#after the events of guanyin temple

[sectleaderjiangwanyin]

i often think about wei wuxian and time and i've written about it before (here) and i have more thoughts about it

wei wuxian dies sometime in his early twenties, after having spent his last few years and especially last few days in a haze of grief, anger and resentment. he resurrects over a decade later, a bunch of junior disciples following him around like ducklings chirping "qianbei! qianbei" wherever he goes

but—how much older than them is he, really? in novel canon, jin ling is supposed to be 13, sizhui 16, and in cql canon they both seem to be older. if we assume that wei wuxian was around 23 when he died, that's a gap of only a few years. in addition to that: of those 23 years that wei wuxian lived, only 16-17 of them were spent learning properly about the cultivation world during peace time. he spent the remaining 6ish at war or in the burial mounds

where am i going with this: how small does that gap with the juniors actually feel to wei wuxian?

[twilit-tragedy]

Shoutout to the MDZS donghua for giving Wangxian their secluded home in the middle of nowhere, with a donkey and two bunnies. You dropped this, king 👑

[dani-in-the-daniverse]

After guanyin temple, jin ling goes back to lotus pier with jiang cheng. He spends the day in a haze. He takes a bath to wash all the dirt and grime and grief off him, then dresses in purple yunmeng jiang disciple robes, because he didn’t have any spare jin clothes.

He has dinner with jiujiu without saying a word, then they say good night and jin ling goes to his lotus pier bedroom. He’s exhausted, but he can’t sleep. Fairy is curled up next to him and he pets her soft fur to try and calm himself down, but he can’t. He hasn’t cried. Not yet. But he can feel it coming as the events of the previous night crash over him. His xiao-shushu threatening him, taking him hostage. Then zewu-jun stabbing xiao-shushu’s heart. Jin ling didn’t know whether to grieve his death, or hate him for what he did. He couldn’t breathe.

He gets up from bed and exits the room, fairy quick to follow him despite the fact that she was dozing off. He stops right in front of jiujiu’s room and knocks on the door.

“LEAVE”, roars a voice inside.

“Jiujiu…” jin ling hates how weak his voice sounds, “jiujiu, it’s me.”

The door opens. Jiujiu is in his sleeping clothes, with his hair undone… and wet streaks on his cheeks, that shine silver from the weak moonlight coming through the windows.

Jin ling throws his arms around him and crashes into his chest, sobbing. Jiujiu returns the hug and cradles jin ling protectively, like he always did. But jin ling can feel him shaking, and there’s some moisture on the side of his head, where jiujiu’s cheek is. Jin ling cries harder. He feels his legs not holding him up anymore and they both slide to the floor, uncle and nephew crying in each other’s arms. Fairy lays down next to them, and lets out a soft whine, as if she’s sharing their pain.

[dunanana]

Birdie outfits/lore!

Heaven's songbird: Birdie's design during her imprisonment in the heavens, I made it more so it looks like she's more eye candy and mainly emphasizes her tails. She was born from a flaming egg in a far off island, frolicking among nature and generous with her miracles, she had no human form back then. It wasn't until she revived someone one day that heaven took notice of her, the immortals from the underworld submitted a complaint to the jade emperor and in return he had captured the bird with a golden rope and gifted her to the empress. She would use birdie's miracles whenever she wants (when birdie is noncompliant, more forceful means were used) running out of miracles were no problem since they could let her sleep and what is time for immortals?

She grew strong enough to attain human form eventually, still she longed to be free once more. That wish was then granted by drunk wukong rampaging thru the heavens and stealing her away to flower fruit mountain.

JTTW to Black Myth Wukong: Her stay in flower fruit mountain was short and sweet bonding with the monkeys and celebrating with Wukong but when Erlang came to take Wukong, she fled. She was afraid of being captured again and seeing her protector defeated and with her no fighting experience she had no choice. She found refuge in one of Erlang's temple that was abandoned and asked for protection when Erlang eventually found her. Erlang sympathized with birdie's plight, agreed to protect her from heaven's eyes in exchange for restoring the temple she's residing in now. After finding out about Wukong's imprisonment from him after a time, she decided to journey often to the mountain to feed Wukong peaches and other fruits and keeping him company while she does her tasks and this went on till Guanyin came by to inform Wukong of the journey. Birdie immediately volunteered to help come with them, when asked why birdie only said "To ask for my freedom" and Guanyin agreed. And of they go. At the end of the journey, she tried to confess her long held feelings but with Wukong so far in enlightenment, cannot return her feelings and ascended. Heartbroken but free, she took to travelling and after many years, came back to flower fruit mountain to settle. And to her surprise Wukong came back to live amongst them and Birdie felt her feelings come back like they never left. She could be happy just loving him from afar. It was peaceful till the events of black myth wukong then took place. She was in the mountain helping the remaining monkeys escape the slaughter and did not get to be in the final battle. Devastated, she mourned and vowed to help him and the other destined ones to revive him. But in time after witnessing failures after failure of destined ones, chose to give up before the current Destined One with Bajie needed her help once again. Will this time be different?

________ Post Game/Happy End?: This is her as the Queen of Flower Fruit Mountain as a happy ending 🤭❤️ I haven't really gotten to what happens here but this is a very what if scenario i thought I should draw.

Miscellaneous Outfits: Modern AU!

Formal phoenix outfit? 👀

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR! I hope you like her and feel free to ask questions if you'd like ❤️

[lgbtlunaverse]

So since mxtx has said that in novel canon nie huaisang is eventually going to end up being chief cultivator we can presume the headshaker thing, while based on his existing personality, was in fact an act and he is way more competent at his job than he's let on. And with Jin Guangyao dead and gone he has no reason to put on that act anymore.

Imagine being an Nie cultivator. Your flopppy incompetent sect leader comes home from traumatic events after it turns out his older brother's sworn brother- who's been over to your sect basically every other week for years now- is the one that killed said brother and you're fully prepared for tears and dramatics. And while you definitley don't like lianfang-zun since it just came out he killed your last (way more competent) sect leader he was sorta the one holding the sect together so you're bracing yourself for the worst, and instead he's... stoic? Paperwork is suddenly getting done well and on time without help. He's not wailing during negotiations anymore and you're getting actual good trade deals for the first time in over a decade. He answers questions now? With something other than "I don't know i don't know i really don't know!"

And even if you had none of the revelations wei wuxian had in guanyin temple, slowly the realization creeps up on you that all his earlier embarassing antics that cost your family their comfortable livelihoods and your sect their good name was on purpose. And from there it's not that hard to put two and two together. The rest of the cultivation world assumes the shock of jin guangyao's betrayal has finally forced the headshaker to grow up a little but you have worked side by side with him for a decade, probably even watched him grow up under his brother's rule. You know better.

How do you feel at that point? What can you even do? He's your sect leader. And he's finally doing his job, things are looking up, shouldn't you feel relieved? It' not like his incompetence really caused any deaths among the nie, just wiped out generational wealth and reputation that will take years and years to build back up. Is it really reasonable to only start hating someone for something when they've stopped doing it? Thereby proving that they were capable of stopping all along?

[factsilike]

I don't know why so many people are coming to LXC's defence recently, like he never did anything wrong or never had a choice or that he was only manipulated, because 'JGY was just that good of a manipulator.'

Like no, the novel makes it clear that at several points that he was being willfully blind and ignorant of JGY's and the cultivation world's faults. The fact that LWJ and WWX found out about JGY killing NMJ after only a little bit of digging because they thought to suspect him, which Lan Xichen somehow didn't think to do despite spending close to twenty years working with him. That's a very long time, and that says more about his tendency to turn a blind eye, to not look deeper, to look away from the uncomfortable truth, than any good about JGY's manipulation abilities.

That is not to say Lan Xichen isn't a good person. He is. The problem is that he's not willing to put in the work to be good. He's unwilling to stand up to anyone. When WWX rightfully calls out JGS for trying to be the next Wen Rouhan, (about which JGY was like 'I mean, you're right, but you're not supposed to say it...."), he convenienly ignores that, opting to irrelevantly comment about how 'his heart had changed'. (Which made no sense?? LXC barely knew anything about WWX at that point!)

