#DEMONIC CULTIVATOR XUE YANG; Verse
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fierce spirits bite back | The Untamed
Summary:
Although, Xue Yang thought, pausing in his preparations, they had at least one interest in common. And if his daoshi had run into trouble…might be helpful to have an extra pair of hands. He didn’t trust Wei Wuxian to watch his back. But he could probably trust him to watch theirs.
When Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen go missing on a night hunt, Xue Yang (somewhat reluctantly) requests Wei Wuxian's help getting them back.
Part of the if living can be this series.
Notes:
I spend a lot of time thinking about how to make Wei Wuxian and Xue Yang work together because it's unexpectedly difficult for me, various canon timeline things considered. In this verse specifically, they very much (re-)got off on the wrong foot (see domestic bliss, interrupted), but what am I good for if not shoehorning characters who don't particularly like each other into working together.
Thanks owed to @silvysartfulness for a ridiculous amount of cheerleading and @ameliarating for editing. I very seriously couldn't, or at least wouldn't, have done it without you.
(A note/reminder that narrative character feelings are not necessarily my own, because I feel like that might need clarifying in this instance.)
The title of this fic is a quote from what Xue Yang-disguised-as-Xiao-Xingchen says to Wei Wuxian in the novel about demonic cultivation.
#xue yang#wei wuxian#songxuexiao#if living can be this#the sad queer cultivators show#a wild fic appeared
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xicheng marriage wip (i)
I hear JC antis are complaining that “JC stans from twitter” are posting canon-verse xicheng in the canon JC tag. I find this extremely puzzling because they seem to like their JC deranged, unhinged, and dealing badly with WWX’s death. I don’t understand why I should be excluded from this tag when I TOO like my JC deranged, unhinged, and dealing badly with WWX’s death.
So have the opening snippet of my ✨xicheng marriage of convenience✨ WIP, where the Lan elders try to void the wangxian marriage on basis of an old Confucian rule, stating that younger brothers cannot marry before older brothers — so JC offers himself up for a loveless marriage with LXC, and LXC (who is depressed and disillusioned after Guanyin Temple) agrees. They do not initially get along. DRAMA ensues.
---
After two wars, Lan Xichen thinks he can speak authoritatively on the matter — the bulk of the work always comes after the war.
This argument between Lanling Jin and a coalition of smaller sects has raged on for hours now, late into the night. It is far past Gusu Lan's traditional bedtime, and Lan Xichen can feel tiredness slowly beginning to chip away at his patience.
"I would like to advocate again for the open dissemination of the Yiling Patriarch's research notes," he says tiredly, for what feels like the fourth or fifth time that night. "Parts of his research have the potential to be used for good. Everyone should be able to benefit from his inventions."
A minor sect leader shoots to his feet. Sect Leader Yao is his name, Lan Xichen remembers suddenly. He does not remember the name with much fondness.
“But what of the parts that could be used for harm?!” Sect Leader Yao cries, appalled. “The common people cannot be trusted with such evil techniques! Not to mention that there’s a high risk of things going wrong if they are practiced incorrectly. How can these notes just be distributed so carelessly?!”
“And that’s why Lanling Jin is best suited to safeguard these techniques,” Jin Guangyao interjects, smiling. “We have a guest disciple who has the knowledge to interpret these notes, safely testing out the techniques until we can figure out which ones are safe enough for public use.”
Nie Mingjue, a hitherto quiet figure, finally lets out a cold laugh.
“You’re talking about Xue Yang,” he says.
Lan Xichen winces, sensing an oncoming argument
“Da-ge—” he begins placatingly.
“Your entire Jin Sect is a pit of vipers,” Nie Mingjue spits, “and I wouldn’t trust you with a dagger, let alone an entire manual of dangerous cultivation techniques.” He chuckles humorlessly. “When are you going to hand Xue Yang over for trial?”
Even though he does not address the question to anyone specifically, his eyes are pinned on Jin Guangyao. The other man drops his eyes, avoiding his gaze.
“My, my, Sect Leader Nie,” Jin Guangshan begins silkily. “Such venomous accusations. Won’t you give your sworn brother some face?”
Jin Guangyao stiffens at those words. After a moment, however, Nie Mingjue just scoffs, turning to the man sitting silently at his side.
“And you, Jiang Wanyin?” he questions sharply. “Do you have nothing to say?”
Everyone startles at that, turning to the young sect leader, having all but forgotten about his presence. He had been so quiet, so still, just staring vacantly at the table for the whole discussion. Even now, he does not even twitch, sitting still as stone.
“No,” he replies, monotone.
Nie Mingjue lets out a frustrated, disbelieving noise.
“You alone have veered the furthest from the demonic path,” he presses. “You alone have condemned it whole-heartedly, eliminated all that would misuse it. And now, you will not fight to safeguard these manuals from falling into the hands of unscrupulous others?”
When Jiang Wanyin still says nothing, Nie Mingjue leans in.
