#Wei Wuxian died once

[incorrectly-quoting-mxtx]

Qi Rong: Ha. Xie Lian? Dead? Let me tell you something. That boy is Literally impossible to kill.

Qi Rong: To prove a theory, I one time tried to just straight up shoot him with a real-ass gun.

Qi Rong: The bullet missed, ricocheted off a frying pan on the wall and broke open a cabinet full of bottles which I then tripped on and fell over. It hurt my pride more than anything.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Look what we've become.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[two-corpses-in-the-burial-mounds]

What if it was just a Spider-Verse style canon event that Wei Wuxian inevitably gets resurrected after he dies. Like, no matter the universe or how everything plays out, even if he lives a long, happy life, inevitably someone resurrects him after he dies. Exceptions made for AUs/timelines where Wei Wuxian reaches immortality, but even then some myth starts going around about his being 'reborn,' whatever that's about. Just. The idea that this guy is just cursed to be dragged out of a grave no matter what like a necromantic cockroach

[lecinea]

Once again I have to shout into the void that Jiang Cheng was a sect leader and all of his actions and opinions reflected not only on himself but on the entirety of Yunmeng Jiang.

Which means that while Wei Wuxian was able to distance himself from his sect, Jiang Cheng never could so if he decideded to do something politically charged like take the side of Wen, the other sects would have a reason to attack his sect that was only just recovering from a massacre. Yes, that sounds like a responsible thing to do.

[fistfuloflightning]

It’s just hero-worship—right?!

[twenty-orange-balloons]

Whenever I read fics where the people of Yiling come to adore the Wen remnants and/or Wei Wuxian, a small angry part of me is like, "Where were you when a young Wei Wuxian was on these very same streets starving and hiding from dogs?" And another bigger part is like, "It's fiction. Plus, these people in this particular story are not the ones from Canon so it doesn't matter anyway."

Yet I still feel a little bitter towards them.

[captain-stab-a-hoe]

Shoutout to everyone who has died and come back sluttier each time

[doufudanshi]

ON GHOSTS AND DEMONS: Wei Wuxian's "demonic" cultivation?

There are a few big misconceptions I have repeatedly seen in English-speaking fandom about things that are fundamental to the story of MDZS. One of them is this—

Wei Wuxian is not a demonic cultivator.

To prove this, let's take a deep dive into the original Chinese text of MDZS.

(Adapted from my original gdoc posted on Twitter on May 27, 2022. All translations my own unless otherwise stated.)

Demon vs. ghost

Let's start from the very basics. In addition to orthodox cultivation using spiritual energy and a golden core, there are two other forms of cultivation that are mentioned in the novel:

魔道 (mó dào), or “demon cultivation/path.”

鬼道 (guǐ dào), or “ghost cultivation/path.”

To be clear, 魔 mo "demons" and 鬼 gui "ghosts" (and thus their respective cultivation/paths) are not interchangeable because of the in-universe worldbuilding within MDZS. Using the characters in the term 妖魔鬼怪 "monsters," MXTX created four distinct categories of beings, each of which has a strict definition in the novel. From chapter 4 (jjwxc ch 13):

妖者非人之活物所化; 魔者生人所化; 鬼者死者所化; 怪者非人之死物所化。 Yāo (妖) are transformed from non-human living beings; mó (魔) are transformed from living people; guǐ (鬼) are transformed from the deceased; guài (怪) are transformed from non-human dead beings.

And of course, WWX hoards all the ghost-type pokemon monsters at the Phoenix Mountain tournament, and he only exerts control over corpses, spirits, and the like (aka people who have already died). (As opposed to Xue Yang, who appears to have been actively trying to make 魔 "demons" out of living people with those "living corpses" of his, perhaps.) (And, ironically, in order to avoid showing necromancy / zombies on screen, CQL technically does show WWX practicing demon cultivation because everyone is "supposedly alive" even when they're corpses? Which is, funnily enough, far worse morally in the MDZS universe, lol.)

So, intuitively at least, we know that WWX must be practicing ghost cultivation—now let's look at some concrete examples from the book.

Running the numbers

1) 魔道 (mó dào) means “demon cultivation.” As such, it must use living humans.

魔道 appears one (1) time in the novel.