He's content to stay in his comfort zone, to go with the easy solution of letting others decide. If there's a problem, he'll go with the flow, and if there's a deeper ugly truth to it? He doesn't want to know about it. The situation of his parents is a perfect example. He says it himself: he doesn't want to know, and thus doesn't want to understand what happened with them.

Also for someone whose whole thing is being nice, he can be unbelievably tactless. Look at the ending events of the Guanyin Temple, where JGY is missing a limb and LXC, without thinking, asks Nie Huaisang of all people to give him medicine to heal. You know, the same Nie Huaisang who, at least to LXC's knowledge, has just learned that this same man is responsible for the death and dismemberment of his brother's body, as well as many others. And he now wants his help. To heal his brother's killer. Yikes. It's a wonder that NHS didn't immediately plan to kill LXC right then and there. And even if LXC was physically and mentally exhausted, it was still an incredibly thoughtless move.

Look at the way he laughs about NMJ (a member of the gentry) taking a third of the prey on Phoenix Mountain- "Oh typical Dage, that's just like him!"- while ignoring accusations against WWX (a son of a servant) doing the same, because he's subconsciously agreeing that it was a problem when WWX did it. He's being blatantly hypocritical and it's frustrating that he doesn't even realise it, or acknowledges it.

One of his redeeming factors can be his love for LWJ, but he's frustratingly careless about that too. For all his teasing (in which we never see LWJ indulging, he just unhappily and sulkily endures that. Teasing is not supposed to be fun or amusing if it's only one sided. Compare that to how he responds with snarky remarks to WWX's teasing, meaning he enjoys their banter) and pushing and advocating for LWJ's happiness, he never seems to deeply consider what actually makes him happy.

Everything he does for LWJ turns out to be the very opposite of what Lwj actually wants; inviting WWX and the others for the Caiyi hunt? Not what Lwj wanted, LXC merely convinced himself of that. His pushing LWJ to go talk to WWX at any chance? Doesn't ask or seem interested in why exactly LWJ would want to talk to WWX, nor help him in not letting their conversations constantly devolve into arguments. Shutting LWJ's protests at how WWX was right at the banquet with the 'his heart had changed'? Convenient for him to say, both hurting (even if it was unintended) his brother and changing the subject. And somehow everyone forgets that it was LXC who led the thirty three Lan elders to the cave after the Nightless City for Lan Wangji to fight against, for 'his own good.' And of course his whole angry, projection and deflection fuelled rant at the Guanyin Temple, where he tries to make WWX feel guilty about his brother's confession (which, you know WWX didn't remember because of the trauma clouding his memories), and make him think that he owed LWJ a relationship, which was exactly what LWJ was most afraid of.

His failings hit harder for me than any other character, because unlike JGY or XY or JGS who have no qualms about their immorality, he's supposed to be one of the good guys, a righteous clan leader who abides by honour and dignity. And yet he fails to do anything of sustenance all throughout the novel, and is a painful reminder of how easy it is to go with the wrong crowd, and that how so many 'nice' people like him exist irl, people whose willful ignorance comes at other's expense, people who want to be good but are too afraid of conflict, too set in their comfort zone to speak up against injustice, people who are all too willing to turn a blind eye and do nothing if the injustice or tragedy to others doesn't affect them.

[digitalagepulao]

Prodigal son terror

Li Jing in a fury grabbed his halberd, leapt on his horse and galloped out of the headquarters. He was astonished to see Nezha with his Wind-Fire Wheels and Fire-Tipped Spear. He swore loudly, "You damned beast! You caused us endless suffering before your death, and now that you've been reborn, you're troubling us again!"

"Li Jing! I've returned my flesh and bones to you, and there's no longer any relation between us. Why did you smash my golden idol with your whip and burn down my temple? Today I must take my revenge!"

since I'm on a Nezha streak, might as well do my design for him on the Expedition AU! given that i've chosen to give characters a closer likeness to their region, it's only fitting i do the same with import deities like Guanyin, Subodhi and Nezha.

he's a complicated figure to place in the timeline because he gained popularity as a deity much after, only really arriving in China by the time the Journey would have been set. FSYY was written closer to when JTTW was written down, and he was retroactively inserted on the Zhou Dynasty period.

so deciding what to even do with him is dicey. but then i said fuck it, mythological rules apply here, he was around for the events of FSYY, and it and JTTW are set in the same universe. and for the sake of having some fun, i decided to get funky with his concept.

Nezha had the likeness of his family when he was alive, as described in FSYY, but once he was reborn with a lotus body he gained Indian traits instead. this is to be a nod to his status as an import deity and his origin as Nalakubara, and as the centuries roll by he may present himself to mortals closer to the locals' appearance wise.

as for his looks, i drew inspiration from multiple sources. read more for my rambles <3

his armor is closer to reconstructions of Zhou dynasty-period armor, skipping over extra parts simply because his lotus body is so indestructible, there's no need for a full set;

there are two red Chinese knots with jade beads dangling from the armor ties. they are said to ward off evil spirits, which felt like a good fit for a guy known to banish demons. i picked a six-petal flower pattern, which represents reunion, unity and a bright future;

i included lotus petals and leaves on his outfit as they are common in Beijing Opera outfits for him, and his makeup is a call to it as well;

The pink from the cheeks and eyeshadow seeps into his ear shell, as to convey the way sometimes, you get so angry even your ears blush;

Another thing i referenced from Opera is the two red ribbons on his sidelocks, though I changed them to two bulbs of lotus roots;

Four petals drawn close to his urna as both to make it look like a lotus but also form five petals, which is an auspicious number;

His hair crown is a fancy princely [knot] with a lotus motif and a pearl in the center, as he was the Pearl Spirit before becoming Nezha;

I was going to go with elf-like ears but I thought I could do better, so I went for stretched earlobes instead. you can't see it that well but hopefully the very large golden earrings imply it well enough xvx;

His cheek dimples are common sight on religious images of him and it was a cute touch imo;

Younger Nezha wears a golden robe because of his title as General of the Central Altar in Daoist belief, and the center direction is connected to yellow or gold, and yellow robes are usually meant for emperors and their sons, which is a minor nod to his self-assureness and boldness;

The Cosmic Ring has spiralling grooves on it both to catch blades on it for defense but also as a callback to Opera props;

On his waist is the embroidered ball weapon he was attributed with in earlier myths, he was also meant to have the leopard skin bag Taiyi Zhenren gave him, bjt it was going to be obscured by the text so i omitted it;

A few depictions of him gave him a halo of fire, which was real cool so i added it as well.

[naehja]

you know, the untamed adds some things nice to the story, like letting Xichen being ANGRY, but really angry at Jin Guangyao during the final confrontation in the Guanyin Temple, especially after have seen Mingjue's body, his expression is....both horrified and furious. And his voice, breaking with anger...it's so unusual to see him lose control of his emotions like that.

It was even kinda satisfying to see him so angry, when he was nothing but nice, gentle and smiling for most of the story.

This whole event is breaking him, not only the betrayal but all the revelations, and all his pain turned into anger who is directed at JGY.

And how he SLAPS JGY in face...very satisfying =)

#letXichenbeingangry

[symphonyofsilence]

WWX stans saying he would have been the best uncle and Jin Ling's favorite uncle like we didn't see the man see Jin Ling go through the most horrifying event in his life and witness his uncle (who was also one of his two guardians) painful, traumatizing death after the said uncle was dismembered and after some really earth-shattering truths being unraveled, and LEAVE THE BOY THERE CRYING WHILE STARING AT HIS UNCLE'S COFFIN to go fuck in the bushes with LWJ. Like not an hour after the incident, or even a quarter of an hour. no. right after that whole shitshow happened!

(And JL accusingly asked JC why he let them go! JL...my boy... the real question is why did THEY choose to go?! When WWX had a traumatized nephew & a literally and figuratively bleeding brother to take care of, and LWJ had a traumatized brother who seconds ago WAS WILLING TO DIE WITH JGY and LWJ hadn't yet made sure that LXC's willingness has ceased since!)

