#ALSO SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT HIM NEVER GIVING THESE THINGS TO YANLI

[mispronouncing-michaelangelo]

idk something about wei wuxian giving his golden core to jiang cheng and then losing the ability to use his sword,,,, and then leaning into demonic cultivation and gaining wen ning as his blade but then letting him leave with lan sizhui,,,, idk just like, he loves so deeply

[mxtxfanatic]

Hm, I know I said at least in my first reading of mdzs that I felt like Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng were actually friends as kids, I would like to remind folks that the catastrophic breakdown of their friendship was not because of some misplaced care but because Jiang Cheng is a stagnant character whose whole role in the story is to be the one who never learns, changes, and grows past his insecurities and resentments. They were always going to fall out with each other, even if the Sunshot Campaign never happened, even if the Wen Clan didn’t exist as a subjugating force terrorizing the other clans, because no matter how much Jiang Cheng cares about anyone, he will always place his personal resentments first.

I’m so serious: reread the pre-fall of Lotus Pier parts of the novel (flashback extras included), and tell me how many times Jiang Cheng says something genuinely nice about or to the benefit of Wei Wuxian without prompting. Point to me places where Jiang Cheng puts himself on the line for Wei Wuxian that is not him distracting the Wen. Compare the number of unambiguously positive interactions they have to the number of interactions they have in total, and I bet you’ll see that the positives are laughingly scant. Most every interaction they have together, Jiang Cheng is being a negative nancy. He’s the type of friend who, if you said “Today is a good day!” would snidely respond back, “What’s so good about?” before loudly complaining about what a nuisance your happiness is. Jiang Cheng is the type of friend that tells you that everyone else hates you because you’re so annoying, and you need to do something about that because he also finds you annoying so you should be lucky he “puts up with” you. And all of this negativity can be directly traced back to the resentment Jiang Cheng feels caused by his own mother projecting her insecurities onto him. Jiang Cheng, who cannot grow, learn, or change, is unable to extract his own self from his mother’s insecurities, ending up inheriting them as his own, instead.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like teen!Jiang Cheng is some irredeemable monster (that is reserved for his adult self), but Wei Wuxian already shows signs of being tired of his attitude as kids. He snaps at Jiang Cheng rudeness in the lotus pod seeds extra. He constantly admonishes Jiang Cheng about his blatant disregard for the lives and safety of other people. Most of the time, Wei Wuxian won’t even engage in the petty little remarks that Jiang Cheng makes, just treating it like nobody had spoken at all. The only times Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian move as a unit is when they have a common enemy—like Jin Zixuan—but without that, they are only held together by the fact that…they’ve been friends for a long time.

And this kinda leads me back to the point about the yunmeng friendship not being able to withstand the test of time even without an outside conflict: I would place the point of no return for their relationship at Wei Wuxian killing the xuanwu of slaughter, not at the fall of Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian is one of two individuals that killed a mythological bloodthirsty creature responsible for hundreds of deaths, spent a week in a coma from his injuries and lack of immediate care, and what does he get for it? Jiang Cheng shows up with soup gifted to Wei Wuxian by Jiang Yanli, except he’s eaten all the meat out of it. Jiang Fengmian gives the most lukewarm praise to Wei Wuxian for his achievements—which Wei Wuxian neither complained about nor called him out for—because they were both trying to be mindful of Jing Cheng’s insecurities, and Jiang Cheng still made it about himself. When Madam Yu storms in to yell about how Wei Wuxian is a “bastard child” and he’s just trying to show off, Jiang Cheng consciously and unambiguously sides with his mother. Wei Wuxian had to drag his feverish body out of bed—after just awakening from a week-long coma—to placate pity-party Jiang Cheng, and the only thing that makes him feel better is not promises of continued friendship but of servitude. Even if at this point Wei Wuxian was still viewing Jiang Cheng as a—admittedly caustic—friend, Jiang Cheng’s view had fully transitioned from “annoying friend my mother hates” to “the servant I need to keep in line lest he overshadows me.” If anything, the fall of Lotus Pier, the debt placed on Wei Wuxian by the Jiang leaders, and the subsequent war probably allowed their friendship to last longer than it naturally would have (remember, they are only united against outside forces).

All this to say that while Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian may have started out as genuine friends in their childhood, their transition to enemies has absolutely nothing to do with that care. Sometimes we fall out with people because we just do not like them as people. Jiang Cheng’s resentment prevented him from appreciating Wei Wuxian as a person, leading to the end of their friendship and their descent into eventual enemies. Not misplaced or warped care, just pure, undeniable resentment.

[sillygoofyqueer]

I have been summoned by the newest chapter of losing hope :3

Not much happened but I’m taking this as a “I will give you fluff both after and before things go to shit”

Jingyi being Jin Ling’s reluctant friend is honestly pretty hilarious and I can’t wait to see those two start to get close because I feel like that’ll be like “I hate this person with every fiber of my being but if you make him cry there will be nobody searching for your body and no body to find either.” Especially after they realize the type of environment he was in his entire life in comparison to their childhoods. They’re goofy and I love ‘em.

Wangxian being shameless is always amazing (love that it’s LWJ doing it too!) but Wwx missing his sword. Jesus, that made me sad. It’d be interesting to see how suibian communicates with Wwx because in canon we know that the swords have spirits but that’s never really expanded upon. Especially since suibian sealed itself. It’d be nice to see them communicating with their weapons (also imagine suibian mother henning Wwx? Or even Wwx thinking of suibian as a sibling/parental figure? The angst for that would be great especially combined with the scene of Wwx giving away his golden core. Both of them would know Wwx would never be able to properly use suibian again and wow that would hurt. Also I’d imagine since Jiang cheng can also use suibian, suibian does care for him much like Wwx but also it’d be funny if it didn’t particularly like him. Like, the entire time Jiang cheng uses suibian it is fluently cursing at him.)

Jingyi picking up on LWJ pining/flirting is very funny but probably not as funny as it will be when sizhui realizes that A) they’ve both been pining for each other for almost two decades B) 100% they are not in a relationship even if they’re totally shameless with each other and C) they both SOMEHOW have NO IDEA that the other likes them back. The facepalm when that realization sinks in will be funny :3

As always fuck JGY.

Also as always, your writing is amazing four and I wish I could give you more Kudos <3333

Remember to take care of yourself and take breaks!

Just...just picture me holding you close right now. That's it, that's the sentence.

Now, I don't know what you meeeaaaan, there is barely any angst in my fic whatsoever and there will never be anymore angst-...*checks timeline doc*....for nowwww....In all seriousness though, I can't actually remember/decide if there will be any angst next chapter, but oh boy if there was wouldn't that be silly. Wouldn't that be sooo goofy? Guess we'll never ever ever EVER know. I was feeling soft and silly, and this was more of a filler chapter, so I was like, "fluff be upon ye" I guess.

Jingyi and Jin Ling are going to have a very interesting friendship - Jin Ling's been raised differently because Wei Wuxian has kind of been a part of his childhood, so I wonder if that will affect how he builds/views relationships with other people - what do you MEAN I can't foreshadow in my post, who said that?! Anyway, I can't wait to think about it from Lan Sizhui's perspective; dude feels bad for Jin Ling because it is OBVIOUS that this poor guy does not know how to talk to people and if he is befriending what everyone labels as a dangerous criminal, then he is in severe need of friendship. Then there's Jingyi in the background, barking like a chihuahua every time Jin Ling does something that the Lan doesn't like until they devolve into fighting.

Ever since I learned about sword spirits, I've always wondered how Suibian would interact with Wei Wuxian and how they work together. I read one too many SVSSS fics where sword spirits hold a big value in them and it was all downhill from there. Think about it - Wei Wuxian had a lot of people who knew him in Lotus Pier, but he was never truly vulnerable with anyone (except maybe Jiang Yanli, but even then, it wasn't much) because he didn't want to sound ungrateful. So, imagine a Wei Wuxian who found solace in ranting to Suibian. Now imagine a Suibian listening and soothing in their own way. You see my vision, right? Imagine losing that when he needed it the most, during the Burial Mounds. Imagine finally being able to get it back after years of unforgettable trauma and torture, when he desperately needs someone he can rely on without second guessing everything to do with human duality. That doesn't exist with a sword spirit - Suibian just cares.

[wutheringskies]

The take about Jiang cheng and the dogs thing was kinda strange to me. Unfortunately, children don't regulate their emotions very well. When their feelings get overwhelming, they don't act with compassion or empathy, they react to the immediate situation, especially when a new sibling is involved. It's pretty common for a kid to feel forgotten or unloved when a new sibling comes along, and when you're at that age, anger is a common reaction to things like that. I don't think him being mad about losing his dogs and then kicking Wuxian out shows sociopathy or even just a lack of empathy toward Wuxian specifically. It's just being a kid, especially being a kid who's gotten to have the attention suddenly being left out of the attention (or at least feeling that way) when a new sibling comes along.

In Jiang Cheng's case it is more like, even before Wei Wuxian arrived, he felt he was unloved, and didn't have he attention onto him (great parenting madam yu and jfm!); and of course, you are right. Being childish at an age where you are, well, a child is no issue. It's endearing.

But what I also wish to restate is that Jiang Cheng was already eight or nine years old. I do feel "empathy" is something natural to people; yet the point still isn't about what he did when he was 8 or 9 years old.

The post I'd targeted said something like Jiang Cheng "gave and gave" and Wei Wuxian "took and took." Him acting like a child would, at the age of 8 or 9, isn't a big deal. But I wished to draw more attention to the detail that his current actions (whether it be 36 years old, or 20 years old) were still similar to the actions of his younger self!

I don't wish to condemn him for being an average child; people change a lot when they grow up, but in his case, the tragedy is that he didn't.

He has never encouraged Wei Wuxian's interactions with anyone other than himself; if someone praises him, or gives him attention, he finds it an insult to his own self; he uses his fears against Wei Wuxian; instead of taking responsibility he shirks it off, letting Wei Wuxian hide the truth (about just WHAT the Wens had done for them) and bear his debts, and keep his name clear. When Wei Wuxian acts on his own he thinks it was a personal offense to him.

That's why I found that scene important - Jiang Yanli tries to catch Wei Ying but fails and he gets injured anyways (like when she had him come for JL's 100th day but he got ambushed); she tries to maintain a peace between the two and this "pact" grows thinner and thinner and completely snaps after she's gone.

Similarly, even after his death, Wei Wuxian doesn't tell Lan Wangji why he climbed that tree though he remembers. He thinks Madam Yu wasn't that cruel. The only growth he has is that this time, instead of asking to be let in, he leaves on his own, exhausting his patience.

But Jiang Cheng? Jiang Cheng felt bitter, unloved, stuck in his own misery, thinking his parents loved Wei Wuxian more than him, scaring him with dogs, fearing the repurcussions. But now? His parents are long dead. Wei Wuxian died for 13 years. Yet, he hasn't changed at all.

That's the point I wanted to make by using the parallels of that childhood event. Having no space for empathy at that age wasn't "wrong" but it's the fact he never gains it throughout his life.

Honestly, I must say it's a bit surprising that out of all the things I said in that post, this stood out to you. But if it is genuine concern, then that is all well ^^

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: and sings the tune without the words, ch. 12

Relationship: Jiāng Yànlí & Jīn Zǐxuān, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Yànlí & Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Jiāng Fēngmián & Lán Qǐrén, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén & Niè Míngjué

Characters: Jiang Yanli, Jin Zixuan, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Lán Qǐrén, Jiāng Fēngmián, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Wēn Ruòhán, Wēn Qíng, Wēn Níng | Wēn Qiónglín, Yú Zǐyuān, Nie Mingjue

Additional Tags: Epistolary, Food, Music, Secrets, Resentful Energy, Cultivation Sect Politics, Character Death, Politics, Assassination Attempt(s), Attempted Kidnapping, Hostage Situations, Mentioned Wei Changze

Summary: Letters to and from the Cloud Recesses.

Notes: See end.

Previous fic in the series: “the thing with feathers”

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

AO3 link

——————

Jiang-zongzhu and Yu-furen,

We have arrived safely at the Cloud Recesses, but you were correct to be concerned about the journey—someone attempted to sneak aboard the boat in the night. Nie-zongzhu dispatched them silently, and the children are unaware of the event, as they were asleep and the intruder never made it near them. We are fortunate the Nie offered to travel with us.

The visitor had no identifying clothing or marks, and so we cannot come to a conclusion as to whether he was sent by a Wen faction. Truthfully, we all know it to be the case, but accusations cannot be made without proof. Your son will be safe at the Cloud Recesses, and any trip to Caiyi will be heavily chaperoned.

Jiang Wuxian is much subdued, clearly affected by the events at Lotus Cove, but Wangji has been his constant companion. He is doing well in classes, and seems fascinated by talismans, which has fast become his favorite subject. I am taking the opportunity to design extra assignments to keep him busy.

He will be kept safe.

Lan Qiren

—————

Jiejie and Gege,

We got to the Cloud Recesses just fine, but the adults are all acting really nervous so maybe something happened that I don’t know about. I hope not.

Nie-zongzhu and Lan-xiansheng made us stay in an inner area on the boat, so Lan Zhan and I played music, and Nie Huaisang and I painted, which isn’t easy on a boat, and Nie Mingjue showed us some Nie clan stances and forms, so it wasn’t boring or anything. Nie Huaisang wants to learn an instrument now, and Nie-zongzhu seemed amused by that but amenable, so I guess he might be coming to the Cloud Recesses once he gets beyond beginner stage, or they might send a tutor. I don’t know if he wants to cultivate music or just play it, though, so I bet it depends on that too.

I know I wasn’t supposed to be here now, but the adults are right that I’ll need protection for a while. The Cloud Recesses is remote enough and harder to access, especially in the winter, and it’s already so cold here! Hopefully things calm down soon, but I wish it hadn’t happened at all.

It’s so confusing that there’s this curse in my head that can do something like that. And a little scary. What if it happens again? What if I hurt someone I love? Am I dangerous?

When I talked to Lan Zhan about it, he just said “Jiang Ying is good.” But he seems more worried for me than about me being dangerous. He’s with me all the time and it helps.

Lan-xiansheng has been really nice to me, and I think he knows I’m afraid. We have tea every day, with Lan Zhan too, and it’s nice to talk to him. He made sure I have warm robes and a really nice winter cloak to wear. I really need them, and some of them are even purple! I bet he made arrangements from Lotus Cove. Or maybe it’s also cold in spring, and that’s when I was originally coming. But I have a whole bunch of robes here, so maybe that’ll mean I don’t have to bring clothes to and from here.

He also noticed I’m interested in talismans and has been giving me books and it’s so weird because it’s like I can see all these options and have so many ideas! It’s kind of overwhelming, like all the characters for the talisman just float and move where they work best right in my head. I dreamed about making a talisman to sense resentful energy but it wasn’t a talisman, it was a compass that pointed at it so you could go fight it or avoid it. Wouldn’t that be amazing? I bet traveling merchants would love something like that.

The Nies are still visiting, and I guess Lan Xichen is good friends with Nie Mingjue so they’ve mostly gone off by themselves. He also keeps teasing him about growing a mustache. Did I really ask where his mustache went when I met him? So embarrassing! But Lan Xichen thinks he should try it. Nie Huaisang is against it, claiming it will make his brother resemble Jin-zongzhu, and I’m pretty sure he won with that one.

Nie Huaisang has been visiting with Lan Zhan and me, and he’s trying different instruments but I don’t know what he wants to play. I don’t think he does either. He keeps talking about sending music to us to learn, Qinghe songs, and that would be a lot of fun.

Lan Zhan told him the Lan library has plenty of music, which was a little rude but he’s been annoyed with Nie Huaisang for some reason I don’t understand. He’s a lot of fun, and he likes literature and art and birds. He just doesn’t like cultivating with his sword, but that’s not the only way someone can cultivate—like Jiejie is cultivating music and medicine. I guess the Nie are really big on saber cultivation, though.

I’ve had a few bad dreams, ones that didn’t make any sense, but when I wake up from them Lan Zhan’s here and that helps a lot. He wakes up and shares my bed so I’m not scared anymore, just like Chengcheng does for me at Lotus Cove. I’m glad I share quarters with him.

I really miss you both, and especially Jiejie’s cooking. Lan food is so bland, but at least I have chili sauce again, thanks to A-Cheng. I owe you, Gege. I hope our meimei is doing well and behaving. I know she hated it last time I was gone and I hope it’s not the same this time.

I hope Meng-ayi and Mo-guniang and their sons are safe, too.

Please don’t worry about me. I’m safe here.

Jiang Wuxian

————

Lan Qiren,

My wife thanks you for keeping it from A-Xian. The poor boy has been through enough trauma. From his letter to his siblings, he suspects something happened but I’m glad he didn’t see it. Please thank Nie-zongzhu for me as well.

She is utilizing her spy network to try to determine who is responsible for targeting A-Xian, and we’ll include you in discussions and Nie-zongzhu as well if we uncover information since your children were also at risk.

I would much prefer if there were no trips to Caiyi, but I understand occasional excursions, if the strictest security is followed. I know A-Xian can be very strong-willed when he wants something, and it may be better to capitulate rather than risk him going alone.

It makes sense for him to be interested in talismans—his mother was quite adept with them. He may also have inherited his father’s love of history, so perhaps encourage him in that direction as well. We appreciate your diligence in his education.

Thank you for keeping him safe.

Jiang Fengmian

————

A-Xian,

I wish there was a way I could send you my soup, but a letter will have to do. A-Die and A-Niang looked upset with Lan-laoshi’s letter, so I’m sure something happened, but the adults handled it and want you not to worry. Just be smart, Xianxian, and don’t leave the Cloud Recesses without adults.

The curse in your head is not your fault, and neither is what happened to Wen-zongzhu. You know about Wen Qing’s testimony about his activity with demonic cultivation—his blood is not on your hands. I know it’s scary, but nothing would have happened if he hadn’t messed with the curse and hurt you. You’re not dangerous, A-Xian, and A-Cheng and A-Lian and I trust you with our lives. I’m glad Lan Wangji is telling you the same thing and helping you get through this.

I’ve heard Gusu is much colder, and I think at first A-Die and A-Niang didn’t want to send you in winter because you spent so much time in the cold before they found you. Lan-laoshi is taking good care of you, and I’m glad to hear that. I’m sure he handled the issue of your wardrobe from Lotus Cove, or asked Lan Xichen to do so. Don’t forget to thank him!

You’ve always been bright, but it sounds like you’ve possibly discovered your cultivation passion, what you’re meant to study, in talismans. I can’t say I understand the feeling of talisman characters floating in my mind, but I understand the passion—ingredients for food sometimes do that for me, as I love cooking. A compass that pointed toward resentful beings would be incredibly useful, and you should consider talking to Lan-laoshi about it.

You really did ask Nie Mingjue where his mustache was, and he looked so nonplussed. I’m afraid I agree with Nie-er-gongzi, that it would not suit him, but it is of course his own choice. A-Cheng said it would look like he had a caterpillar on his face, and I’m afraid I laughed at the mental image.

I think perhaps Lan Wangji is protective of your time playing music together, and he’s viewing Nie Huaisang as a threat to it. Just make sure to specify that you’re interested in music from Qinghe that is for the dizi and guqin, and I’m sure he’ll be less concerned. Lan-er-gongzi is very attached to you and perhaps fears losing your friendship. Simply reassure him.

It’s good that you have someone with you in the night. I’m sorry to hear you’re having nightmares. I know they upset you a lot. You might ask Lan-daifu if there are ways to keep them away. Did you ask Kang-daifu? I can ask for you if not.

Meimei is behaving, and she’s starting to learn numbers and counting. She misses you terribly, but she’s accepted that you’re in Gusu for the season. A-Cheng is glad the chili sauce is helping, and he’ll send more if you need it. I’ll cook all you want when you come home next. Maybe I can send some treats in a qiankun pouch. I’ll ask A-Die.

They are safe, and Meng Yao is training harder than ever. I plan to write Jin Zixuan about the issue. Hopefully he understands the need to protect them from his father.

I will always worry about my Xianxian.

Jiang Yanli

P.S. A-Die said yes, but only certain things. So I hope you enjoy the tang you baba. I can’t send soup, sadly.

