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guqin-and-flute · 2 years

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The Brightest Sparks That We Remember--Chp. 2 [LanLan/3Chen]

[Formerly known as LanLan Meet via Xichen blowing up a ghost because this ^ is a tad more poetic.]

[Chapter 1] [Ao3 link]

The man was already out of sight, but Song Lan could easily follow his footprints and the warm trail of his yang qi, escaping with his breath. Soon, he was a grim and wraithlike blur of white in the blue-black of the mountain, silent and far ahead. Distantly, behind them, back at the clearing, he heard voices. Human, he thought.

They walked in silence punctuated by their crunching footsteps quite a ways, down icy gulleys of frozen river beds, across narrow paths etched into steep valley walls leading to a swift and cold death for the unwary. It would have been far easier to mount a sword and skim above the treetops, but now that he looked, the cultivator seemed to have no spiritual tool at all, sword or otherwise. Had he walked all the way here in the middle of the night to simply stand in a snowy clearing? And had he destroyed the ghost with just a qi blast from his hands? There had been only a dozen seconds between the ghost crossing over and its destruction and while the lingering aura of the spiritual energy had been powerful, it hadn't been enough for a teleportation talisman.

Song Lan raised his eyebrows and increased his estimation of the man’s already impressive power. He had assumed he had something with him, if not a sword--but his sleeves seemed to be empty of talismans or storing spell, his belt bare of any qiankun pouches to keep any such tools. It could be dangerous to channel that much power with just your own meridians as a guide; and so he must be either very disciplined or very stupid. Song Lan did not care to bet on which he thought was the case, yet.

Something like half an hour of silence later, they began to pass houses, windows blank in the dead of night, like empty eyes. They were neat and modest, obviously in good condition, with graceful white walls and thatched roofs. Considering the size of the land they were roaming and the understated wealth these houses spoke of, Song Lan was now fairly certain he was being walked into the heart of the Cloud Recesses. He had never had occasion to enter himself, but the elegance and size spoke for itself. And so was he being brought to someone to be greeted or detained? Somehow, he thought not. If anything, this man was avoiding all other human contact.

The entire trip, his guide had remained silent, the only view one of his back, but when he paused and turned his head to look at the moon, it suddenly occurred to Song Lan why he looked familiar. Something in the cut of his profile and the withdrawn expression reminded him of Hanguang-jun--and it should be no surprise, if this truly was Lan land. A relative, perhaps, the resemblance strong enough to be his father or brother. The man had a brother, as Song Lan recalled, Clan Leader Lan. What little he had heard of him was good; noble, modest, gentle--all good leadership qualities in the Dao, Xingchen had pointed out. Song Lan wondered if perhaps he was looking at Clan Leader Lan now, though he had thought that the Lan’s provisions bade them to wear headbands and this man’s head was bare of even a guan. Though, surely the Clan Leader would have better things to do than wander the icy backhill in the middle of the night?

Xingchen would know. Between them, he had always been the one who was interested in the who and why of people, had always had a knack for it. “It’s the stories,” Xiao Zhen had explained at an inn whose name now escaped Song Lan as irrelevant. “They’re the most interesting to me. Everyone has such different stories.”

Perhaps this fascination was the byproduct of being raised by a living legend. Having 400 years under her belt, the Immortal Baoshan Sanren probably had plenty of stories of her own. Wanting to know the stories that made people who they were was how they two had become close, Xingchen’s inquisitive probing and genuine curiosity mapping him out the more that they talked, revealing their common values and goals. Most people took Song Lan’s taciturn nature as haughtiness or dislike, but his Xiao Zhen…he had seen a story that he had wanted to know. And it had become a story they had wanted to tell together.

The heart in his chest that no longer beat was thick and aching as if pierced. Without permission, his hand gently squeezed the soul trapping pouch that contained what was left of his love. A tragedy, as it turned out.

Around them, the night was crystalline in its silence--no wind creaked the trees, no voices, beast or human, wafted over the snow. All was still. He was waiting, steeped in pain, for this man--Clan Leader Lan?--to make whatever decision he was considering. It was all the same to Song Lan. He will merely wander. It was all he ever did, anymore, while he waited for a chance to write a kinder epilogue for those broken ones left in his care.

His guide turned from the moon and regarded him as he had before, in the clearing, but this time, his eyes fell to the pouch that he cradled. Song Lan refused to let go like a teenager caught holding hands by his master. He was not ashamed--there was no room for it anymore. The part of him that had held it had died along with the rest of him, it seemed. “Song Lan,” the man said, slowly, breath seeping from him in a white cloud in the biting cold. His voice had a deep and pleasant timbre but sounded rusty with disuse or exhaustion. It didn’t seem like he was addressing him or asking for clarification, but instead searching his memory.

“Xiao Xingchen,” he continued after another moment, gaze not moving from Xiao Zhen’s pouch at his waist.

Stiffly, Song Lan nodded, once.

At last, the man looked up, eyes as lightless and distant as the space between the stars above. “Wei Wuxian is here. Would you like to speak to him? Or leave this place?”

Song Lan blinked. He hadn’t encountered the demonic cultivator since they had parted ways in Yi City 2 years ago. Or so. Things like time were more…fluid, now, than they had been in life, as he now no longer needed sleep or food, everything blurring into one, long, light then dark then light again twilight of consciousness. The fact that Wei Wuxian now lived with the upright and austere Lan was news to him, though that was unsurprising. Song Lan mostly roamed rural areas where he wouldn’t encounter the larger Sect’s cultivators and cause needless panic, and so was even less knowledgeable about common cultural knowledge.

He would be able to check the healing status of Miss A-Qing and Xiao Zhen. Perhaps Wei Wuxian had even developed something in that time that might accelerate the process. He could do more for them than just wait for them to coalesce on their own. At his sides, his hands tightened into fists as he tried to tamp down a glimmer of hope from rising up inside his gut, delicate as a flame in the wind. Success is as dangerous as failure. Hope is as hollow as fear, he recited to himself doggedly.

Circling his arms, he bowed deeply, then wrote, “Wei-gongzi, please.”

#Sorry about another short chapter it was a good stopping place because WWX is in the next scene and he talks A LOT #And I need to sleep #my fic #lanlan #3chen #my stuff #sl #lxc #Also Song Lan is quoting the Dao De Ching to himself at the end #technically it's still Sunday right?#definitely didn't pick the thing i was closest to finishing 👀

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pharahsgf · 3 years

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what's ur take on the golden core discourse? most jc stans seem to think it was wrong because the surgery was done without his consent but he also kinda would have died without it... not to mention he did consent to having his core replaced and didn't say anything about the method. like idk it looks to me like another example of white fandom taking something out of its story & culture contexts to call it problematic.

(part 2 same anon sorry) I FORGOT some people also put the core thing in a weird sexual context and compare it to r*pe which is just so weird and creepy. and it doesn't make sense as a reading of canon since it's 100% excluded from the conversation about consent in the novel. people will say anything to make jc look victimized and sympathetic smh

tbh i highly doubt jiang cheng was operated on; the only surgery ever described or alluded to is wei wuxian's, the length of which iirc coincides with the stated length of wen qing's work. the whole thing is pretty vague but a golden core isn't like, a regular organ, and a giant surgical scar seems like something jiang cheng would probably notice and ask about (unless he expected baoshan sanren to insert the new core via surgery, in which case the whole discussion is pointless anyway, but i digress)

either way, attempting to apply the framework of intimate consent to something that materially benefits the supposed victim and is unanimously regarded by the characters as a positive is... nonsensical at best and extremely inappropriate at worst. pushing concerns about medical consent just seems silly to me, given there were no de jure medical standards for wen qing to violate, and the core transfer is very consistently portrayed as something that was expected of wei wuxian as a servant who owes his 'master'. not to say there weren't a metric ton of things wrong with the situation, but to me the core transfer seems more similar to, say, wen qing's sacrifice for wei wuxian than it seems like some horrible act of violence.

#replies #anonymous #this branch of discourse is exhausting tbh it's so far removed from the actual text

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watch-grok-brainrot · 4 years

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Wei Wuxian and Chinese Virtues of 忠孝仁义

There’s a lot of conversation about Wei Wuxian and how he struck out on his path without a concern for the Jiangs; about how he’s reckless and not giving a sh*t about his role within his society; about how he had a family and siblings and threw it all away for his sense of right and wrong. But the way I read his actions is within the context of the virtues of 忠孝仁义 (and how the virtues, especially 义, is ingrained in him via the Jiang sect motto). WWX’s major decisions can all be read as him acting in accordance with one or more of these virtues. Even when WWX is being his most irreverent self (and yes he’s rude and bring about a lot of second hand shame) he still remembers the we-self (to borrow from baoshan-sanren’s post) context as the head disciple of the Jiang Sect. Even when he seems to abandon everything, he didn’t abandon his understanding of these virtues.

First of all, let’s talk about 忠. 忠 (zhōng) is loyalty, devotion, fidelity. I usually associate the concept with loyalty towards your country but it can be applied to other units too. In the case of CQL where we don’t see an Emperor or country, it would only make sense that this concept be applied to either a person (e.g. SuShe at JGY) or a sect.

