#and poor jin ling is in shock

[incarnadinedreams]

This isn't really new or anything but the more I reread random passages the more convinced I am that there's something very unique about the way Jiang Cheng reacts to Wen Ning and it's just so interesting!

I'm convinced it's more than just being angry. It's more than just hating him, or blaming him for Jin Zixuan's death or his sister's life. It's more than being a Wen, and it comes long before so many of those tragedies unfold anyway.

There's a sort of urgent, visceral reaction to Wen Ning's presence that just has this different feeling to it than how he reacts to any of the other characters. Even characters he has strong emotional responses to, it's never with the same panic or recklessness. It's not the same as the whole "vengeful wrath, fathomless hatred, or raving ecstasy" situation he's got going on with Wei Wuxian (sexy as that might be).

When it's Wei Wuxian, it's all "...well, well. So you're back?" and "Haven't you got anything to say to me?" Even when he's not being very nice, even when he's throwing teacups and furious at Wei Wuxian, there's still an edge of calmness in the way he lashes out. He's fucking mad but he's had more than a decade to think about this and he's got things to say and he's trying so hard to get a reaction from Wei Wuxian that he just won't give him.

But he can't tolerate having Wen Ning anywhere near him. Much of the time he instantly lashes out, physically, in ways to create space between them. He's mean to Wen Ning, but he doesn't really have much to say to him; he just wants to get away from him.

It really stuck out to me how instinctive and instantaneous and emotional that reaction is when I was reading this passage from chapter 81 (ExR translation since I've got it on hand in digital text form), when Jin Ling returns Zidian and rushes back into the fray during the Second Siege:

When Jiang Cheng was unaware, he stuffed Zidian's ring back into his hand and sprinted toward the crowd, all the way up to the most dangerous area before the mouth of the cave. Jiang Cheng was about to chase after him when he managed to slice a few corpses, staggering. He felt that Sandu was no lighter than hundreds of pounds. Two female corpses threw themselves at him from both directions.

Jiang Cheng cursed. As he lifted his sword again, another pair of hands tore the two corpses into pieces, "Sect Leader..."

Jiang Cheng lost his temper as soon as he heard the voice. He kicked Wen Ning away and cursed, "Get the fuck away from me!"

Obviously that is not very nice and poor Wen Ning didn't deserve a kick for being legitimately helpful there, but the point is that not only does he lash out - the reaction happens even when he's clearly got higher priorities going on in a chaotic situation. Throughout that entire event he reacts in a somewhat more even-keeled way to almost everything except Wen Ning being in his vicinity.

And it's not just after Wen Ning's death, not just after he became Wei Wuxian's greatest weapon, not just after he was forced to kill Jin Zixuan - it's specifically a pattern established from the moment he woke up in the Supervisory Office without a core:

Before he could say anything, those sun robes reflected against Jiang Cheng's eyes. His pupils suddenly shrunk.

Jiang Cheng kicked Wen Ning, toppling over the bowl of medicine. The black liquid all spilled onto Wen Ning. Wei WuXian wanted to take the bowl of medicine. He pulled up Wen Ning as well, who had been shocked speechless. Jiang Cheng roared at him, "What's wrong with you?!"

At this point he doesn't even know how he was rescued, since he was unconscious for all of that, and thinks they're in a Wen trap and likely going to die (or worse). But there's so many echoes of that interaction again, and again, and again between them.

And combined with Wen Ning's remarks during the scene just before this, where he tells Wei Wuxian about the discipline whip injuries and how Jiang Cheng 'should have other injuries as well', the way the narrative is so deliberately ambiguous on what exactly occurred, it all makes me want to crawl up the walls and gnaw on the light fixtures wailing WHAT DID YOU SEE, WEN NING?! WHAT DID YOU SEE?

At a minimum, Jiang Cheng knows that Wen Ning was there at Lotus Pier prior to his capture by the Wen guards, because they'd both seen Wen Ning examining Jiang corpses on the training field before they fled for Meishan.

But everything after that is only implication and subtext and suppositions and speculation, not directly stated in the text. But based on his reaction, you can pry my headcanon from my cold dead hands that that Wen Ning probably witnessed all or much of what happened to Jiang Cheng after he was captured, and Jiang Cheng knows it.

I've also posted before how I think there's an at least nonzero chance that Jiang Cheng was never directly told that Wen Ning wasn't actually there with Wen Chao when they saw him early on, but came later to try to help (because when Wen Ning gives Wei Wuxian that information Jiang Cheng isn't conscious, and nobody tells Jiang Cheng anything. I don't think that headcanon changes much either way, but there is a slight difference, at least emotionally, between 'I helped you while I was there to slaughter your clan and destroy your life' and 'I came when I heard my crazy cousin was slaughtering your clan and tried to help you' and I think it's a juicy thing to add to the pile of misunderstandings they each have of the other's motivations and actions).

Which, if I go with these two ideas together, really drives home what a bespoke and specific nightmare the way the Golden Core reveal played out - not only the substance of the reveal, but the fact it was Wen Ning who revealed it.

He was already furious that they were even there at Lotus Pier, particularly Wen Ning. But the way it all happens it feels like it's not just echoes of the amplified emotions of the confrontation with Lan Wangji & Wei Wuxian in the Ancestral Hall, it's not just Wen Ning being a Wen, or even Jin Zixuan's death, the way the narration calls out. It feels like there are deeper layers to it.

I also feel a bit stupid for not noticing before this probably extremely obvious to literally everyone else who isn't a dumbass like me parallel of Wen Ning getting a gruesome scorching whip mark across his chest at Lotus Pier in the course of saving Wei Wuxian (more or less, sort of - we know as readers Jiang Cheng was intentionally trying not to hurt them with Zidian, but I don't think Wen Ning knew that when he jumped in).

Jiang Cheng looked to find that the uninvited guest was Wen Ning. Immediately, he raged, "Who let you inside Lotus Pier?! How dare you!"

He could manage to tolerate others, but definitely not Wen Ning, the Wen-dog who put his hand through Jin ZiXuan's heart and ended both his sister's happiness and her life. Just a look, and he felt the urge to kill him right there. How dare he step foot on the earth of Lotus Pier—he really was looking for his death!

Because of the two lives and many other reasons, Wen Ning had always felt guilty, and so he'd always been somewhat scared of Jiang Cheng, consciously avoiding him all the time. Right now, however, he blocked Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi as he faced him, taking the hard lash. A gruesome scorch climbed across his chest, but still he didn't flinch.

I don't know that it actually means anything but it's making me FEEL THINGS incoherently at this specific moment, so. Also I find it legitimately sad that Wen Ning has to live with guilt over things that happened when he was controlled by someone else, though the scene before the Ancestral Hall when Jin Ling starts crying on the boat is probably a better example of that. Anyway.

It's just there's so, so many layers to how uniquely horrible it is for Jiang Cheng that he not only finds out about the Golden Core transfer this way, but also that Wen Ning, specifically, directly witnessed this life-shatteringly huge deception and sacrifice too - while Jiang Cheng was unconscious, no less.

And, well, we know how everything got capped off in that scene...

Obviously the shock of the information was going to get a huge reaction no matter what, no matter who or how he found out. Even without the Wen Ning element, it already hits every one of his deepest weaknesses and insecurities and fears.

But to come from the guy who'd witnessed his family being slaughtered, who'd witnessed who-knows-what humiliations heaped on him (who also happens to be the same fucking guy that Wei Wuxian thought it was worth leaving Yunmeng Jiang for, breaking his promise for...), the guy he blames for his sister's tragic fate (whether that blame is misplaced or not), the guy he exhibits a panic response towards even decades later, and goddamn.

There are just so many layers to this perfect little nightmare reveal on so many different levels aren't there?

There's just SO much meaty stuff for these two to dig into post-canon and all we get is an extra with a 'oh yeah sometimes Jiang Cheng yells on night hunts and Wen Ning is there' about it?!

I should probably just shut up and go read some Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning focused fics or something (whether romantic or platonic that's probably an area I really haven't explored enough vs. the amount of sheer interesting hints and material the novel gives to work with! If by some miracle anyone made it to the end of this beast feel free to drop any recs that explore them, especially that 'what did Wen Ning see?!' aspect of the whole situation because that is the current little brain worm haunting me right now).

#thinking too much about jiang cheng yet again #and wen ning too #the brainrot is back in full force #warning: this is unnecessarily long and I'm not entirely sure I have a point other than gnawing on feelings over these two #and either I'm stupidly reading too much into things or this is all super obvious and I'm dumb for pointing it out #the unbearable self-consciousness that comes with rambling about characters in books I guess

[temnurus]

More Wangxian Faves: Post-Canon & Canon Divergent

This list was made to honor the request in the notes on my WWX recs post from @100percentserenity for some more fics featuring Wei Ying set in canon or canon divergent fics. Now, not all of these are strictly from his POV, but they all feature him at his quick-witted, charming, & hopelessly oblivious best. Canon divergent can be a pretty wide category, so do keep that in mind if you see a rec & think, "This isn't very canonical.." Haha. There are two repeats from my first Wangxian rec list, but they fit the ask & are both excellent & worth mentioning twice! Now, in no particular order, may I recommend:

Far Away You Are by cqlorphan (E, 17,358)

Thoughts: I absolutely loved the idea of the esteemed Hanguan-jun being this not-so-secret purveyor of comfort hugs & heartache advice. Wei Ying’s shock upon finding this out was so funny I couldn’t help but laugh, & my amusement only intensified when he made the scary Yiling Laozu face while asking who broke Lan Zhan’s heart, only to be told it was him who’d done so. I wanted to hug all the Juniors myself. They’re all so very precious. This was a lovely story where very little hurt in the end, & sometimes that’s just nice after the gut punch that canon gives us.

my age has never made me wise by idrilka (E, 63,439)

Thoughts: I absolutely loved this. It was pretty CQL (The Untamed) compliant & told the post-canon story of Wei Ying wandering alone as a rogue cultivator after the events of the show. Of course he was pining after his zhiji the entire time, so when he heard gossip that the Chief Cultivator might be married by summer's end it nearly undid him. The angst was excruciating, but One Brain Cell WWX Strikes Again fics somehow always manage to be fun at the same time. I've read several post-canon, wandering Wei Ying stories, & this one was particularly good.

Not What We May Be by brooklinegirl (E, 29,222)

Thoughts: I love Wei Ying’s cleverness in this. He’s his usual irreverent, chaotic, charming self, & I never get tired of how wonderfully his mind works. The odd phenomenon occurring in the town he’s staying in was an interesting mystery to solve, & I had to laugh when Lan Zhan arrived with the usual Lan Juniors ensemble in tow. Watching them all work together to figure out how to fix the issue while also dealing with the healthy side helping of oblivious Wei Ying & searing sexual tension between him & Lan Zhan was a fun treat.

All Caught Up by brooklinegirl (E, 36,934)

Thoughts: Wei Ying proposing to Lan Zhan to get him out of an arranged marriage he didn’t want is so something he’d do. There is no character more quintessentially chaotic good than Wei Ying. You can’t change my mind. The practice kissing was a lovely regular feature from this author, & my particular favorite thing in this fic was Nie Huaisang’s cameo as their pseudo wedding planner with his classic meddling while insisting he’s useless shenanigans. This was super cute. I liked it a lot.

love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360,042)

Thoughts: This was an example of a cool MDZS-specific trope I hadn't seen before, & in it Wei Ying, the infamous Yiling Patriarch, was a cultivator who had achieved immortality (aka, he's OP as fuck but in a fun way). The great sects enlisted his help to win the Sunshot Campaign, & what did he demand in return? Lan Zhan's hand in marriage, of course! It was a fantastic slow burn in which poor Lan Zhan suffered the mortifying ordeal of falling in love with his own husband. An amazing & complex plot, chock-full of angsty goodness.

Birthday Party by waffles_4_breakfast (E, 100,123)

Thoughts: I loved the idea that Wei Ying would actually get to attend Jin Ling's one month celebration, but I was, of course, still concerned about the continued danger he'd be in. This fic nicely showcased Wei Ying's sharp wit, charm, & ever-present sass. I also loved his dramatics when it came to his interactions with Lan Zhan (and in general, of course, haha), but their sweetness together was ultimately my favorite thing about them. The continued threat to Wei Ying's life & all the plotting surrounding it was interesting, but the best things about this fic were the characters & their bonds with each other.

Fentao-laoshi's Guide to Cut-Sleeve Pleasures by occultings (E, 31,775)

Thoughts: This was set during the Cloud Recesses Study Arc, & it was so, so good. The sexual tension between them was just simmering the entire time, & the idea of them “practicing for marriage” on each other was fucking hilarious. Their banter was top notch, & I absolutely loved Lan Zhan’s nearly overwhelming desperation for Wei Ying, not to mention Wei Ying’s bullshit getting him in over his head (as usual, but this time in a fun way, haha). The feelings were actually very sweet, too. I enjoyed this a lot.

wide enough and wild by impossibletruths (E, 64,120)

Thoughts: I love the tag “Noping Out Of Society With Your Boyfriend And Your 50 Wen Refugees: The Novel”. It made me laugh before I’d even started the fic. While this was set during the time period in which Wei Ying frees the Wen refugees, they didn’t end up in Yiling this time. I won’t get too specific, but they still ended up rebuilding their own little settlement & farming to survive, basically. Lan Zhan found them & decided to stay. The slow burn was so good, & I loved the pining in particular. I cried a couple of times in this. It really was just that good.

your problem as a mountain. by cupofwater (E, 30,989)

Thoughts: It was so cute to see the difference between Wei Ying’s & Nie Huaisang’s fantasies, & Wei Ying’s turning out to be more vanilla & romantic in nature absolutely cracked me up. I nearly hurt myself laughing when Nie Mingjue sent Lan Zhan some of the letters by mistake, & I was delighted by Lan Zhan’s reaction. I won’t spoil it, but the smut was lovely & despite the misunderstanding our boys definitely both got their happy ending, haha.

