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ibijau · 2 years

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Jin Rusong Lives pt 15 (epilogue) / On AO3

Lan Xichen huffed quietly, trying not to laugh, and grabbed Jin Rusong under the armpits, lifting him effortlessly and putting him down on the bed. The little boy immediately tried to jump down again but Lan Xichen pinned him in place, making his expression just severe enough that Jin Rusong gave in and sat there quietly. Almost quietly. Before very long Jin Rusong was squirming and swinging his legs back and forth, occasionally brushing his feet against Lan Xichen’s sides who was kneeling before him, trying to untie the knots on the little boy’s robes and put order back into them.

“Left over right,” Lan Xichen reminded him. “I know you’re very excited today, but it’s important to be careful about this.”

“Yes, uncle Lan. Am I ready now? Can we go now?”

“A moment more… there, good now.”

This time when Jin Rusong jumped down from the bed, Lan Xichen didn’t stop him and merely stood up as well before going to join the little boy who was now struggling to put on his boots.

“Not these ones,” Lan Xichen said. “It snowed last night, you will need warmer shoes.”

“So I can put the ones with fur that LingLing got me?” Jin Rusong asked, breaking into a wide grin when Lan Xichen gave that permission. In truth there was barely any snow at all, so normal boots would have been enough, but Jin Rusong had been waiting for an occasion to finally wear his cousin’s present, and the stylish boots would certainly be noticed and appreciated by their guest.

Because the boots were new and a little tighter due to the fur, it took a little effort for Jin Rusong’s to get in, which brought his already tested patience to its limit. But at last the little boy was ready and he sprang outside, followed by Lan Xichen who had to remind him that running was forbidden in the Cloud Recesses. Jin Rusong sighed loudly, as if it were a very unreasonable thing to ask him to merely walk on such a day. Then, as most Lan children did, he did his best to walk as fast as he could without technically breaking into a run. At another time Lan Xichen might have tried to reason with him and get him to slow down, but in the end he was just as impatient as the little boy. Since Jin Rusong’s speed gave him an excuse to go faster than the leisurely pace normally preferred in the Cloud Recesses, Lan Xichen decided to allow it this time.

When they reached the gate of the Cloud Recesses, Jin Rusong’s excitement once again won over his desire to be good. As soon as he spotted a dark silhouette waiting there, he started running again, not to stop until he had jumped into the arms of Nie Huaisang who lifted him up and hugged him tight. Lan Xichen promptly joined them and, showing his own impatience, quickly suggested that they should all three head to the Hanshi so Nie Huaisang could rest from his long journey. Nie Huaisang immediately agreed to that offer, complaining that he was exhausted after flying so far, yet not letting go of Jin Rusong who of course was only too happy to be carried around like that.

“How long are you staying this time?” Lan Xichen asked as they walked.

“I should be able to stay at least two weeks, unless something particularly bad happens at home,” Nie Huaisang said. “But if we’re lucky, I might stay up to a month before I really need to go home. Well, unless uncle Lan tires of me and kicks me out, of course.”

Nie Huaisang smiled at Lan Xichen, almost as mischievous as he had once been, before the world changed him.

It would have been untrue to say that Nie Huaisang was back to who he had been before his brother’s death. The past couldn’t be retrieved. Lan Xichen didn’t want to return to those long lost days, anyway. They had both grown from their experiences, and were both better people after having gone through so much, even if he knew Nie Huaisang would scoff if anyone dared to call him good outloud.

Still it was nice to see him show again traces of his old joy, the very thing that had first attracted Lan Xichen to him, which he had once believed lost forever. He liked to see Nie Huaisang cheerful again, to be teased by him again.

“Look, uncle Lan isn’t saying anything,” Nie Huaisang playfully lamented to Jin Rusong. “He’s already planning to get rid of me, I’m sure! I am the most unloved person in the entire world!”

“That’s not true, I love you a lot!” Jin Rusong cried out, all the more earnest because it had taken him time to decide whether he did love Nie Huaisang or not, after having learned how his parents died.

It was something Lan Xichen and him had talked about a lot, when Jin Rusong had first come to live in the Cloud Recesses. It was something even an adult would have struggled with, as Lan Xichen knew. It had taken him years to unravel his complicated feelings for his father and mother, whose actions and choices had had such a dire impact on his youth. And it wasn’t as though Lan Xichen didn’t carry his share of blame for what had happened to Qin Su and Jin Guangyao, making it harder to help and advise Jin Rusong sometimes, because the child’s pain echoed Lan Xichen’s too much.

But they’d gotten over the worst of it, thanks in part to Lan Sizhui. The young man had had the advantage of understanding Jin Rusong’s conflict even better than Lan Xichen could, while also having less emotional involvement in what had happened. The two of them had spent a few afternoons together, especially after Nie Huaisang’s first visit had been so awkward that it had been a relief when some problems in Qinghe had necessitated it be cut short. Lan Xichen hadn’t been privy to those discussions between his nephews, but he had noticed that Jin Rusong was more at peace these days. The boy had been far more at ease during Nie Huaisang’s second visit, and had eagerly looked forward to this third one.

The only side effect was that Jin Rusong had started idolising Lan Sizhui after that, but so did most of the younger Lan disciples anyway.

“I’m glad at least one person does love me,” Nie Huaisang whined, clearly trying to hide how emotional it made him that Jin Ruson still cared. “But I maintain that uncle Lan just wants me gone. Uncle Lan still hasn’t objected to kicking me out!”

“You are ridiculous,” Lan Xichen huffed with affection. After checking that no one was near to see them, he leaned closer and daringly pressed a kiss to Nie Huaisang’s temple. “You can stay here as long as you want and you know it. You’ll be tired of the Cloud Recesses long before I tire of you.”

“Only because the food is so dreadful,” Nie Huaisang replied, smiling so softly that it took all of Lan Xichen’s self control not to kiss him again.

“LingLing too doesn’t like the food,” Jin Rusong then agreed. “He took me to an inn when he was there, because I’m growing and I need meat, he said.”