Tangent, feel free to skip: An (maybe THE) embodiment of this virtue is 岳飞 (Yue Fei), one of THE MOST famous Chinese generals. Yue Fei lived during the second half of the Song dynasty. He loved his country so much, he wrote poetry about drinking his enemy’s blood and eating their flesh (壮志饥餐胡虏肉，笑谈渴饮匈奴血) and taking back his country’s lands and saving the two previous emperors from being POWs. He is famous for the tattoo of the words “尽忠报国” (exhausting all loyalties to replay country aka i will be loyal and fight for my country until i die) on his back bestowed by his mother before he left home. When he was unjustly executed for treason, the executioners saw that on his back and the people knew a great man was wronged.

(if anyone wants a translation of the poem and a rambly share about some of my favorite Yue Fei related facts/stories, let me know. Otherwise, i’m gonna get back to our favorite necromancer)

So back to WWX. His loyalties are very much with the Jiang sect. After JFM and YZY dies, within the structure of 忠, Jiang Cheng is effectively who he needs to be loyal to because Jiang Cheng is the sect leader and essentially the symbol of the sect. The act of giving up his core to JC, then, embodies the idea of loyalty within the context of 忠. (I’ve seen memes about how WWX gave consent, WQ gave consent, but JC didn’t. drwcn has a great post about consent. For this post, i’m not going to go into it because this is outside my defined scope.) Furthermore, 忠 compels WWX to protect the Jiangs. I’ve read meta that thinks WWX was trying to get himself killed based on the crossing of his hanfu and his mouthing off at Wen Chao. I’m inclined to believe that reading because if dying means JC would never find out, so be it. And as long as WWX is dead, there will be no evidence of the core transfer so JC would never lose face before other cultivators. It would mean the Jiang sect can be rebuilt to its old status without being tainted by WWX’s sacrifice.

Ok, next is 孝. 孝 (xiào) is most often translated as filial piety. I don’t think there is a good sense of it in western culture. In chinese culture, it is the expected deference younger generations need to display to elders in their direct lineage. [Note: i use lineage because you can be 孝 towards your biological parents and grandparents, your kungfu master and their master, your adopted/honor bound parents, etc but not to everyone who is in a higher generation. It’s very family/lineage based.] 孝 is complicated because it’s ingrained into Chinese kids at a really young age. Go pour your grandparents tea. Go give your grandparents a back rub. Listen to your parents. When your parents get old, you’ll take care of them. Respect your elders. Even if your elders are wrong, don’t talk back. It’s a set of emotions that tie you to your ancestry. To turn your back on it feels like turning your back on your culture and identity.

Tangent, feel free to skip: Ok, this is really cool and I had to share. In looking up 孝 in the online xinhua dictionary, it says about the etymology: “形声。从老省，从子。” This is so cool! We have two characters: 老 (old, as in Yiling Laozu) and 子 (child). You’ll notice 孝 is a character where to top part of 老 is taken and 子 essentially follows. This character is a style of character where the meaning comes from the structure of the character. So 孝 is where the children follow the old, often blindly and with disregard of their own needs.

WWX, as an orphan, can only direct his 孝 towards Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan. 1) No matter how awful they were as parents, JFM and YZY raised WWX. 2) WWX is the head disciple. That means JFM is his shifu. [He calls JC his shidi and JYL his shijie for that reason.] That teacher-disciple relation is often described as “一日为师,终生为父” (a teacher for one day should be treated like a father for life). Both 1 and 2 bind WWX to the Jiangs regardless of his adoption status. So, when on the boat YZY and JFM tell WWX to take care of JC and JYL, it’s the order of an elder in his direct lineage. To not listen, to not defer to that order would not be 孝. Considering they perished at Lotus Pier, WWX was obligated to execute those orders to their fullest whatever the price (i.e. golden core).

Along those same lines, out of 孝 (and human decency, tbh) WWX and JC had to retrieve JFM and YZY’s bodies. Wen Ning helping them out in that situation is a HUGE favor. Not to mention all the other things WN and Wen Qing does for them. I will get to the favors and their ramifications later.

Ok, moving on to 仁. 仁 (rén) is most often translated as benevolence or humanity. (I want to say I find the translation of humanity very interesting from a bilingual child’s perspective because the chinese character for person/human is 人 which is also rén. I got the concept confused a LOT.) 仁 is found in the love and kindness shown towards fellow humans. Ctext often translates it as virtue, which is a bit too broad, IMO. I think this line from Confucian Analects explain the concept succinctly:

樊遲問仁。子曰：”愛人”

Fan Chi asked about benevolence [仁]. Confucius said, "It is to love all men."

WWX embodies this love better than everyone else in the story (except maybe LSZ but LSZ probably gets it from WWX). WWX meets stuttering WN and acknowledges him, offers to give advice, and truly sees the younger man. He treats WN with kindness and friendship (and yes, he takes advantage of WN’s willingness to push him around in a turnip wagon but that’s more shenanigans). WWX also sees the Wens at Phoenix Mountain as human and steps out of line to help them. His blindfolded five arrow show stems out of his 仁. His saving Mianmian is also an expression of his 仁. So many of WWX’s actions stem from 仁. A lot of the fandom see it as his empathy and I agree! It is that! But it can also be viewed as his internalization of the virtue to love humanity.

Finally, 义. 义 (義,yì) is actually the reason this ENTIRE post came to be. 义 is the same 义 as Yi City. I offer the traditional version of the character above so you can see how it compares to the stone on the way to Yi City. You will recall when WWX says Yi City, LWJ asks, “Yi, which means chivalrous?” And WWX explains same character but for coffin/mortuary in this case.

Actually, 义 is used in a lot of words:

正义- correct/rigit + 义 = righteousness

意义 - ideal + 义 = meaning

侠义 - knight -errant + 义 = chivalry

义气 - 义 + air = personal loyalty; code of brotherhood

名义- name + 义 = nominal

义父 - 义 + father = sworn father (this is a difficult to translate idea that sometimes i translate as godfather for simplification and cultural parallelism. it’s a parent figure that you acknowledge via vows. If the character for father is replaced with brother, then it’s the relationship that the 3zun have. And OMG i want to talk about the 3zun and romance of 3 kingdoms and how much of a awful un-义 person JGY is… but also holy out of scope batman)

In the case of virtues/morality, we’re looking at 义气 - the 义 that means loyalty to people and a code of brotherhood. The Jiang Sect ancestor is described as a 游侠 (yóu xiá, wandering hero). The ancestor’s identity as a 侠 (xiá), which indicates a highly skilled martial artist/fighter who will defends others (à la wuXIA and xianXIA), places him within the world of 江湖 (jiāng hú, sometimes translated as rivers and lakes or “pugilistic world” in some wuxia subtitles). In 江湖, 义 is the most important virtue. Based on 义, you help those in need. You stand out and do what is right. You are an outlaw that follows a strict moral code. 义 is the foundation of the Jiang Sect’s motto. Furthermore, the idea of 义气 can in some ways be viewed as currency. You do me a favor, I owe you one. You treat me with decency, I return the favor. You DO NOT return kindness with ill intent. It is taboo.

WWX exemplifies 义. 义 is part of what makes him so lovable and reckless. For 义 , he sticks out his neck for LWJ during Wen Summer Camp. For 义, he follows LWJ to search for the Yin Iron. Under 义 , he is free to be the hero who lends a hand whenever it’s needed. Oftentimes, 仁 and 义 go hand in hand because to stand up and stand out for other requires love of others and seeing their humanity.

So let’s get back to the Wen remnants: for 义, WWX must protect WN and WQ. As I mentioned before, WN and WQ had done WWX and JC (and thus the Jiang Sect as a whole) MULTIPLE HUGE FAVORS. 1) saving JC from Wen Chao at Lotus Pier. 2) retrieving JFM and YZY’s bodies. 3) transferring the golden core against WQ’s best judgement. All of these actions are so vital to the survival or the reputation of the Jiang Sect. WWX knows it. I’m positive JC knows it. To turn their backs on WN and WQ would be 不仁不义 (neither 仁 nor 义). Really, the ONLY thing they should be doing from the perspective of 义 is helping the Wens to repay their kindness. But WWX knows, as the head disciple, that JC cannot afford to align the Jiang Sect in sympathy with the Wens because it’s political suicide. The Jiang Sect WILL NOT SURVIVE if Nie, Jin, and Lan all turn against them. Even if Lan stood neutral, Nie and Jin would still be able to wipe out barely rebuilt Jiang.

So what does WWX do? He has already painted himself as a rebel, as rude, as ill bred. And from an outsider looking in, WWX is in alignment with his slippery descend into darkness. WWX knows if he steps just a little more out of line, he can accomplish everything else his morality dictates. (We could talk about WHY WWX feels like it’s ok for him to give up everything and analyze WWX’s self worth and what not. But that’s also outside the scope of this post and i’m pretty sure other people have done a better job of it than I could.)

Save the Wens, run away to the Burial Mounds, and defecting are all aligned with WWX’s morals. Defecting protects JC and the Jiangs sect in an act of loyalty (忠). Defecting also protects JC and JYL, thus fulfilling the filial piety toward YZY and JFM’s instructions (孝). Saving the Wens returns the debt of 义 that JC and WWX owe to WN and WQ. Saving the Wens also appeal to WWX’s sense of 仁 towards the non-cultivators. Lastly, protecting the Wens means JC does not end up 不仁不义. From WWX’s perspective his actions are the only option for him to really have no regrets when he asks his heart.

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songxiaolin · 3 years

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butterflies in love with flowers

Summary:

Upon moving into a new apartment, Xiao Xingchen decides to purchase a plant from the local garden center. The only problem is that, and Song Lan's attempts to mitigate Xiao Xingchen's black thumb, leads them both to circumstances they weren't expecting.