The Vermilion Ribbon by Unforth (E, 233,368)

Thoughts: This sat on my Marked For Later list on AO3 for the longest time, & I really did myself a disservice by not reading it sooner. It was absolutely fantastic. The world-building, pacing, & intricate plot were all brilliantly done, & Wei Ying being in the Wen clan was nothing like I imagined it was going to be in this. Instead of his core family being the Jiangs, we get Wen Qing in Jiang Yanli’s role & Wen Ning in Jiang Cheng’s. Now I’ll warn you that this got super heavy in some places, so mind those tags & take care of yourselves. Nothing was graphic enough that I had to stop reading, but it didn’t shy away from the serious subject matter it covered either. The whole fic was a real emotional roller coaster, & I can’t recommend it highly enough.

#mdzs #the untamed #wangxian #lan zhan #wei ying #lan wangji #wei wuxian #wangxian fic rec #Temnurus rec list #i'm so flattered by this request #here's to all my wangxian obsessed fam #i like them a normal amount ok #ok maybe slightly more than normal #leave me & my mdzs brainrot alone kthx bai

[poorlittleyaoyao]

Top 4 Jiang Yanli Survival Scenarios That Still Allow the Plot to Happen

HOT TAKE: JYL didn't actually need to die and the story would still be plenty crunchy if she hadn't. (Also, it is geographically implausible for her to somehow get all the way from Koi Tower to Nightless City unless she was faking her low cultivation this whole time and secretly mastered teleportation talismans, but that's not what this is about.) Below are 4 ways JYL could live that would still allow the major post-timeskip plot beats to unfold.

SCENARIO 1: JYL remains a widow and stays in Lanling as a member of the Jin household.

SCENARIO 2: JYL is married off to JGY after JZX's death (+ a spicier, alternate version of this)

SCENARIO 3: JYL ends up married off to NMJ after JZX's death.

SCENARIO 4: JYL remains a widow and returns to Lotus Pier.

With descriptions under the cut!

SCENARIO 1: JYL remains a widow and stays in Lanling as a member of the Jin household.

THE POTENTIAL: JYL in this scenario occupies a fraught position at Koi Tower; she has some sway as Jin Ling's mother, but it's unclear where Jin Ling stands in the line of succession. (She's also now trapped in JGS's household without a male guardian so. You know. That's great. 😬) JGY would strive to foster a positive relationship with her, I think; she doesn't pose a threat to him, and even if he has no personal affection for her, showing kindness to his sister-in-law is good optics and maintains the alliance with Lotus Pier. What are the ramifications of that? Maybe she becomes close with QS and help advocate for her marriage? (Maybe she then becomes close-close with QS later on, given that they'd both be terribly starved for physical intimacy.) Maybe she stumbles upon some of the secrets of the Jinlintai Murder Basement and becomes one of NHS's informants. Maybe she has no idea about the Murder Basement and is as shocked and appalled as everyone else when she learns about JGY's crimes and wonders how the hell she didn't realize any of this was happening. Good stuff!

SCENARIO 2A: JYL is married off to JGY after JZX's death.

THE POTENTIAL: Much the same as above, except now JYL has sealed her position as THEE Jin-furen once JGY ascends to Sect Leader and Chief Cultivator. She and JGY are connected with and presumably have developed some degree of fondness for each other, which makes the reveal of JGY's actions that much more dramatic! She's going to feel as betrayed and conflicted as LXC does, and is going to struggle when both her brothers end up in opposition to her husband. Does JGY persuade her to go with him to Dongying, or does he take her hostage as he does LXC? To what degree does proximity to JGY make her potential collateral damage for NHS? This is all very stressful for JYL, but it averts the terrible, horrible, no-good very bad accidental incest marriage with QS, so... winning!

SCENARIO 2B (CQL only): JYL and JGY marry after JZX's death, but had a whole affair going on prior to that.

THE POTENTIAL: There's this one chaotic group interview with a bunch of the CQL actors where they're like "HMMM IT'S PRETTY SUS THAT JIN LING LOOKS SO MUCH LIKE HIS UNCLE!! SHIJIE HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!!" and while poor Zhu Zanjin was sitting there going "nooo stop it's not like that! it's a coincidence! ☹️" it had me like 👀because I love mess. My fave interpretation of Claudius and Gertrude in Hamlet is that they were always in love with each other and Claudius killed King Hamlet 1.0 so he could be with her (obligatory plug for Haider, my fave Hamlet adaptation, which has this precise dynamic and it's *chef's kiss*), and like... what if THAT'S going on. JYL can have an extramarital affair with far-reaching consequences, as a treat. Sorry, Jin Ling, but the revelations from Guanyin Temple just got THAT much more complicated for you to process.

SCENARIO 3: JYL ends up married off to NMJ after JZX's death.

THE POTENTIAL: Ohohohoho, this one might be my favorite one. The Jin clan (possibly at JGY's suggestion) marry JYL off to NMJ in an attempt to repair Lanling's relationship with Qinghe and get NMJ to stop wilding. NMJ and JYL hit it off (shared experiences include: being parentified at a young age, violently losing a parent to the Wen clan, a strong sense of duty, and chronic illness)... but NMJ does not, in fact, stop wilding, so JGY begins playing Turmoil. NMJ's increasingly volatile behavior would be even more terrifying for JYL than it is for NHS--she's not only worried about her own safety, but if the Jin clan deem the Unclean Realm unsafe for little JL, then JYL's not going to get to see her son. Once NMJ succumbs to qi deviation, JYL is widowed once again, and she's starting to wonder if she's cursed... until her brother-in-law comes to her with his suspicions about JGY. (She might even be the one to ignite the suspicions in CQL canon, since she's present for LWJ playing Cleansing for WWX and thus knows what it's supposed to sound like.) Now JYL is pissed, and even more worried about JL's safety. She keeps Qinghe afloat while NHS goes into his scheming flop era, and perhaps even suggests to him that WWX is the person to call if he wants his brother back. As NHS's plan endangers people JYL cares about--including her son! repeatedly!--JYL starts to question his methods and regrets not confiding in JC instead, but the die is cast at this point.

SCENARIO 4: JYL remains a widow and returns to Lotus Pier.

THE POTENTIAL: This isn't bringing the spicy melodrama the way the other scenarios are, but I do like the quieter change it means for her, JC, and JL. JC doesn't have nearly as much unresolved grief to work through with his sister still alive, and would be a better-adjusted person. He might, in fact, be even better-adjusted than JYL herself, who grieves for and loves WWX but cannot forgive him for killing her husband. WWX upon his resurrection would have to face the consequences of shijie's anger, and now they're the ones having a tearful heart-to-heart in a public space while JC frets. (And then they ALL get to deal with the golden core transplant fallout! Woo!) Plus, an unattached JYL would have the freedom to accompany JL to Lanling, so she's going to be closer with JGY and QS and be present for whatever the hell happened with MXY, so she is going to have some REACTIONS to certain revelations, let me tell you!

I would love to write any one of these, but I am the world's slowest writer, so if it's up to me, they will never actually happen. So fly forth, ideas! Be free! If you write one of these, hmu, because I'd love to read it!

[angstymdzsthoughts]

Already Dead AU

They don't notice as the weeks pass, it becomes easier to live in the Burial Mounds as time passes. Crops become easier to grow, their clothes becoming less patchy. In the Demon Slaughtering Cave Wei Wuxian continued to add a stroke to the talisman he was completing he assumed that Wen Qing had asked other Wens with better bargaining skills to go to Yiling on market days.

Wei Wuxian paused in thought, when was the last time he had ventured into Yiling proper?

As Wei Wuxian made to leave the barrier he jerked back in shock, he and Wen Ning stared as Wei Wuxian's hand crossed the barrier and became completely transparent.

No one had been going to Yiling to get better clothes, they had unwittingly been using their own newfound ghost power to 'wish away' the patching, the crops they were growing fueled by excessive Yin energy.

The poor memories of ghosts making them forget they were hungry and thus giving A-Yuan their food, A-Yuan who was the most alive out of any of them due to a powerful love was untouched by the Mounds blessing/curse.

A-Yuan was immune to the phenomenon for the moment but there was no guarantee it would last.

Wen Ning was completely unaffected by the fading at the boundary, he was the one who would take a-yaun away, to Gusa.

To Lan Wangji, who Wei Wuxian assured the Wen Remnants, was the last truly righteous cultivator in what seemed like the entirety of Jianghu.

The invitation to Jin Ling's 100th Day Celebration signed by Lan Wangji would easily grant Wen Ning a audience with the Lan at least.

As for the Wen Remnants and Wei Wuxian? Wen Ning wished he could cry but suspected he would have long run out of tears.

It would be gentle Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing had assured Wen Ning, the Stygian Tiger Amulet would power the talisman, the most impractically powerful exorcism talisman in recorded history created by Wei Wuxian.

It was a mercy kill Wen Ning knew and Wei Wuxian knew, the memories of the ghost Wens were fading faster ever since they had become ghosts spiritual cognition corroding even faster with the conscious revelation that they were already dead, a horrible fate.

Wen Ning would be on watch to protect A-Yuan, he would watch over A-Yuan from afar and gift him with his a-niang's sword Suibian and his flute Chenqing when he came of age. And when the day came that he was no longer needed and no longer desired to remain? Wei Wuxian had gifted Wen Ning a smaller version of the exorcism talisman.

.

#mdzs #wei wuxian #wen ning #wen qing #character death

[ibijau]

Sins of the Fathers pt2 / On AO3

Wen Yuan's first encounter with his new in-law didn't go quite as bad as Jin Ling feared.

Still, it was far from ideal.

First of all, Wen Yuan overslept. Then, he took an eternity putting on the new clothes of golden silk he'd been gifted, only to put all of them wrong. Jin Ling, kindly, stepped closer, reaching out to at least fix Wen Yuan's collar. His hand was promptly slapped away, and his husband glared at him as angrily as if Jin Ling had tried to assault him. 

“Fine, look like a mess for all I care,” Jin Ling snapped. “But I tried to help, remember that!”

Wen Yuan frowned, his too pale cheeks colouring slightly, as if he were the one who had any reason to be embarrassed, when it was Jin Ling who would be really humiliated to be seen with his new husband. 

And indeed, when they met with Jin Ling's parents and grandparents for breakfast, everybody looked shocked to discover Wen Yuan's face. None of them had met him beforehand. The whole engagement had been set up through letters, followed by one single encounter between Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao acting on strict instructions from his father. Wen Yuan's appearance had never been discussed, Jin Ling suspected, because they'd all assumed any young cultivator would look healthy and decently handsome. 

Wei Wuxian had to be laughing, all the way back in Yiling. 

Still, it was a little rude, the way everyone stared at Wen Yuan without a single movement to greet him. Jin Ling couldn’t be the one to breach the silence, or else he’d have been rude, but it became tempting the longer everyone refused to say anything. Thankfully Jiang Yanli soon recovered from her shock, and smiled warmly at her new son-in-law. 

“Wen Yuan, we are so pleased to meet you,” she said, gesturing for Jin Ling and him to sit down.

Jin Ling promptly obeyed, taking his usual place between his father and the twins, but Wen Yuan did not move, standing awkwardly next to the table, as if he couldn't see an extra spot had been left empty between Jin Zixuan and Jin Ruyi.

“I am honoured to be here,” Wen Yuan mumbled with a deep bow toward Jin Guangshan first, and then Jin Zixuan. His voice was rough, his enunciation poor, as if he weren't used to speaking. “Thank you for letting me join your family, I will try to be worthy.” 

Both of Jin Ling's grandparents frowned and exchanged a concerned look, before remembering they hated each other too much to bond over disdain for a new in-law. 

“I'm sure you will be fine,” Jin Guangshan told Wen Yuan. “Don't hesitate to tell Rulan if anything troubles you. It is a husband's job to make his wife happy and comfortable.” 

The entire family looked away from him, shocked that he'd dare to say such a thing, worried he might take offence at their shock. Only his wife dared to glare at him, but she was the only one who needn't fear him. 

“Speaking of which,” Jin Guangshan went on, “while you are more than welcome to join your husband and my disciples in training, we don't expect you to entirely drop your previous cultivation method either. Just tell us what accommodations you need, and it will be arranged.”

“Thank you,” Wen Yuan mumbled, finally going to sit with his husband. 

Jin Guangshan stared at him, clearly hoping for more of an answer so he could start gleaning information about the Yiling sect's methods, but Wen Yuan remained silent.

In fact, nobody managed to get more than a word or two out of him after that, much to the annoyance of Jin Ling's grandparents.

Jiang Yanli casually mentioned the great distance from Yiling to Carp Tower, and what a long and exhausting experience a wedding day was. With such an excuse provided for him, it was harder for Jin Guangshan to complain too much about young people and their bad manners. But even her skill couldn't have saved Wen Yuan from reproaches if anyone besides Jin Ling had noticed his odd eating pattern. Like the previous night, Wen Yuan never ate anything unless he saw someone else eat it first, and even then he ate very little, very slowly. When that pattern repeated at lunch and dinner, Jin Ling became convinced his new husband really feared poison, and he wondered if that was a reflection of his own sect's reputation, or of life in the Burial Mounds. 

The rest of the day was somewhat uneventful, although not quiet by any means. Wen Yuan had to be introduced to a number of elders and relatives, as well as the higher ranking disciples of the sect, and the servants who would work for Jin Ling and him. The entire time, Wen Yuan hardly said a word, which Jin Ling thought was for the best. His husband wouldn't embarrass him as much if he didn't speak.

