#Now he is Lan Qiren Approved | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

robininthelabyrinth · 1 year ago

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Ah, this is invisible_cities from ao3 - dropping off a plot bunny I mentioned in a comment on 'No Complaints' as requested, since you considered it intriguing and didn't want to lose the idea. It went: I keep being haunted by this kernel of an idea, an AU in which LQR&JC -Done Uncles(TM) - have a (political) reason to Swear Brotherhood. Especially if it meant seeing the reactions of LQR's nephews AND LXC's sworn brothers. I think Nie Minjue might actually approve, as you write him.

Convenient Brotherhood - ao3

“You would make a good teacher.”

Jiang Cheng froze, abruptly overcome with a wave of hideous embarrassment, then a moment later with a wave of self-disgust for having felt that embarrassment. It wasn’t as if he were doing anything shameful, after all.

He’d only been showing the newest set of Jiang disciples the basic forms that they would need to know in order to build their foundation in the Jiang sect’s sword style. It was one of the most basic duties of a sect. Although it was normally done by an instructor, rather than the sect leader directly, even Jiang Cheng’s father had occasionally stepped in to show the children how it was done. There was nothing embarrassing about doing what he was doing at all.

It was only – being perceived, he supposed.

He turned and tried to salute, saying, “Teacher Lan –”

Lan Qiren stopped him, catching his arm and pulling him upwards, his hand seeming to Jiang Cheng’s perception to be blazing hot where it touched his skin. “I have already told you to stop with that,” he chided, though quite gently, and that hot feeling spread over the rest of Jiang Cheng’s skin, right up to his neck. “It has already become tiresome, and you can’t keep it up forever, now that I am staying here.”

Yes.

There was – that.

Jiang Cheng didn’t want to think about that. On why Lan Qiren was now residing in the Lotus Pier, the length of his stay indeterminate, lasting until…

Until nothing. Jiang Cheng wasn’t thinking about it.

“How is Jin Ling doing?” he asked instead, because it was easier. Jin Ling was still a baby, in need of tremendous care, and in all honesty Lan Qiren’s presence had been a godsend in that regard – the Jiang sect needed care, too, as needy as an infant going through growing pains as Jiang Cheng tried to help it settle into its rightful position as a Great Sect, and there were only so many hours in a day. He was already being torn to pieces by his obligations. He couldn’t even imagine the damage it might do to him if he were trying to take care of both Jin Ling and his sect, all on his own, unsupported by anyone, least of all –

Wait, no, he wasn’t thinking about that.

“Quite well. He’s just realized he can wave around his toys on his own,” Lan Qiren said, accepting the change of subject gracefully, just as he always did. “He was quite proud of his great accomplishment.”

Just like his peacock of a father, Jiang Cheng wanted to say, but his throat closed up. It had only been a few months, no more than half a year, since – since Jiang Yanli – since she had…since Jin Ling was orphaned.

By all rights, Jin Ling ought to be right now in Lanling City, being cared for by his paternal relatives, but Jin Zixuan’s death had overturned a hornet’s nest there, and even Madame Jin, for whom Jin Ling was now her sole purpose in life, didn’t think it was a good idea to risk keeping him there. Accordingly to Lanling Jin custom, the child was typically raised by the mother for the first few years of life, then handed over to the father to be educated. So, with Jin Ling lacking both mother and father, Madame Jin had proposed that Jin Ling be temporarily handed over to Jiang Cheng…

She must have been in a very tough position to have asked for such a thing. Jiang Cheng tried not to think about it, because it meant that he got to keep Jin Ling by his side, got not to be alone. Just him and Jin Ling…and Lan Qiren, now.

It had really only been when Lan Qiren had walked in and plucked a sobbing Jin Ling out of Jiang Cheng’s arms, ordering the frantic and under-slept Jiang Cheng to go get some rest, that Jiang Cheng had remembered all those rumors that made out that it was Lan Qiren that had raised his nephews, even since infancy. From the capable fashion in which he tended to Jin Ling, Jiang Cheng was inclined to think the rumors were true.

And since there could be no questioning Lan Qiren’s integrity, he didn’t have to worry about entrusting Jin Ling to him. There could be no fear that Lan Qiren was a secret assassin, or bribed by the Jin sect, or – or whatever Jiang Cheng’s paranoid mind had come up with. Admittedly, it was probably a little offensive to use a respected elder like Lan Qiren as a babysitter, but Lan Qiren had never complained.

“You should consider what I said.”

Jiang Cheng shook himself out of his reverie. “What? What you said when?”

“That you would make a good teacher,” Lan Qiren said. He shook out his sleeves and started heading back inside – had he come all the way out to the training yards just to say that? But no, it was getting to be dinner time. He had come to call Jiang Cheng, another thing that no one had asked him to do but which he did, as meticulous and inexorable as the Lan sect rules in all the things he did.

Having someone who remembered that he needed to be called in, that he forgot things like eating and drinking if he was too distracted…Jiang Cheng really shouldn’t enjoy it as much as he did.

It shouldn’t make him as happy as it did.

Jiang Cheng caught up with Lan Qiren, falling into step by his side. “Is this some sort of hint that you changed your mind and would like to start teaching again?” he asked. “I’m sure we could set something up here for you, if you like.”

It wouldn’t be the same as the Cloud Recesses, though. Nothing was ever the same as home.

Jiang Cheng knew that better than most.

“I meant nothing more than what I said,” Lan Qiren said mildly. “I have not varied from my decision not to teach this year. Perhaps when Jin Ling is older, we can reconsider.”

Because Lan Qiren would probably still be here then, Jiang Cheng’s traitorous mind noted. Jin Ling would grow up, and grow older, and eventually return to Lanling Jin to inherit his patrimony, but Lan Qiren would still be here in the Lotus Pier, far away from home, rotting away in a place he didn’t belong –

Lan Qiren cleared his throat pointedly.

“You are letting his thoughts get away from you again, I think,” he said. He sounded amused, of all things. “Shall I recite the rules regarding the importance of mealtimes once again…?”

“Please don’t,” Jiang Cheng said hastily. He’d made the mistake, in the first few days of Lan Qiren’s tenure when Jiang Cheng had been incredibly bitter about how everything had all gone down, of retorting to one of Lan Qiren’s invocations by reminding him that the Lotus Pier was not the Cloud Recesses and so the Lan sect rules did not apply here. It had been unwontedly cruel of him – reminding a man of the home that he’d lost through the actions of others, actions for which Jiang Cheng was in no small part responsible, whether directly or indirectly through others of his sect for whom he bore responsibility – and he’d been deeply ashamed of himself at once.

Lan Qiren, in contrast, had taken it in stride: he had only mildly responded that the Lan sect rules applied not only to the Cloud Recesses but to any person belonging to the Lan sect, no matter where they were, and furthermore that in any place where humanity gathered there were always rules, even when they were unwritten. He had thereafter devoted much of his free time, insofar as such a thing existed, into compiling a set of rules for the Lotus Pier.

Jiang Cheng had thought the project ridiculous at first, but Lan Qiren was meticulous, in this as with all things, and the first small booklet he had presented to Jiang Cheng had been…

Jiang Cheng hadn’t had any words for how it made him feel, only that he’d urgently needed to excuse himself to hide in his room and cry for a while, but in a good sort of way. The booklet contained not only the first few rules that Lan Qiren proposed, all of which were perfectly in keeping with the Lotus Pier’s tradition and full of good sense besides, but also the basis behind them: the logical arguments both in favor and against, the potential consequences, and most of all the history behind them, gleaned from the dozens of interviews Lan Qiren had conducted among both the few survivors of the Lotus Pier’s massacre and the common people outside their door.

Jiang Cheng treasured each survivor more than gold, but he’d never really known how exactly to ask them, or even what, and he’d never thought about asking the common people at all. To unexpectedly find that they, too, knew the stories of his family, his ancestors, to see the casual anecdotes his father had once, in a rare sharing mood, recited for them over dinner and which Jiang Cheng had nearly forgotten, all written down neatly in a book, something that could be copied and duplicated and remembered into the future…

There were stories in there that even he hadn’t known. Ones his father hadn’t mentioned, or hadn’t had a chance to, stories that his distant cousins, the older ones, recognized with a start that suggested they’d forgotten them, too – even stories about his mother, ones that she’d long ago discarded as embarrassing. Stories that made her appear in his memory, vivid and beautiful and headstrong, simultaneously just as he’d known her and yet also somehow like learning about her for the first time.

There were stories about Jiang Yanli, too. Things Jiang Cheng had never known about her, how she went out among the common people to help them small things within her power, dealing with the little pests and pestilences that accompanied daily life but which would win no one any fame and which most cultivators disdained as a result – even her likes and dislikes, recorded from the mouths of the merchants that had always saved a portion of their wares for her.

Even stories about him –

…anyway, the rules were good. The Jiang sect’s motto might be attempt the impossible, but there was no harm in having some structure. All his new disciples still needed their foundation, after all.

“Do you really think I’d be a good teacher?” Jiang Cheng asked, settling down beside the table. The Lan sect rules generally prohibited speaking during mealtimes, but they hadn’t started yet – Jin Ling still needed to be brought over by his wet nurse, since Lan Qiren insisted that all meals be taken together and Jiang Cheng, who would have Jin Ling in his sight at all times if he could, didn’t disagree. “I think most of my disciples are afraid of me.”

��If being cantankerous were a disqualifier, no one would ever come to me,” Lan Qiren said, and Jiang Cheng had to suppress a snort – the other man’s sense of humor was another thing that had come as a surprise. Lan Qiren was in fact quite strict with his students; it was only now that Jiang Cheng had graduated to being one of his peers that Lan Qiren had allowed him to see the more personable aspects of his character. “Your disciples fear your temper, yes, but they respect and adore you. You will be an excellent teacher.”

“The Jiang sect sword style –”

“Not just that.”

“No?”

“Don’t look down on yourself. You have more to give to the world than just your blood and sweat.”

Jiang Cheng’s hand stole, without his permission, to rest on his stomach, on the stolen golden core that glowed inside of him, inescapable reminder of Wei Wuxian’s sacrifice of which he had been completely ignorant until – until it was very nearly too late. So very nearly. “I don’t know about that.”

It wasn’t a denial, though.

It was…hope, Jiang Cheng supposed. Hope that there might be something he could offer the world that wasn’t his bloodline or his endless years of effort, all of which seemed to turn to dust at once upon the revelation that it had been Wei Wuxian’s talent and sacrifice that had made it all possible. Being a teacher didn’t rely on or even require a golden core, especially if he taught the way Lan Qiren meant – not just swordsmanship, but cultivation, whether of one’s power or one’s mind.

It might be nice to have students, rather than soldiers.

“It’s settled, then,” Lan Qiren said. “We’ll plan out a curriculum for next year.”

As if it were that simple…though now that Jiang Cheng thought about it, why couldn’t it be? He was the sect leader here, with no elders to stand on his shoulders and force him to stop, and he had Lan Qiren, whose fame as a teacher was personal to him rather than generalized to his sect. If they let out that he would be teaching again, people from all over the cultivation world would send their children to learn, even if Jiang Cheng were teaching as well.

Maybe, after a while…

It wasn’t like Lan Qiren was going anywhere. He couldn’t.

Or, well, he could, technically. There was nothing wrong with Lan Qiren’s legs or his ability to fly a sword, he could walk out any time. But he wouldn’t – not when his presence in the Lotus Pier was one of the pillars that held together the cultivation world. Not when…

“Didi should stop thinking so much,” Lan Qiren said, and Jiang Cheng winced the way he always did when Lan Qiren acknowledged the forced sworn brother relationship between them. “It’s not doing you any good.”

Jiang Cheng snorted. That was true enough. “This is when most people say I ought to get a wife.”

“What would be the point? If you wanted one, you’d have one.”

“The matchmakers –”

“Cannot do anything if the person asking them for help is also purposefully sabotaging their attempts. It’s really no surprise that they’ve banned you for wasting their time.”

Jiang Cheng grumbled a bit at that, but didn’t argue – mostly because the wetnurse had finally come, holding Jin Ling (who was, in fact, beaming at the toy clutched in his hand), and the fact that Lotus Pier didn’t have a rule against speaking at mealtimes meant absolutely nothing if the only two options were the silent Lan Qiren and the unintelligible Jin Ling.

After, Jiang Cheng collected Jin Ling and went with Lan Qiren for a walk through some of the pavilions. They stayed silent for a long while, Lan Qiren picking paths at random – whether he liked after-meal walks for the purposes of digestion or if it was simply another Lan sect habit, Jiang Cheng didn’t know – but then they ended up in front of the empty courtyard that Jiang Cheng had once had built with Wei Wuxian in mind, naively dreaming about the day his right hand would stop with his nonsense and need a place of his own to live, not too far away, so that their children would one day be able to play with each other…

Jiang Cheng turned his face away, his mouth compressing into a hard line as he tried to control himself.

Lan Qiren slowed to a stop as well.

“He’s taken to including notes on the back of Wangji’s letters to me,” he finally said, looking out across the water to avoid eye contact – thoughtful of Jiang Cheng’s dignity, gracious as always. “Since you’re not accepting the ones he writes.”

Jiang Cheng laughed, though the sound of it hurt his throat. “I accept them. I just don’t read them, or reply…what’s the point? Everything that could be said has already been said.”

Lan Qiren frowned, clearly on the verge of disagreeing, but Jiang Cheng got ahead of him for once.

“Aren’t you angry?” The words burst out of his mouth. “Aren’t you – it’s his fault you’re here, instead of at home. At home, with your nephews, with your family…”

“I maintain an extensive correspondence with those members of my family I actually like, and for the first time in my life, I am able to ignore those I do not,” Lan Qiren said, and Jiang Cheng choked on the sheer incongruity of the statement. “I will not deny that it is strange to be here, or to think that I will be here for a long while yet. But my family can visit me, and I them, and things will not remain this way forever.”

“Forever, no. But – still –”

“I do not see it as a burden to be here with you.”

Jiang Cheng’s mouth dropped open. Lan Qiren had hit the heart of the matter like a dagger to the chest.

“I have always liked you,” Lan Qiren continued, straightforward and serious and patient, as if it was the first time he was saying those words instead of it being the thousandth repetition – though Jiang Cheng would hear it a thousand times more if he could. “You were a pleasure to teach, and you have not only attempted but achieved the impossible by resurrecting your sect after such devastation. You accomplished that, not Wei Wuxian, and not Wei Wuxian’s golden core; if strength in cultivation were all that were required to lead a Great Sect, we would not be so few in number. Even though the circumstances were not what any of us might have wished, I am pleased to call you my sworn brother.”

He paused – that was where he usually ended this particular recitation – but this time he seemed as though he had more to say. After a moment, he continued.

“I am only regretful that I am not the one you would have wished I be.”

Jiang Cheng had to turn away again, his eyes and nose hot with viciously suppressed tears that had sprung up out of nowhere. It was true, painfully true: it wasn’t supposed to be Lan Qiren that was living here in the Lotus Pier, it wasn’t Lan Qiren that was meant to be Jiang Cheng’s sworn brother.

It should have been Wei Wuxian.

But after Jin Zixuan died and Jiang Yanli died, it hadn’t been Jiang Cheng who had come to Wei Wuxian’s defense against the cultivation world. He’d led the forces that aimed at the Burial Mounds himself, insensate with grief and convinced that Wei Wuxian must have died or lost his soul long ago to have done such terrible things. He’d had some hazy thoughts of being the one to capture him, somehow knock some sense into him, but if he were being honest with himself he knew that it probably wouldn’t have worked out well for either of them if he and the Jin sect had been the first ones to reach the Burial Mounds.

Only – he hadn’t been.

It’d been Lan Wangji that got there first, Lan Wangji that knocked Wei Wuxian out and stole him away along with the rest of the Wen remnants, hiding them all away where the cultivation world wouldn’t ever think to find them. He’d been the one to declare that he and Wei Wuxian had sworn brotherhood with each other, and that that made Wei Wuxian a member of the Lan sect, all but marrying him in as if he were a woman.

(The way his father had, when it had been his bride who was accused…not that anyone outside the Lan sect, and very select others like Jiang Cheng, knew about that.)

Even that stratagem might not have worked, regardless of the Lan sect’s (reluctant) willingness to stand behind Lan Wangji – the cultivation world had pulled back in its confusion and out of respect for the Lan sect’s standing as a Great Sect, but it wouldn’t have lasted very long, not with how angry they were at Wei Wuxian. Only then Wei Wuxian had somehow used the extra few days that Lan Wangji had bought him to figure out that Wen Ning and Wen Qing were not actually dead the way the Jin sect had said he was, only hidden away, and that the supposed attack in Lanling had in fact been of the Jin sect’s own creation, that they’d intentionally incited Wen Ning in order to have a reason to steal Wei Wuxian’s creation and raid the Burial Mounds for his notes, seeking the source of his powers.

Decrying demonic cultivation with one side of their mouth, pursuing it eagerly with the other: the Jin sect had behaved like hypocrites of the first order, and worse, there were rumors that certain small sects that had recently disappeared had not in fact merely scattered or been absorbed into other sects, but turned into experiment fodder for the Jin sect’s vile experiments.

Jin Guangshan, caught with his pants down, had splutteringly tried to exculpate his sect, and when that didn’t work, he cast all the blame on the newly named Jin Guangyao, the bastard child. He’d even blamed him for inciting Jin Zixun to go lay an ambush at the Qiongqi Path, setting up the initial confrontation with Wei Wuxian, and then sending Jin Zixuan out without proper backing, hoping to use Wei Wuxian as a weapon to eliminate the heir that stood in front of him on his way to Jin sect leadership.

He’d offered to have him executed to appease the cultivation world’s anger.

