little actor. love him and his big chubby cheeks and his little fingers and his baby wig

GREAT choice for little wn and wq too. they look just like their adult versions. actually I think the casting for all the kids versions of the adult characters was perfect except for a-yuan doesn't look a great deal like lsz imo

HA. wrh may be power-hungry and getting more unhinged by the day with the magic of the yin iron but he's still a more savvy political actor than his stupid fucking son. 'of course wen qing is going to intervene if you mess with her family, you fuckhead' lmao

SUCH a pretty shot I love how saturated the colors are for their outfits and headpieces

literally such a fucking funny scene. well-dressed young nobles hunting in the woods for a chicken. and wwx being so clever and getting wq alone so he and lwj can question her in private. curious how quick he was to cut nhs and jc out. nhs isn't from either of their sects, but jc should theoretically be trustworthy. except! wwx doesn't trust him. hmmm. even this early, he and lwj act as a unit. lwj's entirely given up trying to go it alone and now they work together nearly seamlessly

literally seconds apart. I fucking give up. and I don't think it's the translations because this has been a consistent issue in all the versions I've watched. it's 10! wq and wn are clearly around the age of the others so it's not 20

remember that post that's like 'jc: lady wen may I rub thine shoulders? massage your feet? feed you grapes? vs. wwx and wq doing a six-step handshake and laughing together' that NAILED it. jc trying to be attentive and gentlemanly bc he views her as a Woman and he's trying to fulfill the role he understands to be expected of him, as a man, in society ( to Intervene and Protect). meanwhile wwx views her as an independent actor in this shitty situation they're in. dgmw wwx is also sexist but he treats women more like human people than jc does, esp wq. he also thinks out of the box and isn't afraid to challenge social norms, unlike jc who's guided by social expectations because his parents haven't given him strong positive role modeling and he doesn't have strong instincts on how to behave outside of what he's been taught by society in general

but like I said. still sexist. it's not like being a creative and original thinker can save him from Living In A Society

lwj is very polite to wq, as he appears to be to all women, but I don't think he'd get close with any women because he doesn't get close with anyone at all. also I don't think he meets many women so he doesn't have much interaction with them outside of professional and impersonal settings so they've been at an arm's length from him since he mama died

jc is consistently so unpleasant to wwx. like would it kill you to be supportive of your brother when he's trying to solve a mystery. for ONCE

I like this waiter <3

be nice to the waiter my GOD jc. chill out. he's just telling a story

ohhh cinematic parallels to post-sunshot hmm 👀

overall the yin iron plot is overly complex, kind of silly, and imo feels extraneous, and I can def tell why novel fans dislike it. but it did give the boys and girl some quality time together and an excuse for exposition/backstory development and really, that's all the purpose it needed to serve before its bigger role later. now if only jyl was on more of these trips :( I miss my girl. I love wq but jyl is probably my favorite female character

personal highlights

wwx's cute little smile directed at lwj for no other reason than that he likes him

wwx finding it hard to concentrate in the woods because he just has too many thoughts, which he interprets are being so so smart (and he IS I love you wei wuxian)

nhs and jc going chicken-hunting in the woods

BABY A-YUAN DEBUT!!!!!

#cql re-rewatch

[tulu-xuanwu]

As promised, here are some stories that I really enjoyed. This is not meant to be a full list of all my favourite stories, but rather just a few of my favourites that came to mind while I was doing the video.

(If any of the authors would rather not be included in this list, please let me know and I’ll remove them)

Lan Wanji/Wei Wuxian

spider lilies to sunflowers by cicer

"Ah! I know!" Wei Ying pointed at the pretty young master. "If I agree to help you in the fight against Wen Ruohan, then you have to give me your firstborn child."

The young man's eyes grew wide. For a moment, he seemed wholly taken aback. Then his expression hardened and he nodded.

"I cannot create life by myself. If the Yiling Patriarch wishes to claim my child, he must first help me conceive."

(In which the "terrifying" Yiling Patriarch strikes a bargain, and winds up in over his head.)

love, in fire and blood by cicer

"You want Wen Ruohan dead," the Patriarch continued idly. "You want his corpse puppets eliminated. You want his halls burned to the ground and his soldiers disemboweled and begging for mercy. Have I about covered it?"

He gave another knife-edged smile.