A modern AU that's based on my fic 'from silence to home' but works as a standalone.

Chapters: 37/37 Word Count: 88268 Fandom: the untamed/ 陈情令 Rating: general audience Warnings: suicide attempt, implied/referenced child abuse Relationships: songxiao/songxiaolin

additional notes and tags under the cut:

additional tags:

Hurt/Comfort, xue yang is involved in this fic but i didn't want to use the character tag, there's actually a few characters that make minor appearances, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Polyamory, songxiao, M/M/F relationship, Angst with a Happy Ending, background wangxian, background lan yi/baoshan sanren, no beta we die like men, Fluff

author notes:

first and foremost, thank you for clicking on this. i wrote this fic during probably the worst months of my life. i put a lot of heart and love into it but because of personal situations, it's not perfect. half of it was written in the hospital and things have been rough enough that if i didn't publish it now, i never would, so i wasn't able to edit it the way i would've liked. i'm hoping everything else makes up for that.

second, since there's no sects, i used family terms in the fic along with a few others. when using terms, i try to explain it via context.

third, since lin ming is selectively mute, any of her dialogue using text, sign language, or lip reading is denoted like this: << Example. >>

finally, a lot of characters make an appearance in this fic or are mentioned but i didn't tag them, including xue yang. i try to keep the tags uncluttered from things people searching for that character might not want to see. other characters include: wei wuxian, lan wangji, jiang cheng, lan sizhui, wen ning and nie huaisang.

#xiao xingchen #song lan #songxiao #forgive me so much for tagging this in the tags #i feel awful but like..... you know #i will make up for it with some canon fic i promise!!#the untamed #untamed fanfiction #cql fic #fanfic

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vroomian · 4 years

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okay so i had the thought: what would my non-yrz ocs be doing in the mdzs universe? and then the idea just kinda ate my brain for a while.

Hana - youngest child of wen ruohan, the only daughter, and the heir. she’s wrh’s pride and joy, the child everyone has to measure up to. she surpassed wen xu by age ten. wen chao wasn’t even an afterthought. she’s as stupidly competent at cultivation as she is at everything else. ambivalent to her family and sect, doesn’t even care enough to hate them. super fucking detached, because she didn’t even have kise to ground her in this life. instead, she has i wzl. even though she doesn’t need protection, she’s still the heir, the future of the wen. wzl is hana’s only human connection among the wens. yikes. stabs wrh to death when he starts going evil overlord. feels nothing about it -- she just thought a war would be annoying. wzl says nothing, because -- what can he say? she’s the sect leader now. almost certainly ends up with wen qing, as the only one who’s not high keyed terrified of her. low key terrified, sure! hana will take what she can get. (then time passes and -- it’s hard to be terrified when you’re furious at your stupid sect leader b/c hana is just the fucking worst patient)(hana worries wen qing. it’s like she doesn’t care if she lives or dies). Name: Wen Hui (to destroy by fire, lol subtle wrh), courtesy name Ronghua (glory and splendor, also hua is the same character for flower!)(she gets a courtesy name because she’s not a Disappointment like her brothers)

Masae - he’s Jiang (possibly younger brother of Jfm??) for five minuets before he gets bored and wanders off. hailed as a divine healer. possibly a demonic cultivator? really fucking good at talismans. Ue is a cursed blade, or a spirit parasite that attached masae and got attached emotionally masae never bothered to like. get rid of it. possibly they still eat people? maybe a venom type situation?? anyway, i know that one day masae trips over xue yang and is charmed when nine year old xue yang threatens to stab him to death in increasingly creative ways. adorable. he basically kidnaps xue yang to be his son/disciple (does xue yang end up more well adjusted or less??? i’ll leave that up to you). also very fond of meng yao when they meet, b/c of course he is. still marries this world version of aizen perhaps??? Name: Jiang Zhen (blessing), courtesy name Baituo (to cast off (old ideas))

Oc!Kiba - Jin!!!!! Not main line, but i feel like he’d be related to jin zixun b/c kiba can’t catch a break tbh. adjusts slightly better to being among the snakes of koi tower than the dogs of the inuzuka. he’s an orphan. a nobody. there’s like, three people who know his name among the jin. He’s a master of anything related to going unnoticed or information gathering. by the time he’s twelve madame jin has payed him to slip impotence drugs into jin guangshan’s cup for a year straight and he never gets caught. he hears and sees pretty much everything, because he’s so low-key. has dirt on e v e r y o n e. yes, even you. blackmail is a beautiful thing. sometime in the future, he might defect? or take over the sect via puppet master strings?? honor is for suckers. very nervous and quiet as a kid, but grows into the living version of that one song line ‘if your boyfriend says he’s got beef, tell him i’m a vegitarian and i ain’t fucking scared of him’ real quick. it takes meng yao three full years to even notice that kiba is not what he seems. probably assassinates jqs and doesn’t feel bad about it.(you know what? yrz would kill to have kiba’s super power of invisibility. the world is so unfair) Name: Jin Wu (fog/mist/vapor), courtesy name Yinmo (to vanish gradually/ to disappear/ to fade out). (doesn’t get the zi character b/c he’s not mainline jin)

Jeong - tbh, i had a tough time with this one. I think they probably started off with Baoshan Sanren, but came down the mountain, and joined the Nie after a rough few years among the common people. the Nie creed of facing evil and protecting the innocent would appeal to them the most. They joined the sect a few years before Papa Nie qi deviated. when he did deviate, they killed him so nmj wouldn’t have too. nmj is grateful, but it also takes him years to fully forgive them. in ‘penance’ jeong became nhs’s personal guard because they had previous experience body guarding (the whole king killer thing still, uh. it happened). also it takes a burden off nmj’s shoulders to know that one of the most powerful people in the sect is watching over his little brother. (there may have been a few attempts on nhs’s life before this by the wen). nhs is thrilled by this, b/c jeong is notoriously easy going when they’re not in training mode, and all children naturally love jeong. really fucking sturdy, even for a cultivator. might actually be immortal by this point. not quite human? might’ve known cangse sanren, depending how long they were on the mountain. Name: Chénfú (ebb and flow, or rise and fall, or sinking and floating) Sanren (b/c if wwx’s mom can use the name so can jeong).(nhs and all the nie kids call them Renren lol).

#yall mind if i just #word vomit #vrrm vrrm #vrrm writes #bbp #fuf #idwtlotm #hh #crossover town #too many ideas!!

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theyilinglaozus · 3 years

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Oh god I had completely pushed away the fact that JGY married his sister and killed his son, which is atrocious. I do understand that the upbringing and trauma he realized pushed him into that direction but still, as you said, he went a bit too far there. Now that you say it, I also wonder what JZX would have been like as a sect leader. I agree that he would probably have been a great one, we see his mediating abilities in the Qiongqi Path scene between WWX and Jin Zixun, he ALMOST managed it -✨

And don't we all not know how to deal with a crush in our teenage years? I mean I don't know if it's because of my age or my awkwardness or a healthy combination of both, but I literally. Cannot deal with crushes. Just like LWJ. Although I wouldn't pretend to hate my crush, haha. But yeah, LWJ and JZX aren't very different in that matter, if LWJ weren't a Lan and hadn't grown up with thousands of rules and the pressure to not show emotion, he might have acted just like JZX -✨

WWX going full Baoshan Sanren is a concept I've never thought about, but it is incredibly interesting! Though I wonder if it would have worked out, because I'm sure the other sects wouldn't really appreciate even more demonic cultivators, haha. But we'll never know if it would have worked, unfortunately. But question time! What do you speculate would have happened to WWX and the Wens if WN hadn't killed JZX? Do you think it would've ended happily or would there have been an unforeseeable twist?✨

Yeah, Jin Guangyao just straight up murdering his own son is ... 😬 Not that there wasn’t a lot he didn’t do beforehand that wasn’t terrible, but there’s no coming back from killing his own child.

That’s the heartbreaking thing isn’t it? Jin Zixuan was already showing examples of being a great sect leader, mediating what to do and what he did to try and get Wei Wuxian to meet his nephew, likely knowing it would also be an opportunity to try and begin a method of fixing things and figuring out the truth of why Wei Wuxian was protecting the Wens ... ugh. They were so close to possibly heading on a different path before all the murder happened 😢

Oh my god, tell me about it! There are so many things about Lan Wangji that I find relatable, but the way he deals with crushes? Too real! 😆 Wangji, stop calling me out for doing the whole ‘I will care about this person privately and without ever dealing with these feelings I have for them’ tactic, it’s just how we do! And that’s really interesting what you say about how, if he wasn’t born in Gusu Lan he might have dealt with his emotions the same was as Jin Zixuan (or, not deal with them still I guess). I can really see that! Now I’m just imaging that scene where Zixuan stands awkwardly for a while in front of Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli before running away, but with Lan Wangji 😂 The poor boys, we love you really! 💖

I’m gunna pop the rest of this reply under a cut, because I (once again!) seem to have a lot of thoughts about the questions you asked, and I reckon my response will get long!