On the next day, their new normal life was set to commence. Jin Ling was dreading going back to his usual training schedule, knowing he’d have to face his cousin Jin Chan and his opinions, so he allowed himself to be late for the first classes. It wasn’t his fault, he told himself. Wen Yuan still wasn’t awake at the hour training was meant to start, and Jin Ling couldn’t possibly leave without letting his poor husband know where he was going. Not that Wen Yuan particularly cared when he did wake up at last and Jin Ling told him, but it was as good an excuse as any.

“You can come along if you want,” Jin Ling offered. “To watch, or to participate. I think it’s hand to hand combat this morning. Otherwise, you’re free to do as you like all day as long as you don’t get in trouble.”

Wen Yuan frowned, and slowly shook his head. Wise of him, really. Being small, skinny, and associated with Jin Ling in any way was too much of an invitation to be bullied by Jin Chan. And then Jin Ling would be the one getting in trouble for not protecting his husband, while Jin Chan would probably be praised by his asshole dad. Everyone knew Jin Zixun held a deep grudge against Wei Wuxian, and that he’d threatened to leave the sect over that marriage. He'd only agreed to stay because Jin Guangshan himself had asked him to, as a personal favour from a nephew to his uncle. Or at leat, that was the official version. Everyone knew Jin Zixun had no friends outside the sect, and was involved in some shady business with his uncle.

Well Jin Ling thought he should have left, and taken his idiot son along with him.

Just as Jin Ling feared, Jin Chan started mocking him from the moment he joined the other junior disciples. Accusations of enjoying his new bride's company too much to be on time were thrown at him, followed by jokes about the ugliness of said bride, something which Jin Guangshan had apparently complained about to half the sect already.

Jin Ling did his best to ignore his cousin, knowing that Jin Chan would pose himself as the true victim if he dared to punch him in the face. Already, Jin Ling had a somewhat bad reputation among teachers, who thought he was arrogant (he preferred skilled), capricious (determined), hot-headed (brave!) and unwilling to admit his faults (because he had none). He couldn’t add violent to that list, no matter how much his fists itched.

Also, it would upset his parents to learn he’d been fighting again, even though he was a married man now, practically an adult, someone his younger siblings should be able to look up to.

So Jin Ling withstood every horror his cousin shout-whispered at the other boys while the teacher pretended not to notice, and then escaped as fast as he could once the lesson was over. 

He was supposed to eat with the other junior at lunches, because his father believed it was good for him to be around boys his age. But really, Jin Ling usually went directly to the kitchen to get food, and then either ate there or took it somewhere hidden so his father wouldn’t discover him being antisocial. Sometimes it was his room, but currently that wasn't an option because his husband might still be there. Jin Ling wasn’t in the mood to deal with yet another person who didn’t like him. 

Instead he went to hang out in Jin Guangyao’s office. His little uncle welcomed him warmly, and let him play with his dog too. It should have been Jin Ling’s dog anyway, but his grandfather had refused it on his behalf for stupid reasons so his uncle had been forced to keep it. Jin Guangyao was so overworked he rarely had time for poor Fairy, so Jin Ling was really the one training it, and even secretly took it on Night Hunts if he could do it without his grandfather’s knowledge. 

Fairy might as well have been Jin Ling’s dog, really.

In exchange for letting him hide at lunch, Jin Guangyao made Jin Ling help sorting some papers. It was their usual deal, and it allowed Jin Ling to tell his father he was taking an interest in sect business, another thing Jin Zixuan was really weird and insistent about. 

A year or two ago, he’d overheard his father tell his mother that he, Jin Ling, was too much like Jin Zixuan himself had been at that age. The way he’d said it, it hadn’t sounded like a compliment. Soon after that, Jin Ling had been given new rules to follow, like having lunch with other juniors, and helping his father and little uncle with various tasks, and also his mother had a very awkward talk with him about how he should be nice to girls but not too nice either, in case they got the wrong idea and thought he was like his grandfather.

Grown-ups were weird.

In the afternoon, Jin Ling had more lessons to attend with his cousin, but he skipped them and went to practise archery instead. He’d seen enough of Jin Chan and the others already, and wasn’t sure he’d manage to keep his temper in check.

At the end of the day, Jin Ling finally returned to his house to pick up his new husband, so they could eat dinner with the rest of the family, the only meal they all had together, although his grandparents regularly found reasons not to attend. He couldn’t be sure, but he suspected that Wen Yuan had not left his room all day. Not only that, but it seemed as though he hadn’t eaten anything all along. There was a tray full of food on a table, probably lunch, and all of it was intact. And Jin Ling had already eaten breakfast by the time Wen Yuan woke up, so it was possible he’d eaten nothing all morning as well.

Jin Ling felt a little guilty for that. Sure it was stupid of Wen Yuan to fear poison, but Jin Ling should have made more of an effort to at least have breakfast with him. And did they show that boy were to go have lunch if he wanted to eat in company? The previous day had been so full, Jin Ling couldn’t remember. At least Wen Yuan was able to eat at dinner, but he was so thin that it couldn’t be good for him to skip meals like that.

The next day, Jin Ling was again unable to have breakfast with his husband. Wen Yuan overslept again, but Jin Ling had been threatened with punishment if he was late that morning too. He still made sure to return to their home at noon to show Wen Yuan where he could have lunch. He didn’t stay to eat with him, though, because he’d promised Jin Guangyao to give him a hand brushing Fairy.

As he walked away, Jin Ling glanced behind and saw that Wen Yuan, after some hesitation, decided not to enter the refectory and instead headed back for their home.

Well.

Jin Ling had tried. The rest was out of his hands.

The following days went on much the same. Wen Yuan still wouldn’t eat unless someone was present to taste the food before him, and he still refused to leave their home to be around people who could eat near him. Jin Ling tried to talk about it, but quickly got the impression that Wen Yuan wasn't really listening, so he gave up. But his husband's refusal to eat was bad enough that one servant mentioned to Jin Ling that the food they brought to Wen Yuan always remained untouched. And if servants were concerned enough to tell him, it meant pretty soon the entirety of Carp Tower would know as well.

It wasn’t much of a surprise when his parents demanded to see him one afternoon. Jin Ling had noticed some pretty sharp looks coming from them at dinners, and whenever they spotted him throughout the day. He'd made extra effort to not linger around them too much, certain he'd get scolded for something that wasn't even his fault. But if they asked for him specifically, then it couldn't be avoided anymore.

When he arrived at his parents’ house, the first thing Jin Ling noticed was the eerie quiet. His siblings weren’t there, then, not even the baby. Maybe his parents wanted to shout at him without scaring their younger children, the ones they loved so much they weren’t married to starving mute weirdos.

His mother was sitting on a sofa, looking purposefully relaxed. His father stiffly stood beside her, a disapproving frown already on his face.

“A-Ling, come sit with me,” Jiang Yanli gently invited, patting the spot next to her. “Oh, don’t make that face. You’re not in trouble, we just want to speak to you.”

Jin Ling shrugged, and stayed standing, just as stiff as his father. His mother sighed, as if she thought he was the most unreasonable person in the entire world, but she still smiled at him.

“Alright, if you’re more comfortable like this, it’s fine,” Jiang Yanli said. “Well, I think you can imagine why we wanted to talk to you, can’t you?”

“I can’t,” Jin Ling bluntly retorted. “You’ll have to tell me.”

“A-Ling, please,” his mother started, but her husband interrupted her.

“We want to know how things are between you and Wen Yuan,” Jin Zixuan stated. “It’s not an easy situation, for either of you. How are you dealing with it?”

Jin Ling glared at him, fighting not to let his hands form fists.

“It’s not easy for either of us?” he shouted. “Really? That’s all you can say? What’s not easy about this for him, exactly?”

“Watch your tone,” his father warned.

Jiang Yanli put one hand on her husband’s arm, the not-so-secret signal they had when she thought he should let her handle a difficult situation. It used to really be a secret signal, but since his grandfather has ordered his marriage Jin Ling had caused it to happen so often that he’d noticed it. Now it irritated him every time, while also making him feel ashamed that even his mother thought he was a problem to be solved.

“A-Ling, we know you are upset about the marriage,” Jiang Yanli told him. “I know you think we betrayed you, but I promise you we tried everything we could to change your grandfather’s mind. We always promised ourselves none of our children would be forced to marry someone they didn’t choose, and you cannot imagine how sorry we are.”

“Sure, you are,” Jin Ling grumbled.

“It wasn’t our choice,” his mother insisted, something like distress piercing through her voice, making Jin Ling even more upset. “Your grandfather was very determined. Things are what they are now, but we want to ensure everything is going as well as it can. For you, and for Wen Yuan too. You have your family around you, your home, but that poor boy is alone among strangers, and his struggles…”

“What struggles?” Jin Ling exploded. “He’s just a useless, ugly, stupid person!”

Both of his parents startled, and exchanged a concerned look.

“A-Ling…”

“He is!” Jin Ling shouted. “He really is stupid! Only a stupid person would still think he’s going to be poisoned after so many days here! And he’s so stupid that he never wants to leave the house, even when I invite him to come walk around with me! And he looks so bad, with his hair that’s always messy and the way he can never dress correctly! Jin Chan keeps telling me I’m married to a scarecrow and he’s not wrong! I’m the heir of the Lanling Jin sect, I’m going to rule it someday! Why do I have to be married to that guy? I’m the heir of the greatest sect, I should have my pick among all the prettiest and smartest people in the cultivation world, but instead I’m stuck with that!”

His mother’s face turned red. His father’s, white. Both of them stared at him with undisguised horror, as if they couldn’t believe that their son dared to have such feelings, when Jin Ling couldn’t imagine anyone feeling any other way if they were forced into such a cruel and unfair situation.

“He’s just the same,” Jin Zixuan whispered with undisguised horror. “Listen to him, isn’t he just the way I was?”

Tearing her eyes from her son, Jiang Yanli weakly smiled at her husband and patted him on the arm.

“Dear, now isn’t the time for this.”

“But…”

“Why don’t you let me talk with him alone?” Jiang Yanli suggested in that very gentle tone of hers that was always to be understood as a firm order. “If you’re upset over nonsense, you won’t be helpful, and this is a situation we can’t leave to fester.”

Jin Zixuan nodded with some hesitation. He strode out of the room, purposefully avoiding looking at his son. It wasn’t the first time Jin Ling felt his father was disappointed by his bad temper, but that day it particularly hurt.

“A-Ling, come sit,” his mother said when his father had closed the door behind him, still using that same gentle-suggestion-but-actually-an-order tone.

Jin Ling wanted to refuse, but a lifetime of habit was stronger. Before he knew it, he was next to his mother on the sofa. Still, as a vain act of rebellion, he sat as far from her as he could. She did not comment on it.

“A-Ling, I am not angry at you,” Jiang Yanli said. “Neither is your father.”

“Yeah, right!”

“Right indeed,” she insisted. “He’s upset at himself, that’s all, and only because he doesn’t see things the way I do. And you… my poor little boy, have things really been that bad with that new husband of yours? Has he made you very miserable?”

“Like that matters,” Jin Ling grumbled.

“It does,” Jiang Yanli assured him, reaching to take his hand. 

Jing Ling pulled it away, but she grasped for it again, and once she had it she held it too tightly for him to think of escaping.

“A-Ling, even if we cannot dissolve the wedding when your grandfather is so determined on having this alliance, it doesn’t mean I’ll let you suffer for the sake of his ambition,” Jiang Yanli said. “If Wen Yuan is cruel to you in private, if there is something about his behaviour or manners that is objectionable, we won’t force a cohabitation.”

“He is objectionable. He is unpleasant and unworthy of being married to me.”

Jiang Yanli grimaced, but managed to turn that into a smile.

“You’ve certainly made that clear. Is it what you really think, though, or are you just angry because your cousin is mocking you about this?”

“I don’t need Jin Chan to tell me how to feel about things,” Jin Ling haughtily retorted.

“Indeed you don’t,” Jiang Yanli agreed. “So tell me what you think of your husband, not what your cousin feels. Is Wen Yuan difficult to live with?”

Jin Ling hesitated. He wanted to be angry, he wanted to hate Wen Yuan whose arrival in his life had made everything worse. But it was always harder to be furious when he was around his mother. Maybe it was the way she really seemed to listen to him, when most grown-ups didn’t.

“He is not… difficult as such,” Jin Ling reluctantly admitted. “Sometimes, it’s like there’s nobody at all living with me. He’s really weird, you know. I meant it, he doesn’t know how to dress or do his hair, and he refused to have servants do it for him. And also, he thinks we’re going to poison him.”

Jiang Yanli's eyebrows rose in surprise.

“He told you that?”

“No. He never speaks to me at all!” Jin Ling complained. “But it’s clear he’s scared of poison. He never eats anything if someone else hasn’t also eaten it. I know grandfather hasn’t noticed, but I worry grandmother has, and I thought you did as well.”

Jiang Yanli shook her head, a crease forming between her eyebrows. Her hand tightened on Jin Ling’s, almost painfully so.

“I only saw that he wasn’t eating very much,” she said, “although his portions have gotten a little more lately. I thought maybe… during the Sunshot Campaign, if we rescued from the Wens someone unpracticed in inedia who had been left without food for a long time, they weren’t allowed to eat a lot, not right away. It can be dangerous, I've been told. But I don’t think… Wei Ying would never let a child of his starve, not unless something was very wrong. After what happened when he was young… he could not, I am sure of it.”

Jiang Yanli sounded so sure of herself as she said that, as if Wei Wuxian were still the same childhood friend she’d grown up with, and not a man inspiring fear in the entire cultivation world. Her mother had been very close to the man who became the Yiling Patriarch, Jin Ling knew that. He’d even heard people say that the true reason Wei Wuxian had left the Jiang sect was because Jiang Cheng hadn’t allowed him to marry his sister, opting to let her have a love match.