"But what will you give me in return?"

"We would be willing to offer quite a bit in return for Wen Ruohan's defeat," Lan Xichen admitted. "But I'm afraid we don't know what an immortal such as yourself desires. Please advise us."

The Patriarch waved at hand at the front of the tent. "I want Second Young Master Lan."

(In which the Sunshot Campaign ends through an arranged marriage to the Yiling Patriarch, and Lan Wangji suffers the mortifying ordeal of falling in love with his own husband.)

so take my hand (take my whole life too) by cicer

When the doorbell rings, Wei Ying lunges for it and triumphantly throws open the front door. He looks down, expecting to see a package. But there's no package on the front stoop. Instead, there's a baby.

A real actual live baby, nestled within a car seat. It blinks at Wei Ying, and he blinks back.

Then he opens his mouth and screams.

(In which A-Yuan is dumped off on Wei Ying's doorstep. He and Lan Zhan raise the baby while falling in love.

...Yeah, it's one of THOSE stories.)

[Now that I'm putting all these stories together I'm realising how much I enjoy cicer's work, so I'll recommend to just go and check them out]

Strange Magic by Sabinasan

Lan Wangji’s life is turned upside down with the appearance of a tiny dragon—one that is rather insistent to stay by his side.

Two Weddings and a Family Reunion by scifigeek14

Lan Wangji has a plan to make sure that Wei Wuxian is able to attend his Shiji'e wedding and it requires another wedding first.

Aka: LWJ and WWX get married to protect WWX and the Wens politically.

when you're doing all the leaving (then it's never your love lost) by tardigradeschool

Wei Wuxian barely makes a sound when Jin Zixun’s sword goes through his chest. A tiny noise is punched out of him — half gasp, half sigh. Jin Zixun, wearing that smirk that Lan Wangji has always hated, moves to pull the sword out.

This won’t do; Lan Wangji knows enough about battlefield medicine to understand the principle of keeping the weapon in the wound until a medic arrives. So he does the only thing that occurs to him in the moment, letting the momentum of flight be the force behind the swing; he cuts off Jin Zixun’s hand.

-

Lan Wangji goes with Wei Wuxian to his nephew's one-month celebration instead of Wen Ning. They still don't make it to the party.

When A-Yuan gets sick and Wen Qing doesn't have the supplies she needs to properly treat him, Wei Wuxian can only think of one place to go for help.

living in my memory/living in my mouth by tardigradeschool

Wei Wuxian dies at twenty-two and doesn’t come back. Lan Wangji dies in an “unfortunate accident” in a temple in Yunping at thirty-seven. The world moves on.

Thousands of years later, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan have a senior thesis in cultivation to co-write on the Yiling Patriarch. It doesn’t go exactly how they were expecting. - “I still do not understand why you were able to read the journal in the first place,” Lan Zhan says.

Wei Ying grins. “You’ll laugh,” he says. He won’t, of course. Lan Zhan doesn’t laugh. But maybe he can swing a smile. “It’s because of the name thing. He wrote his name into the scrambling talisman. So it says that no one can undo the lock but Wei Ying.” He hooks a thumb at himself.

Everyone’s always said his name is unlucky. This is the first time it’s worked out in his favor. It’s not a coincidence either; apparently his mother thought it would be funny. Mrs. Yu had told him that with a curl in her lip, as if it didn’t make him wish he knew his parents even more.

the kite string and the anchor rope by fleurdeliser

When A-Yuan gets sick and Wen Qing doesn't have the supplies she needs to properly treat him, Wei Wuxian can only think of one place to go for help.

Letters to My Partner in Crime by pupeez4eva

Jin Zixuan is hoping that his engagement to Jiang Yanli will be cancelled after his fight with Wei Wuxian. Instead, much to his frustration, he finds himself being forced to exchange regular letters with her.

He is expecting little from this correspondence. The last thing he expects is to be dragged into a matchmaking scheme to pair Wei Wuxian up with Lan Wangji of all people.

i carry your heart with me by lulu_kitty

“Wei-qianbei, I don’t understand. What sort of curse is this?” Lan Jingyi whispers shakily.

He moves aside to reveal a small figure huddled in his husband's robes. A young child, no older than five or six, looking around in both confusion and fear.