“Jiang Wanyin,” he hisses. “You have the strongest claim to his possessions. You will not fight?! He was your Da-shixiong! He was your brother! You have the right!”
There’s a crackle.
The flickering purple of Jiang Cheng’s ring casts a conspicuous glow in the dim room, painting his still features in eerie shadow.
“He was no brother of mine,” Jiang Wanyin says without inflection. “I lay no claim.”
Nie Mingjue sits back in his chair, seemingly backing down.
“Calm yourself, Jiang Wanyin,” he mutters. “You want no part in this? Fine. I’m not going to argue with you.”
At those words, the crackle dies, and the room eases a little. This, however, is apparently enough for Jin Guangshan to resume his machinations without fear.
“And yet,” he drawls, leaning back in his seat, “the young Sect Leader Jiang continues to hoard the most valuable piece of the puzzle. Is the ghost flute Chenqing not in your possession? Do you not guard it zealously at your Lotus Pier?”
Jiang Wanyin does not speak, and after a moment, Jin Guangyao reaches out to grip discreetly at Jin Guangshan’s sleeve.
“Father,” he murmurs worriedly.
“Don’t call me that,” Jin Guangshan snarls, flicking Jin Guangyao’s touch off with a wave of his sleeve. He does not even look at Jin Guangyao, eyes fixed single-mindedly on the other sect leader. “Is it even in Lotus Pier, Jiang Wanyin, or have you hidden it elsewhere?"
Jiang Wanyin’s gaze, previously fixed unmovingly on the table, raises slowly to meet Jin Guangshan’s eyes. Lan Xichen can’t help but feel a strange sense of foreboding. The young man in front of him had once been so easy to cow, always wary of offending his elders, always keen not to draw anyone’s ire, but now, he meets Jin Guangshan’s gaze head-on, without any hint of an apology.
"You have evaded all attempts to inquire of its whereabouts, all attempts to hold you to accountability," Jin Guangshan continues. "Do you really think you are above questioning?! Do you really think we will allow you to hold Chenqing indefinitely, without explanation, without justification?!”
Outside, the trees rustle briefly, disturbed by a sudden breeze. The gust flutters at the edges of the papers on the desk, setting the candles on the table violently a-flicker. The dancing candlelight lights Jiang Wanyin's face from beneath, his eyes flashing dangerously in its glow, but still, Jin Guangshan doesn’t seem to notice.
“We will not have another person holding onto dark weapons without any means of accountability,” he concludes. “We will not have another Yiling Patriarch!"
Lan Xichen blinks, and when he next opens his eyes, the long discussion table has tipped over, hitting the floor with a loud, thunderous crash. The candles on the table fall to the ground, lighting the scattered maps and notes on fire. With that, the room is thrown into sudden darkness, shadows flickering and flashing dizzyingly against the walls as several others begin to stamp out the fire, shouting in alarm.
Jin Guangyao’s shrill voice cuts through the din like a knife.
“Jiang Wanyin!” he screams.
Lan Xichen looks up to see Jin Guanyao falling backwards, knocked away by a fierce sweep of Jiang Wanyin’s arm. With the other hand, Jiang Wanyin has reached across the toppled table, and is gripping Jin Guangshan by the collar, all but lifting him off his seat.
“You want accountability?!” he hisses. “You want justification?!”
“Jiang Wanyin, stop this!” Jin Guangyao shrieks. He grabs Jiang Wanyin’s elbow, pulling at him with his whole body, but still, Jiang Wanyin will not be moved.
“Then let me tell you!” Jiang Wanyin thunders. “Chenqing is on my person! It is on my person right now, as it has been since I gained possession of it, and as it will be until Wei Wuxian returns to claim it!”
“You’re mad!” Jin Guangshan shrieks. “Claim it?! How?! He’s dead! Dead!”
“How would you know?!” Jiang Wanyin bellows, shaking Jin Guangshan violently by the neck. “Did you see him die?! Did you find a body?! There was no body! No bones! Nothing to claim— nothing to bury!”
“Let go of him!” Jin Guangyao screams, still pulling desperately at Jiang Wanyin’s arm as Lan Xichen rushes around the smoldering wreck of the table.
“Jiang Wanyin!” Lan Xichen hollers, grabbing Jiang Wanyin’s other arm. “Control yourself!”
Nie Mingjue leaps across the table as well. But in Jiang Wanyin’s mad rage, not even the combined efforts of three prominent cultivators can restrain him.
“He’ll be back!” he spits in Jin Guangshan’s face. “And when he finally comes for me, when he finally comes for his accursed flute— I’ll kill him, and kill him, and kill him dead!”
---
This memory is what plays in Lan Xichen’s mind, over and over, while Jiang Cheng bows his head, presenting a red letter in gold lettering.
“For my brother’s happiness,” he says tonelessly, “please accept my marriage proposal.”
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+ @indulgentia
“OH? This blood? Not mine... at least not ALL of it. Have any bandages handy?”
