#bamf madam lan

[wangxianficrecs]

Meng Yao vs. the Board of the Homeowner's Association by Ariaste

Meng Yao vs. the Board of the Homeowner's Association

by Ariaste

M, 119k, WIP, series, Xiyao & Wangxian

Summary: Two gremlins, their husbands, and the horrible HOA board. As long as nobody gets arrested for arson or murder, we're gonna call it a win.

Mojo's comments: Very funny modern au (all POV meng yao) wherein he and lan xichen are happily married and living in suburbia near a similarly happily married wangxian. Meng Yao only thrives when he can scheme, of course, and his shameless violence is aimed at protecting his hubby (whose tomatoes were violated by Horrible Susan of the HOA). Wwx is just happy to gremlin with his brother-in-law via late-night McDonald's warroom planning. Somehow, this turns them into accidental friends. Meanwhile, Lan family secrets start coming out ('secret' is a foreign concept to wei 'overshare' ying, heh) and it explains SO. MUCH. 9 works so far, series in progress. (9th work is 2/3.)

Excerpt: “Sometimes I just tell A-Yao things. They just fall out of my mouth.” Wei Wuxian spoons an alarming amount of marshmallows into his cocoa. “You understand, don’t you, dage? It’s just so easy to tell him things.” “I understand,” Huan-ge says. “I too tell him things often.” Meng Yao, sipping at the edge of the foam on his cocoa, pauses. There’s a… tone in Huan-ge’s voice. A setting-a-trap tone. “Yeah! Yeah, you get it.” “For example,” Huan-ge says smoothly, picking up the tray and straightening again, “after every time A-Yao and I make love, we shake hands and say, ‘Thank you for the orgasm, respected associate, it was satisfactory,’ and then I give his sexual performance a rating on a scale of one to ten.” Wei Wuxian freezes at the phrase ‘make love’. By the end of the sentence, his eye is twitching. Meng Yao keeps his face perfectly straight as Huan-ge walks out of the room with the tray tucked under his arm. “What’s the face for?” Meng Yao says, sipping cocoa. “Do you and Wangji not do that?” “Is this real life?” Wei Wuxian says, the paralysis melting away into distress. “Did this just happen? A-Yao, that wasn’t real, was it? He was just--fucking with me? Right??” “I beg your pardon? Have you ever known Xichen to be the sort to fuck with anyone?” Meng Yao takes another judgmental sip of cocoa. “I’ll thank you to not speak like that about my respected associate.”

humor, modern setting, modern no magic, meng yao & wei wuxian, jin guangyao & wei wuxian, pov jin guangyao, accidental therapy, accidental friendship, relationship development, hijinks & shenanigans, chicanery, fluff, domestic, family feels, adoption, bamf madam lan, bamf jin guangyao, gremlin wei wuxian, shameless wei wuxian, getting high, suburbia, feel good fic, @ariaste

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(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[bnnywngs]

Wei Wuxian was tricked to be here, he never once heard about this competition-like one month stay in the empress palace to choose the current emperor's second son's wife. They told him he was coming to study under the most famous scholar in their country and sure, Lan Qiren is there, but not as the teacher he expected.

All the men and women present were dressed in their finest robes and all looked extremely politely or were trying to be. The empress and Lan Qiren had told them what to expect of this month - what they were supposed to do and be taught.

He told them he was mistaken and was getting out, but Lan Qiren frowned and called him by name and said that his parents wrote him down as one of the candidates, shocking him into speechless.

(later that night he would find a letter from his mother asking for his forgiveness and that she was expecting him to do well in the competition, for his annoyance)

And when he turned around to leave the room, not believing what he was being told, he crashed against a solid body, going down with a surprised yelp. The man looked at him as if he was dust, used his feet to get him out of the way and treated him as rudely as possible for a second son when Wei Wuxian tried to get a apologies from him.

Angry beyond words, Wei Wuxian decided he was going to flawlessly do every damn step of this, win this goddamned competition and when Lan family would ask for his hand he would reject Lan Wangji with a beautiful monologue about rudeness!

Write that! He's going to be on the history books!

(as an emperor consort years and years and years later, as things happened and he fell in love with Lan Wangji, his brother in law decided to marry out and his father in law stepped down because he was already too old and his youngest son was good enough to be emperor)

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

Nov 6th

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1. Hello! Thank you everyone and the admins for doing the great work 🥰

A - Itmf for fics where Wei Wuxian (or someone else) develops a talisman/curse or somehing that shows people's bio relations (maybe to prove he is not a Jiang/to prove the Jins evil/any other reason), and the use of such thing causes secrets and misdeeds of others to turn up. Any kind of chaotic or angsty energy and everyone in shock and trying to manage the damage of their secrets aired out for the audience.

I have no preference over whether Wei Ying turns out to a Wen/actually Jiang/anything else, but it would be great if he finds out he is not all alone in the world in means of blood and is accepted into someone's loving arms. The Lan family angst is cool, but please no Lan Xichen or Lan Zhan's bashing (But everyone else can have a field day)

B - As an alternative, just a modern AU with Wei Ying doing some kind of DNA testing to prove his relations and the concequences/reactions of others is also acceptable.

P.S. I have recently read All Things Belong by kuroi_atropos, amazing work, so i wanted to read something else in this field. Definitely recommend! @shellennium

1A)

❤️ And Time Is But a Paper Moon by sami (M, 138k, WangXian, XiChengQing, Time Travel, Fix-It, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Healing, Mental Health Issues, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Depression, BAMF WWX, BAMF JC, BAMF LWJ, BAMF JYL, Getting Together) it occurs in chapter 12. my suggestion for 1a fills the first half of the request, WWX doesn't discover any relatives though

Debts of a Child Part 2 by Hauntcats (M, 111k, WangXian, YZY Bashing, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Angst and Feels, lots of anger, JC Bashing, not Jiang friendly, Angst with a Happy Ending, Content warning for icky spiders in later chapters., hurt no comfort for Jiang siblings.)

Cuckold by ramber (M, <1k, Madam Jin/OMC)

Sunset, Sunrise by Ariana Deralte (ArianaDeralte) (T, 57k, WWX & WRH, WangXian, WIP, Time Travel Fix-It, Crack, Temporary Character Death, sorry I killed a-Yuan for a few paragraphs before the time travel, WWX is a Wen, Genius WWX, WRH gets to rewatch the series as a treat, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, in this house we acknowledge that all the sects have flaws, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, WWX Has ADHD, Bad Parents JFM & YZY, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Autistic LWJ) (link in 8C)

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2. hello! thank you for all the work you do. itmf: wangxian not returning to cloud recesses post-canon and them having a strained relationship with the lans that wwx IS NOT guilty about. no CQL please. bonus if sizhui leaves with them but not required

tails and scales series by notsofluffyunicorn (E, 37k, WangXian, Fluff and Angst, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, LWJ Has Feelings, LWJ Needs a Hug, LWJ Leaves the Gusu Lan Sect, Hair Brushing, tail brushing, No World Building, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Autistic LWJ, Selectively Mute LWJ, because of anxiety, Healthy Communication, Soft WangXian, Married WangXian, Smut, A/B/O, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX,Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Blow Jobs, tail pulling, Rough Sex, LWJ Has a Biting Kink, LWJ & WWX Have a Breeding Kink, Dirty Talk, Non-Traditional A/B/O Dynamics, Domestic Fluff, Mpreg, Pregnant WWX, Chronic Pain, Protective LWJ, Protective WWX, Canon Divergence, Gusu Lan Sect Bashing, slight LXC bashing, But that will get better in future stories, non-graphic birth, Introspection, Rimming, POV LWJ, POV WWX, No Golden Core Transfer, No Wen remnants, WangXian Are LSZ's Parents, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, LWJ's 33 Lashes Punishment, No Thirteen Years of WWX's Death, WWX in WWX's Body, Parents WangXian, Shedding season) but it's an au so it doesn't exactly fit. They leave though and live their best lives

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3. itmf fics where some combination of lwj-wwx-jc one killing the other, accidentally or otherwise.

ok if it includes mxy resurrecting wwx, or wwx raising lwj-jc as a corpse à la wen ning, but I’m not looking for this as a jumping off point for time travel or that kind of fix it. not bashing, I just want them to feel their feelings. bonus if jyl is alive in especially in a jc-wwx scenario.

💖 Regrets by antebunny (G, 37k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Time Travel, Fix-It, Temporary Character Death, Angst, Explicit Descriptions of Love, and other squishy feelings, Angst with a Happy Ending) it's cql canon and uh LWJ accidentally stabs WWX in nightless city

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4. Hi! I have an ITMF! Fics where WWX is treated poorly or cruelly in the Cloud Recesses after marrying LWJ, can be with him knowing or not (or even participating), post canon or not, and him (and maybe LSZ) being rescued by one of the Jiangs or Jin Ling (or even someone else). I don't mind AUs as long as it's not modern setting ones! Bonus points if it has Jiang Yanli in it :) Thanks!! @jiangclaritybell

Concord by Deastar (T, 41k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Gusu Lan Sect Rules, Depression, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending) it covers some of what you seek. Be prepared it's very angsty.

To Bring You Back Within My Reach by ablaiseofglory (M, 22k, WIP, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Angst with a Happy Ending, No dubious consent, Adopted Children, Kid Fic, A/B/O Dynamics, omega wwx, Alpha LWJ, Misunderstandings) to bring you back within my reach by ablaiseofglory. It's a WIP but it recently updated

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5. in the mood for a fic where wangxian are VERY freak4freak or codependent… equally unhealthily obsessed w each other <3 @xinilia

truly a love story for the ages by sweetlolixo (E, 4k, WangXian, Modern AU, Omegaverse, Dark LWJ, Dark WWX, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Dark!Wangxian, Power Couple, slight daddy kink, Crack, Pregnant WWX) but I'm not sure if the vibe truly fits, they are freak4freak

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6. Hiii... for the next itmf post, please recommend some lengthy time travel fics. Please can it be newer fics (2023 / 2024) and fully completed fics. Wangxian pairing, of course. Thank you 😊 🙏

there are multiple in the Same Moon Shines series by sami

Lynchpin by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 103k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Time Travel, Fix-It)

🔒 Here With Me by iamwish (T, 58k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, wwx turns this into a no war!au, Canon-Typical Violence, Period-Typical Homophobia, Bad Parent YZY, POV WWX, POV LWJ, POV JC, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, WWX Has PTSD, and also depression sometimes, Unreliable Narrator, (all of them))

A Life Without Regrets by naqaashi (M, 163k, WangXian, JFM & WWX, JC & WWX, WRH & WWX, LXC & LWJ, LQR & LWJ, LWJ & NHS, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Crack Treated Seriously, musical cultivation, Slow Burn, Pining, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Murder Husbands, PTSD, BAMF WWX, Demonic Cultivation, POV WWX, Cultivation Sect Politics, Worldbuilding, No Yīn Iron, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Artist WWX, Musician WWX, Night Hunts, Fate & Destiny, Bad Parent JFM & YZY, Golden Core, Cultivation Theory, Sentient Burial Mounds, Father-Son Relationship, Dysfunctional Family, Grief/Mourning, Parent-Child Relationship, Angry WWX, Pining WWX, WWX is Not Okay, No Golden Core Transfer, BAMF LWJ, Pining LWJ, POV LWJ, Angry LWJ, One-Braincell Wangxian, Love Confessions, Idiots in Love)

We’ll Build A Dynasty (one the heavens can’t shake) by One_eyed_God (T, 66k, WangXian, WWX & WQ, WWX & WN, WWX & JYL, canon typical Jiang family dynamics, BAMF WWX, Canon JC Characteristics, POV Outsider, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, WWX is a Wen, Sect Leader WWX, Genius WWX, The Casual Intimacy of Hand-Holding, A Love Letter to WWX, Not JC Friendly, Time Travel Fix-It)

🔒Til Death Do Us Part by Thyone14 (Not Rated, 73k, WangXian, Time Travel, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Character Death, WWX Needs a Hug, Protective LWJ, Soft WangXian, POV LWJ, POV Alternating, No Smut, POV WWX)

The Stranger Inside My Son by Mademoiselle_A (T, 73k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, But from an outsider's POV, JC is So Done, JFM's A+ parenting, YZY's A+ Parenting, Both are not great but this is not a bashing fic, JC-centric, But from JFM's POV lol, POV Outsider) is focused on Jiang Cheng but Wangxian do get together in it.

🔒if you can’t beat them, recruit them by moeblobmegane (T, 228k, Wangxian, NHS & WWX, WWX & WQ, Time Travel Fix-It, Conspiracy, Spies & Secret Agents, Team as Family, Found Family, Burial Mounds, Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Pining, Morally Ambiguous Character, Rumors, Politics, Developing Friendships, Good Uncle LQR, Demonic Cultivation, YilingWei Sect)

💖 The Echoes of that News Ring Loud by Scarlet_Gryphon (T, 111k, NHS & NMJ, 3zun, sangning, wangxian, time travel, fix-it, nie wwx, happy ending)

Moments of Revelation by meyari (T, 133k, ChengSang, WangXian, XiYao, POV JC, Canon Divergence, Temporary Character Death, Character Death, not anyone we care about, Time Travel Fix-It, Self-Sacrifice, Torture, Chronic Pain, Chronic anxiety, Grief/Mourning, PTSD, Chronic Mental Health Issues, Assassination, renamed MY, Families of Choice, Unreliable Narrator(s), Demonic Possession) Plus others by the same author

A Narrow Bridge by FrameofMind, Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle) (E, 700k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Getting Together, First Time, Pining while fucking, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Angst with a Happy Ending, CQL Verse, almost everybody lives/almost nobody dies, epistolary-ish, canon-ish side pairings, radishes) is my fav time travel long fic but it was late 2022 so it doesn't exactly match the newer fics (2023 / 2024) qualification.

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7. ITMF fics where wwx gets a different title? Like in “dispersing clouds” or “flowers blooming” he has a different title than YL - if there’s smut, no b!lwj, and ideally nothing cql compliant (but donghua/novel/audio drama/manhua/etc is fine) @lovelyiknow

Just go forward like you mean it by tawaen (M, 101k, WangXian, WWX & WN &WQ, WWX & JYL, NHS & WWX, Canon Divergence, WWx does not attend the Wen indoctrination, WWX saves Lotus Pier, Inventor WWX, No Golden Core Transfer, Sect Leader JYL, JC Has No Golden Core, Bad Parents JFM & YZY, Not JC Friendly, but he gets a happier ending than canon so don’t look here for bashing)

🧡 All will be well when the day is done by abCEE (T, 76k, WangXIan, Canon Divergence, Fix It, Not Jiang Family Friendly, JFM & YZY Bashing, Fix it for our main characters, Time Travel, Butterfly Effect, Madam Lan Lives, No Sunshot Campaign, Artistic License, Unreliable Narrator, JC Bashing, non-yunmeng WWX, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Good Uncle LQR, OOC, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, WWX gets the love and care that he deserves from the very beginning, WWX Isn’t Adopted by the Jiangs, verbal and physical (c/o Zidian) abuse from YZY) link in #8B

🔒💖 Resilience. by Vrishchika (T, 7k, WangXian, Time Travel, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, Not JC Friendly, Self-Indulgent)

A Life Without Regrets by naqaashi (M, 163k, WangXian, JFM & WWX, JC & WWX, WRH & WWX, LXC & LWJ, LQR & LWJ, LWJ & NHS, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Crack Treated Seriously, musical cultivation, Slow Burn, Pining, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Murder Husbands, PTSD, BAMF WWX, Demonic Cultivation, POV WWX, Cultivation Sect Politics, Worldbuilding, No Yīn Iron, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Artist WWX, Musician WWX, Night Hunts, Fate & Destiny, Bad Parent JFM & YZY, Golden Core, Cultivation Theory, Sentient Burial Mounds, Father-Son Relationship, Dysfunctional Family, Grief/Mourning, Parent-Child Relationship, Angry WWX, Pining WWX, WWX is Not Okay, No Golden Core Transfer, BAMF LWJ, Pining LWJ, POV LWJ, Angry LWJ, One-Braincell Wangxian, Love Confessions, Idiots in Love) link in #6

💙🔒 Away from Trouble by Ilona22 (M, 15k, WangXian, Not JC Friendly, LWJ/WWX Get a Happy Ending)

Lay my body down by tawaen (M, 48k, WWX & WQ, WWX & WN, wangxian, WWX & JYL, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Eventual WangXian, No Golden Core Transfer, Not Cultivation World Friendly, Canon-Typical Violence, Not JC Friendly, What if WWX saw the first siege of the burial mounds and said Nope to the war, OCs, OC point-of-view for one chapter for plot reasons)

Take Responsibility by draechaeli (E, 187k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mainly Novel with a few CQL and Donghua bits, Everybody Lives, Original Children Characters, Adoption, Adoption but WWX birthed them all, Mpreg, Teen Pregnancy, Pregnancy Kink, Male Lactation, Lactation Kink, Consensual Non-Consent, Light Bondage, Pregnant Sex, easy to skip nsfw chapters, Fix-It, Happy Ending)