No one had entirely bought the idea of it all being Jin Guangyao’s fault, not really, but it wasn’t as though most of them were in any position to object, not with the Jin sect being one of the few that was still strong after the Sunshot Campaign. Jin Guangshan might have been able to get away with it, if it hadn’t been for Nie Mingjue stepping forward and claiming Jin Guangyao as a member of his sect through their sworn brotherhood, based on the very same precedent that Lan Wangji had just established. It had saved Jin Guangyao’s life and freed him to testify against his father, confirming all those deeply unfortunate rumors and even more…

Really, it was no surprise that Madame Jin didn’t want Jin Ling to be in Lanling City right now.

As for Lan Qiren, the situation had been quite simple. With the Jin sect in turmoil and the Nie sect temporarily disgraced for having willingly taken in a potential fratricide, and moreover Wei Wuxian, the founder of demonic cultivation, now firmly in the hands of the Lan sect, the entire order of the cultivation world had been turned on its head, with the Lan sect standing ascendant above them all.

Only the Jiang sect was out in the dark alone.

Lan Xichen was Nie Mingjue’s younger sworn brother as well, providing the Nie sect with security, and the Jin sect was in no position to demand anything for themselves; only Jiang Cheng and his sect were the losers, now lacking both Wei Wuxian and adding in the additional burden of Jin Ling, and it had been Jiang Cheng’s own foolish decisions that had led him to that point. In order to maintain balance, to keep the cultivation world from fearing another war like the last one, it seemed obvious to everyone that the Lan sect needed to turn over a hostage to the Jiang in order to maintain peace.

Jiang Cheng hadn’t liked that as the answer, but…it was his sect.

It was something he had to do.

He would always do what his sect needed him to do.

But the question arose of who the hostage could be. It had to be someone of the main line, someone important and valuable enough that the sect would be deeply invested in getting them back, and obviously it couldn’t be Lan Xichen, the sect leader. And yet it seemed cruel for it to be Lan Wangji, who had done so much for Wei Wuxian, who loved him so desperately and who, rumors said, was loved in return…

Even Jiang Cheng, who resented Lan Wangji to no end simply because of how soul-scaldlingly jealous he was of him, didn’t have the heart to split them up.

They had been trapped in a seemingly impassible dilemma, and it had been only solved when Lan Qiren had volunteered himself for the task, pointing out that his nephews would be committed to his well-being in just the way that was required; he’d then ignored their protests and swore brotherhood with Jiang Cheng, agreeing to go live in the Lotus Pier for as long as it took the cultivation world to grow steady and peaceful once more, which would probably only happen when Jin Ling reached adulthood and took on his father’s sect as his own. Sworn brotherhood was what it was called, but it was only a mockery of the more genuine connections that had come before – Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, who were lovers, and Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao, who were…something, anyway. In reality, though, out of all of them, Lan Qiren was the only one who really was nothing more than a hostage.

Lan Qiren had taken it more philosophically than Jiang Cheng had.

“It’s not that,” Jiang Cheng finally forced out through numb lips. “It’s not – I like having you here.”

The confession was true, but that sometimes felt like the worst of it, the worst betrayal he had yet done. Wei Wuxian had given Jiang Cheng everything, even his golden core, a revelation that only came after everything had all been agreed, Wen Qing furiously angry from her near-death experience and lashing out recklessly with the truth as her only weapon, no matter how much she regretted it later. Wei Wuxian had given it all to him, and here was Jiang Cheng, living happily, letting another person fill Wei Wuxian’s shoes, take his place, forcing the role on a person who didn’t even belong here, and being traitorously happy about it all.

After all, Wei Wuxian wouldn’t have known what to do with Jin Ling, not the way Lan Qiren did, experienced and confident. Wei Wuxian wouldn’t know all the things Jiang Cheng had never learned about sect leadership, wouldn’t be available as a teacher, as a guide, as a mentor. Wei Wuxian…

Wei Wuxian would never have said I do not see it as a burden to be here with you.

“I am glad,” Lan Qiren said simply.

He even meant it, too.

“I – I can’t –”

“Do not strain yourself. A journey takes a step at a time, you don’t need to rush ahead to the end.”

Jiang Cheng nodded, and looked down at Jin Ling, who’d since fallen asleep, sucking his thumb.

“A teacher,” he finally said, once he’d gotten enough control of himself. He let himself imagine it – not just the actual act of teaching, but the joys behind it: grading papers with Lan Qiren, discussing topics, exchanging anecdotes, rolling their eyes at their juvenile tricks. Even the thought of Jin Ling having more children to play with as he grew up, and a reason to come back every year even after he went back to Lanling… “I could get used to that idea.”

Maybe, one day, he could even bring himself to look at Wei Wuxian’s letters.

Maybe, one day, he could write back.

My family can visit me, and I them, and things will not remain this way forever – that was what Lan Qiren had said. If it was true for him, then why not, maybe, for Jiang Cheng as well?

One day.

Not yet –

But one day.

#mdzs #jiang cheng #lan qiren #my fic #my fics #last one of the fourth round of prompts!!!#I can finally close the document!#this one can be read as platonic or shippy as people prefer

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sillygoofyqueer · 4 days ago

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Here’s my review of chapt. 15 of losing hope!!! I’m sorry it’s so late! Slide has kinda been kicking my ass lately tho your stories do make it significantly better (probably gonna do a reread soon) ANYHOW, on with my thoughts

Wwx and LQR’s interactions are so painfully awkward but that’s kinda what makes it adorable. LQR being like “he’s clearly hurt and has been through some shit. I should help” meanwhile Wwx is like “he hates me and I shouldn’t do anything to piss him off” and then they get started bonding over music and get significantly more comfortable and FOUR YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I WAS SCREAMING OF HAPPINESS!! Legitimately I was a little scared someone would ask what was going on because how do I explain that I’m making noises like I’m dying because of two fictional characters in my friend’s fic that are bonding?? Especially with the confusion on WWX’s part. Ugh it’s so bittersweet and I love reading every second of it.

Wwx talking to LQR about more serious things and reflecting on how things went when he was a kid. Also LQR pointing out that all WWX wanted was to be seen and then Wwx being like ‘how did you know that?? You’re not wrong but…’ . UGH, HOW ARE YOU SO GOOD AT WRITING THIS???

Wwx getting the approval of LQR was not on my bingo card but I will 100% take it and enjoy every second of it. I really enjoy fics where LQR realizes he kinda fucked up all those years ago and makes an effort to make it up to WWX and LWJ in his own way and your fic has done that spectacularly. Especially with talking abt baby LWJ because dear LORD, THAT SOUNDS ADORABLE.

The whole thing with Suibian had me and still has me in tears. I hope you know that.

The little interlude with the juniors going to what I assume is Puqi shrine is fucking hilarious. Especially with HC just standing there like :3 while Jin Ling is freaking out.

10/10 chapter and is probably in the running for my favorite so far. Thank you for writing and as always I wish I could give you more kudos. Also please remember to take breaks and take care of yourself!!

DON'T EVEN APOLOGISE!!! I can completely relate and I'm just glad to see you in my inbox - I mean, it would be hypocritical of me to be upset because this has been sat in my inbox for a little itty bit as well. ANYWHOSLES, I'm literally so giggly because I can make Lan Qiren feel remorse for what happened and NOBODY CAN STOP ME. It would make sense to me that they'd bond over music because Wei Wuxian had to use it to survive and loves it, and Lan Qiren should be a big fan of it because he's proud of the Lan Clan. Meaning he's proud of their musical cultivation, so of course he has an ear for music! Even if he wants to pretend it's all for cultivation, he loves it really. So they get to bond over it!! You know I have to slide in little bits of angst and you KNOW I love making him be called out over things he knows are true like '😧 what do you MEAN you can be remorseful and understand my point of view??!!?' He's not used to that stuff, it's scary. Lan Qiren, on the other hand, can be introspective over the years - he thinks about it idly because Wei Wuxian (to his knowledge) is dead, so there is naught that can be done no matter what he finds out. Until there is. I'm coming at it from the idea of a sympathetic Lan Qiren that didn't learn about Lan Wangji's crush through Lan Wangji actively defying him and squaring up against his own clan to defend a violent, abhorrent demonic cultivator that has just murdered people in grief-stricken fury. I dunno about you, but I do genuinely think it would help the situation because of previously mentioned points. Now he's just exasperated and determined to embarrass Lan Wangji as payback for walking in on them making out. Subian and Wei Wuxian's relationship will literally never not mean everything to me and them reuniting is also everything to me. They deserve it, goddamn it. I'm glad you liked the interlude, I myself was wondering what was going on with them and so decided to write about it - yes, of course Hua Cheng is being a little shit, like "resentful energy? Could not be me." Fun fact, Lan Sizhui playing Inquiry is actually why Hua Cheng wandered into the shrine (he was supposed to be shopping for more gifts for gege, and heard the call). How will Jin Ling deal with Jiujiu showing up? Will Jiang Cheng actually pop a blood vessel out of rage? How will Wei Wuxian deal with training with a sword for the first time in years upon years? FIND OUT IN CHAPTER SIXTEEN!!!! (I'm glad you enjoyed chapter fifteen, I was worried that it didn't feel right, if that makes sense.) I love you so much, and hope you feel better soon!!!!!

#four being a dumbass #four's fanfic #LUNAAA #the joy I get from reading about your reactions means everything to me #thank you so much

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incorrectly-quoting-mxtx · 2 years ago

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Thinking about a MDZS story swap au

First you’ve got the Lan Sect switched with the Jiang.

In the Lan Sect, you have the Twin Prides of Gusu Lan Xichen and Jin Zixuan with their older brother Lan Wangji

In the Jiang Sect you’ve got the Twin Jades of Yunmeng, Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli

The Jin and Wei are switched

Jin Zixuan was an orphaned kid born to wandering cultivators and was later brought to the Lan Sect.

The Wei Sect is a very wealthy sect headed by notorious womanizer Wei Cangze and Madam Wei

Their heir Wei Wuxian is betrothed to Lan Wangji as Madams Wei and Lan are friends

The Nie and Wen also switch places

Wen Sect Leader Qing and her younger brother Wen “Headshaker” Qionglin

The Dafan Nie have a doctor named Nie Mingjue and the soon to be Ghost General Nie Huaisang

Lotus Pier Study Arc

Xichen and Zixuan go to study at Lotus Pier

Zixuan gets caught by the studious, cold, and beautiful Jiang Yanli, and begins his ritual of teasing her.

Jiang Wangin teases her about her crush; Xichen doesn’t approve

Jin Zixuan gets sent home after punching Wei Wuxian for making a comment about how Lan Wangji is boring

Madam Yu and Lan Qiren switch here

Nie Sect Indoctrination led by Song Lan and his maid MianMian. Nie Zonghui is the core-melting hand.

Yanli and Zixuan defeat the Xuanwu of slaughter together

Beast Hunt Campaign instead of the SunShot campaign

Cloud Recesses falls

Zixuan gives Xichen his core, gets caught by Song Lan and thrown into the Burial Mounds

Yiling Patriarch Jin Zixuan

“A-Xuan, come back to Yunmeng with me.”

War ends after Wen spy Mo Xuanyu (later renamed Wei Xuanyu) kills the Nie sect leader

Jiang Cheng, Wen Qing, and Wei Xuanyu swear siblinghood

Nie Remnants

Zixuan rescues the Nie remnants from Su She and the Wei Sect and revives Nie Huaisang as the Ghost General

Brings them to Burial Mounds

Runs into Yanli in Yiling when little A-Ling clings to her dress

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian end up marrying

Jin Zixuan and Nie Huaisang are ambushed by Su She on the way to the one month celebration for Wangji’s adopted son Wei Yuan

Wei Wuxian is killed accidentally in the crossfire

Mingjue and Huaisang surrender themselves, Mingjue is killed

Battle at Nightless city happens but this time Lan Wangji is killed trying to protect Zixuan

Siege of Burial Mounds is headed by Lan Xichen, Zixuan is killed

Yanli rescues A-Ling and renames him Jiang Rulan

13 years later!

Jin Zixuan is revived in the body of Meng Yao

Story continues as normal

Revealed that Wen Qing had a qi deviation due to Wei Xuanyu, who is now sect leader of the Wei

Runs into the juniors Wei Sizhui, Jiang Jingyi, Ouyang Qing (A-Qing), and Jiang Rulan

Sizhui has a spiritual rabbit

Zixuan takes in a scruffy street dog whom he names Fairy

Yi City Arc!

Rogue cultivator Xue Yang, who gave his eyes to his friend Wen Chao, lives there with his ward Zizhen: a little boy who pretends to be blind

They rescue an injured Xiao Xingchen who doesn’t reveal himself

Just as sad and bloody

Story ends with Yanli and Zixuan finally confessing to each other and marrying

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loosingmoreletters · 1 year ago

Note

TW- SA

Hey I'm sorry if your seeing this 2 times im not sure if it went in the first time cause the wifi wasn't working properly😭😭

Can you do a fic where wei ying was sa'ed by some wen soldiers before being thrown into the burial mounds set during the sunshot campaign. after he cones back as the yilling patriarch they captured one of the soldiers who sa'ed him and interrogate him,the soldeir makes comnent on wei ying and they(nie mingie,jiang cheng,jin ziuxunl,lan xichchen) find out and they confront him about ,but hes nonchalant about it.They also end up finding about his lost golden core.

Sry if its too uncomfortable❤ don't do it if it is💜

The prompt, if I wrote that all, would be more the 10k type of fic, but I hope you enjoy this scene! Also are you the anon who sent the other dark fic prompts??? My guy (gnc) I continue to be curious why you picked me of all people for them.

CW: derogatory language, mentioned past rape, WWX is dissociating pretty hard but the POV character doesn’t realize

Lan Xichen stared at the boy—the man his brother loved and found Wei Wuxian look at their captive like all the vile comments he was spewing were beneath his notice. He sounded bored of them, his expression not dissimilar to the one he used to wear at the Cloud Recesses, paying no attention to Lan Qiren’s lectures. This only seemed to enrage the Wen General more as he shouted, not stopping even when Jiang Wanyin demanded he ceased his lying. If not for the silencing talismans in the room, drawn by Wei Wuxian, quicker with his blood than anyone could procure ink, you’d be able to hear it at the other end of the camp.

Lan Xichen isn’t sure how to take control of the situation again. He’d gone because they needed someone to play Inquiry in case the prisoner died, Jiang Wanyin was there as the Jiang had long since staked claim on every Wen from Wen Chao’s posse, their blood was Yunmeng Jiang’s right to spill. Nie Mingjue could hardly be left out of the interrogation of such a high-ranking Wen soldier and excluding the Jin, even when Jin Zixuan looked like he might lose his breakfast any moment now, was a political nightmare waiting to happen.

And yet, the nightmare happened anyway, Wei Wuxian standing impassively as the soldier spoke of acts so depraved that Lan Xichen wished they were nothing but a taunt.

“Are you done?” Wei Wuxian interrupted finally.

He moved past his sect leader, hardly seemed to notice Jiang Wanyin at all, even when his martial brother reached for him. It was, Lan Xichen realized, as if none of them seemed to be there for Wei Wuxian. In the corner of the room, a shadow flashed red. It had to be one of Wei Wuxian’s brides, they never strayed far from their master, even when unseen. It should disturb Lan Xichen that even at the camps they surrounded by barriers, Wei Wuxian’s ghosts slipped in and out and yet—

“You’re nothing but Wen Chao’s whore, good for a quick fuck—”

The soldier hadn’t finished his sentence before the bride in red had her hand to his throat, bloody fingernails digging into his throat, squeezing it just hard enough to leave the man choking.

“I asked if you’re done,” Wei Wuxian repeated, his voice lacking all inflection. “Where are your troops stationed?”

“You—”

The bride in red squeezed harder before letting go of the man’s throat to pull his head back by his short hair. She grinned, teeth as sharp as blades, looking proud of herself, like a child endearing herself to her mother, waiting for Wei Wuxian’s benign approval of her actions.

The soldier spat at their feet. “You won’t be able to stop them, boy. You’ll be left begging again.”

Wei Wuxian tilted his head. “I didn’t beg then, I had no need to, unlike your Master when I tore him apart.”

Lan Xichen hadn’t been present for Wen Chao’s murder, but the stories following his execution hadn’t been kind. If even the least of the brutalities the soldier had tossed at them was true, it was understandable why Wei Wuxian would’ve lashed out so much at Wen Chao, if it was not just to avenge his sect, but also the hurt dealt to him personally.

“Besides,” Wei Wuxian continued, seemingly unbothered. “All Wen Chao did to me? Do you think the dead did any less? They repaid any hurt twice over and I told you what I’d do to you when I returned.”

And then, the soldier’s eyes widened. He wasn’t given the chance speak as the bride in red plunged her hand into his throat, effortlessly ripping it out. The solider choked, once, then drowned in his own blood.

“Be good and quiet now,” Wei Wuxian said, sounding faintly as if he were echoing another’s words. “Your screams are ruining my mood.”

The soldier’s corpse dropped to the ground and Wei Wuxian’s bride left it to return to her master’s side, handing off him like one would imagine a living bride, clinging to… not her husband. Someone she’d be less shy around. A sister perhaps, someone who might have understood.

“Wei Wuxian—”

Jiang Wanyin reached out, but when his hand touched Wei Wuxian’s shoulder, the other man pushed him away. His eyes widened and, though Lan Xichen hadn’t realized it before, it was as if a fog cleared in them. Wei Wuxian’s gaze drifted to the corpse he’d left behind and all neutrality of before washed away by pure horror. He took a step back, then another, a next one, and rushed from the room in a panic.

Jiang Wanyin didn’t even hesitate, chasing after his martial brother without another look at the slaughter behind him.

“Xichen?”

Lan Xichen tore himself from the empty hallway and faced Nie Mingjue. “I’ll play Inquiry,” Lan Xichen said and settled on interrogating the spirit. It hadn’t been torn apart, though had Wei Wuxian thought of it, perhaps he would’ve done it.

Out of respect for the Jiang Head Disciple, Lan Xichen never allowed himself to ask, is it true? All you did to Wei Wuxian?

It wasn’t for him to know.