If that was true, then nobody must have told Jiang Yanli. She still believed that Wei Wuxian was at heart a good person, even when there was ample proof he wasn’t, like the way he was rumoured to sometimes kill his own disciples in the streets of Yiling if they displeased him.

“So these are your reproaches?” Jiang Yanli asked her son. “He has odd eating habits, he doesn’t speak a lot, and he does not pay attention to his looks. Those are things we could try to solve, I think. I will have a talk with him, if you don’t mind. Unless there are other issues?”

“Just that is already pretty bad!” Jin Ling insisted, but in spite of himself he already felt less angry at Wen Yuan.

It really was just those things that annoyed him about his husband. Anyway, the food thing mostly irritated him because he was worried Wen Yuan was going to fall sick if he kept not eating, which everyone would blame on Jin Ling. The silent treatment was also not great, but Jin Ling hadn’t exactly gone out of his way to chat either after the first day or two, so he wasn’t exactly on steady grounds to complain about that. As for Wen Yuan’s looks… well, he looked like an underfed wet rat who someone wrapped in silk robes. There was no denying it. But it wasn’t exactly his fault.

All of the rest of Jin Ling’s anger was really against a lot of other people, mostly Jin Chan and Jin Guangshan. But he wasn’t really supposed to be angry at them because they were family, so it was easier to blame Wen Yuan for everything.

“I’ll go visit your husband right away,” Jiang Yanli decided, as she got up from the sofa, pulling her son’s hand so he’d stand too. “Why don’t you go and visit your little uncle? I think playing with his dog would do you good right now.”

“She’s a spiritual dog, mother, I don’t play with her!” Jin Ling protested, rolling his eyes. “I train her for him, because he’s so busy. It’s not fun, it’s very serious!”

“Well, go and train that puppy then,” his mother gently suggested-but-really-ordered, releasing his hand at last.

There was no resisting her when she was like that. Jin Ling walked toward the door, but stopped short of opening it.

“Mother…” he hesitantly started. “Father, he… he seemed really angry at me, earlier…”

“I will talk to him, A-Ling,” Jiang Yanli said, coming closer to press a kiss on his temple, like Jin Ling was some sort of upset baby to comfort. “I think once I tell him what we’ve talked about, he’ll actually be proud of you. I know I am. You’re dealing with this so much more maturely than we had any right to expect.”

Jin Ling huffed, trying to pretend he didn’t need anyone’s approval, but he couldn’t completely refrain a smile as he left the house.

#zhuiling #lingzhui #jin ling #lan sizhui #wen yuan #lingzhui arranged marriage #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #jau writes

[robininthelabyrinth]

LQR is the secret mastermind behind everything and NHS went to him for help sorting the whole JGY ***thing***.

Nie Huaisang was a poor student, and had been his whole life, but he had learned one quintessential lesson from a very early age: if you can’t manage it yourself, ask someone who can.

He’d made a decent head start on this whole revenge business, if he did say so himself, but he was quickly figuring out that he was in over his head. Jin Guangyao was all but untouchable, and his good luck kept on ticking: Jin Zixuan gone, Mo Xuanyu banished, Jin Guangshan dead, Madame Jin gone not long after – even Jin Ling had been sent over to the Lotus Pier to receive his early education from his maternal uncle, a patent excuse, transparent to anyone with eyes, to clear the path for Jin Guangyao’s own son, Jin Rusong, to get the education and upbringing that would enable him to inherit the role of sect leader. Even those in the cultivation world that disdained Jin Guangyao on principle were starting to quiet down…

Or disappear.

That was what really scared Nie Huaisang, when he first figured it out. He’d taken some small pleasure in spending some part of those awful discussion conferences listening to Sect Leader He complain about ‘that bastard’, though of course he’d obscured it in being empty-headed and shocked, shocked, at any suggestion that it might have been Jin Guangyao, his beloved san-ge, that had been the one referenced. And then Sect Leader He hadn’t shown up for the next discussion conference – or the next –

Nie Huaisang had casually asked one of his cousins to drop off a letter, only to be informed that the entire clan, men women and children, had disappeared entirely on a given day some time back, having presumably moved to a different area with some urgently.

Why, they’d left so hastily that when Nie Huaisang checked, he found that they hadn’t taken some family treasures that they’d hidden in key places, buried under various trees or whatnot.

It was that which had made him decide that he was going too slow. Sure, he was collecting evidence, sure, he had a plan, but – it wasn’t just about his brother any longer. People were dying now.

He needed help.

Guidance.

“Teacher Lan, how good to see you,” Nie Huaisang said with a smile that made Lan Qiren stare at him with a blank expression – a reasonable reaction, given that Nie Huaisang typically fled the scene whenever his old teacher happened to come by. “It occurs to me that I haven’t visited for a while…”

“Come to my quarters in the afternoon,” Lan Qiren interrupted, looking long-suffering. “Bring your problem and any associated paperwork. I will handle it while Xichen is away.”

Nie Huaisang had been counting on using Lan Xichen’s absence as a plausible reason to get some time with Lan Qiren, but it was nice not having to make the excuse himself.

Even nicer was when he arrived, arms full of papers, to find Lan Qiren closing all his windows to allow them more privacy.

“Sit,” Lan Qiren said, shutting the door behind him. “And we’ll talk about what happened to your brother – and who.” Nie Huaisang smiled.

#mdzs #nie huaisang #lan qiren #my fic #my fics #alt headcanons #normally I'm busy on sat but this last week has been insane #so I'll post some today

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

xunayu and jingyi......

'Technically A Cutsleeve?' my beloved 😌 I've actually hit a tiny bit of a wall with it again, I'm not totally sure what direction I'd like to take it in next, but I do have this one scene written (that I'm not sure whether I'll use or not) where Jingyi approaches Jin Zixuan during public audience hours to ask for an officially recognized courtship with Mo Xuanyu, but it Does Not Go Well for our poor sweet Jingyi. I'll post a little bit of it for you!

--//--

“First disciple Lan Jingyi of Gusu Lan,” the guard at the door announces and Mo Xuanyu, comfortably in his element helping Jin Zixuan handle petitions from local small sect leaders and village elders, suddenly sits up straighter, his heart hammering in his chest. What is Jingyi doing?! They were supposed to do this together over dinner or something, not with the official petitioners!

Mo Xuanyu studies his partner’s normally expressive face for any sign of what he’s thinking, but all he can find is determination. Ah Jingyi Jingyi, so incessantly stubborn!

“First disciple Lan Jingyi greets Jin-Zongzhu,” he says when he reaches the head of the room and dips into a low bow that frankly shocks Mo Xuanyu. He’s seen Jingyi go toe-to-toe not just with his fellow disciples (from any sect, great or small), but with sect leaders. He’s never seen him prostrate himself so low, and the fact that it’s for him makes his heart give a hard thump against his ribs.

“Lan Jingyi,” Jin Zixuan greets with warmth in his voice for one of his son’s best friends. “Welcome back to Jinlintai so soon. What are you petitioning for?” he continues with genuine curiosity. Mo Xuanyu glances around the room at the various attendants and a few important members of delegations from local clans, and he very nearly pleads for Jingyi to wait. 

He’s actually opening his mouth to do just that when the man interrupts him to say, “This humble one wishes to formally court Mo-gongzi.”

The room goes so silent Mo Xuanyu is sure everyone must be able to hear his heart racing, the blood pulsing in his ears, his trembling breathing. They can’t, of course they can’t, but that doesn’t make the silence any less painful as Jingyi stands there, still in his bow, in the middle of the room all by himself. Mo Xuanyu has a brief moment to be grateful that today isn’t one of the days A-Ling accompanies Jin Zixuan in his duties as he’s not sure his temper is capable of handling this diplomatically just yet, in public or not. 

“You…want to court Mo Xuanyu?” Jin Zixuan clarifies and oh they’re going to have words later about the emphasis he puts on that ‘you’. If Jingyi notices the slight he doesn’t show it, not even bristling as he dips somehow even lower into his bow.

“Yes, Jin-Zongzhu. I wish to court Mo Xuanyu.”

Silence, thick and heavy, reigns again and Mo Xuanyu can’t help but fidget, just a wringing of his hands beneath the edge of the table. There had been reasons they’d agreed to do this in private! Chiefest of which being -

“But you’re not a Sect Heir, how can you court him?”

Chiefest of which being Jin Zixuan’s inability to remain diplomatic when caught so thoroughly off-guard. Jingyi’s flinch is painfully visible even from where Mo Xuanyu is sitting and his gut wrenches when Jingyi immediately covers it by dropping to his knees and pressing his forehead to the floor - not petitioning now, but begging.

“I don’t have anything to offer,” Jingyi confesses, his voice tight, and Mo Xuanyu is unsurprised to feel sympathetic tears spring to his eyes. “I am Gusu Lan’s head disciple, and that’s all. I know I’m unworthy of his hand, that I will never be worthy of his hand, but I wish to ask for it anyway.”

A burst of furious whispering starts up from the crowd at the back of the room and Mo Xuanyu decides that’s enough. He slams his open palm down on the table in front of him and everyone goes quiet in an instant, aware of his reputation for always doing the unexpected.

“Enough,” he snaps, his voice sharp as it cuts through the ensuing silence. He gets to his feet in a rustle of silk and descends from the platform for him next to his brother to hurry to Jingyi’s side. He drops to his knees without a thought and attempts to help Jingyi sit up, but he remains obstinately prone with his forehead pressed to the floor. “Jingyi get up,” Mo Xuanyu pleads quietly for his partner’s ears alone. “A-Yi please, don’t let him humiliate you it’s not worth it-“

“I am asking to be permitted to court Jin-Zongzhu’s youngest brother, Mo-gongzi,” Jingyi calls, ignoring his pleas even as his ears and the back of his neck turn a brilliant scarlet. Mo Xuanyu rests a cool hand on his neck above his collar, trying to soothe him as much as he can. “Will Jin-Zongzhu deny my request?”

“Yes, I will.”

Mo Xuanyu feels it the instant Jingyi goes completely still, frozen beneath his hand on his neck as Mo Xuanyu turns a horrified, uncomprehending stare on his brother.

#the untamed fanfic #wip #wip ask game #Lan Jingyi/Mo Xuanyu #Technically A Cutsleeve?

[razberryyum]

Highlights from MDZS manhua chapter 246:

(covers novel chaps 105-106, adapted in audio drama S3Ep15, donghua ep 33-34 & The Untamed ep 49)

XiYao unhappy hours officially begins 😔

Ngl small part of me still wishes he had gotten away. I wish he was a better person and redeemable for Big Bro Xichen's sake.

Their expressions 😢😢😢

I loved seeing Lan Zhan trying to protect his big bro from Jin Guangyao

Loved their shocked looks. Also, once again, Jin Guangshan is an absolute piece of total shit.

Oof, poor Jin Ling. Poor boy's gonna need soooo much therapy after this.

~

Official raws of the manhua (behind paywall): Kuaikanmanhua

Order English release of the og MDZS novels (mother of all adaptations) at Sevenseasdanmei

MDZS carrd for all adaptations of MDZS: here

Thank you to Exiled Rebels for first fan-translating the novel!

Panel translations by yours truly, pardons for any shortcomings.

#Mo Dao Zu Shi #MDZS #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #founder of diabolism #The Untamed #MDZS manhua #XiYao #Lan Xichen #Jin Guangyao #Jin Ling

[underthebrightmooninterests]

The Untamed fic: Returning home (part 1/4)

3549 words, Yunmeng bros reconciliation

Disclaimer: I posted this full fic on AO3 too under the same title so if you want to read the full thing it’s available there. (link in bio)

summary: Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng not making up in canon hurts me so here’s the Yunmeng bros reconciliation fic we all need in which JC gets hurt and WWX and LW try to save him.

----

Light shines through the screens covering the windows of the jingshi, rudely awakening Wei Wuxian from his slumber. He rolls over and engulfs himself in the sandalwood scent of his loving husband. Although he excused himself from their bed hours ago, Wei Ying swears he can still smell the remnants of the night they spent together. Hours of tangling limbs and sweaty headbands leaving their traces on the previously squeaky clean Lan sect sheets. After all, every day means every day. And his husband is not one to forget his promises.

His husband. The time since his second shot at life has been a whirlwind of emotions. As if realizing that he’s a cut sleeve wasn’t shocking enough, finding out Lan Wangji not only loves him but has been waiting for him for years, was enough to make him feel like he’s living a dream. Every day he wakes up with a churning feeling in his gut that he’s still dead. Mo Xuanyu never gave him his body and his spirit is simply floating around the universe somewhere, desperately wishing for a second chance.

And then Lan Zhan walks in with their breakfast. Well, his breakfast, for the latter it’s probably his lunch judging by the time. The appearance of the eternal beauty of ice that is his husband is enough to quell those thoughts. No, this is all real. He got a second chance at life. He excitedly jumps out of bed, any lingering exhaustion vanishes at the sight of his soulmate.

“Lan Zhan! You brought me breakfast? What an attentive husband you are, always thinking of your lowly wife.” Wei Wuxian says with his usual dramatic flare. Hanguang Jun doesn’t even flinch as he puts down the tray of food and calmly says:

 “Wei Ying’s not a lowly wife.”

 He can’t help but laugh at his husbands resolute answer and giggles as he plops down next to him at the table.

“Ah, Lan Zhan! I’ve told you not to say things like that, my poor heart can’t handle it.”

If he sees the slight smile on Lan Wangji’s face, he ignores it.

“So why are you bringing the food yourself? Not that I don’t love it.”

“Everybody’s busy preparing for the discussion conference.”

Wei Ying gasps dramatically, nearly dropping the chili powder he was adding to his bland soup.

 “It’s that time already? Wow, time sure flies.”