See, I think if Wei Wuxian - for whatever reason - did just end up becoming the Yiling Patriarch and following Baoshan Sanren to some degree, it would have been a lot of ‘this is what people think he’s doing vs. this is what he’s actually doing’. I think there would be the fear of him creating more demonic cultivators (especially since more demonic cultivators do pop up anyway, since we know in the novel Jiang Cheng goes after them and, well. Xue Yang is right there. Actively admiring Wei Wuxian to some extent and wanting his help to bring Xiao Xingchen back) but I don’t actually think Wei Wuxian would teach demonic cultivation. He only learns it himself out of necessity and survival, and I dunno, I sort of feel it’s something he’d not necessarily want to put upon others if they had other options available to them. I can see him teaching disciples about talismans and archery, how to cultivate and help a golden core begin to grow. Plus there’s Wen Ning and Wen Qing, who I like to imagine would also maybe pass on some of their own skills - healing and medicine for Wen Qing and perhaps fighting methods from Wen Ning.

I also kind of feel it’s something Wei Wuxian wouldn’t actively set out to do, but that younger disciples would come to him wanting to learn from him anyway. Especially Wen Yuan, who we know adores Wei Wuxian 😍 I once saw an idea that maybe disciples of Wei Wuxian are really rare and tend to hide because of the stigma of their sect and what the cultivation world thinks of them, but they often wear a red ribbon in their hair as a little nod to him which is adorable. I love that sort of thing.

Had the Wens’ lived and Jin Zixuan didn’t die ... oof. I am loving this question because it is such a good one!

I honestly don’t know if things would have ended happily. I’d like to imagine they would, but I also feel that something else would have likely happened. It just feels like such a big point in the story that carries so much importance along with it that somehow, tragedy still would have struck (that or I’m just being extra with my love for tragedy and angst once more) 😛

I ... actually think that Wei Wuxian still would have ended up dying, and the reason for that is a mix of both his loss of golden core and how his health was being affected at the time of protecting the Wens anyway. The story makes it very clear to us that his demonic cultivation is pulling a lot on his physical and mental health, and that Wei Wuxian is likely becoming thin and malnourished from lack of eating properly due to food shortages. He’s already got a history of starvation from his days on the streets which is not good, and given what he’s gone through in a short span via loss of golden core, being thrown into the burial mounds and left to die, having to feed on the dead to survive, taking up an unnatural cultivation practice in order to survive and then coming back and having to eventually face the burial mounds again but this time in an aim to create a new home for those that have no other place in the world? There’s a lot of strain being put upon his body in a small amount of time, not to mention a lack of really understanding the new limitations to his body.

The story makes it very clear that golden core transfusion has not been done before for good reasons, and although Wen Qing is a good doctor and likely one of the best of her time ... she doesn’t even really understand what comes next for him. I imagine she’d be watching him to make sure he was alright, but given the stress of what was going on and Wei Wuxian’s own flaw in not telling anyone the truth of anything about how he’s feeling or what he’s been through, she’d be struggling with a thing that has no guideline to follow. And because Wei Wuxian is keeping this important piece of information close to his own heart and would likely take the truth to the grave so as not to hurt his brother, it’s not like he feels he can go to his siblings or Lan Wangji and say ‘hey, so my golden core has gone and my bodies kind of been put through the ringer since then, I don’t really know if I’m healthy or very much need some help?’

I guess my happy, dream scenario is ‘Wei Wuxian stays with the Wen’s, teaches some baby cultivators and over the years builds secret relations with the Jiang sect, Nie Huaisang, Jin Zixuan, potentially Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen to some degree’. Maybe when the truth comes out or is learnt the relations become more overt, until eventually his own tiny sect becomes a little more welcome in the cultivation world - likely after learning he’s still more of an asset to them than any real threat.

But my more realistic, angsty scenario is ‘Wei Wuxian dies from a multitude of complications - mainly golden core loss and his cultivation practices but also lack of looking after his own health, the world is still led to believe lies and stories are spun that he died from his use of demonic cultivation, making him a warning tale for others’.

What about you, CC? Do you have any scenarios or ideas of what could have happened if things had gone differently at Qiongqi Path?

#replies #anonymous #classified cultivator ✨#mdzsnetcc #you get a beast of a response today cc!#mainly because i left this message overnight to think about #which ... opened pandora's box of ideas for me #😅 oops!#also - you made me think about the similarities between wei wuxian and baoshan sanren #which has been on my mind a lot since rewatching early episodes whilst gif making

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by-mana · 3 years

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Commissions Redux

Hi Folks!

This has been copied from my main blog and cleaned up a bit, since I’m trying to separate the fan stuff from the main to keep something like a semblance of an order. Commissions are therefore moved from Mana-chan’s Corner to here. They are still open and perfectly free, just read the rules, please. In case you wish to support me, you can do either of these things:

» Leave a Tip

» Buy Me a Coffee

As I am currently jobless (thank you Corona) every bit is appreciated.

» Full Update

For a long time I didn’t take any commissions because the fandoms and pairings I have inspiration for is a limited fraction of my active fandoms (i.e. the fandoms I engage with via reading fic, commenting, enjoying content, reblogging, etc.) and I didn’t want to disappoint.

Recently, in an unexpected strike of utter genius (which only took me like... 5 years to work out), I had the epiphany to compile a list of fandoms+pairings I’d be more than happy to write as you desire.

» Commission Rules/FAQ. Please read before commissioning.

» For full list of available fandoms/genres click below.

» Fandoms

» The Untamed | Mo Dao Zu Shi

The most recent fandom, also the one that currently dominates my mind.

Including: CQL, Novel, Movies. I haven’t read a lot of the source material, but I’m intending to and I already did some research. For now I think I prefer a mix of canons.

» Pairings

» Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian

» Jiang Cheng & Wei Wuxian (mostly gen, but I believe I could do something sexual/romantic as well, but please ask first if you have any specific ideas)

» Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing (please read the rules)

» Jiang Cheng/Wen Ning (tentative)

» Nie Mingjue/Wei Wuxian

» Nie Mingjue/Lan Xichen (tentative, though I mostly see myself as writing them on the side)

» Any version of the 3zun (same as above)

» Lan Xichen/Wei Wuxian

» Jin Zixuan/Wei Wuxian

» Specific Canons / Prompts

The Untamed basically exploded over my head and didn’t leave me alone. In the past few months a few plotbunnies developed which I’d all love to write at one point. You can chose to prompt me either of these or pick any general prompt, or anything you’d like to read, as long as it aligns with what I can write.

» The First Witness

Genre: Case Fic, Modern AU, Canon retell, Drama, Tragedy, Romance, M/M

Pairings: WWX/LWJ

Includes: Forensic Medical Examiner Wei Wuxian, Inspector Lan Wangji, Single Dad Wei Wuxian, Wei Sizhui / Wen Yuan, the dead ones are dead, Badass Grandmother Baoshan Sanren, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Businessman Jiang Cheng, Murder Mystery, Pining, Getting Together, HIV positive character, past off-screen rape (mentioned only). It’s basically what it says, a canon retell wrapped in a modern day case fic. It was the first thing that I had inspiration for.

» Nurse Wei Wuxian slice of life Modern AU

Genre: Modern AU, slice of life, recovery, drama, tragedy, adoption, M/M, hurt & comfort, getting together, romance, fluff

Pairings: WWX/LWJ

Includes: pediatric nurse Wei Wuxian, pediatric nurse MianMian, elementary school teacher Lan Wangji, pediatrician Lan Xichen, intense care nurse Jiang Yanli, intense care doctor Wen Qing, teacher’s aide Wen Ning, Yunmeng reconciliation, only some are dead, Wen family+WWX living together.

Premise: Former convict Wei Wuxian, fresh out of nursing school, applies for a job at Dr. Lan Xichen’s pediatric practice. Lan Xichen (who sometimes takes pro bono foster children abuse cases) isn’t quite sold on the idea of a former felon turned nurse attending to already traumatized children, but upon interview decides to give WWX a chance. Not only does he never regret it, it turns out it’s to be the best decision he’s ever made, not only in regards to his practice. Meddling ensues, love blossoms, truths are revealed, happy end. Probably the fluffiest story on the list.

» ABO Yunmeng Shuanjie Fake Marriage AU

Not what you think. Does not involve pseudo-incest (at least not for a long time, haven’t decided on the end results yet). First ABO I’ve ever considered writing, but all the more exciting, since I know now what I want of it.

Pairing: WWX/LWJ (temporal, non-endgame - so far, platonic), WWX & JC (gen, ruling partners)

Includes: fake marriage, extra marital affair, male pregnancy, abo (mostly non-traditional, I think?), not actual pseudo incest, adoption, canon divergence, not everybody dies, Wen Chao being a monster, sexual assault (interrupted), golden core loss, NO golden core transfer, misunderstandings, complicated political situations, the Wens are saved and live in Lotus Pier, a-Yuan is still adopted, “sometimes love is not enough”

Premise: shortly after concluding the studies at Cloud Recesses LWJ starts courting WWX. Engagement is discussed between the two clans, but the Wen indoctrination and the burning of the Cloud Recesses gets in between. When LWJ refuses to lie in order to save WWX from Wen Chao’s assault, JC steps in and pretends to be the one engaged to WWX to save his brother from a forced bond. To prevent this from being debunked and to ensure a future marriage (which will now be more challenging to achieve, given the state of Cloud Recesses), LWJ and WWX mate and bond in the Xuanwu cave. Then Lotus Pier is sacked, JC loses his golden core, the Jiangs are dead and the Yunmeng siblings flee for their lives, find refuge in Yiling, etc. Plays out as in canon except they find out WWX is pregnant and transferring the golden core would cause an abortion. WWX still says do it, but changes his mind in the last minute, leading to JC finding out about his plan upon waking up and remaining coreless. They flee to Meishan and marry to protect WWX’s reputation (since a marriage would now be impossible for a long time on both sides - Gusu and Yunmeng, AND JC needs WWX more than ever and WWX is not abandoning his little brother) Sunshot happens, WWX invents the control tower & still saves the Sunshot campaign. The sixteen years that follow are utter chaos.