Wei Wuxian can’t breathe.

Because the little boy has a Lan clan ribbon dangling loosely around his neck.

"...Lan Zhan?"

Or, Lan Wangji is temporarily cursed back into his six year old self. Wei Wuxian and his family must reconcile with the unexpected feelings that it brings.

To have and to hold by Moominmammashandbag

Madam Yu comes to Cloud Recesses. Lan Xichen is woken to be told worrying news. Lan WangJi does not break someone's arm. It was dislocated.

Jiang Yanli/Nie Mingjue

when the war is over by in_seclusion

Following the massacre at Lotus Pier, Jiang Yanli finds herself a refugee in Qinghe and Yunmeng Jiang finds itself with no alliances or resources to rebuild. At the suggestion of Nie Huaisang, Jiang Yanli marries Nie Mingjue to secure an alliance with Qinghe Nie. The cost? Her happiness. The bargain? Power for Yunmeng Jiang, and possibly Wei Wuxian's life.

Jiang Yanli fully expected a quiet life devoid of warmth and love, but what if she finds both love and herself anyway?

Initiative by nirejseki

Depending on how one looked at it, Nie Mingjue either should have gotten married years ago or didn’t need to marry at all.

Especially not to Jiang Yanli.

Still, when, after the war, she made the suggestion, however circumspectly, Nie Mingjue did not refuse immediately, but agreed to consider the matter.

Lan Xichen/Nie Mingjue

soaring, carried aloft on the wind by Skadiseven

“Xiongzhang,” Wangji choked out, sliding to the ground in front of Xichen. “I love him. He is the other half of my soul.”

Oh. No. Oh, no.  

The Beifeng, that mighty empire of the north, invaded more than a year ago, moving inexorably south and east, toppling the cities of Qinghe and Qishan, and now wait, camped outside of Lanling.

In order to buy peace, the chief of the Lan clan has given the Beifeng warlord a gift, his second oldest son in marriage.

However, he did not consult his oldest son, and when Xichen finds out that his brother has been given away, as though he was no more than a vase or painting, he makes a plan. He, too, can give a gift, and he will not regret it.

What he finds with the Beifeng, with the warlord, with the people he meets, and within himself, is not at all what he expects.

[Look, I'm definitely not doing justice to this ship. There are so many good stories for them! But right at this moment, this is the only one that comes to mind. Also, the only story including Nie Huaisang/Meng Yao that I've actually enjoyed]

Lan Qiren/Wen Ruohan

Relentless by nirejseki 

“Why are we even here?” Wen Xu groused.

“Yeah! That’s right! Why are we here?” Wen Chao immediately chimed, very obviously taking his cues from his elder brother – much to the latter’s irritation, judging by his immediate scowl.

Lan Qiren knew that he needed to pick his next words very carefully. With recalcitrant students, a teacher only had a few opportunities to really connect with them. If he allowed them to dismiss him or categorize him as an enemy at this early stage, it would be an incredibly uphill battle to gain enough respect in order to teach them anything, and in this case, given the strength of their background and the fact that this little teaching session was both likely to be short and definitely completely unauthorized, it would quite possibly make it completely impossible to ever get through to them.

“You are here,” Lan Qiren said solemnly, each word slow and thoughtful, “because your father is an ass.”

(a story of kidnapping and falling in love, reluctantly)

[There are a few more, but I can't seem to find them at the moment. However, nirejseki has a few Lan Qiren-centered stories that are really fun]

#the untamed #wangxian #nielan #mingli #whatever it's the name for lan qiren/wen ruohan #my recs

[mjsakurea]

Fair and Foul - Chapter 14 - FINAL CHAPTER

A modern Wangxian zombie apocalypse AU

Previous chapter

""Ah so the rumors are true?"

"What rumors? What are you talking about"

"I have friends in Cloud Recesses you know, ones that told me about a boy bitten and left to die, only, you didn't, did you?""

---

Everyone knows that when you get bitten, you turn into a Corpse, that's just how it works--how it has worked for years now since the undead started plaguing the world. But, when word gets out of an exception to the rule, however, how will the world react? What is the life of one man worth over a potential cure? To Lan Wangji: everything.

