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eleanorfenyxwrites · 21 days ago

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Relieve My Mind

The Waves Are Rising and Rising Extra Scene #9

Chapter 1/2

If y'all noticed a distinct lack of Lan Xichen's POV in these extras, so did we, so we decided to fix it ❤

--//--

It's some small mercy, though the others don't know it, that Lan Qiren was elected by the council of the clan’s respected elders to inform his nephew of their expectations for the future of the sect.

In the end, it hadn't actually required him to make a case for himself. As Lan Xichen's uncle and the former Acting Sect Leader, it of course makes the most sense that he be the bridge between his nephew — as the Sect Leader, specifically — and the elders of the sect, when the issue is of such delicacy. He would have insisted on being the one to deliver the news, of course, had it become an argument, but he's quite glad that it hadn't.

He steps out of the hall where the elders meet to discuss the private business of the sect, and he takes a deep breath in of fresh, clear air. It always seems like he must either hear or bear bad news on beautiful days. The day that his brother entered seclusion, the magnolia tree outside the library had bloomed seemingly overnight, and while Lan Qiren was admiring the beauty of the fragrant blooms, an elder had found him to inform him of his new status, and the reason for it. The day the Wens sacked Cloud Recesses had dawned sweet and clear, a perfect morning for meditation and peaceful reflection. Today the sun is warm on his face and birds are singing somewhere near enough to appreciate without becoming overly invasive, and Lan Qiren at least takes a moment to soak it in before he turns his steps towards his office.

Lan Xichen joins him there before the tea is finished brewing, smiling kindly as he dismisses the disciple Lan Qiren had sent to fetch him, and continuing to do so as he joins Lan Qiren at the table.

"Shufu," he greets, bowing just as Lan Qiren had taught him as a boy.

"Xichen."

Lan Xichen sits down gracefully across from him, arranging his sleeves just so in the way that he always has, a particular little flick of his wrist that Lan Qiren wonders if he even realises he does. He fixates somewhat on that detail, that idle musing, and allows himself the distraction for as long as it takes to brew the tea. His nephew is patient, sitting calmly as he waits in companionable silence until propriety dictates he move to pour for his elder, which he does with faultless precision and grace.

Lan Qiren doesn’t feel it’s undue to be proud of the man his nephew has become. He leads well and fairly; he’s respected across the entire jianghu as a man of upstanding moral character; during the war he earned a reputation as a beacon of hope and victory, a single man who could turn the tide of battle and ensure the smallest loss of life possible.

His study of his nephew stops at his hair. At a signal everyone else in the Sect couldn’t understand, he began wearing it in the style of a married man, with a single braid integrated discreetly into it and a single golden pin stuck through it much less discreetly.

Lan Qiren had allowed it; Lan Wangji had come to him with quiet but firm arguments as to why he should allow Lan Xichen a ribbon ceremony with his sworn brothers, and apparently Wei Wuxian had concocted arguments of his own as well, should Lan Wangji’s fail. (Lan Qiren was going to allow it anyway, but such a threat would have ensured it, as he’s sure Lan Wangji was well aware.)

Now, though, the Sect is beginning to ask questions that must be answered, and Lan Qiren must be the one to ensure his nephew is equipped to do so.

“Are you well, Shufu?” Lan Xichen asks, all gentle concern.

“Mn. I have had a meeting with the rest of the elders.” Best to get it over with, he thinks.

“Yes, I was informed they called a council. What guidance will they offer?”

Lan Qiren allows himself one more indulgent moment of distraction with a sip of his tea, whose quality demands a moment of appreciation. After that, though, there’s no other way to avoid what must be done.

“They — we — must ask our Sect Leader to thoughtfully consider the issue of a marriage from which a Sect heir may be produced.”

Lan Xichen goes very, very still, and Lan Qiren’s heart aches for him.

“…Marriage.”

“You are of marriageable age, Xichen,” Lan Qiren reminds his nephew. “It is not an unreasonable concern. You must have an heir.”

“Yes, I…yes, of course,” Xichen begins, halting in a way he never is. Lan Qiren knows him far too well not to see the desire to argue in the tense set of his shoulders, just as he knows him too well not to know that this will be one of the rare occasions he follows through on that desire.

Despite knowing that an argument is inevitable, Lan Qiren feels compelled to remind him, “You have always known this to be an inevitable part of your duties, Xichen.”

“Yes,” he repeats, but it’s clear he’s barely aware of what he’s saying. “But Shufu, you know I…”

Lan Qiren clears his throat and resists the rare urge to fidget in the wake of his nephew’s plaintive beginning. He doesn’t seem able to continue, but then again he doesn’t have to.

He just has to hope his nephew knows him well enough to hear the sympathy layered under his usual even tone as he replies, “I know, Xichen. I know that you care deeply for your sworn brothers-” it’s woefully inadequate for what he knows Lan Xichen feels for them, but saying he loves them won’t be of any help, “-but you all know that your sects must come first, and the Lan Sect needs an heir. I know you, and I know that you will not leave this responsibility to Wangji.” (Not least of which because it isn’t as if Lan Wangji is about to jump at the chance to marry and bed a woman either, but someone must do it and so here they are.)

Lan Xichen glances up from his dedicated study of the table between them with sudden hope flashing in his eyes. “Perhaps I could — Wangji has practically adopted little Wen Yuan and the boy is doing quite well in all of his classes-”

Lan Qiren can’t quite keep the horror off his face or out of his voice, “A Wen?! You wish for me to report back to the elders that, due to a reason I cannot divulge, you would make your heir a Wen, a child being raised by Wens, when we are not yet even certain he will perform well enough to live in the disciple dormitories when he comes of age? Xichen, be sensible!” Lan Xichen flinches and Lan Qiren at least makes an attempt at softening his tone despite the anxious knot beginning to form somewhere behind his sternum. “Wen Yuan is a good boy and I understand he does well in his studies. Under other circumstances I may have considered it, in deference to your feelings for your sworn brothers. However, things being as they are, the elders would never allow it — they barely allowed him to become a disciple, Xichen, and it hardly matters that he’s not of the main bloodline. You expect them to forget which name bears the sin of burning the Cloud Recesses?”

The hopeful light in Lan Xichen’s eyes dims again; it aches to be the reason his nephew looks so defeated, but this course of action is for the best. Lan Qiren has never shied away from the more painful parts of the parenthood that was thrust upon him due to his brother’s callous disregard for every duty expected of him to fulfil, and it’s important now more than ever that he makes sure the pain and hard work they’ve all endured will be worth it. The rebuilt Lan Sect must continue, they must be strong as the next generation begins to take root and flourish in their traditions — they must.

“Wangji and Wuxian may still-”

“Xichen! Will you truly see this legacy of your father’s continued?!” Lan Qiren knows logically that he shouldn’t respond so harshly when his nephew is hurting, but panic has sunk its claws into his chest and he can’t seem to stop himself. “I will not see you burden your brother with the duties you were born to simply because of an overabundance of inappropriate feelings! Your sworn brothers must be no more than that, and no less. You must do what is right for the Sect, and I know your…companions will understand. Perhaps you will find a woman who understands your desire to keep them close, but the elders expect you to heed their request — I will do everything I can to buy you time to decide how you will go about this, but they will not allow themselves to be distracted for much longer.

“...Do not think me unsympathetic, Xichen. I know Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao are important to you. I am not ordering you to remove them from your life completely; I only wish to urge you to remember your duties to your Sect and your family, and to remember that we agreed years ago that your…‘marriage’ with them could never have been expected to last forever.”

Lan Qiren forces himself to meet his nephew’s tear-filled gaze and give him no quarter. For a long moment it seems that Lan Xichen will continue to argue that his inconvenient love must be accommodated no matter what is expected of him in direct defiance of the rules and traditions of the Sect, but he eventually closes his eyes and presses his lips into a tight line, conceding to the inevitable with as much grace as he has left.

“I understand,” he says, calm and cool. “This one thanks Shufu for his wisdom.”

Lan Xichen stands and bows, departing without another word. Lan Qiren can’t help but notice the single tear glittering on one jade-pale cheek as Lan Xichen leaves, and though he knows he should feel satisfied that he’s managed to turn his nephew back to the correct path after an indulgent few years, the ‘victory’ feels terribly hollow.

–//–

Lan Xichen feels the tiny jolt in his qi that tells him that Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao have used their jade tokens to cross the Cloud Recesses wards, and even through the pervading misery lingering around him like the clouds around his mountain home, he feels the evergreen spark of joy and excitement at the prospect of seeing his husbands-

No. He should… he should stop thinking of them like that. He should relinquish that now and get used to the lack of it. Better to make it a clean break.

His sworn brothers, then. A married man may still be allowed that. His sworn brothers are here to see him, on a visit that was organised on the heels of the last time they were together, so as they make their way along the walkways and paths towards the hanshi in the misty dusk, they are both utterly unaware of what awaits them.

Lan Xichen feels a little guilty about that, allowing them to be so utterly ambushed, but how could he possibly explain the whole miserable business just through a letter? It wouldn’t be fair to any of them - and they’d both probably immediately hop on their swords to talk to him in person anyway. This is the least terrible way to have this conversation.

It's still pretty terrible.

By the time he hears the light rapping at the hanshi door, he has done his best to push all of his feelings deep, deep down, so that he feels as calm and cold as the jade of his moniker; it is a trick he learnt during the war, exorcising himself of emotion so that he may go out and do what must be done.

When he stands his legs do not shake. When he reaches for the door his hands do not tremble. When he opens it and sees the smiling faces of his hus- his sworn brothers, his eyes do not weep.

But when Jin Guangyao’s eyebrows immediately lower upon seeing his expression, and he asks, “Er-ge?” with the sweetest, most gentle concern, and Nie Mingjue makes a questioning sound in the back of his throat and reaches around Jin Guangyao to touch his shoulder, Lan Xichen almost breaks.

Almost.

“Please,” he chokes out, “come in.”

Jin Guangyao and Nie Mingjue follow him inside, both wary-eyed and tense and glancing between him and each other, looking for answers. The moment the door is closed behind them, Nie Mingjue is crowding into his space, taking him by the arms and peering into his eyes, as if the answers to his pain are written there.

“What is it? What’s happened?”

“Da-ge, give him space!” Jin Guangyao scolds, tugging at both of their robes. “Er-ge, come, sit down, tell us what’s wrong.”