🧡 the river brought you here by chilianxianzi (Not Rated, 11k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, POV Outsider, Amnesia, Past abuse, Strangulation, Found Family)

Trials of Time by Muggle_Diary (E, 32k, wangxian, major character death, underage, time travel, not jiang friendly, not YZY friendly, not JC friendly, butterfly effect)

To Sizhui by countingcr0ws (E, 21k, WangXian, Librarian LWJ, Mistaken Identity, Requited Love, Mental Link, Soul Bond, Genius WWX, Romance, Fluff, Banter, Epistolary, Love Poems, Footnotes, Smut, Laughter During Sex, Cultivation Sect Politics, Canon Divergence, Love Letters)

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8. I'm looking for fics where A) YZY does sever WWX hand and things still go bad for YMJ (no cql characterization please, I don't like JC, so novel canon please) , B) Madam Lan lives (her best life and if the Wei couple is alive too - amazing), C) the two Nie Furen - any fics that talk or have any of them live, D) WWX (and maybe LWJ) raises a daughter or interacts with his grandchildren. Thank you! @secretartquotes

8A)

💖 Love made visible by Moominmammashandbag (M, JYL/ZZL, wangxian, hurt/Comfort, amputation, major character injury, sibling love, angst w happy ending, cooking as cultivation, attempted rape/non-con, sexual assault, minor character death, family angst, dysfunctional family, protective siblings, near drowning, amnesia)

8B)

in stillness, clear water to the bottom by Stratisphyre (T, 40k, CSSR/WCZ/LQR, LQR & Madam Lan, CSSR & LQR, LQR & WWX, Sect Leader Nie/NHS's Mother/NMJ's Mother, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Threesome - M/M/F, Getting Together, Friends to Lovers, Everyone lives, (mostly), (not you qingheng-jun), Family feelings, Madam Lan lives, references to past rape)

The Dreams of Youth by sami (E, 86k, wangxian, time travel, fix-it, family, not lan sect friendly, canon typical violence & gore, childhood friends to lovers, hurt/comfort, mothers who live, some people live/not everyone dies)

Sail Away Sweet Sister by sami (M, 73k, WangXian, YZY/CSSR/MDM Lan, MingLi, Time Travel, EXTREME Canon Divergence, Wide Focus Narrative, Some People Live/Not Everyone Dies, Most Named/Canon Characters Live, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Families of Choice, Parenthood, this work contains a major tonal shift, Fluff, Angst, Underage Sex, not particularly explicit, but not at all ambiguous, PTSD, Only a tiny bit, Unforeseeable consequences, The butterfly effect, Slightly Dark JYL, Asexual Characters, but that’s not really the focus, Canon-Typical Violence)

🧡 All will be well when the day is done by abCEE (T, 76k, WangXIan, Canon Divergence, Fix It, Not Jiang Family Friendly, JFM & YZY Bashing, Fix it for our main characters, Time Travel, Butterfly Effect, Madam Lan Lives, No Sunshot Campaign, Artistic License, Unreliable Narrator, JC Bashing, non-yunmeng WWX, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Good Uncle LQR, OOC, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, WWX gets the love and care that he deserves from the very beginning, WWX Isn’t Adopted by the Jiangs, verbal and physical (c/o Zidian) abuse from YZY)

💖 An Unexpected Visitor by Hauntcats (G, 8k, QHJ/Madam Lan, wangxian, fix-it of sorts, not Jiang friendly, not jin friendly, happy ending)

Every Mother’s Son by Chrononautical (T, 11k, WangXian, Madam Lán Lives, Madam Lán Deserves Better, Madam Lán Leaves Cloud Recesses, Madam Lan rescues women from abusive husbands in feudal Japan and honestly that’s so valid of her, mentions of rape/non-con between Madam Lan & Qingheng-Jun)

no step had trodden black by Stratisphyre (T, 32k, wangxian, LQR & WWX, JYL/JZX, canon divergence, madam lan lives, past rape, golden core reveal, hurt/Comfort, referenced to attempted suicide & suicidal thoughts, canon-typical violence)

8C)

Sunset, Sunrise by Ariana Deralte (ArianaDeralte) (T, 57k, WWX & WRH, WangXian, WIP, Time Travel Fix-It, Crack, Temporary Character Death, sorry I killed a-Yuan for a few paragraphs before the time travel, WWX is a Wen, Genius WWX, WRH gets to rewatch the series as a treat, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, in this house we acknowledge that all the sects have flaws, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, WWX Has ADHD, Bad Parents JFM & YZY, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Autistic LWJ)

in stillness, clear water to the bottom by Stratisphyre (T, 40k, CSSR/WCZ/LQR, LQR & Madam Lan, CSSR & LQR, LQR & WWX, Sect Leader Nie/NHS's Mother/NMJ's Mother, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Threesome - M/M/F, Getting Together, Friends to Lovers, Everyone lives, (mostly), (not you qingheng-jun), Family feelings, Madam Lan lives, references to past rape) link in #8B

8D)

Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste (T, 36k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Adoption, Family Fluff, Kid fic, Family drama, Fluff, 🔒[PODFIC] Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste by lunatique)

🔒 Little Stars by Aki_no_hikari (G, 4k, WangXian, Family Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Canon Divergence, Yílíng Wèi Sect)

The Trouble With Politics: a Treatise on Jiang Sect Deputies Gone Rogue by Sect Leader Wei Wuxian by stiltonbasket (G, 56k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Yílíng Wèi Sect, or: the one where yu   zhenhong is a wild card, Smitten LWJ, Domestic Fluff, Politics, Happy Ending, Sect Leader WWX, Fix-It of Sorts, JZX still dies though)

Where the Lonely Ones Go by CSHfic & VSfic (T, 24k, WangXian, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Case Fic, Night Hunts Fluff, Established Relationship, Mystery, Married Life, Domestic Fluff, Haunting, Kid Fic, Post-Canon, gratuitous use of empathy)

❤️ Seen and not heard by eatmyass (E, 51k, wangxian, case fic, no sunshot, kid fic, dadxian, strangers to lovers, found family, LWJ pov, pining, fake/pretend relationship, first time, falling in love) Wei Wuxian hasn't yet adopted the children in Seen and not heard but this fic shows him protecting and teaching children.

in a river you wade by bleuett (M, 20k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mpreg, Postpartum Depression, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Good Uncle LQR, Family Feels, Happy Ending, Kid Fic) In "in a river you wade," Lan Wangji gets pregnant with Wei Wuxian's child so we see Lan Wangji raising their daughter after Wei Wuxian's death.

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9. Itmf / fic finder, idk which one to categorise it as hah-

So do we have any Hogwarts au of mdzs where wwx is ofcourse Harry, lqr is snape, Wei - sanren couple are james n lily, someone is voldy, lwj is maybe in Slytherin???? I want this fic or fics like this please! @constellationdks

How to save your school with your Best Friend by Lan_tiger (T, 30k, WangXian, XiYao, Harry Potter Setting, Modified Chamber of Secrets plot, Everyone Is Alive, Including canonically dead parents, Everyone has parents, Chinese magical school, Mostly comedy with some mystery, gryffindor! wwx, ravenclaw! lwj)

Grandmaster of the Magical Arts Series by HollowNightmare (T, 420k, WangXian, Harry Potter Setting, Chinese Hogwarts?, Slice of Life, Developing Friendships, POV Alternating, lwj is an anxious bean, Light Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Angst) although Wei Wuxian is a Slytherin in this one.

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10. itmf fics where the golden core reveal happens in front of everyone?

doesn’t necessarily have to be everyone but at least a group of people? thank you for your help!

A Child’s Wish by Hauntcats (Not rated, 13k, wangxian, WWX & Wen remnants, Celestial meddling, Not JC Friendly, Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Everyone gets what they deserve, Age Regression/De-Aging, Child LWJ)

Field Trips with Wei Wuxian by antebunny (G, 42k, WangXian, WQ & WWX, NMJ & WWX, JZX & WWX, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Found Family, Angst with a Happy Ending, Misunderstandings, Miscommunication, protective Jiang siblings, Unreliable Narrator, due to WWX assuming ppl hate him, JYL is gonna dropkick her baby bro into having friends)

just because it’s what i am by kokozy (G, 4k, wangxian, Thirteen Years of WWX’s Death, Ghost WWX, Song: Inquiry, Truth comes to light, Revelations, Golden Core Reveal, Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Angst, Sad with a Happy Ending)

seldom all they seem by Fahye (E, 25k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, or rather Arranged Betrothal, followed by Weapons-Grade Thirst)

The most dangerous thing is to love by KatAnni (E, 113k, WangXian, Golden Core Reveal, Fix-It, Everybody Lives, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergence, Hurt!WWX, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Torture, POV Multiple, Implied/Referenced Cannibalism, Panic Attacks, PTSD, Golden Core Transfer, Golden Core Transfer Fix-it, Medical Procedures, Fainting, Major Character Injury, Blood and Injury, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Asexual JC, homophobia doesn’t exist here, Marriage Proposal, Marriage, Wedding Night, Whump)

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11. For itmf- there has to be a wangxian wicked au right? It’s impossible that there isn’t

Grandmaster of Wicked Cultivation by ellienchanted, evilhobbitqueen, nx_for_short, planta_genista, westiec, zylaa (G, 6k, WangXian, Filk, musical theatre, wicked the musical, with apologies to Schwartz and Holzman, Sing along!, Canonical Character Death, Canon Temporary Character Death, Art, Podfic Available, Recording Available for Some Songs!)

No Good For The Wicked by drawifubmen (Not Rated, 2k, WIP, WangXian, Inspired by Wicked, Kinda, inspired by mdzs defying gravity animatic, wwx is a witch, they were roommates, Unreliable Narrator, POV Third Person Omniscient, Wizard of Oz References, Wizard of Oz Fusion, References to Wicked - Schwartz/Holzman, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Star-crossed, Canonical Character Death, Canon Divergence) which is a WIP that recently began.

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12. I've got an ITMF request, if you lovely people would be so kind. I've been reading and enjoying "all the lies on your resume" by someitems, and I was wondering if anyone has suggestions for other modern AUs where the golden core transfer is shown as chronic illness. It could be an actual golden core transfer (or partial transfer or golden core loss or whatever) in a modern with cultivation AU or an analogy for Golden Core transfer in a modern AU without magic, whatever. The important thing is that the loss of his golden core or equivalent leaves WWX with chronic illness of some kind (chronic fatigue, or chronic headaches, or needing to be careful about doing normal things so he doesn't get sick, or anything chronic illness can do). No Jiang Cheng or Jiang Yanli bashing please! Thank you mods and fic finder community! @flamingwell

silt, or scurvy series by astronicht (M, 11k, wangxian, modern w/ magic, chronic illness, Podfic: The Silt or Scurvy Series by raitala) the "silt, or scurvy" series by astronicht shows a couple of small moments in a modern wwx's life as he struggles post loss of core

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13. Hello, itmf

I wonder if anyone wrote the scene where lan zhan says aloud to lan xichen or lan qiren that he is ashamed of them.

Thank you!

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14. Hello again! I've been just wondering if anyone knows a fic where Wei Ying cultivates a womb? As apparently MXTX tweeted that it was possible for him? @lostandmessedup

Impermanence, Transience, Permanence by Best Bepsy (BepsyGray) (E, 39k, wangxian, canon divergence, unplanned pregnancy, mpreg, gore, sunshot campaign, assumed miscarriage, medical procedures, childbirth, golden core reveal) Wei Ying develops a spiritual womb through dual cultivation

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15. itmf wangxian fics where wwx is not forced to reconcile with jc/ where jc is his book canon self @chellsky

Preparing the Soil by Rynne (T, 26k, WangXian, LQR & LWJ, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Family Issues, Family Conflict, Uncle-Nephew Relationship, Chinese Holidays, Chinese New Year, Birthdays, Good Kid LSZ, Meta Arguments, POV LWJ, Protective LWJ, Married WangXian, LWJ’s Birthday, LSZ’s Birthday, Soft WangXian, LWJ Has to Talk a Lot, Gusu Lan Sect Rules, Gusu Lan Sect, Letting Go of Resentment, The WWX Rule, Good Sibling LXC, Improving Uncle LQR, Grappling with the Lans’ Part in the Siege, learning to be better, Music, LWJ is a Composer, LWJ Is Good at Communicating Actually, Not JC Friendly)

These Barren Lands In Between by lingering_song (T, 4k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Married WangXian, POV Outsider, Misunderstandings, Cultivation Sect Politics, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Not JC Friendly, No JC & WWX Reconciliation)

🔒 all i take with me by justdoityoufucker (orphan_account) (T, 2k, JL & WWX, Post-Canon, Canon-Typical Violence, Not JC Friendly, Canon JC Characteristics, Families of Choice, Night Hunts, Unhealthy Relationships, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Healing, no reconciliation, Non-Linear Narrative)

keeping score by hauntedotamatone (T, 6k, LSZ & WWX, Background WangXian, the opposite of reconciliation, Protective WWX, Duelling, Grief/Mourning, not for jc fans, Swordfighting, Resentment, LSZ centric, No JC & WWX Reconciliation)

also some of the chapters from Short Prompts by Vrishchika

peacemaker no more by thelastdboy (G, 6k, JYL & WWX, JC & JYL, JC & JYL & JFM & WWX & YZY, JC & WWX & JYL, JYL & Wen Remnants, JYL & WQ, WangXian, JYL & JZX, Modern, Jiang Family Dynamics, unspecified chronic illness, POV JYL, The Eldest Daughter Experience™, Homophobia, to be specific, JC's Canon Homophobia, Not JC Friendly, Wen Remnants Live, chosen family, No JC & WWX Reconciliation, Mental Health Issues, References to Depression)

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16. hi im looking for fanfics in which wwx attends jl’s birthday ceremony (lmao i forgot how it was called but i hope everybody knows what i mean by it) with a-yuan. thanks!!

The Core Issue by Hauntcats (T, 21k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Not JC Friendly, Canon Divergence)

💖 A Crying Shame by thunderwear (G, 16k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, A-yuan to the rescue, Getting Together, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, Domestic Fluff, Love Confessions, First Kiss, LWJ joins WWX at burial mounds, LWJ is soft pass it on, literally all fluff, Marriage Proposal, Oblivious WWX)

Taking Responsibility by deliciousblizzardshark (T, 6k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Getting Together, Trope Subversion/Inversion, Pretend mpreg, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Fluff and Crack) I don't think it's overtly stated that the beginning of Taking Responsibility takes place during Jin Ling's celebration but it seems like it.

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17. I’m in the mood for any fics with Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli having a strong friendship or bond. Thank you!

picking up the pieces by KouriArashi (M, 111k, JYL & LWJ, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Alternate Canon, Grief/Mourning, Angst, Regret, Family, Kid Fic, Families of Choice, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Politics, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Canon-Typical Violence, canon typical political bullshit, Eventual Happy Ending)

💖 love on 35mm by fakeplasticlily (M, 26k, WangXian, Modern, College/University, Swimming, film student LWJ, Pining, Mutual Pining, swimmer WWX, best friends LWJ and JYL, the inherent mortification of being in love with your best friend’s brother, or your older sibling’s best friend)

🔒 forever can never be long enough for me by isshun (T, 12k, WangXian, Modern, Established Relationship, Food as a Metaphor for Love, winter solstice festival, [bangs pots and pans] hello welcome to the loving wei wuxian support group, featuring co-presidents JYL and LWJ getting along and bonding over their love for WWX, JYL and LWJ getting along is my soul and jam, hurt/comfort)

My best friend's brother by mollymijh (E, 16k, WangXian, Mentions of XuanLi, mentions of xiyao, Modern AU, College/University, POV LWJ, Romance, Mutual Pining, Childhood Friends, Protective JYL, JYL and LWJ are best friends, Oblivious LWJ, Guilt, Mentions of drugging, Attempted Sexual Assault, Top LWH/Bottom WWX, Explicit Sexual Content, Shameless Smut, First Time, Dry Humping, Anal Sex, Unprotected Sex)

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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[bloopitynoot]

17 Novel Canon Cultivation WangXian Fics

This is rec list two for @yiling-laozu-is-loml

Here are some of the parameters of the list:

Cultivators in ancient China based WangXian fics

Long form fics only (I tried to stick to 50K plus - most are longer- and all are completed fics).

Canon based on novel only! No yin iron plot CQL plotlines (though some of these do include some donghua but minimal)

BottomXian if applicable only

can include: canon divergent, fix-its, and time travel (I included all of the above)

I'm not going to lie I had to cut out so many of my favs because of the Yin Iron plot BUT I still think I put together a stellar list.

A lot of them are fix-its some are totally unique in their plots and I have a few Yilling-Wei sect fics that I adore and hope you do too!