Continue reading below or on AO3

It was slow going getting back to Koi Tower with a baby and a woman who had already pushed herself past the point of exhaustion. They had stayed in the condo for a few days to rest, but not as long as would have been ideal. Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and Wen Qing agreed it would be best to leave before they exhausted the food supplies that they had accumulated in the apartment; taking a good amount with them would ensure they had a backup in the scenario they had difficulty locating more on the journey. In hindsight with how slow their travel ended up being, it was a wise decision.

While trekking across the country, Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and Wen Qing all had to adhere to A-Yuan’s schedule. If he began to grow fussy, they knew their only choice was to find shelter soon. If he started crying it was a surefire way to draw Corpses to their exact location. Luckily, A-Yuan seemed to be a genuinely happy child but since keeping him happy was as essential to their survival as it was, it was a demanding task. It was a task all three of the adults worked together tirelessly to accomplish. No one would admit it, but when they had to cut their travel days short, more often than not it was a relief.

Early in the afternoon, after weeks of travel, when they finally crested the final hill to see the looming gold presence of Koi Tower, exhaustion had taken away their ability to feel truly excited. Wei Wuxian reached a hand up to rub his eyes. The shiny image of the tower seemed unreal like it would fade away into a mirage if he looked away. After so long on the road, it almost felt too good to be true. He longed to see his brother and sister again and to introduce them to his son. Wei Wuxian looked over to check up on A-Yuan who was still sleeping peacefully in Lan Wangji’s arms, unaware of the building anticipation of the adults.

As they were let through the gates and passed the bridge, Wei Wuxian strained his eyes to see if Jiang Yanli or Jiang Cheng were waiting for them. He hoped that someone had alerted them of their arrival. Instead of his siblings, however, he noticed a group of five figures dressed in gold speedily approaching the entrance. As they got closer, Wei Wuxian noticed they all carried swords. Four were dressed in guard uniforms while the fifth stood in front with more regal wear. Wei Wuxian vaguely recognized him as one of the Jin cousins, one he could not be bothered to remember the name of.

As the groups neared each other, the Jin cousin stopped and sneered, “Wei Wuxian, Wen Qing, come with us.”

“I’m sorry do I know you? We just got back; I need to find my—” Wei Wuxian began.

The Jin cousin’s sneer turned into a scowl as he interrupted. “We weren’t asking.”

“I don’t care, we’re tired, you’re gonna have to wait.” Wei Wuxian could feel a headache brewing behind his heavily dark-circled eyes. They were severely in need of proper rest and his patience was growing thin.

“Very well,” The Jin cousin announced with a flick of his hand. At that motion, the four guards came forward. Two stepped around to either side of Wei Wuxian while the other two did the same for Wen Qing. Wei Wuxian turned his head to see them grab Wen Qing harshly, but before he could shout a protest, he was shoved hard in the back. As he struggled to catch himself from falling forward the two guards flanking him grabbed his arms, as well.

“Hey, let go of me!” he shouted, trying to twist his arms out of their grip.

“Unhand him!” Lan Wangji commanded, stepping forward into the Jin cousin’s space. Wei Wuxian craned his head to look. Lan Wangji’s eyes were murderous, a stark contrast to the wide and confused eyes of A-Yuan who had woken in the commotion.

With a shing, the Jin cousin drew his sword halfway from its sheath. “I suggest you stay put,” he muttered angrily.

Lan Wangji looked ready to put this Jin cousin in his place; Wei Wuxian knew that if he was not holding A-Yuan, he would have already drawn his crossbow. But because he was holding A-Yuan, Wei Wuxian could not let him try anything. Catching Lan Wangji’s eye, Wei Wuxian quickly shook his head. Please, stand down, keep him safe, he tried to communicate with the minute shake. Lan Wangji met his eyes with grim determination. But slowly, the animosity in them died down. He dropped his head and turned on a heel, stalking off in the direction of the Jiang’s residence. Wei Wuxian sighed in minute relief, as long as Lan Wangji and A-Yuan were safe, he could deal with whatever this Jin cousin whatshisface wanted with him.

With Lan Wangji gone, the Jin cousin turned and led the way for his four guards. With exhaustion already weighing heavy on him, Wei Wuxian let them drag him along without further resistance.

Before long, Wei Wuxian could tell where they were headed: the main hall of Koi Tower—the gaudiest and grandest part of the compound. Wei Wuxian held back a groan of frustration; it looked like they were about to have an audience with Jin Guangshan. He had not needed to meet the man to know of his deeply unpleasant demeanor.