Yes, once. The only time it appears is in the term 魔道祖师 modao zushi, or the namesake of the novel, in chapter 2. This is a title the general public has given him through rumors:

魏无羡好歹也被人叫了这么多年无上邪尊啦、魔道祖师啦之类的称号，这种一看就知道不是什么好东西的阵法，他自然了如指掌。 Wei Wuxian wasn’t called titles like “The Evil Overlord,” “The Founder of Demon Cultivation,” and so on over the years by others for nothing—he knew these sorts of obviously shady formations like the back of his hand.

2) 鬼道 (guǐ dào) means “ghost cultivation.” As such, it must use dead humans. 

鬼道 appears 12 times in the novel.

Here is the first instance that 鬼道 appears, which I believe is the first time Wei Wuxian's method of cultivation is properly introduced. From chapter 3 (jjwxc ch 8):

蓝忘机 […] 对魏无羡修鬼道一事极不认可。 Lan Wangji […] had never approved of the fact that Wei Wuxian practiced ghost cultivation.

Here's another quote from chapter 15 (jjwxc ch 71) for funsies:

蓝忘机看着他，似乎一眼就看出他只是随口敷衍，吸了一口气，道：“魏婴。” Lan Wangji looked at him as if he saw through his half-hearted bluff. He took in a breath, then said, “Wei Ying.” 他执拗地道：“鬼道损身，损心性。” He stubbornly continued, “Ghost cultivation harms one’s body, and harms one’s nature.”

3) 邪魔歪道 (xiemowaidao) means heretical path/immoral methods/evil practices/underhanded means/etc—e.g., lying, cheating, stealing, bribery, and so on.

It appears ~24 times in the novel.

I mention this last term because it is often used to refer to Wei Wuxian's cultivation, but as a pejorative. Every instance of 邪魔歪道 is said by or to quote someone looking down upon Wei Wuxian’s cultivation (Jin Zixun, Jin Ling, etc.) and referring to it derogatorily, whereas every instance of 鬼道 guidao/ghost dao is said by someone discussing it neutrally and/or factually (Lan Jingyi, Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian himself, random cultivators at discussion conferences, the narration, etc.). Here is a pertinent example with Jin Ling (derogatory) and Lan Jingyi (neutral) in chapter 9 (jjwxc ch 43):

金凌怒道：“是在谈论薛洋，我说的不对吗？薛洋干了什么？他是个禽兽不如的人渣，魏婴比他更让人恶心！什么叫‘不能一概而论’？这种邪魔歪道留在世上就是祸害，就是该统统都杀光，死光，灭绝！” “We are discussing Xue Yang,” Jin Ling said angrily. “Am I wrong? What did Xue Yang do? He’s scum that’s lower than a beast, and Wei Ying is even more disgusting than him! What do you mean ‘don’t make sweeping generalizations?’ As long as those practicing this kind of demoniac, heretical path are alive, they’ll continue to bring disaster. We should slaughter all of them, kill all of them, annihilate them once and for all!” 温宁动了动，魏无羡摆手示意他静止。只听蓝景仪也加入了，嚷道：“你发这么大火干什么？思追又没说魏无羡不该杀，他只是说修鬼道的也不一定全都是薛洋这种人，你有必要乱摔东西吗？那个我还没吃呢……” Wen Ning shuffled around. Wei Wuxian gestured at him to stay still, only to hear Lan Jingyi also cut in loudly, “Why are you getting so riled up? It’s not like Sizhui said Wei Wuxian shouldn’t have been killed. All he said was that people who practice ghost cultivation aren’t necessarily all like Xue Yang. Do you have to go around breaking things? I didn’t even get to eat any of that yet…”

Tl;dr—Wei Wuxian does not 修魔道 practice demon cultivation. When Wei Wuxian’s craft is discussed in a neutral and factual manner, it is referred to as 鬼道 ghost dao. 

In fact, Wei Wuxian’s imitators are also referred to explicitly as 鬼道修士 ghost cultivators.

魏无羡早就听说过，这些年来江澄到处抓疑似夺舍重生的鬼道修士，把这些人通通押回莲花坞严刑拷打。 Wei Wuxian had heard a while back that over the past few years, Jiang Cheng had gone around snatching any ghost cultivator suspected of being possessed or reborn, detaining them in Lotus Pier to interrogate them using torture.

So why the confusion?