And then WWX didn't even go to check on JL after that! While JL was a 15 y/o sect leader dealing with the power vacuum left after the scandals of the previous sect leader who was also coincidentally the Xiandu, & going through a power struggle with one of the worst sects out there.

WWX asks after Jin Ling from the Lan Juniors instead of going to see him himself! When he next sees JL it's said that the news of his struggles had reached Wangxian in Gusu, meaning that WWX hadn't dropped by to check on JL to hear of these from JL himself and he hadn't dropped by to check in on him even after hearing these news! He was only there bc JL had invited the Lan Juniors for a field trip!

WWX shows his love with drastic, big, dramatic, sacrificial acts like giving his golden core to JC or transferring Jin Ling's curse to himself, but since he himself loves to run away from his traumas and his responsibilities, he's not someone who can be counted on to help his loved-ones with their traumas and responsibilities. He didn't do it with Jiang Cheng and he didn't do it with Jin Ling. He never even talked to Wen Ning about Wen Qing and the Wen Remnants. (Or how WN feels about being a zombie forcefully brought back to life in a world that hates and fears him)

Maybe diplomacy is not his strength and he'll only make things worse by trying to help JL with his sect leader duties, but it wouldn't have taken anything from him if he had only stayed by JL at least for the night after the Guanyin Temple, not even doing anything, but just being there. (And I understand that narratively it might have been a point in the story where some readers might want to see the main couple sail off into the sunset together, but all it would have taken for the main couple to be shown as less of a dick was adding a phrase like "the next morning..." or even "later that day" or something like that before writing about them disappearing into the sunset...or the bushes.)

I love Wei Wuxian, but post-resurrection Wei Wuxian was really...not particularly an ideal family member.

[gargoyleandgremlinpress]

Build Me No Shrines, by Occultings. Another Binderary project!

"A few months after the events of Guanyin Temple, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji take on a night hunt of an unusual sort: The Burial Mounds are spreading, quickly and with no apparent explanation. 

In Wei Wuxian, it brings old, long-buried things bubbling to the surface."

I love this fic. It has everything! Post-canon case fic, a gaggle of the juniors, pining, some seriously creepy goings-on, Yunmeng sibling feels and endgame Wangxian. (A friend said recently, oh, you know the fic! The one with the tooth! And I did indeed immediately know it was this one.)

And that last line of the summary hits totally differently once you've read the fic. Just sayin'.

I typeset this one last summer--I think it was only my third or fourth project. And then I printed it! And folded and sewed it! ... and then it sat with half a dozen other text blocks in a large, ever-growing pile on the dining room table because I just could not get going on building cases and casing in. But! My Binderary goal was to overcome and finish All The Things, and fourteen books later, cases are no longer quite so intimidating.

Homemade bookcloth for the cover, with a strip of leftover chiyogami from the endpapers just because. Cover and spine are acrylic paint stencilled on, and yes, I am quite pleased with myself over that little mountain illustration on the spine.

I'd make some small tweaks to the typeset now (including justifying the text, ack) but I'm pretty happy with the overall look of it regardless!

[evilhasnever]

do you have any headcanons about the relationship between lxc and nhs post-canon? *yes it is inspired by recent reblogs *

In short, there is none. None relationship with left disdain.

Granted, we do not know exactly how much LXC has gleaned of the true extent of Huaisang's responsibility in the events before and during Guanyin Temple - but wangxian know, and someday they might remember that Lan Xichen is suffering from a lack of answers just as much as he is suffering from guilt and loss, and they might finally decide to tell him all they have kept from him during the temple (yes, I am sour about that, even though it made sense for them in the thick of a climatic hostage situation...)

Regardless, Lan Xichen at the very least suspects, because he questioned Huaisang in the temple immediately after the stabbing! And once the first shock wears off, he'd probably figure out the rest. He has nothing but time :(

So how would he treat Nie Huaisang after that? On one hand, I am firmly of the belief that LXC would never talk to him again - and while he is in seclusion, this is not difficult to achieve.

But if he were forced to come out of seclusion and subsequently forced to be in NHS's presence? I imagine the frostiest, most dead-eyed smile. A customer service smile, if you will.

[fiftysevenacademics]

This immortal coil

"He's still not awake? Why did you even bring him along? Last night was a disaster thanks to him!"

"Shh, Jingyi! He might hear you," Lan Sizhui hissed.

"Oh, you know he sleeps like the dead," Lan Jingyi said, prodding Wei Wuxian's shoulder to prove his point.

"I wasn't talking about him."

At that moment, the door opened and a tall, broad shouldered young man with a pale face and dark clothing entered, carrying a tray of tea and breakfast. Lan Jingyi's head jerked around, mouth sealed as tightly as if Lan Sizhui had silenced him with a spell.

"Do you have questions about the dead, gong-zi?" Wen Ning asked. "I can answer some of them."

Lan Sizhui smiled into his cup of tea. Wen Ning tolerated little criticism of Wei Wuxian as the years passed, and though he wouldn't harm a single hair on Lan Sizhui's head, the same could not be said for Lan Jingyi, whose loose mouth had run afoul of the fierce corpse's protective instinct more than once. Lan Jingyi shook his head and turned toward the table with relief.

Wen Ning, who had no need for nourishment, stood with his arms at his sides while the younger men ate, fretting over Wei Wuxian's sleeping form. He had died without a golden core, and Mo Xuanyu's body, into which he had been resurrected, had never formed one worth speaking of, so time had been catching up with Wei Wuxian, whose love of food and drink had not waned along with his activity level.

His soft, slightly paunchy body shifted beneath the quilt, jostling hair that had just a few black strands left across the pillow, and crinkled lids surrounded his closed eyes. Wen Ning still had the same sweet, handsome face he had the day he died, if you discounted the pallor and black lines running up his neck, and always would.

The Lan men ate in silence, as they had been taught, but each was thinking the same thing. Lan Sizhui knew that his friend was right. The Night Hunt had been a disaster, thanks to Wei Wuxian, who was only still alive because he had summoned Wen Ning.

For some years after the Guanyin Temple incident, young cultivators who fancied themselves rebels and romanticized demonic cultivation took Wei Wuxian for a role model. Though he did nothing to teach or encourage them, he also only actively discouraged them when Lan Wangji made an issue of it. Fortunately, the craze for necromancy dissipated as all the events surrounding the Yin Tiger Tally, Sunshot Campaign, and the Siege of the Burial Mounds faded into distant memory. To youths nowadays, including Lan Jingyi's own ten year old son, Wei Wuxian was merely Hanguang Jun's strange husband, an elder who told fantastical stories they found hard to believe, and new heroes impressed them more. Over the course of many years, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, Jin Ling, and their friends had eradicated or suppressed most of the ghosts and corpses these cultivators had raised before their interests shifted to more orthodox pursuits, but enough lingered to cause occasional problems.

One of these was the fierce corpse they tried to subdue last night. It had by now been almost a decade since one had caused trouble in the the Lan Clan of Gusu's territory, and Wei Wuxian brightened when he came across Sizhui preparing for the Night Hunt. It was a strong young female corpse with powerfully resentful energy. A previous expedition of younger, less experienced Lan disciples had failed to destroy it, so their elders were stepping in.

"You might need Chenqing," Wei Wuxian said, tucking the flute into his wide belt and facing Lan Sizhui with a look that was both expectant and daring him to say no. Lan Sizhui was confident that he and Lan Jingyi could deal with the menace on their own, but the sight tugged at his heart.

"Wei-qianbei, we would indeed benefit from your expertise in such matters. Would you do us the honor of joining our Night Hunt?"

Wei Wuxian, no longer used to riding a donkey, complained frequently and loudly on the way, even though he sat on a thick cushion strapped to the animal's broad back, and was so stiff when they arrived at their inn he had to soak in a hot bath before the evening meal. He drank a jug of wine over Lan Sizhui's and Lan Jingyi's protestations, insisting that he could subdue this mere female corpse blindfolded and with one hand tied behind his back.