» Nie Mingjue/Wei Wuxian arranged marriage AU

You know what this is inspired by.

Pairing: Nie Mingjue/Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian (unfullfilled, for a long time)

Includes: arranged marriage, some characters die, Nie Mingjue dies but later, revenge, wwx adopts a-yuan, canon divergence, slow burn, learning to love, the Wens live, political intrigues, wwx and nhs teaming up against jgy

Premise: To save the Wens and himself from qi deviation Wei Wuxian marries Nie Mingjue (in spite of being in love with LWJ). Slowly some truths are revealed and feelings blossom but some tragedies cannot be prevented. NMJ realizes the feelings that are between WWX and LWJ, but they both marry regardless. Later WWX realizes that NMJ is similarly in love with Lan Xichen. With time they learn to love and respect each other, NMJ learns about what WWX did for JC, WWX learns clarity to play for NMJ when JGY nearly succeeds killing him (WWX suspects but he has no proof). NMJ still dies (disappears) and widower WWX spends the next decade or so seeking revenge and searching for his husband’s body so that he can rest in peace. It’s all very bittersweet, but there’s a happy ending.

» Hakuouki + Extended Universe

The longest active and steadiest fandom. I know exactly what I’ll write and what not.

Including characters from: Urakata, Toki no Kizuna, the most recent overhauls (Kyoto Winds, Edo Blossoms). I’ve seen all three anime seasons, played a few routes of Kyoto Winds and read some walkthroughs. I’m not completely done with all of them, but I’ll take the time to research if the commission demands it.

» Pairings

» Harada Sanosuke/Nagakura Shinpachi (I lovingly refer to them as my naval battle cruiser)

» Harada Sanosuke/Shiranui Kyou

» Shiranui Kyou/Takasugi Shinsaku

» Kondou Isami/Hijikata Toushizou (tentative)

» Hijikata Toushizou/Saitou Hajime (tentative)

» Nagakura Shinpachi/Saitou Hajime

» Saitou Hajime/Toudou Heisuke

» Yukimura Chizuru/Sen-hime

» Ibuki Ryuunosuke/Kosuzu (please read the rules)

» Specific Canons / Prompts:

I’ve had a number of inspirations for this, which I’ve never written, but would love to delve into. You can chose to prompt me either of these or, of course, pick a general prompt.

» Fabulous Family Series

The one in progress, you can check it out on AO3. You can prompt me in this, if there’s something you’d like to read.

Pairings (current and planned): Harada/Nagakura, Kondou/Hijikata, Okita/Chizuru (casual), Heisuke/Saitou, Takasugi/Shiranui, Chizuru/Sen-chan, Ibuki/Kosuzu, Ibuki->Saitou (one-sided crush), Saitou/Chizuru (temporal)

Tags: adoption, modern AU, lgbtq+ issues, M/M, genderfluid character, disabled character (future), teenage pregnancy (future), slice of life, sexual assault (future), child abuse (future reveal), romance, ace/aro character, casual sex, underage sex,

» Gender Swap AU

Main Ship: Harada/Nagakura

Side Ship: Ibuki/Kosuzu

Summary: Sannan secretly tests a version of his experimental Ochimizu on a few of the captains. The result is that the new day dawns with some drastic changes to their bodies that have nothing to do with white hair, glowing eyes or bloodthirst, but with a whole other set of complications.

Premise: Original story was supposed to be about Shinpachi developing and unexpected attraction to Sano, them “experimenting” together and Sano falling pregnant. While the others manage to turn back to their original bodies, Sano doesn’t and it is all very complicated. Eventually he does (after giving birth), but instead of it being a good thing it just makes things more complicated. In the end, he choses to live in a female body instead of death and marries Shinpachi. Would include trans issues, gender dysphoria, friendship vs. love, the nature of attraction, respect, feminism and female issues. I wanted to write it as a multi-chapter, but never got around to it. But I’d love to put it out there in any form I can.

» Prince of Tennis

Tentatively putting this down as one of my oldest fandoms. I never wrote for it as cosistently as with other fandoms, but a few years back I rp-ed it for quite a while and could probably still write for it, if the pairing’s right.

Including: ShinTeniPuri characters up to Pirates and Black Holes (I haven’t read much further, but I’ll probably catch up at one point? I always do.)

» Pairings / Characters (mostly Shitenhouji and Higa centric)

» Oshitari Kenya/Shiraishi Kuranosuke

» Oshitari Kenya/Chitose Senri

» Oshitari Kenya & Oshitari Yuushi (gen, ask me about cest)

» Shishido Ryou/Oishi Shuuichirou

» Oshitari Yuushi/Kikumaru Eiji

» Oshitari Yuushi/Hirakoba Rin (this relates to that rp)

» Kai Yuujirou & Hirakoba Rin (both gen and slash)

» Kite Eishirou/Hirakoba Rin

» Watanabe Osamu/Sakaki Tarou

» Higa gen

» Shitenhouji gen and casual relationships (ask me about specific ones)

» Hara Tetsuya/Taira Yoshiyuki

» Mori Juuzaburou & Hara Tetsuya (mostly gen, but I probs could do casual slash as well)

» Ochi Tsukimitsu/Mori Juuzaburou

» Marui Bunta/Hara Tetsuya (you will never get this, but it derives from that rp I did and would still def write it if people are interested)

» Tango Pair (Sanada Genichirou/Atobe Keigo)

» Specific Canons / Prompts

Most of what I had in my head has faded but a few things remained. Of course you can also come with your own prompt at me.

» College AU, future fic

Premise: Everyone has grown up and moved on. The Oshitari cousins are now rooming together, both studying medicine at Tokyo University. They’re upper neighbors with Shishido Ryou (paedagogy) and Oishi Shuuichirou (medicine), who both miss their doubles partners, but have seemingly moved on from their middle school days and broken hearts. No such thing can be said about Kenya, who can’t get over his break up with Shiraishi following their graduation, or Yuushi, who seems to hold secrets of his own.

I haven’t developed much for this, most of it are scattered ideas, but I’d love to explore it. I’ve thought of some pairings for it, but none of them final. It would also leave a lot of room for casual stuff or one-night stands. It’s actually an ideal prompt premise, from that standpoint.

Pairings (at start, no necessarily final): Oshitari Kenya/Shiraishi Kuranosuke (past), Oishi Shuuichirou/Shishido Ryou (current), Oishi Shuuichirou/Kikumaru Eiji (past), Shishido Ryou/Ootori Choutarou (past), Oshitari Yuushi/Kikumaru Eiji (current, secret),

» It takes two to Tango / Tango towards Destruction

An old fic that was supposed to be a series which I never finished, but could pick it up and remaster it. It’d be a nostalgia project.

Pairing: Tango Pair

Premise: Atobe’s father finds out about him and Sanada dating and threatens to disown him if they don’t break up. In the original Atobe runs away, but I’m thinking now he simply might not take it seriously enough and then it would escalate. He ends up moving in with the Sanada family. Your typical rich boy loses everything and struggles through poverty, finding meaning, building a life for himself, coming off age.

» One Piece

A fandom older than even TeniPuri it’s been with me the longest. Unfortunately it doesn’t inspire me anymore the way it used to, but I’d still be able to write some things for it, if the right muse struck me. I kinda want to. Nostalgia, you know.

» Pairings

» Zoro/Sanji

» Ace/Zoro

» Ace/Sanji

» Luffy/Law (tentative, like, I ship them hard but I don’t know if I’d be able to write something for them? Oh but I’d like to try)

» Mihawk/Shanks

» Mihawk & Zoro & Perona family dynamics

» Zeff & Sanji adopted family dynamics

» Usopp & Yasopp gen

» Izo? I’d like to try an Izo.

» Canons

» Canonverse

Set in the original canon of the fandom.

Including (not limited to): backstory - past canon, present canon, future fic (please specify), canon divergence

» Modern AU

Including (not limited to): no powers, modern with magic (potential, please ask), slice of life, mystery, case fic, ‘job AU’ (coffee shop, doctors, idols, etc., please specify/ask)

» Sci-fi AU

Including: original sci-fi canon, Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, Dune (tentative), Hyperion (tentative), for everything else ask. I know a lot of sci-fi, but not enough lore for each of them to set a story in. I might be interested but it'd necessitate research.

» High Fantasy AU

Including (not limited to): original fantasy canon, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Witcher, but overall I’d prefer if you ask about this. I haven’t read/seen a lot of the most recent and popular franchises (mostly because I’m writing my own high fantasy and don’t want it to be too influenced by other things, and someone already told me it sounds like Game of Thrones, so that one’s a big no. Sorry...)

» No Powers, other than modern AU

Including (not limited to): everything that doesn’t fall under the modern AU list, but has no powers in it, i.e. historical AU (specify time & culture), future AU (near & far), cyberpunk dystopia (possibly), post-apocalyptic (possibly). I don’t write zombies.

» Superpowers / Hero AU

Including (not limited to): X-Men, Avengers, Wildstorm Universe, original superhero canon

» Genres

I do mostly serious stuff, like drama, tragedy, intrigues, arranged marriage, tragic backstory, etc. I like to put my characters through a lot of suffering. I always joke that it’s very easy to spot my favorite character by the amount of torture I put them through. I feel that it makes the happy ending weigh even more. Sometimes I even prefer a bad ending, if it gives the story more meaning (I mean, imagine LotR trilogy have a happy ending. It would totally take away all the development and the lessons the characters went through.) I wish I could write light stuff but so far I have not succeeded. I use a lot of sarcasm and irony though?