Enjoy the list!

1 no one ever said the single-plank bridge had to be walked alone (174009 words) by rosemu

Chapters: 24/24 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiāng Yànlí/Jīn Zixuān (background), Mò Xuányǔ/Xuē Yáng | Xuē Chéngměi (Background), Sòng Lán | Sòng Zǐchēn/Xiǎo Xīngchén (background), One-Sided Xiǎo Xīngchén/Xuē Yáng | Xuē Chéngměi - Relationship Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Yílíng Wèi Sect, Fix-It, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Stays at the Burial Mounds, Fluff, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Canon-Typical Violence, Found Family, Slow Burn, not the slowest burn but they do take their sweet time, LWJ and WWX get to be Dads together, the healing power of homoerotic flute/guqin duets, EXTREMELY self-indulgent, Happy Ending Summary: “Have you heard? The esteemed Second Jade of Lan, Hanguang-jun, has defected from the Lan sect! He’s living at the Burial Mounds now apparently.” “What?! That scourge, the Yiling Patriarch, has managed to corrupt even the most ideal, upstanding cultivator. How truly terrifying!” Lan Wangji learns to follow his heart over the rules just a little earlier and it changes some things.

NOTES: A fix-itish but also Yilling-Wei sect fic in which Lan Wangji just never leaves the burial mounds after his visit? So many things are fixed with the second jade just kind of always being by Wei Wuxian. This fic has wholesome energy and found family vibes.

2 Cultivating immortality (230949 words) by KizuKatana

Chapters: 44/44 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Rogue Cultivator Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Pining, Mutual Pining, Wei WuXian low self-esteem, BAMF Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, BAMF Lan Wangji, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, not sure if this qualifies as fix-it but that was my emotional need/intent, Hurt/Comfort, unreliable narrator (wwx's self image is…), sect wars happening, Canon typical darkness, demonic cultivation descriptions in detail, self-indulgent exploration of the creation of demonic cultivation and how it changed wwx, JC and lwj are reluctant (VERY RELUCTANT) allies, Madam Yu and Lan Qiren are made to face up to their faults, Jiang YanLi is badass (fight me) though not in terms of cultivation strenght, JC gets a chance to redeem himself, Found Family, Top Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Bottom Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, First Time, novel canon relationship dynamics, Please do not post to GoodReads or any other site Series: Part 1 of Cultivation partners universe Summary: “A weapon is not the same as a spouse, even if that weapon is powerful.” The words had barely left Wei Wuxian’s lips when he found himself slammed against the trunk of the nearest tree, Lan Wangji’s hands gripping painfully tight around his shoulders, practically lifting him from the ground. “Wei Ying is not a weapon!” Lan Wangji bit out. Wei Wuxian had said many things that had angered the illustrious Second Jade in the past. When he had been in Cloud Recesses as a youth, it had been Wei Wuxian’s favorite hobby. But he realized had never managed to truly enrage Lan Wangji with anything he had said until this moment. - - - - The Lan sect has been putting pressure on Lan Wangji to find a cultivation partner. They don't like the one he chooses.

NOTES: Baby WY has a journey to discover his self worth in this fic. The canon divergence happens after he's kicked out of cloud recesses and the subsequently kicked out of the Jiang sect via Madam Yu. There is a rogue cultivator WY plotline paired with Sect pressure for Lan Zhan to get a cultivation partner and the stubborn man vs oblivious man 230k is fantastic.

3 like speaking to my heart (613672 words) by SnowshadowAO3

Chapters: 42/42 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Daemons, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, Some people live!, And some people still die in this fic it's just a matter of who STAYS dead and who is really dead ;), additional warnings in specific chapters, if you don't know what daemons are that's ok because I explain it in the author's note, also by slow burn I VERY much mean slow burn Summary: Wei Wuxian is staring up at the sky, thinking idly about the taste of Emperor’s Smile on his tongue, when Suibian jumps full force onto his stomach and cries, “A-Xian, don’t be mad!” The sheer force of her pounce knocks the breath out of him. The resulting pause is just long enough for Jiang Cheng, who up to this point has been laying rather peacefully next to him, to shoot up and demand, “Oh great, what did you do now?” To be fair, the question isn’t exactly unwarranted. Suibian looks an absolute mess: twigs stuck in her fur, dirt smeared across the white fluff of her underbelly. She’s panting up a storm, little heh heh heh gasps that haven’t edged into her normal high-pitched laughter. When her ears press back against her head, she could almost pass for pitiful. “Bichen hates me.” Wei Wuxian’s first thought is Why would Lan Zhan’s daemon hate you?, but it’s followed quickly by remembering exactly where he is, how little trouble he’s caused today, and the fact that he hasn’t seen Suibian for a few minutes. A grin spreads across his face. (Or: The most important name a cultivator will ever pick isn’t for their sword. It’s for their daemon.)

NOTES: This is still ancient china cultivators but has a little bit of au due to cultivators having daemons. It loosely follows the book plotline as well but is canon divergent. I honestly did not expect to love this 600k fic so much but it had my HEART. I fell for the plot as well as the sentient daemons and the role they play in helping these two sort out their feelings.

4 From Whence You Came (79393 words) by kanzaki19

Chapters: 12/12 Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin/Wen Qing Additional Tags: Time Travel Fix-It, Night Hunts (Modao Zushi), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Fix-It, Canon-Typical Violence, Time Travel, Happy Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending Series: Part 1 of Second Chances Summary: Do not take those you love for granted, tell them you love them. You may never see them again. After being torn from the life he has lovingly settled in, Wei Wuxian finds himself back in Qiongi Path. Faced with immediate threats he grabs hold of every opportunity to better the lives of his family.

NOTES: A solid fix-it from Qiongi Path. WY dies and wakes up mid battle with enough time to save Zixuan. This changes the timeline for the best but at the expense of their established relationship in the alternate timeline. A little bit of mourning there, but still a happy ending though!

5 my life's journey is far from over (148672 words) by thelastdboy

Chapters: 40/40 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Madam Lan Lives (Modao Zushi), Jiang Yanli Lives, Wen Qing Lives (Modao Zushi), Post-Sunshot Campaign (Modao Zushi), POV Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Slow Burn, Yiling Laozu Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Recovery, Hurt/Comfort, Healing Is a Slow Process, therapy is good actually, All women deserve better, Modern AU but not too modern™, mlm/wlw solidarity, the mortifying ordeal of discovering you're into bdsm while you're caught up in political intrigue, Kink Negotiation, Kink Exploration, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Lives, Mental Health Issues, References to Depression, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Burial Mounds Ensemble as Family (Modao Zushi), Single Parent Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Selectively Mute Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Eventual Smut, Light Dom/sub, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Get a Happy Ending Series: Part 2 of the journey is far from over Summary: No one knew that Wei Ying survived the Burial Mounds. No one knew that it was his music that flooded the battlefields of the Sunshot Campaign with corpses. No one knew just how much he had given for his family. Now the war was over and Wei Ying found himself in Yiling once again and after spending years surrounded by nothing but death, he had to learn what it feels like to be alive again. He was dead to the world and for the first time wondered what it would be like to live for his own sake. Or: Wei Ying meets Lan Zhan after the war, both broken and searching for purpose. Wen Qing will do everything to save her little brother. Jiang Yanli learns that not every problem can be solved by soup alone.

NOTES: The story of what happens the war if no one knew that Wei Ying survived AND won the war for them. This has such a beautiful relationship between Lan Zhan and Wei Ying and features a jailbreak of (alive!) Madam Lan. It's healing and wonderful, but also expect the angst. Fear not though, it has a happy ending! BONUS: it does have a prequel which is part 1 in the series. Also very good but Lan Wangji POV and Wei Wuxian is presumed dead.

6 Vow (216627 words) by draechaeli

Chapters: 47/47 Rating: Explicit Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Mainly Novel with a few CQL and Donghua bits, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Temporary Character Death, WWXs dead for a lot of this, but he’s having fun, BeliefGod!WWX, Original Children Characters – Freeform, Adoption, Adoption but WWX birthed them all, Pregnancy Kink, Mpreg, minor male lactation, Consensual Non-Consent, Light Bondage, easy to skip nsfw chapters, brief crossdressing, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, because JGS, Mentions Canon Typical Incest, Canon Typical Violence Summary: “If you’re not good the Yiling Patriarch will steal you in the night!” It was never true, in fact the first child stole herself, the second was gifted, the third begged. By the time people realised that all the homeless children of Yiling, and all the daughters about to be sold had disappeared, it became, “If you’re unloved the Yiling Patriarch will save you.” Sometimes when you make a vow not even death can release you; as Xian-Gege the Eliminator of Evil, the Protector of the Weak, and the Saviour of Children finds out.

NOTES: A fun God!WWX fic in which the vow that WY made and the belief in the Yilling Patriarch brings him back. Such a solid fic, I love the way that WY goes from hated demon to loving deity of children, women, and those in need. He does die in this and is mostly dead for a good portion of it but it is worth it for the reunion and wholesome hoard of children he collects.

7Propagate Understanding (175626 words) by draechaeli

Chapters: 34/34 Rating: Explicit Additional Tags: Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Pregnancy Kink, Consensual Non-Consent, Light Bondage, Adoption, Adoption but WWX birthed them all, Mo Xuanyu Lives, Mò Xuányǔ has an arc, Original Children Characters - Freeform, Babies for Everyone, Crossdressing, Temporary Character Death, easy to skip nsfw chapters, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Summary: A-Yuan was birthed by Wei WuXian, A-Yuan called Lan WangJi ‘Father’, A-Yuan had Lan WangJi’s nose! Was it the time that Wei WuXian took his forehead ribbon at the Wen Discussion Conference Archery Competition?—he’d have to ask Brother. As a physician, Wen Qing has to suffer fools constantly; if Lan WangJi is determined to be Wei WuXian’s baby daddy, she wasn’t going to stop him, especially if it could save them all. And if it leads to some misunderstandings on the topic of marriage and propagation—well, it is not Wen Qing’s fault if Lan WangJi became the world’s best and worst matchmaker, making sure that children everywhere had parents.

NOTES: This fic premise is absolute crack! and is one of my favourite niche crack! fic themes. In which the joke "I birthed him myself" is taken literally and the cultivation world truly believes the Yilling Patriarch and Hanguang-jun had a child together. So good, bless Wen Qing in this fic honestly.

8 Bring Your Wonder (Lose Your Faith) (75406 words) by kianspo

Chapters: 12/12 Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Different Sunshot Campaign, straight boy wei ying, Feelings Realization, everyone is slightly darkner here, hints of xiyao if you squint, but not yet, meng yao has a plan, Protective Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Protective Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, by which i mean they set the world on fire, BAMF Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, it's not all tragedy i promise, Angst with a Happy Ending, Twin Jades of Lan Feels, duh - Freeform, POV Multiple, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Whump Summary: Canon divergence starting from after the Xuanwu Cave. What if it wasn't Wang Lingjiao who came to Lotus Pier? What if Wen Ruohan had sent Wen Zhuliu instead? The respectful, sensible Wen Zhuliu, who knows how to work the room… In which Wei Wuxian loses his hand (he gets one better), Lotus Pier is saved, the Lan Clan is said to be dead to the last man, there's a horrible banquet in Nightless City, someone accidentally plays Sleeping Beauty, and there's that awkward moment when you realize Meng Yao is the sane one (except not really). It's a dark, dark night, but the sun will rise eventually.

NOTES: This is one of my favourite BAMF WWX fics. It is VERY dark, and Lan Zhan is not okay in the majority of this fic but my goodness is it fantastic. WWX does get his hand cut off and then proceeds to be tossed into the burial mounds but his new hand and demonic cultivation are so rad. Worth it for the pain!

9 if you can't beat them, recruit them (228416 words) by moeblobmegane

Chapters: 48/48 Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Conspiracy, Spies & Secret Agents, Team as Family, Found Family, Burial Mounds, Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Pining, Morally Ambiguous Character, Rumors, Politics, Background JZX/JYL, Developing Friendships, Good Uncle Lan Qiren, Demonic Cultivation (Modao Zushi), YilingWei Sect Series: Part 1 of wwx time travels and accidentally creates a platonic harem Summary: Rather than mourning a future that had not happened yet, he would rather work with all his might to prevent it from happening. […] His aim was to fortify his home and his family so that they would never again be left vulnerable to greedy cultivators aiming for his genius. For that, he needed help. He may be a genius, but he was not the cunning manipulative man they thought him to be. No, that was not him. He knew who was, though.   (Or: Wei Wuxian uses a powerful array to go back in time and builds a secret squad to prevent the misfortunes of the future.)

NOTES: Another fantastic time-travel fix it in which WWX post the tragic loss of his husband and son builds an array to go back. In it he befriends and recruits the antagonists of the main timeline and fixes things. This was so good- especially if you like morally grey characters and want a bit of Meng Yao and Xue Yang redemption.

10 Song Unwritten (94846 words) by ShotsOfSunshine, Kytrin

Chapters: 20/20 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Characters: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Cangse Sanren, Wei Changze Additional Tags: Temporary Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Get a Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts, Alternate Universe, cql meets mdzs, Transmigration, Parallel Universes, Yiling Laozu Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Alternate Universe - Yílíng Wèi Sect, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, References to Depression Summary: Lan Wangji knew what miracles were. He'd been given one second chance for happiness already, only to have it snatched away by an enemy he could not fight -- time. Now among his husband's research, he had a chance at another one, but to seize it he would have to take matters into his own hands and fight for it. Even if that meant the fight would take him to another world. After all, Hanguang-Jun followed chaos. And when was Wei Wuxian not at the center of chaos?

NOTES: This is a transmigration fic with a morally grey Lan Zhan. After losing WY he decides not to ascend and instead uses an array for another timeline. I will say head the warnings, Lan Zhan's father is vile and there is child abuse here so pleas ehead the tags it is very awful, it does have a happy ending though. Bonus for Wei Wuxians parents being alive!

11 Time Kept Flowing (201383 words) by notoneforreality

Chapters: 35/35 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Additional Tags: Timeline? What Timeline?, Grief/Mourning, major character death is wwx, who comes back, Family, Canon Era, Autistic Character, Autistic Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Kid Fic, Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji raise the kids, Co-parenting is hard, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, POV Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, POV Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, POV Alternating, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, just realised 'major character death' is like most of the cast, but it all happened before the story opens, Canon-Typical Violence, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, at the top of each chapter, Golden Core Reveal (Modao Zushi) Summary: Jiang Cheng goes back to the Burial Mounds after the siege. He finds a ruined settlement and a feverish child. Then Lan Wangji turns up, half dead himself, and Jiang Cheng is not prepared for any of this. He takes them both back to Lotus Pier, because he's not leaving anyone to die on his watch, and they both need medical care. Then they just end up…staying. At least Lan Wangji is as unimpressed with the situation as Jiang Cheng is. (Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan accidentally become co-parents and have to deal with the repercussions)

NOTES: This is the Jiang Cheng & Lan Zhan platonic coparenting fic I didn't know I needed. It was so healing and while WWX is dead for a good chunk of this he does come back. This is a fantastic fic if you want some hurt/comfort, mourning, and healing energy. I will warn it does have a lot of hurt and the Lans come under scrutiny (justifiably). But happy ending!

12 the past drifts away with the waves (58025 words) by thelastdboy

Chapters: 15/15 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fall of Lotus Pier (Modao Zushi), Major Character Undeath, Yu Ziyuan Being an Asshole, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Minor Character Death, Major Character Injury, Amputation, Loss of Limbs, Transformation, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Fierce Corpse Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Kinda, Merperson Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Heavy Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, No Sunshot Campaign (Modao Zushi), Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Cultivation Sect Politics (Modao Zushi), Not Cultivation World Friendly, Resentful Creature Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Undead Merperson Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Fanart, Slow Burn, Getting Together, Revenge, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Resentment, Demonic Cultivation (Modao Zushi), POV Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, River Spirit Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Non-Human Genitalia, Dark Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Depending on who you ask, Monsterfucker Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wen Remnants Deserve Better (Modao Zushi), Wen Remnants Live (Modao Zushi), Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Get a Happy Ending, Sect Leader Wen Qing (Modao Zushi) Summary: The next time Wei Wuxian became aware of his surroundings and was able to form semi-coherent thoughts, Wen Zhuliu had just finished tying weights to his feet. Both his arm and his back were still bleeding and he felt as if he had been flayed. “Should I make it quick?” Wen Zhuliu asked him, offering a small mercy. But Wei Wuxian shook his head. “Give me your worst,” he snarled, his teeth coated in blood from where he had bitten his tongue at some point. “I will come back to end you all,” he promised darkly. “Very well,” Wen Zhuliu merely said and drowned him. Or: Yu Ziyuan cuts off Wei Wuxian's hand to appease the Wens. He gets drowned in the lake behind Lotus Pier and resentful energy transforms him into a river spirit. After avenging his own death, he finds his way to Yiling.