They arrived shortly after dark at the night market where the corpse, when living, had eked out a meager existence selling noodles, and where a drunkard customer who harassed her for years had finally raped and murdered her. This man had been run over by a wagon not long afterward, but when she was resurrected, the corpse-woman did not know that and now sought revenge on anyone in the market. It was deserted, except for her high-pitched, inhuman growls. Lan Sizhui was the first to spot her and the three of them went to work.

But this corpse, while not especially big or muscular, was exceptionally agile and far more clever than most of her ilk. She spun to avoid Wei Wuxian's talismans, leaped to avoid Lan Jingyi's sword, and seemed oblivious to Lan Sizhui's guqin.

"Sizhui, I think she was deaf when she was alive!" Lan Jingyi shouted. "Your guqin isn't going to work on her."

The ragged, mouldering woman wielded a large, sharp knife she picked up at one of the stalls with one hand and swung a pole with the other, keeping the cultivators leaping and spinning to avoid her blows as well, until one of them landed squarely behind Wei Wuxian's knees. He buckled and fell and before anyone could react, she had her hands around his throat. Wei Wuxian flailed at his belt for his flute before passing out.

Lan Sizhui saw her arm rise and metal gleam in the moonlight, then heard a soft, wet thud and panic filled his head. He played three loud notes on his guqin and repeated them when nothing happened. Suddenly, a large black shape landed next to the woman and with no further ado, tore her head from her neck and then ripped her in half from top to bottom like a sheet of paper. Wen Ning scooped up Wei Wuxian's limp body and Lan Sizhui tore off his own sleeve to staunch the bleeding. Still holding Wei Wuxian, Wen Ning rose into the air and flew to the inn.

When Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi arrived not much later, Wen Ning had cleaned, stitched, and bandaged Wei Wuxian's wound, and administered pain medicine that put him soundly to sleep. The blade had penetrated deeply near the collarbone, but the injury was not life-threatening.

"This would have been child's play for him twenty years ago," Lan Sizhui said.

"Who could have imagined his reflexes would ever get so slow," Lan Jingyi replied.

Wei Wuxian slept until lunch was brought in, and the scent of food made him sit up with a growling stomach.

"Ow!" he moaned, falling back against the pillow. "Everything hurts."

"Wei-qianbei! Don't move. Let me help." Lan Sizhui scrambled to prop up Wei Wuxian with pillows and Lan Jingyi handed him a bowl of soup, which his injured throat swallowed with some difficulty.

"We can stay here until travel is not painful," Lan Sizhui said, pausing before he continued. "And then you would not need to tell Hanguang Jun what happened."

"Lan Zhan will worry if we don't return soon," Wei Wuxian said. "And besides, he's seen me in worse states."

"Worse? How bad is it, Wei Ying?"

All three of them whipped their heads around, where a tall, elegant white figure and a rougher black shape were approaching. They had not heard the door open.

"Wen Ning came to tell me and I left immediately."

"Wei-gongzi, please forgive me." Wen Ning looked at the ground apologetically but didn't feel that he truly had anything to apologize for.

"Lan Zhan, if you think I look bad, you should see the other guy!" Wei Wuxian quipped, forcing a laugh. "Ow, that hurts."

Lan Wangji looked at Lan Sizhui, who wordlessly understood.

"Jingyi, I think we need to go tend to the donkey."

"But, the innkeeper--" Lan Jingyi began to protest before he got the drift. "Oh, yeah. We'll need your help, too, Wen Ning."

Wei Wuxian's gaze traveled up the flowing white lines of Lan Wangji's robe, over the ivory throat he had so often kissed, and landed on his smooth, unblemished face, its brows knit slightly with concern, eyes, soft. His eyebrows had only a few flecks of gray and his hair, which hung around his shoulders, was as dark as ebony.

He looked scarcely older than that day in Guanyin Temple, when Wei Wuxian had promised himself to Lan Wangji for life. Wei Wuxian's lips parted to speak, but for once, no words came out. Lan Wangji sat next down next to him on the bed and cradled his head in his lap. Wei Wuxian clasped his arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, but not about the accident last night.

He was sorry for the frail, ordinary body that they both knew would not accompany Lan Wangji into immortality. His cultivation had only increased, his spiritual energy said to already be on a par with that of the legendary clan leader Lan Yi, and most assumed that Lan Wangji would one day ascend.

Hot tears welled beneath his lids as Wei Wuxian pictured Lan Wangji hundreds of years from now, long white hair and beard billowing in the breeze as he sat on a secluded mountaintop, meditating and playing guqin. Would he still play "Wangxian?" Over centuries, would that tune absorb the musician's emotions and spiritual energy to become a powerful spell of its own?

Wei Wuxian again opened his mouth to speak and once again, caught his words. He had been about to tease that if Lan Wangji wanted to keep him around for that long, he'd leave instructions for turning him into someone undead like Wen Ning. But then it hit him that Wen Ning would live on without him, too, and it didn't seem funny any more. He pictured Lan Wangji and Wen Ning reminisicing a hundred years from now, the only people who still remembered him from life.

Lan Wangji stroked Wei Wuxian's salt and pepper hair and kissed the creases on his forehead. They always skirted around this topic, so Wei Wuxian didn't know that Lan Wangji wasn't sure he wanted immortality if he couldn't share it with his Wei Ying.

[admirableadmiranda]

I recently read somewhere here (won't name them) that after the Guanyin Temple confession, Lan Wangji's actions were selfish. That he should have stayed there to comfort his brother who has just lost (and killed) the love of his life instead of f-ing of to screw the love of his life. The person has referenced chapter 110 (111 on some websites) where Lan Wangji says that even comfort from his brother by birth will be in vain.

I hope you will analyse that part. Because I think it is a translation issue. It doesn't sound like something Lan Wangji would say. I would have accepted that person's analysis if their post wasn't so blatantly anti-wangxian?

Well anon, the thing is that the person posting it does have the correct line. It’s not a translation issue.

The issue is their whole interpretation of the situation. Lan Xichen was not in love with Jin Guangyao, he did not kill the love of his life and this person is doing the same rude shit as a lot of people who don’t like Wangxian choosing each other over nebulous ideas of duty.

They are taking a narration line and putting it in Lan Wangji’s mouth from the sound of it, lemme grab it for you. It is from Chapter 111, right after Wei Wuxian reveals that the Guanyin in the temple looks like Jin Guangyao’s mother.

“[Wei Wuxian] turned and glanced back, letting out a rare sigh, “I don’t want to care about any of those nasty things anymore. This is it.”

Lan WangJi nodded and tightened Lil’ Apple’s reins. He continued to walk with it.

Each could only deal with their own troubles. Even if Lan XiChen was his brother by birth, Lan WangJi couldn’t do anything to help him right now. Comfort was useless. It’d all be in vain.”

Bolded line highlighted for necessary emphasis.

It’s just narration there, it’s being treated as a fact - and it is. The things that Lan Xichen needs right now are not things that Lan Wangji can provide him. Lan Xichen needs time and space to grapple with everything that he saw and his own role in all the events that came to pass. What could Lan Wangji do? Lan Xichen is confronting his own guilt both in what he participated in and what he looked aside from, things that brought irreparable harm to a lot of people including his brother and the love of his brother’s life.

How would Lan Wangji staying help anything there? Lan Xichen has just watched them cuddle through a siege, flirt and laugh and tell each other how much they loved each other. It is the one unquestioningly good thing to come out of that night, something that he wanted, for his brother to be happy. That’s the whole crux of his rant at Wei Wuxian, he wants his brother to be happy and he thinks that Wei Wuxian is knowingly toying with his feelings.

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are already planning to elope even before anyone else gets there. They sneak off really quickly and easily. Lan Xichen is not looking for them, he’s busy telling Lan Qiren to shut up and let him think.

Lan Xichen is already filled with guilt and confusion over what’s happened, but also think about how much worse it would feel if he knew his brother set aside his own marriage and honeymoon to come sit with him, sacrificing his own happiness to Lan Xichen again, this time much more knowingly. That wouldn’t make him feel better. That wouldn’t make anyone who has a shred of empathy feel better. It is more likely a comfort to Lan Xichen to know that something good did come out of that terrible night.