—————

I’m sure the Jiang will eventually figure out how to send soup, if Jiang Ying has anything to say about it!

a-die = dad

a-niang = mom

daifu = doctor

er-gongzi = second young master

furen = madam

gege = older brother

gongzi = young master

jiejie = older sister

laoshi = teacher

meimei = little sister

tang you baba = sugar oil cake

xiansheng = man of respected stature, teacher

zongzhu = sect leader

[mqfx]

unfortunately my most prominent jyl thoughts start with the soup. & im no expert on ancient chinese kitchens, but given that lotus root & pork soup is something that simmers for hours, i think that as much as the soup is an act of service & a tried and true "we dont have to talk about it" comfort tactic, its also... a great excuse to duck away from everything going on. the kitchen being the safe space, so to speak! and overall jyl seems more avoidant than confrontational? i havent read mdzs for the details in years can you tell but i think theres a good chance under the right circumstances she could have become jfm 2: shijie edition, in which she can read emotional cues fairly well and she doesn't want anyone to be unhappy, but how proactive she might be about resolving a situation is entirely based on how secure she feels. im not forgetting her valiant defence of wwx "i take insults against him seriously" moment! but theres a difference between an eroding stagnant unhappiness & a situation that is more clear cut. im just not confident about how she would raise jin ling in the whole (waves hand) jin situation if she had not been collateral damage. is this making sense 😭

this is all true but let me make clear that my problem with how the fandom conceptualizes jiang yanli is NOT the soup. I'm not mad about the soup and in fact since it's one of basically three things that we even know about her at all, it stands to reason that when we think about her we're Gonna Have To Mention the Soup.

and one can (if one cares enough about her, which I'm sure you do anon) draw reasonable conclusions about her character based on this thing that she does. after all, everything is (supposed to be) important in a given text. I don't disagree with anything you said. she is a careful, conflict-avoidant person due to her tumultuous childhood with abusive/neglectful parents; despite this, she possesses strong morals and protective instincts. I don't think she would've been bad at raising jin ling because unlike her parents, she and her husband actually loved each other and communicate instead of willfully misunderstanding each other then bottling it all up (if she had married someone she didn't love, then yeah she might've been jfm 2. either way we'll never know because guess fucking what mxtx did)

my ISSUE, which fandom can barely acknowledge let alone address, is that "soup" has become a convenient shorthand to refer to her, but it's not a quality. it's a thing that is associated with her, not her personality. this isn't fair! "avoidant" is a trait, "comforting" is a trait, "kind" is a trait, "average" is a trait, soup's not a fucking trait! and some of that is just the general fandom trend of flattening characters in fanon, but the fact that she's a woman and therefore not paid as much attention compared to the ~Complexities~ of the men doesn't help

and I get that sometimes it's not that serious, sometimes it's for Joaks, but why is it that even when joking people can come up with all sorts of qualities for the men but when it's her it's just that she cooks soup? and in more serious discussions, why is her sole purpose apparently to be emotional support or tragic motivation for her brothers? (because mxtx herself wrote her that way!)

why did mxtx not delve into her reactions or point of view (mdzs is the only one of her novels with switching pov, so she could have)? or even just written more scenes with her? (CQL notably gave the women more scenes. the book is abysmal on this regard.....and in others)

tl;dr mxtx did a shit job of developing her character and that of the other women, and fandom makes this problem worse by not giving a shit. the feedback loop continues. your ask and my answer combined are already more words and effort than mxtx spent on writing her

[silverflame2724]

Just gonna throw a few prompts around tumblr to see what sticks.

Jiang Cheng fails a timetravel fix-it, it results in Wei Wuxian pulling a MianMian AU

Jiang Wanyin goes missing from Cloud Recesses a few weeks after Wei Wuxian was sent back to Lotus Pier.

Madam Yu irrationally banishes Wei Wuxian for failing to protect Jiang Wanyin despite him not being there.

Rogue Cultivator Wei Wuxian goes investigating to find Jiang Cheng and discovers him alive and well but deaged to a small child with memory loss.

Now Wei Wuxian could return to Lotus Pier... But Jiang Cheng was never fully appreciated there and he's such a cute tot now. Also Wei Wuxian is wary of the unreasonable expectations that young Jiang Cheng would be burdened with to 'do it right this time' by Madam Yu.

So Wei Wuxian gets his dream cottage and farm early and raises Jiang Cheng (renaming him as well because its a new start) again far away from said toxic environment with all the unconditional love and support he should have gotten growing up.

Prioritising parenting over night hunting (because he remembers being orphaned on the streets) Wei Wuxian sits out the Sunshot Campaign completely(to the extent of purposely ignoring all cultivation world news), The Sunshot Campaign lasts long enough that without Wei Wuxian all the sects are in ruins at the end of it.

Years later Jiang Cheng encounters something on a night hunt that restores his memory and the reason he was deaged in the first place. Jiang Cheng had travelled back in time to 'fix' things (funnily enough removing Wei Wuxian from the Jiang before he could antagonise Wen Chao) but the clash of his original core and the transplanted core sent him into a Qi Deviation that de-aged him.

16 years after he was de-aged Jiang Cheng investigates the changed world outside of his home and things are to put it lightly, so much worse.

Lotus Pier is basically gone, Madam Yu is missing her right hand, Yanli is grieving over dead Jin Zixuan. Rebuilding Lotus Pier is impossible because Madam Yu has zero support because of her behaviour and Yanli is basically a grieving ghost.

Lan WangJi is still in a coma from fighting the Xanwu of Slaughter 16ish years ago.

Jin Guangyao is Sect Leader Jin through lack of better option, he very much enjoyed giving Madam Jin the boot from Koi Tower.

All the great sects have been reduced to minor sects with little chance of ever rising again.

Jiang Cheng has no idea how to fix this mess, but he's going to need Wei Wuxian's help.

This. This is an amazing idea.

...........Oops. I think I might've accidentally pressed post. Eh-he.

Also, I was a lot nicer on Wei Wuxian since I could have had Madam Yu whip him before kicking him out. Let's just say that Madam Yu was too distraught or grieved to think about dealing with Wei Wuxian like that, okay?

_____________________________

It happened a few years after Wei Wuxian’s death. Jiang Cheng had been drowning in his sorrows and had had enough of this. ENough of being alone, enough of missing his parents, his sister, his....his brother. He hated this feeling of guilt over leading the siege, over not doing enough to make everything right. 

And Wei Wuxian’s notes contained just the thing.

Time travel.

It would be risky. If he failed, he would lose his core. But what hasn’t Jiang Cheng lost already?

Laying down the prepared array, he took a deep breath and poured his spiritual energy in. The array lit up and Jiang Cheng felt himself being sucked in. 

.

.

Pain.

All he could feel was pain. Sharp and constant and crushing. 

Everything went black.

..................................................

Wei Wuxian had been peacefully studying some random arrays when a shidi of his burst into the room.

“Da-shixiong. Da-shixiong! You have to run now!”

“Huh? Shidi, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Yu-furen! She seemed angry and I eavesdropped and she said she’s kicking you out! I think she’s serious this time!!”

"What reason did she give this time?" Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. Madam Yu made this same threat at least three times a month.

"She said that it's your fault Jiang-gongzi went missing. So....so...."

"Jiang Cheng is missing?!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed.

"Yeah, he went missing on a night hunt at the Cloud Recesses. But never mind that, Da-Shixiong, hurry!"

Frowning, but knowing that this was most likely not a joke, he quickly packed everything - even Suibian - up into qiankun pouches and hid them in his robes.

His shidi left and Madam Yu burst into his room soon after, storming over to him. He tensed up, knowing that that expression meant that he might be punished.

Madam Yu grabbed his collar and dragged him away, tossing him to the ground outside Lotus Pier.

"Yu-furen, what--?" He was smacked across the face as Madam Yu glared at him.

"It's your fault." She hissed at him. "If you were there, you could have prevented A' Cheng from going missing! If only you hadn't been so disobedient--Get out!" Her expression was thunderous and promised a world of pain if he didn't go. "Leave your bell and get lost!"

Shakily, Wei Wuxian untied his bell and ran away from there. He didn't want to stick around to find out what would happen if he tried to contest her decision.

The scars on his back was more than enough proof of what happened when he disobeyed.

.....................................

The first step to his new life was finding a steady source of income and that was easy enough. he'd built up a reputation in his time with the Jiang of helping whenever needed so people were more than willing to employ him to assist with local hauntings and minor yaos. (Madam Yu hated going on such easy hunts and often ignored the cry for help in places like these.)

He rather enjoyed this life rather than the restrictive one he led at Yunmeng Jiang where he had to think about politics and the like when no one taught him how to act better.

.

.

Now that he had enough money, Wei Wuxian decided to go investigate Jiang Cheng's disappearance in Gusu. One quick ask around for someone of Jiang Cheng's description and Wei Wuxian headed towards the forest where he was last scene.

After wandering without aim for a while, Wei Wuxian wanted to give up, but soon heard crying in a cave nearby. Wary of it being some kind of creature that wanted to lure him into a trap, he drew Suibian and inched closer to the sound.

Upon seeing a flash of Yunmeng purple, Wei Wuxian gasped as he recognized the robes.

"Jiang Cheng?!" He cried, rushing in.

He couldn't have expected what he saw next.

Cocooned in his now much larger robes was a mini Jiang Cheng!

The child looked frightened and curled away from him, eyes blank and unknowing.

Oh. "Umm, hello" He said quietly and he knelt down a distance away from Jiang Cheng. "What are you doing here?"

Jiang Cheng stayed quiet and looked at him warily. "....Got lost. Got hungry and got lost."

"I see." Wei Wuxian felt guilty. He should have come sooner! "Then, shall gege share some food with you?" He rummaged in his qiankun pouch and brought out two apples. He ate one to show that it was safe and handed the other to the child.

Jiang Cheng eyed it and moved forward to take it. Wei Wuxian did not move, not wanting to frighten him. He quickly grabbed the apple and chowed down on it. Knowing that he'd likely choke, Wei Wuxian carefully put down a waterskin that the child quickly grabbed after he started choking.

Wei Wuxian sighed in relief seeing the mini Jiang Cheng okay now. But.....Jiang Cheng didn't remember him. That was obvious after Wei Wuxian had asked whether he wanted to go home and was given a confused look and a quiet 'to whom?'.

Now Wei Wuxian had a choice. He could quietly return to Lotus Pier with Jiang Cheng and perhaps get back into the good graces of Madam Yu or......he could take care of Jiang Cheng himself.

Jiang Cheng had never been appreciated by his parents, with his father being too strict and his mother always berating him and comparing him to others (though mostly it was Wei Wuxian). Wei Wuxian always wanted to take Jiang Cheng away from such a place where he was never given encouragement but he never could given his status and place among the Jiang.

But now.......

Determination shone in Wei Wuxian's eyes.

...........................................

"Baba, baba!" A child squealed happily. "You're back!"

Wei Wuxian smiled back, picking up his child. "I'm back! Have you been good?"

"Yes, yes! I even cleaned the house!"

Wei Wuxian gasped delightedly. "Oh my god, baobei! You're the best!"

"Mm!"

It had been nearly a year since Wei Wuxian had found the amnesiac de-aged Jiang Cheng and a few months since they finally settled down in a cottage on the outskirts of the cultivation world. Wei Wuxian had worked tirelessly to get them this far and he has to say, he's done a magnificent job at child rearing!

It had taken a few weeks to get Jiang Cheng to trust him enough to leave with him and another week to travel away from the sects. Along the way, Wei Wuxian took lower level night hunts to earn some income. Any time there was talk of a strong monster abouts, Wei Wuxian considered helping them, but knew that he was one bad night hunt away from leaving Jiang Cheng on the streets to fend for himself.

His parents' ends were a stark reminder of that so Wei Wuxian did not take the night hunts. However, he did not feel good about leaving the innocent to fend for themselves until whatever sect was nearby deemed it worthy enough of their attention. For places like these, Wei Wuxian stayed longer in order to create some talismans to ensure protection against such beasts. He was always paid for his work, of course - he has a child to feed, after all! - but tried not to deprive a family of all their funds. He wasn't heartless.

And so, life had passed like this until he assisted an elderly couple near the edge of a place called Yunnan. The couple had no children to speak of and no relatives so they had asked Wei Wuxian if he could look after his garden and cottage once they passed.

Wei Wuxian wasn't one to refuse since this meant a steady roof over their heads and a constant source of food nearby.

He accepted.

That's where he's living now with Jiang Cheng who's been newly renamed to Wei Hu (lake), courtesy name: Chunyu (spring rain).

They'd been living without troubles for some time now that Wei Wuxian had largely left the cultivation world. Of course, he occasionally disguised himself and headed to his merchant who sold his talismans for him from time to time, but aside from that, he largely stayed at home with his adorable child, farming away while his donkey brayed in the background.

This life was one he had always wanted. A partner, a child, him and a donkey. He's missing a partner, a lifelong companion, for now but he could be content without one. Not many people want a single father as their spouse and Wei Wuxian could be content with that.

(There were whispers of a war between the cultivation sects but why should that matter to Wei Wuxian? He was no longer a part of them.)

.............................................

Many years later.......

Wei Chunyu was on a night hunt by himself! His baba had finally allowed him to go hunt beasts alone!! Baba was always protective over him despite how strong he had gotten. After finally managing to hit his baba while they sparred, he was allowed to go hunt for himself without supervision.

Licking his lips, he readied his sword for whatever monster lurked before him.

.

.

.

Jiang Cheng felt like he had been hit by a bear yao. Just what on earth had happened?? Shaking his dizzy head, he tried to remember what had happened.

I activated the array and I remember seeing my much younger hands and then..... Jiang Cheng jolted in shock. I qi-deviated!I qi-deviated and turned into a child because of a dissonance with the core from my future life and the core of my past life! But why? The array said my cores should merge, but maybe....because mine was brought back by Baoshan Sanren.....

Jiang Cheng gathered himself and then remembered. He remembered the life he had lead after that.

Wei Wuxian.....adopted me! He adopted me and took care of me and.....and loved me. Even though I.....I....I was planning on removing him from the Jiang before he could ever cross paths with Wen Chao. I mean, I guess, in a way, I did remove him from the Jiang but what happened with the war? It's been so long.

Shaking off his dread, he strapped his sword to his side and went into town. Asking discretely around for some information, citing that he didn't know anything because he's from Yunnan, Jiang Cheng held his head in his hands in distress.

The war had been won by the Sunshot allies. But all the sects were in ruin by the ends of it.

The Wen sect is still there but only the healers and civilians had been left. Wen Qing had taken ahold of the remnants of the clan, given reparations to the sects for Qishan Wen's crimes and dissolved the Qishan Wen sect and soon disappearing with her family from the rest of the world.

Lotus Pier still met the same end, having been decimated. But his mother was still alive, merely missing her right hand and some pride. (Though her reputation as someone too fierce and always angry had driven away what little recruits the Jiang had.) His sister - he could nearly cry at that - was alive but Jin Zixuan was still dead, leaving her as a husk of herself. Jin Guangyao had become the head of the Jin sect after his father's untimely death and booting Madam Jin back to her maiden family.

The Lan sect is barely hanging on, with Lan Xichen grieving over his comatose brother who had become like that through the draining fight with the Xuanwu of Slaughter and Lan Qiren barely alive.

The Nie sect has been reduced to nearly nothing as well, what with Nie Mingjue half-dead from multiple qi-deviations and Nie Huaisang who was suddenly thrust into the Sect Leader role unprepared.

"It's a mess." He muttered to himself. "It's all a mess."

Jiang Cheng has no idea how to fix this mess, but he's going to need Wei Wuxian's help. But....how?

No matter how much of a genius Wei Wuxian was, there was no bringing back the dead from life, not with how uninvolved Wei Wuxian was with demonic cultivation in this life and how the bodies had probably been cremated already.

Of course, he could rally together the Jiang sect again but if rumors of how volatile his mother was were true......perhaps it would be best not to provoke her.

They could bring his sister with them. She was alive and....well, not quite well, but she was alive! And maybe taking her out of the cultivation world will do her some good. It sure did Jiang Cheng a whole lot better....wait. What is he thinking?!

Jiang Cheng shook his head. No matter how comfortable his life was with Wei Wuxian, he shouldn't be thinking like this! But.....his sister deserves some peace after everything that's happened to her.

And Lan Wangji......well. Having a sect leader in his debt would be nice. Wei Wuxian was sure to concoct some sort of miracle with his talismans and bring Lan Wangji back to consciousness. If Lan Xichen were to be grateful to them, it would surely help with.....something. Maybe he could even solve Nie Mingjue's health issues!

But he would have to discuss everything first and maybe even tell Wei Wuxian the truth of how this all occurred?

Jiang Cheng packed up his stuff and headed back......back home. Because it was his home now. Wei Wuxian had always irritated him and Jiang Cheng even hated him, despised the very thought of him. But in this life.....it was different. Wei Wuxian......was a great father and raised him extremely well.

But.....what if Wei Wuxian grew angry with him for all of this? He didn't know what to think or how Wei Wuxian would act.

As his mind clouded up with worries, he hadn't realized he had already returned.

"A' Yu? Are you back already?"

Jiang Cheng froze up and Wei Wuxian's warm smile graced him. "Uhh...."

"Hm? What's wrong A' Yu? Did the night hunt go wrong? Did you get hurt?"

"No. It went fine. But....But Baba--" God, that sounds so weird! "--I have something to tell you."

"You can tell me anything. You know I'm always here to listen."

Jiang Cheng's heart warmed. "Well, you see, the thing is....."

He'd figure this out. They'd both figure this out. And maybe, this time around, the three of them would always be together.

____________________

Aaaaaaand that's a wrap! How did you all like it?

[sasukimimochi]

i wanna ramble about my view on JC but i'm so bad at words

so like, i see posts where people talk about these things JC does or WWX holds back from, i don't wanna go searching but also want to leave these details out cuz i don't want to accidentally call people out cuz that is not my intention (not that i have the audience to do something like that) so i'm just gonna go from my memory and kinda summarize what i think abt him...

gonna add a read more line bc this gets long!

Uh, btw please no hostility i'm not trying to start arguments, these are just my thoughts i really wanted to get out there. i'm definitely no therapist or psychologist so take this with a grain of salt, this is the view of just an average reader who retains a lot of info [tho still manages to miss details at times]. Anyway if you have info you think i should have addressed, reply and i'll make additions if i agree/want to expand on the info presented to me!

So, WWX and JC have a weird thing going on, it's not exactly brothers but they definitely wanted that, the reason why i say they aren't solidly brothers is because i'm pretty sure Madam Yu has influenced JC from the start of his arrival which is why he doesn't call wwx a-xian or Wei Ying or A-Ying- Why he doesn't allow himself to let loose properly around anyone even in private, why he constantly scolds wwx, etc. i believe firmly he's been quite influenced by his parents due to him being the next sect heir and the pressure that comes from it, as well as what he feels like madam yu is correct on- wwx is uncle jiang's favorite.

Madam Yu still chides Yanli for doing domestic acts for WWX but not on the same level as JC, who is constantly under pressure by her to be the perfect heir to the sect. She wants him to be better than WWX, which of course affects all of the family but Yanli gets left out of the fire a bit, which i think is what gives her such a strength to do these supportive acts for the brothers [and why she's also both the brother's favorite. She's basically the mom they wish for. Supportive, understanding, and helps mediate them]. Though this is a burden she has to bear, it's not that big of a burden to her because she loves the two so much.

Jiang Fengmian... i might be spelling his name wrong, so i'll call him Uncle Jiang cuz it will be faster for me to type with no mistakes haha. Anyway, I have complicated feelings about him.

At first i thought he was great and did no wrong, but that was on my first pass and when i had just watched the donghua only. My opinion of him since i read the novel isn't bad, but it's not super good. He's in a complicated position! There's only so much he can do about his wife, they argue super often and while its not usually crazy loud, it's pretty intense. [also, i'm not sure if separation is really a thing that happened back then, i think that's really a modern thing.] I feel like we're likely seeing Uncle Jiang's will to fight dimmed down by the wear of time.

Consider: you have a family member who won't ever listen to what you say, regardless how sound your argument is- you can be completely in the right and have all the facts, but no matter how long you press on, the result never changes. Do you put in the same amount of effort for the rest of your life? No! You understand that no matter how much you argue that their answer will remain the same. I personally have a family member like this, and while i defend myself regularly, it does not go anywhere. That is the nature of some people, no matter what they may not treat your view with the respect it deserves.

anyway back to the main line here, i dont think wwx is wrong about what he said regarding JF to JC. "he's just hard on you cuz you're going to be sect leader" or whatever it was along those lines- WWX does not seem like the type to lie to make someone feel better and i think this is why JC appreciates that conversation so much (besides the heartfelt twin prides which is obviously something that stuck to him for a long time). And i agree, JF is definitely trying to prepare Jiang Cheng for his position as sect leader one day.

do i think Uncle Jiang is completely guilt free of favoritism? No absolutely not, he canonically holds wwx more as a child, which i think is hard to argue against- but i do think the context of that is missed in part by most. WWX may have been a bright kid with sun shining out his ass but he was also a scared kid that just got rescued off the streets after his parents never came home. A kid that was fighting for food from dogs and likely starving and scared because he was on the street for like 5 years [if i remember it was from age 4 to 9 in the novel]. Of course he got held a bit more- i can't imagine he would be completely unphased immediately upon arrival, at least with his Uncle Jiang who was totally willing to provide him comfort- which wwx probably desperately missed from his now dead parents. We know canonically that the memory of those parents, however small, is unreplaceable and dear to wwx- but having JF treat him dearly is truly a balm to what has happened to him.

I'm not gonna say JC didn't go through things that made him cry and want to be held, in fact if WWX came into the house and suddenly got a lot of attention, it's going to feel pretty shitty for JC! Of course this combined with abruptly losing his privacy and puppies was what initially had him pushing the other away, but as you could see, after WY breaks his leg after running off and they make up, they get really close and despite this looming responsibility and family troubles, the two are very bonded. imo making them look like 6 year olds in the donghua is an injustice to their relationship, because 9 year olds tend tend to have more emotional intelligence (?) at that age. I'm not sure how to phrase that, but basically making them look younger and act like giggling children took away from the scene a bit for me lol. Jc is old enough to realize he doesn't dislike wwx! This isn't a child quickly getting over his anger, he's young here yes, but he's decided in this moment that he cares about this new member of the family, despite being called the son of a servant. [which yes madam yu is once again influencing his view of this segregation but i think he is much better at ignoring this particular in his youth]

I am rambling more than i thought i would lmao- i have a lot of feelings about their relationship and i think it's skipped over so much

um, i'm not sure which direction i was going in before i went onto the parents. Let's skip forward.

lotus pier fell and not only did JC see wwx get humiliated and whipped and nearly disfigured, his mother who he was about to lose blamed wwx for so much. When you lose a family member you have an attachment to, whether it bad or good, this influences your thoughts about them and with no way to resolve said thoughts. i find this hard to explain, so i'm just going to hope you understand what i'm referring to here. Especially in ancient china though, i believe it's a big thing to hold such a high regard for your parents, but especially if they have passed? i can't say this is fact but i believe that is the case i just am sticking to my memory here. So these things in combination with Trauma, i believe starts this heavy, negative emotion in JC that is hard to unstick.