NOTES: Very cool fic in which WY dies by Wen Zhuliu's hand and becomes a creature of resentment. He turns into a very cool undead water spirit with incredible power. He saves the wens, has a child, and gets the boy in the end. This story is for the monsterfuckers but don't let it fool you, it is kind of tragic. I swear there is a happy ending but the pain is rough.

13 Bitter Plants Bearing Sweet Fruit (83099 words) by Kryal

Chapters: 8/8 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: canon-typical horror elements, Worldbuilding, Desert, Misuse of Historic Setting, Original Character Death(s), Case Fic, aftermath of canon, ridiculously long author notes, Because I Have Nowhere Else to Talk Headcanons, Established Relationship, Nothing Explicit But Shameless Innuendo Summary: Patience is a bitter plant that bears sweet fruit. Lan Wangji doesn't know why Wei Wuxian is so interested in traveling to a city at the very edge of the civilized world. After Yunping, what secrets could possibly be left? But the desert remembers many things.

NOTES: Not going to lie this was a really cool casefic. The husbands go on a journey to the desert and solve a mystery. The coolest part was the difference in cultivation and belief systems outside of the sects territories. This is a healing fic- fantastic vibes.

14 We Meet at the Thousandth Step (315914 words) by Rynne, Admiranda

Chapters: 44/44 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Cangse Sanren/Wei Changze Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, No Sunshot Campaign (Modao Zushi), Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze Live, Rogue Cultivator Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Night Hunts (Modao Zushi), Genius Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Inventor Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Plot, Romance, Drama, Fluff, Strangers to married, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Developing Relationship, Minor Violence, Case Fic, Mystery, Flirting, Wei Wuxian's Canon-Typical Flower Flirting, Arson, There Was Only One Bed, Getting Together, First Kiss, Meeting the Parents, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, Wei Wuxian Is a Good Big Brother, New Relationship Bliss, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Blood and Injury, Yiling siblings, Married Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Honeymoon, Wangxian's Baby Fever Series: Part 1 of The Different Paths We Tread Summary: As they both go wherever the chaos might be, Lan Wangji and rogue cultivator Wei Wuxian, eldest child of the famous Cangse-sanren, find their paths converging. Soon they'll discover in each other the perfect partner for night hunting…and beyond.

NOTES: A canon divergence in which Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze both live and raise WWX as a rogue cultivator (also he has a sister and it is wonderful). Lan Zhan and Wei Ying meet during a night hunt and then keep making excused to hunt together. Such a beautiful and wholesome slowburn with lots of the Wei family teasing. A healing fic for sure.

15 Dispersing Clouds (283284 words) by dreamingofcake

Chapters: 54/54 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Genius Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Inventor Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Abusive Yu Ziyuan, Canonical Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Eventual Sex, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm (Background Character), Background Character Deaths, child deaths, Good Uncle Lan Qiren, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Cultivation Sect Politics (Modao Zushi), Homophobia, Heteronormativity, Feelings Realization, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian is Not Oblivious, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin Bashing, Jiang Yanli is Not Angelic, Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan Bashing Summary: While the Wen Clan is embroiled in subduing internal conflicts within Qishan, the Jiang Clan hosts the annual discussion conference. It has been one year since the disastrous archery competition where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji last met but Wei Wuxian remains as optimistic as ever. An unlikely friendship begins to blossom and without the looming spectres of conquest and war to strengthen his ties to the Jiang family, the trajectory of Wei Wuxian’s life changes.

NOTES: Definitely a fic if you're feeling completely angry at the Jiangs- it is definitely not in their favour. Terrible Madam yu and equally appalling Jiang family (In that they do nothing and normalize abuse). This fic does feature an absolute brilliant Wei Ying and a smitten WangXian with a bonus of the Lans actually not being terrible.

16 A Heart Undying (114855 words) by NonsensicalRambling

Chapters: 26/26 Rating: Mature Additional Tags: Undead Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical dead things, the burial mounds, Fix-It of Sorts, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Wei Wuxian probably needs a hug, the horrors of the sunshot campaign, Eventual WangXian, these boys will use their words!, No Yīn Tiger Seal, no beta - deal with it, Morally Gray Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Animals Eating People, Wei Wuxian's questionable choices, Morally conflicted Lan Wangji, Oblivious Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Creates a Sect | Yiling Wei Sect, Yiling Laozu Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Sect Leader Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji & Wen Qing have an Understanding, if Wen Qing were being paid she'd deserve a raise Summary: No one escapes from the Burial Mounds alive. No one. Just because Wei Wuxian made it out doesn't make him an exception. He knows he's surviving on borrowed time until someone finds out, but until then he's going to make that a problem for the Wen. And if no one does find out, well, he'll figure that out later. If only he could stop being so hungry.

NOTES: Okay this fic is actually rad as hell. The premise is so cool- WWX landing in the burial mounds and DYING but transformed. If you like vampiric energy but also God!WWX vibes this is the fic for you. It moves fast but the plot is so cool.

17 Practical Considerations (96963 words) by teawater, the_anthropologist

Chapters: 20/20 Rating: Explicit Additional Tags: Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Found Family, Spouses to Lovers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Politics, Scheming, Lán Elders are assholes, BAMF Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, BAMF Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, eventually BAMF Lan Xichen, learning to make decisions, Learning Self-worth, Self-Esteem Issues, Sweet Wangxian, Domestic Fluff, Fix-It, JC is a big asshole, he improves somewhat but it's open-ended, WWX learns to stand up for himself, Quote: Come Back to Gusu With Me (Modao Zushi), POV wwx, POV LWJ, POV JC, Golden Core Reveal (Modao Zushi), Teacher wwx, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It (Modao Zushi), Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism, Past Suicidal Thoughts Summary: After the Sunshot Campaign Wei Wuxian is fooling around in Lotus Pier, and Jiang Cheng decides that he'd be more useful to the sect if he was to enter a diplomatic marriage. Especially since Lan Wangji seems so keen on dragging him away to Gusu. Only Wei Wuxian doesn't expect any good to come from it…

NOTES: An arranged marriage canon divergence fic in which "Come Back to gusu" is a term of endearment (but WWX does not know this). This fic goes form WWX being married and thinking he's being punished to married and absolutely THRIVING. This is one heck of a healing fic- great ending!

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: this body yet survives, ch. 17

Relationship: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Characters: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Lán Qǐrén, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Jiāng Yànlí, Su She | Su Minshan, Madam Jin, Jin Zixuan, Wen Qing, Jiāng Fēngmián, Niè Huáisāng, Wen Ning | Wen Qionglin, Wen Ruohan

Tags: No War AU, Recovery, Trauma, Dissociation, Courtship, Courting Rituals, Near Death Experiences, Attempted Murder, Eventual Happy Ending, Panic Attacks, Vomiting, Siblings, Protective Siblings, Soup, Triggers, Protective Lan WangJi, Protective Lán Qǐrén, Yúnmèng Siblings Dynamics, Bad Parent Yú Zǐyuān, POV Third Person, POV Lan WangJi, reference to poisoning, reference to assassination, Reference to chronic illness, reference to infanticide, Depression, Minor Injuries, Painting, Gift Giving, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn Has a Fear of Dogs, Good Sibling Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Good Sibling Jiāng Yànlí, BAMF Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jealous Su She | Su Minshan, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Protection Squad

Summary: Birthdays and brotherhoods.

Notes: See end.

Parts 1 & 2

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

AO3 link

——————

Wei Ying’s birthday celebration was low-key, celebrated with Wen Ning, Wen Qing, and Nie Huaisang, who had bullied his brother until he was allowed to visit the Cloud Recesses for it under the care of a steward of the sect. The Nie heir showed up as they ate a late lunch and insisted on eating with them, even pulling out packages of food he’d purchased in town to supplement the lunch Jiang Yanli made.

Nie Huaisang pouted when he learned that Wei Ying was swearing brotherhood again with someone not him, and was only appeased by the offer to swear brotherhood with him as well.

It was appropriate, as the numerology of a two person brotherhood was “easy,” and Lan Wangji imagined such a brotherhood would be easy for Wei Ying. Similarly, a three-person brotherhood with the Wens was apt, with one aspect of the numerology being “health,” given Wen Qing was Wei Ying’s doctor.

A four-person brotherhood was unlucky, sounding like and associated with death, and out of the question.

Off and on all afternoon while they all visited, Jiang Yanli cooked up a feast to serve for dinner. Wei Ying successfully ate his longevity noodles without breaking them. The time passed quickly, with Wei Ying contributing to the conversations and even initiating them, so much more comfortable around people than he had been, and this was blessedly a good day.

By hai shi he was falling asleep, used to the Lan schedule now, and the Wens excused themselves, leaving a gift of copies of rare books on talismans from the Wen library.

“Unc—Uncle thought you might… might enjoy them,” Wen Ning said, clearly happy with Wei Ying’s enthused response.

“No other library in the jianghu has these books,” Wen Qing added. “He fully expects that you’ll build on these to create worthwhile talismans. Write a book yourself—you have the talent.”

Wei Ying could only blush at her kind words, if delivered brusquely.

“Ah, Qing-jie, I knew you liked me!”

“You grow on people like mold,” she sniffed, rolling her eyes, and Wei Ying laughed.

Nie Huaisang gave more art supplies, including some gold leaf paint he picked up in Lanling.

“I want to commission you more, once you finish Wen-zongzhu’s. I still use the fan you painted for me,” he added, brandishing the fan proudly. “Oh, I wonder if the Nie library has books on talismans? I should ask Dage!”

“Most sects do,” Wei Ying said, his voice a bit distant.

The Jiang had only had his contributions, Lan Wangji had learned, which had been sent with him to Gusu. And now Yunmeng had none.

Lan Wangji worried he might close off, but he shook off the dark emotions quickly as Jiang Yanli pushed a segment of orange into his hand, knowing the smell and taste would help.

“I have some fruit we can enjoy,” she said, distracting everyone effectively as Jiang Wanyin brought in a tray.

Nie Huaisang demurred and excused himself. Jiang Yanli and Lan Wangji kept fruit on Wei Ying’s plate until he protested that he was full.

He had handled having guests well, and Lan Wangji was proud of his fortitude, knowing only weeks ago, with all the stress, he may not have been able to endure. He would still sometimes struggle, but Lan Wangji would be there to help him when he needed it.

After they left, Lan Wangji gifted Wei Ying the blanket he had commissioned, the topside embroidered with panels of the seasons, topped by mountains and clouds, with romantic symbols like a pair of mandarin ducks, butterflies, and two dragons, as well as auspicious ones meant to show how he saw Wei Ying, including a tiger for his bravery and the Four Plants of Virtue. The blanket contained replaceable sachets scented orange and cinnamon so he might feel safe as well as warm. It was also large enough for their marital bed, a reminder that made Lan Wangji’s ears hot with a mixture of anticipation and excitement at his own audacity.

“I’ll use it tonight, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying said softly after examining the scene. “It smells so good.”

“It’s beautiful, Wangji,” Jiang Yanli added, wrapping it around Wei Ying’s shoulders.

He was permitted to hug Wei Ying under the keen eyes of their chaperones before Jiang Wanyin shooed him out, citing his brother’s exhaustion.

Lan Wangji dreamt of holding him that night, just holding him close so he would feel safe and warm.

The next day they learned the disciples sent out found the hole-riddled body of Su She, which they took to Caiyi for a pauper’s burial, though the Cloud Recesses was closer—the man had backtracked for an attempt at revenge. The disciples had decided collectively (and correctly) that he should not be interred in the Lan compound after his transgressions. They had performed “Inquiry” to be sure his spirit didn’t linger; it didn’t, Su She being mediocre even at resentment.

Lan Wangji was relieved—the curse had no additional culprit, only a known actor. Wei Ying just sighed and shook his head, but he was clearly relieved not to have to worry about the vicious little man any longer. None of his co-conspirators were found with him, so he likely acted alone. Scouts found that the others had split up and largely already left Gusu, one already joining a remote temple to serve Guanyin, a good outcome out of a bad situation.

The news was balanced out by the swearing of brotherhood, first with the Wen siblings, and then with Nie Huaisang. They all skipped the banquet, but the kitchen insisted on sending a small one to the Jiang guest house to give Jiang Yanli a break from cooking. She was embarrassed, and insisted she didn’t need one, but it was good for her to be able to rest.

They provided more than simply Lan fare, having brought dishes from Qishan and Qinghe into the banquet, and Lan Wangji noticed Wei Ying stuck to those dishes, particularly enthused by a spicy soup dish Wen Qing identified as hulatang and a Qinghe specialty with braised chestnuts and pork. Also included were hot dry noodles popular in Yunmeng, among other dishes from that area.

He wondered if Jiang Yanli would teach him to prepare his favorites, as he had no desire to make Wei Ying eat what he did not enjoy, and resolved to ask her.

The beginning of the meal was silent, and involved tasting the various dishes, from mutton-stuffed baozi to yangrou paomo to pearl meatballs. Sweeter dishes included rose mirror cakes, tofu jelly, and red date soft candy. The spread was incredible in its array of flavors, and Lan Wangji found himself deviating from the traditional Lan fare in favor of some of them. It didn’t take too long for conversation to pick up as they ate.

Nie Huaisang made sure to point out that Wei Ying was his didi based on age.

“After all, it was my third time at the lectures and only your first when we met,” he said jovially.

“You just want me to call you Gege, Nie-xiong.”

“Of course!” he said, without shame. “And you get an extra gege with Dage! He really respects you.”

They were wonderfully distracted, speaking of happier days past, of the summer of their adolescence that had brought them together. Had brought Wei Ying into Lan Wangji’s life, tearing through his boundaries with his beautiful smile.

Again, Wei Ying handled having guests well, though he looked apologetically relieved when the Wen siblings excused themselves early, citing their plan to begin their travels back to Nightless City the next morning.

“I’m happy you came to celebrate with me, Didi,” Wei Ying said. “I didn’t expect you at all!”

“Shu… Shushu asked that it b-be kept secret in case I could… couldn’t.”

Nie Huaisang stayed only a bit longer, and Lan Wangji didn’t miss the surreptitious passing of a qiankun pouch, which undoubtedly contained more spring books.

“I’m so glad you look well; much better than my last visit,” the Nie heir said, patting Wei Ying’s arm. “I can’t stay longer—Meng Yao is my escort and he’s Dage’s right-hand man, so we need to get back to Qinghe.”

Wei Ying smiled at him, the pouch disappearing into his robes.

“I’m glad you came, Sang-ge, and I’m glad I can call you ge now.”

“Me too, Didi. You deserve more family, and now you almost have us in all the major sects,” he replied with a smile. “Except the Lan, but your future husband is here.”

He excused himself to return to his guest quarters.

“You do deserve more family, A-Xian,” Jiang Yanli echoed after his departure. “More people to support you.”

Lan Wangji stayed until shortly before hai shi, when Wei Ying was visibly drooping from the busy and emotional day.

They saw their visitors off at the front gate the next day, and the next several weeks were spent in peace. The family held a small private celebration for Jiang Wanyin’s birthday, and Lan Wangji gifted him stationery to write with, including new, decent-quality brushes. Xiongzhang and Shufu gifted him a weiqi set and a book about historical sect leaders, respectively. Wei Ying found a book involving lotus farming at the Caiyi bookseller during one of their trips, and gifted that without reading it, unsure whether it was a guide, novel, or book of poetry—Jiang Wanyin hid it away in a qiankun bag immediately for Wei Ying’s comfort, and would only find out when he returned to Lotus Pier.

“It doesn’t matter—if it’s about lotuses you need to read it,” Wei Ying said. “You’ll be sect leader, after all.”

The auger provided Shufu with a list of auspicious dates, and one was chosen for after the new year, the soonest available. Lan Wangji was more excited than he could properly express—not only would Wei Ying be his husband, joining him in the Jingshi permanently, but he would be safer with the title of Lan-er-furen. It was title Lan Qiren had mentioned could be altered as it had not been used in more than a generation, but Wei Ying had insisted upon it happily and proclaimed he would fulfill the appropriate role with its associated responsibilities.

Lan Wangji’s ears were hot for quite some time at the implied sexual connotation, which Wei Ying didn’t seem to know he had made.

Wedding invitations were written, with the hiccup that it was not possible to avoid inviting Jiang Fengmian for political reasons, though Yu Ziyuan’s ban from the Cloud Recesses would stand. Lan Wangji knew it was because he was a high-ranking member of the Lan clan and thus his marriage was considered a major event, and he hated it.

“You don’t have to serve him tea,” Wei Ying said softly, trying to soothe him, he was so good. “He will just be a guest and we don’t have to talk to him. Lan-xiansheng can examine whatever gift he gives before it reaches us.”

He would serve tea to the Jiang siblings, and to the tablets of Wei Ying’s parents, and Wei Ying would serve Xiongzhang and Shufu, as well as his parents’ tablets. That was acceptable.