Lan Xichen walks numbly to the table and lowers himself to his knees. Even in his despair he keeps his posture upright; if he cannot have his loves, if he must sacrifice them to his duty, then he will at least have his dignity. He breathes in shakily, makes himself jade, then forces himself to meet their eyes as they settle opposite him around the table. They deserve this.

“The Lan elders have decreed that I must marry. Shufu agrees.”

Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao stare at him. “You are already married,” Nie Mingjue says, tone low and controlled but with a fierce edge of incredulity. Jin Guangyao’s hands have fisted in the skirts of his robes draped over his lap.

“In the eyes of the heavens, yes. But not in the eyes of society.”

“This is bullshit,” Nie Mingjue growls. “What did Qiren say?”

Jin Guangyao’s thick brows draw down in a rare display of open anger, “Your uncle was there for our Lan ribbon ceremony! He was a witness!”

“And it’s not like anyone else gives a shit - even the Jins have kept their mouths shut and god knows how bad the gossip is over there, even now.” Nie Mingjue ignores the frown Jin Guangyao shoots his way and raises up on his knees, slapping his hands down on the tea table, “Why would he put this on you when he knows-”

Jin Guangyao cuts in with a businesslike lack of preamble, seeing immediately to the heart of the politics, “What has prompted this from the elders? Is the Lan clan losing support from its subsidiaries, or has there been some sort of power struggle they want to resolve? Why now?”

“I believe it is my upcoming birthday that has prompted it. By my age, most sect leaders are already married, and the elders are beginning to question why I am not attending the matchmaker. And what can Shufu tell them - that I have decided to commit my life to two men, one of whom is another sect leader, in a relationship that can never be revealed to the public? I must take a spouse that can provide me with an heir.”

“You have an heir, do you not?” Jin Guangyao asks, “You have Wangji.”

“Wangji was my heir until he chose a marriage that could not bear a child - now, his branch of our bloodline will end with him.” Lan Xichen closes his eyes for a second, breathes out, then opens them again, “One of us must take a wife, and I will-” his breath hitches, “I will not do as our father did and abandon my responsibilities to my younger brother.”

The words hit his sworn brothers hard, knowing as they both do the complex depths of pain that Qingheng-jun’s choices have inflicted. Lan Xichen aches as he sees the moment the fight dies in Nie Mingjue’s eyes, the way his gaze flicks almost guiltily upwards, and then away when he sees Lan Xichen looking at him. Out of all of them, Nie Mingjue understands what it means for a sect leader to sacrifice themselves for duty. Out of all of them, Nie Mingjue knows. He swallows, throat bobbing in a way that Lan Xichen knows means he’s trying to swallow away tears, and then he nods.

This is something they knew was looming over them the whole time, something they all understood when they started discussing a formal commitment. It shouldn’t be a surprise - and yet, seeing the pained resignation in Nie Mingjue’s eyes, of anyone else in the world, feels like a physical blow to the gut.

Jin Guangyao must see Nie Mingjue’s feelings clearly too, as in response, he shrinks a little into himself, gaze flicking frantically between the two of them as a devastating kind of fear begins to grow in his wide dark eyes. In the last few years, it has been one of the greatest joys of Lan Xichen’s life to see this man shed the shroud of anxious, people-pleasing propriety and allow his real self to be seen as he learns to live in the assurance of safety, rather than constant threat. And now it is as if that shroud is reforming, the feelings Lan Xichen has grown used to seeing more or less clearly on his face retreating back behind the familiar mask that Nie Mingjue had hated so much after the war.

“My position in Jinlintai is secure with my brother in charge, but my reputation is still weak enough that I can only withstand gossip so long as I have you both to prop it up…” Jin Guangyao swallows, clearly trying to keep a brave face but his hands are twisting in his robes tellingly, “If er-ge takes a wife we will have to all commit to being very visibly nothing more than sworn brothers, and we- we cannot allow any sort of speculation, both on our image collectively and separately, so-” Jin Guangyao’s breath hitches, “so, so we-”

It is impossible to focus on his own despair when one of the men he loves is so obviously falling apart in front of him; Lan Xichen jumps up and practically dives around the table to get to Jin Guangyao’s side, and Nie Mingjue does the same, sweeping him up in his arms and Lan Xichen takes his face in his hands.

“Breathe, A-Yao,” Lan Xichen instructs, stroking his cheeks. Jin Guangyao nods shakily.

“Fuck this,” Nie Mingjue growls, and when Lan Xichen glances up, the man’s expression is determined, chin tilted up, all of the earlier resignation gone. Lan Xichen’s heart lurches. “No, we’re not just gonna give up. We’re gonna fight for this. There’s no reason why we need to separate - plenty of sect leaders have had more than one spouse and have still been considered perfectly respectable - my father, for one. We might not be able to make our marriage public, but if you found the right kind of woman, she’d understand. We’ve not done anything wrong.”

“It’s not something the Lan usually do, I can’t think of anyone in recent generations who has taken more than one spouse…” Lan Xichen pauses, fully considering it, the tiniest spark of hope beginning to flicker in his chest. “Although… there are no rules explicitly forbidding it, I suppose.”

“If we can find a Lan who has had multiple spouses, then you will have precedent to present to the elders.”

Lan Xichen looks down, moving his hands away from Jin Guangyao’s cheeks as Nie Mingjue looses his grip. Jin Guangyao’s brows are slightly furrowed in his familiar thinking-impossibly-fast face, his panic fading immediately in the opportunity to create a plan, to gain an increment of control over the situation.

“We will have details of all marriages within the Lan sect in the Hall of Records,” Lan Xichen volunteers. “The clan historical records were some of the documents that I managed to save when the Wen came to burn Cloud Recesses, so we will have records dating all the way back to when the Lan sect was founded.”

Nie Mingjue hums thoughtfully, “You think that if you can prove another Lan has done it and kept a good reputation, they might let Xichen do it?”

“Perhaps.” Jin Guangyao settles himself in Nie Mingjue’s arms so he’s sat up properly at the table, gaze distant as he runs his ideas across his mind’s eye. He’s back to his usual confident self, the anxious moment little more than a blip, and Lan Xichen’s heart sings to see it. “Da-ge, tomorrow, when er-ge is busy with his sect duties, you can go to the Hall of Records and start researching. If that doesn’t work, our next best option will be to find the right kind of woman for you to marry - that’ll be my job.”

Lan Xichen raises his eyebrows, “What kind of woman won’t mind marrying a man who likes men?”

Jin Guangyao flashes a small smirk that is unfairly attractive for how serious their conversation is. “A woman who likes women, of course. Or a woman who doesn’t like anyone would do just as well. A wife who wouldn’t mind carrying your child, but who would have no interest in sharing your bed.”

“Quite a tall order to find,” Lan Xichen murmurs.

“Hold on,” Nie Mingjue interrupts, looking delightfully perturbed, “why am I the one slogging through all those records by myself? You’re the one who catalogued them all ages ago, why aren’t you doing it?”

“Because my job is going to involve playing nice and friendly with Lan Qiren. I’m going to act like we’ve fully accepted the marriage demand and show a brotherly interest in the process of selecting a bride, and if I can get a shortlist of the women they’re considering, I can start my enquiries into their… personal proclivities.” Jin Guangyao tilts his head, raising his eyebrows, “Would you rather have my job? We can swap if you’d prefer.”

Nie Mingjue’s mouth twitches into something that isn’t quite a pout, but isn’t exactly far off. “No,” he admits, with a huff of defeat.

As Jin Guangyao chuckles and Nie Mingjue’s pout fades into a grudging smile, Lan Xichen feels, suddenly, exhausted. The horror of the last few days - the grief, the sadness, the pervading guilt - was like a heavy weight he had no idea he was carrying, and now that he has even the smallest glint of hope, that burden has been lifted, and he feels weak with relief. He slumps a little, hiding his face in his hands for a few moments as he tries to breathe through it, and he loses track of the conversation until he hears his name.

“Hmm?” He lifts his head and looks around a little blearily. Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao are both smiling at him. Reflexively, he smiles back.

“Are you tired, Huan-gege?” Jin Guangyao asks teasingly, tongue poking out from between his teeth. “I was just saying that with Wei Wuxian seeing to his duties in Yunmeng at the moment, it falls to us to make sure da-ge's qi is… properly looked after.” Jin Guangyao reaches out to squeeze his wrist affectionately, “Although I'm starting to wonder if you have the energy. It must have been hard on you carrying all this on your own, hmm?”

Over the years they've been together, the three of them have tried many different configurations, depending on who is in what mood, who needs some special care, or sometimes just who is particularly craving something, and Lan Xichen immediately recognises what Jin Guangyao is gently offering here - that for tonight, he will take charge of anything they do in the bedroom.

Often, Lan Xichen rather enjoys leading their time together; he likes using his strength to manhandle or restrain, he likes using his stamina to push them both to the edge and completely sate them, and more than anything it feels good to, in the midst of their complicated lives, simply be able to fulfil their needs. He can give them what they want. When his A-Yao is exhausted and vulnerable, when his da-ge is tired of carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, he can take care of them.

There are, though, often days where they try a different dynamic, sometimes because it's what Lan Xichen needs, sometimes it's because one of the others needs (or just wants). Despite the fact that he made his name as a leader of men, Nie Mingjue generally prefers the role of willing accomplice to mastermind. Jin Guangyao is far more likely to take the lead, usually seeming to relish the chance to use his incredibly deft skill for orchestrating events of any size to guide them through an evening (or a series of them, on longer stints together) that scratches some very particular itches.

Lan Xichen raises Jin Guangyao’s hand to his mouth and presses a few slow, soft kisses to his knuckles, lingers with his lips tucked into the narrow little valley between his index and middle fingers, and he’s unsurprised when Jin Guangyao takes the silent invitation to slide into his lap. Jin Guangyao manages to arrange his layers of skirts and graceful limbs to avoid discomfort for the both of them and coaxes him into a slow kiss without much heat but with a steady warmth that chases away the last few tremors from Lan Xichen’s hands cupped gently against the back of his husband’s neck.

“Poor er-ge,” Jin Guangyao tuts against his mouth in between sweet kisses. “Let me take care of you, hm?”

As lovely and welcome as that sounds, as much as he would jump at such an offer under any other circumstances, Lan Xichen finds that tonight the request doesn’t sit quite right. He presses a few more lingering kisses to Jin Guangyao’s mouth as he looks inward to try to figure out why that is, and when he figures it out he tips his chin to break the kiss in favour of pressing a trail of gentle pecks along Jin Guangyao’s cheek up to the delicate curve of his ear.