Of course, there is the matter of the novel's title, which I will get into in a second. But the real issue is a matter of translation.

The idea that WWX uses "demonic cultivation" is a misconception in English-speaking fandom due to issues with the translation of terminology. Of note, EXR actually did translate 鬼道 guidao as "ghostly path" most of the time, though there were at least 3 instances of "demonic" and 1 instance of "dark," especially regarding the first few.

However, this misconception was perpetuated (and arguably worsened) by 7S's official translation, which not only mistranslated additional terms as "demonic cultivation/path" (at least in book 1), but also consistently mistranslated every instance of 鬼道 as "demonic cultivation/path."

So why is this book called 魔道祖师, commonly translated as "Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation?"

One possibility is one posed in Chinese-language meta online, which often cites that WWX himself is a sort of 魔 demon. While this may be true—after all, he can hear the voices of the dead—it doesn't quite explain the fact that the title sets him up to be the 祖师 or "founder."

My take is that this novel is very much concerned with hearsay vs. truth. This is one of the many monikers WWX is given by the public, who collectively view him as evil. (Also of note is that the non-cultivator public is not aware of all the nuances that cultivators learn re: distinctions between the 妖魔鬼怪 monsters.) In the quote from earlier, note that the first title we're given is actually 无上邪尊 “The Evil Overlord,” then 魔道祖师 "The Founder of Demon Cultivation." Like, what can that be other than MXTX telling us, "please take both of these with a HUGE grain of salt, lol."

(And not only the title, but the very first line—"魏无羡死了。" / "Wei Wuxian is dead."—is a lie.)

I think the title is genius, honestly. It intentionally makes readers come into the novel with preconceived notions that Wei Wuxian practices 魔道 demon cultivation and evil techniques—just like the public in the novel. What better way to tell a story warning about the dangers of how easy it is to fall for misinformation and jump to incorrect conclusions?

(Though, in our case, perhaps it worked a little too well.)

[shanastoryteller]

Happy happy halloween 👻🎃🦇 As always, I’d love some more of thee MDZS Identity Porn (with the masks and LWJ getting jealous of all of his husband’s “husbands”) (Or girl wwx or JC traveling back in time?) Thanks!

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Lan Wangji does not mean to overhear. Eavesdropping is against several rules of the Lan sect, and while he has married into the clan of the Yiling Patriarch, he has not forgotten his roots.

He is simply turning a corner, hears an argument, and decides he does not want to interrupt so he stops just short of being seen.

Why he does not turn around and walk away, however, he finds it slightly harder to justify.

"I don't understand why you're still interested in her," says a voice that after a moment of contemplation he places as Jin Zixun. "She at least made an effort before. Now she's just going through the motions. You should ask your father to dissolve the engagement, unless you want to spend your life with a disinterested wife."

"That's not," Jin Zixuan starts, then huffs. "There was a war. Should she have been preoccupied with romance?"

"It started before the war," he says. "Ever since Wei Wuxian died, she's been like this. Maybe the rumors of them are true. Can you imagine if he'd lived and you were cheated on with a servant's son?"

Lan Wangji goes very still.

Jiang Yanli knew his husband? She thinks he's dead? There were rumors about them? It's worse than he thought, not just an infatuation on the battleground, but a love spanning before it -

"Enough!" Jin Zixuan says sharply. "Wei Wuxian saved Jiang Wanyin's life. Don't disrespect him like that."

A long ago memory comes loose.

The Jiang's first disciple, the son of Cangse Sanren and a Jiang cultivator who'd once been a servant. He'd been raised with the Jiang after his parents' death, right alongside the heirs rather than respectfully and appropriately as just another disciple.

Right before they arrived at Cloud Recesses, there'd been an incident and he'd led some sort of attacker to away from Jiang Cheng to save him. He'd disappeared into -

The burial mounds. The one place where no one ever left alive. Or so they believed at the time.

That's where he's heard his husband's name before.

That fallen first disciple of the Jiang had been called Wei Wuxian.

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Wei Wuxian: i died once and then my soul was summoned in a body via an ancient binding curse 13 years later

Shen Qingqiu: i died three times, once when i transmigrated and got Shen Jiu's body, then i blew myself up and returned 5 years later in a magic mushroom body and then i was pulled out of that body by my husband's evil father.