Wei Ying otherwise spent much of his time painting or working on talismans, going back to the quiet productivity he’d displayed consistently since he’d started to truly heal, and the four of them spent many quiet afternoons in his workshop. At times he tutored disciples in sword forms, always happy to teach any who asked. Jiang Wanyin, Shufu told him, had suggested over tea that Wei Ying would be an effective archery instructor, something he was considering asking of him after the wedding.

The relative quietude was only interrupted by his siblings taking him to the most renowned clothier in Caiyi to commission wedding robes—far less harrowing an event, considering. His siblings were being very secretive about them, even to Wei Ying.

“They won’t tell me anything about them,” Wei Ying groused over tea with Lan Tayi, who clearly found the whole thing amusing. “I’m to wear a blindfold when we get to fittings, even!”

In truth, Lan Wangji had heard only of the custom of the couple being unable to see each other’s robes prior to the wedding, not that oneself couldn’t see their own robes. He wondered if the Jiang siblings wanted Wei Ying to be as surprised by his appearance as he would be, perhaps to heighten the joy of the wedding.

When he said as much, Wei Ying smiled at the idea, and Lan Wangji honestly didn’t think they could possibly make him more beautiful than he already was.

Nearing the winter festival, Wei Ying had a breakthrough with the talismans Madam Jin had commissioned, completing one that lit up red when two people who were related held it when it was activated, and black when they were unrelated.

“Red for good fortune, black for neutrality,” he clarified when he demonstrated the talisman using the Jiang siblings and then Lan Zhan and Xiongzhang. “It would light up a dimmer red if Xiansheng held it with one of you, too.”

He was still working on one that would find relatives in the first place, hoping to modify the talisman he and Lan Tayi had created to reveal Su She.

“They would have to be very close by, and I guess that would be up to Jin-furen to arrange. It’d be easier if I could make something like a compass, but that wouldn’t work for blood… energy would be easier to detect that way…”

He presented the talisman to Jin Zixuan upon his next visit to Jiang Yanli and explained its use.

“Muqin has a list of people to verify already, so she’ll be very happy to have this talisman,” Jin Zixuan said with a smile.

Wei Ying looked a little surprised by the Jin heir’s happiness, and he clarified:

“I’ve always wished for siblings; I was jealous that everyone else seemed to have them but me. I don’t know that it will go well, but I want to try to do right by them.”

Jiang Yanli looked at him with love in her expression, clearly pleased with his desire to be a devoted brother. From what Lan Wangji had seen, she valued such devotion, and it certainly implied the sort of husband and father he would ultimately become.

Jin Zixuan blushed a bit under her gaze, but continued.

“I would have been happy to swear brotherhood with both of you, but you’ll be my jiuzimen soon enough. It’s good that you have ties to all the major clans, Wei Wuxian. You have more stability in terms of reputation and prestige.”

Lan Wangji understood he was referring to the rumors his father was a servant rather than a disciple, completely ignoring that Baoshan Sanren was his grandmaster through his mother. The jianghu gentry liked to tear down those with what they deemed inferior blood, despite the fact that Wei Wuxian was one of the most promising cultivators of their generation.

“You… really? Even though I punched you?” Wei Ying asked, baffled.

“I’ve said before that I deserved it,” Jin Zixuan said, flushing. “You’re the brother of my beloved’s heart, and you were defending her honor.”

Wei Ying rubbed his finger against his nose, a nervous habit, then nodded.

“I guess you’ll be my jiefu too, then, not just Jiang Cheng’s,” Wei Ying said with a smile, before changing the subject by explaining how he had come up with the talisman.

Most of the explanation clearly went over Jin Zixuan’s head, but he nodded along and asked pertinent, if rudimentary, questions.

They enjoyed a quiet meal thanks to Jiang Yanli before Jin Zixuan left for Lanling, promising that payment would be forthcoming, something that left Wei Ying looking perplexed.

“It’s weird to have people paying for my talismans,” he murmured as they walked back to the Jiang guest quarters. “I always just gave mine to Jiang… to Jiang-zongzhu.”

“I don’t think A-Die ever sold your talismans like the Lan have—he just put them in the library,” Jiang Yanli said after a minute. “Unless you trained disciples to use them, they simply sat on a shelf.”

“They should have been used and sold, and you should’ve gotten a percentage,” Jiang Wanyin said, his voice strained. “But Muqin…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but such a thing would have incensed Yu-furen and made Wei Ying even more of a target. For some reason, his success in anything was reason for her to punish him, he’d told Lan Wangji once.

“He sent them with Shufu when Wei Ying came to the Cloud Recesses,” Lan Wangji said. “They should be among the qiankun bags from Lotus Cove.”

“A-Xian should find them and let Lan-xiansheng help decide what to do with them, then,” Jiang Yanli said, taking Wei Ying’s arm in her own. “Xianxian will be a wealthy man.”

“Xianxian is only three,” he said, leaning against her like a child. “Xianxian doesn't know what to do with that much money.”

Shufu had shown him the summary of his earnings over tea the day before, and it had shocked him.

“Use it on what you want,” Jiang Wanyin said. “Spoil yourself. Buy all the books and trinkets you want, eat all the food you want, wear nice clothes.”

“Even with that, it’s a lot,” Wei Ying protested. “Just what Jin-furen is paying… And she insisted on the price, not me!”

He seemed overwhelmed, and Lan Wangji knew it was because he never had much money—the Jiang had paid for anything he picked up at market, but he wasn’t a spendthrift. Likely if he had been there would have been consequences.

“It’s a lot,” he said again. “How does one go from the streets to riches? If you told me back then…”

He let the thought trail off as they reached the guest house. Jiang Wanyin made tea while Jiang Yanli put together plates of snacks.

“You will eventually decide what to spend your money on,” Lan Wangji said as they sat together at the table, discreetly holding hands underneath.

“Knowing him, it’ll be food for street kids,” Jiang Wanyin commented as he set a tray with the teapot and cups on the table.

Wei Ying startled a little, then tapped his nose as he thought. It was clear Jiang Wanyin had suggested something that appealed to him.

“An orphanage,” he said finally, his voice a whisper. “Something to help street kids. Shelter and food. Safety.”

He paused, silent for a moment as though seeking the right words.

“A future.”

“Oh, A-Xian,” Jiang Yanli breathed as she surged forward to embrace him. “That’s a wonderful idea.”

Lan Wangji’s heart ached for him, for his selflessness and beautiful desire to make the world a better place. This was the boy he’d fallen in love with.

“I will help. We will speak to Shufu. He will help, too. It is a righteous project.”

He squeezed Wei Ying’s hand under the table and received a return squeeze. He would support his husband in anything he wished to accomplish, for the rest of their lives.

��————

So this is 17 chapters just like “the thing with feathers,” which is funny. I intend to write a follow-up fic with the wedding at some point, but this is nearly the end of the series. Please feel free to check out my other fics while you wait.

I’m doing somewhat better health-wise. Healed from the gallbladder removal and infection, anyway. Still fatigued, but at least I’m writing.

a-die = dad

didi = younger brother

furen = madam

ge = older brother

hai shi = 9-11pm

hulatang = spicy/hot pepper soup

jiefu = elder sister’s husband

jiuzimen = plural of jiuzi, meaning wife’s younger brother

muqin = mother (formal)

shushu = uncle

xiansheng = teacher

xiong = brother

xiongzhang = older brother

yangrou paomo = flatbread soaked in mutton broth

zongzhu = sect leader

[ao3feed-xicheng]

If Lost Pray That The Missing Lotuses Shall Float Down The River For You

by Shy_Fanfic_Writer Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan's marriage was not a loving one, no matter how much they tried to make it appear amicable. In fact, if you saw the two interact, you would swear they were mortal enemies. Despite their differences however, Yu Ziyuan had hoped that her husband would, at the very least, try to put some effort into loving their children as his own, even if he didn't love her. That hope was unfortunately squashed when her husband brought home a dirt covered brat, who he held with a care that he had never shown to his own son or daughter. Outraged at her husband's boldness to treat someone else's son better than his own children, within his own home to boot, Yu Ziyuan takes a page from her husband's book, and goes out on her own to bring home the son of someone else. As a result, their already deteriorating marriage becomes even worse. Their anger and hatred towards each other becomes so strong that it begins to affect not only the people within Lotus Pier, but also their relationship with their two biological children.... [The entire summary is in notes. I couldn't fit the whole thing in here but please still check it out :')] Words: 16231, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 魔道祖师 | Módào Zǔshī (Cartoon) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Jiang Yanli, Jiang Fengmian, Jiang Family (Modao Zushi), Yunmeng Jiang Disciples (Modao Zushi), Yu Ziyuan, Yu Ziyuan's Mother | Sect Leader Yu, Meishan Yu Disciples (Modao Zushi), Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Original Characters, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren, Sect Leader Nie (Modao Zushi), Nie Mingjue, Nie Huaisang, Wen Ruohan, Wen Zhuliu, Jin Guangshan, Madam Jin (Modao Zushi), Baoshan Sanren Relationships: Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Jiang Yanli & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Jiang Yanli, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Yu Ziyuan, Jiang Yanli & Yu Ziyuan, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Jiang Fengmian & Jiang Yanli & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian & Yu Ziyuan, Jiang Fengmian/Yu Ziyuan, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin/Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan, Jiang Yanli & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin/Wen Ruohan, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Jiang Fengmian, Baoshan Sanren & Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Jiang Yanli, baoshan sanren & jiang yanli, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Wen Ruohan Additional Tags: Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Bad Parent Yu Ziyuan, Bad Parent Jiang Fengmian, Bad Parents Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan, Jiang Fengmian Bashing, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin-centric, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin Needs a Hug, Good Sibling Jiang Yanli, Good Sibling Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, BAMF Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, BAMF Jiang Yanli, Jiang Yanli-centric, Yu Ziyuan-centric, Abusive Yu Ziyuan, Abusive Jiang Fengmian, Torture, Warning: Wen Ruohan, Pre-War, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Wishes, Fate, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Pre-Relationship, romance doesnt show up for a long ass time, this starts off Yu Ziyuan centric but will be jc and jy centric later on, shithead jfm gets no chapter long POV, Child Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Codependency, Separation Anxiety, Unhealthy Relationships, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Soft Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin via https://ift.tt/TQGI9VU

[deathbyoctopi]

when the Wen attack...

I know that’s a cql thing only, but.

Why didn’t the Wen War begin when they attacked the Unclean Realm? Or the Clouds Recess? In either there was as little justification and maybe half as many dead people as the Lotus Pier attack. But they went, almost casually wounded Nie sect leader, burnt the Lan library, and then left...

And AFTER THAT the sects still send their children for the indoctrination summer camp? Even Nie Mingjue?? 

I know it was a display of force to show what would happen to those who didn’t comply. It happens again with the Lans not soon after!!! But why wasn’t this, or the Gusu Fire, the straw that broke the camel’s back? Is it because with Lotus Pier they went all the way, killing the sect leader too? Is it because they established the Wen Office of Control after that? Or is it perhaps PRECISELY because of who was attacked, that the answer is so different...?

When Nie Mingjue was wounded, who was there to step forward for him? The slimy selfish Jin? The righteous but ultimately passive Lan? The Jiangs, so carefree (and so calculating and uncaring, Madam Yu, I’m looking at you now!!). No wonder no-one raised their voice. With the Gusu Attack, there was just as much silence -though then the Nie were just recovering...

And when it was the Jiangs, under attack? the Lans had already been recently wounded, the Jins saw the writing on the wall for those who opposed even the stupidest thing (and they’d have to relent their power anyways!), and guess what. Nie BAMF Mingjue is recovered from his blow. And he is Pissed. 

And so the Sunshot Campaign begins. 

[ao3feed-chengning]

Till death do us part

by Simpnation10220 Lan Wangji’s death was—in his opinion—as pathetic as the life he had lived. What happened next was as grand as the life he had earned. And everything that came after? Was him claiming what he’d worked so hard for. Or: Lan Wangji goes back in time and makes things better again. Bonus: Aeao by Dynamic Duo song fic Words: 10015, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi Characters: Lán Qǐrén, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Qīnghéng-jūn, Niè Huáisāng, Niè Míngjué, Mò Xuányǔ, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Yànlí, Wēn Qíng (Módào Zǔshī), Wēn Níng | Wēn Qiónglín, Luó "Mián Mián" Qīngyáng, Jīn Zǐxuān Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Past Madam Lán/Qīnghéng-jūn, Jiāng Yànlí/Jīn Zǐxuān, Luó "Mián Mián" Qīngyáng/Wēn Qíng, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín/Wēn Níng | Wēn Qiónglín, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín/Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Mò Xuányǔ/Niè Huáisāng, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Wēn Qíng, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Niè Huáisāng, Jiāng Yànlí & Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Luó "Mián Mián" Qīngyáng, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín & Jiāng Yànlí & Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Xuē Yáng | Xuē Chéngměi, Sòng Lán | Sòng Zǐchēn/Xiǎo Xīngchén/Xuē Yáng | Xuē Chéngměi Additional Tags: Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, BAMF Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Smart Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Protective Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Pining Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn Protection Squad, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Absent Parents, Child Abuse, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Murder, I'm Bad At Tagging, Songfic via https://ift.tt/ZpqJvAP

[pocketfulofrecs]

Buried in the Sky, Hallowed by thy Depths by themunchking

teen | 8.9k | wangxian | complete | sirens!wangxian

If you listen, the mountains of Gusu sing in the evening, as the sun is going down.

That’s what they say in Caiyi Town, where the clear and cold mountain streams flow into the lake. The streams are deep, the locals know. They say they carry the melody down from up high. From Cloud Recesses.

There are reasons it is forbidden to enter the Cloud Recesses after dark.

Dee’s thoughts - I really love dark creature fics and this one is great! WX aren’t human and they way they act and the decisions they make reflects that. I would say this is slightly JC and YMJ-friendly but not enough distract from the story. I quite enjoyed the darker tone of this.

Ju’s thoughts - I really liked this story because of how not human both WWX and LWJ are. They tried to pass as humans, they are made to act as humans, but they are not. And when they are together, they don't have to pretend. They are feral, and some of their thoughts go a little dark, but by the tags, I thought it would be darker. I just really loved their relationship, how they found each other and found themselves again. And LWJ asking how flesh tasted like was something that I was not expecting, but I loved so much. JC friendly, and in a way Jiang Sect in a whole friendly (they kind of excuse why YZY whipped him - and we understand that it was only once). But they aren’t main characters.

Author’s tags: Supernatural Elements, Sirens, MerMay, No time for slowburn, I call it fastburn, Canon-Typical Violence, No Beta we ride at dawn, canon AU, Dark Wei Wuxian, dark Lan Wangji

Remember to leave feedback to the author! <3 Comments and kudos feed the author’s soul.

recced to us by: @auspiciouscandy

[drowningbydegrees-fanworks]

In This Life or Any Other - Chapter 9

FIC RATING: E WORD COUNT: 63482 (total) RELATIONSHIPS: Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian WARNINGS: Graphic Depictions of Violence TAGS: Eventual Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Canon-Typical Violence, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Trauma, Politics, Intrigue, BAMF Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Angst and Humor, Additional warnings/tags in chapters as needed

SUMMARY: When his reconnaissance mission makes it clear that the Qishan army is marching on Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian knows they don’t stand a chance on their own. He reports in requesting military support, but instead of the backup he hoped for, all Wei Wuxian gets is an order to return home. He doesn’t actually know anyone from Gusu, really, but they’re still people. With destruction inevitable and every kingdom turning a blind eye, Wei Wuxian makes a choice. The only choice, as far as he’s concerned. If no help is coming, Wei Wuxian will just have to save them himself. Fooling Wen Ruohan’s soldiers into arresting him so he can stage a prison break? That’s definitely on purpose. Setting events in motion that could reshape the world as they know it? That… might have been an accident.

Read on AO3 here

(Warning for this chapter for death and graphic description of injury. The version on AO3 has indicators of what parts to skip and a summary of those scenes at the end of that kind of content makes you uncomfortable <3)

At least now he knows, Wei Wuxian guesses, that Wen Chao chose practical instead of petty.

He arms himself with smooth, practiced motions, clinging to what parts of the job he was prepared for that he can accomplish uncontested. He can put on armor with his eyes closed, but battle plans might crumble when faced with a real enemy. An attack is a possibility he’s trained for since he could hold a sword, but no one’s ever truly tried to do it.

In the chaos, Wei Wuxian reluctantly sets aside his previous intention to send Lan Zhan a message. There’s no time now, what with an army bearing down on them. It’s not as if they’d even committed to anything or the sort. Which is… also the reasoning he’s been soothing his concerns over Lan Zhan’s silence with. There’s probably a lot to do returning to a home that was burnt to the ground.

None of that stops the creeping sort of guilt that settles in the pit of his stomach at the idea of leaving Lan Zhan in the dark, but Wei Wuxian pushes it aside for the time being. When it’s over and Lotus Pier is safe, he’ll send a message. If he’s lucky, maybe Jiang Cheng will be too tired to laugh at him about it.