When they were brought into the main room, the man himself was sitting on an elevated, throne-like chair in the center of the wide hall. Wei Wuxian internally scoffed. It looked more like the set of a period drama than an encampment hall. There was another man standing beside the seat whose smile struck Wei Wuxian as oddly familiar. After approaching Jin Guangshan, the Jin cousin motioned for the guards to release their hold on Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing. After releasing their arms, the guards remained at attention behind the pair, only giving them a semblance of freedom.

“So glad you have finally returned, Wei Wuxian, we were starting to worry for your safety. And so good of you to bring along Miss Wen, it’s a pleasure to meet such a beautiful and accomplished doctor,” Jin Guangshan’s voice drawled, contrary to the false politeness of his words and smile.

“What do you want with us?” Wei Wuxian said dryly. Jin Guangshan’s smile dropped but the man next to him continued to display a dimpled grin. It unnerved Wei Wuxian, both in its falseness and familiarity.

“Very well, we can dispense with the pleasantries. I want to make a deal with you,” Jin Guangshan said.

“A deal?”

“Yes. We have heard of what wonderful work Miss Wen was carrying out in Nightless City before she was so rudely interrupted. We would like you to allow Miss Wen to continue her work, and if she succeeds, you get to live your life in luxury as the savior of Koi Tower,” Jin Guangshan exclaimed as if it was some big prize.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes narrowed. They should not have known about that. Only a few people knew about him being in Nightless City. Hardly anyone knew of the city’s existence. Who could have—then, Wei Wuxian’s eyes locked onto the dimpled stranger. All of a sudden he could picture that face with an outstretched hand, holding an apple with a deceiving grin. The Unclean Realm. The puzzle pieces slot into place. Wei Wuxian did not know how this man got to be at Jin Guangshan’s side in this way, but it was doubtless who had told him of Wei Wuxian’s condition and Wen Qing’s involvement. Whatever motive he had, Wei Wuxian was not going to make the mistake of trusting him again.

“And if we refuse?” Wei Wuxian questioned.

“Then I see no reason to keep Miss Wen alive, we can start from scratch with our talented Jin doctors,” Jin Guangshan said casually. Wei Wuxian could see Wen Qing stiffen beside him.

“Some deal you’re making if you’re not even giving me a choice,” said Wei Wuxian.

“You have the choice to either cooperate or be difficult. If you cooperate, you can see your name go down in the history books. You can ensure the safety of your loved ones. Isn’t the choice clear?” He said with a shrug.

Wei Wuxian simply stared. Even unspoken, the threat was obvious. Wei Wuxian did not have any doubts about how far Jin Guangshan would be willing to go if it meant the chance at getting his hands on a cure. He also knew that Jin Guangshan was too power-hungry to be trusted with a cure. If it were possible to produce one, with it in his hands, he could force the world to fall at his feet. But could that be a worthy price to pay if the world was saved?

“Well, if you don’t find it so clear, we can give you the night to think about it,” Jin Guangshan interrupted his thoughts. He waved a hand casually and added, “Zixun.”

Wei Wuxian saw Jin Zixun approach out of the corner of his eye, but before he even had time to react Jin Zixun reeled back a fist and slammed it into the side of his skull. Wei Wuxian’s ears rang as his head whipped to the side. He distantly heard Wen Qing gasp. Opening his eyes that he had not even realized he had closed he saw two guards restraining Wen Qing again. However, none moved to restrain him yet. He lifted his head only for Jin Zixun to strike another powerful blow. Wei Wuxian’s nose cracked audibly, and he could feel the trickle of liquid running over his upper lip. He stumbled back, attempting to put his hands up to shield his face but the Jin cousin was quicker. He landed another few quick blows until one finally sent Wei Wuxian to the floor. Wei Wuxian coughed out a mouthful of blood from where he lay in a crumpled heap. He tensed for more hits but instead, the two remaining guards grabbed him by the arms and hauled him up. The sudden shift gave him vertigo. He was not given time to regain his bearings before he was dragged off alongside Wen Qing.