#[ I hope this is okay <3 ]#.[ I owe you so much fdkfjakd ]#[ just know that I love you and your muses okay?#I'm just slow and my brain is bad akdjf;dafkjls a]#[ smooches all your muse's foreheads ]#[ xy please behave ]#[ i only have one brain cell and you're not helping ]#THE BASTARD SPEAKS; In Character#A BEGINNING; Starter#MO RAN; INDULGENTIA#DEMONIC CULTIVATOR XUE YANG; Verse
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Congratulations to Hanguang-jun! 🥳 (and forgive me for the typo in the newspaper, I realized too late 😅)
#mxtx#mxtx novels#mxtx crack#mxtx verse#tgcf#tian guan ci fu#heaven official's blessing#grandmaster of demonic cultivation#mdzs#mo dao su zhi#svsss#mdzs meme#lan wangji#wei wuxian#wei ying#wangxian#lan xichen#nie huaisang#jin guangyao#xue yang#wen qing#jiang yanli#gusu#gusu lan#shen qingqiu#shen yuan#luo bingmei#luo binghe#hua cheng#chicken
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Can we see the bits if we ask very nicely
so it took me a second to realize that this was referring to the post about sunshot era sms/xy I made last night, but I got there :P and you know what yes here's the longest one. context noted down next to it is that xue yang just got involved in some kind of fight/chase that went through a brothel
He pauses outside the door, thinking, then pokes his head back inside to a gratifying chorus of yelps and screams.
"Say," he said, "do any of you ladies play musical instruments?"
*
Su She is up and poking the fire when Xue Yang returns, his face pinched. He turns as he hears him approaching, and his face gets even more pinched. "Where have you been," he started off, "I woke up and I heard commotion from the town and--" His eyes snagged on the bundle in Xue Yang's arms. "What is that--"
"Don't nag me, laopo," Xue Yang says cheerfully. "I got you something nice."
Before Su She can have a fit over being called that, he tosses the bundle at him. The other boy's eyes snapped wide as the cover slid off and he realized what it was; his arms shot out to catch it, snatching fiercely and then holding it carefully, tenderly, like a mother receiving a child.
He looks stunned, and for once he's actually silent as his fingers trace the guqin's body; old wood, but polished to a fine shine. Xue Yang feels... well, pleased with himself, obviously as he watches Su She evaluate the instrument; he was totally right to grab it, he's nailing this alliance thing. But there's a faint complicated feeling churning underneath it. He screws his face up and shakes it off. Weird vague feelings could get fucked.
"Well," he says, feigning impatience, "don't you like it?"
"I," Su She says, and looks up. He looks sort of lost. "I. Yes. Why did you..."
"You said you'd be a lot more use to me with a guqin," Xue Yang pointed out. "So I got you one." Realizing how it sounds, he adds, "I didn't make a special trip or anything. It was just something I saw and picked up."
#replies#it's book verse so xy isn't with the Wen he's just kind of fucking around trying to find out about this#hot new demonic cultivation thing he's heard of#bc it sounds like it'd really help with revenge#and he picked up this mopey ex-lan kid who was also wandering around on a whim#also to bully him into teaching him some more about legit cultivation as a backup plan#sms is mentally traveling the gusu era lwj path of 'oh no im attracted to him. why. why this'#su she#xue yang
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Fun ask - I'd like to know more about Songxuexiao's senses of humor, what guarantees a laugh from any of them, what sort of jokes they tell or try to tell!
Ooohhh... Hm. A good one.
Xue Yang is the easiest, so let's start there.
'Irreverent', could sum up his sense of humour, I think. Joking about Xiao Xingchen's blindness, about killing people, death and demonic cultivation. Things that make the other two vaguely uncomfortable. Making vicious jokes to hide his own uncertainty or weakness, most of all.
But also, even when he's genuinely trying to be friendly - he never ever lets a joke go, once it gets a positive reaction. He'll drown Song Lan in frogs long after it stops being funny - he's very bad at judging when it's time to stop.
Calling Song Lan a boring lump was an insult at first, then a joke, and by now it's practically an endearment - when he's actually pissy at him now, he calls him "corpse" instead.
Xue Yang is also very good at knowing what kind of painfully bad jokes and puns will make Xiao Xingchen laugh - he's had years of practice (and oh, how he loves to make him laugh...) He's witty and sharp and even silly when he wants to be - he is genuinely funny! He just... isn't always very good at reading the room when it comes to what's appropriate to joke about.
Xiao Xingchen... has a very bad sense of humour. He sucks at telling a joke, starting to laugh before he gets to the punchline, or losing the punchline entirely. He'll laugh at the stupidest jokes, the lamest puns.
Dad jokes are right up his alley and will render him reduced to helpless giggles. ("Which side of a zhujian has the most spots? The outside!”)
Sometimes, just sometimes, he'll manage to deliver a perfect line, though, and Xue Yang's heart just explodes into little rainbows when it happens. (Song Lan likes it when Xiao Xingchen laughs, too, but it's not quite that gut-punch reaction Xue Yang has. Xue Yang falls helplessly in love every time Xiao Xingchen laughs, and aches with it.)