Xie Lian: well im immortal, but i was fatally stabbed over 100 times so technically i shouldve died at least 100 times, plus i tried to hang myself one time, i was buried alive in a coffin for 100 years by my former student and got trampled on by thousands on a battlefield

Wei Wuxian:

Shen Qingqiu:

Wei Wuxian:

Shen Qingqiu: are you okay?

[khattikeri]

i actually admire lan wangji's character development a lot more when i acknowledge that prior to wei wuxian's death, he isn't actually as "righteous".

teenage lan wangji is regarded highly because he is upper class, has strong cultivation, and obeys his family and society's strict expectations. his rigidity and responsibility are more guided by the idea that his duty (the "right thing") is rule-following rather than doing actual good, even against those rules.

he's not a perfect stickler for the rules. he can be stubborn and petty, but even the few times he does transgress (e.x. kneeling before the gentian house) he doesn't get very far.

anyway... even with all his manpain struggling-- maybe even because of it, and because of his own lack of political power compared to people like lan xichen or lan qiren-- young adult lan wangji was honestly pretty entitled, even with his genuinely good intentions towards wei wuxian.

instead of doing the more difficult (yet right) thing of speaking up against those persecuting wei wuxian-- calling out his elders and the other clans as wrong, unjust, unrighteous, and acting against them (see jiang clan motto "do the impossible", which wei wuxian embodied very well)-- lan wangji was constantly trying to get wei wuxian to change himself and fall in line with society's expectations to avoid dying.

true, he eventually fights 33 of his family members... but by the time nightless city even happens, once jiang yanli dies, it's far too late.

yes, resentful energy is dangerous, and yes guidao is deeply misunderstood, and yes lan wangji didn't know about the golden core transfer. but even without knowing wei wuxian has no alternative, lan wangji knew that others were incorrectly labeling wei wuxian as evil. he knew the major clans kept attacking and provoking him, and while harder to realize, he could've reasonably seen how wei wuxian's actions are always twisted to demean him as a servant's son.

lan wangji wanted wei wuxian to come back to gusu so he could keep him safe, lock him up. but what would that have even helped in the end? love is a sympathetic cause, but locking up the one you love and never truly addressing why they're in danger is a selfish sort of love that doesn't reach the heart of the issues at hand.

only after wei wuxian's death is lan wangji able to let go of that. wei wuxian owed him nothing, not even change. lan wangji intentionally, purposefully chose each and every single day for thirteen years to remember wei wuxian by embodying what the man stood for, and acting accordingly. despite his grief and pain, he truly does become a good and righteous person.

contrast that with jiang cheng's reaction after wei wuxian's death. of clinging to everything he felt wei wuxian owed him. of vocally, violently demanding retribution after wei wuxian comes back to life. how dare you, why did you, you should've, you must... cattily justifying his aggression with equal parts resentful indignation and unhealthy "love" of their imbalance, of what they used to be.

lan wangji does none of that. by the time we reach the present day storyline, lan wangji, like wei wuxian, lets the past stay past and chooses to do good. even if that means going against the grain of society and expectations. he's a phenomenal person and character. i love him so much

[qiu-yan]

MDZS and asshole victims: thoughts on the second siege of the burial mounds scene

this post is not about morality judgments. this post is about reader sympathies only.

one rather clever rhetorical trick MDZS employs is putting all the more background "surviving victims of wei wuxian's actions" into one big angry mob at the second siege of the burial mounds, instead of letting them crop up anywhere else in the story. it's easy for a first-time reader to write off the guy who lost a leg at nightless city, or the guy whose parents died at nightless city, because both of those guys are being dicks. they're part of an angry mob baying for wei wuxian's blood--unfairly baying for wei wuxian's blood, because this time he didn't even do the thing they're saying he did. by putting these two victims into a mob of not just fellow victims but also unaffected individuals (ie. sect leader yao, who just showed up for kicks), the story can effectively equate these victims' grievances (ie. "you killed my parents") with unreasonable mob rule--even if these two things might not actually be equivalent.

the effect of this rhetorical trick, then, is that the reader can at once perceive the themes about mob mentality MXTX wishes to convey, and also effectively write off the victims' complaints. "yes, i did that to you, but i literally died already, what more do you want me to do? shall i walk on my knees repenting?" becomes easier for the reader to accept. and more importantly--wei wuxian's likability as a moral and just protagonist is not impacted.