“So he finally had time to visit?” Nie Huaisang asked. “Excellent. I know my SongSong was missing his cousin.”

Jin Rusong immediately agreed that he had missed Jin Ling terribly, before quickly showing off the pretty furred boots his cousin had given him. Nie Huaisang was suitably admirative, and even claimed that he wanted a pair of his own. It was probably just a careless remark, but Lan Xichen made a note to ask Jin Ling if that could be arranged. Winters were cold in Qinghe too, and Nie Huaisang’s golden core wasn’t the strongest, so it would make sense for him to have nice, warm boots. Mostly, Lan Xichen enjoyed that things were clear now between the two of them, and that he could spoil the man he loved without fearing he’d be crossing some unsaid boundary.

While Lan Xichen planned that gift, he also distractedly listened to the conversation between Nie Huaisang and Jin Rusong, both of whom were excitedly sharing what they’d done since they had last met. Jin Rusong explained he’d seen not only his cousin but also his grandfather just the month before, while Nie Huaisang as before carried letters from the children of the Unclean Realm who all hoped Jin Rusong would come visit for a bit that summer.

Lan Xichen listened and smiled, happier than he’d been in many years, happier than he’d ever been perhaps. It was only a shame that Nie Huaisang couldn’t stay longer than a few weeks, that they both had duties to attend, but at least they knew to make that time together with Rusong count.

#xisang #nie huaisang #lan xichen #jin rusong #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #jau writes #jin rusong lives #hhhh I did it I finished one of my wips before the year ended #I am also just generally happy I managed to finish this fic since I do like it a lot

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sunshine304 · 3 years

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I am so so sorry that it took me this long to continue my LoF watching posts! RL, y’know. Ep 26 felt like a good place to take a breather, as well, so that’s what I did.

Anyway, let’s move on to eps 27 and 28!

It’s exposition time! Zhou Fei and ChuChu are at a tea house and hear about an army deserter who was trained on the Mountain of the Immortals (has this been mentioned before... IDK), was poisoned and became a monk. A-Fei thinks this story sounds familiar (indeed it does, indeed it does...) and ChuChu remembers having read sth like this in a book (the book of ... Peng Lai? I think?).

Oh look, Huo Fort becomes relevant again! I forgot about them. Anyway, Huo Lintao, who is now the boss and seems to not be well liked basically everywhere, wants to fight Disha and invites people from Jianghu to his Destroy Disha Assembly (God, I just love that name XD). Li Sheng & 48 Strongholds get an invite and he wants to investigate. Huo Fort is also... attacked by random cultivators I guess?

Meanwhile, let’s check in on Yin Pei! He still can’t deal with his internal injury (loss of internal power? still not sure; I’m assuming it’s sth like severe damage to a golden core in xanxia or even complete loss of one) and scours Old Daoist Master Chongxiao’s rooms for the Phoenix Pill, which... I think gives you lots of power but is also really super dangerous?

This show sure has lots of useful but also dangerous power restoring/improving pills and needles, huh?

Anyway, Yin Pei takes the pill. He does not feel so good. Uh oh.

Li Yan and Yang Jin go in search for A-Fei again – uhm, didn’t A-Fei simply go into town with ChuChu? Why are they searching for her again, other that Yang Jin wants to fight her because one obvious defeat isn’t enough? I'm guessing there has been a time skip again...

Meanwhile, at Disha Manor! Shen Tianshu is nursing his wounded ego I guess, while Chu Tianyu, an older member, is now supposed to take care of all this drama, but he doesn’t really want to because he’s retired. How many weird members of Disha are there?

Oh okay, so Yin Pei goes kinda crazy because of the scabbard since it seems to be gone, takes more of the Phoenix Pills, which is a fucking stupid idea, we get some exposition that this might turn him into a demon of some sort, and then he kills Chongxiao for the scabbard because he thinks that the old master wants it for himself.

Which, you know, isn’t true, but that’s what you get for being so secretive, I guess. Chongxiao actually wanted the scabbard so a forger could make lots of copies of it, so that Yin Pei can keep the original one. *sigh* Well, too late now. Yin Pei also meets that evil guy from way back in ep 7 or 8 who’d fought Chongxiao and Li Sheng, who calls himself the Black Judge (I’m too lazy to look up his name and hope he doesn’t really become that relevant).

I’m kinda sad that Yin Pei simply seems to go the “Oops I’m super crazy now“ route instead of having a more interesting redemption arc. I also... don’t really know what he wants to do now? He’s got the scabbard of his father... Are there still people alive he could take revenge on? Disha I guess?

But! The song that plays while Yin Pei confronts Chongxiao is awesome! I'm in love.♥

Back to the main characters, thank you! Xie Yun is really ill and freezing, the poison taking its toll. He’s at the same inn as two new characters (noooo, no more characters, have mercy!) Zhu Chen and Zhu Ying of the small Zhu sect, who are there for that assembly. They eye XY and feel sorry for him. We instantly know that these are Good People.

Aaaaaand introducing another new character, Ying Hecong, Poison Doctor! I know he’s relevant because he’s got a poster!

Of course Zhou Fei just misses Xie Yun in that inn. *sigh* But then she meets Li Yan and Yang Jin there, which is nice.

Yet another new character! He’s Black Tortoise Ding Kui and has henchman that are dressed in a rather peculiar way. Is this now the same as with that Azure Dragon guy, and I don’t really have to remember him? He’s from the 4 Guardians Mountain (speaking of which, where tf is Mu XiaoQiao!?).

Okay okay I see now. Everyone is in LingLing for that meet up with the Huo family! Madame Nichang is there too! Ah my beloved! ♥ She tells Xie Yun to follow his heart, and not be stupid and only think of his end.

Xie Yun is all evasive of course, and then he meets up with Cheng Zichen who of course is also there! Because of this he finds out that Zhou Fei is there, too, which puts him into a conflict. Because his running away was going so well, dammit!

On to Ep 28!