#ask #anon #mdzs #mdzs fanfic #wei wuxian #first time using a community tag on tumblr

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remma3760 · 4 months ago

Text

Chapter 4

Summary:

Where does Wei Ying belong? Should he stay with the Lans, or should they let the Jiangs have him back?

"So you think he would want this? It would be good for him?" Lan Qiren was anxious. The Elders had approved his request, but he was unsure on how to approach Wei Ying, so had come to Lan Huizhong for advice.

"I do. He needs to feel safe. That he won't be discarded for the slightest mistake, and the onus of that is going to fall on you, Qiren. But you won't be alone in this. We have all become very fond of little A-Ying."

Lan Qiren smiled. Yes, the boy was certainly endearing. He had never thought he could feel such fondness for a child of Cangse Sanren. But, here they were. Less than two months and already Wei Ying had made such a difference in all their lives. "How are his sessions coming on, Huizhong?"

"Qiren, you know I can't talk about them. When Wei Ying is ready to share with you, he will. Although, I am considering additional sessions involving all of you."

"All of us?"

"Yes. You know I've been including A-Zhan already, and I feel that that has helped both of them, so in time, perhaps you and Xichen could be there too."

"I have noticed that A-Zhan seems more at ease. He smiles now, Huizhong. I had given up all hope of seeing that again. Was he really so traumatised by what happened at Lotus Pier?"

"His faith in the infallibility of adults was severely shaken, but honestly, he should probably have been seeing me since his mother died."

Shocked, Lan Qiren stared at his friend. "But he got over that. He stopped sitting outside her door every month and went back to being the well behaved boy he was before."

"The well behaved boy who never smiled and rarely spoke."

Dropping his head into his hands, Lan Qiren sighed. "I missed so much, Huizhong. I was never meant to be a Sect Leader or a parent, yet now I have to be both. All I wanted was to study and teach."

"Do you regret it?"

"No. Not for a moment. They're my boys and I would die to protect them. They make me a better man. Did you know that A-Zhan stood up to Madam Yu because he thought that that's what I would have done had I been there?"

"Isn't it?"

"I don't know. I would hope so. Even so, A-Zhan's trust in me is humbling. I only hope I can live up to it."

"Yes. The faith of a child is absolute and terrifying. And now you're taking on a third."

Lan Qiren huffed. "Am I mad, Huizhong? What was I thinking?"

"You were thinking that there was an innocent child who needed your love and protection. You're a good man. Qiren. Never think otherwise. Raising a child is the hardest job any of us will ever undertake. You're doing well, my friend. And you are free to come to me anytime you have doubts or uncertainties. I will always listen."

Lan Qiren smiled and sighed, giving his friend's shoulder a squeeze as he left to find his children.

***

"Why is Mother so angry, Yanli?"

"I expect she's missing A-Ying."

"No she's not. Why would she, she has us, and he was always being bad anyway and she hated him. I expect she's happy he's gone."

"Don't say that A-Cheng. Mother doesn't hate him. She cares about him deep down, she just wants to help him be better so she has to punish him sometimes. It's for his own good. Don't you miss him too?"

"No! I'm glad he's gone. He made Mother and Father fight and Mother was always angry because of him. Mother is still being angry because of him. I wish he'd never come here."

"You don't meant that A-Cheng. Think how much fun you had playing together."

"I had fun with my dogs but Father took them away because of him. Oh, do you think I can have them back now that he's gone?"

"He isn't gone. He's just visiting Cloud Recesses for awhile. Father means to bring him home soon, and Mother agrees. I heard them talking, and Father said the Lans were being difficult so Mother told him he had to be more forceful or she would take things into her own hands and go and get him herself. So you see, Mother does want him back and she must care for him."

"But if he's bad again, she'll get angry."

"Yes, but if he's here she can guide him to be better. Teach him to be good. This is his home. Father has been helping me write to him so he will want to come back. Maybe you could write, too, or we could send him a present. He must miss us both terribly. You know he loves us."

"I suppose. I could send him the frog I found!"

"Well, maybe not the frog."

"Can I send a bug?"

"A-Cheng, I really think it would be better not to send anything alive. Maybe a picture?"

"Drawing is boring."

"A-Cheng."

"What about the funny rock I found? that's not alive. can I send that?"

"Yes. That sounds good. I'm sure A-Ying will love it. You go get it and I'll ask Father to put it in with the newest letter."

Running off happily, Jiang Cheng went to retrieve his rock, while Jiang Yanli went to get her Father's help with a new letter.

***

Standing in the doorway, Lan Qiren quietly observed his family. Xichen sat at his small desk, finishing his lesson, while the little ones played by his feet. Some new game where his shoe had somehow transformed into a rampaging beast and was menacing his spare socks and a teacup.

Taking a deep breath he entered and closed the door behind him, drawing their attention. A-Ying jumped up immediately, running over and grabbing his hand to draw him into the game. A moment later A-Zhan joined them, tentatively taking Lan Qiren's other hand. This was a new developement as before A-Zhan had been reluctant to engage physically, but now that seemed to be changing. He knew how happy that made Xichen as he was now able to hug his little brother without feeling him turn into a block of stone. In truth, it pleased Lan Qiren too, although he had never before realised that this was something he wanted.

Giving the small hands a squeeze, he settled himself down with the boys by his side, beckoning that Xichen should join them.

"Boys, there is something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it, Shufu. Is something wrong?"

"No Xichen. Nothing wrong. In fact, this is something good. At least, I think so, and hope you will to."

Xichen was confused. It wasn't like his uncle to ramble like this. He was usually so direct, but he said it was a good thing so he wasn't worried. Shufu never lied.

Taking a deep breath, lan Qiren looked at Wei Ying. "A-Ying, are you happy here?"

Wei Ying started. "Yes, Lan Xiansheng. I'm so happy. Everyone has been so kind to me and I have my own bed and my own comb now. I know so many rules and I follow all of them, don't I Lan Zhan?"

Lan Zhan nodded and hummed. Then, in case his uncle didn'tfullu comprehend added, "Wei Ying is good."

Patting both boys on the head, Lan Qiren nodded. "I know. I know Wei Ying is good. But A-Ying, even if you do sometimes break a rule, it's okay. As long as you try your best, that's enough."

Getting agitated, Wey Ying shook his head in denial,"no, no, A-Ying is good. A-Ying will follow all the rules, always."

Holding his now shaking hand, Lan Qiren soothed him. "I know you will always do your best, but even if you do accidentally break a rule I need you to know that I will understand. Even A-Zhan has broken a rule."

Amazed, Wei Ying stared open mouthed at Lan Zhan who nodded sadly. Lan Zhan had broked a rule? But Lan Zhan was perfect! How could that be? Wide eyed, he looked back to Lan Qiren.

"So you see, A-Ying, all I ask of you is that you always try to be the good, kind boy I know you are. Do you understand?"

Wei Ying wasn't sure he did. He could make mistakes? He could break a rule and not be thrown away? His mind was reeling.

Lan Qiren gave his hand a little tug, getting his attention back. "That doen't mean you can run riot, A-Ying. You still should try to be good and follow the rules. Simply that you are young and still learning. Don't be afraid. I promise, if you fall, I will pick you up."

Wei Ying's smile was blinding. He hugged Lan Qiren's leg, bouncing happily. Patting him again, Lan Qiren continued. "Well then. A-Ying, since you want to be here, and we want you to be here, I would like, with your consent, to adopt you."

Silence. Nothing but blank looks. Had he been wrong? Was this a mistake. Then Xichen gave a happy squeal. "A-Ying, you would be my little cousin, my Tangdi! You could call me Tangge. If you wanted. Do you want to? A-Ying? Do you?"

"Your cousin? I could call you Tangge? Really. What about Lan Zhan? What would I call Lan Zhan? Could I still call him Lan Zhan? I like calling him Lan Zhan. I like just saying Lan Zhan. And Lan Xiansheng. what would I call Lan Xiansheng? Will I be a Lan? Lan Ying? I won't be Wei Ying anymore?" He was so confused. What did all this mean?

Pulling the boy into his lap, Lan Qiren huffed a laugh. "A-Ying, it's alright. Wei Ying can still be Wei Ying. The choice is yours. Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze will still be your parents. Only that, since they can't be here, I will be with you in their place. I will make sure you get enough to eat, have a bed to sleep in, that you clean your teeth and brush your hair. You will have a ribbon, like Xichen and A-Zhan, and we will be family. You will grow up here, alongside A-Zhan and when you are old enough, you will get a sword and be a disciple. You can call Xichen and A-Zhan whatever they wish you to call them, and they will call you whatever you wish to be called. As for me, I know you called your father Baba, so perhaps you could call me Die or Fuqin?"

"A-Die?"

Chest tight, Lan Qiren Nodded. "I would like that very much A-Ying."

"Can I still be Wei Ying?"

"Of course. Your parents were good people, and deserve to be remembered. I have already spoken with a craftman. He is making tablets for them both. They weren't Lan, so I'm sorry, but they can't be kept in the Ancestral Hall, but we can build a shrine for them so you can visit with them, and honour them. You can even choose where you want the shrine to be if you wish."

Overwhelmed, Wei Ying burst into tears, clinging desperately to Lan Qiren and pulling Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen in close. Lan Qiren hugged them all. His family.

***

She watched the white clad cultivators as they wandered through the market. They were young, and hadn't yet learned discretion. They weren't shouting but she could easily hear them as she followed at a safe distance.

"No, it's true. Lan Xiansheng is definitely adopting Wei Ying. A-Niang told me. There's going to be a ribbon ceremony and everything."

"The Elders agreed?"

"They did. A-Niang siad that at first, they were worried about fallout from the Jiang, but Lan Xiansheng convinced them."

"I still can't believe that our little master stood up to Madam Yu. That woman is terrifying."

"He probably didn't really do it. The stories have to be exaggerated. He's seven. She was probably just telling the Wei boy off and Lan Zhan interfered so it became this whole big thing."

"Are you crazy? Wei Ying was in the infirmary for weeks. You think what, he was so devestated at being scolded that he had a mental breakdown that needed weeks of recovery? Come on. A-Niang said that she heard Daifu say that Lan Zhan saved Wei Ying's life. His life."

"Wow. Lan Zhan always seems so quiet and reserved. Who would have thought he had such courage?"

"Well, they say it's always the quiet ones. And just think, if he's willing to stand up to Madam Yu for a complete stranger, what wouldn't he do for us, his sect brothers?"

Nidding in agreement, the disciples moved off. She watched them go. So, the rumours she had heard were true. Maybe it was time to pay a visit to Cloud Recesses.

#the untamed #untamed fic #untamed fanfiction #wangxian

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sigilslady · 2 years ago

Text

He trails after Master Qiren. Always behind him, always to the side. Always, he keeps his hands folded and his mouth shut.

He usually doesn’t have anything to say, but if he does, he doesn’t say it. Never in the presence of others: it would be a bad reflection on Master Qiren if people saw his Padawan questioning him.

And so Lan Wangji always quietly trails behind, doing as he is told, aiding others after his Master.

He passes out blankets and food rations; he appears like the perfect Jedi student, a symbol of peace and justice; he follows his Master.

They enter the Lotus Hall on their way to attend a Council meeting holographically.

Now is the best time. The hallways are empty, and Master is about to contribute to the plans for the situation. To go to war, or not? Master can also approve a side mission for his Padawan in the meeting chamber.

“Master,” he says.

“Hmm?”

“I—” he starts, and Master Qiren turns with a question in his eyebrow. Seeing that expression, the calm nonchalance, the obvious, complete lack of worry or even thought about the subject he’s about to bring up. He realizes that he’s going to have to make every effort to persuade him.

He bows and in his new, pleading position, he continues: “I humbly ask you to let me locate Wei Wuxian, who has been missing—”

“No,” Master Qiren says. “You are needed here.”

“Wei Wuxian is an important figure for the Pier who can—”

Master Qiren sneers. “That boy is a disgrace.”

Lan Wangji freezes, staring at the floor, neck even tenser than before.

“Wei Wuxian is not worth your time, or anyone’s for that matter. He’s a bad seed… and it's for the best that he’s disappeared. Now come, Padawan, or I will be late.” He turns and continues down the hallway, shutting him down without even hearing what he had to say.

“Come on Boy,” he calls out.

Lan Wangji breathes out and tentatively starts to follow. Always following. Blindly? Not anymore.

Master is wrong. Wei Wuxian should be found. He needs to be found. Wei Ying warned him before Palawa. He was in pain, screaming, falling, burning, before Palawa.

All he feels, everytime he reaches out for him, is an inky darkness: an iridescent, false calm of thick, violet oil.

And it's true that Wei Wuxian is important to Neona. He showed him how he’d built and improved entire sections of the piers; his technology is integrated into the everyday lives of the people of the Pier. He is a respected and loved person that settles their hearts. His rumored capture during the Disturbance on Neona and the Invasion of the Wens disturbs many of them.

It greatly disturbs him.

He cannot sleep.

His head does not fall onto a pillow, but onto a shallow puddle of cold, dark sludge. His closed eyes face a cold night and light rain. Ice seeps into his hair, the back of his scalp, to the backs of his ears, down the spine of his back.

He can not sleep.

Something is wrong. He can feel it. And Master Qiren won’t let him go.

They reach the double doors to the meeting chamber.

“Stay here,” Master Qiren says.

He inclines his head and stations himself to the side of the big doors, hands folded in his robes and looking down the hallways.

Master Qiren enters. The door shuts behind him, sound-proof.

Lan Wangji finally grinds his teeth, but stares straight ahead.

There is no emotion; there is only peace.

Master Qiren will say the needs of the many outweigh those of the few.

But Wei Ying is special. He can help in this war. And it will be a war, Lan Wangji has little doubt. After the destruction of an entire planet, how can the Jedi not take up arms to protect the universe? They must stop the Wens.

Wei Ying is a genius, a leader—

He cuts the thought off. Jedi do not install leaders. They are a neutral force in the galaxy.

...Perhaps Master Qiren is right. He’s starting to think blasphemous things after meeting Wei Ying.

But that doesn’t mean Wei Ying is a bad person.

(If anything, it’s Lan Wangji’s own fault that he strays)

It doesn’t mean Wei Ying doesn’t deserve to be found. He deserves help just as much as anyone else, and finding him is the least he can do after he’d warned him to get off of Palawa. To get everyone off of Palawa.

And the pain, the darkness he felt afterwards? He must free him from it.

He’s still not sure whether it’s Wei Ying’s. Lan Huan had said that the feelings could be the aftermath of Palawa echoing through the Force. When he’d mentioned he’d felt them before the beam of light split Palawa into millions of pieces, Lan Huan had said they could have been a Force Vision, foretelling the disaster.

But Lan Wangji doubted Lan Huan. He’s never had a true gift for premonition, that was more Lan Huan’s thing.

But He also did not want to believe that the pain, despair, hopelessness, was, is, Wei Ying’s, but it's too close to his heart. The dread licks in the outer regions of his mind. The pain is too intimate for it to be from thousands of displaced people.

It is like a single whisper, too tired, too far gone to scream, asking one last time for help…

And he can not answer it.

He reaches for it and it slips away. He asked Master Qiren to let him find it, and he said no. He can not—

The Young Lady of the Pier turns the corner. Most likely also attending the meeting deciding the course of action for thousands, and his thoughts are proven correct when she stops in front of the doors.

He does the thing expected of him and what's proper: he opens the door for her and bows as she enters. She at least nods back in thanks, acknowledging him.

Jiang Yanli. The sister Wei Wuxian holds very dear to him.

But he can not come to know more about her because the door closes again, and he is outside and she is inside of the soundproofed chamber.

He is resigned to standing guard until the meeting is over, brewing over… what he can do. What can he do? Nothing.

Be obedient to his Master and be a Padawan. A symbol for the people to latch onto when they see, and his Master’s exemplary student to show off.

Run away? He can not. There is a war coming.

So he can do nothing.

Master Qiren had arrived early. Other officials arrive throughout the span of the next ten minutes, and Lan Wangji opens and holds the door for them as well. Only Jiang Cheng and Jiang Fiengman acknowledge him as Jiang Yanli also had.

She is the first to step out when the meeting is over hours later. She stops in front of him.

“You are Lan Wangji?” she asks.

“Yes, Your Lady.”

She smiles. “Oh, none of the titles please” --she waves a hand— “I heard that you wanted to find Wei Ying.”

So Master Qiren had mentioned his request!

“The nerve of your Master! He said that he’s a plague on the universe! On the contrary, Wei Ying is the reason more than half of the pier continues to stand, even underwater!”

He deflates. Not visibly, of course. Master would not seriously mention something he does not agree with.

“I have a proposal for you,” Jiang Yanli says. “As Young Lady of Lotus Pier, I can send you on a mission. Will you find my brother for me?”

Master Qiren bursts from the chamber. “No! I forbid you.”

“Why, Jedi Qiren?” Jiang Yanli brazenly says. “We’ve all agreed to share our resources during this time of war. This young man, who I’ve also heard is an excellent Jedi Apprentice, was delegated to opening doors just now. Since you are obviously not using him to his full potential, why can’t I?”

“Wei Wuxian is not—”

“Wei Wuxian is a vital part to the reconstruction of Lotus Pier, and he would be a valuable asset to the war effort. Just ask Jedi Knight Yu. Even though she shares your disdain for Wei Ying, even she will admit that he’s been incredibly efficient on any mission she’s ever sent him on.”

“But—”

“I will be acquiring Lan Wangji for the location and return of Wei Wuxian, Jedi Qiren,” Jiang Yanli says. She turns to him. “Lan Wangji, will you accept this mission?”

“Lan Wangji—” Master Qiren says.

“Yes,” he says.

Jiang Yanli nods with finality.

“There’s that problem solved then,” she says, and holds out her elbow. “Come, I will give you what you need.”

“Boy—”

“Master,” he says. “Is this not for the best?” He tries to coral his words from becoming too rushed. He, hopefully, won’t be interrupted with the Lady present, and he must make a calm argument as to not give the Master reason to take him away: “You heard the Young Lady yourself. He is vital to the rebuilding of Lotus Pier. Spare your Padawan for a small task while you deal with bigger problems. This humble Padawan only wants to help Lotus Pier.”