ngl tho. it would be a bit more difficult for the reader to write off these victims' complaints if, instead of meeting said victims in an angry mob, the reader instead met these victims almost anywhere else. imagine if, instead of meeting mr. "you killed my parents" at the second siege of the burial mounds, we instead met him getting smashed at the local bar and crying about how his parents are dead. imagine if, instead of meeting mr. "you chopped off my leg" as a member of an angry mob, we instead met him begging for alms on the side of the road because his disability rendered him unable to work in a wuxia-esque setting. or imagine--if either of these background characters, overcome with survivor's guilt and trauma from nightless city, hung himself in his bedroom, and the next day his body was discovered by his 15-year-old daughter.

all of these scenarios are entirely plausible. you could easily include any of them into the story without changing the main plot at all. but suddenly shit just got a lot more depressing.

however, no such scene would ever be included in MDZS. the reason is that, as a work of fiction, MDZS's single most ardent goal is for us the readers to conclude not just that "we like wei wuxian as a character," but also that "wei wuxian is ultimately a morally righteous person." when the narrative focus shifts onto the people who were actually helped by wei wuxian's actions (mianmian and her family, lan sizhui, the few months of dignity the wen remnants were afforded) this becomes much easier for us to conclude; wei wuxian does indeed look like a hero. but the more narrative focus is given to the negative impacts of wei wuxian's actions--the more the "victims of wei wuxian" (whether actual victims or not) are given a face, instead of abstracted away by broad summaries--the more the reader might side-eye wei wuxian instead. every new victim given a name, given narrative attention that isn't just focused on making them look like an asshole, arouses the reader's sympathies in the opposite direction--and thus increases the risk that the reader might ultimately disagree with the novel's conclusion of "wei wuxian is a righteous person."

tbh, this does not seem like a risk MXTX particularly wants to take. instead, she's mastered the art of writing Asshole Victims.

which is an entirely valid writing decision, because imo basically every work of genre fiction out there does this to some extent.

[l33n1s]

Farmboy Cultivator Wei Wuxian

I can't stop thinking about Wei Wuxian growing up on a farm where he also learns cultvation (from his parents [who are alive!] and from Other random rogue cultivators who stay at their house while passing through the area).

Like, if Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren managed to survive the night hunt that killed them in cannon, realized that if they died their kid was Fucked, and decided to temporarily settle down. They set up a small farm just outside of Yiling, teach themselves (and their son by extension) how to farm, and discover that farming actually makes for an excellent method of physical cultivation.

When Wei Wuxian is at the right age to start learning how to cultivate they obviously teach him all that they know, combining their methods however feels most natural. Also, realizing that, as much as they know individually, there is always more to learn they build a sideroom onto their house and offer it to passing cultivators in exchange for sharing information. They talk about cultivation with Wei Wuxian, sharing tips on how to overcome one obstacle or another or information on different aspects of cultivation, and often times realize that this kid is so fun to talk to. He's always engaging, he asks precise questions, and is so damn knowledgeable.

Anytime Wei Wuxian has a more technical question on why certain things work the way they do, his mom just writes a letter to some well known cultivation scholar to answer it. Of course the only reason they answer (at first!) is because just answering the question is infinitely safer for their pride and more effective in preventing mass property damage than pissing off The Cangse Sanren.

Wei Wuxian ends up with hundreds of journals. Every one crammed full with information he's gathered from different cultivtion methods, explanations of why things work the way they do, and (of course) his own ideas.

It all results in Wei Wuxian developing a cultivation style that belongs everywhere and nowhere all at once. He knows a hundred ways to solve a single problem and uses them to develope his own secret hundred-and-first option.

I definitely have so many more thoughts about this, but those are for another time. Maybe I'll make another post about the Sunshot Campaign, the Jiang Family, and WangXian in this au

[acequinz]

DFS definitely getting frustrated with mixed signals. In FDB's defense he is not aware he's sending any signals at all.

It's a pattern though, them inviting him to dinner every now and then and it increases in frequency.

Fang Duobing is led astray by his best friend (whoever that is) that he has been adopted by the old gay couple and they see him as the kid next door.

Which if LLH heard would have annoyed him for multiple reasons.