Xie Yun hides out in the carriage with Ling Yu of the Feather Robe Troupe, who slyly comments on him running away from Zhou Fei. He’s sad and says that it’s not A-Fei’s fault and that he’s just an unlucky person who is not good for her. T_T Kill me, why don’t you.

A-Fei has learned a lot and notices XY’s ruse, yay go my heroine!♥

She catches him and they fight, and she asks him about the poison. Zhou Fei obviously suspects ahhhh! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ But of course when XY seems happy that she was looking for him, she goes all haughty again and is like, “It’s only because of the HYTS!“ (although no it was mainly because of him and she looks light she might burst into tears any moment now, too...)

They get distracted by the procession of Black Tortoise Master walking by and A-Fei knocks XY out. They’re even now! XD

Nice to see the whole gang together as A-Fei drags the unconscious Xie Yun to an inn! ChuChu my beloved! ♥

OMG Li Sheng and Yang Jin getting into this peacock fight! XD Li Sheng scolds his sister and Yang Jin is super pissed about it. Li Yan is looking sooo smug, like “Yep that's my very own protective himbo!“ XD

Then Li Sheng is sent off to find Madame Nichang because she at least might know what to do about Xie Yun.

Ding Kui arrives at the Hui Fort. If I understood correctly... Hui Lintao wants to... kill all the cultivators when they arrive for his assembly? Or just those other cultivators that are randomly attacking him? There's traps in the forest they have go through. He specifically mentions that the traps are set after Daoist Master Chongxiao’s design, so hm might Li Sheng be of great help here later? Anyway, that old guy from Disha is there and seems to find all of this very funny. I’m confused.

Mu Xiaoqiao my love!!!!!!! He’s back!!!! For about 5 seconds but there he is, looking fabulous! ☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

Ding Kui (who... has left the Huo Fort I guess) wants to work with him and reminds him of his debt to the Huo Fort. I had forgotten about that.

Oh let’s check in for about a minute on Yin Pei, who is still crazy and slaughters some people... uhm somewhere. He also now calls himself the true Master of Clear Light. [at least I think it’s supposed to be his new name?] Nicely written on the door in blood. Okay then.

But the instrumental of his song plays in the background, making all of this much more epic, so it’s fine.

Madame Nichang arrives, is shocked, and states that Xie Yun is poisoned, as A-Fei feared, and he has a year if he doesn’t use his internal force anymore. A-Fei is devastated and we get their love song while she rubs his (supposedly) ice-cold hand. Oh my heart. T_T

Ying Hecong arrives because he wants to see the poisoned guy! XD He has never heard of tact.

Since A-Fei is desperate she lets him in, and we get some exposition in bits and pieces. Ying Hecong first assumes that XY must’ve been poisoned about a month ago (which fits the fight against Disha, where he used the needle), but wonders how that could be because Lian Sheng (the poisoner known for bone piercing blue) has been missing for a while longer. He lets slip that he isn’t actually a doctor, uhm yeah....

Oh not A-Fei is so sad and crying, nooooo T_T She’s angry at XY, asking why he had to meddle in her affairs and then leave to just die somewhere alone. Oh nooooo. ಥ_ಥ ಥ_ಥ ಥ_ಥ

(side note: easy scene for Wang Yibo, just lying there the whole time, no lines for once XD)

A-Fei gets the Tianmen Lock from Madam Nichang (a special lock that has a double lock mechanism that is very difficult to open. Md. Nichang actually alludes to this lock being very useful for lovers and I’m like... okay XD). YunFei are kinky as ever, nothing new here – A-Fei is so pissed at XY that she doesn’t want him to have the chance to run away again. XD

Loved how XY complained about the lock destroying his posture. XD And how Zhou Fei’s like, “It’s not my fault you’re bound like that, Li Sheng is to blame!“ while the flashback tells us, that uhm no, he’s not. XD

Ending with A-Fei telling Yang Jin about the Hai Tian Yi Se. Ah they’re important relics it seems. Well whatever. XY listens in.

I really need to keep on watching, it seems stuff is happening.

#legend of fei #you fei #sabrina watches legend of fei #my posts #my gifs

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vanill4-be4n · 4 years

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[Spoilers about the last episode for pet ahead]

sTOP PLAYING WITH MY HEARTTT OMG IM LIKE SOBBING WATERFALLS AT THIS POINT SKDNSJS

FIRSTLY,, STOP SATORU BULLY HOLYDJSJSN HES GONNA DIE (ok but he didnt) HE DOESNT WANT A LEAD PEIRCING

SECONDLY KATSURAGI WAS ACTUALLY NICE??? BUT BECAUSE HALF HIS PEAK WAS HIDDEN HE BECAME A RAT PERSONALITY PERSOM IS THAT IT?? DAMN

Also that interaction with Lingling (correct me if I'm wrong) and katsuragi was really sweet like that's cute

I'm actually really happy for tsukasa understanding what he did was wrong and uncalled for but aT THE WRONG TIME TSU YOU DUMB FRICK

And then we go to hiroki and tsukasa escaping

BUT IT ISNT TSUKASA?? ITS SATORU

Then in his memories tsu told hiroki he wanted to sleep a long dreamless sleep that ruined me holy shit that made me sob

And thEN HE STARTS RUINING HIS LOCKS FOR HIROKI JUST TO GET RID OF HIS MEMORY OF HAYASHI SKSSN

AND HIS MEMORIES,,,, GONE

THANOS SNAPPED AWAY THAT RNDNSN

AND THAT SWEET SWEET MEMORY OF TSUKASA MAKING A FULL PAN OF PANCAKES FOR HIROKI,,, THAT WAS SO SWEET BUT IT DISAPPEARED TOO

THEN IT WENT TI HIS PEAK AND YOU COULD SEE HIROKI TAKING CARE OF TSU IN HIS MEMORY AND THAT WAS SUPER SUPER SWEET BUT IT DISAPPEARED WHICH WASNT AS SWEET

god,,, tsu,,, hiroki,,, pet,,,

So many feelings, too little episodes

Also the ending sequence where they find the real life location of their peak,,,, ouch

My babies,, please be safe

#pet anime #pet #hiroki #tsukasa #satoru #ペット

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ibijau · 4 years

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Jin Rusong Lives / On AO3

A surprise visitor comes to the Unclean Realm to see Jin Rusong

Slowly and carefully, Jin Rusong walked to the next cage, inspecting the bird inside. The mynah returned the stare with equal curiosity, always the smartest one among Nie Huaisang’s little friends, and hopped toward the door, knowing there was always the chance of a treat or even of getting out for a bit.