Wei Wuxian’s head was still pounding as he sat in the dark cell he and Wen Qing had been dragged to. He had no idea where in Koi Tower they were; his head had been too fuzzy to keep track of the route. He sat on a hard cot; Wen Qing crouched in front of him gently dabbing a small torn-off piece of her shirt to his nose. She had set the break as best she could in the dimness without any supplies. He did not speak until she finally took her hand away from his face.

“Can you do it?” he asked softly.

“What?” she questioned.

“Can you make a cure from me?” Wei Wuxian continued.

She shook her head. “Truthfully? I don’t think so.”

Wei Wuxian hummed. It wasn’t a hard no, but he doubted he would understand the science if he asked her to clarify. He cleared his throat, “You need to do it.”

“What? But I just said—”

“I know but listen,” he interrupted. He knew he was not making much sense, which she could probably attribute to a concussion. “You just have to stall for as long as you can. Do whatever you need to do to make it look convincing that you’re making progress,” Wei Wuxian said firmly, looking directly into her confused eyes.

“Wei Wuxian, you can’t possibly ask me to do that to you. Again,” she said as if he needed the reminder.

“It’s the only way. The sooner they realize it’s not working the sooner they will look for other options.” More quietly he continued, leaning forward, “We cannot let them find out about A-Yuan. If we can get a message to Lan Zhan—he will keep him safe I know he will—we just have to give him time to get out of here without arousing suspicion.”

Wen Qing said nothing for a minute. She stared deeply at him. Then, she sighed and nodded her head.

“I understand,” she said, “I don’t like it, but I’ll do it. For A-Yuan.”

“Thank you,” Wei Wuxian breathed out. He leaned back onto his cot while gesturing to the other one in the cell. “Might as well try to get some rest while we can now. We have some long days ahead of us.”

Wen Qing nodded again before straightening up and taking a few steps to reach the other cot. She laid down facing the stone wall, head cradled under her hands. Wei Wuxian turned so he could lie down on his back. He rested an arm under his head to at least attempt to cushion his weary skull, hurt as it was and filled with uneasy thoughts.

Before long, Wen Qing’s breathing had turned heavy. Her breath was the only other sound in the room beside the occasional drip of water that echoed from an unseen location. Even by the time she had fallen asleep, Wei Wuxian still found himself staring up at the ceiling. It could have been a few hours, or it could have been barely one; Wei Wuxian had no idea how much time had passed in the windowless cell. If he had been asleep, he probably would not have heard the delicate footsteps echoing in the hallway, growing steadily closer. Wei Wuxian closed his eyes quickly. Not knowing who was coming, he did not want to give them the benefit of knowing he was awake.

“Wei Ying,” a quiet voice said. Wei Wuxian’s eyes shot open. There was no one else that voice could be except—

“Lan Zhan!” he said in a half shout, half whisper, pushing himself up off the cot and over to the barred-off front of the cell, where Lan Wangji was already crouched. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?” Wei Wuxian questioned.

“Mo Xuanyu knew a way in,” Lan Wangji answered.

“Is A-Yuan okay? Yanli, Jiang Cheng?” Wei Wuxian said eagerly, his fists grasping the bars in front of him.

“All fine, worried,” Lan Wangji said, he gently put one of his hands over one of Wei Wuxian’s. “What do they want with you?” he continued.

Wei Wuxian explained what had happened in the main hall with Jin Guangshan, the Jin cousin, and Dimples. He left out the part where he got the daylights beaten out of him, but he figured Lan Wangji could take a guess from the sorry state of his face—no doubt heavily bruised. His eye felt swollen, and his lip was split, as well. There was an undertone of worry evident in Lan Wangji’s stony expression.

Wei Wuxian unclasped his hand from the bars and instead gripped Lan Wangji’s. He said, “You need to get out of here Lan Zhan, get A-Yuan out of here. Go back to Cloud Recesses. Take my siblings with, keep them all safe, please.”

“No.”

“What, Lan Zhan please, you have to!”

“I will never leave you again. Wei Ying, I will get you out of here, I swear.” Wei Wuxian shook his head. His stubborn, stubborn man.

“But—” Wei Wuxian began to protest.

“Do you trust me?” Lan Wangji said. The conviction in his eyes was palpable.

“Of course,” Wei Wuxian said easily despite his unease.

“Then trust me on this.” Lan Wangji squeezed his hand gently as he spoke.