They return three months later, when they are settled and choose to come back and then Lan Xichen is ready for that comfort. He wouldn’t have wanted it then. It was too soon and the cost of it would have been too high.

These brothers care about each other and know each other well and they are in their thirties. They are not helpless children any longer. Lan Xichen is not alone and suffering, he returns to his clan with hundreds of people living in it to pick up the ashes at his feet. He has solace in knowing that at least one person is happy and better off despite his actions in the matter. Let him have that.

I hate that stupid trend you reference in your post. I hate the idea that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have to continue sacrificing their lives and everything else to take care of the people around them first.

They have been parted by circumstance, homophobia, war, the aftermath of war and fucking death for twenty years. They have in fact actually gone through worse than most of the rest of the cast and somehow finally found their way back to each other and a happy ending. What more do people want before they are allowed to be selfish for once in their lives?

[rosethornewrites]

NR, E, & M reading since 10/30

Finished

Not Rated:

The Untamed: With Nature's Help, by YenGirl (2 chapters)

A fun filled afternoon turns into something more meaningful thanks to some grilled trout, a thunderstorm and a cave.

What is 'white', what is 'black', by KarenF (3rd in a series, 7 chapters)

Lan QiRen learns that there is no clear divisible lines between black and white. The most important thing is the heart.

And, Wei WuXian’s Fourth Path does work splendidly in emergencies!

Explicit:

We can fix that, by Spindoctor (12 chapters)

Lan Wangji has an arranged marriage with Nie Mingjue. The marriage goes well. Then they see how starved Wei Ying is in the burial mounds. That's unacceptable. They take him home and fix it. Thoroughly.

2am on a saturday, by detectorist

“He’s so beautiful,” Lan Zhan says, tongue loosened by the weed. Besides, Mianmian’s room is his safe space. He can say what he likes here, so he does. “I want to know what his mouth tastes like. I want him to put his mouth on my—”

“No, no, no, no,” Jin Zixuan says, making an X with his arms. “For the love of Christ, keep it PG-13, please.”

—

In which Lan Zhan gets high, slides into Wei Ying's DMs, and somehow ends up having the harmonica played to him at 2am in the morning.

Wishing on Runway Lights, by inflight_gremlin (🔒, 7 chapters)

With the Chrismas holidays fast approaching, so does the storm of the century. Through it all, issue after issue, no one expected the little wishes made on runway lights to bring two strangers together like never before.

Or

Amidst flight delays and cancellations, Wei Ying finds himself taking care of a young boy left stranded at the airport. The initially unfortunate circumstances of their meeting would lead Wei Ying to meeting Lan Wangji, the child’s father. From then on, it’s a quick one way trip to falling in love.

Mature:

familiar motions, by moonxlight

Lan Wangji makes origami bunnies to cope with his emotions, in which he has many.

(Most of which are related to Wei Ying)

You Done Fucked Up, by enbysaurus_rex (5 chapters)

Jiang Cheng almost kills Wei Wuxian (again), but this time, he fucks up and it's on Lan territory. A very, very long come-to-Jesus moment, enforced by the Lan brothers and the Lan juniors.

the soft animal of your body, by howodd5ever

The problem was that he didn’t remember anymore why he’d left. Sure, something about finding himself or discovering his place in the world, or whatever other bullshit he’d talked himself into to end up in the middle of nowhere. Alone.

He missed Lan Zhan.

Wei Wuxian sets off alone after the events at Guanyin Temple and finds himself in pretty serious trouble.

clouds in the whites of our eyes, by butchgoth (GremlinGirl)

“About-about earlier, I…”

“I misunderstood. My fault.”

“What? You didn’t misunderstand. I don’t think.” He smiled, rubbing at his arm. The snap in the air was as crisp as biting into ice chips, and goosebumps were rising on his skin. “Uh, okay, um, this is really weird for me. I...don’t remember you.”

Lan Wangji slowly glanced over at him, his lips twitching into a frown. “What?”

“Yeah…” He tipped his head back, looking up at the stars. He’d always been able to see more when he’d lived out on the lake in Yunmeng, but the city wasn’t half-bad. “This is uh…”

“The doctors said you were fine.”

His head twisted, and Wei Wuxian stopped walking. Lan Wangji did as well, as if on instinct, and they stared at each other. “Yeah, well...I wasn’t. I don’t remember much of the hospital, but...I know what jiejie told me. After the accident...I woke up, everything was fine for about a week. I was going in and out of consciousness, but I seemed to be improving. But, then I had a seizure. And then another one. And another one. They took me for an MRI, and my brain was swelling.” He twisted up his lips, and Lan Wangji reached out for him, only to pull his hand back at the last second.

used to want you dead (now i only want you gone), by Ariaste

“It is not a coup,” Meng Yao says, which he has said at every weekly covert cheeseburger assignation since they began doing them. “A coup is, quote: a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government. Unquote.”

“The HOA counts as a governing body. Trying to take it over is a coup.”

***

Two gremlins, eating cheeseburgers in the car in a parking lot at 1am, five feet apart because they're not friends.

Unfinished

Not Rated:

The Cultivation World Needs a Reset, by FangirlingIsLife

Do not succumb to anger.

It was one of the founding rules of the Lan Clan and yet Lan Zhan could feel nothing other than a cold fury filling his veins.

He watched as his husband in all but ceremony let himself fall to Jiang Cheng’s blade.

Even at his death, his soul mate would never raise a hand to defend himself against their tyranny.

Well fuck that.

i want to live a real life, by stvrrylost

In the wake of his first death, Wei Wuxian, the only child of Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze, had left his husband, Lan Zhan, a letter and a son, a small four year old boy, nearly five year old, to look after.

In the wake of his second, Wei Wuxian had left him a child again, only this time, the child was himself, nearly thirty years ago.

Explicit:

Now that I am awake, by jalpari

As long as the sea is bound to wash up on the sand…

and the stars are shining above…

we will meet again....

Or; the post-canon LWJ/WWX getting together and JC & WWX reconciliation fic I began writing long before any of my other wangxian stories.

The Threads of Fate, by WaitForTheSnitch

“What would you do if you could have him back?” Nie Huaisang asked him, a bit too seriously as he leaned forward.

“There is no way for a dead cultivator to return,” Jiang Cheng scoffed, not even willing to entertain the thought.

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” Nie Huaisang shrugged, “Even if he came back, that wouldn’t do much to help, would it? Your sister is still gone. His reputation still damaged.”

“Stop speaking in riddles,” Jiang Wanyin growled, “What did you come here for, Nie Huaisang?”

“I asked you what you would do for your brother back,” Nie Huaisang started, “I would do anything to have mine back, Jiang Wanyin. And I’m here to offer you that same choice. Because our brothers’ deaths never should have happened. They happened because of schemes and plots. They happened because of lies and deception. Your brother was made to be a villain and was led to his death because he was too powerful. Mine was murdered because he stood in the way of Jin Guangshan.”

There's nothing Jiang Cheng wouldn't do to have his siblings back. And when Nie Huaisang comes to him with a proposal to save them by changing everything, he doesn't even hesitate to agree.

Mature:

You and Me (We Have History), by TheImpossibility

This was so typical of Wei Wuxian. He had an uncanny knack for being absent when he was needed, and present when he was not. Jiang Cheng wanted him to be gone, needed him to be dead —no he didn’t— but there he was, aimlessly wandering around Yunmeng without a trace of his memory.

It was maddeningly typical of him.

Jiang Cheng felt an overwhelming urge to scream.

我心中的恐怖；forever haunting me, by bonesbythesea

“Blood splatter across a snowy mountain was what greeted Wei Wuxian. Lan Zhan unmoving in Wen Ning’s arms, truly the jade statue he was described to be.”

Lan Zhan's punishment, but what if it happened way before the siege?

[quotablefanfiction]

Living with Lan Zhan has made Wei Wuxian a person who creates arbitrary systems of rules and then follows them. It’s an outrageous self-betrayal.