I headcanon Xiao Xingchen as being a rather serious person in his youth, the detached half-immortal, taught self-dicipline and restraint and dignity on his far-removed mountain. A place so solemn, no one even told him stories growing up. He smiles a few times when we see him in episode ten, but it's not until he meets a-Qing and Xue Yang that he really laughs, and for Roadtrip-verse, Song Lan reflects on that change at times, that despite all the pain he's gone through (or maybe because of it) Xingchen is so quick to laughter now.
Song Lan is a tricky one - in novel canon, he is described as having absolutely no sense of humour at all. Yet, the way he's played in the series, there are tiny glimpses of softness, even fleeting shadows of the occasional smile, and I've shamelessly chosen to play him as reserved rather than clinically devoid of a sense of humour.
He's a serious man, terse and strict, not interested in attempting to tell jokes himself, and often gets annoyed rather than amused by Xue Yang's constant quips and witticisms... but he isn't entirely immune. He will think that some of Xiao Xingchen's bad jokes are endearing, if not always funny in themselves. And a few rare times he would never admit to, he has come close to smiling at Xue Yang, too.
The frog beads... were funny. Xue Yang's expression when he got zapped while holding hands and experimenting with the talismans, that was funny, too.
Telling the stories about the frog Night Hunt and the time Xue Yang cut his own frozen hair off, that night around that campfire... He had fun, then. (They all did...)
Xiao Xingchen can tell when he's amused, even though he almost never smiles. Xue Yang hasn't quite learned yet, though they are getting better at reading each other.
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I'm still marinating over a post I saw about how Jiang Cheng's character arc is stagnation, that he doesn't have character development, that becoming a sect leader and etc. didn't fundamentally change him. And the thing is I love Jiang Cheng but I don't *totally* disagree, but like... what is character development?
This was based more on the novel, which to be fair I have not finished, but the point they made was that JC was still resentful and just stewing in resentment for 16 years and still blaming WWX for everything. I disagree with that (gave himself up to the Wens? If you do this I can't protect you? Here have Chenqing back??? Right in front of my nephew when the last time you had Chenqing in front of a family member she ended up dying????) but it IS true that in the sixteen year gap we don't really know what JC was up to aside from raising Jin Ling and rumors of torturing demonic cultivators (which I'm not going to get into but a) they are rumors and b) even if it's true I am not convinced that's like... bad) but he is still recognizably JC after the gap - still competitive (see hilarious bit on Dafan mountain of "what do you MEAN I'm not your type?") and proud and prone to anger, still with that instinct to lash out, still struggling to express his emotions in words.
But! Because of the big gap in time, we have all of the cast outside of WWX sort of on standby until he comes back (with the exception of, arguably, Nie Mingjue, because we see a little post-WWX-death through empathy).
So really... aren't they ALL stagnant?
Lan Wangji remains pining for Wei Wuxian. He does not change. He wears mourning white. He gets drunk and brands himself because all he thinks about is WWX. Is this that much different than JC stewing over Chenqing as he polishes it? Are they not both searching for WWX? How has LWJ changed during the story? He wanted WWX when they were young and he wants him now that he's back. He was in love with him then and he's in love with him now. He wanted to take him back to Gusu then and he does that now.
Lan Xichen is still the First Jade, still the diplomat, still the gentleman. How is he any different, except for at the very end when he realizes the depth of Jin Guangyao's betrayal? (and to be fair to this other post they did say that JC has the opportunity to change post-canon because of the core reveal, but my point is that also applies to LXC).
Sect Leader Yao sure hasn't changed.
Lan Qiren hasn't changed.
I think from when we meet Jin Ling to the end, we see some growth for him, but not... really? Like, does his *character* change or does he just now also have the information that his xiao shushu was lying to him and that WWX is maybe not a complete demon - although in novel-verse, there is no second flautist, so his father's death really IS WWX's fault because he DID lose control.
Lan Sizhui remains a tiny angel. Lan Jingyi remains loud.
I think that really the only characters that do have actual character arcs are Wei Wuxian, Nie Huaisang (which is also majority offscreen but you can't tell me HE didn't change), arguably Jin Guangyao depending on how much worse you think he got, arguably Xue Yang if you think he had an actual change of heart about XXC, and Jin Zixuan (who manages to take his head out of his ass and realize how great Yanli is).
Like I don't think even Wen Ning, who becomes a fierce corpse, really... changes? Yes he's a fierce corpse now but he is also still this gentle soul who got way too attached to WWX because he was nice to him that one time.
So it's interesting to think about, how this story with all these complex characters is really mostly made up of personalities and people that are mostly stagnant, mainly because of the time gap that we don't really explore. It's weird to have all this character development "offscreen," is the thing, so we kind of need most of these people to be "on hold" for when WWX comes back or else it has to all be explained.