Wei Wuxian took a deep breath. He could tell Lan Zhan was planning something, but he had no idea what it could involve. He could only hope it would not put him or his family in any danger—more than they were already in, at least. He nodded. “Okay. Just, be careful,” Wei Wuxian pleaded.

“Mn.” Lan Wangji nodded. With the hand unoccupied by Wei Wuxian’s own, he reached through the bars and nestled his fingers in the soft hair at the back of Wei Wuxian’s neck. Wei Wuxian followed the gesture to lean forward until his head was almost touching the bars. Lan Wangji ducked his head so that his forehead was pressed delicately against Wei Wuxian’s through the bars. Wei Wuxian closed his eyes, feeling the slight sting of budding tears. Today had been too long, too taxing.

In a subtle movement, Lan Wangji’s head left his. Wei Wuxian felt Lan Zhan’s lips press faintly to the corner of his eye, easing away the tear. Then, his lips moved to his forehead with a tender kiss. Too soon, his lips left Wei Wuxian’s forehead, and he released his hand with a final squeeze. When Wei Wuxian opened his eyes, Lan Wangji was already standing up and turning down the hallway. As fast as he had arrived, his footsteps retreated again.

Wei Wuxian turned to glance at Wen Qing. Her breathing had remained even, and it looked like she was still asleep. He thought about waking her to tell her of Lan Zhan’s visit but decided against it. She could use the rest. As much as he wanted to trust Lan Zhan, he also worried about the consequences of getting their hopes up. The most he could do now is wait, either for Lan Wangji to come through with his plan or for morning to bring whatever Jin Guangshan had in store. Wei Wuxian climbed back into his cot and made himself as comfortable as he could despite having no desire to sleep that night.

Another indistinguishable amount of time passed before Wei Wuxian was once again alerted by the presence of nearby footsteps. These, however, were not so quiet as Lan Wangji’s steady gait had been; They were heavy and rushed. Before Wei Wuxian could sit up or do anything, they had reached the cell. There was a tapping sound on the bars and the light of a flashlight.

“Wei Wuxian, Wen Qing, wake up,” a voice urged.

Wei Wuxian quickly rolled out of the cot and stood up. On the other one, Wen Qing had rolled over to her front and was squinting into the brightness of the flashlight. When Wei Wuxian looked over, the flashlight lowered to reveal Jin Zixuan on the other side of the bars. Wei Wuxian almost did not recognize him because his outfit was devoid of any of its usual golds or tans. Instead, he was dressed in all dark browns or blacks. Wei Wuxian did not even know he owned such plain-looking clothes.

“Jin Zixuan? Why are you here?” Wei Wuxian said, walking up to the bars. Wen Qing had joined him in standing, listening in from directly behind him.

In lieu of an answer, Jin Zixuan smiled and held up a bulky metal key, one that appeared to be a perfect match for the deadbolt lock on the cell door. Wei Wuxian eyed the key and returned his gaze to Jin Zixuan.

“Where’s Lan Zhan?”

“Waiting by the exit for us, so we should hurry. Let’s go,” Jin Zixuan said. He went to put the key into the lock. Wei Wuxian grabbed his wrist before he could reach it.

“Wait, if you break us out and someone finds out, your father would be pissed. Are you sure you want to take that risk?” Wei Wuxian said.

“I won’t be at risk, because I’m coming with you all,” Jin Zixuan said simply.

Wei Wuxian blinked. “What? You are? And wait, all? Who’s all?”

Jin Zixuan sighed and scratched the back of his head, “I wasn’t supposed to tell you this yet, but A-Li is pregnant.” Wei Wuxian gasped quietly, his brain split between how dare the peacock, he didn’t get my and Jiang Cheng’s blessings yet and oh my god I’m going to be an uncle!

While Wei Wuxian was reeling, Jin Zixuan continued, “Koi Tower has been my home for as long as I can remember, but my father’s rule has overstepped too many times for me to feel comfortable raising our child here. Koi Tower was supposed to be a sanctuary, but he treats it like an empire for him to rule. So, we’re getting out, you, me, your siblings, A-Yuan, Wen Qing, Lan Wangji, Mianmian, and Mo Xuanyu.”