JC and WWX may get into a one-sided scuffle but soon after they cry together like children. They just experienced hundreds of lives lost- people they grew up with and trained with and cared for as well as the people who provided and cared for them- their family was unstable, but still was a family and support system- now they had only two people and one of them was far away, the one that was typically their pillar. I feel like a lot of people hold JC to an impossible standard in his situation- having a bad day and taking it out on someone is one thing, going through a traumatic massacre i think allows someone to get a bit unreasonable [though of course nearly choking him was quite far, remember, he's extremely unstable emotionally at this point].

"WWX didn't do that though!" of course not. WWX is a different person with a different personality, is older (though i don't know by how much), and is extremely resilient, but he does process his trauma just differently. As you see over and over in the novel, wwx goes through many things others wouldn't dream of, but he starts acting differently even before the golden core removal, not only after. He's going through the same things, but i'm pretty sure no one reacts to trauma the same way to the T. JC's just happens to be misplaced anger, which is probably way too simple a way to put it, but anyway...wwx also gets angry. very angry. The two both have the correct target of anger in the end, despite Jc's breakdown. He still harbors his mother's words, but at this point they're still in the background of his mind.

Now again we go forward- JC willingly sacrifices himself for WWX. Look, if he doesn't like wwx at all i think this is extremely contradictory. even if he was s*icidal, he could have chose other ways to get to that end if that was the case. and a gentle reminder that JC perks back up and is ready to fight once he believes WWX knows how to fix his core! i don't think he was truly wanting to die or anything like that until he thought he had lost everything except wwx and jyl. He believes in wwx's strength despite his constant fear of inferiority, so if he was gone, what would it matter if wwx was there to continue to protect yanli?

Essentially he was like 'well what are we going to do if i can't lead the sect? We would be in a homeless situation and there is a war.' aka there's not a lot of hope all around, i don't think he was only upset about the core, but it was definitely the main force because if he didn't have a core, how would he survive what was happening anyway? he's like 'if i'm gonna die let it be on my terms' yk? He also doesn't feel like he's strong enough before he lost his core to protect anyone. Without it? fat chance.

whew... this is a lot already, so maybe i'll post this and do a part two later addressing YLLZ arc, then the "present" one. i just have a lot of feelings about their relationship and i'm sad to see so much negativity around him...JC is quite flawed, but a lot of the characters are flawed! that doesn't make them bad characters, it makes them interesting and human.

[remma3760]

Consequences

by Remma3760

Hi, so this is posted on AO3 where it is complete but someone suggested I should also post it here since I now have tumblr account, althought this is the first thing I post here so hope I do it right. I will be doing so chapter by chapter but if you would prefer to read it all at once, here is the link :

Madam Yu uses Zidian on child Wei Ying. There are consequences.

Chapter 1

He didn't even know what he done. He must have been bad again. That's what she said. That Wei Ying was bad. Wei Ying deserved this. That's what she said, and she was Madam Yu so it had to be true. This was his fault. He was bad. He ruined everything. He didn't mean to be bad. He wanted to do the right thing. But somehow, he was always wrong, and always bad. She was so angry, and he didn't know what to do. He tried to say he was sorry, but that only made her angrier. She was so angry. She was always angry with him, but somehow, this time, it was worse.

He looked over at his new brother and sister. At least, that's who he was told they were now, but it was confusing. His new uncle, his Jiang Shushu, said that they were. But Madam Yu said that they weren't and the one time he had dared to call them his siblings, she had punished him severely. She said Wei Ying was just a servant. Wei Ying should remember his place. Wei Ying was only there to serve her family. Wei Ying was nothing. Nobody. But still, he looked over at them hoping for, well, something. What he got was a scowl from Jiang Cheng and a sad look from Jiang Yanli. So, they knew it was his fault, too. Jiang Yanli had told Wei Ying so many times to try to behave, and he had tried. Tried so hard. He hated disappointing her and he hated being punished, yet still he was always in trouble. Jiang Yanli told Wei Ying that Mother didn't mean it, that she cared about Wei Ying really, but that didn't seem right.

He dared another look at her. She was still shouting. She grabbed his arm, shook him until his teeth rattled. What did she want? If he only knew what she wanted from him, he would do it, give it to her. But he didn't know, so he did nothing. But that was wrong too because now she was even angrier.

She stepped back. Sparks came from her hand, and her ring snaked out. He stopped breathing. He knew what that was. He had heard about Zidian. He had heard the disciples speak about it fearfully. He watched her pull her arm back, disbelieving. He watched the purple lightening reach out for him, and for a moment, he thought she had missed. Then he felt himself flying backwards. Pain was everywhere. Never ending. His body shaking and jerking and the lightening tearing him apart. He saw her pull back her arm again and he knew he was going to die.

***

She was so angry. It was all That Brat's fault. He was just like his Mother. Nothing but trouble. She had hated Her, and now she hated Him. Nothing in her life was the way she wanted. The way it should be. Not her Husband. Not her children. Nothing. Someone had to pay. She deserved more. She deserved better. But she had nothing, and it had to be someone's fault. First Her, and now Him. Even now, even dead, She was still a thorn in her side. Her vile brat, sent to torment her.

Well, she would make him sorry he ever came here, Sorry he had even been born. She was angry, and she wasn't going to take it any more. Over. Done. This time, she would make him pay, make him see that he was nothing. That he had no place here. That she was done. She felt Zidian spark to life, responding to her anger. Yes. Zidian. Zidian would show him. Zidian would make. Him. PAY.

***

He hated it here. It was so hot, and loud and different. Shufu said it would be good for Lan Zhan to come. Good sect relations, Shufu said. He said the Jiang heir was similar in age to Lan Zhan, and they should meet. They had met. Lan Zhan was not impressed. It wouldn't be so bad if Xiongzhang had come too, but he had classes, and as sect heir, he couldn't miss them. So here he was, alone and miserable. He didn't know where anyone was. He knew his Uncle was here somewhere, and the disciples they brought with them. But he had been sent off with the sect heir, who had immediately run off and left him as soon as the adults were out of sight.

He heard shouting. A Lady. She was very loud. He looked and saw it was Madam Yu. He had been introduced to her when they arrived and she had been polite to him, but now she was shouting at a young boy. He frowned. She was doing it wrong. She should tell him which rules he had broken, then give him his copying to do. But she wasn't doing any of that, she was just shouting. How was the boy supposed to improve if he wasn't properly instructed. This wasn't fair at all. Should he explain to her that she was doing it wrong, or would that be rude? He didn't want to be rude, but this wasn't fair.

As he started forward, he saw her pull her arm back and throw lightening at the boy. What? She hurt him. She hurt the boy. No, this wasn't right. This wasn't fair. He was so shocked. What was happening? No no no. This was wrong. This wasn't fair. He had to find Shufu. Shufu would know what to do. But then she pulled her arm back. She was going to hit him again. No. Not fair. No no no no NO.

***

He couldn't even cry. There was so much pain. He tried to think, but all there was was pain, and now she was going to hit him again. He whimpered as he saw her arm go back but then, a blur of white blocked him from her and the hit didn't come. He gasped. He was saved. Someone saved him. Someone came. He reached out, grasping the white hem, crying.

She drew back, shocked. What? Who had dared? The Lan boy? What did the Lan boy think he was doing? How dare he try to keep her from her target. She raised Zidian, preparing to sweep him aside. So angry she didn't see the shock on the faces of her children. So angry she didn't see her Husband and Lan Qiren as they came to find the source of the commotion. So angry, she didn't see them run to stop her. No one would keep her from her vengeance.

He didn't care if it was rude. This was wrong. Unfair. Shufu would put a stop to it, but Shufu wasn't here so it was up to him. It was his duty to protect this boy, and he would do it.

***

She screamed with rage as Zidian was torn from her by a white sword. It wasn't until her Husband, who rarely even raised his voice, began to shout that sanity began to return to her. She looked around, saw Lan Qiren rush to his small nephew. The small nephew that she had been about to hit with her spiritual weapon. What had she done? No. No, it wasn't her fault. It was The Brat. It was him. But her Husband wouldn't let her speak, wouldn't listen. He shouted at her to be quiet. He never shouted at her. No-one ever dared cross her. She was Yu Ziyuan. She was untouchable. Yet here was her worthless passive Husband shouting at her, saying that she had done enough. Shouting that she had gone too far, this time. That she had crossed the line. What line? She had no line. She was YU ZIYUAN.

He couldn't believe what had happened. That the Madam of a sect would threaten his nephew like that. She could have killed him. He was a child. And she was going to strike him with a powerful spiritual weapon. Thank the gods he had been able to catch it with his sword. He could feel his little A-Zhan shaking, clutching on to him. Then he saw the other child, lying in the dust. His shock grew as his nephew told him what had happened. That Madam Yu had failed to explain the child's faults correctly. That she wasn't fair. That he had seen the child struck, and about to be struck again. So had stepped forward to protect him. He was in turmoil. Pride for his nephew's courage, fear for the danger he had been in, and through it all an overwhelming anger that anyone could so harm a small child. It was unconscionable.

Why were they looking at her like that? She had a right to discipline The Brat however she saw fit. So what if she used Zidian on him. She was the Madam of Lotus Pier. He was nothing but a servant. She could do with him as she pleased. She told them so. Told Lan Qiren that he was nothing but That Woman's Brat. That would make him see. After all, he had hated her too. Now he would see that The Brat deserved it. It wasn't her fault. She was the victim. She was the one expected to take in a child she hated. She tried to tell him more, but her mouth was sealed. He had used that spell on her. On her! How dare he.

He picked up the injured child. Cangse Sanren's son, apparently. No, he hadn't much liked her, but did that insane woman really think he would accept the abuse of her child because the Mother had annoyed him? Never. No child deserved to be so treated. He held the boy close, his own child holding onto the boy's foot and looking up at him trustingly. He looked to Jiang Fengmian, told him bluntly that he was taking the boy. That the boy wasn't safe in Lotus Pier. The man nodded sadly, then shot his wife a look of disgust, before calling his children to him – gods, his children who had seen everything – and walking away.

***

He lay in the boat. He still hurt, and had no idea what was happening. He couldn't remember much, his whole focus had been on his saviour in white. A saviour who, as it turned out, was only a boy like him. But so brave. And so kind. And now he was here, in a boat, with his saviour boy and more people in white. His saviour boy was holding his hand and singing to him. It was so nice. He had no idea where they were going, or who any of these people were, but it didn't matter. For the first time in so long, for the first time since his parents had tucked him into bed and then never come back, for the first time since he had been thrown into the street, for the first time, he wasn't afraid.

[whumpbby]

Your "Where Is My Shidi?" AU is driving me nuts I swear. As soon as I have all my thoughts in order I'm dropping another long comment/reblog. That said I wonder at that last sentence, did omega JC die in childbirth or something? Why would LXC take him to bed? I'm not sure JC's body can take a knot. I was kinda thinking of Omega!JC topping JC while he tops Alpha!LXC.

Oh god the pups! (please let them be triplets) but also if Omega!JC is dead then they're gonna start crying real bad. Or maybe they never met him? Daddy issues activate. I'll think more about this later for sure.

Hehe

Sorry, it was a bit confusing there at the end.

I meant that the OG!JC was thinking that in this verse at leas it was Lan Zhan who wanted to fuck his clone xD In every other verse stuff was weirdly intense between him JC and WWX, and OG!JC thought it was a weird and it kept giving him conniptions (out of disgust, of course, nothing else) and made him feel woozy.

When he looks at the pair in front of him - it's still strange, he was never attracted to Lan Xichen...well not more than everyone else... but it looks nice. Homey. Warm. It's clear they are a happy couple, supporting each other, caring. They have four kids (don't honk about it, don't think about it) that are obviously loved and happy. Omega!JC is still himself - he's still snappy and serious, and has no patience for fools, he's not soft at all...but he's happy. Settled. Content.

And this Lan Xichen is also still essentially himself - just a bit less serious, his smiles are real this time, not politely absent. And every time he looks at his Jiang Cheng, his eyes grow so soft... He's a good husband, and a good father.

And the only thing missing from this world is Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian that died in the Sunshot, that won the war only to be killed by Wen Ruohan before Meng Yao sacrificed himself to take the man down (it explains a lot and it doesn't explain enough)... It's a loss that Jiang Cheng feels under his skin.

There's no Wen Ning in this world. No Lan Sizhui. Jin ling has his parents here, but doesn't have his friends... But Yanli is alive here.

That's what it took? For the world to settle after the war, for Jiang Cheng to find happiness and family?

All it took was Wei Wuxian dying and never coming back.

He doesn know how to deal with it. How to take it (Especially that the world where Jiang Cheng died instead is a world of ruin) He can't... He just can't....

[fannish-karmiya]

Wei Wuxian’s Position in the Jiang Household

Fandom tends to mischaracterise Wei Wuxian’s position in the Jiang family greatly. A lot of people project more modern ideas about adoption onto his relationship with the Jiang siblings, and write as if he really is their sibling and only Yu Ziyuan’s abusive nature gets in the way of their bond.

This strikes me as a bit misguided. While adoption was practised in ancient China, it was mainly for the purpose of obtaining a male heir in the absence of one, or obtaining more daughters to marry off for alliances. Jiang Fengmian had no reason to adopt Wei Wuxian into the main family, and he didn’t. Wei Wuxian’s position in the household is far more nebulous than that, and honestly it’s hard to find an exact corollary, in Chinese history or in any culture, precisely because it was so messy and ill-defined.

A Companion to Upper Class Children

Wei Wuxian is the son of a servant of Yunmeng Jiang; it’s notable that Wei Changze is always referred to this way, rather than as a disciple. Wei Changze wound up leaving the sect in order to marry Cangse Sanren, and Jiang Fengmian considered them dear enough friends that when he heard they passed away, he spent years searching for their orphaned son. He wound up finding Wei Wuxian on the streets of Yiling and brought him home as his ward.

Wei WuXian was taken home by Jiang FengMian when he was nine.

Most memories from back then were already blurred. Yet, Jin Ling’s mother, Jiang YanLi, remembered all of them, and even told him quite a few.

She said that, after his father heard of the news that his parents both died in battle, he had always dedicated himself to finding the child that these past friends had left behind. After searching for a while, he finally found the child in Yiling.

(Chapter 24, Exiled Rebels translation)

It’s clear from the start that beyond this sense of obligation to his old friends, Jiang Fengmian also had a role set out for Wei Wuxian: he wanted him to be a companion to his children, and Jiang Cheng in particular.

He encourages a friendship between them, insisting on a sleepover between the two a week into Wei Wuxian’s stay.

On the second day, Jiang Cheng’s puppies were given to someone else.

This angered Jiang Cheng so much that he threw a big tantrum. No matter how much Jiang FengMian comforted him gently, telling him that they should ‘be good friends’, he refused to talk to Wei WuXian. Quite a few days later, Jiang Cheng’s attitude softened. Jiang FengMian wanted to strike while the iron was still hot, so he told Wei WuXian to sleep in the same room as him, hoping that they’d grow fonder of each other.

[...]

That night, Jiang Cheng locked Wei WuXian outside his room, refusing to let him in.

[...]

Wei WuXian waited outside for a long time. When the door opened, before the joy could spread onto his face, he was bombarded with a pile of things being thrown out. The door banged shut again.

Jiang Cheng told him from inside, “Go sleep somewhere else! This is my room! You’re even gonna steal my room?!”

[...]

Standing outside, as Wei WuXian heard that dogs would come bite him, fear immediately bubbled within him. Twisting his fingers, he hurried, “I’ll go, I’ll go. Don’t call the dogs!”

Dragging behind him the sheets and blanket that were thrown outside, he ran out the hall. Having only arrived at Lotus Pier for a short period of time, he didn’t dare jump around yet. Every day, he obediently holed up in the places that Jiang FengMian told him to stay at. He didn’t even know where his room was, much less have the courage to knock on other people’s doors, scared that it’d disturb someone’s dreams.

(Chapter 71, Exiled Rebels translation)

After Jiang Cheng is worried about getting in trouble, he goes to Jiang Yanli for help, and she searches for Wei Wuxian.

But this was the first pair of shoes that Jiang FengMian bought him. Wei WuXian was too embarrassed to make him go out of his way to buy another pair, and so he said that they weren’t too big. Jiang YanLi helped him into his shoe and pressed the hollow tip, “It is a bit big. I’ll fix it for you when we get back.”

Hearing this, Wei WuXian felt somewhat uneasy, as if he did something wrong again.

Living in other people’s homes, the worst that could happen was to make trouble for the hosts.

Jiang YanLi put him onto her back and began to walk back, wobbling in her steps as she spoke, “A-Ying, no matter what A-Cheng said to you, don’t bother about him. He doesn’t have a good temper, so he’s always home playing with himself. Those puppies were his favorites. Dad sent them away, and so he’s feeling upset. He’s actually really happy that somebody’s here to be with him.”

(Chapter 71, Exiled Rebels translation)

Later, Wei Wuxian offers to cover for him, saying simply that he ran outside by himself because he was scared. In this one case it feels like a genuine instance of children showing solidarity and covering for each other’s little misbehaviours. But it also follows a pattern of Wei Wuxian doing this and making excuses, time and time again, for Jiang Cheng. I wonder if on some level, he already knew that his role in the household was in part to be a companion-servant to Jiang Cheng.

Wei Wuxian normally never puts up with people treating him poorly or being arrogant; he constantly bites his tongue when Jiang Cheng does so around him. While they study at Cloud Recesses, Jiang Cheng frequently insults Wei Wuxian, who always just smiles and laughs it off.

Jiang Cheng humphed, “Him? He wakes at nine in the morning and sleeps at one during the night. When he wakes up, he doesn’t practice his sword or meditate; he goes boating, swims around, picks lotus seedpods, and hunts for pheasants.”

Wei WuXian replied, “No matter how much pheasants I hunt, I’m still number one.”

(Chapter 13, Exiled Rebels translation)

Jiang Cheng scolded with a darkened expression, “What are you proud of?! What is there to be proud of with this?! Do you think that it’s a glorious thing to be told by someone to get lost? You bring so much shame upon our sect!”

(Chapter 16, Exiled Rebels translation)

We never see Wei Wuxian excusing this sort of behaviour from any other character; he has no problem scolding Jin Ling for his arrogant attitude and telling him that he shouldn’t be imitating his uncle, after all! It’s only where Jiang Cheng is concerned that he does this, and honestly, even then he seems to be quite aware that Jiang Cheng’s behaviour is wrong; he simply accepts on some level that it’s his role in the household to put up with it.

He actually does, very gently, try to guide Jiang Cheng at times. In Lotus Seed Pods, for example, he tries to give Jiang Cheng advice on how to flirt with some of the maidens in Yunmeng and make friends:

Wei WuXian threw the seed pods toward the shore. It was a far distance, but they landed lightly in the women’s hands. He grabbed a few more and stuffed them into Jiang Cheng’s arms, shoving, “What are you doing, just standing there? Hurry up.”

After a few shoves, Jiang Cheng could only accept them, “Hurry up and do what?”

Wei WuXian, “You ate the watermelon too, so you also have to return the gift, don’t you? Here, here, don’t be embarrassed. Start throwing, start throwing.”

Jiang Cheng snorted again, “You must be joking. What’s there to be embarrassed about?” Whatever he said, however, even after all of the shidi began to throw seed pods, he still didn’t start to move. Wei WuXian urged, “Then throw some! If you throw some this time, next time you can ask them if the seed pods tasted good, and you’ll be able to make conversation again!”

[...]

Jiang Cheng was just about to throw one when he realized how shameless it was the moment he heard it. He peeled a seed pod and ate it by himself.

[...]

After a while of laughter, he turned around and looked at Jiang Cheng, who was sitting at the front of the boat eating seed pods with a long face. His smile gradually disappeared as he sighed, “Well, what an unteachable child.”

Jiang Cheng fumed, “So what if I want to eat alone?”

Wei WuXian, “Look at you, Jiang Cheng. Nevermind. You’re hopeless. Just wait to eat alone your whole life!”

(Chapter 125, Lotus Seed Pod, Exiled Rebels translation)

He even sighs rather disappointedly when Jiang Cheng refuses to take the hint; he knows that Jiang Cheng’s sullen behaviour is going to make him miserable down the line, but all of his gentle efforts to nudge him in a better direction have failed.

He also speaks with great awareness of Jiang Cheng’s flaws after the fight in the ancestral hall:

Wei WuXian reached out with one hand and massaged his chest, as if trying to break up the pent-up feeling inside his heart. A moment later, he blurted, “I knew Jiang Cheng wouldn’t have let us go so easily. That brat… How could this be?!”

[...]

Wei WuXian’s eyelids throbbed, “Every one of them. The brat’s been like this ever since he was young.He’ll say anything when he’s angry, no matter how bad it is. He gives up on all grace and discipline whatsoever. As long as it’d annoy whomever he’s against, he’d say it no matter what terrible insults he uses. After all these years, he hasn’t gotten better at all. Please don’t take it to heart.”

(Chapter 90, Exiled Rebels translation)

This is so interesting to me, because it really makes it clear that Wei Wuxian has always been aware of these flaws of Jiang Cheng’s. He hasn’t been viewing him through rose-coloured lenses or making excuses for him because he’s ‘family’. He puts up with Jiang Cheng’s behaviour because being his companion is one of his duties in the Jiang household. It may never have been directly stated, but there seems to be some unspoken understanding to this effect.

I honestly don’t know if there is any official role in history (in any culture, not just China) which perfectly correlates to this. In China a lady’s maid was expected to also be a close friend and companion to her mistress (in canon, see Bicao to Qin-furen and Yinzhu and Jinzhu to Yu-furen). In Europe an upper class woman would hire a lady’s companion, a woman from the lower fringes of the gentry who would serve as her companion in exchange for financial support.