1. They are not that old.

2. Fang Duobing is wayyy past adoption age, that's a grown ass man.

But Fang Duobing is totally under the impression that he's being parented. Blame it on Di Feisheng for using a napkin to wipe his face instead of licking it off like Li Lianhua suggested.

Fang Duobing's other best friend has the right idea that they wanna smash.

Once he hears the fact that they at one point had muscle comparing thing and then dfs started giving him tips and offered to help him with the diet and gym training for which he mapped his skin with his hands a lot. (How FDB did not pop a boner at that, I don't know...)

But fdb doesn't believe it.

Li Lianhua has started sharing experimental food and FDB has not run away or stopped coming for dinner so to him they are dating already.

And so he starts inviting fdb to movie nights and FDB sits between him and dfs.

FDB's first friend says it's because they don't want him to feel left out.

His second friend echoes that they are trying to fuck.

FDB continues to believe the 1st friend.

Until one day he spends the night after dinner.. idkw, maybe his room had a leak or heater problem, something he couldn't fix on his own.

He sleeps with dihua, they only have one room but the bed is big enough for three and they let him sleep in the middle because of consideration of course.

DFS accidentally wakes him when he's preparing to leave for the gym in the morning and sleepy FDB follows him to the door leaving behind a still sleeping LLH to lock the door but his sleepy mind is blown when dfs kisses him before leaving him there.

Cue the panic and self talk,

It was an accident

Is he into me?

Did he think I was llh?

Did he like the kiss?

I liked the kiss..

Am I a homewrecker?

That too wrecking llh's home?

I am a terrible person.

He does that for a few hours sitting on the dining table unable to leave because he needs to talk to LLH about it.

Unfortunately his brain crashes before he can get the sentence out when a sleepy LLH kisses him good morning before making coffee for himself.

He probably breaks down screaming that night because no one is acknowledging anything.

LLH is confused because aren't they saying already? They have been dating for 3 months in his head.

DFS is confused because he thought they have been dating for a month, because fdb got drunk with LLH and they made out for a solid 5 minutes before confessing feelings as pulling dfs into the kissing game.

Which neither LLH or FDB remember.

Needless to say FDB has a lot of catching up to do.

He also needs to beat up his first friend and apologise to his second friend.

Hear me out modern au difanghua.

Where dihua have been married for 10 years and both are actually terrible with technology.

Welcome in neighbour Fang Duobing who helps them fix their blenders, the AC, the TV and the fridge...

"you guys need to be more careful. How do you even break the fridge like this?" Fang Duobing laughs, as he fixes the door of the fridge.

"don't worry about it." Li Lianhua laughs awkwardly glancing at Di Feisheng who refuses to look at him and instead holds the door in place as Fang Duobing works on the hinges.

"no seriously, if you are buying appliances from the same place, it would be better to switch it, they could be selling you counterfeit product," Fang Duobing rambles, his eyes still fixed on the work at hand.

"this is your fault" di Feisheng finally looks up and mouths to Li Lianhua who glares and shakes his head, he had only joked about wanting to see the cutie next door again, Di Feisheng had made the decision to break the fridge all on his own.

And now they were stuck with a cute boy who was comfortable enough to yap for about 2 hours as he worked on the fridge about the importance of safety and checking the source and trying to get them to buy stuff from his mother's company instead because they are so much better.

[hellosweetie99]

Wei wuxian always has to grow up too fast.

We see it in every stage of his life, even his 2nd life. He comes back to Lan Wangji being in his 30s and even though they were originally the same age; Wei Wuxian died in his early 20s.

Everyone else grew and healed with time. But once again Wei Wuxian has to fast track his recovery time and emotional maturity.

He probably had so much fun being the lunatic persona of Mo Xuanyu because he could act however he wanted to without worrying how his behavior will affect someone else.

[mxtxfanatic]

The Most Un-Lan-Like Lan (Junior) vs. The Most Un-Lan-Like Lan (Married-In Senior)

Lan Jingyi is such an interesting character. He is very opinionated and often speaks his mind without considering how his words will come across. He is cowardly about the supernatural despite being a cultivator but brave against those in positions of power despite being a child, always willing to stand up for what he thinks is right. Lan Jingyi starts off the story with a low opinion of "Mo Xuanyu," usually acting rude, hostile, or dismissive:

When he turned his head, he saw the Lan juniors tailing him. “Children!” he shouted. Lan Jingyi said, “Who are you calling children? Don’t you know which clan we’re from? Just because you’ve washed your face, you get to act like our senior?”