Wei Wuxian picks up his food again and starts eating. Lan Zhan however doesn’t start eating. Wei Ying recognizes that this means he still has something to say and therefor doesn’t want to start the meal yet. He puts his spoon down and puts his head in his hands, dramatically showing Lan Wangji that he has his full attention.

“The first sects are starting to arrive.”

Wei Ying nods.

“Jin-zongzhu arrived in the cloud recesses this morning.”

Wei Ying stifles a gasp and he can’t help the excitement that bubbles up in his chest. It’s been two years since the incident in Guanyin temple and Jin Ling has been an ever growing presence in his life. Although the boy definitely has his uncles temper and father’s pride, he has his mother’s heart and everyone can tell he enjoys Wei Wuxian’s presence. He enjoys it in a very similar way Jiang Cheng once did.

He tries to ignore the fact that this discussion conference will mean he’ll see Jiang Cheng again.

“Jin Ling’s already here? That’s great! He probably came to hang out with Yuan and Jingyi. Tell me Lan Zhan, has the Baling Ouyang sect also arrived?”

“Mm”

“Ah, then he’ll probably be with them. Its good that he has such good friends around him. Becoming sect leader at such a young age can’t be easy but with them he can relax a bit. Besides…”

Lan Wangji starts eating as his husband keeps talking, clearly aware he’s not expected to add anything more to this conversation other then the occasional nod. Wei Ying periodically shoves spoonful’s of soup in his mouth while he talks. The discussion of no talking during meals was given up on a while ago and at this point Lan Wangji relishes in it. His Wei Ying was sad for such a long time. He still has nightmares sometimes or moments where he stares of into space, deep in thought of a different time. So seeing him in front of him, so excitedly talking about various things, warms a part of his heart that he thought died during those sixteen years of longing.

 ----

 Not very long after that they find themselves at the training grounds of the cloud recesses. Wangji is sitting as upright and proper as ever. If it wasn’t for Wei Wuxian’s figure draped over his lap, one could think he’s a statue.

Wei Wuxian, who looks very content with his spot on Lan Wangji’s lap, twirls his flute around in his hand as he yells pointers at Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi and a few other Lan Disciples. They are practicing archery as this year the discussion conference will once again hold an archery competition. It’s only for disciples under twenty so this is one of the last times they’ll be able to participate and Wei Wuxian was more than happy to help them practice.

“Master Wei, don’t you think we’ve practiced enough now?” Jingyi whines as he lowers his bow. Wei Wuxian scoffs in response.

“Nonsense! The conference starts tomorrow and during the banquet you won’t be able to do any practicing. Don’t you agree Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying looks up to his husband from where he lays on his lap.

“Mm, the archery competition is the day after the banquet so no time for practice.”

Jingyi sighs, unable to form an argument now that Hanguang Jun got involved.

“Sizhui definitely won’t be doing any practicing, what with the young lady arriving a few hours ago and all.” Jingyi mutters as Yuan turns to him with red cheeks.

“Jingyi! Jin-zongzhu will no doubt be very busy during the entirety of the discussion conference. “

“And he’ll no doubt still find a way to talk to you. In fact, I’m surprised we haven’t seen him since he arrived this morning.”

At this Yuan stills and looks towards the vague direction where Jin Ling’s staying. It’s true that he would usually look for them as soon as possible. Especially if he knows he might not have much time later.

“He’s probably just tired from the journey to Gusu.” Yuan says but, a seed of concern has been planted in the pit of his stomach as he continues to shoot arrows at the paper dolls.

As if the gods heard his concern, that exact moment Ouyang Zichen and Jin Ling walk around the corner, deeply engulfed in a conversation. Zichen spots them immediately and enthusiastically waves the way a sect leader like him probably shouldn’t. If Lan Wangji sees it, which he definitely does, he doesn’t comment. Wei Wuxian sits up and smiles as his eyes fall on his nephew. He stays back while Jin Ling greets his friends and gets up, chenqing in hand, once the boy turns towards him and Lan Zhan.

“Hanguang Jun.”

Jin Ling bows the way a sect leader should towards the chief cultivator and Wei Wuxian smiles. Jin Ling’s eye falls on Wei Wuxian and everyone is shocked when he ignores the latter and walks back to his friends.

Hmm? What’s that about? Jin Ling has never been that cold to him. In fact, he isn’t really the type to give people the silent treatment even if he’s angry at them. He immediately feels Lan Zhan tense up besides him and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s fine Lan Zhan, I’ll talk to him.”

If he’s learned anything from his relationship with Jiang Cheng, it’s that you shouldn’t let ones anger fester for to long. His relationship with his broth- sect leader Jiang had been close to non-existent since the Guanyin temple incident, not that either of them have attempted to reach out. Conversations with his husband about the topic had taught him that talking things out would almost always solve things in the long run. Like how Lan Zhan wished he’d properly talked to Wei Ying about the carrying no sword thing and how they’d both begrudgingly agreed he probably should’ve talked to Jiang Cheng first before defecting.

His footsteps are heavy but he keeps a light-hearted smile on his face as he approaches Jin Ling when everyone’s finished with archery practice.

Jin Ling’s talking with Yuan and Jingyi when he notices Wei Wuxian approaching.

“Ugh, just what I need.”

He mutters and Yuan has to hold back a comment about the rude remark when he notices it’s about master Wei. Jingyi however, doesn’t seem too concerned with upsetting the Jin sect leader.

“What’s got your panties in a twist? You haven’t seen him in months, how can you be this annoyed with him already?”

Before he has a chance to answer Jingyi, Wei Ying has thrown his arm over Jin Ling’s shoulder.

“How’s my favourite sect leader doing?”

Jin Ling scoffs and Wei Wuxian is shocked to see the genuine anger in his nephew’s eyes.

“Fine, I’m completely fine.”

The look in Jin Ling’s eyes, he can’t help but be reminded of something. He pushes the thought away and lets Jin Ling storm off. Jingyi and Yuan apologize on his behalf before they go after him.

 -----

 “Are you sure you’re not coming?”, Lan Zhan asks for what feels like the tenth time.

“Sit amongst annoying sect leaders and listen to them bragging and complaining for six hours straight with only Lan food and water to distract myself? No thanks I’ll pass.” Wei Ying says, laughing as he turns back to his desk. Books, scrolls and talisman papers are scattered around it in a way anyone but him would find chaotic. Lan Zhan has given up on trying to clean up after his husband and just lets him do his thing in the mess.

“I will return in a few hours.”

Lan Zhan leaves a soft kiss on his forehead as he walks out of the jingshi. Wei Wuxian is happy he isn’t forced to go to the banquet. Although society has accepted him, he isn’t sure the distrusting stares will ever go away. He knows why they’re there and is aware that it’s not completely unwarranted, but it still hurts sometimes.

Talking about painful, Jiang Cheng will also be there. In another lifetime that would’ve been the only reason he’d go, now the latter’s presence is just another reason for Wei Ying to stay home. Jiang Wanyin is like a walking reminder to the life Wei Ying had, the life he loved, the life he can never get back too. Besides, he’s managed to avoid the man for so long, one more night won’t hurt. The Jiang sect leader made a life for himself these sixteen years, it would be rude to try and insert himself back in there.

He groans, anytime his thoughts go back to Jiang Cheng he can’t stop the memories of his previous life from spilling in. The memories of lotus pier, of his senior sister, the memories of his childhood and family.

He won’t get anything done like this, he might as well take a walk.

One can complain about the cloud recesses all they want, and Wei Wuxian does, but it’s a beautiful place to walk. The quaint paths, picturesque buildings and the beautiful trees leading the way.

The silence in the air is something he’s still getting used to. He’s called several places home, but none have ever been this silent.

The typical Lan silence is suddenly broken by the sound of a muffled scream. Not one of terror or pain, but one of anger. Everyone is at the banquet so he doubts anyone else heard it. He left chenqing in the Jingshi so he approaches the opening in the path with caution.

Whoever it is, must have a high level of cultivation since the sound of a sword moving stills as Wei Wuxian approaches. Once it comes into view he’s surprised to find Jin Ling there.

“Jin Ling? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the banquet?”

The boy scoffs.

“I could say the same about you.”

“Well I’m not the sect leader of a major sect, am I?”

Jin Ling’s scowl mirrors his uncle’s and doesn’t leave his face even as he sheathes his sword. He’s clearly very tense. Well if there’s anything Wei Wuxian has experience in, it’s making jokes to loosen the tension.

“Come on, people can’t see the Jin sect leader acting this way can they? You should act like an adult now, don’t be too dramatic.”

Maybe his skill in tension relieving jokes is rusty because he very quickly realizes he’s made a mistake. Wei Wuxian can see Jin Ling’s resolve snap as the boy scoffs, marches up to the older man, grabs him by the arm and says through gritted teeth:

“My apologies for being worried, not everyone is as good at abandoning their family as you are.”

Jin Ling storms away, leaving a stunned Wei Wuxian behind. Abandoning his family? What family does Wei Wuxian even have left to abandon? It’s then that a small voice in the back of his head kicks in.

Jiang Cheng

Something happened to Jiang Cheng.

 -----

 Wei Wuxian’s head races a hundred miles per hour as he tries to get his thoughts in order. Maybe he’s overreacting? Maybe he misunderstood? He should check just to be safe.

Lan Zhan, yes Lan Zhan will know what to do.

At a speed, probably not allowed in the cloud recesses, he runs over the quaint paths and through the beautiful trees, desperately looking for his husband. Seems Lan Wangji still has his innate ability to sense when Wei Wuxian needs him because he’s walking out of the hall the moment Wei Ying arrives.

Their eyes meet and it immediately becomes apparent to Lan Zhan that Wei Ying is in distress about something.

“Wei Ying-”

“Lan Zhan, is Jiang Cheng there? I need to speak with him.”

This causes confusion in the taller male who sighs a silent breath of relief. Seems the problem isn’t with Wei Ying but with Jiang Cheng. He doesn’t like seeing his lover so distressed but he can’t help but be relieved at the notion that he’s not the one hurt.

“Mmh, head disciple Jiang Hua came to represent the Jiang sect.”

Dread pools in Wei Wuxian’s stomach at the new revelation. What is he supposed to do now? Go to Lotus Pier because he has a ‘feeling’ there’s something wrong with Jiang Cheng? For all he knows he could be fine. Maybe he’s looking too far into Jin Ling’s throwaway comment. Everyone he cares for in the Lan clan is fine, he saw them all on their way to the banquet, the only other person that could be seen as family is Jiang Cheng. Although he doubts the man would still see him as a brother, it would explain why Jin Ling’s been so on edge these past few days. Maybe he should-

“Wei Ying.”

Lan Zhan’s voice breaks his train of thought. Wei Ying belatedly realizes he still hasn’t told Lan Zhan anything. He refrains from giving the exact quote but explains to his lover how Jin Ling’s words made him worried for Jiang Cheng. He knows Lan Zhan isn’t too fond of the other male but they both know Wei Ying won’t be able to rest until these worries have been dealt with.

They decide to look for Jin Ling at the banquet and ask him for more details. This seemingly very simple task got a lot harder when they realized Jin Ling was avoiding them. From pretending to be busy in conversations to just plain running away, Jin Ling seems aware they need something from him and is adamant to not give them anything. At one point Jin Chan even stops Wei Wuxian when he follows Jin Ling to the bathroom.

“Please refrain from bothering our sect leader when he’s doing his business.”

Wei Wuxian scoffs, he remembers Jin Chan bullying Jin ling, when did he become such a loyal underling? It seems his nephew has been doing a good job as a sect leader. That or Jiang Cheng scared them all into submission in his months at Koi tower.

Jiang Cheng…

He doesn’t have time for this. He can’t keep chasing Jin Ling around. Even if he manages to catch him, the younger male made it very clear he won’t talk to them.

It's then that Lan Zhan nudges him and nods at the other side of the room. There, in the corner of the big hall, discreetly hidden behind a fan and observing everyone is Nie Huaisang. The one who managed to fool everyone he was an idiot for decades as he conducted the biggest conspiracy the cultivation world had ever seen. Even now, although having done some impressive things, most people besides the big clans still see him as a fool. But Wei Ying and Lan Zhan know better. They know that he has eyes and ears everywhere. If anyone besides Jin Ling would know about Jiang Cheng’s status and reason for not coming, it’d be Nie Huaisang.

“Nie-zongzhu! It’s been a while.”

Wei Wuxian approaches with chipper in his step in an attempt to come off as casual but he can tell from the others posture that he’s already suspicious. Who wouldn’t be, they haven’t exactly been close since the Guanyin temple incident. Even the so ever courteous Lan Wangji felt iffy around the man. After all, he was part of the reason that his brother went into seclusion for years. Zewu Jun still struggles to be around the younger Nie without breaking down.

“Wei-gongzi, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

Nie Huaisang lets out an awkward chuckle: “What could you have to discuss with me? Wei-gongzi I really don’t know.”

Wei Wuxian takes a breath as he feels his heartbeat quicken. His brot- no Jiang Cheng might be in danger, he isn’t in the mood to play these mind games. Nie Huaisang has played dumb for long enough, he’ll beat the information out of the other if he needs too.

Lan Zhan seems to notice his worsening temper as he puts a hand on Wei Ying’s shoulder.

“Nie-zongzhu, it’s urgent.”, Lan Zhan says as Wei Wuxian focusses on not punching anything or anyone.

A lot of emotions flash by on the Nie sect leaders face as he stays hidden behind his fan. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji both see the cogs turning in the man’s head and immediately know that Nie Huaisang knows what they’re looking for. Eventually he sighs.

“Follow me.”

They walk out of the hall and into the gardens. If Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan wonder how Nie Huaisang still knows his way around the cloud recesses so well, they don’t voice their curiosity. Eventually they stop at an area close to where Wei Wuxian found Jin Ling and Nie Huaisang turns to them, finally closing his fan and looking them in the eye for the first time.