I don’t know of any version of this role which involves two men. In general, this sort of role existed because upper class women were confined to the household by and large, and had very limited social spheres. Men, meanwhile, had much greater ability to meet with their peers and make friends. I almost feel like Wei Wuxian wound up being shoved into this role simply because even as a child Jiang Cheng was so unsociable that Jiang Fengmian didn’t know what else to do!

Wei Wuxian also at least once steps in and starts a fight in place of Jiang Cheng (essentially taking the fall for him). He does this when Jin Zixuan speaks disparagingly of Jiang Yanli at Cloud Recesses:

Jin ZiXuan asked in reply, “Why don’t you ask me how on Earth can I be satisfied with her?”

Jiang Cheng instantly stood up.

Pushing him to the side, Wei WuXian walked in front of him and sneered, “You sure think that you’re pretty satisfying, don’t you? Where did you get the guts to be all choosy here?”

[...]

Wei WuXian sighed, “… It’d be nice if shijie came. It’s fortunate that you didn’t hit him.”

Jiang Cheng, “I was going to. If you didn’t push me, the other side of Jin ZiXuan’s face would also be ruined.”

(Chapter 18, Exiled Rebels translation)

It’s also very notable that Wei Wuxian is never shown having friends outside of Jiang Cheng’s social circle, despite what an outgoing and friendly person he is. Any time he expresses interest in someone for himself, as with Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng tries to nip it in the bud. Being unable to deter Wei Wuxian from Lan Wangji directly, Jiang Cheng instead tries to drive a wedge between them, constantly telling Wei Wuxian that Lan Wangji hates him.

“Yeah,” Nie HuaiSang spoke, “It looks like he really hates you, Wei-xiong. Lan WangJi usually… No, he never does something so impolite.”

Wei WuXian, “He hates me already? I wanted to apologize to him.”

Jiang Cheng sneered, “Apologizing now? Too late! Like his uncle, he surely thinks that you are evil and unruly to the core, and didn’t bother to pay you any attention.”

(Chapter 14, Exiled Rebels translation)

Jiang Cheng pulled him even closer, “It’s not as if you’re familiar with him! Don’t you see how much he hates you? You’re going to carry him? He probably doesn’t even want you a step closer to him.”

(Chapter 52, Exiled Rebels translation)

He even directly orders Wei Wuxian not to invite Lan Wangji to come visit him at Lotus Pier during the Lotus Seed Pod extra.

Wei WuXian, “Why are you so upset? My watermelon almost flew away! I was just being polite. Of course he wouldn’t come. Have you ever heard of him go anywhere by himself to have fun?”

Jiang Cheng had on a stern expression, “Let’s make this clear. I don’t want him to come, anyhow. Don’t invite him.”

(Chapter 125, Lotus Seed Pod, Exiled Rebels translation)

It’s not only Lan Wangji he tries to steer Wei Wuxian away from; he also interrupts his conversation with Wen Ning at the archery competition:

Wen QiongLin was probably one of Wen Clan’s disciples furthest in bloodline. His status was neither high nor low, yet his personality was timid. He didn’t dare do anything and even his speech stuttered. Through much practice, he had finally conjured up the courage to enter the competition, but he blew it because he was too nervous. If he didn’t receive the right guidance, perhaps the boy would hide his true self more and more from now on and never dare to perform in front of other people again. Wei WuXian encouraged him a couple of times and touched on a few areas of growth, correcting some miniscule problems that he had when he was shooting in the garden. Wen QiongLin listened so attentively that he didn’t even turn his eyes away, nodding uncontrollably.

Jiang Cheng, “Where did you find so much nonsense? The competition is starting soon. Get into the arena right now!”

Wei WuXian spoke to Wen QiongLin in a serious tone, “I’ll be off to the competition now. Later, you can see how I shoot when I’m in the arena…”

Jiang Cheng dragged him away, short of patience. He spat as he dragged, “See how you shoot? Do you think that you’re a model or something?!”

(Chapter 59, Exiled Rebels translation)

Even when it comes to Wei Wuxian’s friendly flirtation with Mianmian, Jiang Cheng has something to say and tries to deter him from her:

Jiang Cheng, “The one that MianMian gave you? I didn’t.”

Wei WuXian exclaimed his regret, “I’ll find her for another one later.”

Jiang Cheng frowned, “You’re at it again. You don’t really like her, do you? The girl does look fine, but it’s obvious that she doesn’t have much background. Maybe she isn’t even a disciple. She seems like the daughter of a servant.”

Wei WuXian, “What’s wrong with servants? I’m also the son of a servant, aren’t I?”

Jiang Cheng, “How can you compare to her? Whose servant is like you, having your master peel lotus seeds for you and boil you soup. I didn’t even get to have some!”

(Chapter 56, Exiled Rebels translation)

Jiang Cheng really does seem to view Wei Wuxian in a very proprietary light; he’s not allowed to have any friendships which don’t exist under Jiang Cheng’s direct control.

The idea that Wei Wuxian was meant to be Jiang Cheng’s servant-friend is reinforced at its darkest when Lotus Pier falls: both Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian’s last words to Wei Wuxian are an instruction to protect Jiang Cheng.

One hand holding him, Madam Yu grabbed Wei WuXian’s lapels with her other hand as though to strangle him to death. She spoke through clenched teeth, “… You damn little brat! I hate you! I hate you more than anything else! Look at what our sect has gone through for your sake!”

[...]

Madam Yu, “Don’t make such a fuss. It’ll loosen up when you’re somewhere safe. If anyone attacks you on the journey, it’ll protect you as well. Don’t come back. Go to Meishan straight away and find your sister!”

After she finished, she turned to Wei WuXian and pointed at him, “Wei Ying! Listen to me! Protect Jiang Cheng, protect him even if you die, do you understand?!”

[...]

Jiang FengMian stared into his eyes. Suddenly, he reached out. Only after pausing in the air did he finally touch Jiang Cheng’s head, slowly, “A-Cheng, be well.”

Wei WuXian, “Uncle Jiang, if anything happens to you, he won’t be well.”

Jiang FengMian turned his eyes to him, “A-Ying, A-Cheng… you must look after him.”

(Chapter 58, Exiled Rebels translation)

Even Jiang Fengmian, who supposedly favoured Wei Wuxian, only gives him instructions as pertains to his own son; he doesn’t spare a single last word for Wei Wuxian himself.

A Lower Status Family Member

It wasn’t uncommon throughout human history, across many cultures, for wealthy families to take in relatives who were orphaned or had otherwise fallen on hard times. They tended to have a lower status than the main family; they lived with them and were still a part of their social sphere, but were not quite equal, either. The English term for this is ‘poor relation’.

Obviously, Wei Wuxian isn’t actually a blood relative at all. But his position in the Jiang household definitely has some similarities. He lives in the main house, eats meals with the family, attends school with the son... He is even on some conditional levels accepted into the gentry of cultivation society. But he isn’t a full equal member of the family, either.

The fact that he’s Jiang Fengmian’s ward, not a blood relative or adopted into the main family, puts him at even more of a disadvantage. It seems that Jiang Fengmian paid for all of Wei Wuxian’s expenses:

Wei WuXian took a bite, “Back then, I didn’t even have to pay when I ate at the dock. I grabbed whatever I wanted, ate whatever I wanted; ran after I grabbed, walked as I ate. A month later, the vendor would get the reimbursement from Uncle Jiang.”

(Chapter 86, Exiled Rebels translation)

While this is a bit of conjecture, I gather that he was given access to family money as if he was part of the clan, and could just charge Yunmeng Jiang whenever he shopped in Lotus Pier. Which is great so long as Wei Wuxian is accepted in Yunmeng Jiang...but as we see during the Burial Mounds settlement period, the moment that acceptance fades, Wei Wuxian is left out in the cold without a single coin. And because he isn’t a member of the family, it’s a far easier matter for him to be thrown aside, as he was when Jiang Cheng grew angry with him over his decision to protect the Wens.

Of course, Chinese families traditionally did share their wealth, and still do nowadays. Ideally, in a loving family, this is a positive and means they all support each other; but when that isn’t the case, it leaves the victims of abuse vulnerable.

In Wei Wuxian’s case, he has some of the benefits of being a member of the Jiang clan, without ever actually being a member. He can be cast aside at any time, and he is never afforded the same respect by wider cultivation society which an inner clan member would have.

I don’t believe the novel ever directly addresses Wei Wuxian’s acceptance into the guest lectures at Cloud Recesses in this light, but the donghua actually has a very interesting little exchange about it which takes place between Nie Huaisang and a relative of his:

“Wei-xiong is just a disciple from Yunmeng. Why could he come to Gusu to study?”

“Wei-xiong is the son of Jiang-zongzhu’s old friend. He has been treated as their own son.”

“Oh, I see. That explains why they don’t look like master and servant, they seem like brothers.”

(MDZS Donghua, Episode 3, Guodong Subs)

Wei Wuxian was only allowed to attend these lectures, which seem to mainly be for sect heirs and inner clan members, on the grace of being Jiang Fengmian’s ward (and probably to accompany Jiang Cheng). While this exchange is not from the book, we never do see or hear about any of the other students being outer disciples rather than members of the main clan. Here’s what the novel had to say about it:

In that year, aside from the YunmengJiang Sect, there were also the young masters from other clans, sent to study here from parents who heard of the reputation. The young masters were all around fifteen or sixteen. Because the sects all knew the others, although they weren’t close, they had seen others’ faces before. It was widely known that, although Wei WuXian’s surname was not Jiang, he was the leading disciple of the sect leader of the YunmengJiang Sect—Jiang FengMian, and also the son of his friend who had passed away. In fact, the sect leader regarded him as his own child. This, along with how youths were not as concerned with status and ancestry as elders, they were soon friends. Only a few sentences passed, and everyone started to call others older brothers or younger brothers.

(Chapter 13, Exiled Rebels translation)

And Wei Wuxian isn’t treated as an equal at school, either; when he and his friends get up to mischief, he’s frequently the only one punished. Nie Huaisang even notes that Lan Qiren seems to be far harder on him than the other students:

Nie HuaiSang spoke, “Why does it seem like old man Lan is especially strict towards you? He always directs his scoldings at you.”

(Chapter 14, Exiled Rebels translation)

And we see Wei Wuxian being the sole one punished out of a group taken for granted by his friends multiple times:

As a result of cheating notes flying everywhere in the air, Lan WangJi suddenly attacked during the test, and caught a few initiators of the commotion. Lan QiRen exploded with anger, writing letters to the prominent clans to tell on them. He loathed Wei WuXian—in the beginning, although these disciples could hardly sit still, at least nobody started anything, and their buttocks were able to stick to their legs. However, now that Wei Ying came, the originally spineless brats were influenced by his encouragement, venturing out at night and drinking alcohol however they pleased. The unhealthy practices grew greater and greater. As he had expected, Wei Ying was one of the biggest threats to humanity!

Jiang FengMian replied, “Ying has always been like this. Please take care to discipline him, Mr. Lan.”

And so, Wei WuXian was punished again.

(Chapter 14, Exiled Rebels translation)

The boys were all cheating, but Wei Wuxian is the one punished most severely. This happens when he's caught sneaking alcohol, too (though to be fair to Lan Wangji, he probably was only punishing him, and himself alongside him, for being outside after curfew when he threw them off the wall).

Of course, Jiang Cheng didn’t dare to say that Wei WuXian was at fault. Thinking back, it was them who urged Wei WuXian to buy liquor. Each and every one of them should have been punished. He could only speak in a vague way, “It’s fine, it’s fine; it’s not that serious! He can walk. Wei WuXian, why are you still up there?!”

(Chapter 18, Exiled Rebels translation)

It’s not entirely unreasonable for the one who gets caught to take the punishment (what’s he going to do, rat his friends out?) but their ready acceptance of this does fit into a pattern.

Jiang Cheng’s top was tied at his waist. Hearing his mother’s chastise, he hastily put it over his head. Madam Yu scolded again, “And you boys! Can’t you see that A-Li’s here? Who taught you brats to dress like this in front of a girl!?”

Of course, it was needless to think who led the group. Thus, Madam Yu’s next sentence, as usual, was “Wei Ying! Do you want to die!?”

[...]

He could still feel some pain in his back, so he tossed the paddles to someone else, sat down, and felt the stinging piece of flesh, “How unfair. Nobody else was wearing anything, but why was I the only one who got scolded and beaten up?”

Jiang Cheng, “Because you hurt the eye the most with no clothes on, for sure.”

[...]

Everyone nodded. Wei WuXian, “Thanks for the praise, you guys. I’m even starting to feel some goose bumps.”

The shidi, “You’re welcome, Da-Shixiong. You protect us every single time. You deserve even more!”

(Chapter 125, Lotus Seed Pod, Exiled Rebels translation)

While we know that Yu Ziyuan is an abusive person in general, she abuses Wei Wuxian far more harshly than anyone else, even the outer disciples. It’s made clear to us in Lotus Seed Pods that she whips him regularly over minor infractions:

Madam Yu was even angrier, “How dare you run! Come back right now and kneel!” As she spoke, she let loose her whip with a flip of her wrist. Wei WuXian felt a searing pain slash across his back. He loudly exclaimed, “Ow!” And almost tripped on the ground.

(Chapter 125, Lotus Seed Pod, Exiled Rebels translation)

And that his back is heavily scarred from it:

He felt his back, covered in scars both old and new, and still couldn’t hold back the question he’d be thinking about, “How awfully unfair. Why is it that I’m the only one who gets beaten up, whenever something happens?”

(Chapter 125, Lotus Seed Pod, Exiled Rebels translation)

Rumours about this even made it outside of Lotus Pier; during their visit to the ancestral hall years later, Lan Wangji even states that he heard about some of it:

Lan WangJi had on an expression of understanding, “Kneeling as punishment?”

Wei WuXian mused, “How did you know? That’s right. Madam Yu punished me almost every day.”

Lan WangJi nodded, “I have heard of a few things.”

Wei WuXian, “It’s so famous that even people outside Yunmeng, even you Gusu people know—how could it be ‘a few things’? But, to be honest, in all these years, I’ve never seen a second woman whose temper was as bad as Madam Yu’s. She told me to go to the ancestral hall and kneel no matter how small the matter was. Hahaha…”

(Chapter 87, Exiled Rebels translation)

Wei Wuxian’s lower social standing is definitely a part of why Yu Ziyuan is able to abuse him so terribly and receive little to no censure for it. Everyone at Lotus Pier simply takes it for granted, with the exception of Jiang Yanli who at least does try to deflect her mother when she is angry with Wei Wuxian:

Yet, all of a sudden, someone’s quiet voice drifted by Madam Yu’s ear, “Mom, do you want to eat some watermelon…”

[...]

Jiang YanLi almost cried from her mother’s pinching, mumbling, “Mom, A-Xian and the others were hiding here to relieve the heat and I came here on my own. Don’t blame them… Do… Do you want some watermelon… I don’t know who gave them to us, but it’s really sweet. Eating watermelon in the summer is great for cooling down and quenching thirst. I’ll cut them for you…”

(Chapter 125, Lotus Seed Pod, Exiled Rebels translation)

She both tries to deflect her mother from her anger, and also outright states that Wei Wuxian and the other boys weren’t at fault. Jiang Yanli seems to be the only one at Lotus Pier who ever does this.

After the war, Wei Wuxian attends social events at Jiang Cheng’s side but is never quite treated as an equal, either. See how at the Flower Banquet, Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue greet Jiang Cheng but not him:

Suddenly, a voice spoke, “Sect Leader Nie, Sect Leader Lan.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Wei WuXian’s heart jumped. Nie MingJue turned around again. Jiang Cheng came over, dressed in purple, hand on his sword.

And the person standing beside Jiang Cheng was none other than Wei WuXian himself.

He saw himself walk with hands behind his back, wearing all black. A flute in the shade of ink stuck to his waist, hanging down with crimson colored tassels. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Jiang Cheng, he nodded in this direction to show respect. Attitude slightly arrogant, he took on a profound, disdainful appearance. As Wei WuXian saw the stance of his younger self, the root of his teeth even cringed in soreness. He felt that he really was pretentious, and itched to just beat the hell out of himself.

Lan WangJi also saw Wei WuXian, who stood beside Jiang Cheng. The tip of his brows twitched ever so slightly. Soon afterward, his light-colored eyes returned to where they were, still looking forward in that composed way. Jiang Cheng and Nie MingJue nodded at each other with grave faces. Neither had anything unnecessary to say. After a hasty greeting, the two walked their separate ways. Wei WuXian saw his black-clothed self glance around as he finally saw Lan WangJi. He looked as if he was about to speak before Jiang Cheng came over and stood to his side.

(Chapter 49, Exiled Rebels translation)

They then proceed to talk about him and his lack of a sword behind his back, never having said a word to Wei Wuxian himself:

Nie MingJue’s gaze turned over again, “Why does Wei Ying not carry his sword?”

Carrying one’s sword was like wearing formal attire. In such gatherings, it was a non-negligible indication of etiquette. Those from prominent sects saw it as especially important. Lan WangJi responded in a lukewarm tone, “He had probably forgotten.”

Ning MingJue raised a brow, “He can even forget something like this?”

(Chapter 49, Exiled Rebels translation)

At Phoenix Mountain it also seems that Wei Wuxian is conditionally a member of the gentry, but not treated like an equal. Sometimes there are these more cheerful interactions:

Holding the flower, Lan WangJi seemed to be quite cold. His tone seemed cold as well, “Was it you?”

Wei WuXian immediately denied it, “No, it wasn’t.”

The maidens beside him spoke at once, “Don’t believe him. It was him!”

Wei WuXian, “How could you treat a good person like this? I’m getting angry!”

Giggling, the maidens pulled their reins and went to the formations of their own sects. Lan WangJi lowered the hand that he held the flower with and shook his head. Jiang Cheng spoke, “ZeWu-Jun, HanGuang-Jun, apologies. Don’t pay attention to him.”

Lan XiChen smiled, “That is fine. I will thank Young Master Wei’s kindness behind the flower in place of WangJi.”

(Chapter 69, Exiled Rebels translation)

But then he will be publicly disparaged and it is readily accepted by others. Jin Zixun first starts an argument with him by criticising Wei Wuxian for fighting Jin Zixuan, then turns the topic to Wei Wuxian’s having taken a third of the prey in the hunt.

Jin ZiXun, “Wei, just what what do you mean by going against ZiXuan so many times?”

[...]

Jin ZiXun sneered, “How is it presumptuous? How is any part of you not presumptuous? Today, in such an important hunt involving all of the sects, you really showed off your abilities, didn’t you? One third of the prey have been taken by you. You sure feel pleased, don’t you?”

[...]

He mocked, “But it’s only natural that you don’t think you’re in the wrong. It’s not the first time that Young Master Wei has disregarded the rules. You didn’t wear your sword in both last time’s flower banquet and this time’s hunt. It’s such a grand event, and you care nothing for courtesy. In what regard to you hold us, the people who are present with you?”

[...]

No disciple had ever dared say such lofty words in front of so many people. A moment later, as Jin ZiXun finally regained his composure, he yelled, “Wei WuXian! You’re only the son of a servant—how dare you be so bold!!!”

(Chapters 69-70, Exiled Rebels translation)

Naturally, Jin Zixun is able to weasel out of giving an apology, even though Jiang Yanli demands one. And guess who also takes a third of the prey, but this time without any censure?

Jin GuangYao, “In reality, not only did Young Master Wei keep a third of the prey to himself, our eldest brother has eliminated over half of the fays and the monsters as well.”

Hearing this, Lan XiChen laughed, “That is how Brother is like, after all.”

(Chapter 70, Exiled Rebels translation)

Never a Brother

As I’ve already mentioned, Wei Wuxian was never adopted by Jiang Fengmian, or adopted into the clan in general in even a distant way. And this nebulous ‘we’re letting you live with the main family as a charity, but you aren’t really one of us’ attitude also reflects in his relationship with Jiang Yanli.

I’ve already discussed how Wei Wuxian was more like a companion servant to Jiang Cheng than a brother. It’s also worth noting quickly that neither of them ever refers to the other as a brother. Wei Wuxian refers to Jiang Cheng as his shidi a few times, and Jiang Cheng never even refers to him as his shixiong (because Jiang Cheng views him as his servant, not as even a martial brother, I’d argue).

Only one member of the Jiang family ever does use familial terms to refer to Wei Wuxian: his shijie, Jiang Yanli. At Phoenix Mountain, when Wei Wuxian is being insulted by Jin Zixun, Jiang Yanli stands up and defends him, and states clearly that she considers Wei Wuxian a little brother:

The people who gathered around Jin ZiXun had on the same dark faces as he did. Yet, taking into consideration Jiang YanLi’s background, they didn’t dare talk back to her directly.

Jiang YanLi added, “Besides, hunting is hunting, so why bring the matter of discipline to the table? A-Xian is a disciple of the YunmengJiang Sect. He grew up with my brother and I, and so he’s as close as a brother is to me. Calling him the ‘son of a servant’—I’m sorry, but I won’t accept this. And thus…”

She straightened her back and raised her voice, “I hope that Young Master Jin ZiXun would apologize to Wei WuXian of the YunmengJiang Sect!”

(Chapter 70, Exiled Rebels translation)

It doesn’t come through in the Exiled Rebels translation, but she actually refers to Wei Wuxian as her didi in this scene, not her shidi. She’s trying to draw a line and state that Wei Wuxian is a part of the family. However, no one takes her seriously, and shortly afterwards we see Jin-furen insisting that Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian shouldn’t be walking alone together because it would be inappropriate.

Jiang YanLi whispered, “That’s not necessary. I’d like to have a few words with A-Xian. He can walk me back.”

Madam Jin raised her brows, looking Wei WuXian up and down. Her gaze was somewhat cautious, as if she was feeling displeased, “A young man and a young woman—you two can’t stick together all the time if nobody else is present.”