My shorter fics tend to be fluffy and sweet rather than funny, if full of playful banter and teasing. Relationships are usually depicted in a naturalistic rather than romantic way (I’m ace/aro myself, and I have lots of opinions about the nature of love and attraction, and how a functioning relationship ideally looks like and it tends to seep into my writing). Instead of traditional romance I like to write a non-traditional one. Slow burn, instead of love on first sight. Learning to love instead of falling hard. But it also depends on the pairing. I can write most things if I put my mind to it, so don’t hesitate to prompt me and I’ll let you know whether it works for me or not.

I’m not shy of dealing with child abuse, assault, suicidal ideation, trauma, disability and other difficult topics in my writing, so if you wanna request any of these or something similar I’m a-okay with it, as long as you discuss it with me. I’m not knowledgeable in everything so it’s likely I’ll need to do research, but I’m more than alright with it. Honestly, it’s very probable that I’d love to try.

» Kinks

I’m okay with most stuff. Where I draw the line is the really hardcore stuff like scat and kinks involving feces, some forms of humiliation, zoophilia, necrophilia, mutilation, stuff like that.

I’m alright with both dub-con & non-con (although I refuse to depict is as normalized, or glorified), bondage, s&m, dom/sub, light bdsm (ask me about the harder stuff. I’m not against it, I’m just not always in the mood or right mindset for writing it), omorashi (tentative, ask me), daddy kink, breath play, age play, spanking, verbal humiliation, dirty talk, edging, come eating, orgasm denial,... all the good stuff.

#commission me #fandoms #genres

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grapefruitsketches · 4 years

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Untamed Spring Fest 2020 - Days 24-30: Chapter 4, Nest, Part II (Day 26)

Part of my Songxiao post-canon fix-it fic series:

Also available on AO3: link

4,135 Words

Chapter 4: Dinner, featuring Jin Ling’s cooking and a much needed conversation between Xiao Xingchen and Wei Wuxian (also Wen Ning appears, finally).

Days at Cloud Recesses passed slowly. Xiao Xingchen was no stranger to confining his existence to one residence, to following one routine, day in and day out. But whereas his days training under Baoshan Sanren had been packed with training, studies, chores and reflection, Xiao Xingchen’s body had not yet adjusted to once again being in use. Training was out of the question, even if he had wanted to pick up the sword. The Lan clan would not let an honoured guest take on chores, and whatever little maintenance tasks were necessary within his and Zichen’s residence were attended to by Zichen, usually before Xingchen even realized they needed to be done. He didn’t mind being doted on. It was nice. He smiled, feeling warm inside whenever Zichen gently pushed him aside to make the bed, even if it was still unmade so late in the day only because Xingchen was, uncharacteristically, sleeping in these days. But there was a fine line between doting and fussing, relaxing and boredom. And Xingchen, weak and recovering as he was, was used to constant movement, lending a hand wherever one might be so much as appreciated, never mind needed. Pursuing a presence plaguing a town. Having the right words at the right time to prevent a violent dispute.

He knew his body couldn’t handle these things now (that his mind probably could not either). He knew he needed time. But he was restless.

Xingchen could not believe that the Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen had arrived that morning. It felt like it had been days, not hours. He had been awoken, eaten, slept, and still they were hours from the late afternoon dinner. And so Xingchen distracted himself the rest of the afternoon as best he could, finding, as always, that this was the best way to make things feel normal, whatever that may mean.

He brushed through Zichen’s hair, perhaps checking that each strand was in place with more care than strictly necessary, taking the time to run his fingers as well as the comb through his hair, appreciating the feel of Zichen’s hair, fingers gliding easily through the soft lengths, listening to Zichen’s sighs at his touch. Once Xingchen’s hands began to cramp, he suggested the two of them go for a walk, and Zichen readily got up to go. Zichen always offered his hands, purportedly to guide Xingchen although they both knew Xingchen could get around perfectly well on his own. But he was happy to take this assistance, unable to refuse a chance to feel Zichen’s skin against his own. They walked their usual paths, Zichen squeezing his hand three times whenever he wanted to indicate there was something he wanted to show Xingchen. He would then hold Xingchen’s hand up to trees whose pattern he found interesting, or would pass him rabbits from the colony that Hanguang-Jun was so proud of, or would pull him down to sit by the stream, not needing to tap Xingchen’s foot to signal the invitation to dip their toes into the cool water.

Usually, Xingchen filled the silences with chatter, aware of how little he could offer Zichen otherwise. But today, even though he tried, truly wanting to make up for the trouble he’d caused that morning, he could think of nothing meaningful to say. He remarked on the apparent health of the bamboo Zichen drew his hand to, said the required niceties for both of them whenever they ran into any Lan disciples, noted how nice it must be for Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi to have their friends visiting. But he couldn’t tap into that flow of words that usually defined these walks, despite the comfort he drew from Zichen’s continued efforts to keep him engaged. He didn’t like days like today, where the tears came early. They seemed to taint him, to follow him like a shadow the rest of the day, draining his energy throughout whatever else he did. He had to consciously focus on maintaining his smile here. It usually came so effortlessly, but despite the safety, comfort, beauty surrounding him, holding his hand on this walk, his expression was something he had to be sharply aware of - letting his smile slip would be a sign that he couldn’t hold himself together even to those who did not know him well, never mind Zichen who already worried merely at Xingchen’s silence.

The afternoon eventually passed, frustratingly slowly, lazily, and mostly without words. When Xingchen felt the slow cooling of the day he was relieved at the confirmation that time was passing, that it was time to have dinner, and soon, end this day, perhaps retreat to a dream where he could be far more useful, active, than the burden he was now.

Sure enough, as they arrived to the Western guest houses, a warm smell, something bitter with a hint of some sweet herb. The smell made even Xingchen’s mouth water, his appetite finally catching up to his, all things considered, rather empty stomach. It smelled more flavourful than most of the food at Cloud Recesses (Xingchen never protested the bland flavours, but variety was much appreciated), but not nearly as strong as the scents he sometimes detected when passing by the Jingshi around mealtimes.

“You’re here!” Ouyang Zizhen’s voice cried out, “We weren’t sure you were going to come after-“ the sound of a soft impact, “Ow! I mean, we’re glad you could make it.”

Xingchen bowed and made the appropriate greetings on his and Zichen’s behalf to the courtyard generally, not sure who might or might not be present.

Zichen squeezed Xingchen’s hand three times, but whatever he wanted to show him couldn’t be easily touched. Xingchen’s curiosity was answered by a voice, “H-hello Song-daozhang. It is good to meet you, Xiao-daozhang.”

“Xiao-xiong, let me introduce you to my uncle,” Sizhui’s voice rang out proudly, “Wen Qionglin.”

Xingchen smiled, “It is nice to meet you, finally, Wen-gongzi, I have heard so much about how you have helped us.”

“You have?” Wen Qionglin sounded genuinely surprised.

Xingchen nodded, “Zichen has told me about your visits while my spirit healed, and he also mentioned that you were there in Y-“ he paused, rephrasing, “that you were there to help with Zichen’s reawakening as well.”

“Oh! Uh, yes! I was!” There was a streak of satisfaction in the words at even this small expression of gratitude. Xingchen smiled, liking this man immediately, understanding why he had been Zichen’s trusted friend over the last few years.

Zichen squeezed his hand again before pulling away, there were sounds of his hands moving, occasionally rubbing against one another and Xingchen realized this must be the gesturing language that Wen Qionglin had helped Zichen develop over the years, that others had made vague allusions to learning but none other than Zichen and Wen Qionglin were further along than Zichen was with the Inquiry language so far. (He fought back a streak of jealousy - not targeted at Wen Qionglin himself, but rather at the time, at the easy conversations he had had with Zichen where Xingchen and Zichen had to adapt their communication to make even the most basic requests or statements possible.)

“Xiao-daozhang,” Wen Qionglin said carefully, “Song-daozhang would like to know if it would be alright if I sat with you? He… says he has some things he wants to discuss… with me.” Xiao Xingchen nodded, numbly impressed by how much more quickly a message from Zichen reached him when communicated via this sign language rather than writing, and immediately felt sorry all over again that Zichen was trying to learn an entirely new language that worked for Xingchen, even though Zichen had already spent so much time developing methods that worked well enough for him.

The three of them sat at a small table and Sizhui came over in short order, pouring a strongly brewed tea for each of them. Xingchen let the sounds of chatter wash over him. From a table to his right he could hear Jin Ling and Jingyi arguing, Sizhui doing his best to mediate, and Zizhen jumping in once in a while to support one or the other, seemingly at random. If he strained, he could hear Wei Wuxian’s voice, uncharacteristically whispering to Lan Wangji, the choice of volume and tone signalling to Xingchen that he should not and did not want to try too hard to hear the exact words that passed between spouses. Most of all, though, he listened to the sounds coming from his immediate left, the sound of Zichen signing. Xingchen could feel the rapid movements of ZIchen’s arms as he moved them, his huffs of exasperation, coughs of laughter, all part of a conversational rhythm that Xingchen was so familiar with - familiar with, but now unable to understand, to take part in. Xingchen liked Wen Qionglin more and more each time Zichen shuddered with silent laughter at something he said, or carefully filled in information that Xingchen longed for but would never dare ask for (“You look happy, Song-daozhang”). But still, even though Wen Qionglin tried his best to interpret Zichen’s words, his jokes, the quirks that Xingchen knew must be woven throughout Zichen’s speech were lost. It could be frustrating to be without sight, he wouldn’t deny that. But if he had the chance to choose, his eyes or Zichen’s words, it would be the words every time. Wen Qionglin’s voice, speaking both for himself and Zichen, continued, but Xingchen’s mind kept slipping, unable to keep a firm grip on the conversation for too long. He only made sure to keep up his smile, to nod along whenever it seemed appropriate even as his mind drifted towards what ifs…

Xingchen sipped his tea, vaguely wondering when they might start eating. He was vaguely aware that Zichen and Wen Qionglin’s conversation continued beside him, Xingchen apparently having been less successful at hiding his disengagement than he had hoped as the conversation now proceeded silently, only Zichen’s continued movements telling him that the visual communication went on.