“I would prefer to watch you with Mingjue,” he murmurs, fingertips petting the warm skin below the edge of his collar. He draws slow circles around one of Jin Guangyao’s vertebrae and relishes the way it makes him sigh, relax, and nuzzle in closer with a hum in the back of his throat.

“Oh?”

“Mm. Show me how well you can take care of him?”

Lan Xichen thinks he’ll never grow tired of watching his husbands enjoy being together. He still thinks fondly of the night in Qinghe that his lovers finally seemed to reach something of an accord, what he still privately thinks of as their ‘first time’ if only because their encounters prior to that tentative truce had been so completely miserable that none of them like to think back to them too often.

That night that Nie Mingjue had unbent enough to be completely vulnerable with them, that first night Lan Xichen had watched them together with hope underpinning his desire, when he’d watched them teasing and playing cautiously, afraid to ruin it for each other but clearly determined to make it work if they could – that was their true first time as far as Lan Xichen is concerned, and since then they’ve only gotten better. Things could have gone so much worse, that he’s sure of, and so he takes an extra measure of delight in watching Jin Guangyao turn to smile winsomely at Nie Mingjue over his shoulder, and in watching Nie Mingjue’s entire face soften into an adoring smile of his own in return.

Lan Xichen relinquishes his hold on Jin Guangyao in favour of being shooed up off the floor and into bed, though he is at least allowed to pause long enough to strip down rather carelessly before he settles in sitting up against the wooden frame, his head resting lightly on the wall to relax as much as he can while he watches Nie Mingjue strip much more methodically than Lan Xichen had at Jin Guangyao’s silent direction, clearly enjoying being bossed around if the tented front of his trousers is anything to judge by.

Jin Guangyao doesn’t draw the process out too long though, and once Nie Mingjue is naked he ducks down to murmur something for Jin Guangyao alone, Lan Xichen doesn’t bother straining his hearing to try to find out what, and then Nie Mingjue is sliding into bed beside him flat on his back. Before Lan Xichen can wonder what position they’re planning on, Nie Mingjue rolls over to bury his face in Lan Xichen’s lap with a few open-mouthed kisses on his way to taking his cock in his mouth with no warning or fanfare.

Lan Xichen hums, low and content, and lets his eyes slip shut to better sink into the passive pleasure of simply letting Nie Mingjue do what he wants, one hand falling to brush over the complex weave of his braids and the other curling into a loose fist in the silk of his covers as pleasure washes through him in comfortable, easy waves. The beds in Cloud Recesses aren’t high enough off the ground for Jin Guangyao to stand beside it and fuck Nie Mingjue like this as they’ve done quite a few times in Qinghe, but Lan Xichen cracks one tired eye open at the familiar sound of oil being applied to something firm to find that Jin Guangyao is slicking up his fingers to at least prep Nie Mingjue while he’s turned on his side like this and Lan Xichen smiles at him, slow and sleepy, just to see Jin Guangyao return it.

Despite his request to watch them together, Lan Xichen keeps his eyes shut the entire time Nie Mingjue is sucking him off; he is, for lack of a better word, basking in the ease with which they come together, and thrilling at the fact that he loves them now more than ever and that, with their help, he may not have to give that love up for something more suitable to someone of his station.

When he eventually comes it’s more comfortable than anything and Nie Mingjue cleans him up without any fuss, as wonderfully businesslike and straightforward as he is about everything. He drops a parting kiss to the top of Lan Xichen’s thigh before he pulls back to twist over onto his front beside him, arms curled under his head and one leg thrown over Lan Xichen’s to cross at the ankles as Jin Guangyao slicks himself up and kneels between Nie Mingjue’s parted thighs. This part at least Lan Xichen opens his eyes for, and he thoroughly enjoys getting to pet his hand through Nie Mingjue’s hair and along the strong breadth of his shoulders as Jin Guangyao does as he asked and shows him just how thoroughly he can take care of Nie Mingjue on his own.

Lan Xichen doesn’t join his qi to theirs when they reach dual cultivation; he can feel it of course, a familiar tug on his spiritual energy that’s so primed these days to join with theirs when they’re cultivating together, as if their meridians are simply extensions of his own, their bodies barely separated from his anymore — but tonight he keeps himself apart. He watches them in their bliss and his entire body aches with how much he loves them, and when they recover enough to start again Lan Xichen slides down to lie next to Nie Mingjue, to pull his husband half up onto himself to kiss him and hold him as their other husband takes him apart with delicious precision.

They keep it relatively short, and their second orgasm together doesn’t come with the siren call of their dual cultivation either. Lan Xichen kisses Nie Mingjue’s temple as he shudders apart, holds Jin Guangyao’s free hand not clutching Nie Mingjue’s hip to let him squeeze his fingers as he curls forward and presses his forehead to the centre of Nie Mingjue’s back, and when they’ve recovered enough to separate for the night Lan Xichen helps them clean up enough to at least not ruin the bedding.

Lan Xichen goes to sleep comfortably squished under Nie Mingjue’s lax bulk with Jin Guangyao tucked up tightly against his side, and he dares to hope for the impossible.

#the untamed fanfic #3zun #feat. Lan Qiren Trying His Best(TM)#The Waves Are Rising and Rising #Extra Scene

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fluesterscherben · 10 months ago

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Headcanons/Thoughts about a Fem!WWX/ Yiling Matriarch AU

If Wei Ying is a woman, then so is Jiang Cheng. I don't make the rules.

That means someone else has to be the heir, so obviously Jiang Yanli is a man in this universe. The dynamic doesn't change much (shige is just as caring and just as good at making soup and parenting his menaces as shijie was, a'Ying is just as chaotic and a free spirit as a'Xian and a'Cheng is still angry and jealous and prickly) but it does a tiny bit, because a male Jiang Yanli has a lot more responsibility on his shoulders and a female Jiang Cheng as a bit less of it, because she isn't the heir (but she's still her mother's daughter, so...only a bit.) Jiang Yanli has eldest daughter syndrome in any universe.

Madam Yu is a tiny bit less hostile than in canon, because yeah, she still thinks that girl is her husband's bastard, but even if she was recognized Wei Ying couldn't be a threat to the position of Madam Yu's son. So she's still pissed, but a tiny bit less.

Jin Zixuan is a woman and has three younger sisters. Why? Because a male heir was needed and her parents had to keep trying. Unfortunatly Jin Guangshan seems incapeable of having legitimate sons. (Meng Yao is still male. And Qin Su is male too, for hilarity's sake. - all of Jin Guangshan's bastards are sons and two of them are older than his eldest legitimate daughter.) That makes Jin Zixun the heir to Lanling Jin.

Nie Mingjue is a woman. She runs the Nie Clan with an iron fist, officially as her brother's regent. A lady of war, brandishing a blade red like the blood it has spilled. (Her brother doesn't want to inherit. He wants to lounge around like a wet blanket and paint dainty things forever! Why couldn't he have been born a younger sister to an older brother, he laments to his friends. Embroidery and accounting and getting married off far away from where he has to do saber practice every day sounds like a dream actually! "Poor a'Sang! You would have been such a good little sister!", Wei Ying coos dramatically. "Suck it up, Huaisang.", Jiang Cheng grumbles, "And don't you dare cry into my robes, that's silk you fucking heathen.")

Lan Xichen is the heir to Gusu Lan. He loves his little sister dearly and would do just about everything to ensure her hapiness. Yes, even argue with the clan elders. Just a tiny bit. His aunt is completely done with his behaviour. (Not that she's any better.)

Acting Sect Leader of the Gusu Lan is Teacher Lan, the Sect Leader's younger sister. Yes, Fem!Lan Qiren. Sue me. It's mostly because the Lan seperate male and female students, and for me that means that there must also be a division between male and female teachers. So to teach Wei Ying and hate her on sight Lan Qiren has to be a woman. Sorry, not sorry.

Lan Zhan is the first daughter and second child of the Lan Clan main family line. Nothing really changes about her other than her adopting a'Yuan causing a much larger scandal (because unmarried woman suddenly has a child is much worse than unmarried man suddenly has a child, duh).

Nie Huaisang befriends the Lotus Pier girls when Wei Ying sneaks into the men's part of the Cloud Recesses one night out of curiosity and runs into him while he's being a tortured artist (read: drawing filthy porn outside by flickering candlelight because his roommates are asleep).

After the destruction of Lotus Pier Jin Guangshan offers the Jiang support - if Jiang Yanli marries into the Jin Clan, effectively making Yunmeng Jiang a part of the Jin sect. The marriage happens, but Jiang Cheng takes over as Leader of Lotus Pier to keep it independent. (Nie Huaisang volunteers to marry into her family and support her because he's turning twenty soon and he really doesn't want to be sect leader. His a'Jie vetoes it.)

Jin Guangshan marries one of his daughters to a male Qin Su, knowing full well that the boy might be his son. The newly named Jin Guangyao is in charge of wedding preparations. He is the one Madam Qin tells to stop the wedding. Obviously he doesn't.

Mo Xuanyu is still a man (very short from malnorishment and with a very feminine face, but still a man) . He apologizes for that fact quite a lot in his notes when he offers his body to the Yiling Matriarch.

The Junior Quartet consists of a Lan boy, a Lan girl who doesn't give a flying fuck about the fact that the rules say she should be on an all girls team, the heir to Lanling Jin and the heir to Baling Ouyang.

#mdzs #mdzs au #genderswap au #headcanons #a lot of unstructured thoughts #ideas #fem!wei wuxian #and a lot of other people also swap #but i'm far too lazy to tag them all #au #fem!jiang cheng is the embodyment of feminine rage #fem!lan quiren is that one old lady teacher everyone was terrified of in highschool #bratty rich girl fem!jin zixuan #at the beginning that is #male jiang yanli is still an angel #fem!nie mingjue is a girlboss #i just love these idiots a lot if you can't tell

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jaimebluesq · 11 months ago

Note

For the Nie Mingjue prompt: He's not everyone's Da-ge, he's everyone's didi!

And if you're not feeling the age swap situation, then maybe canonverse NMJ loses his memory somehow (curse? qi deviation unusual effects?) and needs everyone's help to remember who he is (but specially Huaisang’s 🥺)

Damn, how did this prompt go over 2k?! *Ahem*.

Thank you so much for this prompt! I very much enjoy reverse Nie bros! I got to write then once before and decided to turn this prompt into a sequel (but you don't need to have read Maybe if the stars align, maybe if our worlds collide to follow the worldbuilding!)