Jiang YanLi, “A-Xian is my younger brother.”

[...]

Wei WuXian lowered his head, “Excuse my absence, Madam Jin.”

He and Jiang YanLi bowed at the same time. As they turned around to leave, Madam Jin grabbed Jiang YanLi’s hand and refused to let her leave.

(Chapter 70, Exiled Rebels translation)

Jin Zixuan also never treats Wei Wuxian the way one might a brother who is still angered with him over his past dismissive treatment of his sister. For example, see their argument at the Flower Banquet:

Before he could see how Lan WangJi reacted, a series of clamor suddenly came from the other end of the base. Wei WuXian heard his own raging shout, “Jin ZiXuan! Don’t you forget about what things you said and what things you did? What do you mean by this, now?!”

Wei WuXian remembered. So it was this time!

On the other side, Jin ZiXuan also fumed, “I was asking Sect Leader Jiang, not you! The one I was asking about was also Maiden Jiang. How is that related to you?!”

[...]

Jin ZiXuan, “Sect Leader Jiang—this is our sect’s flower banquet, and this is your sect’s person! Are you going to look after him or not?!”

[...]

...Jiang Cheng’s voice came, “Wei WuXian, you can just shut your mouth. Young Master Jin, I’m sorry. My sister is doing quite well. Thank you for your concern. We can talk about this next time.”

Wei WuXian laughed coldly, “Next time? There is no next time! Whether or not she’s doing well isn’t any of his business, either! Who does he think he is?”

He turned around and started to leave. Jiang Cheng shouted, “Get back here! Where are you going?”

Wei WuXian waved his hands, “Anywhere is fine! Just don’t let me see that face of his. I never wanted to come, anyway. You can deal with whatever’s here yourself.”

Having been abandoned by Wei WuXian, Jiang Cheng’s face immediately clouded over.

[...]

Jiang Cheng stowed away the clouds on his face, “Don’t mind him. Look at how impolite he is. He’s used to such rude behavior at home.”

He then began to converse with Jin ZiXuan.

(Chapter 49, Exiled Rebels translation)

Jiang Cheng also quietly dismisses the notion of Wei Wuxian as a brother in relation to Jiang Yanli; when they visit to show him her wedding dress and she asks for a courtesy name, Jiang Cheng specifically says:

Jiang Cheng, “The courtesy name of my unborn nephew.”

(Chapter 75, Exiled Rebels translation)

Not our nephew, mine.

Even the disastrous invitation to Jin Ling’s one month celebration is framed as a favour to an old shidi, not a family member:

Jin ZiXun, “Since you’ve heard it from him already, you should know that I can’t wait. Don’t tell me that you’ll disregard your brother’s life for the sake of Sister-in-Law’s shidi?!”

Jin ZiXuan, “You clearly know that I’m not that kind of person! He might not necessarily be the one who cursed you with Hundred Holes either. Why are you so rash? I was the one who invited Wei WuXian to A-Ling’s full-month celebration anyways. If this is the way you do things, where does that leave me? Where does it leave my wife?”

Jin ZiXun raised his voice, “It’s best if he doesn’t attend! What does Wei WuXian think he is—does he deserve to attend our sect’s banquet? Whoever touches him gets nothing but a splash of black! ZiXuan, when you invited him, weren’t you worried that you, Sister-in-Law and A-Ling would receive an irremovable stain for the rest of your lives?!”

(Chapter 76, Exiled Rebels translation)

It’s clear that not only does wider society not consider Wei Wuxian and the Jiangs siblings...they themselves don’t, either. Wei Wuxian, after all, readily accepts that his relationship with them is over after he leaves the sect:

Before they parted, Jiang Cheng spoke, “We won’t see you off. It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us.”

Wei WuXian nodded. He understood that it wasn’t easy for the Jiang siblings to have come out here. If someone else saw them, all those things they did for the public to believe would be wasted. He spoke, “We’ll go first.”

[...]

He turned around, knowing that it’d be a long time before he’d get to see the people he was familiar with again.

But… right now, wasn’t he on his way to seeing people he was familiar with as well?

(Chapter 75, Exiled Rebels translation)

Cast Aside

The way cultivation society treats Wei Wuxian when he is not with the Jiangs is also very revealing. Any level of respect he is given is contingent on his position in the Jiang household, and when they aren’t around that minimal respect fades away. Look at how disrespectfully he is treated when he approaches Jin Zixun to ask for Wen Ning’s location.

Wei WuXian didn’t make small talk either, getting straight to the point, “No thanks. I don’t.” He nodded slightly at Jin ZiXun, “Young Master Jin, could I please have a word with you?”

Jin ZiXun, “If you have anything to say, come after our banquet is over.”

In reality, he didn’t want to talk to Wei WuXian at all. Wei WuXian could see this as well, “How long do I have to wait?”

Jin ZiXun, “Probably around six to eight hours. Or maybe ten to twelve. Or until tomorrow.”

Wei WuXian, “I’m afraid I can’t wait for that long.”

Jin ZiXun’s voice was arrogant, “You’ll have to wait even if you can’t.”

Jin GuangYao, “Young Master Wei, what do you need ZiXun for? Is it a pressing matter?”

Wei WuXian, “Pressing indeed. It allows for no delay.”

[...]

Jin ZiXun, “Wei WuXian, what do you mean? You came for him? You aren’t standing up for a Wen-dog, are you?”

Wei WuXian wore a broad grin, “Since when is it your business whether I’d like to stand up for him or cut his head off? Just give him to me!”

At the last sentence, the grin on his face vanished. His tone turned cold as well. It was clear that he had lost his patience. Many of the people within Glamor Hal shivered in fear. Jin ZiXun felt his scalp tingle as well. Yet, his anger soon soared. He shouted, “Wei WuXian, you are too bold! Did the LanlingJin Sect invite you today? And you dare run wild here. Do you really think that you’re invincible, that nobody has the courage to confront you? Do you want to overturn the Heavens?”

Wei WuXian smiled, “You’re comparing yourself to the Heavens? Excuse my language, but your face is a little too thick, isn’t it?”

[...]

Just as he was about to rebut, sitting on the foremost seat, Jin GuangShan spoke up.

His voice seemed kind, “It’s not anything too important anyways. You youngsters, why lose your tempers over such a thing? However, Young Master Wei, let me be fair here. Barging in when the LanlingJin Sect is holding a private banquet is indeed inappropriate.”

To say that Jin GuangShan didn’t mind what happened at Phoenix Mountain would be impossible. This was also why he only smiled when Jin ZiXun bickered with Wei WuXian but didn’t stop them, and only spoke up when Jin ZiXun was at the disadvantage.

Wei WuXian nodded, “Sect Leader Jin, it was never my intention to disturb your private banquet. My apologies. However, the whereabouts of the people whom Young Master Jin took are still unclear. Just a moment of delay, and it might be too late. One of the group had once saved me before. I will definitely not sit back and watch. Please do not feel pressured. I will make amends for this at a later date.”

[...]

After a few laughs, he continued, “Sect Leader Jin, let me ask you something else. Do you think that, because the QishanWen Sect is gone, the LanlingJin Sect has all right to replace it?”

All was silent within Glamor Hall.

Wei WuXian added, “Everything has to be given to you? Everyone has to listen to you? Looking at how the LanlingJin Sect does things, I almost thought that it was the QishanWen Sect’s empire all over again.”

[...]

A guest cultivator on his right shouted, “Wei WuXian! Watch your words!”

Wei WuXian, “Did I say something wrong? Forcing living people to be bait and beating them up whenever they refused to obey—is this any different from what the QishanWen Sect does?”

Another guest cultivator stood up, “Of course it’s different. The Wen-dogs did all kinds of evil. To arrive at such an end is only karma for them. We only avenged a tooth for a tooth, letting them taste the fruit that they themselves had sown. What’s wrong with this?”

Wei WuXian, “Take revenge on the ones who bite you. Wen Ning’s branch doesn’t have much blood on their hands. Don’t tell me that you find them guilty by association?”

Another person spoke, “Young Master Wei, is it that they don’t have much blood on their hands just because you say so? These are only your one-sided words. Where’s the evidence?”

[...]

Jin GuangShan stood up as well, his face a mixture of shock, anger, fear, and hatred, “Wei WuXian! Just because… Sect Leader Jiang isn’t here doesn’t mean you can be so reckless!”

Wei WuXian’s voice was harsh, “Do you think that I wouldn’t be reckless if he were here? If I wanted to kill someone, who could stop me, and who would dare stop me?!”

[...]

“Young Master Wei really is too impulsive. How could he speak in such a way in front of so many sects?”

Lan WangJi spoke coldly, “Was he wrong?”

Jin GuangYao paused almost unnoticeably. He immediately laughed, “Haha. Yes, he’s right. But it’s because he’s right that he can’t say it in front of them, correct?”

Lan XiChen seemed as if he was deep in thought, “Young Master Wei’s heart really has changed.”

(Chapter 72, Exiled Rebels translation)

The only person at this banquet who speaks to Wei Wuxian respectfully is Jin Guangyao, a consummate manipulator who is also of a lower social status. Everyone else speaks to him dismissively, refusing to respect his request for Wen Ning’s location even though he states that Wen Ning helped him during the war. Wei Wuxian is extremely polite at the beginning of this conversation, and only slowly begins to lose his temper when Jin Zixun speaks rudely and Jin Guangshan decides to bring up the matter of the Yinhufu (Wei Wuxian is right in suspecting him of wanting to replace Qishan Wen, of course, and that it’s very bold of them to think they have the right to a spiritual tool of his just because...they’re rich?).

When the sects meet at Koi Tower to discuss the breakout at Qiongqi Path, no one considers Wei Wuxian as an independent agent who they might actually want to meet and negotiate with themselves. He is a wayward servant of Yunmeng Jiang who the sect leader has failed to keep in hand.

Jiang Cheng only spoke after a few moments, “What he did was indeed a bit too much. Sect Leader Jin, I apologize to you in place of him. If there’s any way at all to help the situation, please let me know. I’ll definitely compensate for things however I can.”

[...]

Jin GuangShan, “Sect Leader Jiang, Wei Ying is your right-hand man. You value him a lot. All of us know this. However, on the other hand, it’s hard to tell whether or not he actually respects you. In any case, I’ve been a sect leader for so many years and I’ve never seen the servant of any sect dare be so arrogant, so proud. Have you heard what they say outside? Things like how during the Sunshot Campaign the victories of the YunmengJiang Sect were all because of Wei WuXian alone—what nonsense!”

[...]

Lan WangJi sat with his back straight, speaking in a tone of absolute tranquility, “I did not hear Wei Ying say this. I did not hear him express the slightest disrespect towards Sect Leader Jiang either.”

[...]

The good thing was that, not long after he felt awkward, Jin GuangYao came to save the day, exclaiming, “Really? That day, Young Master Wei busted into Koi Tower with such force. He said too many things, one more shocking than the next. Perhaps he said a few things that were along those lines. I can’t remember them either.”

[...]

Jin GuangShan followed the transition, “That’s right. Anyhow, his attitude has always been arrogant.”

One of the sect leaders added, “To be honest, I’ve wanted to say this since a long time ago. Although Wei WuXian did a few things during the Sunshot Campaign, there are many guest cultivators who did more than him. I’ve never seen anyone as full of themselves as him. Excuse my bluntness, but he’s the son of a servant. How could the son of a servant be so arrogant?”

[...]

“In the beginning, Sect Leader Jin asked Wei Ying for the Tiger Seal with nothing but good intentions, worried that he wouldn’t be able to control it and lead to a disaster. He, however, used his own yardstick to measure another’s intents. Did he think that everyone is after his treasure? What a joke. In terms of treasures, is there any sect that doesn’t hold a few treasures?”

“I knew that something would eventually happen if he continued on the ghostly path—look! His killing intents are being revealed already. Killing indiscriminately those from our side just because of a few Wen-dogs…”

[...]

Jin GuangShan continued, “Sect Leader Jiang, you’re not like your father. It’s just been a couple of years since the reestablishment of the YunmengJiang Sect, precisely when you should be displaying your power. And he doesn’t even know to avoid suspicions. What would the Jiang Sect’s new disciples think if they saw him? Don’t tell me you’d let them see him as their role model and look down on you?”

He spoke one sentence after another, striking the iron while it was still hot. Jiang Cheng spoke slowly, “Sect Leader Jin, that’s enough. I’ll go to Burial Mound and deal with this.”

Jin GuangShan felt satisfied, speaking in a sincere tone, “That’s the spirit. Sect Leader Jiang, there are some things, some people that you shouldn’t put up with.”

(Chapter 73, Exiled Rebels translation)

This is very reminiscent of the way that Jin Zixuan would often turn around and say, ‘Why aren’t you controlling your servant?’ to Jiang Cheng whenever he had a dispute with Wei Wuxian over his treatment of Jiang Yanli.

When Jiang Cheng goes to the Burial Mounds and Wei Wuxian defects from Yunmeng Jiang in order to help the sect save face, Jiang Cheng treats this as a personal betrayal. He not only challenges Wei Wuxian to a duel but then announces that Wei Wuxian has betrayed Yunmeng Jiang and declared himself the enemy of cultivation society:

After the fight, Jiang Cheng told the outside that Wei WuXian defected from the sect and was an enemy to the entire cultivation world. The YunmengJiang Sect had already cast him out. From then on, no ties remained between them—a clear line was drawn. Henceforth, no matter what he did, they’d have nothing to do with the YunmengJiang Sect!

(Chapter 73, Exiled Rebels translation)

“Wei Wuxian has betrayed the sect, and publicly regards all cultivation sects as enemy! Yunmeng Jiang Sect hereby expels him, breaking all ties with him and drawing a clear line between us. Henceforth, no matter what this person does, it will have nothing to do with Yunmeng Jiang Sect!”

(Modao Zushi Radio Drama, Season 3 Episode 5, Suibian Subs)

Naturally, no one ever questions this or wants to hear Wei Wuxian’s side of the story. Jiang Cheng is a sect leader and Wei Wuxian his servant, and that is all cultivation society needs to know.

In Conclusion

Wei Wuxian was never really part of the Jiang family. The wider social view was that he was a servant who was lucky to be taken in by the family and allowed to live in the main house alongside the sect leader’s children. He’s accepted into cultivation society conditionally, but only as someone who remains a rank below everyone else.

This attitude isn’t just the wider social view which the family themselves disregard; they all play into it. Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Cheng both actively enforce it, Jiang Fengmian passively enforces it, and Jiang Yanli tries but fails to break through the social barriers between them.

[plan-d-to-i]

Okay but let’s be honest here for a second, JC stans don’t even stan the actual character, they stan their OC/fanon version of JC, because all the things they attribute to him as his positives and reasons why “he’s a good an complex character” are not even real:

He’s a good sect leader: he’s not, the regular people his sect is supposed to protect are scared of him (as we were told in canon by the innkeeper lady before wangxian confronted jgy). So his people are terrified of him, he constantly grabs people to torture them, the other sects have shaky relationships with him and he doesn’t even have an heir

He’s a good guardian to JL: hell no, he raised that kid on a diet of spite and hatred and made him as insecure, entitled and full of rage as him. JL’s only saving grace was getting to know WWX and the other juniors and expanding his social circle, which helped him grow much more in like 3 months than his uncle did in over 20 years.

He’s actually a caring brother deep down!: is he? Like even putting aside how shitty of a “brother” he was to WWX, he wasn’t even that good to JYL either. Sure he cared for her and all that, but he was more than ready to give her away to the Jin sect when she was still apprehensive about the marriage, he completely ignored her last dying wish by killing the guy she sacrificed her life for and then raised her son in the worst way possible to be as bitter as him.

He raised his sect from nothing!: well considering YunmengJiang wasn’t destroyed or burned during the sunshot campaing (as we can see from the novel) and considering he received support from the other clans in getting soldiers during the campaign, had the best soldier in the whole war on his sect and because of said soldier attracted lots of disciples after the war was over, how much else was there left to do? Do his sect duties and organize things? Like Xichen had to do after his sect burned down and his dad died, while he also had to fight a war and help people along the way?

Sorry for the rant Plan, just needed to vent a little after seeing so many JC stans talking about this incredible fabrication they concocted in their minds.

Lol no worries go off!! <3 Sorry this is so delayed! x

I agree. there's definitely this vibe jc stans try to give jc of ~emotionally abusive asshole on the outside, covering a heart of gold! Sometimes assholes on the outside are just assholes on the inside tho. That's the more frequent one tbh. It's also a funny attitude in general, bc someone might have a heart of gold on the inside (still not jc tho) but if their actions only end up hurting people and they're just a horrible person to be around what's on the inside hardly matters.

Now I think it's true that jc made Yanli's death all about himself (like everything else ever) but I wouldn't say that "he was more than ready to give her away to the Jin sect when she was still apprehensive about the marriage". Ofc it's an easy marriage to approve of. It was something YZY wanted and jc's thinking has always been in line w hers and socially he's a good match being a Clan heir himself but jc isn't a political, machiavellian juggernaut. I mean I know jyl stans want to act like jyl was a strong independent woman who didn't need no man and she was forced into marriage and had her dreams of being a Clan leader crushed but that's because they're 🤡. jyl always liked jin ZiXuan. And it's not a bad call on her part. He's by far one of the better dudes in the story. She just thought after soupmageddon he found her presence truly bothersome and would never think well of her, so she didn't want to impose on him. ~"Wei WuXian knew she feared that Jin ZiXuan was only inviting her due to Madam Jin’s intentions and didn’t really want to have her with him, so she didn’t wish to trouble him. However, what could Jin ZiXuan know about this?" and ofc in his embarrassment Jin Zixuan initially confirmed this exact fear: "Jin ZiXuan’s voice was ice, “What should you be sorry for? You can think whatever you want to. I wasn’t the one who wanted to invite you anyways. It’s fine if you don’t want to.” This is ofc all cleared up by his shouted confession.

jc is an idiot but I think it's funny he was one of the first to cotton on to the fact there was something different about the way that WWX was treating LWJ from day 1, he was just too homophobic to get what it was and he knew jyl liked jzx AND SHE DID. That's all.

[likeshipsonthesea]

mianmian gets to the lan sect lectures, discovers very quickly that every one of her peers has decided to use this time to figure out how quickly they can get into bed with someone of the opposite sex, and decides almost immediately that she has to pick a suitably unattainable guy to have a crush on.

the thing is, mianmian is lanling jin’s head disciple. she is capable, intelligent, and very very gay. the last of these things she isn’t exactly keen on telling people yet for a variety of reasons up to and including jin zixuan will be so awkward and stubbornly supportive about it and she doesn’t know how to deal with that yet

so when her friends giggle over the other young masters and finally turn to mianmian-- who’s trying to memorize at least some of the fifty-thousand rules before their quiz tomorrow--and they ask her, “who do you like, mianmian?” she says the name that she carefully picked out of a handful of options.

“lan-er-gongzi,” she says, without looking up from her textbook, and she assumes that will be the end of it. 

lan wangji is both incredibly attractive and unrelentingly resistant to all attempts to flirt with him. she, like half the other female cultivators, can moon over him (or pretend to moon over him) all they want and nothing will come of it. it’s perfect. she’s a genius. the worst she’ll have to do now is pretend to be infatuated with him when her friends start gossiping. it’s fool proof.

spoiler: it’s not

it’s not, no, because her friends are horrible and immediately start gossiping about it to everyone, and usually mianmian wouldn’t care but then jin zixuan finds out. jin zixuan, whose marriage complex is being brought to center stage with the forced proximity to his bride-to-be. jin zixuan, who for some reason decided he has to live his stolen crush-addled youth vicariously through his only real friend that isn’t related to him. jin zixuan, who for some godforsaken reason takes it upon himself to contrive situations for mianmian and lan wangji to be alone together incessantly.

it unfortunately takes mianmian longer than she would like to figure out what’s happening. she’d give herself a break for it-- she was being responsible and studying, thank you very much-- but she doesn’t have much sympathy for her own stupidity seeing as she’s currently locked in a section of the lan library with the second jade of lan

and suddenly, suddenly she’s just so fucking tired. of studying, yeah, the tests here are brutal and there’s no one to bribe to make sure she doesn’t lose points on stupid things, but also tired of lying to the people she loves and tired of training this hard and being an amazing cultivator only for people to care more about her eventual marriage-- to a man of all things!-- and also, let’s be real here, she’s been in lectures with beautiful capable intelligent women for like months and she’s losing her gay ass mind

and so maybe, possibly, as she’s locked in a library with a clearly confused and annoyed second jade of lan she kind of, momentarily, loses it and rants all of this at his steadily widening eyes

at the end of it, she realizes with no small amount of panic that she’s just confessed not only her attraction to women but the fact that she’s been letting wen qing’s ears of all things distract her from her studies. if anything, she’s sure lan wangji will fault her for inattention

but the second jade of lan, after a drawn-out moment filled only with mianmian’s labored breathing and rising panic, simply says, “i understand.”

mianmian stops. she squints. she tilts her head. she squints some more. lan wangji’s ears go pink and just like that she realizes -- “you’re a cut-sleeve.”

lan wangji’s ears go even pinker. he doesn’t nod, or agree, or outwardly react in any way, but mianmian is a capable, intelligent cultivator, and she’s sure of it.

mianmian sighs with a relief she didn’t know she could feel. “thank the gods.”

lan wangji doesn’t seem to know what to make of this response, or mianmian’s increasingly frequent trips to the library following their conversation, or mianmian’s staunch determination to befriend the guy, but that’s alright. mianmian is old hat at befriending awkward sect heirs by this point.

it’s not like lan wangji expressed any desire for her friendship, but the prospect of not being the only one with absolutely no interest in the straight shenanigans happening at gusu lan summer camp is enough to let mianmian ignore his obvious confusion. lan wangji is a great listener and only sometimes blushes when mianmian waxes poetic about the beautiful women she’s forced to surround herself with every day

“no but you don’t understand,” mianmian insists, alone in the library with lan wangji, “jiang-guniang asked me to help her with a sword form. i put my hands on her waist. i said something idiotic bc she was so pretty and right there and then she laughed. lan wangji. i’m in love.”