Master’s mouth gapes open, and he blinks a couple of times. Finally, he says: “We will have words, Padawan.”

Lan Wangji bows. “I understand,” he says, and gently accepts Jiang Yanli’s outstretched hand, and tries his best to ignore her smile, or else he will smile too.

“Help Neona,” Master Qiren says, “but you will learn not to defy your Master in public. It is unseemly of you.”

He’s always followed him before, ever the obedient Boy. It’s one of many lessons Master Qiren never bothered ‘teaching’ him, but now… he sees his own blood on bamboo sticks and reeds in the future.

#the untamed #wei wuxian #lan wangji #lan qiren #jiang yanli #star wars #jedi #jedi padawan #mo dao zu shi #fanfic

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rosethornewrites · 2 years ago

Text

Honor Good People (one shot, part of a series)

Characters: Lán Qǐrén, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén

Additional Tags: Disobeying Orders, Brotherly Love, Rules, Gūsū Lán Sect Rules, Supportive Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Family

Summary: Lan Xichen does not ask permission before adding Wei Wuxian to the family registry as Wangji’s husband. Lan Qiren disapproves.

Side fic to “the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break.”

Part of the 紅線 series

AO3 link

��———

Lan Qiren’s catches Xichen as he finishes updating the family register to add Wei Wuxian as Wangji’s recognized spouse, witness Lan Yi and Lan Xichen. He decided on the flight back to the Cloud Recesses to do so before seeing his uncle, knowing he would never allow it. The decision, he knew, would anger him, but it would not be struck from the records once recorded.

As expected, when Shufu sees what he has done, his lips thin, but instead of the explosion he expects his actions to cause, he is beckoned to follow and served tea.

He is meant to feel poorly about his act, sitting with his elder over tea and being silently judged, but instead he remembers Wei Wuxian’s shaking hands as he poured tea in the small cave he and Wangji have made their home, the quiet love in his brother’s expression, and how he had seen them smiling and happy in the distance from the entrance to the Burial Mounds before they noticed him.

Instead it steadies him, and he takes a breath before telling Shufu that Wangji handfasted Wei Wuxian in the Cold Spring Cave when they were sucked into it, that they bowed to Lan Yi and she had expressed approval, but Wangji did not tell Wei Wuxian the meaning of what had occurred.

“They have completed their bows. Their handfasting was approved by Lan Yi, and I accepted tea served by Wei Wuxian. Their marriage is valid, and cannot be annulled.”

“You should not have added it to the registry without speaking to the elders,” Shufu says, his voice grated between clenched teeth.

“I disagree,” he says sedately.

This seems to anger Lan Qiren further.

“That awful boy. First he bewitches Wangji, now you.”

Xichen would love to cite the number of rules Shufu has violated in harboring a grudge against Wei Wuxian since the moment he met him—for simply being the son of Cangse Sanren—but that would devolve into an argument of rules.

“That boy won the war with no core, having survived and somehow tamed the resentful energy of the Burial Mounds after being thrown in there by Wen Chao and his men. Without his contribution to the Sunshot Campaign, we would have lost and perished, all, ground under Wen Ruohan’s heel.”

Shufu rears back slightly, having clearly not expected this defense of Wei Wuxian, or perhaps the circumstances of the young man’s shift to using resentful energy.

But the fleeting hope that reaction gives Xichen is dashed immediately when Lan Qiren doubles down on his anger.

“Wangji has consorted with evil and wed a demonic cultivator. He will face punishment when he returns.”

He hopes fervently that the parley he is to arrange between the Jiang siblings and Wei Wuxian goes well, that they can relocate to Lotus Pier, that perhaps the innocent and unjustly persecuted Wen remnants can be resettled there as well. It would be ideal for Wei Wuxian’s health, along with little A-Yuan.

Regardless, he will not see Wangji punished for following his heart and upholding justice alongside his husband.

Xichen refreshes their tea, studying his uncle as he does so.

“Then perhaps it is for the best that they reside elsewhere,” he says.

The rest of their conversation is… unproductive, to say the least.

———

Later, when he is overseeing the removal of items from the jingshi that were listed by Wangji for transport to Lotus Pier, Lan Qiren protests angrily. Lan Xichen, having only freshly learned the true circumstances of Wei Wuxian’s core loss, is still raw from the visit and the sworn siblinghood, the realization that A-Yao has lied to him multiple times and preyed on his good nature, and the tears of Jiang Yanli at having to leave her dear didi in the Burial Mounds that harm him, has little patience.

“Jiang Wanyin will welcome them at Lotus Pier,” he says simply.

He watches Shufu turn red with anger and then white with the realization he has pushed Wangji away with his stubbornness.

Lan Qiren will learn, later, of the Auspicious Eight, of his severe misjudgment, along with the rest of the jianghu, of Wei Wuxian’s character, Xichen knows. What he does with that education will be up to him.

———

This came to me and begged to be written. Side fic to “the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break.”

Merry Christmas, to those who celebrate.

#the untamed #mo dao zu shi #chen qing ling #cql #mdzs #lan huan #lan xichen #lan qiren #untamed fanfic #untamed fic #untamed fanfiction #cql fanfiction #cql fic #cql fanfic #mdzs fic #mdzs fanfiction #mdzs fanfic #my fanfiction

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hulijingemperor2 · 2 years ago

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Rusong: *walking down the street with his entourage*

However, right around the bend, there was a huge crowd around a stall.

Rong: Dianxia, was that stall always there?

Rusong: I don't think so.

A distant voice: SPICY FRIED RICE!!! Coming right up!!

Rusong: wait! That voice sounds familiar.

Rong: yea, sounds like your friend who made a hotpot in the Jacuzzi.

Jingyi: *serving food with a couple of workers* Welcome to Jingyi's spicy rice! May I take your order?!

Two bowls of eggplant rice!

Jingyi: that will be 20 taels!

I want your chili fried rice!

Jingyi: of course madam! And write your name on a piece of paper and place it in the jar!

Why?

Jingyi: its for a friend. Him and an eligible fox spirit can win a free dinner together!

I don't want to go on a blind date!

Jingyi: at least you'll get free food.

Another customer: can I have your spicy Phoenix rice!

Jingyi: sure you can. Do you want it with pork ribs?

Yea!

Jingyi: that will be 250 taels. We're highly gourmet!

Ohh waw!!!

Jingyi: I'm gonna make some Omu rice for you fox spirits!

I know you love Dongying, just like your emperor.

But I don't blame you. Your emperor is hot. I mean Dongying is hot. WOMEN from Dongying are hot, I meant.

Rusong: Jingyi?

Customers: greetings Dianxia.

Jingyi: *flipping an egg in a pan.* hey bro!! What's your order?

Are you fed up of palace food?

Rusong: what's this, jingyi? *laughing* you opened a food stall. And in Jingjing too!

Jingyi: yea and I'm planning on making it into a restaurant.

Rusong: oh my! I love it! And your food smell good.

Jingyi: thank you, luv!

Rusong: what inspired you?

Jingyi: got to pay bills.

Rusong: but cultivators don't have bills. And you live in the cloud recesses.

Jingyi: ok you got me. I keep spending my money on Hanguang Jun merch. And I need more money.

I....I think I have an addiction.

Rusong: ahahhaha.

Jingyi: I hate being broke, but I love buying HGJ merch.

Rusong: who makes and sells them though?

Jingyi: some people who live around Gusu.

Rusong: ah.

Now how did you manage to open a stall here without a permit or approval.

Jingyi: I just told them that I'm friends with the prince.

Rusong: oh gosh.

Jingyi: see how much privileges I get with you. Your cousin Jinling will say, I don't know him. Lol.

Then soften up, if he feels like it.

Rusong: Ling gege is so cute when he's grumpy like that.

Jingyi: yea fairy is cute.

Rusong: lol you two.

Jingyi: Rusong. Can you tell Yao huangdi to adopt me? I have been sending requests to him, but his staff reads it instead. One person sent back a letter saying, "Stop harassing Huangdi!" Which was very rude.

Like I always see Zewu Jun as a dad. Why can't I have a second one, who's a hulijing emperor.

Rusong: *cracking up* I'll talk to him about it! Lol, did you sign your name on one of your requests?

Jingyi: yea. I put Lan Jingyi of GusuLan.

I stated my address and everything.

Rusong: I think that was uncle Su who send that. He's very savage when it comes to lans.

Jingyi: why is this sour guy so rude!

Rusong: *glaring*

Jingyi: I'm sorry.

Rusong: so Zewu Jun is like a dad to you? *giggle* I thought it was Hanguang Jun.

Jingyi: no Hanguang Jun is my God.

Rusong: makes sense.

Jingyi: I'm fed up of that cranky Lan Qiren and his long lectures! I want a relaxed life! Without punishment and class, and bland food!

I want to be a prince too!! But I still want to be an adventurous cultivator!

Rusong: don't worry, Jingyi! I'll talk to A-Die ok.

Jingyi: you're the best!

Jingyi: just imagine, the both of us living the life. Being the hottest and most powerful people in the Jianghu because of Huangdi diedie.

We'll be a team!

Rusong: yes!! I would love that, to be honest.

Jingyi: we'll both be mischievous. Yet we'll be opposites. You will keep things in order while I destroy!! As well as party with rich hulijing ladies, and gents too. I don't discriminate.

Rusong: *laughing*

Jingyi: I'll support you with everything! Gusu has the twin Jades. And the Huyao empire will have the Twin Foxes, even though I'm not a hulijing.

But I once cosplayed one, so that kinda counts.

Rusong: haha. Jingyi you're so fun.

~~~

Jing Manor 📍.

Yao: team dimple. I'm planning on giving Huan his own staff of attendants.

Su she: isn't he lazy enough.

Mo xuanyu: why Yao gege.

Xue yang: aren't you afraid that they die of boredom.

Su she: lol they would.

Yao: oh guys, I want to give it a try. As he's Lan guifei.

Xue yang: more like Lan gui gay.

Mo xuanyu: I'm offended. But it's Lan lips, so it's ok.

Yao: *laughing* anyways! I'm feeling rather generous. Do you guys want personal attendants too?

Xue yang: never! they're annoying af. I rather do things myself.

Mo xuanyu: we're good Yao gege.

Su she: we're your henchmen. And personally I don't want anything more.

Xue yang: ....than being a simp.

Mo xuanyu: we choose simp life.

Yao: ok ok. As you wish.

Now, with a further adieu.

*claps twice* time to fulfill my duties as a hubby.

Attendants Yuyan and Yanyu enters.

Both: *bows* Huangdi.

Xue yang: Jiggy, you're such a diva.

Mo xuanyu: but a very hot diva.

Yao: *smile*

Yanyu, Yuyan, you are assigned to assist Zewu Jun.

Both: will do, Huangdi.

Yao: please, make sure that he's comfortable.

Yanyu: certainly.

Mo xuanyu: if Lan lips stresses you out, feel free to file a complaint to team dimple.

Su she: we're Team Dimple by the way.

Yanyu: *laughing* sure, officials.

~~~~~

Huan Hall📍

Xichen: *meditating in his room*

Yanyu: greetings, your Excellency.

Xichen: *opens eyes* oh hey.

Do you need any help with anything?

Yuyan: actually we're here to assist you.

Xichen: ohhh.

Let me guess, your Huangdi sent you.

Yunyu: yes. He ordered us to assist you.

Xichen: *nods with a smile* oh A-Yao.

Even though I don't need attendants, I can't refuse my A-Yao.

Xichen: sure you can be my attendants, but please don't be formal with me.

Yuyan: yes your Excellency.

Xichen: oh my.

I said that you don't need to be formal.

Yanyu: shall we call you Lan gui fei instead?

Xichen: ok sure. I love that one.

Yanyu: Lan gui fei it is!!!

Xichen: yea!! *goes to make tea*

Both: standing in a corner, waiting for him.

Xichen: *looks over at them* um.....

Yanyu: oh, we forgot to tell you that we brought some food for you. Lan style.

Yuyan: *claps twice, then some other attendants came with food*

Xichen: thank you so much. But Lan style?

Yuyan: why are you disappointed? Was it appropriate?

Xichen: yea it's fine, but it's just that I got accustomed to Yunping style and Jingjing style food.

Yuyan: ohhhhh.

We'll note that down.

Yanyu: we'll make over your meal.

And in accordance to Huangdi's customs, we'll donate these Lan delicacies to someone in need.

Xichen: awwww. That's what A-Yao does?? So sweet.

Yanyu: yes. Food isn't wasted in Jing Manor. As it's given to people who need it most.

Every district owned by huangdi had adapted this and ended hunger problems within the empire.

Xichen: excellent strategy

A-Yao is so talented.

(After having lunch)

Yuyan: anything else you want us to do, your Excellency? I mean Lan gui fei..

Xichen: not right now. But I would like some company.

Yuyan: sure. We're here.

Xichen: great. How about I tell you about the lan rules and customs.

Yanyu: sounds interesting, Lan gui fei.

Xichen: ehem. Rule number one.........

A few hours after~

Yao: *strolling with team D*

Mo xuanyu: *shelters him with an umbrella while Su she carried some water~ as it's a hot day.

Xue yang: *chewing on candy*

Yanyu and Yuyan: *running towards them, while crying* Huangdi!!

Yuyan: save us, Huangdi!

Yao: what happened?

Yuyan: Lan gui fei started reciting Lan rules to us!!! It was so boring and terrifying!

Yanyu: we tried to stay awake! But couldn't!

At least he wasn't disappointed that we fell asleep.

Yuyan: *crying* why are there so much Lan rules, Huangdi!!!!

Both: save us from these atrocities Huangdi!

Mo xuanyu: I thought that we were dramatic.

Yao: guys, relax. Haha, Huangdi is here.

I'll talk to him ok

Yuyan: but what if he recites it to you! Huangdi, it's a crime for you to be bored.

Su she: guys, that's how the Lans are. Plain, boring, and love to force their customs and rules on others.

Yao: *laughing* A-Huan is also interesting when you get to know him.

Mo xuanyu: he's not Yao gege so I'm not interested.

Yanyu: yea, we also love Huangdi.

Yao: love you too, my hulijing attendants.

#the huli jing emperor #foxyao #dimpledlianfang #jin guangyao #jin zixuan #meng yao #part 2 #su she #the untamed #hulijing emperor 2 #rusong

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mythvoiced · 5 months ago

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The waters around his home are still, always are. They storm only when something rages within them, when his mother's furious discipline cracks her whip too far and it lashes onto the water, or when Wei WuXian dips his head under its surface to avoid Zidian, most likely the reason his mother's knuckles are so white again, and his father's silence is equal amounts approving of his protege and disapproving of his wife.

Jiang YanLi and Jiang Cheng are meant to be representative of his home.

That's what these envoys are for, after all. They're as much for Yunmeng's children to further their education, as it is for the world to catch a glimpse of them, now almost fully adult, or adult enough in the cultivation world's eyes.

There is decorum, reputations to shape and maintain. Wei WuXian is doing a horridly good job at painting Yunmeng in all the wrong ways, as the kind of place that tolerates people like the young prodigy who suggests using the energy of the deceased to battle other corpses.

Another reason why Jiang Cheng must remain stilted and taut.

For every moment Wei WuXian beckons Lan QiRen's wrath, Jiang Cheng must add a moment of utter obedience. Will he leave best of his class? Of course not, not with Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi among his peers.

Will he leave as most complacent?

Maybe.

It's difficult to disobey when you've begun to learn obeying is the only option you get at tranquility, at doing the right thing.

Jiang Cheng holds his breathe. He can feel Lan WangJi move closer. The air shifts around him, and he may not as good as Wei WuXian but he can hold his own, and he's always his close second, he can concentrate enough to notice a body approach, and he can even hold it better enough to not freak out and jump away.

It crawls, though.

Goosebumps beneath the fine hair grazing his nape, hyper-aware of the skin of his ears and the spots behind them. Lan WangJi's colours are the pale mourning of funerals and the pale blues of frozen lakes, blending in perfectly with the clouds hiding these mountains from curious onlookers and bandits who don't know better alike.

Lan WangJi is not made of ice, though.

He can feel the air shift, and he can feel his warmth.

He can hear him breathe in.

His hand tightens around his face. He loosens it to not squeeze his own jaw, and curls it into a loose fist. His chin rests where he can barely fit into his palm as his knuckles brush against his lips, and he looks about as relaxed as the birds Wei WuXian hunts with the thrill of a being who kills for the fun of it.

His fingers are slightly calloused. He imagines the feel the line of hardened skin of his thumb when it brushes over his knuckles, there where he's learned to play his zither in a way that beckons even the wildest spirits to relax into the lull of the silence of his conversations, soothed by someone who plays to ask, and not demand.

Maybe that's what draws him to Lan WangJi. The silence. The tranquility. The certainty. His home is so loud. Wei WuXian laughs with every hit he gets, and although his father hardly talks, when his words are only destined to praise Wei WuXian's ears, he might as well be dragging the characters straight through Jiang Cheng's eardrums.

His mother?

Well.

His sister, though. She's warm. Soft-spoken. And kind.

Jiang Cheng's head whips around. There's something on his lips, coiling on his tongue like a confused snake who doesn't know what venom is, let alone how to spit it in a way that doesn't let it trickle back down Jiang Cheng's throat. But his nose brushes against Lan WangJi's at the unexpected proximity - unexpected? - and the words die, slammed against his palate as he sucks in a sharp breath.

He yanks his hand back. Turns away. The lotus flowers at home are pinkish, almost, difficult to describe, really, but hold a petal against Jiang Cheng's cheeks now and you'll get an idea for it.

"Is the cold here supposed to train resilience against temperatures?" he asks, brushing his untouched hand against his throat subconsciously as if to will the lump in it out of it. He swallows. Futile.

"I don't mind it. Lotus Pier is warmer, though. Takes getting used to."

He fixes his robes, they sit awkwardly on his shoulders suddenly, as if he were too much a kid for them to matter as much as they do, to him in particular.