So, on to the prompt fill - I hope you enjoy :D

~ ~ ~

Nie Huaisang bit his lip in thought, and a little frustration. He’d been to the rooms assigned to the Lan sect, and hadn’t found his brother anywhere – normally Lan Qiren would have absconded Nie Mingjue somewhere to discuss night hunts, or Lan Xichen would have dragged him away somewhere for tea, but neither had seen him since the banquet that evening. Nor was Nie Mingjue among the Jin – they were in Koi Tower, after all, and the sects had been invited for a grand celebration on Jin Zixuan’s birthday, and though the boy was vain and snobbish at times, he often came out of his shell to take Nie Mingjue under his wing and show him around the grounds or take him to spar on the training field. Nie Mingjue had certainly not been among the Wen – even after Wen Ruohan’s ‘mysterious’ death two years ago, the Nie and the Wen were far from friendly, even if Wen Xu’s reign was nowhere near as contentious as his father’s (Nie Huaisang was quite thankful that he, rather than Wen Chao, had come out on top when the two brothers fought for dominion over their sect).

He was finishing looking around the smaller sects’ delegations, intending to head for the Jiangs’ quarters next, when he was stopped by a feminine voice nearby. “Oh, Nie-zongzhu? It’s quite fortunate that I found you!”

He lifted his fan to cover his frown and sighed. It was Sect Leader Yao’s sister, of course it was. She was nowhere as unpleasant as her brother, thankfully, but she did have a habit of making a nuisance of herself. Particularly to him.

“Ah, Yao-guniang, I hope you’ve been enjoying the birthday celebrations. How may I assist you?”

She fluttered her eyelashes coquettishly and waved her round fan over her chest – her neckline showing far more cleavage than was proper. Normally he would not mind – he did have a reputation for enjoying the company of women (and men), after all – but he knew she’d had particular designs on him for two years now.

“I heard that the matchmakers have been a great bother to Nie-zongzhu of late,” she offered with an attractive pout. “So disrespectful to hound such a great man, no doubt still grieving the late Madame Nie. I would be more than happy to have a word or two with them, if it would help.”

Yes, the matchmakers had been on his case of late to petition for various women wishing to be the next Madame Nie. He knew he would have to accept one eventually, but he had yet to decide upon what alliance would be most advantageous. Most believed he was still mourning the ‘accidental’ death of his wife during a night hunt – the better that they did not think further upon the timing of her death with that of Wen Ruohan. While they had not been a love match, Yu Jinzhu and he had developed an affection for one another, and he knew she would not want her sacrifice in pursuit of assassinating Wen Ruohan to put his sect in danger.

He also knew that Yao YuFeng’s offer was far from altruistic – she’d had designs on becoming the next Madame Nie since the day of the funeral.

“That is very kind of Yao-guniang,” he said with a charming smile that prompted her fan to move a little faster, “but this one is not afraid of the matchmakers. When I am ready to marry again, only then will I have need of them. But until that time, I have a sect to run, and a brother to find.”

“Is your Didi lost again?” Her smile and chuckle were now far more genuine. “He’s grown to be such a handsome boy, and a great cultivator even at his age! And I have yet to meet a girl who can resist the temptation to pinch his cheeks when his dimples show.”

“Yes, that’s the very reason why I lose him so often. He’s far too happy to help anyone who asks, and is often led astray.” He gave a long-suffering sigh. “If I allowed him, he would go weeks without seeing his Da-ge and spend all of his time helping people in need. My Didi forgets me so!”

“Such a thing is impossible,” she replied. “Everyone knows Nie Mingjue adores his brother and threatens anyone who even thinks of questioning the way you run your sect. He is a credit to Qinghe Nie, and to his Da-ge.”

He tilted his head in thanks at her kind words. “Your kindness does your sect credit, Yao-guniang. Now if you’ll forgive me, a process of elimination is leading me to the Jiang sect’s quarters – hopefully I’ll find my misplaced Didi there.”

“I wish you the best of luck, Nie-zongzhu,” she offered with a short bow, that he echoed.

Thankfully, she had the grace to leave his side, allowing him to continue on his way.

He took a path through the gardens outside on his way to the Jiang delegation’s rooms, enjoying the cool night air, and he spotted a pair of figures sitting outside in the lantern-light. The two boys seemed to be pouting – well, one looked positively grumpy, while the other one pouted only a little as he bumped his shoulder into the other’s. But the moment Nie Huaisang came close enough to be lit by the lanterns, both boys jumped up onto their feet and made proper bows.

“Nie-zongzhu!” they chorused.

“You’ve been enjoying the celebrations, I hope!” Wei Wuxian crowed with a charming grin.

“Are you here to get Nie-xiong?” Jiang Cheng added, a little too much hope in his voice.

Nie Huaisang did his best not to let a smirk creep upon his face.

“I have been searching for him,” he replied, “and this was my next stop. I do hope my Didi hasn’t been too much of a nuisance.”

“Nie-xiong is never a bother,” Jiang Cheng replied – unsurprising, since he and Nie Mingjue had been close since they were young, and Jiang Cheng had yet to refuse an invitation to come to Qinghe and visit with Jasmine, Princess, and Love.

“Not a bother – but he is a thief,” Wei Wuxian countered unapologetically.

Nie Huaisang lifted his fan to cover his silent chuckle. “Well, would you be so kind as to escort me to my thieving Didi?”

“Of course! Right this way, Nie-zongzhu,” Wei Wuxian offered in a way that was almost flirtatious – ah, to be fifteen again.

As the three of them walked, Nie Huaisang was reminded of how fast these young cultivators grew up. When he’d first taken over as sect leader, he’d been their age, and they had been but children playing at being cultivators. And now they were all grown, and already taller than he was. At times he felt like an ant wandering among trees.

Jiang Cheng knocked on a door and opened it, calling out: “Jiejie! We have a visitor!”

Inside the luxuriously appointed guest rooms, Jiang Yanli had set up a table with tea and many kinds of food – and across from her, shyly accepting an affectionate pat on the head, was Nie Huaisang’s missing Didi. The two looked up at their entrance and Nie Mingjue’s face lit up.

“Da-ge!”

“So this is where you’ve been hiding, A-Jue,” he teased. He knew his brother and that his absences were rarely purposeful – he had simply been ‘adopted’ by so many older disciples that constantly sought him out, wanting to spoil him or teach him or drag him out on night hunts. “I’ve been looking for you for nearly an hour.”

Nie Mingjue looked sheepish; he stood up and bowed to his brother. “This one apologizes to Nie-zongzhu.”

“No apologies necessary, something simply came up at the last minute.” Nie Huaisang turned to Jiang Yanli. “I hope Jiang-guniang does not mind me stealing back my brother.”

“Of course, Nie-zongzhu,” she replied kindly with an elegant bow. “Had I known he was missing, I would have sent him back to your delegation’s rooms.”

“No harm is done – and there are few I trust with my brother’s welfare as much as you and your family.” She tilted her head in thanks, her cheeks flushing brightly. Not for the first time did he think she would make an excellent wife – but not only was she betrothed to Jin Zixuan, but Yu Ziyuan had told him in no uncertain terms that her daughter (and son, for that matter) were off-limits to his wandering eyes.

But a man could still look and appreciate.

Everyone wished each other farewell for the night, and Nie Huaisang and his brother were finally en route to their rooms.

“Is something the matter, Da-ge?” Nie Mingjue asked quietly when they were finally alone.

“Nothing is wrong,” he replied, keeping his eyes ahead of him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to look at his brother, but with how he had to crane his head up to look at him since his last growth spurt, it hurt his neck a lot less to keep his eyes on the path ahead. “But there is someone I want you to meet. Someone I believe has some potential in our sect, but who will require some time to adjust to our ways.” He paused as they passed a servant, and only continued once they were long past them. “Furthermore, I want to get your impression of them.”

“Of course,” Nie Mingjue replied. “Whatever I can do to help.”

He smiled to himself – this was why everyone wished Nie Mingjue were their little brother.

When they reached the Nie delegation’s quarters, one of their disciples held the door open for them as they entered. The healer within stood up and bowed in greeting.

“How is he?” Nie Huaisang asked her, glancing over to where a young man sat by the window. When he saw Nie Huaisang had returned, he stood up and lowered into a gracious bow of his own.

“Nothing that cannot be healed,” she replied reassuringly. “I’m more concerned at his malnourishment than I am the few scrapes and bruises he acquired today.”

He nodded and dismissed her with a wave of his fan. He stepped further into the room once the door clicked shut behind him. “Didi, I would like to introduce you to a young man I met earlier today. This is Meng Yao, and I have invited him to come back to Qinghe with us. He wishes to become a cultivator, and I believe we may have a place for him in the Unclean Realm.”

“It is an honour to meet you,” Meng Yao said in a practised tone of voice, the same one that had impressed Nie Huaisang upon their first meeting outside when the young man had stood up from the bottom of Koi Tower’s steps. He’d seen something in him immediately that he recognized – someone who did not have the same strength and skill with weapons that were the basis of many cultivators’ training, but instead he saw someone adept at the more subtle arts that Nie Huaisang called his own, that his father had brought in teachers from Meishan Yu to teach him many years ago.

In Meng Yao, he had seen himself.

“What happened to you?” Nie Mingjue asked bluntly, as was his way.

Meng Yao lifted a hand to self-sonsciously touch the darkened bruise on his cheek, and when he smiled, his lower lip showed red from where it had been split. “It is nothing, Nie-gongzi.”

“Was it a night hunt?” Nie Mingjue asked – Nie Huaisang said nothing, merely standing back and watching his brother. “Or bandits?”

The response was a wince, and Meng Yao shook his head. “It is nothing-”

Nie Mingjue's eyes narrowed. “Who hurt you? Only a coward hurts someone who can’t or won’t fight back.” He reached for his saber, strapped securely to his back, but he stopped when Meng Yao reached out a hand to stop him. “Point me their way and I’ll-”

“It’s all right, young master. I will be fine.” Meng Yao’s eyes softened noticeably the way so many others did when they thought Nie Mingjue’s righteousness adorable, and Nie Huaisang found nothing to indicate it was an act. “You need not worry about this one. I merely wish to do what I can to thank Nie-zongzhu for his kindness.”

“It’s almost time for bed,” Nie Huaisang announced. “Meng Yao, why don’t you escort my brother to his room and help him take his hair down for the night? It will give you a chance to better see some of his braids – they’re typical for our sect, and you may wish to wear some of your own one day.”