“yesterday you were in love with wen-guniang,” lan wangji says as he impassively turns a page in his book. “has this changed?”

“no, i’m in love with both of them. all of them. lan wangji. they’re all so pretty all the time. it’s horrible.”

lan wangji presses his lips into a firmer line, which mianmian’s come to understand means he’s repressing a smile. “i’m sorry to hear it brings luo-guniang such trouble.”

mianmian groans, fairly undignified, but that’s a lost cause with lan wangji at this point anyway. “i swear, if jin zixuan says one more bad thing about her i’m going to punch him and marry her myself.”

lan wangji says, “mn,” which mianmian takes to mean that he supports her in this line of thinking, which she finds both quite sweet and ridiculously funny.

grinning, she teases, “lan-er-gongzi, if i do end up marrying jiang-guniang, will you bear witness to our elopement?”

lan wangji’s lips press again, this time in the way that means he’s repressing a frown. “jiang-guniang’s brothers wouldn’t allow for an elopement,” he says.

mianmian huffs. “as if yunmeng or lanling will deign to host our wedding.”

lan wangji appears to ponder this for a moment before he says, “gusu will host it,” and it’s at that moment that mianmian realizes she’s actually gone and fucking befriended the second jade of lan.

what is her life.

of course, it’s not long after that that she goes to find jin zixuan and explain that she can’t make their weekly sparring match today because she has plans with lan wangji (jiang yanli tenderly brushed some of mianmian’s hair away from her forehead while they were working on sword forms and if mianmian doesn’t tell someone about it she’s literally going to explode) and she’s trying to be as polite as possible only for jin zixuan to scoff and pout (”i don’t pout”) and say, “i never took you for one of those women who throw themselves so wantonly at a man”

it’s only for having been friends with this absolutely horrible communicator for most of her life that she doesn’t immediately punch him in the face. “what did you just say to me,” she demands, but jin zixuan just sets his jaw and looks away, flushing down his neck in the way his mother describes as unbecoming and--

and mianmian suddenly realizes that her ridiculous best friend is jealous of lan wangji. 

(in a friend way, of course, he’s like her brother, the one time his mother implied that he ought not get too close to women in case it jeopardizes his betrothal to jiang yanli, he insisted he didn’t have any female friends repeatedly as his mother delicately danced around outright saying mianmian’s name until finally she broke and jin zixuan was basically like huh?? mianmian doesn’t count?? she made me eat dirt like six times when we were kids)

the sheer ridiculousness of jin zixuan, to set her up with a guy and then get jealous when she spends all her time with him

and fuck her, but she loves her stupid awkward ridiculous sect heir best friend and she doesn’t want him to think she’s gone and left him for someone else (gods know jin zixuan’s loyalty complex rivals his marriage one (on second thought the two might be connected)) and so, after making a few quick decisions, mianmian grabs her stupid best friend by the wrist and pulls him to the library

he protests all the way there, but he’s been letting her drag him wherever she wants since they were five and it isn’t as if he’s going to break the pattern now. she drags him to the library and sits him down across a startled lan wangji and then finally breaks and gushes about jiang-guniang’s fingertips brushing her forehead and doesn’t look at jin zixuan once the whole time

lan wangji, on the other hand, sends jin zixuan frequent glances, as if worried on mianmian’s behalf, which is super sweet and also how the fuck did mianmian get two awkward sect heirs to care about her platonically wtf. she spares a thought for her poor auntie, who would’ve loved to have a sect heir care about her niece in much less platonic ways.

at the end of mianmian’s rant, jin zixuan is blinking quite a lot. “you like women?” he asks. he’s always been a bit slow on the uptake. mianmian nods. “you like jiang-guniang?”

mianmian shrugs. “more or less. she’s just really pretty and i’m dying about it. it’s fine.”

lan wangji says, “mn,” sympathetically and jin zixuan continues to gape.

mianmian winces. “you’re not going to be weird about this, are you?”

jin zixuan shakes his head quickly. “no, no-- of course not, i--you know that i--you’re my best friend, i don’t care--what does it matter to me, who you want to--to touch your hair.”

it’s probably the most awkward sentence he’s said to her in years, but possibly more articulate than she’d been expecting. it makes her tear up regardless and she punches him in the shoulder to hide it, and that’s basically how the three of them start hanging out in the library nearly every day after lecture.

sometimes they go to the sparring ground, bc who’s better sparring practice than the second jade of lan? and sometimes (once or twice) mianmian manages to convince lan wangji to join her and jin zixuan for lunch in caiyi town when they don’t have lecture, but mostly they meet in a secluded part of the library where mianmian can rant about how pretty all the women at lectures are, jin zixuan can turn pink whenever she mentions jiang-guniang, and lan wangji can “mn” and nod sympathetically at all the right parts

and mianmian thinks that’s going to be the end of it, they’re just going to be friends now and everything else will move on as usual, bc by some ridiculous trick of fate lan wangji and jin zixuan seem to like each other. which makes sense in hindsight bc they’re both awkward sect heirs who care about cultivation and people a lot even if they’re not great at showing it 

(and he’d never say it but mianmian thinks jin zixuan’s easy acceptance of her liking women is probably the first time lan wangji’s ever seen someone accept that kind of thing before (maybe, possibly, other than his brother, lan xichen seems really cool, even if he does smile kind of intensely at mianmian whenever he happens upon her hanging out with his little brother.))

so they’re friends, they’re unexpected friends, and sometimes lan wangji even makes jokes in that dry deadpan way of his and sometimes jin zixuan doesn’t completely trip over his own words and manages to act like a normal human being and mianmian gets two idiots to care about and a perfect place to vent her womanly frustrations, and she thinks that’s the end of it and then wei wuxian accosts her after lectures one day

“do you like lan zhan?” he asks accusingly, eyes narrowed to slits. “what am i even asking, of course you like lan zhan, but do you like-like him?”

mianmian thinks sadly to herself that she’s much too into women to be dealing with all these men’s emotional problems. “lan wangji is my friend,” she says, carefully sidestepping wei wuxian, who continues to squint at her suspiciously. really, he’d been amusing when he flirted with her, but this? this is just ridiculous.

“does he know that?” wei wuxian asks. “because if he doesn’t, that’s just leading him on, and it’s really not nice to--”

“lan wangji knows we’re friends,” she says, trying to enunciate to get her point across clearly. “you can ask him, if you don’t believe me.”

wei wuxian squints a moment longer before he turns and flounces off. mianmian thinks this is the end of it until she’s accosted again after dinner with, “he said you were friends!”

for some reason, wei wuxian seems even more troubled by this than earlier. mianmian tries to suppress her eyeroll. “i told you he would?”

“but how,” wei wuxian says, suddenly whining. “i’ve been trying to be his friend for months and he refuses to acknowledge me.”

oh, mianmian realizes with a quickly dawning horror. she and lan wangji are not the only cut-sleeves at cloud recesses this summer. (she has suspicions, of course, but no confirmations on any of the others, but this. wow.)

she also realizes, decides really, that she has enough repressed sect heirs in her life and she cannot deal with wei wuxian’s cut-sleeve crisis or his evidently large attachment to lan wangji right now. she turns decisively and walks the fuck away. not her problem.

the lectures end eventually, of course, and mianmian and jin zixuan return to lanling with a horde of golden robed disciples, freshly deflowered and not all together more learned. it’s what, she thinks grimly, their sect leader would want.

the first few weeks go by and she realizes that she’s missed unloading about her frequent and fast falling-in-loves. jin zixuan just doesn’t sympathize right, bless him, and so mianmian takes to writing letters. she sends two without receiving a reply and just starts to write the third when a letter with the gusu symbol is delivered to her room.

she’s almost expecting to find a single mn written on the page-- she would’ve been delighted with just that, actually, the sheer hilarity of such a thing-- but instead she finds several pages filled with lan wangji’s perfect calligraphy.

it’s more than he’s ever spoken out loud, but it seems that propriety dictated that he return mianmian’s extensive letter with one of his own and he’s done so admirably. he responds to the events mianmian detailed in her letters-- most succinctly summarized as, woman are gorgeous and i’m dying-- and then writes about his own life in cloud recesses. apparently, he went on a little night hunt with wei wuxian and also nie huaisang and jiang cheng were involved? seriously, mianmian misses out on all the fun.

he’s also apparently taken in some rabbits, which mianmian immediately decides she needs to see. lan wangji, sitting prim and proper, with a bunch of rabbits in his lap? amazing. wei wuxian would die on sight, she’s sure of it.

he also ends his letter with a warning about qishan wen that has mianmian frowning. she takes it to jin zixuan who reads the paragraph and frowns. “i’ll talk to my father about it,” he says, which she can tell by his hunched shoulders he doesn’t expect to do much.

“talk to your father’s general too,” she suggests, because that man at least thinks with his head and not his dick.

jin zixuan nods but doesn’t hand back the letter. he skims it instead with a barely concealed surprise at lan wangji’s previously hidden expansive vocabulary. mianmian snorts and grabs the letter back. “you can write to him yourself, you know.”

jin zixuan flushes down his neck. “i know!” he insists and then turns and runs away because he’s a coward. mianmian shakes her head, smiling. what an idiot.

still, another week goes by and a letter arrives from gusu and, when mianmian takes it, assuming it’s for her, she finds it addressed to jin zixuan in lan wangji’s impeccable calligraphy and she grins to herself like an idiot. look at jin zixuan, making friends

(she suddenly understands why lan xichen gave her all those intense smiles during the lan lectures)

they go on in this way, writing letters to lan wangji from lanling. sometimes mianmian steals jin zixuan’s letters before he sends them so she can squeeze in some ranting in the post script without wasting a whole second thing of paper, and lan wangji replies dutifully, more verbose than he ever was in person, and it’s nice okay, like. she and jin zixuan have been best friends since they were kids but neither of them has ever been any good at listening and lan wangji is just so honest and earnest in everything, like they didn’t realize that people outside of lanling were actually not always plotting your downfall??? who woulda thunk

and then of course the wens go and ruin everything. they go to the wen lectures bc jin guangshan doesn’t want to “anger our trading partner” like the guy isn’t obviously going to burn carp tower to the ground the first chance he gets, and mostly mianmian and jin zixuan are just vaguely annoyed and put out about it

then lan wangji shows up with a broken leg and a burned sect and they are ready to murder some dudes

after years of breaking in and out of carp tower she and jin zixuan are old hats at this breaking and entering stuff and they manage to sneak into lan wangji’s guest quarters and tend to his wounds, ignoring all his silent glares and ranting furiously about how they’re going to murder wen chao by making him choke on his own dick (mianmian) and how they’re going to war with the wen sect even if he has to threaten his father with acknowledging all of his bastards as proper siblings in public to do it (jin zixuan)

lan wangji just says “mn” and makes various muted, distressed expressions, but mianmian thinks he’s touched.

“are your brother and uncle alright?” she asks, when she’s set his broken leg and forced pain medication down his throat.

“brother escaped with our sacred texts,” lan wangji says. “uncle is... unwell.”

mianmian knows lan wangji hates touch but the way he says it, with this horrible little frown, emoting more than she’s ever seen him, his barely suppressed anger and grief literally making his hands shake into fists, mianmian can’t help it, she hugs him. “we’ll make them pay,” she swears into his shoulder, ruining the lines of his robes with how she clutches at them. “i promise you.”

jin zixuan awkwardly pats lan wangji’s shoulder, which is a lot for him and mianmian spares a moment to be proud of his growth.

unfortunately, wen chao seems to delight in torturing lan wangji on his injured leg and lan wangji refuses to show weakness, which both impresses mianmian and pisses her the fuck off. she approaches wen qing (and her still gorgeous ears, sigh) and asks her to tend to lan wangji, since she’s like actually a doctor. wen qing does bc she’s beautiful, intelligent, and kind and mianmian spends most of that night sighing deeply as she relates this to a significantly drugged lan wangji

the cave of the xuanwu goes about the same as you’d expect. wei wuxian saving her from getting her face branded off is pretty rad of him, though he could’ve just like knocked the brand away instead of throwing himself in front of it but whatever, you do you boo. when lan wangji gets left behind the two of them don’t even have to wait for jiang cheng to grumble and ask for their help, they’re already on their way to carp tower for an army, thank you very much

when they rescue wei wuxian and lan wangji and lan wangji immediately turns to walk back to cloud recesses on a broken leg mianmian says, “fuck no, that’s not happening, you’re getting medical attention and then someone will fly you back home, okay, wtf wangji, sit down.”

and lan wangji is a stubborn bitch so obvs he’s like no but he’s also severely starved, dehydrated, and injured, so it’s not like he can just shake off mianmian holding him down and this goes on long enough for wei wuxian to wake up and see mianmian touching lan wangji, and something in his poor little brain just like breaks and he demands says, “lan zhan, come back to lotus pier with us.”

his argument, as he explains it, is that lotus pier is closer (it’s not; they’re just as close to carp tower as lotus pier) and that it’s closer to gusu for when lan wangji has to return home (it’s not; same deal) but then jiang cheng starts yelling, possibly in support possibly not mianmian’s not sure, and jin zixuan starts getting awkward, probably about the whole golden army behind him bc he’s a nerd and hates being overdressed at functions (this is basically the same thing), and mianmian looks at lan wangji and she sees--

something. she isn’t sure what exactly, but lan wangji looks at wei wuxian as he argues with his brother and he presses his lips into a thin line in the way that means he wants to smile and mianmian thinks, oh. maybe wei wuxian isn’t completely unrequited in his lan wangji obsession.

growing up in lanling, she knows how to use information to her advantage, so she immediately says, “young masters wei and jiang, what a great idea. lanling’s disciples would be pleased to accompany you and second young master lan to lotus pier to ensure everyone’s safe arrival.”

everyone splutters, indignant, confused, awkward (jiang cheng, wei wuxian, and jin zixuan, respectively) but lan wangji narrows his eyes at mianmian and doesn’t try to convince her to let him walk to gusu again, so she counts it as a win.

sect leader jiang and his wife seem surprised and annoyed, respectively, to be taking in so many guests, but sect leader jiang merely smiles pleasantly and directs them to some guest quarters and mianmian and wei wuxian ask, simultaneously, for doctors to tend to lan wangji and wei wuxian makes a face at her and mianmian sighs to herself that she really is too gay to be in the middle of his thing with lan wangji.

turns out, walking a lot and fighting a cannibalistic turtle on a broken leg doesn’t do wonders for healing. lan wangji is also the worst patient ever, he keeps trying to sneak out and get up even though word came from his brother that he’s safe and alright and that cloud recesses is starting to rebuild after qinghe nie and lanling jin came to its aid and pushed out the wen

but with the combined efforts of mianmian, jin zixuan, and wei wuxian (and even jiang yanli at one point, bc who could say no to her soup??) they manage to get lan wangji to just rest for a fucking second, really which results in the jin disciples and lan wangji staying in lotus pier for longer than anyone could’ve expected

mianmian spends most of her time (when she isn’t forcing lan wangji to just fucking stay in bed) working with the jiang disciples, practicing archery, sword forms, and mooning after all the beautiful women here.

(”lan wangji, i know she’s scary, but have you seen madam yu? she could whip me with zidian and i’d thank her” “luo-guniang, please don’t ask madam yu to whip you” OR “lan wangji, i’m almost positive madam yu’s maids are a thing, do you think they’d let me join them just like once” “luo-guniang, could you please pass me my sword?” “why” “i’d like to put myself out of this misery” OR “she made me soup. lan wangji. lan wangji, i know you’re not sleeping, wake up, you have to listen to me, this soup”)

they end up staying so long that when wang lingjiao shows up threatening a child about a kite while sect leader jiang is away, she has a lot more to deal with than madam yu. since none of this had been a “sanctioned visit” no one actually knew that there was nearly an entire troop of jin disciples staying at lotus pier, so when the wens attack they are sorely unprepared for what they’re going to face.

(and ofc lan wangji breaks out of bed heroically and keeps madam yu from whipping wei wuxian, which means they aren’t down one of their most powerful fighters and mianmian has to suffer through the moon eyes they’re making at one another in the middle of a battle no less, she knew wei wuxian had no shame but she’d been hoping lan wangji would have some)

after the wen attack (and defeat) on lotus pier and the jin’s inarguable part in it, the war starts in earnest. lan wangji, after his long rest, heals fine and goes back to gusu to help rebuild his sect and plan for war, and mianmian and jin zixuan return to carp tower to plan as well, ignoring jin guangshan and focusing instead on his general to ensure lanling supplies necessary aid in the war effort

and war is always shitty, of course, and mianmian hates watching her sect family die on the battlefield, hates waiting for updates after every battle to see who’s still alive, hates the politics and jin guangshan trying to wheedle his way out of fighting when there’s fucking lives on the line

(and she could never know, how much easier it is, with yunmeng jiang at its full strength, with one of the brightest minds of their generation there to plot and help, with two of the best fighters not out searching for someone and instead focused on the front)

they reach nightless city after months of fighting and mianmian is ready to just fucking stab wen ruohan herself when they’re suddenly trapped. blocked in on all sides by puppets, their fallen soldiers rising again to turn on them, and it--it looks like they’re gonna die.

“this sucks,” she says to lan wangji, stifling her fear and choking it down. “i never even got to kiss a girl.”

lan wangji just says “mn.”

jin zixuan, beside them, says, “i was an idiot about jiang-guniang.”

lan wangji just says, “mn.”

then wei wuxian pulls out a fucking flute and a-- floating piece of metal?  the army of puppets and corpses stops advancing, held in place by-- music, apparently? and wen ruohan emerges from his lair, black energy falling off him in waves, wei wuxian the idiot flies forward to meet him, gets wen ruohan’s hand around his throat for his trouble.

lan wangji yells, “wei ying!” and mianmian thinks, really not fair that lan wangji is gonna get a boyfriend before i get a girlfriend

and then wen ruohan gets stabbed by jin zixuan’s half brother of all people. wen ruohan, along with his puppets and wei wuxian, fall to the ground. lan wangji rushes forward to catch wei wuxian, mianmian runs after him, finds herself in company with jin zixuan and jiang cheng. when they get there, wei wuxian is barely conscious but he’s-- he’s fucking grinning up at lan wangji from the cradle of lan wangji’s arms

“lan zhan,” he says, “you caught me.”

lan wangji nods, says, “mn,” which is basically his equivalent of i’ll always catch you, wei ying.

“really,” mianmian says aloud, “it’s so unfair.”

the aftermath of the war is more annoying than the war itself, what with all the politics and in-fighting and jin guangshan trying to be the biggest dick there ever was. jin guangshan tries to name himself chief cultivator in wen ruohan’s stead but nie mingjue suggests jiang fengmian instead and the lan sect backs him. jin guangshan tries to demonize the wens but at wei wuxian’s loud rebuttal and sect leader jiang’s backing (which is then backed by both gusu lan and qinghe nie) he’s once again shouted down. and then jin guangshan tries to propose to jiang-guniang for his son and the poor woman just seems so awkward and her father doesn’t seem to know what to say and--

mianmian elbows jin zixuan whose eyes widen ridiculously but, after another, harder hit, he suddenly stands. all eyes go to him, which mianmian knows he hates, but he bows to his father, then jiang yanli, and says, “jiang-guniang, forgive my father’s impertinence. this is not the time or place to be making such an offer, but he--” jin zixuan winces visibly. “--he knows of my feelings and wishes to make his foolish son happy. please, do not feel the need to respond.”

then he promptly sits down, flushing down to his neck, and mianmian shares a disbelieving glance with lan wangji from across the horrible nightless city palace room.

she’d really only meant for him to suggest jiang yanli answer privately, at a later time, but wow, jin zixuan really went for it. also no way jin guangshan knows his son has fallen in love with jiang yanli, so nice save face there. maybe he has been paying attention in all of their etiquette and political espionage classes.

jiang yanli flushes way prettier than jin zixuan and nods politely, stands and bows and thanks the jin clan for being considerate in this time of turmoil, perhaps they can discuss this matter at a later date (jin zixuan looks like he nearly faints at this, and mianmian feels vindicated in all her forlorn ranting. overreacting her ass)

when everything has been settled, wen qing has been appointed the new sect leader of qishan wen with promises to return land to those who lost it and pay reparations to the hurt civilians, as well as have the yin iron destroyed for good. during the final ceremony where all the sects have tea and pledge to be loyal to one another (until the next great war, of course) mianmian leans close to lan wangji and sighs, “her ears look even lovelier with her hair tied back by her new sect leader hairpiece.”

lan wangji says “mn” because he’s a cut sleeve in love with wei wuxian and has nothing even closely resembling taste.

mianmian, on her own, decides to make them both happy. before the jin clan departs from nightless city, she goes up to wei wuxian and asks for a moment of his time. wei wuxian seems confused but follows and, once they’re alone, he says, “mianmian, are you about to get me into bed, because i must tell you that i am a respectable young cultivator and you’ll need to marry me before--”

mianmian gives him her best unimpressed look (she’s had much practice with it, thank you jin zixuan) and cuts him off with, “i like women.” 

wei wuxian’s eyes go wide. “but you and lan zhan--”

she cuts him off again before he can say something so stupid she has to stop talking to him to refrain from breaking all laws of propriety. “look,” she says, “you’re friends with wen qing. now that she’s sect leader, your brother can’t go after her. i, on the other hand, very much can. if you promise to figure out a way for me and her to get close, i’ll tell you a secret you’ll like very much.”

wei wuxian seems hesitant for all of half a second before he breaks. “tell me.”