"... You should visit. See for yourself."

the second lan heir was never one to judge anyone despite the complexion he often carried and the disappointed stare in his eyes — most of the time because he simply didn't care about most people that he met . didn't care about them to compare them to others , to think about their flaws , to think about their appreciable features and gestures . he genuinely didn't squeeze anyone in the spaces of his mind , not because they didn't deserve it ( but perhaps they didn't , not like wanyin did – ) , but wangji didn't see any reason to treat them any different from how he treats others . jiang clan had hit the cloud recesses like a tornado .

they were respectable people , friendly and warm , their princess with the most beautiful face and their heir with a glare that was too big on his face . then there's wei wuxian of course , the heart of the tornado . he doesn't know why and how they tolerate him . jiang wanyin would often fade in the background , his silence couldn't be heard better than a man whose ear was sensitive to the most complicated notes of guqin . he wouldn't even be aware of it , of wangji's watchful gaze when everyone was busy with making a fuss about wei wuxian’s disobedience – lan wangji would watch and he'd never let him know .

❛ . . . it's the top of the mountain . ❜ an indirect invitation to acknowledge the fact that they are , in fact , in the mountain , and it's going to get worse if they're going to stay until the start of fall , by the end of summer . he hopes they will . how many times would they have to blame the cold weather to hold each other's hand like this ? wangji is grateful for it though .

gusulan rules had been carved in wangji's head deeper than it had on his uncle's , or his brother's ; eventually it became clear to them that wangji was just . . . quiet . spoke little or not at all , remembered every single detail about everything , and loved just as deeply as xichen did . his brother was a bright sunlight , he smiled and welcomed everyone in , he spoke about the most mundane things when they were alone and he was used to wangji's silence . that's the biggest privilege anyone could give him , and wanyin was the exact same – understanding . not prodding into his silence , not forcing him to talk more or make a comment about everything .

he doesn't smile , but his cheek twitches . it's not too visible , he's sure wanyin can't lean over to look at it closer but his eyes aren't that cold anymore . he's not overwhelmed as wanyin is , actually , he's quite relaxed . even gently brushing his thumb over wanyin’s smaller knuckles ad he mumbles : ❛ are you ? ❜ he doesn't wait for his response , he's bringing wanyin’s hand to his thigh . even turns his head to look at him ; to the side of his head , the lotus headpiece he wore over the bun , the curl of his strand behind his ear . the purple ribbon that moved with the touch of breeze . the same color his sister wears around her hair . they have an odd sence of connection to their color and their clan , which wei wuxian lacks and wangji understands , never judges him because it . but this color suits jiang cheng way too much .

mindlessly , he leans in , not to wanyin's face because he's not even facing him . so when he leans closer , only the tip of his nose can touch the back or the bun wanyin has gathered his black locks in ; he probably imagines the scent of lotus flowers , he's seen one once when xichen and him wandered a little too far from their home . you can't grow them in the mountains , apparently . but he thinks wanyin smells like them , or tells himself maybe that's what lotus flowers smell like .

#crue11 #the grudge;jiang cheng #i wanted to write a dramatic tag but i couldn't figure out anything theatric enough to verbalize my heart right now #like OH GOD what do YOU MEAN HE'S HE'S SMELLING-- WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S---#OH GOD #;queue #Idek if bumping noses would make logistic sense but IDC!!!!!!!

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lordhelpme0-0 · 2 years ago

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Hello there! Can I request a mdzs headcanon for Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue and Jiang Cheng as parents? Thank you in advance!

A/N: sorry if I responded late!!!! I was busy yesterday doing…things…

ON TO THE SHOW— I mean Hc-!!

Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue, & Jiang Cheng:

Fandom: MDZS

Y/N Gender: uhhhh….ANY but maybe leaning towards female..

TW: fluff…lots of fluff and wholesome shit going on

Lan Xichen:

Short answer?

Wholesome, loving, doting, soft af papa over here

The moment you told him you’re gonna adopt/pregnant with a child

“Y/N’er…you’re with a child…?”

He cried…flat out cried when he found out

You worried as you try to comfort

He merely shrugged it off with a laugh

Expect this man to seriously dote on you if your pregnant

He will cuddle you, sing songs, and etc.

But that can be another hc for now

If you both adopted, expect him to be tender af

I can see him with a twin set of boy and girl

Or reference to as the Dragon and Phoenix

Lan Qiren is silently approving and already setting schedule up

Lan Xichen would not hesitate to teach them EVERYTHING

He would even allowed them to suck on Liebing

Flute dads doot do doot-!

Lan Xichen would always reassure them whenever they have a nightmare

Even keeping his door open to comfort

You both would be sleeping until two totters be rumbling in crying

Lan Xichen would smile and let you sleep

He would literally pick them up and comfort them as he continue to do work

Expect Lan Xichen to always be clingy

He already clingy as a husband but phew!

He would be attached and have literal commission on spiritual device of children safety from Wei Wuxian™︎

He would literally fight any man off with a smile for his daugther

His son, he would be careful on the women but lenient

The daughter will have your beauty or handsomeness

She is very calm and collected

Also, the older one by a minute

The son is more broad shouldered and tough

He is silent towards stranger but opens up to be cheerful and loving like his father

Okay maybe not the silent one—he got it from his ShuShu (Wangji)

Lan Xichen is the type of dad to literally have the whole clan to cheer them on whenever they’re in competitions

If his daugther loves to learn cultivation, he will endorse it

If his son wants to be a herbalist or physician, endorsing it

If both his children wants to be travelers, ENDORSE

Seriously, he will give everything to these bundle of joy

Don’t worry, they will be humble and take after their father demeaner

“A-Die, I grown some broccoli (it’s Chinese broccoli btw and it’s good!)”

“I see baobei.”

Yeah, if his sweet darlings give him a mud pie, he would try it literally no question ask

Definitely doting, definitely sweet, definitely papa material

Oh yeah—!

Secretly will give them sweets and pets

But honestly, Lan xichen will raised them to be better than he was

Nie Mingjue:

If he is able to live long enough, but for this. He will

Nie Mingjue will be shocked and stop

Definitely will need Nie Huasiang to snap him to reality

Definitely will doubt himself and wonder how long he can live to see them grow

Nie Mingjue is a gentle giant, but he is strict

Definitely raised them like he did Nie Huasiang

But only softer and more lenient

“Da’Ge! Why are you so mean to me!!”

“Cause you haven’t been a good ShuShu, how many times must I tell you to pick up your ink and brushes?!”

“…”

“A’Jue, be nice to Sang’er.”

“A’Y/n!—“

“Even Jiejie/Gege agrees!”

“Did I say that I agree? You need to be careful when there’s kids around.”

“…” - Nie Mingjue, Nie Huasiang

“JIEJIE/GEGE!!!~~”

“HUASIANG! LET GO OF THEM!!”

Yeah, Huasiang was the “first child�� lmao

Nie Mingjue is horribly careful when holding them as infants

Will be tired but still doting

Definitely strict and hopes they don’t have to go through sabers

You and him will have a little boy or girl

But my bets are in the boys until many years later if possible to have a little boy again

The older son will gentle and take after you

The younger son is temperamental but has a baby face you canNOT say no to

The older son will most likely have interest in the arts, but he sticks to saber and military prowess liek his father

Definitely pouts like Nie Mingjue

He will regard Jin Guangyao warily

The younger son will be doted on by EVERYONE

Even Jin Ling and Sizhui will dote on him

I mean— he is young

Nie Mingjue will make sure they’re successful and have intellect

Definitely will send them to Gusu for schooling

Oh yeah, the younger son is a huge romantic like you (lmao—)

Nie Mingjue will definitely sing lullaby’s to them no matter what

Also, he will FIGHT anyone who messes with his child (children-)

Basically a strict yet gentle giant of a pop

He will nurture them while clumsily so

He will learn..eventually with you on tow

Jiang Cheng:

Jiang Cheng will be startled out of his wits

So tell him during lunch

He will be happy internally but crying outside

“A-a’Cheng?!”

“I’m not crying….”

“Jiujiu, why are you crying?”

“Shut up brat!”

“…” - Jin Ling

Prepare the PIER!

Jiang Cheng will want to keep it down on the low, cause of that person

Yeah…that didn’t work…

“I can’t believe my previous DiDi got a bun in the oven~!!”

“WEI. WU. XIAN!!!”

You both will have a quadruplets

Like seriously…

One older boy, and three girls

The brother is a fucking carbon copy of Jiang Cheng to the bone

I’m not even joking-

He will frown and always be pouty

You will chuckle at amusement of seeing them copying each other

There will be dogs, yes.

Jiang Cheng will literally give the whole world to them

Thing is, Jiang is insecure on how he will raise them

In one hand, he don’t wanna be a neglectful ghosting father

On another, he don’t wanna be a angry toxic mom cause of past affairs

Definitely will question everything, but you comfort him throughout it

He will be strict but falls every single time when they cry

Luckily, due to having Jin Ling he be a great dad

Though, same scenario as Huasiang, doting at fuck

Jin Ling will actually babysit them in Lanling so you both can just be with each other

Oh yeah, the girls are all variations

The second oldest is similar to Yanli but has your traits within

The third oldest is completely wild and will not let hesitate to annoy her older brother at times

The youngest is shy and a huge dog person

There is now 8 dogs: Magpie, Magnolia, Diamond the 2nd, princess, flower, Dragon, Tea, and Lotus

Expect Jiang Cheng tirelessly work and take care of four

You will help him out and demand him to sleep

The quadruplet will be innocent (except that the fourth one calls them out all the time)

Basically expect them to be a variation of Jiang Cheng and you

One of them have the same type of men like you do

It’s the fourth one—

Jiang Cheng is hella protective of the girls

The oldest son is also protective

If anyone man ask one of the daughters out, hold Jiang Cheng back before he breaks their leg

Will pout and sulk if they married to another

Jin Ling will be the best cousin, he will also be harsh on the suitors

Sizhui will sigh and teach the 2nd oldest how to do music cultivation

Basically, a protective yet soft dad who wants the best

A/N: I hope they’re to your liking Anon~!! Honestly, I had fun with this one. ^^

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mdzs hc #mdzs X reader #mdzs x y/n #hc #X reader #nie mingjue #lan xichen #jiang cheng #NMJ #LXC #JC #mdzs as dads #answered anon #anon ask #answer ask #anon request

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angstymdzsthoughts · 3 years ago

Note

Fem!WWX au, where JFM gets her engaged to JC as an excuse to attach her to LP while she comes of age. YZY is desperate to get her out of LP not because she hates her, but because she sees the way that her husband looks at the 15yo WWX with lust, who would’ve thought that her husband was like that pig JGS? When WWX goes to gusu and starts liking LWJ, she grabs the chance to marry her before the lectures even finish, and if JFM dies some time after the wedding nobody will suspect it was his wife.

"You know your mother and I met when she was just a few years older then you are now," Jiang Fengmian said with a smile. From a distance someone would think the way he pats Wei Wuxian's head was parental affection, but Wei Wuxian is close enough to see the intensity in his eyes, the way his hand lingered, how his fingers dug into her hair enough to pull. She is careful not to flinch. She doesn't want him to know she's uncomfortable, doesn't want him to think he should move whatever plans he has for her up before she becomes frightened and runs.

"I swear, you look more and more like her every year," he says, not for the first time. Wei Wuxian is fifteen. Jiang Fengmian met her mother when she was nineteen. Wei Wuxian has four years. Probably less.

Yu Ziyuan watches from a distance and she burns with disgust (Not jealousy. Never jealousy for a literal child who should never receive such looks from a man who raised her). She sees the look in her husband's eyes when he looks at his young ward- the fever of obsession, the intensity of his desire growing every passing day. She has four years to find a match for Wei Wuxian. The further away from Lotus Pier the better.

It's not as easy as throwing Wei Wuxian at the second son of a minor sect. The match has to be so much better then her current one that it won't be an insult to Jiang Cheng and their clan. It has to be someone who would be willing to fight for her despite her arranged engagement. The Lan clan have a history of being romantics.

She insists that Wei Wuxian go to the Lan Sects lectures with Jiang Cheng. She argues that it is her duty as head deciple. She demands to know why her husband doesn't want Wei Wuxian to go and he backs down and bends to her will.

The night before they leave she visits Wei Wuxian's room. "You will do everything in your power to find a husband among the Lan clan," Yu Ziyuan orders her. "The higher in status, the better. Do you understand, girl?" Wei Wuxian, for all the love she has for her home and her family, knows she will never be completely safe in Lotus Pier. She agrees. Yu Ziyuan gives her an approving look. "It would be best," she continues in a tone that isn't as harsh as normal. "if we have a reason to rush the marriage."

Three months later they receive an urgent letter from Lan Qiren demanding they come to the Cloud Recesses. Yu Ziyuan hides how pleased she is when he tells them that Wei Wuxian had been caught in his younger nephews bed with evidence of debauchery on her thighs. Jiang Fengmian is near apoplectic with rage and needs to leave the room for some air. Once her husband steps out Yu Ziyuan pushes for marriage. After all, the Second Jade of Lan has so clearly ruined their head deciple for marriage to anyone else. Lan Qiren is visibly pained when he agrees.

Later, Yu Ziyuan goes to where Wei Wuxian has been kneeling all day as a part of her punishment. She had no doubt that both she and Lan Wangji had recieved brutal beatings after being discovered and would likely be put in seclusion for months. Perhaps just until they find out if Wei Wuxian is pregnant or maybe until the day of their wedding. She leans in and whispers "You did well." It is without a doubt the highest praise she has ever given the girl.

Wei Wuxian's smile is a small, tired thing. She has tarnished both her and Lan Wangji's reputations with this. She doubts the Lans will ever forgive her for ruining their younger jade. Lan Wangji may hold resentment against her for the rest of their lives for seducing him. But she will be able to sleep at night without jumping at every sound and setting up dozens of traps and locking barriers in her room in fear of her uncle trying to visit her. It will be worth it.

#reply #Madam Yu #wei wuxian #jiang fengmien #not quite sure how to tag JFMs Bad Touch and Bad Intentions #lan qiren #mdzs #gender switch #Creepy JFM AU #This is the start of the au

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robininthelabyrinth · 1 year ago

Text

The Other Mountain - ao3 - Chapter 14

Pairing: Lan Qiren/Wen Ruohan

Warning Tags on Ao3

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“Do you think something unfortunate happened between Cangse Sanren and Jiang Fengmian?” Lan Qiren asked Wen Ruohan, who just stared blankly at him. “Do not think that I am complaining, given how much it accrues to my benefit. It is only that I really cannot imagine doing a thing that would cause that much internal strife to a person I consider to be my friend.”

Despite his reluctance to ever let his two nephews out of his sight again now that he’d seen them again, Lan Qiren had quickly approved Wen Ruohan’s proposed plan to have Cangse Sanren smuggle Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji out of the Lotus Pier, taking advantage of the fact that as a rogue cultivator she could leave early and with relatively little suspicion.

He knew, just as Wen Ruohan knew, that the two of them would be the prime suspects in the disappearance when it was inevitably discovered and reported – it was inevitable, given Lan Qiren’s role in his nephews’ lives up until this point, and the rumors of discord between him and his brother. No matter what they did, it would be impossible to conceal Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji well enough to keep them from being found and returned to their father and sect. And, once returned…

Well, Lan Qiren’s brother had been clear enough about what would happen to them, and that had been before Xichen and Wangji had flagrantly violated Lan sect custom (although not the rules, strictly speaking) in a manner that displayed their preference for Lan Qiren over their father.

(Lan Qiren wished that he could trust his brother to be fair and impartial in imposing punishment, limiting himself only to the rules the boys had actually broken – but his trust in his brother had disappeared long before his love for him had gone. Even in his youth when his brother had only disliked him, Lan Qiren had found his brother to be rather petty on the subject of punishment.)

Lan Qiren thought that Wen Ruohan had been surprised by how swiftly he had agreed with the plan, which he’d done more or less immediately after he’d finished wiping the tears from his nephews’ eyes. Neither Xichen nor Wangji had wanted to leave him, with Wangji being especially distraught, but Lan Qiren had explained the issue to them to the best of his abilities, sticking as much as possible to his desire to see them again rather than expressly stating or even implying any insult to their father. He’d then set rules for their upcoming trip, cautioning and scolding them in exactly the way he would if the trip were merely to go down to Caiyi with their cousins to buy sweets, and he’d seen with satisfaction the way they had both relaxed as soon as the sense of familiarity settled in. He hoped it would help, particularly with Wangji, who was so very clearly suffering greatly from all the changes and the lack of the set schedule Lan Qiren had so painstakingly helped him put together…

No, Lan Qiren couldn’t think of that. Not that, nor of how nervous and burdened Xichen looked, weighed down by responsibility years before it should have fallen upon him. It would only cause himself pointless distress, when he should instead spend his time thinking of the future and what he could do to abate their distress going forward.

(“I thought you’d object,” Wen Ruohan remarked to him in an undertone while Cangse Sanren had been very colorfully introducing herself to the boys, both of whom seemed somewhat doubtful and possibly mildly disapproving in a way that suggested they were in the process of being thoroughly charmed. Cangse Sanren had a very particular way about her of doing that. “Or at least that you would need some convincing that it wasn’t necessary to send them back to the Cloud Recesses where they belong, rather than let them come into my grasp.”

“I told you before that I intended to use you,” Lan Qiren replied, cognizant of but not entirely understanding the flash of delight on Wen Ruohan’s face at his words. “They will return to the Cloud Recesses only once their well-being has been secured to my satisfaction, which I expect will require, at minimum, negotiations with my sect elders. Until that time they must be in a safe place that can resist the disapproval of even the entire cultivation world. Other than your Nightless City, I can think of nowhere else that would do, short of barricading myself in some unpleasant locale naturally inclined towards defense. You will simply have to suffer their presence until then.”

“After hearing the way you used your sect rules to justify keeping them, I doubt I will be suffering,” Wen Ruohan said, voice droll. “Your Xichen in particular has picked up your fondness for loopholes.”