Holding onto that thought, he joins everyone else who has spilled out into the hallway to congregate in the throne room. Normally, the times the palace comes alive like this are joyful, celebratory events. Now, though, every face Wei Wuxian sees as he passes is more grim than the last.

He runs, weaving his way through the crowd until he finally hears Madame Yu’s voice over the background noise of too many conversations to keep track of. Whatever else might be true about her, she is in her element here, giving orders so confidently that you’d never know she was commanding an army that has rarely had to fight for anything more dire than bragging rights. Wei Wuxian skids to a halt a few feet away to make himself known. He says nothing for once, but he thumbs anxiously at the facets of deep red stone embedded in the hilt of his sword while he waits.

“You,” she says sharply as she turns her attention on him. Wei Wuxian doesn’t flinch, but it’s a near thing, an instinct that simmers just under the skin. There’s an accusation teetering in the space between them, but the vitriol Wei Wuxian braces himself for never comes. Madame Yu only jerks her head towards the stairs cut into the wall behind the throne. “Make sure that contraption of yours works.”

That, at least, he can do. Wei Wuxian hurries past her and takes the steps two at a time to the top where they let out onto a large terrace. He may never have the opportunity to be good at magic, but he is good at science, and this is… well, it’s a bit of both, really. The contraption she referred to, his latest invention, sits on a pedestal in the middle, a tangle of lenses and metal limbs, all anchored to a crystal at the device’s center. On its own, the device is useless, but with a little help, it will become a focus, combining the magic of a group of mages to create a barrier far more impenetrable than they could hope to make on their own.

Theoretically. It’s never been tested under their current circumstances for obvious reasons, but it’s going to work. Partly because he’s too confident in his own cleverness to entertain any other notion, but mostly because it has to. Looking out at the river, it becomes clear that Wen Chao is counting on numbers, and that he has them. If the army gets through, Lotus Pier will be overrun. So they can’t get through.

Already, a handful of mages wait restlessly at the perimeter of the device, watching critically as Wei Wuxian jumps in to make adjustments. He’d feel bad for not knowing their names, but in his defense, he hasn’t really gotten the chance. His lack of magic means they rarely give him the time of day. Even now, with only them standing between Lotus Pier and disaster, most of them them only notice him with respect to the work they’re impatiently waiting on him to complete.

“Are you sure it’s going to work?” One of them asks, so Wei Wuxian supposes they aren’t ignoring him entirely. The man, old enough to be Wei Wuxian’s grandfather, looks woefully unprepared for a fight. He’s wrapped in deep purple robes so heavy and ostentatious, it’s a miracle he got up here without tripping.

“Of course!” Wei Wuxian lies cheerfully. Well, in his defense, there’s a decent chance it’s not a lie. He hopes it’s not a lie. When too many robes guy opens his mouth, he looks ready to argue though, so Wei Wuxian jumps back in, mostly for the pleasure of cutting him off. “Why? Did you have a better idea?”

That earns Wei Wuxian a comically sour expression that he just barely manages not to gloat about. Before he can say anything counterproductive, Wei Wuxian returns his attention to the device, squinting through one lens after another to make sure they’re pointed as intended. “That should just about do it.”

Whatever elitism keeps mages from bothering with anyone else is less pervasive in the generations closer to Wei Wuxian’s age, so he’s not entirely surprised that the woman who thanks him for building this only looks to be a few years older than he is. “Should we… Are we waiting for something or do we just go for it?”

“Any time. Actually, probably right now. If they get in firing range before we get this barrier up, then we’re already in trouble.” Wei Wuxian smiles, trying to soften how fraught the situation is in some small way. He steps back, giving the mages room to work.

Much later, Wei Wuxian will come to the horrible realization that this is both the first and last thing that goes the way it’s supposed to, but that will come later. For now, he smiles so hard his face hurts as he watches his invention come to life in all its glory. One mage after another directs their spell at the device until the crystal all but overflows with magic. Pale, yellow light explodes heavenward like a beacon before scattering down in every direction to form a dome over the entirety of Lotus Pier. And none too soon. The shield comes down just as the first attack reaches the pier. Flaming, pitch covered arrows that would have sent the boardwalk up in flames instead hit the barrier and bounce uselessly off into the water.

The beauty of it is that the shield should hold out indefinitely. The device leaves room for one mage to replace another when fatigue might make them falter, and the crystal magnifies the spell so that it is all but impenetrable. He doubts Wen Chao came prepared to hunker down for a siege, so it should be as simple as waiting them out.

It should be.

When he runs back downstairs to report his success, the room is already empty, which probably makes sense. Whether she trusts Wei Wuxian’s genius or not, it would be foolish not to have a backup plan. Everyone combat ready is stationed near the pier, so Wei Wuxian follows the clamor of it all and takes his own place alongside them.

It’s… well, it’s good to be ready. This is always where he was supposed to be. The shield was only a detour. These are all the correct things to note about where he’s standing, a few feet from Jiang Cheng with Suibian drawn more for show than anything.

The less correct, but far more satisfying thing to notice is that this is the best vantage point in all of Lotus Pier. From here, he can nearly make out the frustration on Wen Chao’s face in the flickering torch light as he fails to breach the boundary. Blades don’t create so much as a crack in the barrier, and whatever magic is being cast out there on the river only flickers and bounces off like a poorly designed light show.

The minutes stretch out, out, out until the moon is high overhead, just barely visible through the shield, but nothing changes. Wei Wuxian stretches his arms over his head, Suibian and all, and nudges companionably against Jiang Cheng. “Do you think Wen Chao will be too offended if we tell him he picked a really boring way to keep us all up past our bedtimes?”

“Since when do you have a bedtime?” Jiang Cheng retorts, the annoyed tone of it utterly ruined by his mouth quirking up at the edges.

“I could have a bedtime. You don’t know.” Wei Wuxian interrupts his own protest with a laugh and redirects. “I will absolutely invent a bedtime for myself if it makes them give up and go home. Are they out of arrows already? That at least looked dramatic, but they’re not even firing anymore.”

“How should I know? Do I look like I’m taking inventory for them?” Whatever else Jiang Cheng might say gets lost, but the particulars don’t matter so much. Standing together, Wei Wuxian can put what Madame Yu called him out of his mind entirely. It’s hard to take it too much to heart in the moment when this feels so much like home.

They devolve into familiar banter, only nominally in their assigned places. It’s that back and forth that keeps either of them from noticing right away when the formation of boats beyond the shield changes. By the time they look over, Wen Chao is nowhere to be seen. Instead, a lithe, masked figure stands on the boat beside the barrier, presumably a mage of some sort given their lack of a visible weapon.

Jiang Cheng pauses at Wei Wuxian’s side to watch and shakes his head as the figure steps closer. “They really don’t know when to quit, do they?”

“Maybe Wen Zhuliu got tired and someone else thought they could get credit for breaking through.” Wei Wuxian watches with no shortage of amusement as the figure examines the shield, their body language looking for all the world like a curious child. Maybe it’s all they are even, under all the red and gold they’re wrapped up in. Maybe the mask is meant to hide how horrifically young they are. The mask forces them to adjust their entire stance to look at the shield from a different angle, as if they truly believe they’re going to find a weak spot if they just stare at the wall hard enough.

“Okay, I love this part,” Jiang Cheng admits, but no one is paying enough attention to the two of them to make him retract the admission. And it is admittedly kind of funny. This is at least the fourth person Wen Chao has sent to investigate, and each time a new mage approaches, they’ve watched another failure right along with the whole army of Lotus Pier.

Not that any of said mages seem very inclined to learn from each other. Every time they ignore their predecessors’ experience and try and touch the shield anyway. Every time, the barrier tosses them back like a rag doll.

This new person reaches out just like all the rest, and Wei Wuxian waits for the inevitable embarrassment he and Jiang Cheng can laugh about together every time they tell this story for the rest of their lives. He holds his breath, stifling the laughter that’s trying to loose itself even as the mage’s fingertips brush the barrier.

And there, the laughter dies. For a moment, nothing happens, which is worrisome enough. It’s different, and as much as Wei Wuxian appreciates variety, in this case, different is bad. The mage isn’t thrown into the water or even back on the boat, much to Wei Wuxian’s concern. The real horror comes a few seconds later when the barrier flickers, an anemic stutter, convulsing somewhat sluggishly under the mage’s palm. And then it’s gone. For a second, the whole world seems to go still, Lotus Pier bathed in a newfound darkness.

It’s not a disaster, not at first. The mages maintaining the shield should be far enough removed to bring it back up in an instant, but that instant never comes. The barrier doesn’t reappear when the mage looks up at the empty air now surrounding Lotus Pier. It doesn’t spring back into place when they step out of the boat onto the pier. It remains inert even when the figure reaches out, weaponless and unarmored, for the soldier unfortunate enough to be nearest crumpling right there on his feet. Even as the soldier crumples under the mage’s impossible magic, the shield stays down.

So, it’s just like this that Lotus Pier is lost.

Oh, it doesn’t happen all at once. They fight for all their worth, making sure every step of progress costs Wen Chao dearly. And it does. The boardwalk runs red, and at first it seems like they’re winning because very little of it belongs to anyone who calls Lotus Pier home.

But it isn’t Wen Chao’s army that’s the problem. It’s the other person (mage? Monster? Hard to say.) that brings ruin with them in every step. With their robes so thoroughly covering their feet, they seem to float across the pier and onto solid ground, avoiding the conflict all around them, not even seeming to notice it. It’s impossible to say with the mask, but their body language is utterly impassive, ignoring the din of combat and the screams of the injured and dying.

They look directly at no one, only absently reaching out to touch the soldiers who come to stop them. The contact is almost a caress, like a saint offering their blessing in the shape of a gruesome death, all the more eerie as the fires the barrier was stopping begin to catch. This must be the weapon that allowed Wen Chao to decimate an entire village so thoroughly.

Even with Suibian, Wei Wuxian doesn’t stand much of a chance against them in a fair fight. Reckless, but not pointlessly suicidal, he focuses on the fight he can win, cutting deftly through the Qishan soldiers still trying to storm Lotus Pier.

That Jiang Cheng is at his side makes him miss Lan Zhan for the brief space Wei Wuxian allows himself to think about it. This is worlds better than most mages he’s partnered up with, the ones who dismiss skill with a sword as too pedestrian to matter. He and Jiang Cheng aren’t at cross purposes, which is excellent. Only they don’t really fight together either. Not the way he and Lan Zhan had.

It’s perhaps that lack of cohesiveness that keeps Wei Wuxian from noticing at first when they’re physically separated. One moment, there’s a welcome flash of purple amidst the spreading smoke at the periphery of his vision. The next, he’s alone amidst the enemy, driven back slightly towards the palace.

Fear makes no appearance as Wei Wuxian quickly gets his bearings. He’s not afraid of being isolated, trusting in his own skills to get him through. It is, however, terribly inconvenient.

“You.”

At first glance, Wei Wuxian doesn’t see Wen Chao at all, only hearing him somewhere beyond the soldiers closing in on him. He’s shocked, really, that Wen Chao would put himself in harm’s way. Shocked, but grimly delighted. He doesn’t have a solution yet for the real danger, but he knows exactly what to do with a monster like this.

Now, if he can just get the timing down. Wei Wuxian ducks and weaves between fighting soldiers, glancing down only long enough to retrieve the array he’s after without being seen. The lines light up just as they should, masked by the fires blazing all around them. With any luck, if he couldn’t see Wen Chao, then Wen Chao couldn’t see him either. Committing fully to the part of overwhelmed refugee, Wei Wuxian smiles to himself just briefly before stumbling dramatically from the fray.

Judging from the way Wen Chao smirks, he buys Wei Wuxian’s startled, fearful expression.

“Ah…ahaha. Fancy meeting you here,” Wei Wuxian stammers, clutching Suibian in both hands like he’s not quite sure what to do with a sword. He trips and stumbles as he backs up along the boardwalk, appearing to flee and waiting for Wen Chao to take the bait.

“You’re a little far from home, aren’t you?” Wen Chao taunts. He takes a step closer and then another, and Wei Wuxian swallows down a smile. Just a little further.

Wei Wuxian shakes visibly, backing up towards the end of the pier. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you mean.”

As much as he worries he’s laying it on too thick, Wen Chao appears all too happy to be fooled by the act. “What? You thought you could just put on some new clothes and no one would notice that you’re somewhere you don’t belong?”

Laughter might not be the most prudent response, and it definitely isn’t in line with the fearful, inexperienced mage act he’s trying to pull off, but the whole thing is too on the nose for Wei Wuxian to do anything else. Wen Chao glares trying to get the upper hand, completely failing to take note of Wei Wuxian’s careful shift to line himself up with the trap that’s been set, so maybe it was a good response after all. “What the hell is so funny?”

“Just that I already did that,” Wei Wuxian replies vaguely, managing to sober up. Just to make sure Wen Chao gets drawn in, forced to juggle conversation with everything else, he adds, “It turns out I’m pretty good at it.”

“You’re really not that good. I picked you out right away,” Wen Chao stalks closer like he honestly believes he’s the predator in this equation, which just might be the most hilarious part of this. He watches Wei Wuxian dance just out of reach of his hands towards the edge where only rushing water awaits, offering a self-satisfied smirk as Wei Wuxian feigns dismay at being trapped. “Tell you what. I’m not unreasonable. Go ahead. Open a portal to Cloud Recesses, I’ll let you take your last breath there.”

“Generous offer.” A smile tugs at Wei Wuxian’s lips as Wen Chao reaches for him. He ducks deftly out of the way, forcing Wen Chao to take a step closer.

He waits a beat, weaving in the other direction, before he teases. “I’m afraid I have to decline.”

The face he makes, one would think Wen Chao never heard a 'no' before in his life. “You can’t protect them.”

Trying to balance keeping up this ruse long enough to spring a trap with observing what Wen Chao is doing exactly, Wei Wuxian makes a production out of answering. “What? Oh. Oh no it’s not that. It’s just, well, hmmm. Wow. This is so awkward.”

“Spit it out.” Apparently, Wen Chao doesn't appreciate the theatrics, which, rude. He put effort into that. It was funny. It was funny for Wei Wuxian anyway.

“Yup. Yeah, I can… sure do that," Wei Wuxian immediately agrees, holding his hands up in a placating gesture, sword and all. His mouth twitches a little despite his best efforts. "It’s just that, well, you missed a couple of teensy tiny details.”

Wen Chao doesn't reply in words, but he's watching Wei Wuxian expectantly as they continue down the pier. “I’m not from Gusu.”

Not waiting for a response, Wei Wuxian smiles as he dances out of reach and adds, “I’m not even a mage.”

The edge of the illusion shimmers, and Wei Wuxian neatly steps over the gap. “Do you know what I am?”

There. Wei Wuxian cackles at Wen Chao’s wide eyed expression as he finally steps into the makeshift trap. Like all of Wei Wuxian’s arrays, it’s a small, innocuous thing. It’s a tiny illusion, just the appearance of a flat surface rather than the broken plank Wei Wuxian had noted earlier. Wen Chao stumbles forward before managing to right himself, but that slight misstep is all the opening Wei Wuxian was waiting for.

In one smooth movement he shifts his grip on Suibian and drops down, swinging the blade in an outward arc and catching Wen Chao’s calf with the sharp edge of it. It's not that deep, but Wen Chao wails like he’s been run through, losing his balance, and Wei Wuxian follows that teetering motion just as effortlessly. It’s almost too easy to sweep Wen Chao’s feet out from under him with a well placed kick, and within a few seconds, Wei Wuxian is on his feet and looming over his prone opponent. Suibian’s black metal blade glints in the firelight as he holds the tip of it against Wen Chao’s throat. “Faster than you.”

“I’m going to kill you,” Wen Chao snarls, to Wei Wuxian’s amusement. There’s little to be afraid of so long as he keeps clear of Wen Chao’s hands, and really, he’d like to know how this guy has any power of his own when the damage Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan attributed to him was so clearly the work of someone else. Maybe it was all some kind of illusion, but that’s a puzzle for a later Wei Wuxian who isn’t busy trying to put an end to an assault on his home. “You’re going to die.”

“Is this supposed to be different from some other version of things where I didn’t embarrass you and you were… wait, no. You were still trying to kill me.” He punctuates the question with a slight press of the sword against Wen Chao’s throat. “I like this one better, and I think what you meant to say is that you’re going to call off your soldiers before my hand happens to slip.”

“You’ll never get the chance,” Wen Chao hisses, squirming away from the tip of Wei Wuxian’s sword.

“What was that? I don’t think I quite-” Wei Wuxian’s words are cut off on a sharp cry as he’s tossed to the side, his shoulder blades hitting one of the pier posts with a heavy thud. Breathless, Wei Wuxian fights not to slump to the ground, and promptly loses.