“do you promise?”

wei wuxian raises three fingers. “promise.”

“on your sister’s life?”

begrudgingly, wei wuxian nods.

“on her soup?”

“just get on with it!”

mianmian smirks, pushes onto her tiptoes, and whispers the secret into wei wuxian’s ear. with that, she returns to the pavilion where all the sects mingle as they wait to depart, wei wuxian trailing behind her in a daze, his mouth hanging open.

lan wangji, who had been watching since mianmian asked wei wuxian for a moment to talk, frowns nearly imperceptibly. mianmian grins at him and his frown grows.

ah, whatever. she walks over to him, unbothered by the quickly growing alarm in his eyes. once next to him, she turns around to see wei wuxian staring unabashedly. her smile only widens.

“you’re going to thank me for this,” she says.

wei wuxian shakes himself, his eyes focusing, and immediately starts walking towards them.

lan wangji, voice flat but wavering, asks, “luo-guniang, what did you do?”

mianmian laughs, says, “i get to give a speech at your wedding,” and walks away just as wei wuxian reaches them.

(she does, actually, give a speech at their wedding. she may or may not be drunk during it, jin zixuan gets embarrassed for her, and she starts tearing up and has to hide it in the shoulder of her wife’s lovely well-tailored robes. it’s alright, though, wen qing doesn’t mind)

EDIT: now on AO3 with a real fic version from lwj’s pov!

[whetstonefires]

I also love reading your rambles. More Juamg Yanli analysis please?

See I meant to give you the meta you asked for but my attempt to focus on Yanli -> drop the WIPs I'd been making progress on finally, drop the cake, must urgently type up 5k of the Terrible Don't Do That Jiang Cheng Idea from the previous spate of Yanli meta from that ask last night.

I blame your cursed Naruto ask for sticking me in the 'make AU make sense' zone.

So here you go, hope this will do for now!

Cake has been accomplished btw but it came out of the oven at midnight a;lfdj;klfsd.

-

Jiang Yanli finished peeling the lotus roots, took up the knife, and began to cut.

Strong, broad hands made even slices. Unfamiliar to her, at least like this, they were yet familiar with the task. A-Cheng had known this recipe, had made a habit sometimes of cooking for himself and for his tiny family, even in her absence. He’d always worked so hard, and had had so much patience for the things he felt really mattered.

Yanli had adored both her little brothers to death and beyond, and shamefully part of the reason had been their unflagging conviction, condescending as it had grown with age, that she was one of the things that truly mattered, always. They had loved each other so much, all of them. They had loved her.

How could something so good become so bad?

How could it have come to this.

The kitchen staff clearly knew better than to bother their Sect Leader who was cutting lotus root with a thunderous expression. Yanli was grateful for this. Like everything she was grateful to A-Cheng for in this moment, it was full of bitter poison, but less than most, and so she let herself taste it, a little.

You were always stronger than me, A-Jie, his letter had said. As though her dedication to looking after her brothers had been some great feat of heroism, and not just the thing she needed to do, the thing that made her feel worthwhile. As though a truly heroic older sister wouldn’t have been one who stood up to her mother instead of steering around her like a boat through shoals, and patching up the wounds she left in hopes they wouldn’t scar, even though they obviously had.

In spite of everything else, she’d still flashed cold enough to half expect herself to faint, when she found out how quickly Wei Wuxian had followed her into death, how little time she'd bought him. Jiang Yanli had never been any use to anybody, and A-Cheng thought she was the one to steer them through this?

She wished he was here. She wished she had her husband or her son. She would even take her parents.

Yunmeng Jiang and Lanling Jin were on the brink of war. A-Ling’s visits to Yunmeng had been suspended even before—all this, that had in an indirect way been the cause of everything that followed, but now…

Cao Yufeng made me promise not to throw away the lives of our disciples, Jiang Cheng had written, speaking of the Head Disciple who had died getting him out of Jinlintai that final time. And—she lost her daughter, the last time I took us to war. Because I chose to send us against the man who’d torn himself apart into a weapon for me, gone insane.

I can’t say things would be alright, but more of us would still be here if I hadn’t done it. If I’d listened to you. If I hadn’t put my opinions about vengeance and politics over yours about mercy and family.

We can’t beat the Jin on the field. We’re outnumbered and outsupplied. If I tried to get A-Ling out by force we’d. This sentence ended in a great, deliberate blot of brushstrokes, characters obliterated. The rest of the letter had been very neatly written, even where A-Cheng’s hand had clearly begun to shake, with nerves or weeping; Yanli was fairly sure this had been a third or fourth draft. He must have given up on getting it perfect.

In slightly oversized characters, the next line began, I don’t know what else to do.

Jiang Yanli stirred the soup with her brother’s hands, paying close attention to how the fat in the pork was melting. If you cooked the meat too long, it was no good, all the flavor went out into the broth, and you might as well give the ribs to cats.

I can’t think what to do. I can’t make any more decisions. I can’t trust myself with them. I don’t deserve to lead the Sect, after all of this. Even if I could get A-Ling back, I know I’ve never deserved to have him. You deserved so much better, A-Jie. Let me give you what I can.

Let me get it right, this time.

As if he’d given her any choice in the matter.

Carefully, grateful for the rigid habits of Jiang Cheng’s face, Yanli moved the pot off the heat and carefully dished up three bowls, which she set on a small lacquered tray. The kitchen had had to be partially rebuilt after the fire the Wen had set, all those years ago now, but Yanli had been heavily involved in that process and everything was still kept where she had put it then, mostly the same organizational system they’d had since she was a girl but with a few modifications for convenience or efficiency.

She’d taken a small comfort in being able to get some use out of having to rebuild. Life from ashes, she had told herself a thousand times, in those two years after the war but before she married.

Ignoring the staff as she wouldn’t have, once, when she’d been herself and they’d all been people whose names she knew, Jiang Yanli took her three bowls of soup and carried them out of the kitchen and back to the Sect Leader’s private rooms. A-Cheng had barely changed those since they rebuilt them almost ten years ago, either.

She put the soup down on the table and distributed a bowl each to the boys waiting there for her, then took one for herself.

The taste of the first bite made Yanli’s heart clench so hard she wondered if it was A-Cheng’s grief she was feeling, not her own. A-Cheng who had made this recipe who knew how many times, always knowing he would never taste her soup again.

Wen Ning’s spoon stirred anxiously through his soup bowl, which he had leaned over to smell, but he didn’t take a bite. “Ah, thank you very much, Madam Jiang,” he said, using the bittersweet title they had agreed on for private conversation, because she could not bear to hear Jiang-zongzhu constantly when she had to answer to it so often outside these rooms, knowing they meant someone who was not here. “But I can’t eat.”

Jiang Yanli blinked at him. Somehow this felt like something she should not have taken nearly two days to learn. “What did you do with that soup I gave you that time, then?” she asked. Her words, honest and reasonable, seemed to be coming from a slight distance, as they so frequently were now. Yanli wondered a little if this was a consequence of death, or something about how A-Cheng’s body worked, but it had gone away just enough times and was familiar enough that she knew it was shock.

Wen Ning dropped his eyes further like he was hoping they would fall into his soup and free him from the burden of deciding where to look, although A-Xian had preserved his body far too perfectly for that, even if apparently not as well as she’d thought. “I gave it to my baby cousin.” A shy glance up. Wen Ning had died at nineteen; Jiang Yanli wondered if he was capable of growing up in any sense, like this. “He loved it.”

“Of course he did,” said the actual teenager in the room, already more than halfway through his bowl. “In Wei Wuxian’s notes he kept making little asides about how exciting it was to eat anything that wasn’t radishes, that kid would have been over the moon about anything with a bit of meat in it even if it wasn’t the best soup in the world.

“It kind of is though,” he added to Jiang Yanli, in a manner that made it very hard to tell whether he was paying her a calculated compliment or unleashing a burst of wild sincerity.

She could trace his resemblance to her A-Xuan in the outside corners of his eyes, the bow of his upper lip, the way his nose joined his face, but he resembled his other brother in the jaw and inside eyes, as they joined the bridge of the nose, and he’d inherited something from Jin Guangshan neither of them had, around the eyebrows. He even reminded her a little of A-Xian, which must come from his mother.

Yanli wondered who A-Ling resembled. He was seven now, he’d have grown into enough of his face to be able to begin to say.

“Wei-gongzi always said so,” Wen Ning told Mo Xuanyu, and to Jiang Yanli, “It smells wonderful.”

How amazing, she thought, taking another bite, that he could smell things. But after all, she too was long dead, and here she was tasting golden broth and simmered lotus.

Out of habit, she’d put extra meat in the other two bowls.

Wen Ning seemed to have noticed this, too, and lifted one tender rib with his spoon. “Would you like—”

“No, thank you.” Yanli was working her way methodically through her portion, but she hadn’t made this soup because she especially wanted to eat it.

“I’ll take it,” volunteered Mo Xuanyu, tipping back his own bowl to hastily finish off the broth now that he had a prospect of seconds. Wen Ning silently pushed his own serving over.

It was almost heart-warming, to see the way the boy tucked in. You could see he hadn’t always eaten enough, even though he’d been in Koi Tower and the last thing any member of the Jin should have to worry about was running short of food. Had his brother, or his father before that, kept him on short commons to keep him in line? It was the kind of thing Jin Guangshan had done.

Never to A-Xuan, but Yanli had had a year to get the lay of the place. Mostly her father-in-law hadn’t interfered in Madam Jin’s more sane domestic arrangements, but when he had it had been unpleasant, and in the back of her mind Yanli had made some preliminary plans for if Jin Guangshan outlived his wife.

She had intended in that case to begin on what she’d intended to be a strong alliance with her brother-in-law, who was excessively eager to please his father but also had a much better understanding of the realities of household management than any of the other men in the family. Jiang Yanli couldn’t say she’d liked him, but she hadn’t disliked him either.

She’d thought she had better than even odds of enlisting his help, considering that he’d seemed clever enough to understand that having Jin Guangshan’s favor at the expense of a functioning Jin Sect and his brother’s good opinion wouldn’t be a good trade, not if he could have both. She’d thought a lot of things.

A-Xian had always eaten like that, even when he wasn’t half-starved. Yanli had fed him this soup while his bones showed too-sharp like that three times, even though the first time she’d sworn he would never have to go hungry again. The third time, she’d gone away and left him afterward, knowing he was going hungry.

There hadn’t been a real alternative. Wei Wuxian had made his choices and Jiang Yanli had respected them. But she should have tried harder, should have worked to establish herself more in Jinlintai and known about the ambush or—a hundred things she could have done differently, if she had known how the first and only year of her marriage would end. Choosing to live happily and lay careful foundations had seemed like the right choice at the time.

So many things seemed like the right choice, when you did them.

“How could you let him?” she asked abruptly. It came out—menacing. Her own voice hadn’t been capable of conveying anger like that. If she’d tried very hard to rage, it would still have sounded shrill and unimpressive, and if she’d spoken the way she’d tried to just now, it might have chilled the right room but it would still have sounded gentle.

A-Cheng’s voice had no softness in it, and both boys went very still.

Mo Xuanyu put his spoon down into his second bowl of soup. “Well, I could hardly stop him,” he said. “It was Sect Leader Jiang, Sandu Shenshou, and I was technically his prisoner.” He said this even though he’d affirmed the impression given in the letter that when Jiang Cheng had removed him from Jinlintai they’d both regarded it as a rescue, even if the Jin did not agree. “And he had the notes. All I could have done was refuse to help him, and then he’d have done it alone, and what if he messed up and died and didn’t even get you back?” He shook his head.

Jiang Yanli looked at Wen Ning, who flinched for a second, and then raised his head and she thought she saw a flash of this Ghost General people talked about, the person or the weapon that had killed her husband. “He pointed out I helped do something similar once before,” he said. “He asked if I thought you were worth less than him. He asked what I thought Wei-gongzi would have wanted.”

“Not this,” slipped out of Yanli’s mouth, A-Cheng’s mouth.

“No,” Wen Ning admitted. “But I was there in Yiling, after—” After his family murdered hers. When A-Cheng had just…lain there. “Wei-gongzi and Jiang Wanyin did agree between them that your life was worth more than theirs.”

Of course they had. And of course it wasn’t.

“I’m the eldest,” Yanli said. And only a woman. “It was my place. Never theirs.” And she’d always known they’d never agree to that.

Wen Ning looked down at the table. “I would give anything if I could make A-Jie take her choice back,” he said.

Because, of course, the two of them had given themselves over to the Jin—her second family, the one she’d married into—and Wen Qing had died and it had saved nobody. That murder was what A-Xian had come to the Nightless City to avenge, ruining everything even though Yanli couldn’t pretend it had not been already ruined, or that he had been any more in the wrong than anyone else making decisions at the time. Especially with what Jiang Cheng had uncovered about the circumstances of Jin Zixuan’s death.

“That was a tragic and unjust waste,” Jiang Yanli told Wen Ning, as though that did not describe almost everything that had happened between their families all these years, or perhaps because it did.

“Also,” he said to the table, “Jiang Wanyin attacked me with Zidian and covered me with paralyzing talismans when he thought I might interfere, and I couldn’t do anything until Mo-gongzi let me out.”

Something unlocked in her chest even though it shouldn’t. “But you meant to?”

Wen Ning’s stiff face did a strange thing. “Your brother took the choice out of my hands.”

So he wasn’t sure. Well. At least Jiang Yanli could consider forgiving him for A-Cheng, just as she’d partly forgiven him for A-Xuan. Both of her loved ones had, after all, made their own choices, even if her husband’s had been a sort of reckless trust and her brother’s deliberate self-destruction.

Both her brothers. And how angry did she get to be with them for choosing that, when she’d done it too? Not first, because apparently A-Cheng had gone first, throwing himself out as bait, and A-Xian next, carving himself open. She’d taught them that, somehow. She’d never wanted to. They were such good boys. They had always been so good.

If she’d been allowed to raise her A-Ling, would she have brought him up to do the same?

She sighed. “For now,” she said, “I have to take responsibility. Mo-gongzi, I will welcome your guidance in the coming days as I try to undo my brothers’ work, but in the meantime I have a Sect and a son to consider. Can I ask you both for your support?”

“Anything,” said Wen Ning, and she saw that he blamed himself more than she ever could.

Mo Xuanyu nodded, more judiciously. “I’m not a demonic cultivation expert, or anything,” he said. “But—I’m seeing that betraying people is a habit Yao-ge has, so it wasn’t my fault, and I’m. Really mad.”

“Thank you,” Yanli said, regretting that she had to rely on a child. But then he was only a little younger than her brothers had been in the war. Which had been far too young, and wasn’t that perhaps a root of how she found herself in this position? “Do finish your soup. There’s more in the kitchen.”

Mo Xuanyu applied himself to his bowl, and Wen Ning asked, “What can I do? What are you planning, Madam Jiang?”

Jiang Yanli chewed the meat off a pork rib with careful deliberation, making herself pay attention to the flavor, to the sensation of the fat on her brother’s lips and tongue. She set the bone down again.

“I am going,” she said, “to start with something I know A-Cheng could not have done.” If he wanted her to be the one making decisions now, if he felt that his solutions could not serve and wanted hers instead, well.

For the first time, the world demanded that Jiang Yanli act.

It had spent so long demanding she refrain from acting. As her mother’s daughter, she knew what it took for a woman to carve out the right to make her own decisions in the way men were expected to, and she knew what the costs were, and she had never been willing to pay them. But now her little brother had paid everything to ensure that the girl who had bandaged his scrapes and talked him through his childhood despairs would be in charge of a Sect on the brink of war.

“I am going to speak to Lan Wangji.”

-

Under only slightly different circumstances, the best thing would have been to send a letter inviting Hanguang-jun to Yunmeng. It would be polite, save effort, and put the conversation on her own ground and her own terms.

Hanguang-jun, however, apparently hated Jiang Wanyin and would not have come in reply to one letter, and Yanli did not have the time for the kind of letter-writing campaign that would persuade him. And she badly needed to go off alone, anyway, and could hardly assign herself a solo night-hunt. Anything fit for a Sect Leader in such a tense time would almost certainly be beyond her capabilities, but having taken it on she would have to complete it somehow.

Yanli went to the Ancestral Hall and knelt. Honored her parents, in all their flaws that somehow she found more utterly forgivable than ever, and more terrible, because their children should not have come to this and it could not be all Yanli’s fault, surely. Even if it was all her doing that her brothers had made these choices, shouldn’t Yu Ziyuan have been there, setting a better maternal example, then?

“I’m sorry I let this happen,” she said, bowing, and letting the resentment go. It was no use now.

She looked at the tablet bearing her own name and imagined it was for each of her brothers in turn. A-Xian, how could you make something like this, she thought, knowing he must have meant it for his own use, if he’d meant it to be used at all and not as an intellectual exercise. In the end he had not used it. Was that because he knew better, or because by the end there had been too many dead for him to choose only one, or because he hadn’t wanted to burden her or Wen Qing with having to live in the body of the Yiling Patriarch?

Or maybe it really was meant for demons and he had never considered using it to trap the dead.

A-Cheng, how could you do this. Yanli pushed the question toward him, into the world. She refused to believe he was really gone. That he’d torn himself apart, obliterated, lingering nowhere and never to live again.

It was supposed to be a bargain, wasn’t it? And he’d left her with nothing to fulfill, made a gift of it. Surely that was a weak point, something she could use to unravel the whole thing somehow. Surely he was still out there. Surely.

“I will make it right,” she promised, and rose, and went to dress for the road.

-

A-Cheng had taken Suibian from Jinlintai, along with so many of A-Xian’s other things, and Wen Ning and Mo Xuanyu. Deliberately, Jiang Yanli hung it from her belt beside Sandu. Then she opened the chest from under her brother’s bed that she’d gone through the night before and took out her own sword, Yinglian, which she had never been any use with at all and would never have received if she had been some outer disciple with the same abilities.

This, she strapped across her back, where she had worn it the few times she had bothered, before it was tacitly agreed by everyone that her cultivation had stagnated enough she would never fly the sword or be much use in a night hunt, and she was allowed to put it away. It lay much smaller across Jiang Cheng’s shoulders than it had across her own. They had never managed closeness, she and Yinglian. It had always felt like an even worse arranged match than the one between her and Zixuan—even if he had not liked her, she had always known she could be basically competent in the office of wife. As a cultivator, she had always been useless, body and spirit equally unfit.

There was no way to know which if any of the three would best suit her, now.

She walked out carrying all three swords, and there was nobody in the whole compound who dared to comment.

“We can’t stand alone against an outright assault from the Jin,” she said, to the crowd of mostly young disciples who followed her to the quay. Jiang Cheng had, helpfully, explained as much as he felt they needed to know of the situation to the Sect before leaving her here; they knew about a large number of crimes including Jin Guangyao having sent Jin Zixuan to his death in a strategic multi-layered assassination, experiments in demonic cultivation, the murder of his father, and what she and her brother were both treating as the kidnapping of Jin Ling. “And it was Cao Yufeng’s dying wish that we not act recklessly in the name of honor.”

Faces around her showed signs of recognizing the reference to the Jiang disciples that had died fighting Wei Wuxian, who would never have been a threat to anyone who didn’t go after him and his first. Though probably almost no one here recalled that, remembered what he’d been like.

Cao Yufeng had been twelve years older than Yanli, not one of the shijie she’d relied on or gotten on well with particularly, but one of the only people left after the war who’d known the three of them growing up.

“I am going to Gusu to ask for their intervention.”

Yang Sugong, who had been fourteen when Yanli had last seen him and not yet using a courtesy name since he hadn’t been born into the gentry, made a grimace and said, delicately but with a conviction that showed Jiang Cheng had come to rely on him: “Ah, Sect Leader, you realize the Jin will have been there first.”

Of course. Jin Guangyao would have been in correspondence with his sworn brother instantly after Jiang Cheng had fought his way out of Jinlintai with the Ghost General at his back, and he’d probably visited in person by now. Jiang Cheng had given him four days to work, and Yanli another two. It was past time to defend.

“Yes,” she said, in what would be a cool voice for her but came out contemptuous from her brother’s mouth. She was still learning. “But I trust the Lan will not attack or imprison a Sect Leader on a diplomatic visit just because Zewu-jun is intimate with Meng Yao.”

Even if this really had been a diplomatic visit, she’d have been best served by going to the Lan first and getting the Jiang side of the story on record, before any further proceedings between Lanling and Yunmeng. If Chifeng-zun were still alive the Nie could be looked to as an ally, because sworn brother or not he hated double dealing of this kind, but Jiang Yanli didn’t understand enough about how young Huaisang was operating as Sect Leader yet to approach him.

Some of her disciples made faces that suggested they’d read something scandalous into her flat wording and weren’t sure if it was an intentional joke. Interesting, in that she’d heard such rumors spitefully shared in Jinlintai seven years ago but not in Yunmeng.

“Lan Xichen is always careful to be fair, but if he only hears one side of the story of course he’ll be biased. At the very least I don’t want them dragged in to punish us for harboring Wen Qionglin or kidnapping Mo Xuanyu.

"Remember that Mo-gongzi is a guest that sought sanctuary here, and is free to leave. Don’t let him remove any of Wei Wuxian’s effects.” She couldn’t make Mo Xuanyu help her undo this, but she wasn’t having him take her information about how. She and Wen Ning were the only people left with any right to A-Xian’s things, anyway.

“If the Jin attack, send a message to me and focus on securing Lotus Pier. Let the Ghost General fight as much as he likes but keep a perimeter around him. We don’t want a repeat of what happened to Jin Zixuan.”

One of the girl disciples whose name she hadn't caught fretted a handkerchief. “Are you sure none of us can come with you?”

Yanli felt bad for leaving them. They’d just lost their Head Disciple, war loured on the horizon when they weren’t truly done rebuilding from the last one, and now their Sect Leader was going to be gone.