Wei Wuxian POV (chp. 1)

build me no shrines by occultings (microcomets) (AO3) Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed – Mature – Lan Zhan/Wei Ying #Post-Canon #Slow Burn #Mutual Pining #First Time #Getting Together #Confessions #Sharing a Bed #Hair Washing #Sentient Burial Mounds #Case Fic #CQL Compliant #Hurt/Comfort #Whump #Light Angst #Flashbacks #mild Body Horror #Foot Washing #Happy Ending #Non-Sexual Intimacy

Wei Wuxian opens the letter and skims through, feeling his frown deepen with every line. “Oh. A request from Yiling. This man Tong Shen writes, 'I can’t explain what’s happening — you wouldn’t believe me if I tried. The hills are moving and they are hungry. Please send aid, Hanguang-jun, this humble one begs you.' Well, my curiosity is certainly piqued."

A few months after the events of Guanyin Temple, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji take on a night hunt of an unusual sort: The Burial Mounds are spreading, quickly and with no apparent explanation. 

In Wei Wuxian, it brings old, long-buried things bubbling to the surface.

[231s-prompts]

Wanji's Missing (or as I more affectionately call it, farm)

I was entirely going to just put the idea I had, but then I ended up writing it. It was in my drive for too long for me to not play with it. Find it on ao3 here, otherwise, enjoy!

//

After the events at Guanyin Temple, Wanji, himself, and the rest of the Lan went back to the Cloud Recesses together. A Discussion Conference would have to be planned earlier than usual, but Xichen wouldn’t be participating in it or the planning as Shufu had agreed that it was best for him currently to go into seclusion. Wanji seemed happy enough to pick up some of the work leading the Sect and Shufu would assist him.

Perhaps in hindsight seclusion really wasn’t the best idea.

Sizhui would send him regular letters about recent happenings, and he would read them with his midday meal, between meditation. It was mostly the same thing, sometimes Wei Wuxian would be mentioned, but not too much. It was mostly offhanded, using two sentences to describe the man, at most. “We bumped into Wei-qianbi on our most recent night hunt. He’s doing well and asked about how you were doing,” or sometimes just a “Wei-qianbi is doing well, we heard about him in a village we passed through.” Xichen didn’t feel hurt by it, Wei Wuxian wasn’t bothering Wanji and was doing his own thing now. Wanji couldn’t be hurt by him.

Wanji also sent him letters, mostly apologies for not making time to talk to him through the door. He wrote much more about Wei Wuxian. “Wei Ying is currently traveling just north of Lotus Pier, he sent a painting of a lake with his most recent letter to Sizhui. It was beautiful. I would like to go there with you,” or “Wei Ying wants to stay somewhere north during the winter because the south isn’t exciting enough. Shufu doesn’t want him to come, so Wei Ying might go to Qinghe instead.” Truthfully, Xichen thought that Wanji could write much longer about Wei Wuxian than he did, but just reading Wanji talk about him hurt. This is a man who hurt Wanji, who he took whip lashes for, who he sealed his core for, and he can just… talk so casually about him? Xichen… Xichen was- is- hurt by a-Yao. He killed a-Yao, but that wasn’t- he didn’t actually do anything. Xichen just… killed him. Like that. Like a-Yao did to da-ge and Jin-zhongzu but Xichen was still a good person?

Xichen could draw parallels between himself and Wanji, Wei Wuxian and a-Yao, even Nie Huaisang and the rest of the Jianghu for days. And he did. And he did. Both Wanji and himself saw the best in the other. A-Yao and Wei Wuxian hurt the other and committed actual, legitimate crimes. A-Yao and Wei Wuxian had the other commit crimes, Wanji attacking the elders, and Xichen killing someone. Nie Huaisang and the Jianghu put them in difficult positions.

Everyday was the same for Xichen. Wake up at Mao Shichen, eat morning meal, meditate on his actions and how to improve himself, eat midday meal, read letters if there are any, meditate on improving himself, eat evening meal, go to sleep at Hai Shichen. It was repetitive, there were no surprises, and no one he trusted that he could hurt again or be hurt by.

He had a lot to meditate on. A-Yao’s actions and exactly how he did them. His relationship with a-Yao and how he trusted him so much. If a-Yao ever trusted him. How he felt about Nie Huaisang.

The last part was hard. He still wanted to call Nie Huaisang a-Sang, but what Nie Huaisang was objectively wrong. He lied and manipulated and waved his fan while doing it. The rules said not to associate with evil, but Xichen wanted to associate with Nie Huaisang. Despite everything, they were technically brothers to some degree and they were likely the last of da-ge for each other. Da-ge would be sad to see them like this.

It was a day he had decided that he needed to understand how he felt about Nie Huaisang when someone knocked on his door. He hadn’t known what the weather was like until a voice reached him-

“I’d apologize for interrupting your seclusion, but it’s raining lakes out here and I’d like to come in first. There’s also a huge problem like- currently happening and we need some help.”

Lan Jingyi’s voice, panting from exhaustion. Xichen had known the boy since Sizhui brought him to have dinner with while Wanji was still in seclusion himself. But why was he knocking now? And what was the problem?

“Come in.”

With those words Lan Jingyi opened the door and quickly came in, closing it behind himself. “Oh man, I feel so happy to see you right now. First of all it’s not raining in here,” he said, taking off his outermost layer, a thicker layer for the rain, “which is great. And you’re not panicking yet,” he exchanged a quick bow, “which is also great because between Sizhui and Grandmaster Lan I think I’ve seen enough stress to go gray.”

“I’ll make some tea then, but please tell me what’s going on.” Xichen quickly got the tea out and ready while Jingyi sat himself down at the table, clearly taking the moment to rest and catch his breath.

It was only once the tea was done and Jingyi had nearly drank half his cup when he spoke next. “Hanguang-jun is like- fully missing. He didn’t show up for morning meal, which is totally normal because Sizhui says he sometimes takes it in his- err, your- office, but then one of the outer disciples who’s in charge of making sure he gets the paperwork said that he wasn’t in there, and some kitchen staff said that he wasn’t in the office so they thought that he was going to take it with everyone else-”

Xichen raised his hand, halting the boy. Hanguang-jun is like- fully missing. “Wanji’s missing?”

Jingyi quickly nodded, “I was gonna get to that. Sizhui was kinda the first one to realize he’s missing, so he told me to tell Grandmaster Lan while he checked the Jingshi, except while I’m in the middle of telling Grandmaster Lan everything, Sizhui comes in and is all ‘A-die’s missing,’ which is weird because Sizhui only calls Hanguang-jun ‘A-die’ when he’s stressed or not in public, and probably once in front of Grandmaster Lan ever. So now they both are worried and have people looking everywhere. Like- literally everywhere. Grandmaster Lan apparently looked in the Forbidden Library, had the storehouses checked- the ones where we keep stuff for safe keeping, like the more dangerous Wen weapons and stuff- Sizhui checked the rabbits with me and we both went to the Cold Ponds, but he’s just gone.

“So then the three of us looked in the Jingshi again because Sizhui realized that there could have been a note left, or signs that he was taken, but nope! Aside from Hanguang-jun, only some trinkets, books, paintings, and personal items are missing. So Grandmaster Lan is saying stuff like that he just left of his own choice and how he couldn’t have gotten far and has a bunch of disciples looking for him outside of Cloud Recesses and then he disappeared towards some of the other houses used for seclusion and I thought he was coming to tell you, but then he came back and just said that he didn’t find him and didn’t mention you, so I said that I was checking the office again for any more signs, but actually just found the house you are supposed to be in seclusion, here, and decided you needed to be told.”

Jingyi took a deep breath.

“I will obviously accept any punishment you feel fit, but that’s as far as we’ve gotten and Hanguang-jun is your brother.”

That… was a lot to take in. It certainly sounded like Wanji had decided to up and leave. But why? Nothing in any of the letters he’d sent seemed to point to anything weird happening to him. Or anything being wrong. Perhaps… perhaps Wei Wuxian had something to do with it.

“Go check the Jingshi for the most recent letter you can find that Wei Wuxian sent him. I need to get properly dressed, and will meet you in the office.”

Jingyi must have just noticed that Xichen was still in his sleep clothes, as he quickly stood, bowed, and rushed out, barely remembering his rain layer.