“It would be an honour, Nie-zongzhu,” Meng Yao replied.

Nie Mingjue snorted. “Right this way,” he mumbled, “and you can tell me how you got hurt.”

“As I told your brother, Nie-gongzi, it was but a simple tumble down the stairs...”

Nie Huaisang watched his brother and Meng Yao walk away. It was going to be interesting having one of Jin Guangshan’s bastards around – not that he’d revealed to the young man that he’d overheard that part of the encounter on the stairs – particularly one that, like everyone else, fell under the sway of Nie Huaisang’s Didi’s charm.

That night, when Nie Huaisang slipped into his empty bed, he allowed himself a moment of true weakness. Wen Ruohan was dead, but there would always be sect politics, and people needing his attention, and yao and ghosts to fight. At times he was overwhelmed by it all, truly overwhelmed in a way the Headshaker never was. But he had a duty to fulfill, a sect to lead, and a brother to protect – and if he could do what he could to make certain Nie Mingjue never had to worry about anything in life, then it would all be worth it – just like what it had secretly cost them all to take down Wen Ruohan.

He sent a silent prayer to Jinzhu – he really did miss her at times, political though their marriage had been – and one to his and Nie Mingjue’s parents as well. Then, pushing his anxiety aside, he rolled over and allowed sleep to claim him.

The End

#nie mingjue #nie huaisang #nie bros #reverse nie bros #prompt fill

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lwjsbedtime · 2 years ago

Text

Omega Warprizeji(??) and Alpha YLLZ

Omegaverse AU where all the sects want to please YLLZ after he defeats the Wen, but soon realise he cares nothing for jewels and the usual finery. Or, if he does, he's never acknowledged it in any noticeable way. The gifts they send him disappear up the mountain, but no correspondence is ever left in return.

This means that even though he may not want such gifts - or know what to do with them - he doesn't tell the sects to stop bringing them to him, either (he probably would have, but tbh he's not sure where the gifts are coming from, at first. When he realises, he's too illiterate to respond to their grand gestures).

Instead of the lack of communication halting their efforts, however, each sect schemes to bring the fearsome warlord something he'll be grateful for; something that will endear them to him indefinitely.

To this end, they decide to try a more practical approach.

The Jin clan offer spools of the finest silk, reinforced by spiritual energy - a tough cloth that is nonetheless suitable to be made into robes fit for a sect leader, or favoured disciple.

The Nie clan offer food - grain, cured meats, wine. They also offer a great mountain of pornography, though who thought that was a good idea is unknown.

The Jiang clan offer rare spices, and seafood preserved with the help of clever talismans.

The Lan clan, who have yet to present anything, get together and come up with an unusual idea. What could a foundling sect leader need - more than food, clothing, and riches - if not an accountant? And who do they have available who knows how to balance the books and keep a sect running? Why, the sect leader's younger brother has been trained his whole life to manage a household - given, as an omegan wife, but it's basically the same thing!

And as a highborn omega, the boy would've married a sect leader anyway, so he's been sufficiently prepared for this role. In short, LWJ, as an offering to YLLZ, is perfect.

Lan Xichen is hesitant to ask such a despicable thing of his brother - Wangji would be giving up his entire life, and all his domestic dreams for this plan- but eventually agrees to speak with him later.

He eases into the conversation over an afternoon snack of hot tea and durian cakes.

LWJ, upon hearing the proposal, perks up.

LWJ: So, I would be in charge of an entire sect, and I won't be married off?

LXC: Just of the expenses, WJ. Unfortunately, I don't think YLLZ is interested in a wife, or we'd have taken that route instead. But, maybe he'll introduce you to a nice disc-

LWJ: I will do it.

Lan Xichen nearly chokes on his tea.

LXC: So fast? You can take your time to decide.

LWJ: I. Will. Do. It.

Once LWJ has made up his mind, he can be very stubborn. It is with a heavy heart, then, that Lan Xichen lets him go.

----

LWJ is soon escorted to Yiling under the protection of an armed guard - along with the other offerings made - and spirited away into YLLZ's lands.

WWX, upon seeing an unmated omega amongst all the wine and spice, nearly trips over his own feet.

WWX: Why is there a concubine in my food?!

LWJ, who has noticed the distinct lack of buildings and people in the area, is also concerned.

LWJ: Where is my sect? 🥺

He begins to search the area for houses. Perhaps they're very, very far in the distance?

WWX, meanwhile, is still freaking out. He just can't believe this. Who would simply give such a pretty omega away? And to him? What's he going to do with a concubine?

And! And, just look at the clothes they've trussed him up in! He's been brought here, tarted up like a common whore! What does this mean? In all his years as a street child, he'd never once heard of something so ridiculous. Such an omega deserves to sleep in a palace, not a musty cave! WWX can't provide a palace out of thin air - he thinks. He's never tried. Seriously, what were the sects thinking?!

LWJ, who is wearing his everyday sect robes, actually, is more interested in finding out why a powerful, handsome, recently wealthy alpha appears to be living in a��wasteland. Is this why his mother warned him to avoid men who live apart from their families? Why would someone choose to exist in this state?

He sniffs at the air tentatively. At least, it appears, the alpha bathes regularly. His scent is crisp and clean - and rather nice.

For a while, they stare at each other blankly, each lost in their own spiraling thoughts. Eventually, WWX takes the initiative to approach first.

WWX: So, uh, there's been a mistake.

LWJ nods very seriously.

LWJ: Yes, there has.

WWX nearly crumples in relief.

WWX: Okay, great you understand! So I'll just escort you bac-

LWJ: You are in an even worse predicament than expected. For this to be a proper sect, there must first be buildings.

WWX: ...Huh?

LWJ brings his purse out from within his robes. He drops it into WWX's hands.

LWJ: Go to town and buy the materials necessary for construction. When you return you may begin to build a residence for us.

WWX blanks out a little at the idea of living with the pretty omega, before realising what else had been said. He bristles.

WWX: Excuse me? I am the Yiling Patriarch! You-

LWJ fixes him with a bland stare.

LWJ: Are you an alpha or aren't you?

WWX: I-

LWJ: Go. Get the supplies.

WWX pouts.

WWX: Yes dear.

----

LWJ waits in the cave while WWX slaves over building them a home. This is where he finds the treasures sent along to YLLZ earlier, and begins his job by cataloguing them.

He may or may not sneak outside a few times to watch YLLZ's muscles ripple under the strain of his work, but he's certain he's being very subtle about it.

LWJ: 🧍‍♂️

WWX: Why is he watching me?

LWJ: 🧍‍♂️

WWX: Should I watch him too?

LWJ: 🧍‍♂️

WWX: 🧍

LWJ: 😡 Do not slack off.

LWJ whirls around and returns to his duties, face blazing with heat. And he thought the alpha was teachable!

WWX: ...

WWX: Come back...

----

Once WWX finishes building the house - and a large bed - his omega demands to be taken to town to select appropriate bedding. They end up strolling arm in arm through the dense marketplace, inspecting various stalls as they go.

They stop for lunch at a small inn, and WWX even buys LWJ a new hair stick.

WWX: It looks like it would suit you. 😄

LWJ: ...

LWJ: Oh no. I think I'm attracted to my employer. How unprofessional.

Still, he lets YLLZ draw his hair up into a bun and slide the new hair stick into place. It is a very nice accessory. No one shall judge him for accepting it.

----

When they return home, WWX is nervous. As they make the bed together, his mind races.

Is this it? There's only one place to sleep in this house. Surely, that means they'll be sleeping together? Does this mean his omega wants to be claimed tonight, or...would he like to experience other things? He should probably ask.

WWX, clearing his throat: So...would you like to be mated tonight?

His voice comes out slightly strangled, but LWJ understands the question. The omega's eyes go wide with shock.

Mating is an option? He knew they'd sleep together in the bed, because it would have been ridiculous to ask YLLZ to build two houses and beds in one day, regardless of how strong he is. Though already a scandalous situation to be caught in, he did not expect it to go any further than that!

Wait, is this workplace harassment? Probably. Is it harassment if he likes it, though? Should he refuse on principle just in case? ...But, this might be the only time YLLZ offers this to him...

LWJ nods.

LWJ: We shall.

His tone is very imperious and sends a thrill down WWX's spine.

WWX: Okay. 😳

That night, they claim each other. Their bonding sets off an extremely long heat-rut cycle that leaves them both worn out for weeks after.

----

Several months later, the cultivation world is still awaiting a sign from YLLZ. Did he like the gifts given to him? Did he not? Should they try offering something else?

JGS eyes a dancing girl he recently acquired. Perhaps she'll do. She's pretty enough to move an alpha's heart, anyway. What a pity about LWJ, though. He was also beautiful, and now he's missing. Who even knows what sort of dastardly things YLLZ had in store for him? The Lans were so naive to let him go...

Suddenly, the doors to the hall the discussion conference is taking place in slam open. Everyone present whips around to see what happened. Their eyes alight on two figures entering the hall side by side - YLLZ and...LWJ!

The delegation from the Lan clan are immediately concerned. Aren't they standing awfully close together for master and servant? How improper. Though, at least LWJ looks as though he's been fed properly. He's put on quite a bit of weight since he was last seen.

Lan Xichen rises to greet his brother immediately, the relief palpable in his expression.

LXC: WJ! Where have you been? Why didn't we hear from you?

LWJ eyes YLLZ, who eyes him right back. YLLZ steps up to greet the Lan head.

YLLZ: Lan zongzhu. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I apologise for keeping Lan Zhan all to myself these past months, but I'm sure you can understand my reasoning.

Understanding lights up Lan Xichen's face.

LXC: Ah, yes. As a new sect, your finances must have been-

WWX: After we bonded, I couldn't keep my hands off of him! 😄

LXC: ...After you what?!

LWJ: Bonded, brother.

LXC: You- Wha- WJ, why?!

LWJ eases into YLLZ's grip around his waist, looking ridiculously prim and proper for all the chaos he's causing.

LWJ: It was an opportunity I simply could not refuse.

Lan Xichen looks horrified.

LXC: Why couldn't you refuse?! Did he force you?

WWX guffaws at the very prospect.

WWX: Ah, if anything, it was Lan Zhan that seduced me! I don't know what you Lans teach up that mountain of yours, but you certainly sent me the right warprize!

LXC: Warprize?!

LQR, in the background: WARPRIZE?!!

WWX blinks out at the room, caught a bit off guard by the odd reaction.