“Dumplings. Fresh from the kitchen.” Wei Wuxian’s voice was suddenly right in front of Xingchen.

“Oh, thank you.” Xingchen said faintly, automatically, taking note of the location of the sound of the dish touching the wood table. The smell was even more incredible this close, but even more so, he wanted the dinner to keep moving, progressing towards the moment where he could crawl into bed.

To his surprise, Wei Wuxian did not leave. Instead, he took the seat across from Xingchen, next to Wen Qionglin.

“I thought I would sit with you, since Lan Zhan still insists on silence over dinner,” Wei Wuxian’s voice gained a conspiratorial tone, “but he would never stop me speaking to a guest.”

Xingchen smiled. If it had been anyone else, he might have thought taking up one end of this illegal conversation would offend, but with Hanguang-Jun, he knew that the bigger offence would be to not give in to whatever whim Wei Wuxian was on right now.

“I would be happy to have the honourable Wei-gongzi at our table. Is that ok with you, Zichen, Wen-gongzi?”

Wen Qionglin gave a quick yes, as though surprised at being asked, and Zichen did not bother looking to the readily available interpreters, instead choosing to answer by taking Xingchen’s hands in his and drawing them up to his head, nodding emphatically. Zichen also took the opportunity to rub his thumbs across the backs of Xingchen’s hands as he did so, and Xingchen smiled at the touch, recognizing the unnecessary apology for his and Wen Qionglin’s silent conversation. Xingchen gently stroked the side of Zichen’s head as he withdrew, before turning back to Wei Wuxian.

If Xingchen had expected a rush of words, of exuberance, of mischief from Wei Wuxian, he was sorely mistaken. For all his talk about escaping Hanguang-Jun’s silent dinners, all Wei Wuxian said was, “We can start eating now.”

They ate mostly in silence. The food was delicious, and Xingchen told Wei Wuxian so. He got only a wistful reply that, yes, it was delicious, that the dumplings reminded him of a time in Yunmeng when another talented cook had tried her hand at Jin sect style dumplings for the first time. But other than this quick exchange, Xingchen had the distinct impression that he had been joined not by the Wei Wuxian whose antics still led Lan Qiren to retire to his bedchambers early in the afternoon, but instead Wei Wuxian the inventor and scholar, who could spend hours if not days working out a puzzle once he set his mind to it, and Xingchen was the puzzle.

When Jin Ling came over, to check on the meal though, any hint of this somber Wei Wuxian vanished.

“What do you think?” Jin Ling asked, pompous as ever but unable to mask his anxiety as he asked for feedback.

Xingchen smiled, “It is wonderful Clan Leader Jin, I have not tasted such well-seasoned filling, such well-made dough for a very long time.” It was true, he had never been one to focus much on what food he ate to fill his hunger, but these dumplings helped him understand why others sought out only the best.

“Th-thank you, Xiao-xiong!” Jin Ling replied, “And… and Jin Ling is fine,” he ended in a mumble, clearly not yet adjusted to the title, especially in casual settings like this.

“Wait a moment,” something in Wei Wuxian’s cheerful voice brought to Xingchen’s mind the image of a string, slowly reeling in prey that did not yet know it had been caught, “Don’t you want to hear what I think?”

Jin Ling huffed, clearly seeking complimentary feedback only, “What is it?”

“Hmm…” Wei Wuxian mused, as though considering the food carefully, ”Well I’m not sure I agree with the choice to decorate all the dumplings.”

“What?” Jin Ling sounded bewildered.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I think the edible ink was ingenious, and your calligraphy is excellent, but,” Wei Wuxian’s voice gained a false modesty, “well, it’s kind of embarrassing for me to see ‘Long Live Wei Wuxian’ or, ‘Wei Wuxian, Conqueror of the Chief Cultivator’s Heart’ all over my food, you know?”

“What? No- there aren’t… Why would I…? Xiao-xiong please don’t believe-!” Jin Ling stammered, flustered, despite Wei Wuxian’s giggles giving up the game.

Xiao Xingchen laughed, there was no way anything Wei Wuxian was describing was true, but he was certainly grateful for another chance to laugh today, “Don’t worry Clan L- Jin Ling,” he corrected himself, “Even the most garish of decorations wouldn’t have spoiled your obvious talent in the kitchen.”

Jin Ling stammered out another thank you before scurrying away.

“Xiao-xiong, I think you might have made him cry,” Wei Wuxian observed.

Xingchen smiled, “They are delicious.”

“Mnm.” Wei Wuxian agreed.

Teasing Jin Ling seemed to have awoken Wei Wuxian’s spirit, and he spent the rest of the meal supporting lively conversation, the topics were unimportant, but the feeling of togetherness, inclusion, happiness, those all cut right to Xiao Xingchen’s core. But even so, as another round of tea was served, as Wei Wuxian launched into a story about his most recent kitchen adventures, that suddenly the sounds went from distracting, comforting, to too much. Xiao Xingchen was now painfully aware of the voices from the other tables, no longer reassuring but ringing. The tea was too hot, the dumplings, which had been so rich, so delicious, now gurgled unpleasantly in his stomach. The courtyard was large, he knew, but it still felt like the walls pressed in from all sides. He wanted out. Needed out. Out of there. Away. Quiet. Space.

“Excuse me.” He said mildly, cutting Wei Wuxian off mid-sentence, slipping his hand out of Zichen’s as he rose and walked purposefully towards the courtyard’s entrance, not waiting to hear if there was any response, or if there was anyone following him.

He found the railing and followed it, grateful that the dinner had been hosted far enough from his quarters that the noise wouldn’t travel, but wishing that it could be a shorter walk. He stumbled, almost fell a few times, disoriented in his sudden panic, reaching between the gaps in railings, where there were branching paths or steps down to gardens. He usually was so confident walking around, but now he couldn’t bring himself to focus enough to follow even the straight lines he knew led back to his quarters. If he had been paying more attention, he would certainly have noticed the approaching footsteps behind him sooner, but in his current state he only realized someone was following him when they were within arm’s reach. Xingchen, surprised at the sudden footsteps right next to him, grabbed whoever it was. Hard.

“Who-?” he demanded, but was cut off almost immediately with, “Ow! It’s me! Wei Wuxian!”

“Oh.” Xingchen said, dropping the hand that gripped Wei Wuxian’s arm, relinquishing the grip he hadn’t realized he had on Shuanghua’s hilt as though it had burned him, “I’m sorry. Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” a small laugh, “But remind me never to challenge you to any kind of hand to hand combat.”

Xingchen felt his face redden, “Sorry, I panicked. I shouldn’t have reacted so rashly.” Shouldn’t have once again come so close to drawing Shuanghua on an ally.

“It’s really ok.” Something in Wei Wuxian’s voice told Xingchen that he truly did understand. Xingchen relaxed, and reached again for the railing, steadying himself.

“So,” Wei Wuxian’s voice took on its usual casual tone, “was it something I said?”

Xingchen tilted his head, taken aback, “Was what something you said?”

“I guess not then,” another laugh, then his tone grew serious, “Listen, I know you might not want to talk about this or to me or to anyone right now, but I came to check on you. Do you mind sharing why you left?”

Xingchen frowned. Why had he left? Nothing had changed, it was just that one moment, it was all fine, the next, “It was… I don’t really know… It was too much, maybe?” He shook his head, embarrassed at his own rudeness.

“Mmm.” Wei Wuxian agreed, “That makes sense.”

“It does?” Xingchen was glad that someone thought so even if he didn’t.

“Yeah, I think it’s something that can happen when you’re uh… away from the living for a while,” he answered carefully, clearly worried that even if so far Xingchen hadn’t been reacting to something he said, being too blunt might change that, “At least, something like this has happened to me a few times.”

“Oh. Does it stop?”

Wei Wuxian sighed, “For me? No. Not entirely, but it happens way more rarely now, and usually I can tell in advance.”

Xingchen nodded, letting that sink in.

“I know it can seem impossible but… It really, doesn’t bother me that much anymore.”

“Really?”

“Mhm. I think it’s mostly only gotten better with time, slowly getting used to everything again. Lan Zhan and A-Yuan help, and so does their guqin music.” He thought for a moment, “Also… well, sometimes being able to take a break from everything helps. Sometimes I’ll have to get away and just do something calm and rewarding in itself. Like gardening or just wandering alone. But nothing is an instant fix.”