“They are not loopholes. The rules are complex and require tailoring to the present circumstances – ”

“They can keep company with my Chao-er,” Wen Ruohan interrupted. He’d been smirking. “Perhaps they can improve him.”)

In short, Lan Qiren had been quite satisfied with Wen Ruohan’s proposed plan. What he hadn’t expected was that Cangse Sanren would take the initiative to add her own twist, which she did by walking straight up to Jiang Fengmian and asking for permission to take his children on a trip through the cultivation world. She’d claimed that the idea had come upon her abruptly and that she hoped that it would build better ties between their families – to allow her Wei Ying and his Jiang Cheng to grow naturally into friends, the way Jiang Fengmian had with her husband Wei Changze, who had not attended the conference.

That absence seemed slightly odd to Lan Qiren, given that Wei Changze had been the one who’d grown up in the Lotus Pier to start with, but he hadn’t had time to question Cangse Sanren on the subject – assuming he even could, given that in truth they were not particularly well-acquainted. One summer’s worth of something combative that could barely be termed friendship, if one squinted, and a few casual greetings in passing since then, an unreturned letter or two…

Lan Qiren’s life had not left him much room for friends, which he now regretted. There were so many times he had let a relationship that seemed ready to grow wither away instead – Lan Yueheng, Cangse Sanren, Lao Nie… He would have to do better in the future. Perhaps this escapade would allow him to regain something of the acquaintance he had once shared with Cangse Sanren, and then he would be able to ask her questions directly, rather than needing to inquire with Wen Ruohan.

At any rate, Cangse Sanren had made the request, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Jiang Fengmian had agreed. Cangse Sanren had then very enthusiastically and very quickly wrangled up both Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng, commandeered a carriage, and driven away from the Lotus Pier without so much as a backwards glance – or any indication that the carriage contained two sets of children, one sitting on the seats and the other hidden in the interior compartments, wrapped in sheets and pretending to be pillows. Her statement to the door guards, that she was traveling with some children entrusted to her, would have made any Lan sect politician proud, being both completely truthful and absolutely unhelpful.

It was only after they’d all already left that it had come out that Jiang Fengmian had agreed to Cangse Sanren’s proposal without consulting or even telling his fearsome wife…and she was not happy about it.

Politeness dictated that, as guests of the Lotus Pier, everyone attending the discussion conference should respect their hosts’ privacy. And they were, even if that meant pretending not to hear the shouting and crashing of items being thrown – but their hosts were certainly not making it easy.

Surely at some point they’d think to put up a privacy screen of some sort…

“I do think that she did it deliberately,” Lan Qiren continued, thinking aloud. “Not just in terms of what she asked to do, but in then leaving without confirming the request with Yu Ziyuan, though she must have known that it would cause Jiang Fengmian no end of trouble. I even understand the logic – the fight between the two of them, which they seem to incorrectly think we cannot hear or perceive, has captivated the attention of the cultivation world. The information about my nephews’ disappearance has thus been held back a little longer. But it seems…not cruel, precisely. But certainly it seems rather cutthroat a move to pull on someone close to you. Wouldn’t you agree?”

When Wen Ruohan didn’t respond, Lan Qiren shrugged.

“I thought you might have some insight,” he explained. “You and Lao Nie – you have something similar, do you not? You are lovers, but I noticed that you are also often at each other’s throats, and not in a way that could be explained through mutually consensual sadism. In fact, that is another thing I would like to understand. Is there some new cause for that? I had not seen you two interact for a while, but I recall that you did not behave like that with each other before – ”

“Could we not discuss this right now?” Wen Ruohan interrupted. His voice sounded strained. “Perhaps – later…?”

“Ah, of course, of course,” Lan Qiren said, nodding in apology, though his remorse was not as genuine as it probably should be. He had been doing it on purpose. “This is supposed to be for you, after all. I should focus my attention more thoroughly. Would you like to finish again?”

“No,” Wen Ruohan said fervently. “Four in one night is enough, thank you.”

“I think you can manage once more,” Lan Qiren said encouragingly, making Wen Ruohan whine and dig his nails into Lan Qiren’s sides in an encouraging way that was far from consistent with his words of denial. “You were the one who wanted me to…hmm, what was the phrase you used – ”

“Your sect has to have some sort of rule against this,” Wen Ruohan complained insincerely. “When I said I wanted you to fuck me into next week, this is not what I meant.”

He would probably try to take Lan Qiren’s head off if he actually tried to stop.

“Do not tell lies,” Lan Qiren reminded him virtuously, then added, perhaps a little maliciously: “But you are correct, there is an applicable rule, I suppose. How does Sect Leader Wen feel about Do not bully the weak…?”

Predictably, Wen Ruohan growled at the suggestion that he was weak, and yet again at Lan Qiren’s suggestion that he really could just stop what he was doing if it was getting to be too much for him. Lan Qiren did put a pause on the conversation after that, at least – he knew that Wen Ruohan enjoyed listening to him talk, which was probably the first time anyone had ever paid him that particular compliment, but also that after a certain amount of exertion and pleasure he found it increasingly difficult to keep up with the strategic analysis that he most liked hearing. It would be discourteous to abuse that knowledge.

Well, more than he already was, anyway.

Lan Qiren hadn’t been lying about wanting to do something for Wen Ruohan. He was grateful, overwhelmingly grateful, grateful enough that it was almost frightening. Wen Ruohan might not have arranged his nephews’ departure from the Cloud Recesses, they had done that themselves – and the mere thought of it was enough to make Lan Qiren’s heart freeze in his chest in terror – but he had found them, and he had swiftly taken action to help Lan Qiren keep them. Even if he was acting in part due to his own motives, which Lan Qiren never doubted, he had still done it, and in so doing, had saved his nephews from whatever foul plan their father had in mind for them.

The rules said Have affection and gratitude, and Lan Qiren would do his best.

“Fuck,” Wen Ruohan said when Lan Qiren coaxed him to finish yet again, his entire body gone utterly limp and relaxed. “Fuck, that was – good. Painfully good. How are you not done yet?”

“I am using my spiritual energy to improve my stamina,” Lan Qiren said. He’d thought it was pretty obvious, but Wen Ruohan gave him a look that suggested he thought Lan Qiren was the insane one of the pair of them.

“That phrasing suggests that in previous incidents you didn’t – ”

Lan Qiren hadn’t thought it was necessary before.

“– and also, stamina is only stamina, even when backed with spiritual energy. You still need willpower to direct your actions without being distracted or overwhelmed by pleasure.”

“Willpower is something I am not short of,” Lan Qiren said dryly, enjoying the way the words made Wen Ruohan’s throat work as he swallowed, shifting uncomfortably in a way that suggested that the mind was still willing even if the body was no longer able. “As for the question I believe actually you meant to ask – namely why I haven’t finished yet – I thought you might enjoy it if I kept going after you passed out. If I were to use you for my own purposes and my own pleasure at a time when you were no longer able to resist.”

“…fuck,” Wen Ruohan said, and shut his eyes. “Yes, do that.”

Lan Qiren obliged him.

When he was done, he got up to engage in the necessary clean-up, which included applying healing salve to the myriad of little injuries Wen Ruohan invariably left on him. The other man was unquestionably a sadist, with strong fondness for physical pain – he liked the scratches and bruises he left littered on Lan Qiren’s body, liked inflicting them and liked seeing them later so that he could smirk in reminiscence of having caused them. Mindful of that, and of his gratitude, Lan Qiren purposefully did not seek to fully heal the marks Wen Ruohan had left on his neck, each one purposefully high so that the edges would show even if he wore his most concealing high-collared robes, while being just barely low enough that Wen Ruohan could claim that he’d done it unintentionally.

Normally, it would annoy Lan Qiren, but – well, he was grateful. Let Wen Ruohan have his fun.

The next morning, he rose at his usual time and instructed the servants at the door not to wake Wen Ruohan until he rose naturally. The whole cultivation world had tacitly agreed to jointly pretend that the original postponement of the usual morning meeting to lunchtime had always been meant as a postponement until lunchtime the next day, so as to avoid embarrassing their hosts more than they were already embarrassing themselves and also to provide the Jiang sect disciple scrambling to fix things with a little more breathing room. That meant there was no point in making Wen Ruohan drag himself out of bed early for socialization he already had little to no interest in.

Instead, when his morning routine was done, Lan Qiren dressed himself in the most atrocious of the robes Wen Ruohan had had prepared for him – the ones streaked with bright red suns, similar to the ones the main Wen clan wore, and completed with an embroidered belt in which the subdued black-on-black pattern of clouds was eclipsed by the gold and ruby of the sun used as the clasp in what must be the most unsubtle of metaphors – and went out himself. In truth, he hated the social aspects of the discussion conferences just as much, if not more, than Wen Ruohan did, since Wen Ruohan only disliked making time for those he perceived to be his social inferiors or his competition, while Lan Qiren could have done very well without seeing any of them at all.

But as all sect leaders eventually learned, dislike of an act could not mean disregarding it.

Lan Qiren might not like socializing, no, but he could do it, and he could do it well. He had ten years of knowledge at his fingertips, enabling him to personalize his interactions with each sect leader he met – he knew which ones had recently had children and which ones had married, which ones had had recent success in night-hunts and which ones had had embarrassing failures, knew when to offer congratulations and when not to. He knew to always compliment Sect Leader Huang on his wife and ask Sect Leader Ouyang about his only son, knew to avoid mentioning Tingshan He to Huaitang Wu while always doing so the other way around, knew that a casual reference to the fierce ladies of Chenwei Zhao would make the sect leader of Songdian Zhao panic and yield under almost any circumstances…

Do not embarrass your wife in public, he had written to himself, setting it as a rule and thinking of Jiang Fengmian, and he’d been right, hadn’t he? Support your wife’s family, for they are now your own.

And Lan Qiren…Lan Qiren was grateful.

So he ignored his dislike and even his dignity, and made the informal rounds of visits to the other cultivation sects, greeting who he should greet and snubbing no one he shouldn’t snub. He let them look at him in his Wen sect clothing, Wen Ruohan’s blatant symbol of possession, and equally he let them smirk at the marks on his neck, revealed by the low collar of the robes he’d picked out. He was polite and…well, not charming, he didn’t think he could manage charming, toneless and tactless as he was.

But he could certainly manage to be compelling, implying without saying that Wen Ruohan had made significant plans and that he was aware of them while refusing to share any details. For some sect leaders he put on a concerned look, suggesting that he disapproved of what he had heard but was helpless to do anything about it, while for others he permitted himself an expression of mild satisfaction, as though he had succeeded in convincing Wen Ruohan to do something out of his usual line. In each case, he left the sect leader he spoke with something to think about, something that they would turn over and over again in their minds until they could think of nothing else, until they wanted nothing more than to meet up in groups to speculate with each other about the Wen sect’s next move.

Anyone else seeking to accomplish something at this discussion conference would be hard-pressed to get in a word. Even the return of his brother, which would have otherwise been the main subject of the day, was cast aside as old news, unable to make a dent in the furor.

Because Lan Qiren was grateful, but also because he was spiteful, too.

“I like the outfit,” Lao Nie said to him, eyes curved with glee, when Lan Qiren visited the portion of the main dining hall typically (if informally) set aside for the Great Sect leaders. Lan Qiren’s brother was standing by his side, stonily mute once more. “Very…colorful.”

He was making a comment on the mauled state of Lan Qiren’s neck, Lan Qiren surmised. He had heard similar comments all morning, some far less subtle than others.

“Thank you,” he replied politely. “All credit goes to my wife.”

If he put a mild stress on the word wife, or allowed his voice to be louder than usual so that it would carry, causing the rest of the room to burst out in whispered speculation at the fact that Lan Qiren had said it not once but twice, then it was only a matter of good politics. Everyone would wonder at Wen Ruohan’s intentions, worry about the possible results of his schemes. Their minds and mouths would be filled with nothing but him – just as Wen Ruohan had wanted.

Be your wife’s partner, after all.

And if those very same acts of good politics also happened to make Lan Qiren’s brother’s eyes fill with anger at the reminder that Lan Qiren had taken the insult he’d intended to degrade him and turned it into a source of power instead…well. Lan Qiren had promised himself that he would make his brother live in regret, and he intended to do it.

There would be consequences to his current display, Lan Qiren knew. His brother was quite capable of disregarding their sect’s rule against bearing grudges, and he was both powerful and clever in his own right, however out of practice he might be at the moment. He had been raised by their father to play the political game in ways Lan Qiren had never been, and he had been good at it, those few years he had managed the sect before he had gone into seclusion. He would be thoughtful, and he would be vengeful, and Lan Qiren had relatively little power to resist any retaliation his brother might wish to take in revenge for this slight. Lan Qiren knew too well, as most of the other sect leaders did not, that his relationship with Wen Ruohan was a delicate one, born of cooperation held together solely by mutual interest; he wasn’t anywhere near as favored or as influential as he was pretending to be, and his brother would eventually learn that, even if he didn’t know it yet. There would be consequences.

But now that Lan Qiren knew that those consequences would not fall on his nephews, he didn’t care.

Do not be haughty and complacent, the rules said. He was knowingly breaking that rule, and to knowingly break a rule was worse than an accidental violation – he would require a more severe punishment to correct his future behavior. Possibly even to the point of needing physical discipline, rather than merely reviewing the basis of the rule or copying it out.

(Perhaps Wen Ruohan would enjoy administering it? That seemed likely. And Lan Qiren was grateful…)

“Oh, that reminds me,” Lao Nie said with a smirk that suggested mischief. “Your secret marriage meant that I didn’t get a chance to send a wedding present. Naturally I will have to make up for that. Do you have anything in mind? Or should I just dig through my treasury?”

Lan Qiren grimaced at the thought of yet more priceless items ending up unused in Wen Ruohan’s treasure rooms, swords left to rust and instruments gone out of tune.

“I suspect my new household already has everything that it needs,” he said, then added, dryly, “Though I understand that my wife has always appreciated having a little more land.”

Lao Nie cackled. “Not a chance, my friend. Not a chance.”

“In that case, we will be satisfied with no gifts at all, and your presence at dinner some time.” Lan Qiren glanced sidelong at his brother and added, a little colder and much less sincere, “Naturally, Xiongzhang should also come to visit us when it suits him best.”

His brother smiled thinly. “I would be more than delighted to visit, of course, when you have a chance to settle down. I know how…busy…you’ve been, in the service of your new family.”

Lan Qiren wasn’t sure what his brother meant to imply by that, but it made the smile on Lao Nie’s face fade away into a mild frown, which meant it was probably some sort of subtle insult.

“Half the people I spoke to this morning said that you’d already been to visit them,” his brother continued in seeming explanation, and Lao Nie’s expression cleared up, though Lan Qiren was sure that his brother had actually meant whatever insult he’d initially implied. “Don’t let yourself get worked over too hard, Qiren.”

There was another insult there, which again Lan Qiren couldn’t figure out, but he was more interested in the fact that his brother had also been making the informal rounds of socialization. He didn’t know his brother well enough anymore to be able to determine if he’d done it because he’d had a specific goal, or merely as a means of reintroducing himself to the cultivation world, or else simply because he enjoyed socializing more than Lan Qiren ever had. If his brother had been anyone else, and Lan Qiren still in his position as sect leader, he would have made a point of trying to find out – and he still could, he supposed, though he would have to do it through Wen Ruohan’s means rather than his own. Still, it would mean losing face, having to ask someone else a question about his own brother…

“Sect Leader!” someone called, and multiple heads turned, but it was a Lan sect disciple who was calling. An older one, one of the ones that had never liked Lan Qiren, and he looked worried, rushing forward at an unusual speed to whisper into Lan Qiren’s brother’s ear.

Ah. It is time, then.

Lan Qiren inclined his head to Lao Nie and started making his way away from them. It would be better to appear that he had no idea what was being said before the news came out, if only because his brother would eventually find a way to confront him, presumably in private –

“Qiren, stop.”

His brother’s voice cracked like a whip, drawing attention from the room at large. Lan Qiren pressed his lips together in irritation, wondering if his brother had no care for their sect’s face. Was he really going to confront him here and now, in front of everyone?

Nevertheless, he turned back. “Yes, Xiongzhang?”

“My sons have gone missing from the Cloud Recesses,” his brother said, watching him with a cold expression, and Lan Qiren pressed his lips together further: it seemed that his brother did, in fact, intend to do this here and now. “Do you know where they might be?”

On the road to Xixiang, Lan Qiren thought to himself. Cangse Sanren had mentioned hearing rumors of something there that might be worth night-hunting, a matter of some urgency – it was one of those no-man’s-land regions that lacked a local cultivation sect and therefore relied on the kindness of rogue cultivators like her and her husband. Critically, it was not too far from the Lan sect’s outer borders, meaning that Cangse Sanren would have a plausible (though not especially believable) place where she could have run into Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji that didn’t involve stealing them away from their rightful home, and from there she would make her way towards the Nightless City.

“I do not know where they are right now,” he said, careful to be precise: he didn’t know where on the road they might be, whether they’d gone fast enough to be past the nearest town by now or if they had taken a longer, more circuitous route. With Cangse Sanren involved, it could be anything. For all he knew, she could have decided to go backwards. “Do you mean to say you do not know? Is there any risk that they have been kidnapped?”

Lan Qiren rarely had reason to be thankful for his natural lack of affect, which made others perceive him as being dull and uninteresting, but it was helpful now – he was a poor actor, but no one would question his relative calm or use it as a reason to doubt his sincerity. His brother would suspect him even more, knowing as he did of Lan Qiren’s meltdowns, his fears, his recent emotional instability, but he couldn’t mention any of those, not without explaining why he might think such a reaction was likely. That wouldn’t leave either of them with any face, and his brother cared deeply for his face, even if he sometimes seemed to forget that his sect also had face that he should concern himself with.

That left him helpless – unless he could force Lan Qiren to admit to something.

“Do not tell lies,” his brother said.