There’s so much smoke from this angle that it clouds his vision. Shouting and the clang of metal upon metal drowns out anything else. He’s woozy, so thrown by the attack that he doesn’t realize what he’s seeing emerge from the fight until the masked figure is nearly on top of him.

Up close they appear as fragile as spun glass, a waifish figure in thin silk that billows out as if made of the smoke they seem to glide right through. Delicate epaulets of chains and gemstones drape about their shoulders, hanging from an ornate choker. Along with the mask, it all glitters in the firelight, so bright and delicate that Wei Wuxian has difficulty reconciling it with the destruction they’ve caused.

The movement is sluggish, but he rolls to his knees and lurches upright, just as the mage reaches him. He parries their outstretched hand with the flat of his sword just in time, but it’s not enough to protect him from the power they’re wielding. Taking advantage of his distraction, they reach with their other hand, fingers brushing over his knuckles where he clings to Suibian’s hilt, so subtle that it could be a caress.

Well, it could be if not for the agony. He’s felt it before, at Wen Chao’s hand, but this is so, so much worse. Wei Wuxian’s jerky, disjointed steps aren’t enough to keep him from feeling like his organs are being turned inside out, and though he grits his teeth against the sensation, he can’t quite stifle the pained sound that wrenches its way free.

Too slow to save himself, he’s only spared because the mage jerks their hand away as abruptly as they’d reached out. His ears are wet, and something drips like teardrops down his face, but when he wipes the back of his hand against it, his knuckles come away bright red. Definitely the same magic, then. That seems bad in a whole new way he hadn’t considered.

“Wei Ying?” The mage interrupts his frantic thoughts. Their head tilts to the side, but there’s no telling what they’re trying to convey. Only the glow of their red, red eyes is visible through the mask’s blank veneer.

Great. That’s just great. They’re in his head too. It doesn’t feel like they’re in his head, but they said his name, his birth name, and he certainly hadn’t introduced himself. Shaking off the muddled feeling as best he can, Wei Wuxian squares his shoulders, looking for an opening to take advantage of.

“Wei Ying,” The mage whispers, more a movement of their lips than a sound at all. They shudder as they move, like they’re… It almost looks like they’re fighting against their own body. A lurch forward, a shaky step back. An outstretched hand to attack. A shaking fist to avoid touching Wei Wuxian at all.

Wei Wuxian adjusts his grip on Suibian. “Do I know you?”

“Wei Ying.” A little louder this time, and he… he knows that voice, Wei Wuxian thinks, if he just had a moment to place it.

Not that he gets a moment to do anything of the sort. They draw close enough to touch him and he can do nothing to stop it. His feet won’t budge despite his best efforts. His body refuses to flinch away as they close in. He can’t even tremble when they reach for him.

They could kill him here, helpless and frozen, so it is an unexpected act of mercy that the hand the mage presses to Wei Wuxian’s chest only serves to throw him violently backwards. He lands amidst the smoldering ruins of a shed, coughing as he tries to catch his breath. At least his limbs are doing as they’re told again, for all the good it does him sprawled amidst the wreckage.

He tries, really, but by the time Wei Wuxian sits up, it’s already too late. A handful of guards are already closing in on him with Wen Zhuliu among them. He must have been occupied when Wei Wuxian was going toe to toe with Wen Chao, but he certainly isn’t now. Even having had some distance and a few days to recover, his body associates Wen Zhuliu with the compulsion spell Wei Wuxian had suffered through and responds accordingly. Heart racing, Wei Wuxian blindly grasps for Suibian. “You again.”

Wen Zhuliu doesn’t even have the decency to reply, stalking closer with the same bored expression he’d been wearing every other time Wei Wuxian encountered him. Wei Wuxian staggers back to his feet, tipped dangerously forward as he tries to regain his balance.

Look, Wei Wuxian is an optimist. He’s resourceful to a fault. But, he also knows when he’s beat. No matter how he fights - and he will - there’s no escaping this. Panting with the effort it takes to be upright, Wei Wuxian shifts his grip, readying an attack. He might be going down, but he’s taking them with him.

And so it begins. Wei Wuxian’s body protests every move, but he meets the soldiers closest to him blow for blow. A clever change in footwork sends one tumbling into the other’s sword, and from there it’s quick work to take them both out.

The next fare no better, succumbing to his own blade this time. Wei Wuxian pushes and pushes, knowing he’ll pay for it later if he survives long enough for a later to come. That’s a pretty small price for said survival. One by one the soldiers fall, and for a second Wei Wuxian thinks he might come out the other side of this after all.

He very well might have succeeded if not for Wen Zhuliu, muttering words that mean nothing to Wei Wuxian. All he knows is that one moment he’s turning on his heel to lunge at Wen Zhuliu. The next, with a flick of the man’s wrist, Wei Wuxian stumbles, sent sprawling backwards onto his back once more.

There are many things Wei Wuxian dislikes about Wen Chao, but his voice might be the worst. Somewhere above the cacophony of battle, there’s a high, nasally cackle, like Wen Chao thinks Wei Wuxian’s impending doom is for his own entertainment above all else. No matter how Wei Wuxian struggles, the spell that had knocked him from his feet keeps him pinned as Wen Chao appears overhead.

“Hold on. That mark. That’s- That must make you the stray Jiang Fengmian took in.” In all the confusion, Wen Chao’s comment sparks no recognition until Wei Wuxian realizes it’s his armor being pointed at. The lotus stamped into the hardened leather spaulders had meant so much at the time, the closest anyone ever came to telling him he belonged here. Now, it only serves to egg Wen Chao on. “After everything you pulled, you’re not even important? Just some glorified servant that doesn’t know your place.”

Are you done? Wei Wuxian tries, and fails to say. He can’t even interrupt Wen Chao’s monologue, as close to paralyzed as he is. Somehow, that’s so much worse than not being able to move.

Wei Wuxian hadn’t entirely expected to live through the night, but going out at Wen Chao’s hand of all people is just insulting. He struggles uselessly against the spell that’s holding him. When Wen Chao reaches for him, Wei Wuxian refuses to flinch just on principle (not that his body would do it anyway), though the village is still fresh in his mind and he knows what’s coming. Instead, he smiles, more a baring of teeth than anything. With far more effort than is fair, he finally manages to speak. “But you still can’t beat me in a fair fight.”

The blow Wei Wuxian expects never comes, interrupted by a burst of light and sound that creates a barrier between him and Wen chao. It’s not so different from the one that had surrounded Lotus Pier, forcing the soldiers cornering him to flee or be crushed under the phantom weight of it. It curves protectively around him to keep them from returning. That’s… unexpected. In all the smoke, he can’t find a source for the magic, but only barely manages to lift a hand, confirming he’s in control of his body again, before the answer comes to him instead. Madame Yu scowls, but for once her anger doesn’t seem directed at him. “Get up.”

In his defense, he does try to do as he’s told, despite the residual energy from Wen Zhuliu’s spell leaving him wobbling like a newborn colt. She doesn’t give him time to regain his balance, grabbing his elbow the minute he gets precariously upright. With no word of explanation, she drags him away from where he’d fallen.

She drags him away from… everything.

They’re nearly back at the palace before Wei Wuxian realizes they’re escaping the chaos rather than wading further into it. Despite the battle taking place outside, the halls are still empty and uncomfortably silent. It makes sense that they’d go this way if she means to have him repair the shield, but Wei Wuxian doesn’t think that’s what it is. With the enemy already in Lotus Pier, it’s much too late for that to be of any use. There’s nothing else she’d acknowledge he’s especially good at, so he waits for some indication of why she’d want him to waste his time on it, but they reach the entry to the throne room and keep right walking past it, Madame Yu glaring resolutely ahead as she takes him deeper inside.

“Don’t you… want me back out there?” he asks, trying to adjust his pace to match hers, but Madame Yu doesn’t bother to answer him. Dread twists in the pit of his stomach as she leads him further and further from his post. It’s the plan. That’s always been the plan. Things must be going poorly if she, of all people, is deviating from her own orders, but Wei Wuxian doesn’t realize just how poorly until they reach their destination.

“What are you talking about? I’m not just leaving. My place is right here,” Jiang Cheng is protesting as they walk in, but the anguish splashed across his features doesn’t match his bluster.

Jiang Fengmian opens his mouth to reply, but Madame Yu speaks up first, shoving Wei Wuxian roughly into the guest bedroom they’re hidden away in as she does. “It wasn’t a request.”

Wei Wuxian has never once heard Jiang Cheng talk back to his parents. Not until tonight. Even now, the argument between Jiang Cheng and Jiang Fengmian is mostly lost when Madame Yu roughly jerks him off to the side, forcing him to look in her direction.

“Whether tonight had anything to do with you or not…” That Madame Yu pauses is uncharacteristic enough to draw Wei Wuxian’s attention. She must have heard Wen Chao and realized this attack had nothing to do with him, then. It’s not an apology, nor an outright admission that she was wrong about him. He’d sooner get water from a stone than get either of those from Madame Yu, but Wei Wuxian doesn’t begrudge it. He doesn’t need her remorse. It’s enough to know that she realizes his choices weren’t the betrayal she thought they were.

He must smile at her, because Madame Yu’s expression abruptly sours further. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that right now you do as you’re told. If you can’t follow orders for once, what happens to Jiang Cheng will be your fault.”

It’s a low blow if there ever was one, weaponizing the ease with which Wei Wuxian takes the blame for things, but she isn’t wrong, per se. Fleeing Lotus Pier runs counter to every fiber of his being, opposite everything his deep seated sense of loyalty shouts at him to do. But he glances at Jiang Cheng, still arguing fruitlessly with Jiang Fengmian, and nods once at Madame Yu in something like agreement.

Satisfied with Wei Wuxian’s promised compliance, she turns her attention away, beginning to pull Zidian from its resting place on her wrist. He’s never seen her without it. He’s also never seen her express anything resembling affection, so Wei Wuxian quickly turns away when she drags Jiang Cheng into her arms. It’s an intimacy not intended for him.

A hand on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder startles him into looking up at Jiang Fengmian, who’s expression is remarkably calm all considered. “You have to go collect Jiang Yanli. She’s not safe there.”

“Not safe… with her fiance?” Wei Wuxian has no complaints about an excuse to see Jiang Yanli and no love at all for anyone in the Jin household, but not safe sounds a little extreme. Well, more accurately, it sounds a little extreme coming from Jiang Fengmian.

“After this, there will be no avoiding a war,” Jiang Fengmian hedges, letting Wei Wuxian come to the conclusion he desires without ever saying anything impolitic. Just like Cloud Recesses. There’s not even anyone to hear, and no possible consequences worse than what’s happening, so Wei Wuxian assumes it must just be habit.

And just like Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian does work out what isn’t being said, finishing the thought Jiang Fengmian carefully did not. “And Jin Guanshan will do what’s good for Jin Guanshan, so there’s no telling which side of things he’s going to come down on.”

It must be what he wants Wei Wuxian to say about Lanling because Jiang Fengmian pivots away from politics with no further comment. Glancing Jiang Cheng’s way he lowers his voice. “You’ll look after them, won’t you? They’re going to need you.”

I’ll need them too, he thinks, but Jiang Fengmian gives no indication of wanting his vulnerability, so Wei Wuxian keeps that part to himself. “Of course I will.”

If Jiang Fengmian replies, Wei Wuxian doesn’t hear it. Wen Chao’s men have breached the palace itself, it sounds like, indecipherably shouting echoing down the hall beyond this room.

Abruptly, something curls around Wei Wuxian and yanks, forcing him to stumble backwards. Before he can even try to fight it he’s pinned back to back with Jiang Cheng, who is still protesting. Not that either of them can do anything about it. Looking down, they’re held by Zidian’s length wrapped around them, and the more Wei Wuxian struggles, the tighter he’s held.

There’s no real chance to resist, and nowhere to go like this, but Madame Yu still grabs him roughly by the arm until Wei Wuxian looks at her.

“You protect my child, Wei Wuxian. With your life, if it comes to it. Do you understand?” Even now, with each second drawing closer to the last time they ever see each other, the words are sharp. He’s not sure if she’s just like that or if she intends to wound with an announcement of what Jiang Cheng is to remind him of what he is not. He can’t bring himself to blame her for it. When he doesn’t reply right away, she shakes him. “Do you understand?”

At the edge of his field of vision, a portal springs to life in the darkened room, promising escape whether he wants to or not. Out of words for once, Wei Wuxian nods, because of course he’s going to. Nothing less had crossed his mind.

Presumably satisfied, Madame Yu shoves them both through the portal with no warning at all. They fall in a heap in the woods somewhere Wei Wuxian doesn’t recognize. Far away, probably. Tree branches crowd out the stars overhead, leaving the world around them dark save for the slightly incredibly muted light from the portal. Not even light so much as less intense darkness.

He suspects they’re both equally unwilling to abandon Lotus Pier, so Wei Wuxian tries to get up and hopes for the best. As he flounders, trying to get his feet under him, Jiang Cheng has the same idea, and with a great deal of cursing and leaning against a nearby tree, they almost manage.

Not that it does them any good. Somewhere in the midst of their struggle the portal blinks out of existence, taking every trace of the home they left behind with it. Everything, that is, but each other. Robbed of a way back, there’s not much point in continuing, so with an aggravated sigh, Jiang Cheng slumps back against him.

“Wait. You could just portal us back, couldn’t you?” Wei Wuxian asks as he tests the binding around them. It still doesn’t budge.

“I could if there was enough slack to move my arms the way I need to.” Once, Wei Wuxian would have mistaken the tone as Jiang Cheng being angry with him, but he knows better these days. In all fairness, right now Jiang Cheng is probably angry at everything.

There’s nothing he can say on the matter that’s likely to help. Zidian will let them go eventually, but that’s not much of a comfort when everything they love is falling apart somewhere out of reach.

---

It might be hours or only minutes, but it certainly feels like a long time before Zidian begins to loosen around them. Discomfort has long since set in from being forced to sit still in one position, so when Wei Wuxian finds he can move, even a little, he’s quick to take advantage.

“I’m going back,” Jiang Cheng growls the moment they begin to make progress on getting free, and the words twist miserably under Wei Wuxian’s breastbone. There’s no winning. He can’t protect Jiang Cheng if they return to Lotus Pier. Jiang Cheng will never forgive him - he’ll never forgive himself - if they don’t.

It’s so much easier to make these decisions when the only life Wei Wuxian is putting in harm’s way is his own. That he should stop Jiang Cheng lingers at the back of his mind. He’s supposed to, isn’t he? It’s what he promised.

But it’s not right.

“No.” Wei Wuxian wriggles his way out of Zidian’s grip finally. Without him taking up space, the binding collapses entirely, and the whip snaps back into the bracelet that houses it. With a murmur of relief that he can finally move, Wei Wuxian hauls himself to his feet and holds out his hand to Jiang Cheng. “We’re going back.”

It’s not a smile Jiang Cheng gives him exactly, too flinty to be anything of the sort. Jiang Cheng takes his hand though, just long enough to stand upright. Even as he lets go, he’s murmuring a spell Wei Wuxian is beginning to recognize. The landscape that opens in front of them is close enough to Lotus Pier to be familiar, a tucked away bit of land along the river bank where they shouldn’t be seen.

Standing here beside Jiang Cheng with home just a few steps away, Wei Wuxian can almost believe their stubborn determination is going to be enough.

---

It’s not enough. They both recognize that much from the moment they get their bearings and spot the silhouette of Lotus Pier on the horizon. The sky is just beginning to lighten, a dull gray backdrop, just light enough that the smoke billowing from what’s left of their home rises in stark contrast. Flames no longer lick at the walls of the palace, and the world around them is all but silent, devoid of all the signs of life they’d expect to hear by now. It’s the eerie calm of an aftermath promising that the worst is over. No fight waits for them. It’s not the reassurance it might be, only announcing that they’re too late to do anything that matters.

There’s no one left to save in there. He knows it. Jiang Cheng knows it. Wei Wuxian bites down on the words anyway, and they both obstinately press on.

Much like things had gone for Wei Wuxian in Qishan, it’s almost laughably easy to sneak back into Lotus Pier. No one is expecting anyone to try to enter a place they should be fleeing, so not a soul notices the two of them slip in through the most out of the way entrance. After all the years the two of them spent horsing around and getting into trouble, they know the city by heart, even with much of it in ruins. It’s not such a difficult thing to find their way to higher ground to stay out of sight. They walk along the rooftops of the houses that yesterday surrounded a lively marketplace, offering some measure of cover as they make their way towards the palace grounds.

It was over long before they even found their way back to Lotus Pier from where Madame Yu had dumped them. That abstract knowledge does absolutely nothing to prepare Wei Wuxian for what’s left. He catches the scent of it before he sees it, the point at which the smoke is more nuanced, where it begins to tell a story. It smells of something other than old lumber that he can’t stomach thinking about. But refusing to give it a name doesn’t mute the horror any. Even then, that awful warning can’t quite silence the awful hitch of his breathing when he sees the palace courtyard for the first time in hours.