WWX: Ah...yes?

LWJ sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

LWJ: WY, I was sent to be your accountant.

WWX: You were? Then why...? 😳

LXC: Yes, Wangji. Why?!

LQR: WHY?!!

LWJ seems annoyed by the question. Still, he answers.

LWJ: Wei Ying has many good qualities. He's handsome, and attentive, and his seed was virile enough to impregnate me on the first-

LQR, pretty much dying of shock: WANGJI!!!

----

In the end, LWJ gets his sect to run, and WWX gets all the love and affection that he missed out on during his years as an orphan.

However, he's never allowed to look at the books the Nie sent him ever again. LWJ's afraid they might give him even more strange ideas. Warprize indeed!

#wangxian fic #wangxian #warprize lwj #omegaverse #warprizeji #he's an accountant

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r95irth · 1 year ago

Text

I was tagged by @evilhasnever to find paragraphs in my WIPs with the words gaze, neck, step.

I will go with the Jiaoren AU, since it's my most advanced WIP. Thank you for tagging me <3 And here is the joke...the three words you picked i used them all in one same scene xD Which is this one :

It takes an hour or so for A-Yao to finally emerge from his slumber. Lan Xichen is busy cleaning Jingyi’s egg when he stirrs, but he is by his side in only one step. He looks better than yesterday, even if still pale. He blinks a few times as he stares at his pair of legs. Lan Xichen remembers the joy on A-Yao’s face the first time he had shifted, his beaming smile, his dimples.There’s nothing of that today behind the exhaustion, his lover simply moves them slightly, then stares at the floor with caution. His heart breaks a little, and he offers his hand to his lover. “Do you want help getting out?" At least there is some joy when A-Yao’s gaze meets his, and a small smile as he takes the offer. Lan Xichen puts Jingyi back into his basket. Wei Wuxian’s crow immediately flies back to it, and in its hurry pushes A-Yao’s back. Lan Xichen moves forward to catch him, A-Yao wraps his arms around his lover’s neck and in the same movement, gives the crow a very efficient kick, sending him away from his egg.

But i will be playful and say this one only counts for step and pick the next word in another scene is for NECK :

“Is anyone here?” He asks, his voice getting low. “Wen-guniang?” A-Yao moves slightly to get a better view but Lan Xichen puts a protective hand over him and orders in a whisper : “Arms around my neck.” A-Yao’s blood runs cold and he obeys, looking at Lan Xichen’s back to protect him from surprise attack. All his senses are up, as Lan Xichen puts his now free hand on his sword’s handle. What happened? Is Jingyi okay? He wants to ask back but he can’t, and it does horrible thing to his stomach. Nausea filling his throat and filling the empty space in his mouth. My egg, I didn’t protect my egg, i’m a terrible father I left them- It echoes, it explodes with a certainty that hurts more than everything he ever experienced : I left them alone! And then suddenly it pops, and someone yells in the back : “LET US PASS!!”

And finally the word GAZE :

A-Yuan frowns again, his gaze going between Lan Wangji -as if to check if he is being serious- then Wei Wuxian, then the crow, then the egg. Eventually he drops all these complicates stuff and asks the real important question : “When are they going out? I want to play with them! They like butterflies? I have 2 butterfly toys. I can share one! We can make them kiss!” Lan Wangji shakes his head : “It is very kind of you to share your toy. But I am not sure when they’ll be here, it will hatch eventually-” He doesn’t finish his sentence as he notices Wei Ying going behind the vanity screen, and his heartbeat raises up. Maybe Wen Qing is behind the vanity screen, after all, it is her room! He pats A-Yuan’s head, and follows Wei Ying, only to find him looking around an empty bed. “Sorry, i was checking if Wen Qing was here. I thought she would like to know A-Yuan did his first trip on his own. From what I gathered it’s like a huge thing for her family.”

Hope you'll like it UU° I didn't think i would have used those three words when i first saw the list but apparently i do use it. It's a fun game :D

As for tagging people so they could play too...@thefrogwitch @swaglexander-the-great and @wishthefish and with the words...huh...hug, cat, and stars ! Don't feel pressured to play though if you don't want to :D

#tagging game #wip #jiaoren au #mdzs #have fun #thanks for tagging me!

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xluna-reclipse · 2 years ago

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Do you also think that Su She's feelings for A-Yao were also more romantic than platonic? I felt like reading it between the lines. With XiYao I was not that obviously for me till I met you.

The magic incense burner in the shape of an elephant was previously in A-Yao's secret room. I found it so striking that WWX, as a paper man, noticed this apparently unimportant object while fleeing the room, that I marked the page and kept it in mind.

With that in mind, do you think Xichen used this item and in his confusion left it in the Lan sect library so Wangxian find it?

After realizing through you that XiYao are canon, which makes me happy beyond words, because A-Yao deserves the world and Xichen is the best boy, I have the theory that A-Yao used this incense burner to meet with Xichen in his dreams earlier.

Do you also think, that A-Yao was loyal to QS, even if they never lived as a married couple and that Xichen doesn't wanted to be the reason to tempt A-Yao to adultery, but that the meeting of A-Yao and Xichen in dreams thanks to the incense burner was for both something they could deal with?

Meanwhile, I understand that one can't believe everything the author says because she tends to joke. In the MDZS Wiki it is said that she has confirmed that JGY and NMJ fought in the coffin for 100 years. That's what makes me saddest. I prefer your theory that Xichen saves A-Yao's soul. Maybe JGY and NMJ really fought each other for 100 years, because there was no other solution, but I depend on the hope, that after that their souls were saved and didn't disappear.

Do you also think that Xue Yang and Mo Xuanyu were friends, even though it wasn't mentioned, not even once? I don't find WWX in Yi city too conspicuous. Su She was there too and doesn't seem to have reported JGY that WWX was reviewed. So Xue Yang most have known MXY + how should he know that his spiritual power was low, to make profit out of it when he attacked WWX? XY and MXY were the same age, both close to JGY and both demonic cultivators. Maybe I overanalyse, but when XY talked with WWX he doesn't seemed to me like a big fan who meets his idol. Of course because he was still mourning XXC and wanted him desperately back, but I guess maybe too because he get to know that a friend of his youth was dead.

I'm convinced that Song Lan will safe XXC's and A-Qing's souls. Maybe it's absurd, but I like the dream that they will get to understand that XY wasn't a monster and make up with him. I have that idea from a great fanart artist. Do you think that's pure wish thinking?

Thank you in forwards for your answers and sorry that it get longer than planned.

I'd honestly prefer if each subject was asked in its own individual post, but as it is, I will try to be methodical about this and answer each, one at a time.

Of course, this is all prefaced with the warning that this is my current perceptive and is subject to change with a deeper understanding of the character, time, growth, degeneration etc

I think, if there was a romantic connection between Su She and Jin Guangyao, I'm afraid it would only be one directional.

When Wei Wuxian mentions Su She would have to be left behind, Su She's response is for Jin Guangyao to go ahead without him. Jin Guangyao then says thank you and takes the offer. That is not the behavior of someone in love with their subordinate, but the acceptance of a person towards the sacrifice of their guard.

The following is what I think.

Su She kind of treats Jin Guangyao like Wen Zhuliu treats Wen Ruohan, but if Wen Ruohan was softer. Jin Guangyao highly values Su She in the way you would value your second in command. Su She was likely privy to thoughts Lan Xichen didn't know existed. In a way, he knew more about Jin Guangyao. But at the same time, if Lan Xichen had been privy to the same information, his understanding would been deeper because Lan Xichen used to understand Jin Guangyao's substance while Su She may understand Jin Guangyao's actions.

This is, of course, all my opinion which may change over time. I look forward to what your opinion will be once your understanding of the characters has a chance to age.

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jaggededges123 · 1 year ago

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☔

yes, absolutely! there are... so many XD i'll put this under a cut just in case it gets long! i wish i could ask you which ships you were interested in, because i have so many that it's hard to narrow them down, but i will assume you enjoy niecest as one of my followers and go with one of those!

i present to you, a basic skeleton of my beauty and the beast au (niecest version).

it's nsfw, but mostly just in the abstract, i'm not going to be getting into the nitty gritty today.

so, basically, nmj was cursed (by jgs) when nhs was just a child, so the two don't know what each other looks like--or at least, nhs doesn't know what nmj looks like, not anymore. when this happened, nmj was presumed dead, the nie territory became overgrown and so dangerous that no one goes there. nhs was sent away to the lans to protect him at the last minute, so he grew up under their care. nhs is technically the heir to all of that land, but he can't take control of it until he comes of age.

jgs plans to marry jgy off to nhs so that he himself can benefit from all of that land. jgy resents this because he thinks nhs is pretty but also extremely frivolous, but also he does appreciate the kind of status he'll gain if he marries nhs. they basically have a pretty standard courtship, except nhs feels like they aren't connecting properly so instead, he begs lwj to go and see if the land is still cursed, if nhs can just take the unclean realm without going through with the marriage.

lwj goes to the overgrown and cursed lands, but when he doesn't come back (lxc is somewhere else idk) nhs has to take responsibility for sending him there in the first place and goes after him. it's his ancestral home, and having grown so close to both lwj and lxc over the years he wouldn't be able to bear lwj's death being his fault. so he goes.

he finds himself in dense forest, and before long there are many yao surrounding him. they're weak, but he's weaker, and he fears that he might die before he even reaches his ancestral home, but then he sees the remains of an old stone fortress. he flees in that direction, and is able to escape into it.

when he enters the fortress, it's warm; there's a fire in the hearth and a comfortable place to sit. and nhs is exhausted from his travels, so he takes a seat for a long time, even dozing off...

and then, without any warning, a massive and angry beast interrupts his calm rest, snarling at him. nhs is afraid that it's a yao from the forest come to kill him, but it very quickly becomes apparent that that's not the case. he thinks instead, it is some sort of creature which has come to inhabit the unclean realm when there was no one living in it--and this beast claims to own this place, so nhs decides (in fear) not to tell him that this is his home.

somehow, the beast shows nhs the dungeons, and lwj is there, locked up. he's so remorseful that nhs had to come looking for him, and encourages nhs to run back to gusu and leave him, because it's his own fault for getting caught.

the beast, seeing nhs's displeasure with this, offers to let lwj go, on one condition--nhs stays. and of course nhs agrees, even though he's afraid. at least if he's here, he doesn't have to get married... besides, he'd never be able to face xichen-ge again if he left lwj behind.