“I wish it would speak to me,” Jin Rusong sighed, sounding like he was the most miserable boy in the world. “Uncle Nie, you swear it speaks?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you,” Nie Huaisang replied, cutting up a slice of apple and handing it to the child. “Here, give it a little treat. This one really doesn’t trust people easily. There’s only one person aside from me who’s heard it speak, you know. But you’ve been so good and so patient, I’m sure it’ll get comfortable with you, given a little more time.”

Jin Rusong nodded, and slid the slice of apple through the bars, which the mynah quickly snatched. Already they’d done great progress with this bird. When Jin Rusong had arrived, it wouldn’t even eat any food the little boy tried to give him.

“Who’s the other?” Jin Rusong asked, still curiously peering at the bird.

“What other?”

“Uncle Nie said his bird speaks also to another person. Who is it?”

The question, however innocent, felt like a slap.

“It doesn’t matter,” Nie Huaisang muttered as he cut another slice of apple. “He’ll never be here again.”

Something in his tone must have been too sombre, alerting the little boy that something wasn’t quite right. Tearing his eyes from the bird, Jin Rusong looked up at his uncle, worry written all over his little face.

"Uncle Nie is sad again," Jin Rusong noted, tilting his head and pulling on his sleeve so he could put his hand on the hand holding the apple. "Is it because of me?"

Nie Huaisang nearly grimaced. This too was innocent, but sometimes Jin Rusong sounded too much the way his father had when trying to use other's pity to his advantage.

Well, not just any others. There was only one man whose pity he had really prayed on, and Nie Huaisang had seen so much of it happen. Present but forgotten, little more than a pretty decoration while Jin Guangyao manipulated Lan Xichen, Nie Huaisang powerless to stop it for fear that…

"Uncle Nie?"

Nie Huaisang shook his head and blinked at Jin Rusong, the child now so worried it wouldn't have taken much to make him cry. Only a child, who had no twisted intentions, just a big heart and a bigger fear to lose again the person taking care of him.

"SongSong is the best thing in my life," Nie Huaisang said as he knelt down. He carefully put his knife and apple on the floor before pulling his ward into a tight hug. "Uncle Nie has his own reasons to be sad. I was thinking of a friend I miss a lot, that's all."

He felt the child nod against his shoulder, tightening his grasp on Nie Huaisang’s robes. Of course Jin Rusong understood loss better than a child his age should have. And although he felt guilty for a number of reasons, Nie Huaisang couldn't help being glad to have that quiet moment of comfort.

They remained like this, unmoving among the singing birds, until two sets of footsteps approached behind them. Judging by the changes in the songs around them, one set had to belong to Nie Funyu, whom the canaries had taken a shine too.

"Sect Leader, you have a visitor," his first disciple announced, confirming Nie Huaisang’s suspicions. "As per your instructions, I brought him to you right away."

Nie Huaisang shuddered and jumped to his feet, hoping against all hope… but when he turned around it was Jin Rulan standing next to Nie Funyu. Of course that was one of the other visitors about whom Nie Huaisang had given special instructions. And he had been expecting a surprise visit for a while now, and… Nie Huaisang refused to feel disappointed, because it would have been foolish to hope for anyone else.

"Nie zongzhu, I've come to see my cousin," Jin Rulan announced.

Nie Huaisang nodded, but before he could find something polite to reply Jin Rusong cried out in fright and hid behind him, hugging his legs tightly.

"I don't want to go back! I'm staying with uncle Nie!"

At this Nie Funyu had to fight a smile, while Jin Rulan's eyes narrowed. Nie Huaisang winced, but put on as cheerful a smile as he could.

"SongSong, don't be like that! Your cousin came all this way to see you, and you greet him like this? Isn't that a little rude? He'll think you haven't missed him."

"Uncle Nie…"

"Come say hi at least," Nie Huaisang insisted. "Show your cousin what a polite young man you are."

It felt like a dirty trick to say that, but Jin Rusong had told him a few times that his cousin used to be scolded for his rudeness, partly due to the influence of his uncle Jiang no doubt. Nie Huaisang had guessed that his ward probably liked being the polite one by comparison, especially when it was a quality everyone also praised Jin Guangyao for.

It worked, which made Nie Huaisang half proud and half awful for having guessed right. Jin Rusong hesitated a second, then came out of hiding so he could bow before his cousin with an elegance and restraint that was adorable in such a young child.

"I'm sorry, LingLing. I'm happy to see you, even if you are big now." Jin Rusong paused, and looked up at Nie Huaisang. "Do I have to call him Jin zongzhu now, like people do for daddy?"

"You can call me LingLing," Jin Rulan quickly intervened before Nie Huaisang could answer. "It's fine, I don't mind."

Jin Rusong nodded, clearly relieved to hear that he wouldn’t need to be so formal with his cousin. More than anything else, the fact that Jin Rulan was now nearly an adult really bothered the child a lot, as it was the most visible effect of his long sleep. All the rest he could either process or ignore, but this was hard on him.

“LingLing, are you here to take me back?” Jin Rusong asked.

Rather than to answer, Jin Rulan threw a glance at Nie Huaisang who remained perfectly impassive. The young sect leader sighed, and came to kneel down next to his cousin so they could be at the same level.

“Do you want to come home, A-Song?”

Immediately, the child shook his head.