“I am not lying,” Lan Qiren said, forcing himself to look at his brother directly, or at least as close as he could tolerate. “Xiongzhang, you know that I would never risk letting my nephews come to harm.”

Even if the harm comes from you.

His brother’s eyes narrowed. He understood the implied message – that Lan Qiren did know where the boys were. More: that his strongest leverage against Lan Qiren had disappeared along with them.

“Qiren – ”

“I think that is enough,” Wen Ruohan said, his powerful voice carrying through the room. Lan Qiren glanced over to look at him: he was standing at the door, with his hands clasped behind his back and that cruel smile he used in public. He’d timed his entrance well, with the late morning sun glittering off the water to frame him and his incredibly strong cultivation was rolling off of him in waves, a display and reminder that he was so much more powerful than the rest of them. “He has already said he didn’t know, and we all know Lan Qiren doesn’t lie. I will not permit one of my people to be baselessly questioned any further.”

He strolled forward, ignoring the way they all gawked at him.

“I assume you will nevertheless want to check my Wen sect’s rooms…?” he said mildly, stopping only when he was standing by Lan Qiren’s side. “You are welcome to do so. You will find no lost children there, but by all means, go ahead and waste your time.”

“I thank Sect Leader Wen for his courtesy,” Lan Qiren’s brother said smoothly, jerking his head in the briefest of inclines before sweeping out the door.

Lao Nie glanced at the two of them with a brief frown of his own, but then opted to head out as well, undoubtedly off to offer his assistance with the search. That was the Nie sect: always willing to fight evil no matter where it might be.

Once they were gone, the room quickly lit up in gossip, everyone immediately seeking out someone else with whom they could discuss this newest twist. And to think that when they’d arrived, they probably thought that they would spend the entire conference talking about the return of Lan Qiren’s brother…

“I heard that you had a busy morning,” Wen Ruohan murmured in Lan Qiren’s ear. When Lan Qiren looked at him, his eyes were shining with barely restrained excitement. “You look – ravishing.”

Lan Qiren rolled his eyes. “I’m sure. Tell me, is it the outfit that stakes your claim or the chaos I caused in your name that does it for you?”

“Can’t it be both? Surely I’ve demonstrated the genuine nature of my interest in you by now.”

Lan Qiren snorted. He was quite certain that Wen Ruohan would happily drag him into a convenient bedroom and demand service at this very moment if he thought they could get away with it.

“It was the least I could do,” he said instead. “Have affection and gratitude. You should make the rounds yourself, while you can – if things keep going the way they are, this entire conference will end up getting canceled.”

“Mm, a good point.” A smirk played around his lips. “Perhaps I’ll go check in on Sect Leader Chang to see how Yueyang Chang is settling in. It is their first discussion conference as a subordinate clan of the Wen sect.”

Lan Qiren rolled his eyes at the other man’s smugness. The plan had worked out just as Lan Qiren had proposed, much to Wen Ruohan’s evident delight, though if he kept tormenting Sect Leader Chang with how badly his scheme to defeat his neighbors had gone, the man was likely to work himself into an aneurysm. Which would make him much less useful to Wen Ruohan!

“What about you?” Wen Ruohan asked. “Do you have more people you want to see?”

“‘Want’ is not the word I would select in this context,” Lan Qiren said with a faint sigh. “And no, not quite. At any rate, it would be inappropriate for me to continue socializing while my nephews are missing, even if, as a member of another sect, it is equally inappropriate for me to assist in the search without permission. However, I am certain that if I remain here unattended any number of my peers will come to express their best wishes on my nephews’ swift return.”

“Your analysis is shrewd as ever, Lan Qiren, but for one thing: you have no peer.” Wen Ruohan’s icy smile briefly curled up into something a little more genuine. “Other than me, of course.”

Of course you would think that, self-absorbed narcissist that you are, Lan Qiren thought to himself, but perhaps a little more fondly than before. Self-absorbed or not, Wen Ruohan had helped him when he had needed it most, and not only once. Have affection and gratitude indeed…

The first few people who approached Lan Qiren only came to fish for gossip, but he repelled them easily enough. The next two after that actually had something interesting to say, though whether they meant to have said it Lan Qiren could not be sure. Potential allies or enemies, in any event, and he noted down their names to share with Wen Ruohan afterwards.

The one after that, though, had a different goal entirely.

“It’s just, you see, you did such a good job with A-Ling,” Sect Leader Xie said apologetically. He was the head of a small independent sect loosely allied with the Lan, but he’d only made a cursory attempt to comfort Lan Qiren over the disappearance of his nephews, focusing instead on his own concerns. “Everything about him has improved: his conduct, his temperament, even his martial skills and cultivation. A-Yi has been immensely jealous, and we’ve been promising him all year that he would get the chance to attend your classes once he was old enough…”

“I intend to resume my classes,” Lan Qiren reassured him. “They will need to be held in the Nightless City, as I now reside there, and as a result I expect to start later in the season than usual, but they will still be taking place.”

Indeed, Wen Ruohan was likely to insist on it.

“The Nightless City,” Sect Leader Xie repeated, shifting uncomfortably. “I don’t mean to be rude, Teacher Lan, but…”

“Naturally anyone who comes to my classes will have my personal guarantee of safe passage, as well as the same guarantee from Sect Leader Wen,” Lan Qiren said firmly. He would insist on it, and he thought he was likely to get it – it wasn’t as though Wen Ruohan could run the classes without him. Anyway, Wen Ruohan saw the classes (however incorrectly) as planting seeds for the future, a long-term investment, so he was highly unlikely to risk that future by acting against any of Lan Qiren’s students in the present. “If anything ever happens that makes me doubt that guarantee, I will cancel rather than risk any student that is entrusted to me.”

“Oh, that’s good, that’s good. Very good! As always, Teacher Lan, you are the most reliable!”

Lan Qiren inclined his head and watched with no little bemusement as Sect Leader Xie bustled away back to his preferred clique, saying some words to them that made them all perk their heads up and look over at him like a gaggle of meerkats from some distant foreign land. He was aware, of course, that he had developed something of a reputation as a teacher, but it was rather gratifying to see other people so enthusiastic about the notion of sending him their children…

Lan Qiren shook his head and turned his attention back to politics.

Another five visitors later, his enthusiasm was starting to flag, as he would have expected. The process of politics was seemingly interminable, and the amount of time and effort it took to deal with people was simply exhausting. He was just thinking that he should find his way to a slightly more obscure corner –

“Murder!”

Lan Qiren startled, as did everyone around him, each of them falling silent and wondering if they’d misheard.

“Murder!” someone shouted. It was a panting, panicked disciple in nondescript colors that had clearly just run into the main hall, chest heaving and eyes wide as saucers. “Help, please! Someone’s been murdered!”

Lan Qiren started making his way forward at once, his fingers immediately itching for either his sword or his guqin, but found that he was making no headway. Everyone else was still staring at the disciple blankly, as if trying to understand how something like that could have happened here, amongst all of the cultivators, and when all of them were unarmed, too.

“I’m telling you, someone’s been murdered…!”

Lan Qiren gave up on subtlety and started forcing his way through the people in his way. It was rude, but it worked: the crowd parted before him as soon as they noticed him, the smaller sect leaders instinctively deferring to a Great Sect leader, even though he wasn’t one any longer.

“Who has been injured?�� he said sharply to the panicked disciple, and when that didn’t work, added, “Show me. Where are they?”

The disciple led the way outside, where a number of people were already gathering, muttering to each other. There was the smell of blood in the air, mixing unpleasantly with the flowers and water, and when Lan Qiren finally made it through the crowd, he found that its source was a middle-aged man in a green robe, splayed out on his belly in a puddle of his own blood, half-in and half-out of one of the Lotus Pier’s many pavilions. Several people were already kneeling next to him, helping turn him over.

He looked – familiar.

“It’s Sect Leader Pei!” someone shouted, recognizing the man at exactly the same moment Lan Qiren did. “Wangdu Pei!”

Sect Leader Pei? Why is that name familiar – Oh no.

Oh no.

“But who would want to hurt him?” The whispers had already started. “He didn’t have any enemies. Wangdu Pei is a subsidiary sect of Lanling Jin. Who would dare?”

And then, inevitably, as Lan Qiren had already known they would –

“Didn’t Sect Leader Pei get into a dispute with Sect Leader Wen? He did, didn’t he? Yesterday, at the morning meeting, he called out the former Sect Leader Lan for where he was sitting. Sect Leader Wen was angry, you saw him, you saw his face. He wanted to hurt him…he wanted to kill him…”

Lan Qiren gritted his teeth and ignored the whispers, kneeling beside the body and pressing one hand to the man’s neck, the other to his nose, seeking breath. Abruptly, he flashed back to being in a similar position with He Kexin’s body, all her once-prodigious beauty rendered abruptly hollow, spelling the beginning of so much horrible change.

For a moment he found it hard to breathe.

And then he felt something under his fingertips, something that had been absent with He Kexin, and that brought him back to himself.

“He’s not dead,” Lan Qiren said. No one heard him, they were too busy gossiping. This was why his sect had set Talking behind others’ backs is prohibited as a rule.He raised his voice to his best schoolteacher’s bellow: “Listen to me!”

Everyone fell silent and looked at him.

“Sect Leader Pei is not dead,” Lan Qiren said firmly. “There is still a pulse, and breath. Someone go fetch a doctor at once.”

No one moved.

“Is he really not dead?” Someone unseen hissed. “Or is Teacher Lan just covering up for his lover…?”

Lan Qiren was about to retort that Wen Ruohan was his lawfully married wife, not a lover, when he was interrupted once more.

This time, though, it wasn’t a verbal interruption. Rather, a sudden sense of tremendous pressure suddenly came crashing down on him, on all of them, knocking half the sect leaders still standing down to their knees and making the rest stagger. It felt as though the weight of a mountain had abruptly settled down on their shoulders. The force of it curved their shoulders from the strain, crushing their chests and lungs, making it impossible to draw air –

“I would offer my own services,” Wen Ruohan said pleasantly from the doorway to the main hall, looking out at all of them in the reverse image of how he had entered the same hall not long before. “But for whatever reason I don’t think they would be properly appreciated, despite my sect’s fame in medicine.”

He had his fingers up in a gesture not unlike a pinch, with a small round fleck of black smaller than a grain of rice rotating rapidly in place like a spinning marble, held between his thumb and middle finger.

Lan Qiren had never seen anything like it before. What was that…?

Wen Ruohan pinched his fingers a little closer together, causing the immense pressure to momentarily tighten – Lan Qiren felt as though he were drowning – and then brought them together in a swift snap that shattered the sense of heaviness all at once, freeing them from the terrible weight.

Lan Qiren inhaled sharply, drawing in air to fill his screaming lungs once more, and he wasn’t the only one to do so. He still didn’t know what it was that Wen Ruohan had just done, but he was tremendously grateful that it was over…and also, retroactively, that none of them had actually managed to succeed in truly angering Wen Ruohan, that ancient monster of the cultivation world.

He turned his head to catch Wen Ruohan’s gaze and nodded at him in thanks, as that had been a very efficient – if perhaps excessive – way of getting everyone to stop gossiping. Wen Ruohan smirked in response, inclining his head and spreading his hands by his sides in a subtle silent bow as if he were a performer that had just finished pulling off a particularly magnificent stunt of sleight-of-hand.

Ridiculous man.

“There must be a doctor somewhere,” Lan Qiren said loudly, trying to focus on what was important. Human life takes precedence. “Yunmeng Jiang must have some on retainer. Has someone sent a disciple to summon them?”

Luckily, it turned out someone had, and a few moments later three of them arrived, each one holding their medical kits. With Lan Qiren and Wen Ruohan both glowering at everyone, a path was swiftly opened up for them, and soon enough they were crouched around Sect Leader Pei, wielding acupuncture needles and bitter-smelling poultices and bandages and the like.

Lan Qiren took the opportunity to retreat, heading back to Wen Ruohan’s side. He had to speak with him as soon as possible – and privately, if they could manage it.

Unfortunately, that would be difficult, given all the people around them, many of whom were still eyeing them both suspiciously. But it was necessary, and urgent. He had to tell Wen Ruohan what people had thought when they’d seen Sect Leader Pei lying there, what they had suspected, who they had suspected…

Only Lan Qiren wasn’t quite sure how to manage it.

Leaving the scene together would only be deemed even more suspicious, and at precisely a moment in which it was absolutely vital for them to avoid increasing the already tense atmosphere; it was impossible. But neither was there some easy way to simply draw Wen Ruohan aside for a quiet word. It wasn’t as though Lan Qiren could just walk up to him and whisper in his ear…

Ah, no, wait. They were married. There was no reason he couldn’t.

Lan Qiren matched action to thought at once, arriving at Wen Ruohan’s side and leaning his head in close as if he were trying to kiss him on the cheek. Wen Ruohan reacted at once, reaching out one hand to wrap around him and pull him in closer, as if into an embrace, his second hand reaching up to cup the back of Lan Qiren’s head and draw him in close the way a man might to comfort a shaken loved one, cooperating with the illusion almost as if he knew what Lan Qiren were trying to do.

“Someone is trying to frame you,” Lan Qiren hissed into his ear.

To his surprise, Wen Ruohan snorted.

“Do not laugh. This is serious, take it seriously. I am entirely in earnest.”

“You always are,” Wen Ruohan murmured back, voice low. “But to jump immediately to framing…you recall that you haven’t seen me all morning, do you not? Who’s to say I wasn’t the one who did it…?”

Lan Qiren pulled his head back and gave Wen Ruohan his best glare, though he kept his voice quiet. “I told you to be serious. Naturally you did not do it! Others may doubt it, more fool they, but I know that you are neither insane nor an idiot. Even if you did intend to kill him, why would you do it now, when it serves none of your interests and would only harm your sect’s reputation if it were known?”

“An excellent point,” Wen Ruohan said. He was smiling, his eyes curved with good humor rather than dead and cold. “You’re entirely correct, as usual. I did not kill him, and I am being framed.”

“I know that. I said that. That is how I started this conversation. The question is what to do about it – ”

“Sect Leader Wen.”

Lan Qiren turned, drawing away from Wen Ruohan as he did. It was Jiang Fengmian who had called, a look of solemn neutrality on his face. Behind him were Lan Qiren’s brother and Jin Guangshan, the latter tapping his fan against his palm, and a few steps behind them was Lao Nie, lingering by the pavilion with Sect Leader Pei with a frown on his face and his hand resting on the hilt of his famous saber Jiwei.

Four Great Sects, joined together to face down the Wen, which as always stood alone.

Well, not quite alone, Lan Qiren amended. He put his hands behind his back, grounding his stance and making it quite clear from his posture that he had no intention of going anywhere.

Jiang Fengmian drew to a halt in front of where Wen Ruohan and Lan Qiren were standing.

“Sect Leader Wen,” he repeated, and raised his hands to salute respectfully. “There have been certain questions raised that I request that you answer, if you are willing. If you would come with me…?”

There was a dangerous smile playing at Wen Ruohan’s lips, though for once Lan Qiren could not sense his usual rage at anything even remotely suggestive of a challenge to his authority – on the contrary, he seemed to be in an extraordinarily good mood. Lan Qiren had no idea why that might be, given that he was blatantly being schemed against.

Though perhaps that was it. Lao Nie had once remarked to Lan Qiren that Wen Ruohan did not seem to overly mind betrayals provided that they were conducted with sufficient style, evaluating them the way an aesthete would fine art. Lan Qiren had found the notion strangely sad, which Lao Nie had not understood and which he had never been able to explain, not even to himself.

“I would be more than happy to accompany my gracious host and provide whatever assistance I can,” Wen Ruohan said smoothly, causing a good three quarters of the room to exhale in relief at the realization that no wars would be starting today. “Lead the way, Sect Leader Jiang.”

Jiang Fengmian bowed a little and turned, with Jin Guangshan and Lan Qiren’s brother both stepping to the side to allow him to pass.

Lan Qiren glanced at them, wondering if he should go as well, but Wen Ruohan caught his eye and shook his head lightly in refusal. Lan Qiren inclined his head back and left him to follow Jiang Fengmian alone, although as they entered the pavilion Lao Nie turned and joined them – a little shameless of him, but then again he was notoriously shameless. Not to mention quixotic enough that no one would be able to guess whether he’d joined in order to be on Wen Ruohan’s side or against him.

Perhaps that was why Wen Ruohan hadn’t wanted Lan Qiren to come along. If he had, it would have given his brother the opportunity to do the same, and they knew that he wasn’t on their side.

Though, now that Lan Qiren thought about it, it was something of a surprise that Jin Guangshan hadn’t insisted on joining the interrogation himself. Wasn’t Wangdu Pei one of Lanling Jin’s subordinate sects…? Surely he would have a vested interest, and even if he didn’t care about his own subordinate sect, he certainly could have plausibly claimed to –

“I wouldn’t have expected such an unseemly display from you, Qiren.”

Lan Qiren stiffened when his brother came to stand next to him. “I am not sure I know what you mean.”

His brother hummed, though it was barely audible, the room having erupted into conversation once more, everyone rushing over to talk with their friends and allies and occasionally even enemies if they thought they might have something worth saying. Jin Guangshan in particular was standing at the center of a large circle of people, fielding questions with his usual slimy smile. Presumably that was a greater draw than the interrogation.

“Only that you have always seemed so detached from worldly pleasures. Who would think that once you were married, you would be shamelessly hanging all over another in public…” Lan Qiren stiffened in outrage, and his brother chuckled in a low voice. “Ah, but you are the expert on the rules! Naturally I don’t need to remind you. Though perhaps a refresher would be in order on Do not be promiscuous…”

“We are married,” Lan Qiren said through gritted teeth, instead of objecting the way he would like to the lurid mischaracterization of his actions, which were nowhere near to what his brother seemed to be implying. It was pointless, and would only make his brother laugh at him even more. “I am certain I do not need to remind you that it is a husband’s duty to ensure his wife is satisfied – ”

He choked at the sudden burst of pain in his abdomen, staggering back in surprise. He stared up at his brother in shock: had he just hit him?