Which is why @howdydowdy's post about the Case of the Suspiciously Well-Adjusted Brother is so fucking hilarious.
#mdzs meta#I simply do not wish to get into a discussion with someone who does not like JC because I am defensive#I disagree with how you see his character!#and that's okay people can have different interpretations!#however I super don't want to argue about it because it's very much a matter of taste and interpretation#so I made my own post about it esp since I was more interested in like... the concept of the character arc#we have so many characters with so much meta written about them#and they are complex and have all these motivations#but yeah most of them... remain as they are actually#it kind of makes JC's statement at the end - let everyone go back to where they belong - even more poignant?#like all of this stuff happened but have any of us fundamentally changed because of it?#what is change? what constitutes a 'real' character arc?#WHAT IS GROWTH?
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Hi, mercyandmagic....If you don't mind me asking, who are your favorite “villains” (or antagonists) in all of MXTX novels? Whether it’s a final boss like Jun Wu or more of a side character like Xue Yang. (Whether you want to do a ranking or just write out in no particular order)...Sorry if you've answered this question before....
Aghh sorry I haven’t responded all through the month – I’m a university instructor and this past month has been h e l l. Ahem. I will start working through your asks now!
These are solely my opinion, from most to least favorite:
1. Jin Guangyao (was there any doubt?)
I firmly maintain he’s an antagonist and not a villain because he really just wants to live safely. He only goes against Wei Wuxian because Wei Wuxian is in his way; otherwise, he wouldn’t have harmed him. And Jin Guangyao did so much good for the cultivation society once he was free of his father. Not that I’m excusing what he did with his dad, but it really does seem his misdeeds were 95% during his father’s reign, 5% when Wei Wuxian returns, and 5% the mystery of Rusong.
Plus he’s kind, humble, defies tradition by allowing his dead brother’s murals to be treated as equal to his, and... look, to be motivated to do evil to earn your father’s love is a compelling motive. The pain of realizing he isn’t loved by a parent is... awful, and that makes me want to cry over him quite a bit.
2. Xue Yang
He’s charming in an wicked way. Not that I actually think he’s evil – he’s not. But I do think there’s undertones of text that support him as a clinical psychopath, and I don’t mean that in the way of “he’s an irredeemable monster.” I mean his lack of response to pain or risk, his difficulty with relationships, and his difficulty with empathy make me think he has a brain condition. I agree with MXTX that he’d always be different, but so what? I think if someone had intervened earlier or helped him along the way he could have found happiness. Instead, he was asked to do demonic cultivation (which definitely affected even Wei Wuxian’s mood by the end) and a knife to slay political enemies without repercussions was put in his hands by Jin Guangshan. It’s tragic.
3. Shen Qingqiu (original)
Look, his backstory and lack of resolution breaks my heart.
4. Tianlang-Jun
It’s debatable if he’s even an antagonist, but I’ll include him. He’s sad and his story of love and heartbreak made me sniffle.
5. Wen Ruohan
Mysterious, formidable, overwhelming in the one scene we have of him (novel-verse). He drips style and is fodder for so many fanfics.
6. Old Palace Master
Go f**k yourself, Harvey Weinstein of the SVSSS cultivation world.
7. Jun Wu
I grew more and more sus of him throughout the story and was truly delighted to learn he was, indeed, the Big Bad. I do feel empathy, sure – actually more so than for Old Palace Master. But Jun Wu went so far over the line and his torment of Xie Lian was so bad that I don’t care for him personally. He can have his redemption since he’s still alive and I hope he does, but stay far away from me in fanfic. I think the fact that he’s also the head of the gods turns me away from him – religious hypocrisy is something I have a harder time with personally due to experiences growing up.
8. Jin Guangshan
The real villain of MDZS, am I right? Oh, the sexist hatred of talented women, the predation, the manipulation, the lack of love for his son, the murder of political enemies. At least the Old Palace Master kind sorta cared for his daughter. Jin Guangshan reminds me of so many men. Go f**k yourself, Harvey Weinstein + [insert many potential autocrat names here] of the MDZS cultivation world.
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3 for the meta asks!!
>:000 CHES I WOULD DIE FOR YOU!!
Meta Asks
3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)
Well, as it happens, I have one such scene written! Warnings for mildly gory thoughts because Jiang Cheng happens to have a lot of pent up rage and aggression. This is supposed to be in the feral cats 'verse (with all the warnings that entails lmao) but I never got the motivation to flesh out the fic I had planned around this scene.
--
“I’ll kill you,” says Jiang Cheng hoarsely.
His teeth are mere inches from Wei Wuxian’s throat. He could do it. He could lean forward, cross the space between, and tear at those fragile veins pulsing so close to the surface of his skin. He wants to, he wants to so badly he can already taste Wei Wuxian’s blood in his mouth and feel it running down his chin. Let him sink his teeth into his brother’s throat, oh God, because he wants it more than he’s ever wanted anything.