“I like it here,” he explained. “I get to play with a lot of people, and the other day I fell in the mud and Uncle Nie said it was fine, and there are birds also. Did you see the birds, LingLing?” he asked, pointing excitedly at the caged around them. “I like them, they’re pretty and I can be near them, not at all like the peacocks at home that pinched us. You remember? Daddy was so cross because we had to run to escape from them, and then I was feeling bad again. But I can run now, Wen gongzi says it’s okay, and it’s easier to play like that. It’s really fun here. And if I go, then Uncle Nie will be sad, you know.”

As he said this, Jin Rusong returned to Nie Huaisang’s side, grasping his robes tightly.

“LingLing, Uncle Nie is trying very hard to be good,” he announced, which caused a mortified Nie Huaisang to hurriedly open his fan and hide. “He cries a lot and he is sad a lot, but he is nice and he lets me do anything I want.”

“Not anything!” Nie Huaisang protested, glaring at Nie Funyu who was barely restraining his laughter. “Jin zongzhu, I promise you that I’m not letting your cousin be spoiled or endangered, I know how to enforce boundaries… when it’s important.”

Jin Rulan threw him an unimpressed look before turning his attention back to Jin Rusong.

“Does he make sure you eat your vegetables?”

“Yes. I like how they’re cooked here!” Jin Rusong added. “But Uncle Nie doesn’t always eat his, and then Nie Funyu and Nie Zhilan have to scold him. Nie Zhilan says I have to also scold him if he doesn’t eat well. She’s the doctor here and she says Uncle Nie is not serious, but that’s not true. He works a lot and he really does his best, and…”

“I think maybe we should continue that conversation inside!” Nie Huaisang intervened. “Funyu, could you see to have tea and biscuits brought to my private quarters? And have guest quarters prepared for Jin zonghu. How long does Jin zongzhu plan on staying with us?”

Rising up again, Jin Rulan took a moment to consider the question, his eyes darting a few times between Jin Rusong and Nie Huaisang.

“I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning,” he said. “I just came by to check how A-Song was settling in, I sadly can’t stay very long.”

“Oh, but then you won’t meet my friends!” Jin Rusong lamented, throwing himself at his cousin and clinging to his robes. “Do you really have to leave? I’m sure they would like you so much! Please, please stay a little, LingLing!”

Jin Rulan blinked a few times. Nie Huaisang, used to the teenager’s volatile temper, steeled himself, unsure what to expect. He let out a long exhale when Jin Rulan smiled and picked his cousin up as if he weighed nothing.

“Maybe I can try to stay until I’ve met them,” he conceded, much to Jin Rusong’s delight. “And at worse, I’ll come visit again anyway. Maybe next time I’ll be less busy and I can stay longer.”

Hiding a grimace behind his fan, Nie Huaisang noted that the other sect leader wasn’t even pretending to ask for his permission. Of course it had been one of Jiang Wanyin’s conditions that Jin Rulan would be able to visit freely at any time of his choosing, but Nie Huaisang would have appreciated it if an effort was made to respect his authority, such as it was. But Jin Rulan probably felt he didn’t owe him even that, after some of the choices he’d made, and Nie Huaisang was in no position to complain, not with his current guardianship of Jin Rusong on the line.

So he simply waved his fan at Nie Funyu who went to make the necessary arrangement and, after quickly tidying what had been moved in the aviary, Nie Huaisang led the Jin cousins toward his quarters. Jin Rusong took it upon himself to describe to his cousin what each building they passed by was, continually going on tangents about whatever idea crossed his mind along the way. Nie Huaisang distractedly listened, mostly out of worry that the child might say something that would be interpreted the wrong way by Jin Rulan. It did not happen, though. By the time they reached their destination, Jin Rulan seemed as satisfied with the situation as someone half raised by Jiang Cheng could be.

Tea had already been served when they came in, and they only had to sit down to enjoy it. As was proper, Jin Rulan and Nie Huaisang sat on opposite sides of the table, which caused a dilemma for Jin Rusong. Usually he would have come to sit on Nie Huaisang’s lap, because his uncle Nie did perhaps like to spoil him a bit, but with his cousin present, he hesitated to take his usual spot.

That there was room for hesitation at all made Nie Huaisang’s heart feel too big for his chest.

“Go sit with your cousin,” he ordered gently. “You haven’t seen him in a long while, and he’s only here for a little bit, you should enjoy his company as much as you can!”

Jin Rusong nodded so seriously that it made Nie Huaisang want to pinch his cheeks, and he forced his way onto Jin Rulan’s lap. The teenager appeared a little startled by it, as if he hadn’t expected that his cousin would want to sit quite so close, but he allowed it easily, reminding Nie Huaisang of the way Jiang Cheng had been when his nephew was younger and cuddlier.

While they had tea, Jin Rusong was still the one to carry most of the conversation, clearly determined to prove that he was very happy in the Unclean Realm and ought to stay there. Here and there Jin Rulan asked questions or demanded details, which always made Nie Huaisang tense. It went well though. The only moment Jin Rulan frowned was when his young cousin explained that, no, he wasn’t working on cultivation at all, but even that wasn’t cause enough for him to get angry.

After tea, Jin Rusong insisted on showing his bedroom to his cousin, clearly very proud that he had his own room within Nie Huaisang’s quarters even though he had never spent an entire night there. Even if Nie Huaisang managed to convince him to go to his own bed sometimes, by morning he always woke up with a guest curled up against him. He didn’t mind. He’d done the same with his brother, after their father’s death.

That night, after dinner, Jin Rusong was the one to proudly announce that he’d be going to sleep in his own room. It made Nie Huaisang want to laugh, and it made him ache. Jin Rusong had always looked up to his cousin, no matter how unruly Jin Rulan had been as a child, and apparently that hadn’t changed. In a few months, a year or two at most, when things had settled down, when Jin Rusong had had time to get used to the changes in the world around him, there was no doubt he would ask to return to Carp Tower to be with his beloved cousin.

It would be fine.

It would be right.

Jin Rusong belonged with his family, not his father’s murderer.

And as for Nie Huaisang…

“Nie zongzhu, could we go talk somewhere?” Jin Rulan asked.