Wei Wuxian focused back on what he had said, understanding Jin Zixuan’s reasoning, but also already realizing how many flaws this plan had.

“But where will we go? Traveling won’t be sustainable with that many people. Cloud Recesses and the Unclean Realm already know me. Lotus Pier will still be overrun,” Wei Wuxian said grimly.

“We have a plan,” Jin Zixuan said, “There has been talk lately about a new settlement taking shape in the West, one that doesn’t care about bloodlines or contributions, but on personal connection and ambition. Most people have been dismissing it as idealistic rumors—and I had assumed so, as well—but Lan Wangji was able to confirm its existence. He tells me that when we parted with him after Nightless City, on his way back to Cloud Recesses, he came across a pair of men who told him of their plans. With Mo Xuanyu’s help, we have been able to make contact with them and they have welcomed us. No one else will know where we went, we’ll be safe,” he assured.

When Wei Wuxian did not respond he urged, “So come on, they’re waiting on us.”

Wei Wuxian looked behind him at Wen Qing. She simply nodded wordlessly.

“Okay,” Wei Wuxian said, turning back to Jin Zixuan and releasing his wrist.

With his hand freed, Jin Zixuan twisted the key into the lock on the cell door. It opened with a clang, and he urged Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing out quickly. The trio hurried down the hallway, up some stairs, through another corridor, and finally outside where the sky was already pitch black. Despite Jin Zixuan saying Lan Wangji and the others would be waiting by the exit, they turned in the opposite direction of the front gate. They snuck through a series of back streets before reaching a barely visible door recessed into the tall wall that surrounded the tower. Jin Zixuan pulled out another key—this one smaller and golden than the cell key—and stuck it into the lock. He gestured Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing through before he followed, locking the door back up again behind him. On the other side of the door, Lan Wangji and the others were waiting.

Seeing his siblings, Wei Wuxian jogged toward them to wrap them in a tight, quick hug. He nodded to Mianmian who was holding A-Yuan while he teethed on a toy. He ruffled Mo Xuanyu’s hair before the kid could protest. Then, he skipped over to Lan Wangji and threw his arms around him.

“Lan Zhan!” he said, just to be able to say it. He tucked his head into the other man’s shoulder and said sincerely, breathlessly, “Thank you.”

“No need for thanks between us,” Lan Wangji countered instantly.

Wei Wuxian pulled his arms back from around Lan Zhan’s neck and took one of his hands instead. “Mn, let’s go,” he said with a smile.

With Wei Wuxian’s go-ahead, the group set off toward their new life. For possibly the first time in his life, Wei Wuxian felt the future opening up ahead of him. He had the love of his life by his side, a son to raise, a future niece or nephew to cherish, family, friends, possibilities. Once they got settled, he would see about working with Wen Qing to definitively decipher whether a cure was possible, but it would be their choice to make, away from foul hands that would seek to rip that power into their own hands, as greedy as the Corpses they fought against. The world they had been left with was unfair, but they were alive, and together, and free. What more could he ask for?

The End

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Mini Epilogue

In a few weeks’ time, the group would arrive in an isolated meadow surrounded by mountains where a new commune was taking shape. They would be welcomed with open arms by Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen and those who had already joined their cause. As Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji worked about building a house together suitable for a small family, Lan Wangji would ask Wei Wuxian to officially share the rest of his life with him, for better or worse. They would make their three bows that same night in front of a roaring fire surrounded by friends and family, new and old. Married life would see Wei Wuxian planting potatoes and carrots and Lan Wangji raising a flock of fluffy rabbits, A-Yuan ever happy to be buried in either soil or bunnies whenever the fancy struck the happy toddler. He would grow up alongside his nephew, brought into the world healthily to two happy parents with the help of a devoted midwife Wen Qing—and hopefully future sister-in-law if Wei Wuxian could smack enough courage into his brother to make a move before Mianmian could snatch her away. Mo Xuanyu would make his first friend—more accurately partner in crime—his age in A-Qing, a delightfully courageous girl who could take apart and reassemble a radio as fast as he could despite not being able to see any of the parts. She would use her cane to speak in Morse code to him at all hours, much to his delight and everyone else’s bemused exasperation. They would all face the struggles that came with starting a community from scratch, but above all, they would be happy.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #cql #the untamed #wangxian #fanfiction #fair and foul