But Xue Yang’s shadowy restraints are firm and unyielding. Jiang Cheng can’t cross that divide no matter how he struggles, and Wei Wuxian looks at him with a wide-eyed expression of hurt. Good. He knows that Jiang Cheng means it.
“Don’t make a decision you’ll regret,” Xue Yang says lowly, and Jiang Cheng has just enough leeway to turn his head slightly. He glares at Xue Yang, who glares right back at him with a fierce, unyielding expression.
“I do what I damn well please,” Jiang Cheng breathes. Summoning all of his considerable strength, he tears at the restraints made of resentful energy. They’re made of grief and anger and bitterness, aren’t they? All the failures and the regrets and the terrible, heart-wrenching agony of living.
Old friends, Jiang Cheng thinks grimly, and for the first time in his life, grasps hold of those emotions and pulls.
It’s the closest he’s ever gotten to demonic cultivation. But it pays off, and the restraints loosen for just a moment. He sees Wei Wuxian’s red eyes widen, sees Xue Yang stumble backward in surprise, as he lunges forward. He doesn’t even have Sandu at the ready. Zidian is too slow. All he has are his teeth and the burning, incoherent rage he feels, that he’s felt since Wei Wuxian toppled off the Burial Mounds so many years ago.
But at the last moment, he reconsiders. Jiang Cheng can’t say why. Maybe it’s the astonished, frightened look in Wei Wuxian’s eyes. Maybe it’s the inarticulate cry of frustration from Xue Yang, so utterly out of character. Hell, for all he knows, it’s the way the sun glances off the lake at the last second, blinding him slightly. Whatever it is, Jiang Cheng’s teeth snap shut just before the skin of Wei Wuxian’s neck and instead he twists forward, throwing his entire body weight behind his fist. He punches Wei Wuxian so hard there’s an audible cracking noise, throwing his head to the side and sending both of them stumbling.
Jiang Cheng’s knuckles sting in an entirely too satisfying way as he drags himself upright. He’s breathing heavily, like he’s just finished some long, harrowing race. He looks at Wei Wuxian and flexes his hand once, twice, just to make sure the knuckles are still working properly.
“You’re so fucking righteous,” he growls, and punches him again.
Jiang Cheng knows on an intellectual level that Wei Wuxian is a Devastation-level ghost king who can probably teleport out of the way of his silly mortal punches. He knows, then, that Wei Wuxian is allowing himself to be hit. And he knows that Wei Wuxian is exactly the sort of self-deprecating bastard to genuinely accept that getting hit is his due.
This does not pacify Jiang Cheng. In fact, this makes him want to punch him harder.
But he’s gotten in two very sizable down payments on the debt that Wei Wuxian owes him for breaking too many promises to count, and so after the second punch, Jiang Cheng lets himself stagger and fall on his ass in the dirt. His knuckles hurt, because Wei Wuxian has an unreasonably bony jaw.
“I hate you,” he tells Wei Wuxian, because he feels like it needs to be said. But it comes out more exhausted than vitriolic. He feels so, so tired, down to the bone.
Wei Wuxian, rubbing at his jaw with a slightly dazed expression, nods. “I didn’t expect any less,” he admits absently, and Jiang Cheng suddenly finds he absolutely has the motivation to get back up from the ground, lunge forward, and grab the collar of Wei Wuxian’s robes in his good hand.
“Then why,” he spits, full of a wild rage even he doesn’t understand, “did you come back?”
Why did you come back late? Why did you come back dead? Wei Wuxian, you son of a bitch, why didn’t you ever ask me for help back then?
Wei Wuxian’s hazy red eyes seem to focus on him then, and Jiang Cheng is subjected to his serious, deadset expression. But then he smiles, ruining it—because Wei Wuxian’s smile hasn’t changed a bit since they were children.
He still shines like the sun.
“Jiang Cheng, didn’t you know?” Wei Wuxian asks, his voice light and teasing somehow. “Lotus Pier is my home.”
Jiang Cheng finds, upon hearing this, that there’s a lump in his throat he desperately tries to swallow down.
“Wei Wuxian,” he curses, and looks away.
He’s not crying. He’s not. He’s the sect leader of Yunmeng Jiang and—
And he’s had a long day, and his brother is still dead even if he’s somehow standing right there, and he’s going to commit a murder. At least one murder. And Xue Yang will help him because he is definitely extracting recompense for that stunt with the restraints.
Jiang Cheng is not crying, and so he buries his face in his sleeve to hide the fact that he is not, in fact, crying.
Blessedly, Wei Wuxian doesn’t say anything. But Xue Yang has no such tact. He walks over, and Jiang Cheng can tell it’s him by the light, skittering way he walks.
“Jiang Wanyin, how did you break out of Xinyi’s restraints?” he asks.
Jiang Cheng doesn’t reply. But he hears a quiet thunking sound and a grunt of pain from Xue Yang.
“I stopped him from killing you,” Xue Yang retorts, presumably in response to getting whacked.