//

A year and a half. Efforts to find Wanji hadn’t decreased in that time, but he was very well gone. No one had heard from him, even Nie Huaisang- which was a complicated conversation that included lots of crying on both sides, a reconciliation, and a difficult, though thorough, explanation of Wanji’s disappearance. There was one other piece of news, that was only very worrying, and that was that no one knew exactly where Wei Wuxian was. Jiang Wanyin, Jiang-zhongzu, had seen him a month before Wanji disappeared, but nothing else. He had just been traveling through to get to Qinghe. The Juniors had stopped bumping into him and his donkey, a-Sang said that he never came to visit during the winter, and even Wen Ning said that he hadn’t heard anything from him, not even the slightest pull through resentful energy.

To get a break from the sudden work thrust upon himself, since he had to now do all the work his brother had been doing- really, how he managed so much was unknown to Xichen- and still follow possible leads. Another member of the inner members had been put in charge of running night hunts, as Wanji had still been in charge of them, and the Juniors were put in charge of caring for the rabbits -some of whom had disappeared, likely with Wanji- and even the other tasks Wanji was responsible for as heir were pushed to Sizhui, though Uncle was insistent on helping.

Xichen had his hands full with Sect Leader paperwork and decisions, limiting the amount of power the Elders had- apparently Wanji was insistent on doing this, for no apparent reason- and making sure the Sect didn’t fall to chaos. And this was just the in-Sect business. Making sure the image of the Lan didn’t fall in the eyes of the common people, or the other Sects was paramount. Wanji’s constant nighthunting for the past few years had greatly benefitted them, but it had really just created a standard for the rest of the Sect.

So the sudden stress, from previously being secluded in one of the seclusion houses and meditating to now being the face of the Sect again, culminated in Xichen taking a night hunt himself. He had taken a few short ones since Wanji disappeared and he was put back in his role as Sect Leader and they helped quite a bit, so he didn’t worry about taking a slightly longer one. This one was from one of the outer towns, who lived in a valley between a large lake south of Caiyi, and the great shore. Really, it should be Jiang territory with how far south it is, but Jiang Wanyin had never asked about it and the town itself never asked for much.

They typically didn’t ask for aid that often, since they were mostly just a large community that collectively farmed and lived together. They were large enough that workers would come during the growing season to help out, and when the harvest came around, their tourism would boom, but overall, they only needed a Sect to oversee them to help with their trade to Lotus Pier and Caiyi.

This time however, they had sent word about a particularly strong Gui haunting their docks, making them unable to send any trade across the lake to the small village on the other side, or any of the houses that were nearby. So Xichen went by himself, since it didn’t seem violent or feral, just incredibly protective of the docks.

The trip wasn’t difficult, just long. It was long enough that Xichen’s spiritual energy was running low when he finally landed near the town. Sheathing Shuoyue, it took a quarter incense time to get to the town and for the people to recognize him.

Running towards him and bowing, the man who ran the larger of the two taverns looked apologetic. “Ah, Lan-zhongzu, we really must apologize, but you’ve come for nothing!”

Xichen startled. “Nothing?”

In the letter the town had sent, the problem seemed quite major, since the village was largely dependent on the rich teas and materials from the town.

“Yes, the kind daozhangs helped her out! Why, it just took them an incense’s time to sort it out with her, and the issue was resolved!” The townsperson looked relieved at that, but obviously still felt bad for Xichen.

“And when was this?” Xichen asked, vaguely airily.

The man thought, putting his hand on his chin. “Ah, about a week ago? We had just sent the letter when they came in. They usually come to help around with repairs and to help the old man near the water tend to his lotus flowers every few weeks, but this time they helped everyone! We didn’t even know they could!”

The nearby women that were carrying laundry stopped by them. “Oh yes, those handsome men do help out much more than they need to, Cheng Song (pine tree) didn’t even need to ask, Hei-daozhang just saw them and asked to help! And then Lan-daozhang just followed like he usually does!”

Another one nodded, joining in, “And they’re so talented! They just asked about the house -oh this was about a year and a half ago now-, bought some seeds- Lan-daozhang is truly so rich- and the next time we saw them, they had mentioned that it was all fixed up!”

“Ah, and the kids love them,” the third chimed in, “the two of them spend time teaching the kids how to read and write, and Hei-daozhang shows us how to organize our planting to grow the most produce, and when you’re lucky Lan-daozhang will ask Hei-daozhang to show Fang Xiaofan (little ordinary) how to play the dizi some more- and then when they start to finish up, Hei-daozhang will needle Lan-daozhang to play with him, Lan-daozhang plays the qin, and they play such a pretty duet!” The other two women nod furiously.

“Yes! You would never think that two men would be so in tune with each other, but it really is magical!”

“Song Meili (beautiful and graceful)!” The first woman chided the second woman, “They are two men that live in a house together, farm together, and have traveled all over the place with each other! Of course they’re in tune with each other! And Wan Liu (the willow)! Don’t confuse Lan-zhongzu!” She turned towards Xichen, “They come every few days to take the kids in the afternoon to the great shore to teach them all sorts of things, reading and writing obviously, but also archery and mathematics. They were going to show them how to hunt, but the men wanted to!” The women laughed to each other, and bowed, taking their laundry wherever they were going.

Two men, one in white and one in black, came to town about a year and a half ago, bought a house and occasionally come to help the town and teach the children some of the noble arts, and play duets together. A dizi and a qin. The man in black helps tend lotus flowers.

There’s no way that they’ve been here this whole time. There’s no way that Wanji and Wei Wuxian have been in this little town, that regularly traded with Lotus Pier and Caiyi, unnoticed for a year and a half.

Xichen turned to the tavern owner. “Does Lan-daozhang happen to bear any resemblance to Hanguang-jun?” Xichen knew his face was pale. He was tired from the paperwork, tired from the sword flight here, tired from his worldview from turning. Most importantly, he was tired from missing his brother.

“Hanguang-jun? I suppose so, but doesn’t Hanguang-jun dress… oh, Hanguang-jun is your brother, right? You do look rather similar to Lan-daozhang he’s just… well I suppose that he looks more relaxed than you. And Lan-daozhang wears much rougher clothing than you do, Hei-daozhang manages to get the white much more green and brown than yours could probably handle…” Wanji… gets muddy? Willingly? Wanji, who as a three year old, would refuse to let the bottoms of his hems touch the ground in case they got dirty? Who cried himself to sleep after spilling water on himself?

Xichen could feel himself frowning. “And where is their house?”

“Just south of here, if you walk around the lake you should be able to see the clearing, it’s difficult to see from a boat, and they don’t have a dock, here I’ll show you.” He walked for an incense time, pointing out people the duo had helped, along with main businesses and the best inn. Eventually though, they came to the docks overlooking the lake. “Over there,” he pointed, “you can’t see them, but there’s two docks that the village uses, since they’re a bit more in-land, they don’t do much on the water.” He pointed slightly left, “and between us and them, there are two more docks, both of them are abandoned. Between those two docks, there’s a large patch of lotus flowers growing, and their boat should be tipped over on land nearby. Then you’ll see the clearing with their house. I wouldn’t suggest going to find it now though, it’s easily a quarter day’s walk to their house… though you can fly on your sword… hmm.”

“Thank you, I’ll stay here the night and find them in the morning then.” The man looked delighted, and they bowed, departing from each other.

//

Getting a room for the night was simple and quick -despite planting season being well underway, the ground had yet to fully thaw and some snow still lingered so the workers who would come to help during the growing season hadn’t yet fully arrived. Also, the town was not particularly warm recently, so there were no tourists.