“One of my subordinates happened to overhear Jin Ling talk to one of his people about his ‘sick uncle’.”

Wei Wuxian’s heart sinks. So he really is sick. Lan Zhan has to pull him back into the conversation for him to notice that Nie Huaisang isn’t finished speaking.

“I can’t tell you how I know, but I think he might’ve confided in Lan Xichen about it.”

This time Wei Wuxian holds Lan Wangji’s arm as the latter tenses up, hearing his brother’s name from the Nie sect leader’s lips still stirs something within him.

“Thank you Nie-zongzhu.”

They exchange greetings before Nie Huaisang sneaks back to the banquet. They only have to look at each other once and Lan Zhan knows what his husband wants to say.

“No, brother’s busy. We can ask after the banquet.”

Wei Ying sighs. He knows that if he pushes he might be able to convince Lan Zhan to ask now but he understands the sect leader’s busy. He’s only been out of seclusion for a few months and this banquet is his first big task after becoming sect leader again. He must have a lot on his mind, it wouldn’t be right to disturb him now.

So they wait. Wei Wuxian sits through multiple excruciating hours of small talk with people he doesn’t like and that don’t like him. Eventually he just sits in Lan Zhan’s lap as he takes the scandalous stares they receive in stride.

It’s because of this reason that Wei Wuxian’s basically bouncing when they finally go to the Hanshi after the banquet finishes up and everyone returns to their chambers.  Lan Wangji isn’t exactly jumping at the prospect that his brother is somehow involved in all of this, but be it the Lan in him or his love for Wei Wuxian, he wishes to know the truth.

It doesn’t take long before they find themselves sipping on tea in the Lan sect leader’s Hanshi.

---------

to be continued in part 2

#the untamed #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #twin heroes of yunmeng #yunmeng siblings #jiang wanyin #wei wuxain #jin ling #yunmeng jiang #fanfic #the untamed fanfic #Under the bright Moon

[llycaons]

ep42 (2/3): aw yeah staircase confession time

love the expressions here. lwj sharp, combative. wwx resigned, despondent. yeah, he's about to say. he did. nobody would ever knowingly help me. nobody would ever stand with me publicly. he wasn't even expecting lwj to protect him when he resurrected. too used to being on his own, failed by almost every single person he thought he could rely on

the little smile here is so sad. he has a lot of these smiles - bitter, resigned, ready to fold. it's such a sad throughline for a character so fiercely committed to standing up for others. he does stand up for himself, he's just no longer expecting anyone to do the same for him

but oh! what's this! lwj joins him against a circle of swords?

and lwj isn't saying this to jgy or any other cultivator here. he's saying it to wwx! I knew who you were and I helped you anyway because I care about you and support you and you deserve it. LOVE this scene

and then everyone steps back and freaks out bc lwj just unsheathed bichen

'used to being in this kind of situation' buddy 😭

this scene is a bit flashback-heavy and it makes the entire flow stumble a bit, but this question IS significant

HIGH ROMANCE. do you all know what a state I was in when I first heard this

and this is such a big smile for him too

and I love wwx's response! more than the dialogue, it's the physical reaction that speaks to me - he's swallowing thickly, can barely speak. he's close to tears. that's one of my favorite things about cql wwx - how genuine expressions of care and love make him start to cry, and how he laughs to cover it up

this is correct

always thought this was kind of sexy ngl

UH OH. jc looks briefly shocked and then...does nothing. great! useless man

it's also really sad how blank wwx looks

okay I know this is a useful question bc wwx answers with "I'm okay to travel, let's go' but it sounds so dumb 😭 'oh my god you just got stabbed, how do you feel' idk maybe he feels like he got stabbed?

anyway they run off leaving poor jin ling questioning his entire life

NOT THE SWORD DROPPING 😭

ugh he was so hot in the flashback days

pretty cranes on the print behind him

ohhhh touching.....scandalous. I feel like a victorian maiden

this hurts :( bro

and I really like this effect. the blurriness of his face reflected in the blade - just like how long ago his past where he could use this was. does that make sense? I'm ascribing meaning okay

#cql re-rewatch

[prince-liest]

Ugh, Fairy ended up dying. :(

It's always frustrating and stressful to have a new fish not make it. I think the only time I kind of shrugged it off was when a couple of my new neon tetras kicked it, because they're known for being poor at surviving new aquariums due to their absolutely awful genetics (but once they're good, they're pretty good).

She was very active, healthy, and curious the first several hours in the aquarium, and the fact that she was immediately willing to eat felt like such a positive sign, but she ended up passing away after about two days. It's hard to say that it wasn't because of being added to my aquarium given the timing, but at the same time: The water parameters were 0/0/0, I did a water change anyways, and every single other member of the tank (including the dang amano shrimp I bought at the same time as her, also a new member and of a more sensitive species!) is healthy and thriving, and it took her nearly two days to kick it (rather than overnight or even quicker like shock from adaptation tends to) so I just wonder if she was already heading that direction and the stress of a new environment with new water parameters is what did her in...

I'm going to try for another female honey gourami at some point because I want Jin Ling to have company to make him feel more secure (he's a little skittish when I approach the tank and honey gouramis are more friendly and social compared to other gourami species), but I'm sad about this. She had such a great personality in the first few hours, and I loved her sunset red color a lot.

I will go for just the classic yellow color, however. The store I go to has weird naming schemes between all the color variations that makes me not 100% certain of what the actual species of their honey and dwarf gouramis are, and some trawling of reddit shows that some of the "sunset" honey gouramis that are sold are often actually thick lip gouramis (or hybrids of some sort?) that tend to have the same genetic issues and aggression as dwarf gouramis, and are actually susceptible to dwarf gourami iridovirus. I looked them up, and the females look EXACTLY like Fairy did, from the actual color to the distribution of transparency over her fins. So. Tried and true yellow honeys it is!

#personal #also inb4 “0/0/0 means you're nOt cYcLeD” #this tank has been going for several months and I literally add plant fertilizer every single day #it's very heavily planted and has CO2 injection #the plants just use all the nitrates #animal death #petblogging #I even took a close look at her to make sure she didn't have any disease I could identify and there was nothing #I wish they'd label their gouramis with the official names... #text posts #tl;dr I think I was sold the wrong fish

[enchantedxmuses]

random inbox things // always accepting

@battleguqin asked: "How could you be so mean to Hua Mulan...Xianxian ?" ( for Wei Wuxian )

"Ay! Don't try to butter me up that name. She knows what she did!", Wei Ying exclaimed in defense, pointing a finger to a woman who wasn't even there.

With a scoff, the cultivator took a moment to calm himself down, trying hard to remember Lan Zhan's endless vents about his temper. Once he managed to take a breath, he attempted to explain the situation as best as he could; "Think of it like....like...Jin Ling and Jingyi! They're at each other's throats constantly but there's still some respect for one another. They would never admit this to each other of course, but they still silently appreciate that in times of need, they can depend on the other no matter what. It's the same between Mulan and I. Well...that was, that is, until her last visit!!!"

Tapping the edge of his nose, Wei Ying crossed his arms and shook her head. "I don't think I'll ever forgive her for that. Even Lan Zhan was shocked at what she did. I doubt she'll ever be allowed back in Cloud Recesses after that....You and the other juniors were hunting and-never mind. It's best you don't know."

Wei Ying rolled his eyes, thinking of how peaceful the lands would be with her finally gone but he couldn't help but wonder why she was even brought up in the first place. Suddenly, his fatherly instincts finally kicked in and he put his means of deduction to good use. But he wouldn't outwardly confront Sizhui, oh no. He would let the poor, unknowing junior make the confession all on his own.

".......why do care?"

#dusk over yiling // muse; wei ying #battleguqin #// oooohhhhh you don't wanna know what she did XD

[ailelie]

Fic I Want to Read: Jiang Yanli gets her son's diary

While in the Cloud Recesses, before Wei Wuxian is sent home, Jiang Yanli finds a diary. At first she means to find the owner and return it, but when she drops it, the diary opens up to a page with two drawings on it. One is her and the other is Jin Zixuan and they're labeled as mother and father.

After that she is too curious to not read it.

And it is a journal of a very lonely boy struggling to be a good heir to his sect and missing his parents. Yanli treasures each mention of her brother watching over her son, but wonders where her other brother is.

Then she finds out because he re-enters the narrative and she learns he died and that her son blames him for her death. None of that makes sense to Yanli, though; something must be missing.

Then come the entries after Jin Guangyao's betrayal and her poor, poor boy is furious and grieving and embarrassed and confused. She has come to love this future son of hers and wishes she could have been there for him.

When Jiang Yanli finishes the diary, she doesn't know a lot about the future. She knows the Jin sect will turn the world against Wei Wuxian and she knows about the core transfer. She knows he will practice demonic cultivation and that this will tear a rift between her brothers. She knows that Wei Wuxian will marry a Lan he calls "Lan Zhan" because Jin Ling mocks his shamelessness using that name.

She doesn't know about the war or the Wens, but she does know her future husband has multiple half-siblings and that at least one will be dangerous. She wonders if he is already a danger or if he became one over time.

She knows a little of the Wen remnants because Jin Ling got the story from his uncles and recorded his thoughts about it in the journal, wondering what he'd have done in the situation and hating that he knows yet another terrible thing done by his sect.

Jiang Yanli finishes the diary and decides that she will not allow the future to happen that way again. Her son will have more than a sketch to remember her by.

And she starts by making friends with the other female disciples. As she gathers stories and rumors, she hears more and more about the Wen and realizes some conflict must happen with them and that is what propels the Jin sect into such great power.

She also reaches out to Lan Xichen to discuss their brothers and raises the idea of courtship.

She helps Wei Wuxian realize his feelings.

When she realizes that Wen Qing is one of the Wen remnants her son mentioned, she seeks a friendship there as well. When she notices her brother making eyes at her, she introduces Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing and tries to encourage any feelings she can there. If she cannot prevent all she wishes to prevent, perhaps Jiang Cheng having deeper feelings for Wen Qing will prevent him from turning on Wei Wuxian and maybe they will work together to help the Wen instead.

Jiang Yanli knows she doesn't know enough, but she has to try.

When Jin Zixuan insults her, instead of being frozen in hurt shock, she moves to stop Wei Wuxian from punching him. She knows what her future will be. Her brothers told her son about Jin Zixuan groveling to win her affection after their engagement was broken. So she stops the punch and says instead that she is willing to break the engagement if that is what he wants.

(She doesn't realize that her strength and half-hidden smile as she walks away strikes Jin Zixuan directly to the heart. She doesn't realize he's already started to fall).

Wei Wuxian remains. He and his Lan Zhan grow closer. Wen Qing becomes a reluctant friend who always seems a little annoyed that anyone would want to spend time with her.

When their time at the Cloud Recesses ends, Yanli tells Wen Qing that she can always finds sanctuary for herself and her family at Lotus Pier. She nudges Jiang Cheng until he backs her words.

(Yanli doesn't know about the destruction Lotus Pier could sustain; she doesn't know about the burning of the Cloud Recesses).

And maybe this is enough for Wen Qing to send a message, warning about Wen Xu heading to the Cloud Recesses to destroy it. And with that tiny pebble, changes begin to cascade.

#fic i want to read #jiang yanli #saves the day #with help from a time traveling diary #(the diary ended up in a transfer array and got transferred across time where yanli found it)

[susuwatari-kompeito]

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng ensuring Jin Ling’s safety

The Untamed ep. 49

#the untamed #cql #mdzs #cdrama #cdramaedit #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #jin ling #so this is my first cql edit.... #not particularly satisfied with this set #but my purpose was to experiment with coloring #and its a bit orange for my liking #but oh well #i love this scene because wwx and jc put aside their differences #to make sure their a-jie/shije's son is safe #and poor jin ling is in shock #mine* #mylastbraincql #<- sorry to spam your tag but just wanted to show you my first cql edit #tw blood #mymdzsthings

[tomorrowsdrama]

https://dramapanda.com/2021/11/jun-jiu-ling-producer-weighs-in-on-the-debate-about-casting-jin-han.html

Apparently some Jun Jiu Ling viewers complained that Jin Han was too ugly to be cast as the male lead and um…1. Y’all need to get your eyes checked and 2. Oh honey there were so many things wrong with JJL and Jin Han was one of, if not the only, saving grace of that disaster. Some laughable excerpts from the article:

Ok fine we can put away their subjectively poor taste since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but not suitable for historical dramas? Um, hello? Have they heard of Princess Agents? Royal Nirvana? Twisted Fate of Love? Pretty sure those are all historical dramas. Ok fine, maybe since they’re watching JJL, they don’t watch more serious dramas with coherent plots. Then what about Princess Weiyoung?

And thank goodness for that! Aside from ccp crackdowns, I wonder if it’s also because of netizens like these people that we’re only getting watered down barely passing as “historical” youth dramas littered with pretty tender looking pretty boys.

Wow look at that, somebody who gets it - Pale tender guys don’t necessarily make for realistic portrayals of a tough general!

I am SHOCKED. You’re telling me actors are expected to play different roles that may not be similar to who they are in real life because, gasp, it’s acting?

Anyway, I dropped this drama long ago but it still somehow manages to continue to annoy and amuse me. I’ve already complained enough about how this drama left me so disappointed despite having two great leads so instead I’ll leave you with a picture of “ugly” Jin Han who is not suited for historical dramas:

Sorry I didn’t mean to sound like a crazy fangirl. Although I do thirst for the man and enjoy him as an actor, I’m not so crazy as to think no one can dislike/criticize him. What I don’t like though is this trend where netizens only want thin pretty actors to be cast even if they’re not suitable for the role.