“Leave him be,” says Wei Wuxian, and the tenderness in the words nearly makes Jiang Cheng get back up to punch him again—sore knuckles be damned—but Xue Yang lets out such an obnoxious snort that he chokes on a wet laugh instead.
“‘Leave him be, Xue Yang,’” parrots Xue Yang in a high-pitched voice. “‘Save me from Jiang Wanyin, Xue Yang. Explain your Skull-Piercing Nails, Xue Yang. Lick my—”
Then there’s a sound like fabric rustling and Xue Yang is making muffled shrieking noises. The next thing Jiang Cheng hears is an indignant yelp from Wei Wuxian and the distinct, delighted sound of Xue Yang’s laughter.
“He bit me!” cries Wei Wuxian. “Are you—is he your guard dog?”
Jiang Cheng sighs, long and loud, and lifts his face carefully from his sleeve. “Down, Xue Chengmei,” he says, and Xue Yang smirks at him in a distinctly cat-like way.
Wei Wuxian squawks in outrage and Jiang Cheng, hearing that familiar sound, feels boneless and light. There’s a weight off his shoulders that he’d never noticed was there. Like he can breathe again.
#wei wuxian#meta asks#xue yang#jiang cheng#feral cats au#ches!!#enabler fam#xuecheng#xuechengxian#;)#the ot3 part is really eli's fault smh#mo dao zu shi#mdzs
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Inappropriate Quadrants: Most of the MXTX Novels
Scum Villain: Gives me so many quadrant feels I almost want to write a quadrant-verse. Or Shen Yuan and/or Shang Qinghua being hamsteaks. Either works.
If I were going to do a quadrant-verse I'd have the demons with quadrants I think. Original Luo Binghe's over the top rage/obsession with Original! Shen Qingqiu has a certain flavor of kismesis to it. Also, Mobei-jun/Shang Qinghua has an extra level of hilarious misunderstanding if Qinhua assumes pitch when it's actually pale.
If the humans were the ones with quadrants, I'd have pitch Liu Qingge/Shen Qingqiu. Because they give me such strong kismesis feels.
I do not know enough about the canon yet, so any fic I wrote would actually be influence by the fan fic I've been reading.
Heaven Official's Blessing: I have seen the entire first season of the donghua. I have no quadrant ideas for this work except Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are so very red.
Untamed/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: So I have somewhat discussed the quadrant ideas I have for this work. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji where WWX thinks it's pitch when it's actually very red is hilarious. I am still torn between Wen Ning and Wen Qing as WWX's moirail. Jiang Cheng is a pitch tsundere and Madam Yu does a pitch/red vacillation with Jiang Fengmian. Xue Yang *thinks* he's pitch for Xiao Xingchen. He does not realize how wrong he is until it's too late. Jin Guangyao/Lan Xichen/Nie Minjue is still the worst auspistice in creation. (On the other hand, the guangyin temple arch might have had a different ending if one of the revelations had been Pitch Longings of Nie Huiasang for Jin Guangyao.)
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If ILCBT Xue Yang outlived his daozhangs do you think he'd revert, or attempt to stick with his vague estimations of what they probably would have wanted, or start with the second and slide into the first, or...
oh boy, this is a good question and one that Xue Yang has never considered because in his head it's just a straight up given that he's going to die first. like, that's not even a question for him, particularly since Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan both have at least decent odds of cultivating to immortality if they try and certainly are strong enough to live longer lives, and that's...not out of reach for Xue Yang but his lifespan is almost certainly going to be truncated relative to theirs (on account of both rough living for years, the fact that he's very hard on his body generally, and the demonic cultivation/general historical lack of investment in making an effort in that direction). like, he's going to live longer in this verse than he would otherwise (already has!) and probably longer than your average non-cultivator, but even if he doesn't die violently (and that's still kind of low-key his assumption, warranted or not) his ability to survive to an old age is...dubious.
but say hypothetically that he's wrong about that...the next question is how the other two go down. if they die peacefully then that's one thing; if they die because they get killed that's something else.
(if they were killed by a person there is no power on earth that would keep him from absolutely shredding them. and making it really, really, really hurt, for a while. and then bringing them back from the dead so he can keep going. there are limits! and if his daoshi are going to be disappointed then they can damn well show up and do something about it. and if he ended up getting arrested/executed for it I think he'd consider it worth it and not the worst outcome.)
but generally speaking and in a broader sense, I don't think he'd...go completely off the rails in either case. at that point he'd have longer living with the moral guidelines/guardrails than without them, so if it's not natural or intuitive it's at least more familiar than not. and depending on how far this is in the future, a-Qing is still very much a present tether in this universe, too. so while I think some things would probably slip a little, I don't think he'd actually drop right back into all his old habits.
like...if somebody did something that really pushed his buttons and pissed him off, I think it'd be a lot dicier for him to not react more violently than he would've had there been actually present daoshi figuratively over his shoulder, but I think the habit would still be there going "that's not what we do, remember" that would hold him off from acting purely on impulse.