His brother was looking down at him, unconcealed wrath twisting his features into something ugly. He stepped closer, lifting his hand once more…

There was a burst of laughter from the door, deep and compelling and distinctive, immediately identifiable to Lan Qiren despite how rarely he heard it. Everyone else seemed primarily confused, perhaps wondering who would be laughing at a time like this, and all together turned to stare at Wen Ruohan, who was leaning against the railing of the walkway next to the pavilion and laughing loudly with his head thrown back.

“No, no,” he said, lazily waving his hand at Jiang Fengmian. “Please go on! Tell me more! Yes, of course, when you put it that way, it couldn’t have been anyone but me, could it? Everyone knows that I am hot-headed and passionate, always the first one to act irrationally for the sake of…what was it again…”

“Love, I think,” Lao Nie drawled. He was visibly rolling his eyes.

“Oh, yes, of course. That.”

Lan Qiren would be amused by the sheer dripping disdain in Wen Ruohan’s voice – certainly it was doing an excellent job of getting the rest of the room to abruptly realize that they’d been too caught up in the moment to actually think about how unlikely it was that Wen Ruohan, of all people, would be sufficiently moved to action by an insult to Lan Qiren – but his brother had caught him by the wrist and was squeezing tightly enough that it felt as though his bones were grinding together.

“How very shameless you are, Qiren,” his brother hissed, and Lan Qiren had to bite his tongue to keep from making a sound of pain when he felt something give way in his arm. “Shameless and spoiled, with your so-inflexible righteousness scarcely hiding the rot of your hypocrisy. How many losses will your lover be willing to bear, do you think, before the cost of you begins to outweigh the benefit…?”

Lan Qiren stared at his brother, realizing what that must mean. “Do you mean you were the one who – ”

“I didn’t do it!” someone cried out, yet again drawing the attention of the gathered group to where the investigation was continuing. It was poor Sect Leader Xie, that little rabbit of a man that had promised his A-Yi the chance to attend Lan Qiren’s classes. “I mean – I know – I was there, yes, but I didn’t do it! I didn’t even see anything!”

“That’s a little implausible,” Lao Nie pointed out reasonably. He’d obviously stepped forward to be the lead investigator for the matter. “You’re saying a man was attacked only a few steps away from you and you missed it? Because you were, what, looking the wrong way?”

“But I was!”

Lan Qiren tore his arm away from his brother, mind working furiously to try to find a way out of the present crisis. His brother had all but admitted to him that he had been the one to orchestrate the framing, but no one else had been paying attention, and he was unlikely to be willing to admit it where anyone else could hear it.

His aim had undoubtedly been to create trouble for Wen Ruohan, and Lan Qiren could see how it would. Even if Wen Ruohan managed to deflect actual blame for the attack, as he was so ably doing, people would still associate the incident with him later, upon retelling, and the Wen sect was not yet so powerful that it could afford to ignore public opinion completely. It made sense, as a countermove: Lan Qiren had been flaunting Wen Ruohan’s power, so his brother attacked and diminished that power…

Worse – it would cost his brother nothing he deemed of value to cover up his own involvement.

Only a single small independent sect, not even a subsidiary, set up to be the perfect scapegoat.

And Wen Ruohan would take the bait and accept that conclusion, of course. Why wouldn’t he? Even if Lan Qiren could get to him in time to tell him who had actually committed the crime, having someone conveniently there to take the blame would minimize the harm that any rumors would do to the Wen sect’s standing or to Wen Ruohan’s own reputation. People would be more inclined to talk about who’d actually done the crime than who had been merely suspected of it, whereas if the culprit were not found, Wen Ruohan would remain the likeliest option. Forcing Sect Leader Xie to bear the blame instead, regardless of whether he was genuinely guilty or innocent, was the obvious next step – it made perfect logical sense, perfect political sense.

It was wrong, against all principles and morality, but since when did Wen Ruohan care about that?

“Lao Nie,” Wen Ruohan suddenly spoke, his powerful voice easily overriding Sect Leader Xie’s sobs. “Be careful. You are on the verge of insulting me.”

Lao Nie blinked, clearly taken aback by the unexpected interruption. “What? How’s that?”

“Sect Leader Jiang, our gracious host, has already said that he believed it was me at fault.” Wen Ruohan shrugged in a grandiose fashion and smirked. “And didn’t I already admit it? Turning around and accusing another like this…it’s almost as if you doubt my word.”

“Hanhan, you were being sarcastic.”

“Says who?” Wen Ruohan waved his hand. “You have as little evidence that it was him as you do that it was me. Anyway, Sect Leader Pei isn’t even dead. Just call it a friendly accident and let us move on – surely we have better things to do. We haven’t even had lunch.”

Lao Nie protested, but Jiang Fengmian was already nodding in agreement, clearly all too happy to wash his hands of the entire incident, and there were fervent murmurs of agreement already rippling through the crowd. It seemed that all of them had had enough excitement for the day.

Sect Leader Xie even stopped crying, seemingly realizing that he was being spared. He looked poleaxed, as if he didn’t understand exactly what was happening but nonetheless overwhelmingly grateful for the unexpected reprieve.

For his part, Lan Qiren stared at Wen Ruohan, wondering what in the world had gotten into him.

There was no benefit to Wen Ruohan in speaking up to spare Sect Leader Xie, nothing at all; it was pure loss for him, for both him personally and his sect more generally. A small loss, to be sure, but a loss nonetheless, and a loss that could be laid squarely at Lan Qiren’s feet – moreover, it was a loss Wen Ruohan could have reduced to almost nothing, effortlessly, and yet chose not to. Why…?

Wen Ruohan turned and caught Lan Qiren’s gaze from across the room. His cold smirk widened, very briefly, into a smile, and he winked, startling Lan Qiren and making him stare even more blatantly. And then, once he was sure he had Lan Qiren’s attention, Wen Ruohan once again inclined his head and very subtly spread his hands out beside him in the most minute of gestures – the same gesture he had made earlier, a silent bow, smug, like a performer having done a trick he thought the audience would like.

He’d done it…for Lan Qiren?

Not for his own benefit, not for any calculation, but rather just…just to please him.

Because he’d noticed Lan Qiren’s distress at the wrong person carrying the blame for something they did not do. Because even if Wen Ruohan didn’t care about what was good and what was right and certainly not about someone as irrelevant as Sect Leader Xie, Lan Qiren did.

And Wen Ruohan, it appeared, cared about that.

…oh, Lan Qiren thought, unsure of why his stomach suddenly felt beset by butterflies, a strange anxiety he hadn’t felt even when his brother had been threatening him – and then abruptly not unsure at all. Oh, no.

He knew exactly why he felt the way he did.

#mdzs #lan qiren #wen ruohan #sect leader nie #qingheng-jun #my fic #my fics #Megafic #:D #happy over 100k everyone

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bloody-bee-tea · 2 years ago

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Beetober 2022 Day 25 - Playful

Nie Huaisang is taking his tea, watching Wei Wuxian squirm in his place.

“What do you want again?” Nie Huaisang finally asks once his cup is empty and he guesses he has to applaud Wei Wuxian for staying quiet all this time.

It does help that he is afraid of Nie Huaisang now.

“I’m here to check on Mingjue-ge,” Wei Wuxian says and Nie Huaisang narrows his eyes at him.

“That’s Nie-gongzi to you,” Nie Huaisang calmly reminds him and watches with pleasure how Wei Wuxian pales. “And he’s not here.”

“What do you mean he’s not here? He needs constant supervision!” Wei Wuxian yells out and Nie Huaisang calmly pours himself another cup.

“He’s neither a baby nor a dangerous animal. Wasn’t it you who assured me that there is no danger coming from da-ge now?” Nie Huaisang sweetly wants to know and Wei Wuxian swallows heavily.

“It’s just a precaution,” he amends, letting out a nervous chuckle. “You know, just in case.”

“Just in case you fucked up once more and my da-ge has to suffer again?” Nie Huaisang asks and it effectively shuts Wei Wuxian up.

Nie Huaisang is glad that Lan Wangji opted to let his husband travel alone today because he would not have liked to deal with those glares today.

“And he is not alone. He is with his husband,” Nie Huaisang tells Wei Wuxian and watches with satisfaction how Wei Wuxian freezes in surprise.

“Husband?” Wei Wuxian repeats, more to himself than Nie Huaisang. “What do you mean, husband?”

“I mean the man he is married to,” Nie Huaisang explains with more patience than he really feels. “You should know what that is, seeing as you have a husband yourself. Or did you never really get the approval of Lan Wangji’s family?” Nie Huaisang curiously asks because he damn well knows that Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian eloped because Lan Qiren would never approve of them.

“Hey,” Wei Wuxian complaints. “We are married!”

“Good for you,” Nie Huaisang replies. “Then you understand that da-ge is currently pre-occupied. And he’s also in good hands.”

“Uhm, Nie-zongzhu, no offense but I doubt that an ordinary person could subdue your brother should he lose control. Which of course is not going to happen because his state is stable, I promised you that, it’s just—just in case, you know.” He trails off with an awkward laugh and Nie Huaisang does so enjoy to watch him squirm.

“There is no need to worry. Da-ge is in very good hands. Capable hands. I wouldn’t worry if I were you.”

Or maybe that’s exactly the reason Wei Wuxian should worry but Nie Huaisang is not about to say that.

“Who is the husband then?” Wei Wuxian asks, his curiosity now clearly piqued. “Do I know him?”

“I think so,” Nie Huaisang says, pretending as if he has to think about it.

He does actually, because he’s no longer sure if Wei Wuxian truly does know Jiang Cheng at all. But he guesses they are about to find out.

“And it has to be someone who is strong enough to subdue him,” Wei Wuxian mutters. “Or maybe the person is just keeping him calm. Mh, yeah, probably that then,” he goes on and Nie Huaisang watches him with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re not going to tell me who it is, huh?” Wei Wuxian finally asks him and Nie Huaisang gives him his sweetest smile, which is clearly making Wei Wuxian uncomfortable.

“I am not. I think I want you to try and guess who it is,” Nie Huaisang says.

He doesn’t like how Wei Wuxian has treated Jiang Cheng in his time back, especially considering that for Wei Wuxian it has been a few seconds since he last saw Jiang Cheng. It has been years for Jiang Cheng on the other hand and still he seems more invested in this relationship than Wei Wuxian.

Nie Huaisang doesn’t like it.

Jiang Cheng has become family to him when he married Nie Mingjue and he stayed that way even when Nie Mingjue was dead.

And Nie Huaisang takes care of his family.

“Are you going to give me some more hints then?” Wei Wuxian asks, clearly already intrigued. “Because so far I have very little to go off on.”

“Fine,” Nie Huaisang heaves out. “Where to start,” he then muses. “I guess you could say da-ge married the biggest softie in the world,” Nie Huaisang finally says and Wei Wuxian frowns.

“A softie, huh? But someone who might be strong? Or maybe not? Mh, that doesn’t narrow it down at all. One more please?”

Wei Wuxian gives Nie Huaisang his most winning smile, which of course does absolutely nothing to Nie Huaisang.

“He’s playful. He likes to play pranks on da-ge and doesn’t allow him to be too serious,” Nie Huaisang says next and is surprised when understanding washes over Wei Wuxian’s face.

“Oh, so it’s Xichen-ge, right? Of course, it would make sense with their history,” he nods, not even waiting for Nie Huaisang to confirm or deny it and Nie Huaisang is kinda confused how he connected pranks to Lan Xichen.

But Nie Huaisang is happy to let him believe this if he really wants to, because he is quite protective of Jiang Cheng these days, especially after Wei Wuxian told him to leave it all in the past.

“He’s also very good with children,” Nie Huaisang goes on as if he hasn’t heard Wei Wuxian who nods along, clearly only getting his original idea confirmed.

“Let me guess, he’s also musical,” Wei Wuxian says and Nie Huaisang has to chuckle at that, because surprisingly enough Jiang Cheng is.

Nie Huaisang thinks he’s never heard anyone play the xun as beautifully as Jiang Cheng.

“He is indeed,” Nie Huaisang confirms. “Not that it matters much since da-ge has a deaf ear. He doesn’t even know to appreciate it.”

“Oh, that must be rough in a musical Sect as Gusu Lan then,” Wei Wuxian sighs out.

“I would suspect so,” Nie Huaisang says, still keeping it vague on purpose. “He’s athletic,” Nie Huaisang goes on, because there are actually so many more things he can list off about Jiang Cheng.

“Mh, all the arm strength,” Wei Wuxian says with a love-sick look on his face.

“Ew,” Nie Huaisang says, disgust making him shudder. “I don’t need to know that.”

“Aw, come on, Huaisang, you were the one handing out spring books back when we studied in the Cloud Recesses.”

“I did,” Nie Huaisang nods. “But those were of people I didn’t know. And it’s not as if I am interested in your sex life so I would appreciate it if you could stop.”

“Fine,” Wei Wuxian huffs out, clearly miffed that not everyone wants to hear about his sexual endeavours.

“Da-ge’s husband is also the most caring person I have ever met,” Nie Huaisang continues, thinking back to when Jiang Cheng couldn’t walk past any person in need, least at all children that were living on the streets.

There were definitely points in time when Nie Huaisang thought Lotus Pier was an orphanage and not a Great Sect.

“Yeah, Xichen-ge is a really warm-hearted man,” Wei Wuxian nods along with him and at this point now Nie Huaisang frowns.

“Er-ge? No one is talking about him,” he finally says and watches how Wei Wuxian’s mouth drops open.

“It’s not Xichen-ge? But who else could it be? Are you sure I know that person? With everything you have said I don’t think there’s someone fitting out there. And someone I know as well? Are you trolling me?”

“I am most definitely not,” Nie Huaisang says with vehemence and just in that moment his second in command comes in.

“Zongzhu, your brother and his husband are back. Should I tell them to wait for you?” he asks with a side-eye at Wei Wuxian.

But Nie Huaisang thinks this could be the best opportunity to show how much Wei Wuxian doesn’t know about Jiang Cheng.

“Tell them who my guest is and let them decide if they want to come here,” he still decides because he remembers how crushed Jiang Cheng was when Wei Wuxian simply fucked off with Lan Wangji without a look back.

And his da-ge has only recently managed to make Jiang Cheng smile again.

His second bows and leaves, leaving Nie Huaisang with a bouncing Wei Wuxian.

“Oh, I’m going to meet the mystery man,” he whispers, clearly beyond excited about this.

“Maybe,” Nie Huaisang corrects him. “Maybe he’ll decide he doesn’t want to see you.”

“But why should he?” Wei Wuxian asks with a frown and then perks up like the dogs he hates so much when the sound of voices reaches them.

They are still muffled through the door so Nie Huaisang guesses it can be excused that Wei Wuxian doesn’t immediately recognize Jiang Cheng’s voice but he can’t help but to tighten his grip on his cup.

Wei Wuxian is staring at the door even before it’s opened and Nie Huaisang keeps his eyes trained on him. He definitely doesn’t want to miss the moment he realizes.

And it truly is a sight to behold when Wei Wuxian’s face goes slack with surprise and his eyes go big. Nie Huaisang is tempted to lean over and close his mouth with his fan but it’s honestly more fun to see Wei Wuxian frozen with his surprise.

“A-Cheng?” he breathes out and Nie Huaisang stands up, smiling at his brother and Jiang Cheng before he turns around to Wei Wuxian.

“That’s Jiang-zongzhu to you,” he coldly says and then he finally leans down to close Wei Wuxian’s mouth for him. “And it seems as if you don’t know him at all.”

And with that Nie Huaisang turns away from Wei Wuxian, completely content to forget that he even exists.

“You left me alone for so long,” he whines out, immediately going to hang off Nie Mingjue’s shoulder, who of course indulges him.

Nie Huaisang has missed him so.

“What have you been up to?” Jiang Cheng asks as he pinches the bridge of his nose, watching Wei Wuxian from the corner of his eyes.

“Nothing, nothing, really nothing,” Nie Huaisang is quick to breathe out, before he bursts into laughter.

“I just reminded him that his perspective is not the only one in the world.”

“Mhm, sure,” Jiang Cheng says and then steadies Nie Huaisang with a hand when he stumbles as Nie Mingjue starts to walk away from Wei Wuxian. “Careful, Huaisang. My soul, don’t drag your brother along like this.”

“His fault if he won’t let go,” Nie Mingjue grumbles but he does slow down a bit.

It’s not prompting Nie Huaisang to let go though.

“Rude, da-ge. I bet you let Wanyin hang off you all the time.”

“That’s because I love him a whole lot,” Nie Mingjue immediately replies and Nie Huaisang watches with satisfaction how Jiang Cheng’s face goes all soft and Wei Wuxian seems to be even more surprised.

“Don’t even pretend, you big softie. You love your brother just as much,” Jiang Cheng chides him but there’s laughter in his voice and Nie Huaisang thinks he’s positively radiant with his happiness.

It’s good to see him like this after all these years.

“I’m so glad you’re back, da-ge,” Nie Huaisang says, completely serious and meaning it in more than one sense and Nie Mingjue ruffles his head for his troubles.

“I’m glad I’m back, too. I left my heart alone for way too long.”

Nie Huaisang sucks in a pained breath, clasping his hands over his chest.

“The pain! Betrayed by my own flesh and blood.”

“Still the same theatrics I see,” Jiang Cheng says and pokes him in the side. “He meant you.”

“Did not,” Nie Mingjue grumbles and pulls Jiang Cheng in for a soft kiss.

Normally Nie Huaisang would complain but he’s too busy gleefully looking back at Wei Wuxian who sees as if his whole world is recalibrating at the moment.

It’s what he deserves, Nie Huaisang thinks. Just like Nie Mingjue and Jiang Cheng deserve their happiness.

Link to my kofi

#bt writes #mingcheng #beetober2022 #the untamed #mdzs #outsider pov #established relationship #post canon #nhs is fed up with wwx #pettiness

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