—Chapt. 9: Pride IV, fanyiyi

Wei Wuxian went to the youngsters. “Am I seeing things right? Each of you is a disciple of a prominent clan. Haven’t your moms, dads, and uncles taught you that the dead can’t receive the paper money you’re burning? They’re dead, what do they need money for? They won’t be able to collect it. Plus, you’re burning the money right at someone’s door—“ Lan Jingyi waved his hand dismissively. “Move aside, move aside, you’re blocking the wind. The fire will burn out at this rate. Anyway, it’s not like you’ve ever died—how do you know whether the dead can collect the money?" ... Lan Jingyi knifed him in the heart again. “Even if you’ve been dead before and didn’t get any, it has to be because no one burned any for you.”

—Chapt. 42: Flora X, fanyiyi

It doesn't help that Wei Wuxian, playing into his "gay lunatic" persona, is intentionally trying to put everyone off:

Lan Jingyi said, “Why are you crying? You’re the one who said you like Hanguang Jun! Now he even brought you home. So what are you howling for?” Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows were wrinkled, his lips frowned, and his face was the perfect picture of misery.

—Chapt. 11: Elegance I, fanyiyi

Wei Wuxian took out the apple from the breakfast they had given him and offered it to the donkey. As expected, as soon as the animal bit in, it stopped braying, and began smacking its lips and crunching the fruit with its teeth instead. Wei Wuxian touched the back of its neck and thought about the jade passage tokens the juniors carried while pointing at the round, white rabbits covering the ground. “I’m really not allowed to cook them? So if I cooked them, I’d be chased off the mountain?” As though facing a major enemy, Lan Jingyi opened his arms and stepped in front of him immediately. “These are Hanguang Jun’s rabbits. We just help watch them once in a while. Don’t you dare cook them!”

...

“I can’t get up,” he said sincerely. “Uh, what’s happened to you now?” Lan Sizhui said. “What’s happened to me? Your clan’s Hanguang Jun ravished me!” Lan Jingyi piped up louder and fiercer. “If you keep spouting nonsense, we’re not going to let it go. Come out!”

—Chapt. 19: Sunshine I, fanyiyi

Yet despite all this, once Wei Wuxian sheds his "Mo Xuanyu" cover and begins to seriously lean into his mentorship role, Lan Jingyi becomes one of his most vocal followers amongst the juniors, seeing the man as both a steady pillar to rely on—on par with his idol, Hanguang-jun—and someone whose safety he is concerned with, so much so that he can even cast aside his fear of the supernatural to volunteer himself as bait in Wei Wuxian's stead:

Wei WuXian said to them, “When the second group of fierce corpses rushes in, I will lure them towards the Pool of Blood, and HanGuang-Jun will be in charge of slaying them. With this target here,” He patted himself, “They won’t bother you. Don’t be tempted by battle, just run.” For once, Lan SiZhui’s raised his voice, “No! We can’t do that. There’s no way!” Sect Leader OuYang had given up trying to hold his son still. OuYang ZiZhen, “Senior-Wei, we will slay the corpses too! I can slay a hundred more!” Meanwhile, Lan JingYi had already started to undress, “I’ll draw a flag on myself too!”

—Chapt. 81: Core Part 3, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

OuYang ZiZhen, “HanGuang-Jun, why did Senior-Wei collapse?” Lan WangJi, “Tired.” Lan JingYi was astonished, “I thought that Senior-Wei would never tire!”

—Chapt. 84: Core Part 6, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Soon, he began again, “Speaking of it, why didn’t I see SiZhui and the squad this time back?” In the past, these juniors would’ve crowded around them and begun chirping all the way from the entrance of the mountain. Hearing him mention SiZhui and the juniors, Lan WangJi’s brows relaxed somewhat, “I can take you to see them.” After he led Wei WuXian to find Lan SiZhui, Lan JingYi, and the others, the juniors didn’t do anything apart from calling out in delight.

—Chapt. 114: Banquet Extra, exr

With such a fierce and impressionable personality, it's no wonder he's one of the few juniors whose name Wei Wuxian can remember 😂