I have a lot of feelings basically about the fact that I think...okay, morality and ethics don't come to Xue Yang automatically or easily, it's not how he thinks and for a long time he didn't really make an effort to change that. but the thing is that that's something you can learn, and with learning come to make habits that stick. you're establishing a new way of thinking and with familiarity and custom that can become...not automatic, maybe never automatic, but something that does surface in a way it wouldn't have otherwise. and that's kind of what I see Xue Yang doing, or starting to do, in Yi City - not consciously, but at least partly through necessity of needing to behave as though he is A Not Suspicious Non-Murdery Human Being for a long time, but also because it turns out that he likes some of the results of putting in that effort.
but then everything comes crashing down and the changes haven't taken strong enough of hold to keep him from turning to what's still more comfortable and familiar. when he's distressed and confused and I think surprised by how much Xiao Xingchen's anger is hitting him in a bad way, Xue Yang knows how to hurt people. that's safe, and easy, and comforting, and what's always worked for him before.
but in this universe there's much more time put into that work, and significant rewards for doing it, and so I think he becomes less and less likely to make that reversion, because it's no longer so much what he knows best; it doesn't so much define what's served him well.
honestly I think the hardest part for Xue Yang might well be not just fuckin. bringing them back from the dead anyway. yeah they'll be mad about it probably but whatever, they'll get over it right???? it'd take some serious work on both Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen's part to get him to promise to not do that and even then it'd be hard to resist the temptation if he thought there was a remote possibility of it working.
#conversating#anonymous#wow this got long#i always feel kinda weird putting my ilcbt headcanons in the main character tags#but then i do it anyway#xue yang#aggressively headcanons#songxuexiao#if living can be this
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@eraba-reta-unmei said: ❌
( SEND ❌ FOR WHICH OF MY MUSES WOULD GET ALONG LEAST WITH YOURS)
1. King of Despair (Despite not actually being on my roster)
He dislikes those that like ‘ ordinary ‘ lives. You’re a waste of existence in his eyes in those cases. Either do something extraordinary to make your life worth it or youre as insignificant as an ant. Also he doesn’t do kind acts and rejects those who actively try to be nice and friendly towards him as annoyances. So...not good times.
2. Mard Geer & Jackal
...They will torment her and Mard Geer has no qualms in using her to his schemes , especially to bring down Diavolo so there’s exactly 0 hope of ever a good or neutral relationship. Also just , human even if its only half is enough for a dislike.
3. Xue Yang
Because so much blood and torture and killing purely because he can or he’s interested in experimenting with more demonic cultivation. Bad times.
Honorable mentions:
Suwa and Hacker - for the same reason of they don’t believe in mercy.
Suwa will kill any vampires in any verse, but esp OnS with no hesitation so i forsee that as potentially bad.
Hacker would shoot someone immediately after she promised them mercy and he wouldn’t regret it. Even if they were a random civilian.
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+ @graceflute
Xue Yang sees that Wei Wuxian’s lap is free, so he takes it UPON himself to settle in the other’s lap without asking.
#[ I said a one liner and xy is like ]#[ actually it's time to sit on my husband's lap and make him pay attention to me ]#[ he didn't even ask ]#[ hope you wanted this wwx ]#[ you make his heart go !!! ]#DEMONIC CULTIVATOR XUE YANG; Verse#WEI WUXIAN; GRACEFLUTE#THE BASTARD SPEAKS; In Character#A BEGINNING; Starter
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Gusu Online Class 06
Previous part: https://ying-ansanren.tumblr.com/post/666033772145393665/teachers-need-to-vent-sometimes-gusu-online-class
Next part: https://ying-ansanren.tumblr.com/post/669174781311139840/gusu-online-class-07-im-losing-count-but-i
#mxtx#mxtx crossover#mxtx novels#mxtx verse#mxtx crack#lan jingyi#lan sizhui#lan yuan#xue yang#lan juniors#lan qiren#gusu lan#gusu online class#mei nianqing#tgcf#mdzs#mdzs meme#mo dao su zhi#grandmaster of demonic cultivation#tian guan ci fu#heaven official's blessing#mxtx modern#modern au
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Hang on, novel-verse, was Jiang Cheng just not chasing demonic cultivators yet when the whole Xue Yang/mass murder thing went down? Does he consider them not his problem once someone else claims to be taking responsibility?Did the Jins threaten his access to Jin Ling to make him back off? Or was he just not interested because it definitely wasn't WWX?
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Last night I dreamed an AU where after WWX’s death, while searching the Burial Mounds for his notes, JGS or one of his underlings found A-Yuan in the tree. They thought he was some sort of demonic-cultivation-produced homunculus instead of an actual child, so they gave him to Xue Yang to study/raise. (Book-verse Xue Yang, he was only like 14.) Somehow this did not end in death and A-Yuan grew up as a nameless (since he had still lost his memories) demonic cultivation apprentice.
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