#jun jiu ling #cdrama #jin han

[robininthelabyrinth]

Unfettered (aka NHS goes feral) - part 4 - previous parts: on ao3 or tumblr pt 1, pt 2, pt 3

-

Wei Wuxian wasn’t going to lie: it was weird seeing Nie Huaisang smiling again.

It wasn’t that he didn’t remember how Nie Huaisang used to behave when they were all back at the Cloud Recesses, and even before, but that seemed so long ago these days that it might as well have occurred in a past life. The expression just didn’t fit him anymore, like a grown man trying to return to the clothing of his childhood, and yet at the same time it was wretchedly familiar, even welcome – it was as if time had reversed course all at once, plucking them all out of the stream of their lives and returning them to how it used to be long before. Back to simpler, happier times.

It was kind of funny, actually.

Those that had not known Nie Huaisang as anything other than the Pallbearer seemed to be in a state of utter shock, gossiping madly – Did you see? He was smiling! He laughed at someone’s joke! He told a joke! He patted that child on the head and said ‘good job’ and the child didn’t cry even once!

Those that had known him from before only by reputation were, if anything, even more aghast – Do you think he’s going to start pouting and crying at things again? Surely not, I can’t even imagine! The last time he pouted was when one of his fans got stained, remember, after he stuck it straight through that man’s throat –

Those that had known him from before in person…

Well, the reaction was mixed. There was some relief, some distress, and a great deal of pain as they remembered once again how much their friend had changed in the wake of his brother’s near-death – the reminder of his former self was both nostalgic and bittersweet.

Personally, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were working through their feelings on the subject with the help of a lot of roleplaying involving their time at the Cloud Recesses. It was very healthy of them, emotionally, although maybe not so healthy for the state of Wei Wuxian’s waist. Or throat. Or hands…

(No, they weren’t officially married yet, since they were still hoping that they could have a proper ceremony when the war ended, but they were both of age and engaged. And that meant they could go to bed together, no matter what some of the more conservative Lan sect members thought – with Lan Qiren backing them up, which he did with no small amount of eye-rolling and deep sighs and long-suffering resignation, they were free to do as they pleased.)

That, too, was something they owed to Nie Huaisang.

Without Nie Huaisang’s timely intervention, both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng would’ve fallen for the Jin sect’s instigation and turned against each other in an act of mutual destruction that harmed both of them, and everyone else besides. Jiang Cheng would have cut off his own right arm, voluntarily weakening his sect just at the moment when they needed strength the most, and rendered himself without any other choice but to be dependent on Lanling Jin, while Wei Wuxian would have remained trapped in the Burial Mounds in Yiling, getting called the Yiling Patriarch as some people still today did, growing ever more resentful at his isolation and poverty.

(That one uncomfortable month he’d spent arguing with Wen Qing and Wen Ning about whether they should try to grow radishes or potatoes had been very educational, especially since they were both not-so-secretly convinced that the argument was futile and that nothing would ever grow on the Burial Mounds, such that they were just whiling away time until they all starved to death.)

They would be scattered, weakened, unhappy and vulnerable. Wei Wuxian would be sitting there like a giant target until the Jin sect decided, in their leisure, to deal with him the way, in hindsight, they had so obviously always intended to.

Wei Wuxian would have missed his sister’s wedding, probably. He might even have missed Jiang Yanli’s widowing, and the consequences of that were unthinkable.

If Wei Wuxian hadn’t brought the Wen sect back with him to the Lotus Pier as a result of Jiang Cheng’s defiance of the cultivation world’s criticism, Wen Qing and Jiang Yanli would never had the chance to hit it off the way they had, becoming fast friends. If they hadn’t been friends, Wen Qing wouldn’t have been visiting Jinlin Tower to check up on her good friend when the news of Jin Zixuan’s death had first spread.

His murder, rather – Wei Wuxian wasn’t terribly clear on the details, but it wasn’t really necessary. Jin Guangshan had pressed his legitimate son’s filial piety to the breaking point in his pursuit of power, and finally he must have done something to go too far, to cause there to be a real break between them. Jin Zixuan must have made clear that he would not play along, no matter what, and by that point Jin Guangshan already knew there was Jin Guangyao waiting in the sidelines to step up and take his place. There was no other way it could have gone, simply because there was no other reason for both Jin Zixuan and his mother to so conveniently die on the very same day.

If it hadn’t been for Nie Huaisang convincing Jiang Cheng, Wen Qing wouldn’t have been there. Wen Qing wouldn’t have been available to be bold and decisive, the way she was with her medicine; she wouldn’t have been able to persuade Jiang Yanli of the possibility of danger and then to smuggler out of Jinlin Tower and take her on the run in disguise, long before it occurred to anyone else that there might be some threat to her – that the Jin sect might decide to hold her hostage, or worse.

Definitely worse. If Jin Guangyao had had the chance to figure out what only Wen Qing had known back then – that Jiang Yanli, barely more than a newlywed, already carried the next heir to Lanling Jin within her belly…

Jin Guangyao’s ambitions would never have let Jin Zixuan live, a fact they’d all only realized in horrible helpless hindsight, but if Wen Qing had been trapped in Yiling with Wei Wuxian at the time, instead of visiting Lanling, then Jiang Yanli…

Wei Wuxian didn’t even want to think of it.

So, really, it was only fair that Nie Huaisang, who had whether intentionally or incidentally saved so many of them these past few years, finally, finally get what he’d been dreaming of all these years: his brother’s return.

It was only fair that he be allowed to return to being happy.

And yet, at the same time –

“You need to go talk to him,” Jiang Cheng said. His arms would be crossed in front of his chest if he wasn’t currently holding a sleeping Jin Ling, who’d had something of a fright upon meeting the new and improved Nie Huaisang. The poor kid had been convinced that his habitually bitter and vicious Second Uncle Nie was possessed by some sort of fierce but bizarrely friendly ghost. “There’s a war on, for fuck’s sake. He can’t spend all his time haunting the Unclean Realm trying to pretend that he’s something he’s not in order to keep his brother from finding out that he’s changed!”

“It’s not as bad as all that,” Wei Wuxian objected. “I mean, Nie Huaisang’s always run most of the war through correspondence, anyway, and it’s not like we’re totally helpless without him to boss us around.”

“His absence hasn’t been noted by our enemies just yet,” Wen Ning murmured. His arms were similarly full with Wen Yuan – a little older than his friends, steadier and more mature, but a sympathetic crier, and spending a month of his childhood in the Burial Mounds made him more susceptible to fears of possession, not less, so he’d been set off by Jin Ling. And seeing them both in tears had, of course, made poor level-headed Jin Rusong, who didn’t cry easily at all, panic and try to help in a way that only made it worse; Xiao Xingchen had swept him away to the kitchen, and the two of them were currently making snacks for the other two when they woke up. “But it will be, soon. They are already puzzled by the change in tactics.”

Wen Ning’s voice was as soft as ever, his stutter subdued only by the fact that he was with company he liked, but his tone brooked no argument – he’d changed a lot since their youth, too, and knew more intimately than most how some things could not be undone.

The Jin sect, not content with merely killing him, had dubbed his resurrected self ‘the Ghost General’ in an attempt to incite the cultivation world into hating and fearing him. It had been a lie back then, when he’d been doing nothing more than planting radish seeds and babysitting, but now Wen Ning was a general in truth, the leader of their archers and one of Nie Huaisang’s right hands. He was still shy, still didn’t speak fluently and probably never would, but Nie Huaisang had assigned him several capable deputies who understood him even when he had to resort to the type of hand-signs used by the deaf or in covert situations. He was surprisingly popular with the cultivators on their side of the war, although Wei Wuxian acknowledged that perhaps his popularity shouldn’t be that much of a surprise: there was a certain morale-boosting effect in seeing your general continuing to fight even after being struck with enough arrows to create a porcupine.

“Being puzzled by a change in tactics is fairly run of the mill for any enemy facing Nie Huaisang,” Wei Wuxian pointed out.

“Which is why they haven’t noticed it yet, Wei-gongzi. But eventually…”

Wei Wuxian grimaced. “Is it really that dire?”

“Not yet,” Lan Wangji said ominously, and – fine. If even Lan Wangji thought that someone should talk to Nie Huaisang, Wei Wuxian would go and talk to him.

After all, they were old friends of long acquaintance.

Very long, even.

“I come bearing terms of peace,” Wei Wuxian announced, walking into Nie Huaisang’s study and waving a few jars of wine at him. “Come negotiate with me, Nie-xiong!”

“I don’t recall giving you permission to barge into my room,” Nie Huaisang said without looking up from his correspondence, a little flash of the vicious Pallbearer they’d all grown painfully accustomed to – he had his family’s temper but a cooler head, with rage that burned low and long rather than flaring up hot and burning out.

Wei Wuxian reflected once more on how apt Nie Huaisang’s personal title was. The foolish thought that it referred to the filial piety he showed in mourning the brother that raised him since childhood, the somewhat wiser to the way the attack on Nie Mingjue had forced Nie Huaisang to find the virtue he had previously lacked, but the really smart ones knew that the most accurate interpretation was that those that Nie Huaisang chose to accompany to their end would ultimately find themselves without any path forward but death.

Nie Huaisang’s cultivation was still nothing special, his ability to fight virtually non-existent beyond the most basic of saber forms – a saber he now carried with him often enough, but still almost never used – and he’d rejected Wei Wuxian’s very innovative idea (if he did say so himself) that he try to train with a war fan, both on the basis of it being both too much effort and furthermore thoroughly lacking in aesthetic. As a result, he had no particularly notable talents, and none that could allow him to triumph in a night-hunt or a duel.

It didn’t make him any less terrifying.

“You’ll forgive me,” Wei Wuxian said flippantly, and sat down next to him, looking at the words that filled the page with Nie Huaisang’s lovely, artistic calligraphy. “More spy stuff?”

Nie Huaisang’s lips curled up into a small smirk. “Naturally. The network never sleeps, as you well know. I assume you’ve been sent to scold me about the war?”

“Amazing,” Wei Wuxian said, and nudged him in the side with his elbow. “It’s almost like you have a brain in your head or something. Since you’ve guessed it, I don’t even know what more I need to say…how’s Chifeng-zun doing?”

That got Nie Huaisang’s face to soften, as he’d hoped it would. “Much better. He’s been sleeping and waking consistently, and the mobility exercises are working well, though of course he’s insisting on trying more than he can manage. He only just managed to walk across the room without stumbling yesterday, had to sit down right away after, and he’s already asking about saber training.”

That was very in character for Nie Mingjue.

“I’m glad,” Wei Wuxian said, meaning it with all his heart. “I missed da-ge.”

He owed him so much, after all.

So much more than most people knew.

It had been Nie Mingjue who had found him all those years ago, in the dark days when his parents had died in a night-hunt gone wrong and the money they’d left with the innkeeper turning out to be insufficient to keep him housed or fed for more than a fortnight. Wei Wuxian had been a spoiled, beloved child – even if his parents were rogue cultivators, his father originally a servant, they were famous; there wasn’t a town that didn’t welcome them with open arms. They had never lacked for money, for warmth and comfort.

Wei Wuxian might have had a chance if they’d died in the spring or summer. He might have been able to learn to sleep on the streets during warm nights and used those rich fat months to learn from all the other beggars how to eat refuse, but his parents had died in the winter. Even the beggars chased him away, unwilling to spare the smallest scrap of food or lose any bit of warmth by sharing the spots they had found to shelter from the cold; and when he went to the richer districts that had once greeted his parents with such enthusiasm, wild dogs were sent to chase him away, vicious and merciless…within a week, he had been very nearly dead.

Luckily, when hiring rogue cultivators turned out to be insufficient to deal with the problem, the miserly local landlord that had sent out the notice in the first place had finally given in and written to a Great Sect, begging for aid – as a rich man, he was obligated to contribute to the costs of a requested night-hunt, and the Great Sects, while generally more successful, were typically far more mercenary in that regard than rogue cultivators – and Nie Mingjue had come with his Nie sect, the most willing by far to do the work of defeating evil without charging too much for the privilege.

He’d found the bodies of Wei Wuxian’s parents.

Soon after, he’d found Wei Wuxian himself.

Wei Wuxian had been about seven, then. It had been a full two years before Jiang Fengmian had found him on the very same streets, hiding in the trash with a dirty face and a sad and miserable expression, ready to be picked up and taken home by his father’s old friend, the Sect Leader of Yunmeng Jiang.

Just as anyone might’ve predicted.

After all, Nie Mingjue had never stinted on sending out spies, even if he never used them.

(He’d released Wei Wuxian of all those old obligations long ago – but Nie Huaisang never had.)

“Da-ge passes along his thanks, by the way,” Nie Huaisang said. “He thinks the array you created to help preserve his life is brilliant.”

“It is brilliant,” Wei Wuxian said, shameless as always. Getting a truly vicious scolding from his little master Nie Huaisang about exactly how close to the line his arrogance had brought him and the Wen sect had humbled him a bit, and the disaster of the Stygian Tiger Seal nearly going out of his control at the Nightless City not long thereafter had humbled him still more, but in the end he was still Wei Wuxian. He was awesome. “Could anyone else have done what I did?”

Nie Huaisang rolled his eyes.

“He’s not angry at me for misusing Baxia?” Wei Wuxian asked, fishing for confirmation. If there was one thing that his two years in the Nie sect had taught him, it was a near-pathological revulsion at the thought of touching another person’s spiritual weapon – he’d been very nearly more excited to be allowed to put his hand on an unsheathed Bichen than Lan Wangji’s dick, although not quite – and Nie Mingjue was quite justifiably more paranoid than most on the subject.

Even that treacherous dog Jin Guangyao hadn’t dared touch Baxia. The spiritual poison he’d used on Nie Mingjue had been limited to the man himself, and that had been what gave Wei Wuxian the idea for the array he’d invented. Nie Mingjue cultivated with Baxia as his primary, if not only, spiritual weapon, and the disciples of the Nie sect were closer to their sabers than most – and by the end of the Sunshot Campaign, Baxia was a fearsome entity in her own right, possessed of her own spiritual energy.