Brushing his hair out to prepare to go to bed, Xichen took the moment to reflect on the events of the day. They seemed familiar, until Xichen took out the letters Wanji had written him just before he disappeared. The last one, “Wei Ying wants to stay somewhere north during the winter because the south isn’t exciting enough. Shufu doesn’t want him to come, so Wei Ying might go to Qinghe instead.” The one before, “Wei Ying is currently traveling just north of Lotus Pier, he sent a painting of a lake with his most recent letter to Sizhui. It was beautiful. I would like to go there with you.” Wei Wuxian had traveled north of where he had been previously, through Lotus Pier, to get to Qinghe. This lake was north of Lotus Pier, but a bit east. Wei Wuxian wanders, it's not improbable that he got off track. He saw the lake, painted it for Sizhui, and eventually bought a house and started a farm. Well, Wanji bought a house. But Wanji was also happy here. And Wanji didn’t write, to Uncle or to Xichen. Or even to Sizhui.

Wei Wuxian hurt Wanji though. That was unforgivable, as Wanji’s brother. His big brother. Xichen practically raised him, since Uncle was often busy with Sect matters. Why- How could Wanji do that?

But come morning, the answers will be revealed.

//

Xichen woke up as he usually did, at Mao Shichen, quickly getting ready for the day and eating a brief morning meal. His spiritual reserves had recovered, so he found himself packing up and pulling out Shuoyue. The tavern owner’s instructions were simple, but easy to follow, and he soon found the lotus flowers just halfway past Si Shichen.

He landed on the ground efficiently, dusting himself off before he trekked through some tall grass, soon getting to the clearing. A large house was in the middle, a field of sprouting flowers between him and the house. The house itself was expansive, though the roof was clearly mismatched. Laundry was hanging in the sun, and a small shed sat near a small farm that didn’t yet bear plants. Plant pots were sitting on the stairs leading up to the house, and he could tell that the stone pathway had been recently weeded. A larger shed sat near the far edge of the clearing, much larger than the one that must hold tools. While pieces of wood leaned against the smaller one, scraps of random materials were sloppily piled on top of each other outside the larger shed.

As he walked closer, a small table made itself clear in the middle of the small flowers. A voice soon followed, though it seemed to be on the other side of the house. As he approached, Wei Wuxian’s recognizable laugh made itself clear. Walking faster, and a wide curve around the house, he came across a rather… soft scene.

Wanji was pouring tea on a bench outside their house, while Wei Wuxian had evidently tumbled backwards, holding a rabbit above himself. Wanji was smiling, watching as Wei Wuxian pulled the rabbit to his chest and gently rubbed between its ears.

Their peace didn’t stay, as Wanji noticed Xichen almost immediately, his smile fading as he quickly stood.

Wei Wuxian quickly noticed and followed, “Zhan- oh, Lan-zhongzu.” he instantly looked uncomfortable. Wanji noticed, and signaled for him to go into the house. Wanji himself quickly lead Xichen back to the field of flowers, and they sat themselves down at the table.

The table of which, was poorly constructed, but did have intricate carvings on it.

Wanji… Wanji looked a little disgruntled, but was the first to speak.

“Wei Ying made this table. He wanted to surprise me for my birthday. I was just happy he remembered it. It’s broken five times since he built it, but he will not let me help fix it, because he wants it to be a gift, to me, that’s entirely from him.”

“Wanji…”

“Wei Ying and I spoke when I came. He wasn’t expecting me, but once we had time to settle down, we spoke. It took time, but he told me what you said to him.” Wanji looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time since before Guanyin Temple. “I love him very much, and I have for a very long time. I understand why you said what you did, but it hurt when I found out. And it still does.” He looked away again.

Tears grew from Xichen’s eyes, prickling as his vision blurred. “Wanji… I’m sorry.”

Wanji’s gaze went to his hands. “Then please apologize to Wei Ying. And stop assuming that he will hurt me. He worries about that enough.”

“...I will.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ve missed you, Wanji.”

Wanji froze, before he looked up at Xichen again, drawing his hands closer to Xichen’s. “And I, you.”

“The town’s people told me about what the two of you have been up to. Very enthusiastically.”

“Mn.” Wanji smiled, just the smallest bit.

“You’ve been doing good here. And you seem happier.”

“Mn. …I do not know if I want to return to the Sect. I have not left in any official capacity, but…” Xichen reached for his hands, resting his on top of Wanji’s.

“You do not want to, but you want to be distanced?” Wanji nodded. “The Elders won’t get any say over it, I can help on the official side.”

“Thank you.”

Quickly mapping out a plan, Xichen continued. “And… I’ll have to talk to you both about it, but you can likely still help out, if you want. We can send younger disciples to help during the harvest, so they can gain experience and have time away from the Sect. Jingyi and Sizhui’s group could have benefitted from the experience.”

“We could use the help, we plan to have more growing this year… Wei Ying would be happy for the company.” He glanced at the house. “But we should still ask.”

A comfortable silence rested upon the two, before Xichen broke it.

“Wanji… can I ask why you haven’t sent any letters? Everyone has been looking for the two of you.” His brother looked away again, his hands tensing for a moment before relaxing again.

“Mn, had asked Sizhui about how he would feel if I went to see Wei Ying. Sizhui knew that Wei Ying was getting closer before he passed for Qinghe. Sizhui had mentioned how easy it would be to see Wei Ying.” Wanji had very clearly met his maximum amount of words used for the day now, and seemed uncomfortable with saying more.

Thinking back, Sizhui had seemed to… accept that his… parents had disappeared together. He became complacent with the idea. He no longer looked as fervently for them, but still would spend extra time on his night hunts to look in the nearby area. “So Sizhui knew that the two of you would be together. Knowing him, he probably expected for us adults to catch onto that. Uncle had thought that Wuxian had kidnapped you, but we haven’t spoken on… any of this for a while now.”

Another peaceful silence covered them, but it seemed easier now. Xichen could easily deduce that by not sending a letter, the duo weren’t drawing more attention to themselves, and perhaps dealing with their first planting season and their first winters had taken up more energy than they had expected. During the silence, rabbits started to pop up, coming to take their pets and attention.

Eventually, midday came around, and Wanji silently led him to the house, where the entry room was in disarray. A few silent words in another room, and the two came out, hand in hand.

“Welcome to our humble abode, Lan-zhongzu. Lan Zhan mentioned the idea for disciples to help out during the harvest, and the town could certainly use the help. Old Man Fang’s back has been getting worse, so the lotus flowers will need help getting harvested.” Wanji visibly squeezed his hand, glancing at him meaningfully. “...And… we could use some help, probably.”

“Excellent.”

//

The lunch that passed was peaceful, Wuxian mostly spending the time gradually gaining more confidence and telling him more about the town as time went on. The brothers stayed quiet, but Wuxian took it in stride. He was collecting the plates and talking about their plans for their farm when they were finished. Xichen then found himself helping plant the first seeds, the plants that will take the longest to grow. Wuxian spoke about how he was working on making talismans that would let them grow year-round, mostly to help the town make more produce and avoid a surprise food shortage during the long winter. He had already developed talismans that help keep food good for longer, and he hoped to make ones that would alter the soil to help grow more variety.

Wuxian clearly didn’t realize how much this would impact the rest of everywhere else, and Wanji also clearly understood this when he shared a look with Xichen.

Apparently Wuxian had a head start on the talismans due to him trying to grow potatoes in the Burial Mounds.

Which, was actually quite depressing.

When they finished, Xichen was invited for dinner, and then invited to stay in a guest room for the night.

When he woke up at Mao Shichen, Wanji was already making tea.

He would leave soon after Wuxian appeared and everything was sorted out, taking Shuoyue and arriving back at Cloud Recesses just after curfew. The first thing he did was wake Sizhui and tell him where his parents were.

When he wakes up the next morning, a whole two incense times late, Sizhui is gone and Jingyi is panicking again.

But come fall, and the younger disciples are leaving to help Wei-gongzi and Hanguang-jun harvest their crops, and help the town harvest theirs, and when they come back, a few days before the first snowfall, they will tell Xichen and the rest of the Sect and the youngest disciples about the tasty lotus seeds and the rabbits that are just like the ones on the back hills and the new talismans that Wuxian has finished. But mostly, they will bring gossip like little children, and they will bring peace to the cultivation world, because Wanji and Wuxian are safe and sound.

Really though, if there’s any real benefit that Xichen will get from this, is the regular letters he gets from his brother, interspersed with bits from Wuxian, and the beautiful pressed lotus flowers.