Xingchen considered this. So it came back to the same problem: he couldn’t wander alone, couldn’t garden. Not now at least, not while just living was still so exhausting in itself that he was hardly awake for six consecutive hours in a day. But still… it was good to hear that someone else had felt the same, “I have to thank you again, Wei-gongzi,” he bowed in his direction, “What you said makes sense, and after tonight I… I am especially grateful to have been able to take advantage of your and Hanguang-Jun’s hospitality. I am sorry if I have caused any trouble for you or your guests tonight.”

Wei Wuxian snorted, “Are you talking about Zizhen and A-Ling? They’re the last two you have to worry about. Zizhen basically worships you and Song-xiong, and when I left, A-Ling was still bragging to the others about what you said about his cooking. But,” he paused, “I am more concerned if their presence has been a problem for you? We can tell them that the area near your and Song-xiong’s residence is off-limits if that would…?”

“No need,” Xingchen said hastily, “I wouldn’t want to make them think they did anything wrong, because they really didn’t.” He sighed, “I just wish I was in a better state to meet them properly.”

“You will get that chance, don’t worry.” Wei Wuxian said gently.

Tears threatened to fall, and Xingchen could hide many things but Zichen, A-Qing, others he did not dare think about, had made it clear to him that his tears could not so easily be hidden, soaking the cloth over the space where his eyes had once been until it showed red. He tensed, trying to restrain his treacherous tear ducts, which refused to heal even after all this time. He hoped that Wei Wuxian wouldn’t notice, so long as he could keep the tears in, but such a hope was clearly in vain, confronted with the vigilant eye of the cultivator.

“Xiao-xiong…” an understanding voice came, “You don’t have to hold back.”

And so Xingchen’s face relaxed, set forth the tears that seemed always moments from spilling, “I’m sorry,” he said.

Wei Wuxian chuckled, “Sorry for what? This is ok, good even.”

Not it would be ok, it is ok. The tears flowed harder.

“What do you want?” Wei Wuxian asked, tone not judgmental, not indulgent, just curious.

Xingchen thought about it. He wanted so much. He wanted everything to be back to how it had been before. He wanted to undo everything his foolishness had caused for him and Zichen. He wanted others to be able to act naturally around him, not to tiptoe for fear of setting him off. He wanted to be able to go where he wanted, do what he wanted, be there for Zichen as much as Zichen was there for him.

“I… I want to get strong again. To travel again.”

“Mmm…” Wei Wuxian affirmed, “Yeah, recovery is frustratingly slow, and hard too… I get it. Tired, restless all at the same time, things you want to do, but can’t, collapsing after what should be minor exertion? I’ve been there.” He sighed, “For now we should figure out what the best thing for you to do is. Zizhen and A-Ling will leave soon, but Cloud Recesses is hosting lectures soon and everything will be very busy, there will probably be disciples staying next door to your residence, even.”

“Oh.” Xingchen said softly, “I understand. I can be sure to leave before then, I have imposed far too long after all and-“

“Whoa, whoa,” Wei Wuxian interrupted, “No one is talking about kicking you out if you don’t want to go. I mean, you’re free to, but I was just trying to think of where else you could escape too… Jin Ling would definitely welcome you in Carp Tower, but they’re busier on an average day than Cloud Recesses is during the lectures… and Lotus Pier is surrounded by the market…” Wei Wuxian mused, and Xingchen wondered at just how much thought Wei Wuxian was putting in, had already put in, solely for his sake. You’re dangerous, blind and alone. He knows that. But that voice was weaker than it would have been before, edged out by the warmth Xingchen felt at Wei Wuxian, someone who had functionally been a stranger before his revival, taking such an interest in his wellbeing. There was a feeling here, something he could only compare to the growing, glowing feeling he’d felt each time he’d successfully, painstakingly, merged two pieces of his spirit back together in the pouch. He was alive again, but was still nursing wounds. Wounds that could recover, even if they left some scarring. He would have to just keep pulling himself together, piece by piece, though now, he was not alone. He now shared a world with friends and his Zichen, who would help pick the pieces up alongside him.

The seed of a thought had been planted, one that might sprout, become firmly rooted, with time: He wasn’t strong, not yet. But he didn’t need to be. Didn’t need to pretend to be. Because he wasn’t alone. Because he could get there. Would get there.

“I’ve got it!” Wei Wuxian burst out, the sharp sound of his fist clapping against his palm shaking Xingchen from his reverie, “How would you like to borrow my and Lan Zhan’s farm for a little while?”

Next: Chapter 5, Picnic: We're moving into the heavy comfort/recovery parts of the story, as Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen start their farmhouse getaway. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji help them move in, and of course the Juniors and Wen Ning can't help but be involved too.

I’m aiming for a 1-2 week update schedule, hopefully posting on Tuesdays or Wednesdays!

#the untamed #mdzs #cql #songxiao #xiao xingchen #song lan #wei wuxian #the junior quartet #wen ning #untamed spring fest #that i am ludicrously late for oh well #my writing #oops this chapter ended up being long #songxiao fix it series

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pawsnread · 4 years

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Untamed Winter Fest Day 27: Feast

Even living with three brothers and in two different dorms didn’t prepare Song Lan for the task of meeting Xiao Xingchen’s entire family.

A scene before the final scene from Second Intentions chapter 7.

Song Lan was used to always having people around and being crowded. As a kid, he and his brothers were always invading each other’s spaces. At Lan Academy, he had shared a room with Xingchen; at Stanford, even when Emir wasn’t around, there was always someone from the fencing team or one of the various intramural sports groups Song Lan was a part of in his dorm room. He had never really had alone time, and he was fine with that.

None of that prepared him for meeting the entirety of Xingchen’s family.

Of course he had met Baoshan Sanren before, and he had interacted off and on with Lian and Qiang via texts. Song Lan knew Xingchen’s family included ten living siblings - some of them with their own families - and he knew they all knew about him. Xingchen had told him all about his siblings, what they did for a living, little bits and pieces about their quirks. Song Lan had imagined all types of scenarios when he finally met the potential in-laws.

He just never imagined having to meet them all at once.

He sat at the banquet table looking as if he had run a gauntlet. Which, in one sense, he probably had. Between Xingchen’s brothers congratulating him on his saber win while silently sizing him up and his sisters remarking on how handsome he was while patting his cheek, Song Lan didn’t miss the identical looks in their eyes - a look that seemed to pierce right into him, trying to find him worthy.

This banquet was supposed to be a way of getting Xingchen’s family together and celebrating his Olympic win. It was a feast that was going to go on for hours, full of food and conversation. He had only been there for thirty minutes and already Song Lan was feeling exhausted.

“Well, looks like you barely survived their scrutiny.”

Song Lan turned a wary gaze to Baoshan Sanren as she claimed a seat next to him. Although Xingchen called her his aunt, she was much more of a mother to him. Nearly seventy now, she looked far younger than her age despite the laugh lines around her lips and eyes and the smattering of salt in her dark hair. Her slender frame was deceptive; she was a strong woman, a world class fencer who had raised twelve children into well-respected adults.

“They’re just giving you a hard time,” she said, a kind smile on her face as she patted his shoulder. “They all actually like you.”

“I would not have guessed,” Song Lan admitted. He let out a weary sigh, eyes roaming the room to seek out Xingchen standing amongst his brothers, an embarrassed blush on his face from something they said. He turned back to Baoshan Sanren at the uncharacteristic snort she made. Her smile had transformed into an almost cocky smirk, the type of expression Song Lan imagined she had in the prime of her fencing years.

“They are just sore that neither of you told them about the engagement earlier. Not that their disapproval would mean much. Xingchen is just stubborn enough to not care about what others think regarding his relationship with you. He would probably fight the whole family to stay with you.” A wistful expression passed over Baoshan Sanren’s face at the notion, but it was gone before Song Lan could remark on it.

“You sound awfully proud about that prospect.”

“I’m quite proud of him.” With one finger, Baoshan Sanren playfully poked his shoulder. “And you. You’ve both come a long way through the years. You deserve your wins from yesterday.” For a long moment, she regarded Song Lan with an intent stare. As if coming to a conclusion, she nodded her head. “I’m going to confess something to you. The first time you and Xingchen met, it wasn’t a coincidence.”

“What?” Song Lan turned to her with a look of incredulity. He remembered that day, back when he was ten, about fifty kids under twelve years old crowded together in a gymnasium and all eager to fence even though they were far younger than the Y14 level. His lips pressed together as he recalled the end of that day, the misunderstanding that had started his relationship with Xingchen.

“Your uncle and I planned it, in a manner of speaking,” Baoshan Sanren admitted. She sat back, crossing her arms as she watched her children clustered together, their own children running wildly around their legs. “Li Baixue and I have been friends for years. He had been telling me about the mock tournament, and about you. I was worried about Xingchen, being all alone in the house with no one his age around. I was hoping you two could meet and become friends, that the two of you would get along well.”

Song Lan gave her a sideways glance, the beginnings of a grin tugging at his lips. “Did you expect us to get along this well?” She had an infectious type of laughter, rising from the bottom of her soul and bringing a smile to everyone who heard her.

“No, but I’m not displeased with the outcome either. I trust Xingchen to make the best choices for him. It’s how I raised him, how I raised them all.” A movement caught her eye; Lian was waving at her from across the room as the family gathered for a photo, the first time all of them had been together in years. As Baoshan Sanren rose to her feet, she gave Song Lan another soft smile - the kind of expression that made him realize just who Xingchen had learned his carefree smile from. “There is one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

Turning to him, Baoshan Sanren dropped an affectionate kiss to the top of his head, squeezing his shoulder once before turning towards where her children were gathered.

“Welcome to the family.”

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