Nie Huaisang blinked a few times, his hand still on the door to Jin Rusong’s bedroom. It was embarrassing enough to space out this way around his ward or Nie Funyu, but to do it around another sect leader…

Maybe Nie Zhilan was right and he needed to sleep more.

He wished he’d manage to sleep more.

“Would Jin zongzhu like to go for a walk in the gardens?” Nie Huaisang offered. “It is nowhere near as beautiful as the ones in Carp Tower, the land here simply doesn’t allow it, but I’m quite proud of what we’ve managed to do.”

Jin Rulan had no objections, so they went that way. Nie Huaisang only paused a moment to make sure that the disciple in charge of patrolling around his house knew to keep an eye and ear out for Jin Rusong, in case he woke up before they returned and became scared when he realised he was alone.

Once they reached the garden, Nie Huaisang started chatting about the choice of plants, as he would have done with any guest. It was part habit and part nervousness. Without surprise, Jin Rulan did not put up with it very long before he lost patience and asked about what he really wanted to talk about.

“You took off his cinnabar dot,” Jin Rulan noted, not nearly as angry about it as Nie Huaisang had prepared himself for. “For safety, I imagine? Do your people even know who he is?”

“My people know I am very attached to him in spite of what his father did, and they wouldn’t dare lay a finger on him,” Nie Huaisang haughtily retorted, opening his fan to hide his affront. “But I know better than most how quick rumours can spread, and how they get started. I thought it would be safer to make his presence less obvious.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t just change his name,” Jin Rulan scoffed.

“I considered it, but he’s still very young, and he would let it slip anyway. It’s safer not to make him lie. Children are rarely any good at it.”

Besides, with such a father and grandfather, Nie Huaisang just did not want Jin Rusong to learn how to lie well. It made him feel guilty that he would even have such a fear, but he could not help it. He did not want that little boy to walk the same path Jin Guangyao had.

“And you’ve been keeping him away from cultivation classes?” Jin Rulan asked, a little more upset about that than about his sect’s mark.

“He is a Jin, it would not do for him to cultivate along the methods of another sect. I know you’ll want him back when things are calmer in Carp Tower,” Nie Huaisang sighed. “And you are his legal guardian, along with Jiang Wanyin. I would not dare to intervene in his learning of cultivation.”

He hesitated. He had been thinking about sending a letter on that topic actually, only stopping himself time and time again because he worried about being accused of scheming.

“He shows promise though,” Nie Huaisang said at last. “If you sent a trusted teacher here… I think he inherited his father’s talent, and considering how skilled Jin Guangyao was in spite of his late start, I can’t imagine how great of a cultivator Jin Rusong might become. It would be a shame to let that go to waste.”

Jin Rulan startled. “Nie zongzhu, you’re the last person I’d have expected to praise my uncle.”

Nie Huaisang lowered his fan to give him a wry smile.

“I believe in justice, Jin zongzhu. Where people fail or act wrongly, it should not be ignored. Likewise, there’s nothing to be earned in pretending even those who do wrong have their own qualities. And your uncle was… all the choices he made were his own. But he should not have been put in front of some of those choices. Whatever grudge I still hold against Jin Guangyao, it is nothing compared to the hatred I have for your grandfather. It is on his order that I lost my brother, as well as one of my dearest friends.”

Jin Rulan stared at him, a deep frown on his face, and Nie Huaisang quickly raised his fan again.

“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. My point is simply that the wrong your uncle did doesn’t erase the better sides of him. He might have been a murderer, but he was also a very clever man, and a skilled cultivator who only suffered from getting such a late start in learning. Your cousin shows every sign of being equally brilliant if given the chance, and I hope the necessary steps can be taken to let him make the best of his innate talent.”

“Uncle Jiang was right, you’re a complete weirdo,” Jin Rulan retorted.

Nie Huaisang laughed, shocked and delighted to be insulted like this. Most people only said that sort of things in his back, so it was really refreshing to hear such an honest opinion of himself.

“Here’s a secret for you, Jin zongzhu: everyone is weird.”

“I’m not!” Jin Rulan protested, with all the outrage only a teenager could muster at being called weird. “I’m perfectly normal, unlike the rest of you!”

Nie Huaisang only laughed harder, until he became so breathless he had to lean against a tree. He was almost sure he’d had a similar conversation with Jiang Wanyin once, back when they were young and happy in Gusu.

“Ah, Jin zongzhu, I hope life doesn’t change you too much,” he said when he had calmed down a bit. “Normal or not, I think you are exactly the sort of person we need at the head of Lanling Jin. A little honesty will do us all a world of good.”

Jin Rulan glared at him, clearly thinking there had to be some hidden insult in there, but there truly was none. Not that Nie Huaisang tried to protest his innocence.

Even on the rare occasion he had done no wrong, he knew nobody believed anymore these days.

A few weeks after his visit, Jin Rulan wrote to Nie Huaisang to announce he had found a trustworthy teacher for Jin Rusong, a woman who Jiang Wanyin approved of. Jin Rulan had some other business to take care of more urgently, but as soon as he was back in Carp Tower he would accompany Jin Yixin to the Unclean Realm so they could finish organising this together.

As soon as he had received the letter, Nie Huaisang had taken the necessary steps to welcome Jin Yixin as an honoured guest while also ensuring she would have absolute privacy to teach Jin techniques to his ward. Nie Funyu and him spent the day looking for the perfect building to use as a classroom until they had a few options to present.

After such a busy day, Nie Huaisang felt suitably tired after dinner and would have gladly gone to bed. Sadly for him, this happened to be the night for one of Wen Ning's visits. It was short, as usual, and did nothing but confirm once more that Jin Rusong was recovering perfectly well. In spite of the good news, when Wen Ning left, Nie Huaisang found he was now too restless to sleep, unnerved as always by the company of the fierce corpse.

It would have been a loss of time to go to bed in that state. After Jin Rusong was comfortably tucked under his blanket (in his own room, as was more and more frequent) Nie Huaisang returned to the main room of his quarters and decided to wait for tiredness by reading. It could never hurt to brush on the proper etiquette to adopt when dealing with a guest teacher, he figured out.