But the truth was, their Sect Leader had already left them. And Jiang Yanli was doing what needed to be done.

She didn’t smile, because A-Cheng wouldn’t. “I can move faster and less noticeably alone. You’re all more use here. Do you not believe in the strength of Yunmeng Jiang?”

“Of course!” said the disciple who’d asked and several others.

She inclined her head. “So do I. Make me proud.”

And she stepped off the dock and set off in her one-person boat, which would carry her a good part of the way almost as fast as a sword and far more easily.

Yanli had rarely gone out alone, in life, both because it was not her way to seek solitude and because her body had been weak enough that no one would have been comfortable with it if she had, nor would it have been a sensible decision. But though they were all easier now the tasks of sailing were old and familiar, and they comforted her until she reached the pier where her path diverged from the water.

She left the boat in the care of an associate of the clan, a man who had been in this role since she was eleven years old and was beginning to look weathered, and walked on out of sight, carrying the three swords which no one had dared to remark on.

-

The Sect Leader of Yunmeng Jiang stood in a forest clearing, well out of sight, and ran through the forms of the Jiang style.

She did them better than she ever had in life—Jiang Cheng’s muscles knew these movements, had spent nearly as many years practicing them as Yanli had lived. Yinglian was no good to her, though. It responded, but sluggishly, unhappy with the amount of energy she was trying to feed it when it had been designed for light, precision work, a sewing needle of a jian.

It recognized her, too, and remembered her rejection, which had been if not quite personal, certainly not an act of affection.

Also, it was physically too light in her brother’s broad hand.

Sandu was little better. It joined her in missing A-Cheng, and in that spirit they could work together—she would, she thought, be able to fly on Sandu if anyone was watching—but their bond had been close. Jiang Cheng had taken his title from this weapon. There was only so far it could bring itself to help her, and Jiang Yanli needed all the help she could get.

It was Suibian that was willing to give that. Suibian that leapt in her hand, reinforced every stroke to be stronger, faster, more precise and less tiring. It recognized her, at least as someone A-Xian had wanted to see succeed, and she could feel in her hand that it did not resent him as Yinglian did her. Suibian understood that it had been left behind not out of a lack of love.

And Suibian recognized the core burning in her belly.

It was Suibian she would fight with, if it came to real battle. If she needed to seriously defend herself and her Sect, if she needed to learn to kill. No other partner would carry her through that well enough. She would wrap the hilt and paper over the name and find another sheath, if necessary, or she would live with the whispers. Sandu Shengshou has reclaimed the Yiling Patriarch’s sword that he cast aside. The Jiang Sect Leader has forgiven the traitor to his sect whom he killed himself. Jiang Cheng is possessed by the ghost of Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Yanli put a hand to her chest, between heart and core, and smiled faintly, sadly, a smile that she knew would sit oddly on this face if anyone could see but which felt familiar. “Not quite.”

Zidian responded to her beautifully. She was, after all, her mother’s daughter. Now more than ever before.

A-Cheng had already done the hard work of teaching his arms and qi to twist and snap the whip into its many forms, but Yanli stayed there practicing her precision and control until the sun was sinking.

And then she walked on, ring on her hand and three swords with her. Jiang Yanli, with Jiang Wanyin’s hands and Wei Wuxian’s golden core.

We three, she had said once upon a time, are the closest on earth.

We'll never be apart.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Fic were both JZX and Jiang Yanli are trans? I imagine the engagement would get complicated.

The More Things Change - ao3

“My lady,” the midwife said. “Congratulations. You have a daughter.”

Madame Jin shook her head. “I need a son,” she said.

“My lady –”

“I’m not doing that again,” Madame Jin said, her voice getting stronger. “I need a son.”

“But –”

She looked at her loyal maid, who inclined her head.

A knife flashed.

“Congratulations, my lady,” her maid said, pushing aside the midwife’s body with her foot. “You have a son.”

Madame Jin smiled.

-

“I’m glad you survived the birth of your child,” Madame Yu said to her old childhood friend, wondering why she’d been invited over to visit Lanling City quite so quickly – it hadn’t even been a month. “Were you thinking –”

“I have a son,” her friend said.

“Congratulations.”

“You don’t understand,” her friend said. “There’s a problem.”

-

“A-Li,” Jiang Yanli’s mother said in a strange tone. “Do you like wearing dresses?”

“Uh-huh,” Jiang Yanli said, trying to see if she could stick her fist into her mouth. She’d always worn frocks, the way all children her age did, but at some point soon her mother had been warning her that she’d need to switch over to wearing proper robes for boys. Jiang Yanli had burst into tears, saying she didn’t want to be a boy at all – that she didn’t want to leave her mother’s side, that she didn’t want to join the world of men, she didn’t, she didn’t.

“And you really don’t want to go be a boy? Really, you’re sure?”

Jiang Yanli nodded.

“What if I said you didn’t have to be? You could be a girl, just the way you like.”

“Really?”

“Mm. But you’d have to be a girl forever.”

“Okay,” Jiang Yanli said happily. “I wanna be a girl forever.”

“Good,” her mother said, and picked her up. “Just keep saying that.”

-

“What do you think we are,” Jiang Fengmian asked his wife blankly. “Qinghe Nie?”

His wife glared daggers at him.

“Attempt the impossible,” she said stiffly. “A-Li has been claiming to be a girl consistently for a year. Would you deny her the chance to follow her dreams?”

Well, when she put it that way…

Jiang Fengmian hesitated.

“It does create a problem,” his wife said, and he looked at her. She smiled faintly and leaned forward, showing her curves to their best advantage. “If she’s a girl, she’ll marry out, won’t she? We need a boy.”

Jiang Fengmian swallowed. A boy sounded – nice, he thought vaguely, eyes caught on what he was being offered. A little boy, lively and bright, with a happy smile always on his face…yes, that sounded rather nice.

Wei Changze’s letter upstairs said that his wife had announced that they had conceived, and that she had divined that it would be a son – it was frightfully early to make such predictions, less than a month in, but apparently disciples of the immortal mountain were able to determine such things early. A boy like that, who could be friends with their boy, a reason for them to come to visit and maybe even to stay…

Yes, he thought. That sounded rather good.

“All right,” he said. “A-Li can be a girl, I guess.”

-

Madame Yu and Madame Jin let news of the engagement seep out as rumor for months before telling their husbands. When they did, they took different approaches: Madame Jin pointed out the strategic benefits of an alliance with Yunmeng Jiang and the unlikelihood of Jin Guangshan finding a match for their son that would give him so much more influence in the cultivation world, which had made her husband stop his grumbling and look upon the match with a favorable eye.

Madame Yu stared at her husband, for whom she had just born a son three weeks premature and very nearly died in the process, and said, “What’s your problem?”

“A-Li can’t marry the Jin sect heir! She’s not –” He waved his hands. “The possibility of children –”

“I would have thought that would be a selling point,” Madame Yu said, and he blinked at her. “He’s Guangshan’s son. There will be children enough.”

After some further arguing, Jiang Fengmian begrudgingly backed down.

Madame Yu smiled to herself, and thought of grandchildren.

-

Everyone said that Jin Zixuan was a spoiled brat and incredibly lucky, but he didn’t think he was. Sure, he was rich and legitimate; his father valued him, while his mother loved him and would defend him against any challengers to his position as heir, but privately…

“Why do I have to work so hard?” Jin Zixuan asked, panting. “I’m already cultivating, and my teachers say I’m not bad with the sword –”

“Not bad isn’t good enough,” his mother said sharply. “You have to keep up with all the rest of them, and that means getting ahead now.”

“The rest of who?” he asked. “Do you mean…”

He hesitated, not knowing if he was also included in his mother’s taboo against mentioning the results of his father’s philandering.

“All of the cultivation world’s young gentlemen,” she said, to his surprise. “You have to keep up with them. No, you need to exceed them. You must!”

“But – why?”

“I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

-

“Mother,” Jiang Yanli said. She was clutching a book in her hands. “Mother, can we talk?”

Her mother frowned at her, looking disapproving – and then she saw the book.

Jiang Yanli thought she would yell at her, but she didn’t; her mother only gestured for her to come into her room, ordering her maids to close the doors and windows.

“Mother,” Jiang Yanli said. “Mother, the book –”

“How did you get a spring book?” her mother asked. She looked tired. “Surely you’re still too young?”

Jiang Yanli bowed her head.

It was true, she was too young. And yet…

“Mother, the pictures in the book…”

“I know.” Her mother sighed. “All right. Let me explain.”

-

Jin Zixuan stared at his mother. He felt sick.

“But,” he said, and swallowed. “But what about…?”

“I’ve handled it,” she said harshly. “But that is why you must not allow your father to take you to a brothel. Is that understood?”

-

“Who do you think is the best girl? Zixuan-xiong?”

“Oh, don’t ask him! He has a fiancée, so his answer will be her!”

“A fiancée? Really? What sect is she from? She must be extremely talented!”

“Forget it,” Jin Zixuan said.

“What do you mean by that?” Wei Wuxian exclaimed, and suddenly he was getting into his face. “Say that again if you dare!”

Jin Zixuan opened his mouth, hating him – hating the whole situation, being stuck not making any decisions for himself, his whole life mapped out for him by others – but then hesitated.

Jiang Yanli is the only one fit for you, his mother said. Do you understand? The only one.

“I haven’t met her since I was five,” he said instead of what he wanted, rolling his eyes. “So how could I dare to boast about her in your presence? You all want to know about her, ask Jiang-gongzi.”

Wei Wuxian blinked at him, the wind suddenly taken out of his sails.

Jin Zixuan escaped.

He felt like shit, thought. She was his fiancée, and he didn’t know anything about her – he didn’t want to hear about her, think about her. And yet…

The only one.

He went back to his room and wrote her a letter. It was a mess, the worst thing he’d ever written, nothing at all like the polite and careful phrasing, elegant and beautiful, that he’d been trying to put together, something worthy of his name.

He sent it before he could think better of it.

-

Jiang Yanli held the letter to her chest and smiled.

-

They’d exchanged a few dozen letters. Jin Zixuan knew that his intended was smart and witty, empathetic and kind, observant and well-meaning, but he didn’t know that she was beautiful until after they escaped from the indoctrination camp and the cave with the Xuanwu of Slaughter.

He’d just accompanied Jiang Cheng for the entire seven days it took to get to the Lotus Pier, collapsing right alongside him, and while Jiang Cheng had – somehow – gotten back on his feet and immediately led his father and mother out the door to go rescue Wei Wuxian, he’d stayed down on the floor until someone knelt down in front of him and smiled.

“Can I get you something to eat, Jin-gongzi?” Jiang Yanli asked.

“Uh,” Jin Zixuan said, and turned bright red. He could sure think of some things he’d like to eat – living as his father’s son had certainly given him an education (however theoretical) about that.

“Food,” Jiang Yanli clarified, giggling into her sleeve. “Let me get you some food.”

-

This was probably a bad idea, Jiang Yanli thought, looking down at the head tucked against her chest. I probably should’ve just stuck to food. What if he gets with child? What will we do then?

She couldn’t quite bring herself to regret it, though.

“A-Xuan,” she whispered, and Jin Ziuxan stirred a little. “Can we do it again?”

“You’re insatiable.”

That wasn’t a refusal.

-

“A-Li!” Jin Zixuan shouted, rushing forward. “A-Li, A-Li…!”

She collapsed into his arms.

He looked at the retainers from Meishan Yu, stubborn but pale. “It’s all right,” he said. “She’s my fiancée. I can take care of her.”

“The Jin sect walks in the center path,” one of the retainers said. “Never quite committing to the Sunshot Campaign. How do we know this isn’t a trick to get into the Wen sect’s good books?”

Jin Zixuan bit his lip. He’d pushed his father time and time again, and even that had only gotten them to participate half-heartedly in the fight against the Wen sect. What could he say? What worth was his word?

“It’s all right,” Jiang Yanli said. “I trust him.”

-

“You could do so much better, you know,” Wei Wuxian said. “It’s not too late!”

Jiang Yanli smiled down at her wedding outfit, but thinking instead of the panicked expression on Jin Zixuan’s face a week before when he’d unexpectedly thrown up in the morning when he was supposed to be preparing for the Phoenix Mountain hunt.

“Oh, it’s too late,” Jiang Cheng grumbled. “On that note, you pick the name.”

“The name…?”

“For our upcoming nephew.”

“Shijie! You didn’t!”

Jiang Yanli’s grin widened.

-

“Wei Wuxian has committed a crime in attacking our camp and taking the Wen remnants,” Jin Zixuan’s father announced. “We should –”

“Let it go, Father.”

“…what?!”

“I’m getting married, and he’s A-Li’s shidi,” Jin Zixuan reminded his father. “It would be inauspicious to start a marriage by breaking such a relationship.”

His father looked like he was planning on ignoring that, so Jin Zixuan used his trump card.

“We can’t afford anything inauspicious right now,” he said. “Not when there’s a child on the way.”

His mother dropped her cup.

-

“I have to go,” Jin Zixuan said. “You don’t understand. I have to.”

Jiang Yanli rubbed his hair. “You’re supposed to be in seclusion,” she reminded him. “As am I.”

“I’ve been throwing up every morning for two months, A-Li,” Jin Zixuan pleaded. “I can order them to clear the kitchen. No one would know we were there!”

Jiang Yanli laughed a little. “The craving’s that bad, huh?”

“Yes!”

“Oh, all right. We’ll give it a shot…”

It would have worked, too, if Jin Guangyao hadn’t noticed that too many people were in the wrong place and taken it upon himself to investigate.

“…Jiang-guniang?” He stared at her flat waist, then turned his eyes slowly towards the roundness at Jin Zixuan’s. “Jin-gongzi…?!”

“It’s all right, it’s A-Yao,” Jin Zixuan said to Jiang Yanli. “He won’t tell anyone. Right?”

Jin Guangyao shook his head mutely.

“Seclusion,” he muttered. “No wonder…everyone said it was bad timing that you went into seclusion right before Mistress Jiang announced her pregnancy. But it wasn’t, was it..?” He shook his head. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell.”

“We’re in your debt,” Jin Zixuan said, and thought Jin Guangyao’s eyes upon him were softer than they’d ever been before. “You’ll be a good uncle.”

Jin Guangyao smiled. “Perhaps,” he allowed. “One question, if I may. Who’s the father?”

Jiang Yanli wrapped an arm around Jin Zixuan’s shoulders and beamed.

Jin Guangyao’s jaw dropped again.

-

“Your son needs you,” Jiang Yanli said to Madame Jin. “Go.”

-

“Jin Ling,” Madame Jin said, looking down at the baby in her arms. A son, her grandson…a miracle. “Well. You’re – not what I expected.”

If her husband ever found out…

Well.

She’d just have to make sure he wouldn’t, now, wouldn’t she?

[silenteyes]

If Wei Wuxian Grew Up In Different Sects (or with our lovely Rogue Cultivators)

ft. fanfictions I’ve read for each of them - excluding Yunmeng Jiang Sect

Warnings: Spoilers for MDZS, Canon-typical Yu Ziyuan and her treatment to WWX, a few uncensored cursing

Yunmeng Jiang Sect

Clearly, we know that he and the Jiangs have a- complicated relationship. With Jiang FengMian it’s on a thin line, and though it’s clear he cares for WWX - JFM still sees WWX as just a disciple, not a son because the last words he says to WWX are “A-Ying, A-Cheng... you must look after him.”

With Madam Yu it’s clear that their relationship is unhealthy, she basically abuses him. With Jiang Cheng it’s also unhealthy - as much as I loathe to say it, they will NEVER get the reconciliation we want because WWX has done too much for JC to forgive and JC and his anger issues are not safe for WWX. The only ACTUAL healthy relationship he’s got in the Jiang Sect is with Jiang Yanli. She forgives a lot and it’s clear she loves WWX.

Gusu Lan Sect

Ah - yes, this one. In all honesty, if he WERE to be found by the Lans he would’ve probably be well-behaved since he was just a child and easy to, how do I say it - teach. 

He might still have his playfulness but it would be toned down quite a lot. I also like to think that he would get along with Madam Lan and most probably prevent her death. This may be an unpopular opinion, but he and Lan Xichen would get along well, and LXC would be the one to make him comfortable first. WWX would still grow close with Lan Wangji of course, but if anything happens he would not go to LWJ first.

If they grew up together, I’m sorry - but I can’t imagine that he would date LWJ then. But, you can think the other way around! I don’t boss you and tell you who to ship and who not to ship! 

Fanfiction: ‘Some call it kidnapping. The Lan Clan call it adoption.’ by IceBreeze 

Summary: “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, look!” Wei Ying did a twirl. “I’m the same as you now! Am I pretty? Say Lan Zhan, am I pretty?”

Huan muffled a laugh behind his sleeve as A-Zhan said “Mn,” eyes never once leaving Wei Ying. There was something a little like awe in his stare, like Wei Ying was the only one in the world to him at that moment, and if Huan hadn’t already known that his little brother cared deeply for Wei Ying then that look would have been all the confirmation he needed.

(If A-Zhan knew what marriage and romance was beyond the vague explanations he’d heard then he’d probably already be courting Wei Ying, with all the dogged determination he shows everything he puts his mind to. It’s adorable, and Huan supports it wholeheartedly, no matter what direction it heads in the end).

Or: an AU Wei Wuxian is taken in by the Lan clan instead of the Jiangs.

Qishan Wen Sect

Hm, this one is quite complicated. To be honest, WWX would probably fit in well in the sect, and Wen Ruohan most possibly cares about power, and WWX is powerful so he’d care for him AND Wen Xu. Wen Chao is just there in the background being bullied, I like to think.

WWX would make Wen Qing their head doctor and give her more power, while he would also help Wen Ning with archery. All and all he would be alright in the Wen Sect, but there would still be a couple casualties here and there, because of Wen Chao’s jealousy.

Fanfiction:  ‘ He was brighter than the Sun’ by AncientOceanmelody

Summary:  Wei Wuxian was the head disciple of Yunmengjiang Sect, he was the pride of Yunmeng. Jiang Fengmian see him like a son, everyone (except Madam Yu) love him.

He would do everything for those who were dear to him.

So why do is feel horrible when Uncle Jiang didn't hesitate when he offer himself to the Wens instead of Jiang Cheng?

Why is he crying?

After all, he was just the son of a friend, the son of a servant, is was obvious his Uncle would prefer his Sect over him.

Qinghe Nie Sect

Again, I’m gonna be honest, but this sect would be the BEST one for WWX to grow up in. Nie Mingjue would get along great with WWX (we’re ignoring canon GROWN WWX) and Nie Huaisang has another brother :D

NHS and WWX would use their time to cause mischief and plot stuff while NMJ is like “These are my brothers. They’re annoying. Don’t you fucking dare lay a finger on them.”

Just - THEY WOULD BE THE HEALTHIEST RELATIONSHIP EVER IN ALL THE SECTS! NMJ taking care of WWX and NHS, NHS constantly worrying over WWX and NMJ because they fight (you know- war I mean) and WWX just being the self-sacrificing moron he is and protecting NMJ and NHS

Fanfiction: ‘shades of grey’ by cl410

Summary: This was why he didn’t like to leave the Unclean Realm, Nie Mingjue thought with dismay. Guileless dark eyes blinked up at him, tiny hands clutching at his robes.

Or: Nie Mingjue comes across Wei Wuxian before Jiang Fengmian, and decides Nie Huaisang could use a friend.

Lanling Jin Sect

OH BOY! I just love Jin Zixuan getting along with WWX and being an older brother to him. I would think that if JZX (Not Zixun, I despise him) grew up with WWX they would definitely get along and have a healthier relationship than the Yunmeng Bros. Jin Guangshan would definitely not see the point in having WWX in there, and Madam Jin is much more empathetic and she would be the on to take care of WWX.

You may be wondering - Jin Zixuan is Jin Zixuan. Wouldn’t his pride get in the way of things? He’s not called a peacock for no reason, and yes! I can see why you think that! But look at MianMian! She’s JZX best friend BECAUSE she probably grew up with him, and it’s clear in terms of temperament she’s better than JZX and she might even rival him in swordsmanship. If given the choice to grow up with him, WWX would have an amazing brotherly relationship with JZX, and would most likely accept the fact that WWX is amazing and would be PROUD of him. 

Also JZX’s relationship with Jiang Yanli may improve JUST BECAUSE WWX is there

(I might just be biased, idk)

Fanfiction: ‘Twin Treasures’ by crossdressingdeath

Summary: When Madame Jin happens to come across Cangse Sanren's orphaned son on a trip to Yiling, she can't bring herself to leave him there. Wei Wuxian finds a somewhat different family. Jin Zixuan finds a little brother. The course of history changes accordingly.

(Some things are written in fate, but even fate itself changes.)

Rogue Cultivators - Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen

Let me point out first that Xingchen is ETHEREAL! HE’S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PERSON ON THE PLANET! (Song Jiyang is amazing istg I’ve never watched The Untamed but I’ve SEEN clips of them like 哥你怎样那么美). 

ANYWAYS, BACK TO THE POINT! Xiao Xingchen and Song Zichen would be amazing parents, don’t deny it. SZC would be rocky at taking care of WWX at first but he would get the hang of it and be the most over-protective person on the planet and would KILL ANYONE who hurts his family. Xiao Xingchen on the other hand would be the doting and loving parent. He spoils WWX but not as much as SZC (though he would never admit it). SZC and XXC would be the best if you want WWX to have parental figures.

Fanfiction:  ‘Frost moon's sun’ by RenaFair

Summary: Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan had dreamed of founding a sect together, that is until Xingchen heard what happened to his shijie. The two then decides to put their little dream on hold as they care for a pair of tiny hands between them, protecting the little boy with a sunshine smile as best as they can.

Alternately; Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan adopted Wei Ying after his parents' death.