(meanwhile, nmj hopes that his "love can break the spell" curse can be broken platonically, to turn him back into a "loveable" form. he also recognizes that nhs must be his brother, but how could he tell nhs that this monster is what he's become? there's no way.)

queue nmj trying desperately to reconnect with his didi, but... his anger issues get in the way sometimes, and nhs's temper flares in response, because he won't be treated like this, even if he's a prisoner.

so nmj tries, he tries really hard. he has to re-learn how to be gentle, how to not just lash out constantly. what happened to him was unfair, but equally unfair would be to unload it all on nhs. sweet, precious nhs, grown up so pretty...

it's with horror that nmj realizes that he's falling in love with nhs, without being able to stop it, and equal amounts of horror again when he sees that nhs is falling in love with him back. he can see it, in the way nhs's smile is so bright when nmj finally gets a bird to rest on his talons, the way nhs looks straight to him for his own reaction.

things progress, and nmj feels like the spell should have been broken by now--he can see that nhs loves him. but it hasn't happened yet, and one night when they're dancing around, just having fun with each other... one thing leads to another and then they hit nhs's back before he knew it. nhs is small and vulnerable under his claws, and looking at nmj with such huge "fuck me" eyes... nmj can't resist.

nmj gifts nhs an aviary at some point, a bit dilapidated from years of disuse, but together they put it back in good order, and nmj finds himself falling a little more in love with nhs with the way he looks at each new addition. but still, still the curse isn't broken.

is this not true love, nmj thinks? he's afraid, if this isn't it. his time is running out.

one night, nhs is poking around the unclean realm, cleaning up a bit, and he finds both a painting of their family, carefully kept and cleaned regularly, and the signifier of how much time nmj has left (still haven't figured out what that's supposed to be, a rose feels wrong but idk what to replace it with). and nmj finds nhs there and feels a spark of anger that nhs would go snooping, but nhs just asks without delay--

"are you my da-ge?"

and nmj can't keep the truth from nhs any longer, no matter how painful it might be. he admits to it, puffing his chest out in a desperate attempt at bravado, ready for nhs to be disgusted and furious and to leave him behind forever, to die. but then, he feels arms around that puffed-up chest, hugging him tight. there's a face in the crook of his neck, lips breathing out, "you're alive. da-ge, i missed you so much."

and it's that moment, when nhs knows who nmj is and loves him for it, that nmj's curse is broken--or, partially. he feels something coursing under his skin and he sees the curse object shatter into light, and he floats into the air--except, when his feet hit the ground they're still oversized, with claws at the end. he's still extremely hairy, extremely dangerous.

"why?" he asks the air, only tangentially toward his brother who loves him. "i was supposed to become loveable--"

"da-ge, you're more than loveable just like this," nhs soothes him, still clinging to him. "this is just how i love you."

anyway they get to keep fucking with nmj as a massive hairy beast (and you better believe he's got a knot) and they get to live together forever the end. <3

"skeleton of an outline" my ass, i do this every fucking time XD i hope you appreciate my effort, anon lmao

#niecest #ask game #mdzs/cql

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llycaons · 1 year ago

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ep24 (pt 2): wwx and lxc best brothers in law and I stand by it

I was worried this ep would be boring but it has not one, not two, but THREE great character-driven conversations, and this first one coming up that's one of my favorites scenes in the whole show. it's time for LAN XICHEN'S INTERVENTION TALK

people call this a shovel talk, and that annoys me because 1. they are way more popular in fanfic than I think they are in real life and 2. he's not threatening wwx, he's reminding him that people care about him and try to keep that into account and whatever is going on it's bad for you and we can HELP you!. it's not quite an intervention, and it's undertaken as much for lwj's sake as wwx's, but it's close. and I believe that lxc is fond of wwx. he likes him!

wwx taking liberties with the actual sect leader is really funny esp since lxc is so polite about it and wwx is like super embarassed immediately after. he doesn't overreact like lwj, so wwx is properly chastened

famous foreshadowing line

YES YOU DO??!!!! this is coming immediately after jc's scene lamenting that wwx isn't there to help lmao

very funny of him. he's like 'oh hehe I'll come to him if he can't come here! visiting my friend who's copying texts and just watching him will be super fun!' boy you are so far gone you're happy at the idea of just sitting there watching him write...

the double meaning here really slams you in the chest. I can see why people consider it a shovel talk but it's really not! he just wants wwx to understand people (lwj) care about him and are trying to help him

it feels like this is THE most direct acknowledgement of what wwx and lwj have going on, at least as of yet

he is but. buddy. buddy

oh and this short argument is enthralling. ALL their issues piling up

jc pushes wwx down expecting him to be able to defend himself, and when he can't he's confused and blames him...and the kicker is, when he actually goes to try to help him, wwx tells him to stay away. another microcosm of their relationship...

wwx is being super frustrating but jc really can't wrap his head around not knowing something huh. he just can't accept a change without understanding why it happened

this scene is sooo sad...jyl crying in the shrine, wonderinf ig wwx will leave them, wwx reassuring her of course not, where would I go? but that's not really an answer, is it? I don't think wwx wants to leave LP, or ever truly wanted to, but he can have conflicting feelings about his home as a site of great trauma for him, a place he no longer feels he can contribute to, and a place where he faces verbal attacks daily. after jyl left, it was really not a healthy environment for him...

you wound me!

he is her little boy...she will forgive him anything *flashes forward* well almost anything

probably for the best

from wwx pov it was as if a large purple savior descended from the clouds with the most delicious food he'd ever eaten in his life and offered him a permanent home. of course he's attached

...given how trusting he was of strangers giving him food, it's a good thing nothing else bad happened to him. well, maybe he had good intuition even back then for people he shouldn't trust. he's been a really good judge of people overall excepting his initial judgement of lwj, and of jgy

#cql re-rewatch

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lyrisnightblood · 3 months ago

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For all the way antis are obsessed with comparing Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling's relationship with modern parent-child dynamics and calling him "abusive" for hitting Jin Ling (which Jin Ling himself attests to that he doesn't do it and actually WEI WUXIAN was the first adult in his life to have dared hit him), they are completely sleeping on how Jiang Cheng treats the women he had encountered as a person.

Let me repeat that sentence again.

Jiang Cheng treats women as a person.

Let me also remind y'all that this is something many men from our modern 21st century fail to do, let alone a man raised in ancient china in a patriarchal and misogynistic mindset.

But Jiang Cheng wasn't the man okay??!!

Sure, Wei Wuxian loved Jiang Yanli, but did he respect her wishes to marry Jin Zixuan? Maybe in the end, yes, when he was ready to put aside his hatred for Jin Zixuan in favour of his martial sister's wishes. But initially? Not at all.

Jiang Cheng is a different case altogether. Not only did he approve of Jin Zixuan (even begrudgingly so) just because his sister loved him, but he forged an alliance of marriage with the Jins (who were the richest and the most powerful Sect then). Now this may not seem impressive ("he just arranged a marriage nbd 🙄") but do remember that Yunmeng Jiang was burnt to the ground, with only 3 survivors, and even after recruiting cultivators and disciples, was still a weak sect with no political swat or financial power. To have a member of his sect marry into the Jin Sect would mean that there was a very good chance of Yunmeng Jiang being absorbed by Lanling Jin. But not only did Jiang Cheng prevent that from happening, he had also succeeded in arranging his sister's marriage to the man she loved. Which brings me to my next point.

Living in the 21st century with all our progressive thinking, I personally have seen people I know facing backlash from their families because they married the person they loved. And of course, the families show zero support in any way. Hells, honour killing is still a thing! Arranged marriages are still a thing! And god forbid if a woman refuses her family's wishes and expresses her own! Misogyny is still a huge issue despite feminism ideals emerging all across the world. Men are still clutching onto patriarchy and refusing women autonomy over their lives because "he's not good for you" "i want only the best" "you aren't mature enough to know".

And Jiang Cheng offered Jiang Yanli the autonomy, the choice to choose her husband, and when she still chose Jin Zixuan, accepted it without a question. Scour through the entire text of Mdzs and you won't find any other character who would do that for a woman. I dare you.

He was also polite and decent with women. In contrast:- Jin Zixuan was polite enough yes, but was also pompous; Lan Wangji was frosty and (in some cases) jealous of the women he met because of WWX; Wei Wuxian was flirting with every woman he met (come at me with your pitchforks IDC but that was sleazy and had wwx come at me that strong I'd have punched him or reported him); Jin Guangyao almost had my respect but then he deceived his wife/sister💀. Wen Chao made me puke; Jin Guangshan made me want to destroy every last man; Jiang Fengmian made my resolve to never marry a man stronger; I can't remember reading anything from the texts but Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang are respectful enough (though I wouldn't call them the golden standard). The only other person who I could remember was genuinely a gentleman was Lan Xichen.

I don't think many people appreciate how unbiased and open-minded Jiang Cheng was when he listened to Bicao. Any other man would have sent her off just because she was a prostitute. They wouldn't have even entertained the thought of listening to her. But Jiang Cheng had not only entertained that thought, he had also made the jianghu sit back and listen to Bicao's testimony without a complaint. Man literally went "this woman has something to say and y'all are listening to it with your goddamn mouths shut or so help me". Let me again remind you that many men, even in the 21st century, wouldn't give this to a woman.

And despite it all y'all are calling this man a misogynist 🤦

Jiang Cheng antis are genuinely some of the most brain dead, booktok coded people I've met in my life.

"JC is a misogynist! 🤬🤬"

Meanwhile, all canon interactions he has with women are of him either being submissive, protective and doting around them (his mother and his sister) or acting like a polite and normal human being (the random prostitute that came to testify about JGY).

I will say that if anything, WWX disrespected women more than JC ever did if we're going to go there. He didn't respect JYL's autonomy and her own decision on whom she wished to marry. How he had WLJ unalived with the table leg in her mouth was somewhat eyebrow raisy considering what she was known for. And then there were the ghost girls he had fawning over him during his cringey YLLZ days.

But sure. Keep making shit up about JC to justify your weird hate fetish ig lmao. And no, him being unmarried and blacklisted isn't proof of being a misogynist, actually. Because one, this was made as a joke by MXTX and was never even in the book and two, people are blacklisted for all sorts of reasons and JC shows no interest in women romantically nor does he show a desire to get married. Doing so does not mean that you hate women, especially when his whole life was, in a sense, centred around women. He adores and thinks the world of his mother and sister. He started a siege in his sister's name, like hello???