By the time his second candle threatened to burn out, Nie Huaisang still was no closer to sleepiness. He was starting to consider laying in bed anyway, just for the sake of trying, when he heard a commotion outside, pots falling and wind chimes ringing. His disciples knew how to avoid the careful mess around his house, so only a stranger could have made so much noise. And as to why a stranger who be there in the middle of the night…

Without hesitation, Nie Huaisang reached for his sabre, glancing toward the door to Jin Rusong's room to make sure it was closed.

Before Nie Huaisang could decide what to do next, the main door opened.

Nie Huaisang dropped his sabre and gaped at the sight before him.

Lan Xichen was staring back at him.

Lan Xichen, exactly like in his memories, and yet changed beyond words.

He looked thinner than Nie Huaisang had ever seen him, with dark bags under his eyes and dishevelled hair, his ribbon somewhat askew. He seemed exhausted, breathless as if he'd been running, or perhaps as if he had been foolish enough to make the flight from Gusu without break, his hands trembling so badly it was a wonder he had managed to open the door.

Lan Xichen took a step forward.

Nie Huaisang took a step back, causing the other man to frown at him. Lan Xichen, an almost feverish look in his eyes, opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

They stared at each other for a lifetime, or perhaps just for a few instants. Then Lan Xichen, at last, managed to speak.

"I want to see him."

#xisang #jin rusong #nie huaisang #lan xichen #jin ling #mdzs #jau writes #it's been a long time coming but hey :D #here we are :D

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ibijau · 4 years

Text

Jin Rusong Lives / On AO3

A morning in the life of Nie Huaisang now that everything has changed

Nie Huaisang wriggled his fingers, fighting the impulse to grab the ties of Jin Rusong's underclothes and help. It would have been faster, it would have been more efficient, and his ward was going to be late for class again, and…

The knot unravelled again, provoking a frown on the child's face. Unable to resist any longer Nie Huaisang lunged forward, only to have his hands batted away with absolute authority.

"I can do it," Jin Rusong complained, sticking out his tongue as he set out to try again. "I'm big, and Feng-jie says only babies need other people to tie their clothes for them."

Nie Huaisang smiled nervously. He had personally never fought hard to be independent when he was a child, perfectly happy to let other people do everything for him until his father or brother decided he was too old for it. Even back then, he had never put any effort in anything that didn't interest him. He'd taught himself to read at four, but couldn't put his boots on the right foot until he was ten.

Jin Rusong wasn't him. After having been sheltered all his short life, he could have been expected to remain shy for a long time… But he really was his parents' son and had quickly proven he could be quite sociable once given the chance. In the last two months, he had made quite a few friends already.

The downside to that was that he had started comparing himself to other children and, in true Jin fashion, had hated that they knew how to do things he couldn't.

It was perfectly normal apparently, and Nie Junyu said Nie Huaisang’s job was to encourage and support Jin Rusong's efforts. Which he tried to do, but sometimes…

The knot unravelled again. Jin Rusong pouted, suddenly on the verge of tears.

"I'll never do it right!"

Nie Huaisang sighed, and smiled as he grasped the ties. This time, he wasn't stopped.

"Like this," he said, making the knot as slowly as he could so Jin Rusong could see it. Then, in spite of how late they were already, he undid the knot. "Now SongSong can try again, one more time."

"I don't want. I prefer if uncle Nie does it for me."

"Just one more try. You know uncle Nie is so proud of SongSong when he tries his best."

"But I've tried so hard! It never works."

It had been a spectacular failure so far, but Nie Huaisang blamed himself more than Jin Rusong. A good student could only do so much with a bad teacher, and in the two months that Jin Rusong had been under his care, Nie Huaisang had come to the conclusion he was not, and by far, a very good teacher. It gave him a new sympathy for Lan Qiren. For Jiang Wanyin and Lan Xichen as well, who had both helped raise their nephews and never seemed to struggle with it.

Sighing again, Nie Huaisang tied the knot one final time.

"Later I'll ask Nie Junyu if he can tell us a different method," he offered. "He's the one who taught Feng-jie, so he must know how to do it right. I’m sure he’ll be happy to help, and it’s important to ask for help for things you can’t do alone, right SongSong?"

A lesson Nie Huaisang wished sometimes he had learned better. It was a little late for him, but Jin Rusong wouldn’t have to turn out like him. The child did not answer right away, but Nie Huaisang simply took his silence as agreement and worked on putting the rest of his clothes on.

"You won't get mad if I never learn?" Jin Rusong asked with hesitation.

Nie Huaisang’s hands froze for a second.

"Why would I be mad at SongSong?" he asked lightly, grabbing the next layer of cloth. "Is it something that happened before, people getting mad at SongSong when he has trouble with something?"

"Mommy says it's important I'm good always," Jin Rusong replied after another too long pause. "Because people will be mean to daddy if we're not all very good. Sometimes LingLing is not good," he added with just a touch of judgement. "But I try because I don't want daddy to be sad."

"SongSong is such a good boy," Nie Huaisang said, quickly finishing to dress him up. "Let's go. Fang Mingtian is going to scold me again. I need to start waking up earlier so we can maybe try to be on time someday."

Jin Rusong tilted his head, and offered a foot so his boots could be put on.

"Uncle Nie is the sect leader. I thought people have to be nice to the sect leader?"

"Please, do explain that to Fang Mingtian,” Nie Huaisang muttered, grabbing him in his arms as soon as his boots were on. “And to Nie Junyu because he did scold me last week when I was late for that meeting.”

Jin Rusong nodded a little too seriously, as if he really intended to explain to everyone that they needed to be nicer to Nie Huaisang. He really was the most precious child in the world, and Nie Huaisang could only hope his ward nephew would keep that innocence and good heart a while longer.

When Jin Rusong had been dropped in his class (and Fang Mingtian scolded Nie Huaisang for being so late once more), Nie Huaisang headed to his office to deal with the day’s business. It was usually the matter of a shichen at most now that he no longer had to feign incompetence, and then he’d be free for the rest of the day unless something came up.