And as he’d always said, energy was meant to be used.

There was something about the Nie sect’s cultivation style that reminded Wei Wuxian of his innovations in demonic cultivation, although it wasn’t quite the same. They didn’t manipulate resentful energy directly the way he did, but they still made use of it, refining their blades with it until the sabers were very nearly guai, cultivating saber spirits filled with a lust for blood – although the strict disciplines of the Nie sect cultivation path meant that every saber spirit that Wei Wuxian had ever had the fortune (or misfortune) to personally encounter just as absolutist in their disdain for evil as their masters.

Even Nie Huaisang’s saber Aituan was like that, and maybe that should have been Wei Wuxian’s first hint that Nie Huaisang wasn’t as simple as he appeared on the surface.

“It’s fine,” Nie Huaisang assured him. “Really. Da-ge said it was – how’d he put it – a charming contradiction, that his saber get used to cultivating energy for him rather than him for the saber. Though maybe he was just relieved that she was intact, given everything.”

Wei Wuxian grinned and toasted Nie Huaisang, drinking a little of the wine while Nie Huaisang continued with his correspondence.

They sat in comfortable silence for a little while.

“I’m not pretending,” Nie Huaisang said abruptly, and Wei Wuxian, who’d drifted off into daydreams involving him, Lan Wangji, and a very sturdy bathtub, turned to look at him. “I know what Jiang Cheng thinks –”

“Of course you do. I tell you what Jiang Cheng thinks.”

“Shut up, you – you calamity. I don’t need you to tell me what Jiang Cheng thinks, he tells me himself more often than not. He thinks that I’m pretending to be useless because I don’t want da-ge to know about everything I’ve done, but that’s not the case at all. He knows. I wouldn’t keep it from him.”

“I know,” Wei Wuxian said, because he did. Even at his most lazy and self-indulgent, Nie Huaisang abhorred the thought of lying to his brother. “But you are spending too much of your time in the Unclean Realm. We need you back in the field.”

Nie Huaisang scowled. “The cream of the cultivation world,” he said disdainfully. “Can’t they do anything by themselves, just for a few short months? You’d think my brother fought the entirety of the Sunshot Campaign by himself with how little they seem to contribute.”

“Personally, I think that everyone has just taken the Nie sect as lucky cats, and are afraid to do without you,” Wei Wuxian said, batting his eyelashes at him in his most provoking show of earnestness. “Nie-xiong, if I rub your head, does that mean I’ll win my next battle…?”

“Don’t you dare,” Nie Huaisang said, but the scowl receded and he looked amused again. “I can’t wait to send da-ge out on the battlefield again.”

“The Jin sect will trample each other in their eagerness to get off the battlefield rather than face Chifeng-zun,” Wei Wuxian agreed, and couldn’t help his own smile at the thought. “The rumors that he’s returned have already started spreading like wildfire, but you’ve done well to hide him away so thoroughly. It means no one knows if the rumors are right or if you’re just pulling some kind of trick on the world.”

“Who, me? A trick?” Nie Huaisang said, and smiled thinly. “I only wish I could’ve seen the look on that treacherous dog’s face when his spies reported on my unusual behavior. I hope he’s afraid.”

Wei Wuxian agreed.

He had tried many times to imagine doing what Jin Guangyao had done. To turn your hand against the man to whom you had sworn to love as a brother –

He couldn’t even imagine hurting Jiang Cheng like that, and Jiang Yanli even less.

Wei Wuxian owed Nie Mingjue his life. He had sworn fealty to him with all the passion and singlemindedness of childhood, and had never once regretted it. Nie Mingjue had taken him off the streets and brought him back to his sect, he’d taken back his parents’ bodies and buried them with full (if private) honors, he’d given Wei Wuxian training to make him strong and smart and capable. He’d sent him to do work in a place where he would prosper and thrive and be happy, and all the while promised that he would never be trapped – that he would have a way out if the Jiang sect became too suffocating or he was treated too viciously, on one hand, and on the other told him that he could one day petition to be released from his obligations to the Nie sect if he ever found them too demanding.

Wei Wuxian had asked to be released from those obligations after the fall of the Lotus Pier, unable to stomach the idea of reporting on Jiang Cheng now that he was all alone in the world in the way that he had so effortlessly reported on Jiang Fengmian and Madame Yu. Nie Mingjue had granted the reprieve without a second’s hesitation, even though it meant wasting the years and years of investment they’d put into him, even though it would have been a critical moment to have an ear within the Jiang sect’s camp.

Wei Wuxian owed Nie Mingjue everything.

And yet – if the man had asked him to kill Jiang Cheng, he would have said no.

Twin heroes, he’d promised Jiang Cheng, and if for a while he’d thought he would have to give up that promise because of the secret of the golden core that he still kept hidden away, he refused to think it any longer. Jiang Cheng was his brother in all but blood, in all the ways that mattered. Wei Wuxian would stand aside from him if he thought he had to, as he had with the Wen sect remnants; he would keep secrets from him, he would even deceive him, but he would never willingly seek to hurt him.

Jin Guangyao, though? He had attacked Nie Mingjue without even being asked.

He was like some rabid beast, a white-eyed wolf, Wei Wuxian thought. Utterly beyond his understanding.

He deserved to be afraid.

“Speaking of which,” he said, suddenly remembering. “I think I’ve figured out why Jin Guangyao was willing to kill his own heir to further his and his father’s ambitions.”

“About time,” Nie Huaisang said, and while his tone was stern Wei Wuxian was mostly sure that he was teasing. “I put you on that job months ago. What do you think I keep you around for? Your brilliant inventions? Your armies of corpses? Your amazing ability to stun irritating sect leaders into silence with your overwhelming shamelessness regarding Lan Wangji –”

“Let’s not talk about that,” Wei Wuxian said hastily, although the giant grin he couldn’t keep off his face said everything about his shame – or lack thereof – relating to that last one. You get caught doing one little roleplay about the fearsome demonic cultivator Yiling Patriarch being arrested by the righteous cultivator Hanguang-jun and suddenly no one wanted to look you in the eye anymore… “Anyway, according to all the rumors, you keep me around because you want me to raise your brother the way I raised Wen Ning.”

Nie Huaisang rolled his eyes. “I’ve heard that one, and I still can’t believe anyone believes it. Da-ge’s a sect leader! Even if you wanted to bring him back, think about the amount of resentment he would have had to feel at his death to rise up again despite all the soul-calming rituals he’s gone through! If he ever became that resentful, he wouldn’t rise up as a ghost general, he’d be a ghost king, and then we’d all be screwed.”

Nie Huaisang wasn’t wrong. Nie Mingjue was one of the most powerful cultivators living – if he rose as a fierce corpse, he’d be able to slaughter an entire village of common people overnight with just the energy in one hand. And if he were then allowed access to Baxia, her power added to his…he’d become a scourge on the world, a true calamity, and they’d need to find a way to appease his anger and somehow lock him away forever just to survive.

Assuming Nie Huaisang allowed something like that, anyway. Wei Wuxian was very happy they had never been forced to face the question of whether Nie Huaisang preferred his brother or his morality, as he suspected no one would like the answer to that. Not even Nie Huaisang.

“Enough speculation,” Nie Huaisang said, and Wei Wuxian twitched guiltily even though he knew Nie Huaisang was not, in fact, a mind-reader. “What’s the story with A-Song?”

“You want the long version with all the proof I found to support it or the conclusion?”

“Start with the conclusion.”

“Jin Guangyao couldn’t risk A-Song growing up into a half-wit on account of being a child of incest.”

That actually surprised Nie Huaisang, Wei Wuxian was pleased to see.

“Incest?” Nie Huaisang said wonderingly. “But how – oh, of course. Jin Guangshan and Madame Qin? An affair or rape?”

“Rape while he was drunk, supposedly, though of course we only have the relevant people’s words for that, and they’re not exactly impartial sources. Could’ve been an affair that had unexpected results, not that anyone would ever admit it.”

Nie Huaisang started laughing.

Wei Wuxian really wished he wouldn’t. It wasn’t the sort of happy giggle that he sometimes let out nowadays when he was thinking of Nie Mingjue’s recovery – it was the jagged vicious bitterness of the Pallbearer, through and through.

“Oh, Qin Su, Qin Su,” Nie Huaisang said, wiping tears from his eyes. “I gave you all the chances in the world, you stupid woman. I hope you’re happy with what you chose.”

“Can I ask?” Wei Wuxian said cautiously. “You never said – you just showed up with A-Song, no Qin Su and no explanation…”

“Says the person who adopted A-Yuan all but sight unseen?”

“I lived with him for a month, it’s different,” Wei Wuxian said. “What happened with Qin Su?”

Nie Huaisang shrugged. “Nothing dramatic. She wouldn’t believe me when I told her that her husband was planning on killing her son to frame his enemies, which is reasonable enough given that everyone knows I’m at odds with him. Even when I offered her proof, she said it was just a forgery – that he wasn’t like that, that she knew him, the real him, that she was the only one who really understood him, even though I’d say the whole cultivation world knows the ‘real’ him by now.”

“Irritating, but understandable, I think – he is her husband, the dashing hero that rescued her so valiantly in the Sunshot Campaign and which she defied custom and her parents to marry. So why all the disdain?”

Nie Huaisang’s lips pressed together tightly with disapproval. “I asked her if she was willing to risk losing A-Song just to show her husband that she trusted him, and she said that she was, because it wasn’t a risk at all. Because she knew he loved her too much to do such a terrible thing without a good reason.”

“Without a good reason?” Wei Wuxian demanded. “That’s her son!”

“Don’t you know that they can always have others?” Nie Huaisang said with a sneer, clearly paraphrasing words he’d heard. “They’re young, in love – it’s all my fault that he stopped touching her, apparently. I took Lan Xichen away from him and he’s so upset about it that he can’t come to her bed, but once the world is rid of me, it’ll all go back to the way it should be…”

“I’ll give her that much: she really loves him,” Wei Wuxian said, shaking his head. The delusions of a person in love, he supposed. He hoped that he and Lan Wangji weren’t quite that bad. “She’ll be in for a disappointment. Given what I found out…he’ll never return to her bed or give her children, not in this lifetime.”

“No, he won’t.” Nie Huaisang reached for his fan. “Thank you for this. I’ll think about how to use it.”

“And?” Wei Wuxian prodded.

“And I’ll come back to the battlefield,” Nie Huaisang conceded, looking discontented, and Wei Wuxian smiled smugly. “You can supervise the Unclean Realm in my place.”

“What? No!” Wei Wuxian protested, his smile disappearing at once. “You have Xiao Xingchen –”

“He’s newly blinded, and out of all the cultivators we have available, you’re the most effective at fighting on a stand-alone basis. Think of it as having some time to bond with your mother’s shidi.”

Wei Wuxian didn’t want time to bond with his martial uncle – or, well, he did, he’d been dying for an opportunity to talk with Xiao Xingchen more or less since the man first made his name known in the cultivation world, but Nie Huaisang’s rules were such that no one outside the most trusted inner circles of the Nie sect was allowed in the familial quarters of the Unclean Realm, or even in the Unclean Realm at all. And that meant…

“But – Lan Wangji –”

“Will not die if he’s forced to be abstinent for a little while,” Nie Huaisang said, and oh, it was on.

“Did Qin Su specify the method by which you took Lan Xichen from her husband?” Wei Wuxian asked, crossing his arms. “I was under the impression that you still referred to him as Zewu-jun –”

Nie Huaisang glared.

Too bad – if the Pallbearer didn’t want to get mocked over his crush on the First Jade of Lan, he shouldn’t have let Wei Wuxian find out about the fact that the torch he held for him was still burning hot as ever.

“Perhaps my information is out of date. Tell me, little master, what means of seduction did you employ to convince Zewu-jun to betray his poor sad little A-Yao? Did you work your wicked wiles on him?”

“Wei Wuxian –”

“Did you play his xiao?”

Nie Huaisang let out an ungentlemanly snort and had to cover his face. “Oh no,” he said. “Oh no. Why did you have to give me that mental image? Fuck you, Wei Wuxian.”

“Yeah, well, fuck you too. Abstinent my ass.”

“I think you’ll find that the problem with abstinence is that it’s not your ass,” Nie Huaisang said, shoulders shaking. “That’s kind of the point. Now go tell everyone that I’ll be rejoining them tomorrow.”

“I will relish their groans of despair,” Wei Wuxian said, standing up. He was clearly going to have to take as much advantage that he could of the little time he had with Lan Wangji before being cruelly locked away. “Oh, is there any news on Song Lan?”

“None,” Nie Huaisang said. “He may as well have ascended into the heavens. Don’t tell Xiao Xingchen, he’ll only worry.”

“I won’t, I won’t. As for you – could you try to lighten up on Zewu-jun? Now that da-ge’s awake again?”

Nie Huaisang frowned.

“I’m not saying forgive him,” Wei Wuxian clarified. “Just – you know that da-ge wouldn’t want you to be so mad at him, especially since you still like him and all.”

“I’ll let da-ge decide that, I think,” Nie Huaisang said, and the humor had fled his face entirely. “It was his assassin that Zewu-jun decided to trust and protect, after all.”

Wei Wuxian nodded, accepting the verdict – he disagreed, but he understood – and turning to leave.

He paused at the door.

“Just so you know,” he said, not looking at Nie Huaisang. “Having trusted Meng Yao doesn’t mean you have to be so mad at yourself, either.”

He left before Nie Huaisnag could respond, but he heard something shatter in the room behind him.

#mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #nie huaisang #jiang cheng #wen ning #my fic #my fics #unfettered