In short, you have no proof of this stupid claim and therefore, it has no place in the Canon Jiang Cheng tag. It is entirely a fanon interpretation founded upon non canon text. Good day. 👋

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thatswhatsushesaid · 2 years ago

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did nie mingjue give jin guangyao a 'new life' after his mother's death?

okay i'm not trying to call out one post specifically or anything but this is definitely not the first post on this site to call jin guangyao the cruelest character in MDZS, and that is such a reach, especially when both xue yang and jin guangshan are, you know, right there. but i also want to dig into one of the points raised about jin guangyao and nie mingjue's relationship, and what they owe to each other, because i could not disagree with the principle assertion more.

so, did jin guangyao "[kill] the man who gave him a new life after his mother died"?

I assume we are discussing nie mingjue here and not jin guangshan lmfao.

okay, let's for the sake of argument assume your assertion that jin guangyao owes nie mingjue a life debt is correct. to be clear: I don't think it is. i do not think that meng yao owes nie mingjue a life debt when he comes into his service, nor do I think that he accrues one after receiving his courtesy name and title of lianfang-zun. but let's just pretend anyway.

JGY LIFE DEBTS OWED TO NMJ (STARTING TALLY): 1 - because nie mingjue gave him a job NMJ LIFE DEBTS OWED TO JGY (STARTING TALLY): 0 - how nice for him

I also want to emphasize that nie mingjue's attempt to help creates additional hardship for meng yao that he likely wouldn't have experienced if nie mingjue had stopped to ask him what he wanted before deciding he knew best. recall that he did not offer meng yao a promotion after overhearing his cultivators mocking his low birth: he just gave it to him, without considering how this promotion might (and in fact did) cause the bullying and harassment meng yao received from the nie sect cultivators to escalate. please also remember that meng yao does not ask mingjue for a letter of recommendation to take to jin guangshan to seek his recognition--he does not even want to leave! in fact he is explicitly telling lan xichen in that moment before nie mingjue interrupts their conversation that he feels obligated to remain with nie mingjue! it is nie mingjue who decides to send him off to jin guangshan with a letter of recommendation, and while meng yao expresses his immense gratitude for this gesture in the moment, it is so important to emphasize that he not only did not ask for this, but he was not asked if he wanted it, either. even then, the letter of recommendation that nie mingjue sends along with meng yao when he opts to release him from his service does not open any doors for meng yao at all. in fact, jin guangshan seems to use this as the perfect opportunity to eliminate another inconvenient bastard son during war time, and assigns meng yao--a weak and self-taught cultivator--to the front lines under a captain who not only beats and abuses him, but also forces him to come up with military strategies for the jin sect's successes, which he then takes the credit for when reporting to jin guangshan. if meng yao had not killed this captain, it's likely he would have died on the langye front during the sunshot campaign. meng yao gives himself a new life as jin guangyao and lianfang-zun because he is the one who kills wen ruohan during the battle for nightless city, and he does this entirely on his own (making use of deceit and trickery that nie mingjue finds dishonourable, in fact).

but anyway. after presumably giving meng yao this 'new life' in the form of the impromptu field promotion that meng yao did not ask for, meng yao repays his, um, debt (is that what we owe our employers when we are already providing them our labour?) to nie mingjue in full (??? only in full? he isn't, you know, maybe owed some change?) when he saves nie mingjue's life from wen ruohan at the battle of nightless city. and to save myself a lot of stress and frustration, let's all just collectively agree that, while the life-debt ratio of "giving someone a job" vs "risking your life to save else's" is absolutely not 1:1 in the real world, we're just. assuming it is, for the sake of this argument. the salient point is jin guangyao's ledger is now clear. he's back in the black, as it were.

JGY LIFE DEBTS OWED TO NMJ (UPDATED TALLY): 0 - he saved the life of the guy who gave him a job NMJ LIFE DEBTS OWED TO JGY (UPDATED TALLY): 0 - and the guy who gave jgy the job does not owe him anything in return for having his life saved, since jobs and lives are interchangeable and of equal value apparently

that's it, y'all, they're square.

except nie mingjue then explicitly attempts to murder meng yao/jin guangyao three times before jin guangyao even begins to play the song of spirit turmoil for him. which means we need a new scoreboard for keeping track of the mutual-murder attempts that define the rest of their relationship, beginning immediately post-sunshot campaign. here's where the mutual-murder attempt tally stands:

JGY'S ATTEMPTS TO MURDER NMJ (STARTING TALLY): 0 - he did literally the opposite of attempting to murder nie mingjue NMJ'S ATTEMPTS TO MURDER JGY (STARTING TALLY): 1 - nie mingjue tries to kill meng yao (who is not fighting back!!) with baxia, prior to being stopped by lan xichen (chapter 49)

that's explicit attempt #1! but if we believe that part of lan xichen's intent with all three of them swearing brotherhood to each other was to, in essence, provide jin guangyao and nie mingjue a clean slate upon which to rebuild trust in their relationship, then let's go ahead and reset that scoreboard. even though that is not how reconciliation between human beings actually works, particularly not when mutually-inflicted trauma is at work, but. whatever.

JGY'S ATTEMPTS TO MURDER NMJ (UPDATED TALLY): 0 - by the power vested in zewu-jun as the first jade of lan, apparently NMJ'S ATTEMPTS TO MURDER JGY (UPDATED TALLY): 0 - zewu-jun now pronounces u both even stevens, you may put baxia down. ..put it down, mingjue.

nie mingjue does not put baxia down, figuratively or literally. explicit attempt to murder jin guangyao #2 happens after they have sworn their binding oath of brotherhood to each other, and is the infamous "what else should I expect from the son of a prostitute" confrontation at the top of the jinlintai tower steps. nie mingjue literally kicks jin guangyao down 50 solid stone steps, which could easily have broken his neck or spine (or both). please note that this was an unprovoked act of violence against a much, much weaker cultivator whose only offence[1] against nie mingjue--arguably the strongest cultivator and martial artist of his generation--at this point was… saying words nie mingjue didn't like, and not killing xue yang when nie mingjue told him to. time to update the scoreboard again!

JGY'S ATTEMPTS TO MURDER NMJ (UPDATED TALLY): 0 - no, jin guangyao has not begun playing the song of spirit turmoil for nie mingjue yet! (chapter 104) [2] NMJ'S ATTEMPTS TO MURDER JGY (UPDATED TALLY): 1 - kicks nmj down the jinlintai steps, which, yes, is attempted murder (chapter 49)

which brings us to explicit murder attempt #3, which happens immediately after nie mingjue kicking him down the stairs. while jin guangyao is still recovering and picking himself up off the ground (in other words, not retaliating in any way or provoking further violence) nie mingjue unsheathes baxia to finish the job, and would absolutely have done so if lan xichen had not, yet again, intervened to protect jin guangyao. you know what time it is now.

JGY'S ATTEMPTS TO MURDER NMJ (UPDATED TALLY): 0 - nope, still has not begun playing the song of spirit turmoil between getting punted down the stairs and standing back up again NMJ'S ATTEMPTS TO MURDER JGY (UPDATED TALLY): 2 - yes, this is a second attempt at actual murder, I am not going to argue about this with anyone

all of this happens /gestures @ literally all of that, while jin guangyao is continuously traveling back and forth between jinlintai and qinghe to play the unaltered version of cleansing to help stabilize nie mingjue's qi. we know this because lan xichen explicitly tells us this in chapter 49, and nie mingjue agrees with him. we also know that this unaltered version of cleansing is having a positive impact on nie mingjue's spirit and his relationship with jin guangyao, because wei wuxian remarks on this while experiencing nie mingjue's memories in empathy. to be very clear: before jin guangyao has played the song of spirit turmoil for nie mingjue even one time, nie mingjue has already tried to kill jin guangyao three times. he is actively attempting to murder jin guangyao while jin guangyao is actively working together with lan xichen to repair their relationship and forestall nie mingjue's inevitable death by qi deviation. and we can go around in circles all day about whether jin guangyao ultimately kills nie mingjue solely because he is defending himself against a man who will not stop trying to kill him, or whether he's doing this because daddy said jump, or if it is a bit of both--I fall into the "it is always a bit of both" camp with jin guangyao--but that is actually beside the point.

the point: if we are keeping score about who has attempted to murder whom (and how frequently) by the time nmj ultimately kicks it, the final tally is nie mingjue 3 - jin guangyao 1. if we include his attempt to kill jin guangyao at the point of his qi deviation, the final tally becomes nie mingjue 4 - jin guangyao 1. so, even if i didn't disagree with the principle assertion made here, i would argue that jin guangyao not only squared that debt to nie mingjue years ago by saving him from wen ruohan, nie mingjue in fact now owes a life debt to jin guangyao for all the attempts to kill the guy who literally saved his life.

tl;dr these are the actions of a man who gave his subordinate a lot of trauma and anxiety, but not a new life.

[1] I am shelving any discussion of what meng yao does or doesn't owe nie mingjue within the context of his time spent undercover in wen ruohan's court because I feel there is nuance enough in that situation to justify its own post. meng yao and nie mingjue both deeply, irreparably traumatized each other in that situation and should never have been let within 6 li of each other ever again after the end of the war, much less pressured to swear brotherhood to each other. (grips lan xichen's shoulders, stares deeply into his beautiful eyes: wtf were you thinking, er-ge)

[2] even if I were to agree that he obtained the song of spirit turmoil in advance of the stairs incident and had already begun playing the song for nie mingjue (which I do not), it is clear that mingjue is improving, pre-stairs. this implies that jin guangyao, while he may have prepared a contingency plan, has not been putting any spiritual power into the portion of cleansing that contains the altered bars of the music. we know that he is capable of altering which parts of the song receive spiritual power because both wei wuxian and lan xichen confirm that this is possible in their (emotionally fraught, for poor xichen) conversation inside the cloud recesses library pavilion after the torn page is discovered. this, combined with the two to three month time frame that the altered song requires to trigger mingjue's qi deviation, plus the two month time frame that jin guangyao presents disingenuously to nie mingjue regarding xue yang, are clear textual evidence in support of my position. the music changes after the stairs.

--- this post has been added to my dreamwidth meta archive here: https://thatswhatsushewrote.dreamwidth.org/9293.html

#mdzs #mdzs meta #jin guangyao #meng yao #jin guangyao defence league #he did crimes??? good for him 😌#I've been working on this draft for too long and so here u go #nie meangjue 🤯#nmj critical

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