Nie Huaisang had finished sorting through some requests and checking a series of bills when Nie Funyu joined him, bringing a few more urgent cries for help that had just arrived that morning, before telling him that some merchants from Qinghe had requested an audience with him about some matter they needed Qinghe Nie’s help with.

“Does it look urgent?”

“No, but Huang Xuhuan is among them,” Nie Funyu pointed out with a grimace that Nie Huaisang mirrored.

“That entitled… Fine, I’ll see them right away,” Nie Huaisang sighed, rising from his desk. “It’s probably still about that trade deal he wants to get with Yunmeng. They must think that I’m on good terms with Jiang zongzhu again.”

Nie Funyu raised an eyebrow at that remark, which Nie Huaisang ignored. He’d exchanged a few letters with Jiang Wanyin, and many more than that with Jin Rulan, but he wasn’t so foolish as to think he got along with either of them. Still, of course Jiang Wanyin’s visit a few weeks earlier had been noticed. And when Jin Rulan came to check on his cousin, as Nie Huaisang expected him to do at any moment, there would be still more gossip about reconciliation between Qinghe Nie and the other sects.

Stupid.

Nie Huaisang had further ruined his sect’s reputation, and there would probably not be any going back from that.

Pushing away that unpleasant thought, and as they walked toward the throne room, Nie Huaisang tried to focus on something that he could still do right: Jin Rusong.

“I’ll need you to explain to Jin Rusong how to make a knot,” he told Nie Funyu. “When I try, he doesn’t manage it, and he’s scared he’ll never manage. I think he’d profit from a better teacher and you’ve had all those children, so...”

“He is still young, it’s normal for him to struggle,” Nie Funyu replied with a small frown. “It’s A-Feng bothering him with that, isn’t it?” Nie Huaisang nodded, a little embarrassed to be exposing the little girl that way. “I’ll tell her to be nicer to him about that. She’s just figured it out recently, so she’s boasting a bit but she shouldn’t make other kids feel bad. Not to mention she’s nearly a year older than him.”

“I’ve tried to explain that to him before, but he doesn’t listen, “ Nie Huaisang complained. "I wish…" he sighed. "Dage would have known what to do."

To his surprise, Nie Funyu burst out laughing and had to stop walking.

"Nie zongzhu, no offence, but your brother was really out of his depth when he found himself suddenly in charge of you,” he said when he managed to calm down. “He kept asking Fang Mingtian what to do, and he every other day he had to beg Zonghui to help because he was the only one who could make you eat vegetables."

"I don't remember that," Nie Huaisang mumbled, opening his fan to hiding behind it. "He always seemed so sure of himself about everything."

“Again, no offence, but he let you get away with everything because he didn’t want to be too harsh. With how things were with your father toward the end…”

Nie Huaisang nodded grimly, grasping his fan a little harder. His father had been a good man, a great father, but after his sabre broke, things had been… different. Nie Huaisang had been too young then to understand why, not much older than Jin Rusong in fact, and so all he remembered was a sudden change, bouts of anger, and ultimately…

It still surprised him sometimes that he hadn’t recognised the same symptoms in Nie Mingjue, years later.

He hoped Jin Rusong would never have to see those symptoms in him. With how little he cultivated, with the fact that Jin Rulan would probably want his cousin to return to Carp Tower within a year or two… it should be safe, Jin Rusong wouldn’t be around when the family curse caught up with him at last.

“Your brother didn’t want you to be scared of him like you’d become scared of your father,” Nie Funyu soberly said. “He spoiled you rotten, never scolded you as much as he should have, let you fail in your studies without consequences, he never even really pushed you to practice the saber… We were a little worried how you’d end up at one point, but in the end you turned out fine, Nie zongzhu.”

Nie Huaisang scoffed and started walking again. No need to make those damn merchants angry.

“Sure, aside from the…”

“You did what you had to do,” Nie Funyu cut him, following him. “Not the way the rest of us would have gone about it, but I promise you there isn’t a person in Qinghe Nie who isn’t proud of what you did for your brother. And your brother would be proud as well,” Nie Funyu added before his sect leader could try to protest. “He’d be proud that you avenged him, and he’d be proud that you’re trying to do right by that child.”

Of that, Nie Huaisang was less than sure. Nie Mingjue had been a good man, but his sense of justice had not always been very fair as such. Maybe he would have wanted the total annihilation of Jin Guangshan’s bloodline, the way he had desired the end of Wen Ruohan’s. Maybe…

But there would be no knowing what he would have wanted. Nie Huaisang was left with nothing but his own judgement to decide how to act. A rotten tool to use, and one that had brought him mostly trouble. Still, it was what he had, and he’d work with it.

“I think I’ll play it stupid with Huang Xuhuan,” he whispered to Nie Funyu just before they reached the throne room. “It’ll make him feel he can safely show his hand. Please don’t hesitate to roll your eyes and huff behind my back, it’ll help sell it and you do it so well.”

“That would be because it’s a sincere reaction, Nie zongzhu,” Nie Funyu retorted, fighting a smile. “Can’t believe they buy it when you overact like that…”

Nie Huaisang winked at him from behind his fan, then schooled his features into a pathetic, worried expression as he entered the room where the merchants waited.

“Huang gongzi!” he cried out. “What an honour to have a visit from you! Such an honour, I can’t say how pleased I am… and your friends too of course. Such a pleasure! Did you want to discuss something?”

The merchants grinned, confident that they’d get their way as always, even though that had never actually happened yet. And behind him, Nie Huaisang knew that Nie Funyu had already started rolling his eyes.

It wasn’t how he’d hoped to spend his morning, but this might be fun too.

#jin rusong #nie huaisang #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #the untamed #not actually too happy with this #it was supposed to be a longer chapter with Jing Ling in it #and lxc was supposed to finally appear in the fic but welp next chapter hopefully if I even manage?#writing's hard and I struggle :)#jau writes #jin rusong lives

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