The worst of the fighting had been between the palace and the river. Qishan soldiers are in the midst of clearing the bodies from the boardwalk… and everywhere else. Mostly, they’re wearing familiar armor, but a closer look stands as a sickening testament to their lack of mercy. Among the soldiers are just people. Unmistakably civilians, the most vulnerable and defenseless among them, cut down for the misfortune of living here. He drags in a ragged, grieving gasp when he spots even the children he’d played with just hours ago, still in their sleep clothes as if dragged from their beds.

Wei Wuxian looks up at the quiet shuffle of footsteps beside him on the roof to find Jiang Cheng creeping closer. Jiang Fengmian and Madame Yu had not been visible among the dead, but that doesn’t mean anything good. Wei Wuxian hurries hoping maybe he could at least protect Jiang Cheng from that.

The thought comes too late to be of use, because the answer to the question they hadn’t dared to ask lies in view at the far end of the roof they’re already on. From here, they can see the terrace, Wei Wuxian’s invention shattered and two bodies side by side, bled out unmistakably against the pale tile.

There’s really no blaming Jiang Cheng for the choked sob that escapes him, but consequences care nothing at all about blame. Wei Wuxian hastily clamps one hand over Jiang Cheng’s mouth, using the other to drag him into a haphazard embrace that’s meant to be comforting, but feels painfully inadequate. It isn’t making him feel any better, anyway. It’s not fast enough to keep two of Wen Chao’s men from looking up in search of the noise.

With a great deal of effort, Wei Wuxian manages to drag Jiang Cheng out of sight before they’re spotted, but someone below is shouting orders to search the area, so they can’t stay here. They flee the way they came and then beyond, unable to afford opening a portal with the enemy so close behind them. The echo of it would remain too long to allow them a clean escape.

They both knew, bound by Zidian and staring at empty air, that there was only one possible outcome. They knew, but distance allowed for denial, hope lingering so long as they didn’t confront the truth. There’s no more pretending now though, no pushing away the dread now that they’ve seen everything they were afraid of with their own two eyes.

Wei Wuxian loses track of how long they run for. They do until all that surrounds them is wilderness. Until their lungs all but give out. Until they lack the energy to do anything but collapse in the tall grass with their grief.

---

Wei Wuxian wakes to the first fat drops of rain from an incoming storm splattering against his face. For one blissful moment, the only thing he feels is confusion about why he’s asleep out here, but the relief is only momentary. As he sits up, Jiang Cheng’s prone form fills his field of vision, and recollection of the night before along with it.

They’re well and truly lost now. Not physically. He has some sense of where they are in the world. But there’s no home to go back to and nowhere to take refuge. Even detouring to Lanling is out of the question because what good is it to steal Jiang Yanli out of harm’s way only to put her back in it? At least with the Jin she’s got a roof over her head.

Jiang Cheng lies so still that it’s startling to look over and find him watching Wei Wuxian. Sort of. His eyes are open and pointed in Wei Wuxian’s direction, but he doesn’t seem to be seeing much of anything. Unable to stand it for very long, Wei Wuxian tries to reach him, asking, “Where do you want to go?”

At first, Jiang Cheng says nothing, continuing to stare blankly. He looks just about how Wei Wuxian feels, so it would be horribly uncharitable to point out that they can’t just stay here out in the rain indefinitely. They can’t though.

Just as he’s working himself up to prod a little further, Jiang Cheng blinks, focusing a little more specifically on Wei Wuxian. It’s not relieving the way it might have been, not when the reply is a miserably cracking whimper. “Home.”

Wei Wuxian had been doing so well (by some definition of the word), successfully refusing himself the space to mourn. He’s been teetering on the knife edge of it though, and that single word undoes him. Jaw trembling, Wei Wuxian looks heavenward, willing away the dampness suddenly beginning to collect in the corners of his eyes. “Me too.”

For a while longer they linger, anchorless and adrift. He made a promise though, and eventually that cuts through Wei Wuxian’s misery enough to make him get up. With no more idea of where they’re going to go than he’d had a moment ago, he holds out his hand just as he had the night before.

This time Jiang Cheng just stares at it, hovering in the air outstretched. Wei Wuxian waits, even though it appears pointless to do so. What else is he supposed to do? Patience keeps Wei Wuxian in place, or perhaps just apathy about his own comfort. Either way, it’s eventually rewarded by a shuddering breath and Jiang Cheng’s hand in his.

“Where are we going to go?” he asks when Jiang is standing once more, hoping to provoke some kind of input.

If there’s an answer to be had, it doesn’t come in words. Jiang Cheng shrugs, but he does start walking, and Wei Wuxian decides it’ll do for now. Maybe for now one foot in front of the other is the best they can hope for.

---

Their escape is so aimless that Wei Wuxian is genuinely surprised when they spot another sign of life. The village is smallish, mostly just a collection of houses. It’s probably not wise to stop anywhere for long, but Wei Wuxian’s stomach growls, reminding him that they haven’t eaten for probably an entire day now, and the trip isn’t going to get any easier. Deciding the risk of stopping for a meal is a necessary one, Wei Wuxian grabs hold of Jiang Cheng’s sleeve and drags him towards the village.

And towards danger in the process.

By the time the two of them are close enough to see the soldiers, they’re also close enough for the soldiers to see them. They dart between buildings for cover, but even before they reach the furthest one, Wei Wuxian realizes they’re only delaying the inevitable. There’s nowhere to go. Not with Wen Chao’s men closing in, cutting off each escape route one by one.

The furthest few buildings form somewhat of an alleyway, so he drags Jiang Cheng to duck into it, hiding as long as they can. It’s pouring again, and Wei Wuxian has rarely been so grateful for the rain as he is right now. It’s miserable to stand in, but it covers their unsteady breathing as they press against the wall of a building as if to become a part of it.

None of the possible outcomes are good ones. If they’re lucky, they just die here. They can’t run fast enough to elude everyone. A portal is all too easy to follow if the soldiers see it before the echo disappears. If they split up, the best case scenario is that one of them escapes, and there’s no real way to make sure that one is Jiang Cheng.

Unless there is.

The solution is pretty straightforward when Wei Wuxian lands on it. It’s a bit of a gamble, but he’ll take any chance at all over inevitable failure. Jiang Cheng looks exhausted and grief stricken in a way Wei Wuxian can’t hope to fix. He smiles anyway, pushing a damp strand of hair out of Jiang Cheng’s face. “I’m going to draw them away and then you have to go.”

“Like hell I will. I’m not just leaving you here with them,” Jiang Cheng argues, eyes widening in horror at the prospect. It’s the most life Wei Wuxian has seen out of him since they woke up.

“I promised to protect you,” Wei Wuxian points out because it’s the only reasoning that might be palatable to Jiang Cheng. Admitting that he’d do this anyway, that he cares too much to do anything else, would only make Jiang Cheng reject his input entirely.

Even the answer he gives out loud makes Jiang Cheng huff irritably at him. “That’s not protecting me, Wei Wuxian. That’s suicide.”

He’d expected Jiang Cheng to argue, but they don’t have time for it. Swallowing down his fear, Wei Wuxian teases, “I’ve snuck into the palace in Nightless City right under their noses. You really think I can’t get out of here? I’m just buying time. I’ll catch up.”

Jiang Cheng scowls, probably sensing how likely it is that Wei Wuxian will give himself up. For the first time in years, Wei Wuxian wishes Jiang Cheng didn’t care enough to bother knowing him this well. “We go together or not at all.”

It’s a reassuring sentiment, and Wei Wuxian is incredibly grateful, but there’s no time. Panic begins to creep in around the edges because he promised to protect Jiang Cheng. He promised. He can’t fail at this too.

Somewhere in the midst of all the noise in his head, Wei Wuxian grasps at another answer. There’s a peculiar sort of peace in that, despite the particulars being anything but peaceful. Jiang Cheng may never forgive Wei Wuxian for this, but that’s an acceptable risk. Better that Jiang Cheng hate Wei Wuxian forever if that means he’s alive to do so.

“Okay. Okay, together, then.” Wei Wuxian lies, hoping the rush of water around them hides the faint catch in his voice. “Open a portal.”

Jiang Cheng shakes his head in agitation, glancing in the direction of voices drawing nearer. “We already talked about this. It won’t dissipate fast enough to keep them from following.”

“I have a plan.” He’s a hair’s breadth away from begging, desperate to make this work before the option is snatched out from under them. “Trust me?”

“I…” Jiang Cheng scowls, but there’s a familiar bent to it and Wei Wuxian knows he’s won. Maybe, if he’s very, very lucky, this won’t be the last time he ever sees it. “Where to?”

It’s a dangerous gambit, handing Jiang Cheng off to anyone with no way to ensure they don’t just turn him over to Qishan to save themselves. Lanling is entirely out of the question, and no matter how close Nie Huisang is, Wei Wuxian doesn’t know his friend’s brother nearly enough to trust the man with his own. So, Wei Wuxian picks the only option left, the one place in the world right now where there’s someone whose intentions he’s certain of. “Cloud Recesses.”

“Of course,” Jiang Cheng mutters, rolling his eyes in a way that’s so familiar, he almost looks like himself. There’s no argument though, no delay before he lifts his hands to begin the spell, and the air before them begins to ripple.

It’s a different thing to see this sort of magic in the rain, the way the water spreads and drips away, like the nothingness before them is a physical object. If every hammering heartbeat wasn’t bringing their doom a little bit closer, Wei Wuxian might let himself be awestruck by how eerie the shimmering edges are as they take shape against the bleak backdrop of a rainy alleyway. As it is, he’s too busy shuffling through the handful of arrays he pocketed before they ran, looking for the one that will let him complete his plan. There are few he hasn’t spent, but the spell he’s looking for is among them much to Wei Wuxian’s relief.

Just as the portal solidifies, peeling away to reveal the quiet woods framing the stairs to Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian picks up the unwelcome cadence of a familiar voice and his heart all but seizes in his chest. It’s muffled by the wall behind him, but there’s only a building left between them and far too many soldiers to fight off.

His attention is drawn back by Jiang Cheng roughly shaking his shoulder, the portal holding steady. “We have to go!”

“Right behind you.” Perhaps this is the last lie he’ll ever tell someone who matters to him.

Just as Jiang Cheng turns his back, he strikes. Wei Wuxian presses a paper between Jiang Cheng’s shoulder blades and magic flares to life before he can even react to the contact. It’s a harmless thing on its own, a sleep spell silencing Jiang Cheng’s angry protest before it makes it past his lips, leaving him wobbling dangerously, the portal already flickering as he loses his hold on it.

Before it can disappear entirely, Wei Wuxian pushes Jiang Cheng through the dissipating magic, catching only the barest glimpse of him landing safely beside the nearly endless staircase. And then it’s all gone, a terrible loss and a relief all at once. By the time Jiang Cheng wakes, perhaps he’ll have the sense not to go back for Wei Wuxian.

One can hope.

All that’s left is to make sure Wen Chao never realizes what happened, keeping away anyone who might be able to trace the magic before the echo of it disappears entirely. The surest way is to make sure they have no reason to come looking at all, so Wei Wuxian steps out into the open, whistling all the while. He waves at the soldiers like they’re old friends, like there’s nothing threatening about them immediately beginning to close in around him. “Looking for me?”

---

It’s not hubris to say that Wei Wuxian is the best at what he does. He hasn’t lost a fair fight in years. Even utterly exhausted and resigned to the fact that he won’t be escaping this, Wei Wuxian is confident that he can make catching him costly.

And he does, after a fashion. He’s cut down four Qishan soldiers before one of them finds an opening, striking him at the base of his spine with something heavy and blunt. It wouldn’t be enough to take Wei Wuxian out under other circumstances, but he’s so badly outnumbered that they have him on his knees before he can recover. Suibian is kicked viciously from his grasp to settle in the mud beside him, and reality reasserts itself. It was exhilarating while it lasted, but there’s no version of this, Wei Wuxian is pretty sure, that ends with him alive.

It’s okay, though. No one has said anything about a portal, so Jiang Cheng is likely safe. Whatever the price of that is, it’s worth it.

“You’re a really aggravating person to hunt down. It’s not like you were ever really going to be able to save yourself. This would have been so much more efficient if you’d just stayed put,” Wen Chao complains, looking pointedly at Wei Wuxian, as if he’s owed an apology. Wei Wuxian refuses to give that pest the satisfaction. Even when he gets a boot to the center of his rib cage, knocking the breath from him, he says nothing. This isn’t even about Lotus Pier, Wei Wuxian realizes, abstractly delighted to be enough of a thorn in Wen Chao’s side as to make this personal. He could do without Wen Chao looming over where he’s been forced to kneel though. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to waste people’s time?”

Wei Wuxian snorts, unperturbed by Wen Chao’s posturing. He half expects Wen Chao to lean on his minions to finish the job, but Wen Zhulio and the peculiar masked mage stand silently off to the side, doing nothing to interfere. The rain pouring down forces Wei Wuxian to squeeze his eyes shut in an attempt to clear his vision, so he only hears the slide of metal on dirt as his captor picks up Suibian.

It’s clumsy, the way Wen Chao brings the sword up, useless if Wei Wuxian weren’t stopped from fighting back by the soldiers and the need to protect Jiang Cheng. Clumsy or not, Wei Wuxian can feel the threat of it when the sharp edge of Suibian nicks his throat as Wen Chao growls, “I asked you a question.”

It’s going to be like that, then. Well, there are worse ways to go. At least it’ll be quick. Smirking at Wen Chao, Wei Wuxian holds his head a little higher, baring his throat just a little bit more. “I had places to be. No one invited you, so if you decided to take it upon yourself to come along, that’s on you.”

Anything else Wei Wuxian might have said is cut off. He’d been bracing himself for Wen Chao to slit his throat, but suddenly the sword leaves his neck entirely. There is no elegance to the way Wen Chao jerks the blade downward instead, like a child playing with a toy, but one hardly needs to be an expert at such close range. Suibian runs Wei Wuxian through, a screaming sort of pressure that builds and builds until it breaks free, the hilt sticking menacingly out from his abdomen.

Wei Wuxian takes it back. This is an awful way to die.

Not that he can do anything about it now. Every move, no matter how small, jostles the injury, and it’s all he can do to keep the scream that wants to break free behind his teeth. Even if this particular injury takes its time, even if he could stagger his way to a healer, even if he could find Wen Qing, there’s no coming back from damage like this.

So, there’s really nothing left to lose.

There’s blood on the back of his tongue, which is a concerning but not unexpected turn of events, but Wei Wuxian smiles anyway, sharp edged and vicious. “Is that the best you’ve got?”

The affronted sound Wen Chao makes would be hilarious if Wei Wuxian could bear laughing about much of anything. It’s… actually, it’s a little funny anyway. As clever as the line is probably intended to be, he can’t take it seriously. “I’m just getting started.”

Great. That’s wonderful. This is hardly the company Wei Wuxian would have chosen to take to his grave.

To Wei Wuxian’s surprise, Wen Chao turns away from him entirely, addressing the soldiers instead. “Let’s go.”

“And him?” Wen Zhuliu asks, some of the only words Wei Wuxian has heard from the man that weren’t a spell.

“Bring him.”

---

It all goes sort of fuzzy after that. They drag Wei Wuxian back to Lotus Pier, a nightmare now without even the darkness of pre-dawn to hide it. The boardwalk is charred black in places. Whole buildings are burnt to the ground. But those are just things, and things can be replaced. People are another matter entirely, and the bodies he’d seen that morning remain, illustrating how thoroughly Qishan has decimated Lotus Pier.

Wen Chao walks ahead of him, gesturing widely at the carnage like an artist showing off their work. “I wanted you to have one last look, while you’re still conscious enough to recognize it.”

There are no tears this time. Just an angry snarl that looses itself from Wei Wuxian’s throat. “You’re going to pay for this.”

“Who’s going to make me?” Wen Chao leans until his face is only a few inches from Wei Wuxian’s. “Didn’t you bother to look? There’s no one left.”

“Then I’ll haunt you myself,” Wei Wuxian replies, unsure if there could be any truth to that. Ghosts are too rare an occurrence to know for certain, but it’s the best outcome he can hope for, so hope he does.

“Already making plans? Here I thought you’d at least beg me for your life.” Wen Chao turns his head long enough to tell Wen Zhuliu to open a portal… somewhere. Wei Wuxian loses the thread of conversation before he hears where, bowing his head where he stands. Sort of stands. Mostly, that’s an overly generous word for his sagging stance, held upright by a couple of soldiers. Roughly, Wen Chao grabs Wei Wuxian’s chin and jerks his face back up. “Go on. Beg.”

As if there’d be a point beyond Wen Chao’s gratification. Just because he’s dying doesn’t mean he’s willing to be pathetic about it. “Or what? You’ll kill me?”

“You think you’re so funny, don’t you?” Wen Chao asks, reaching down between them to twist Suibian’s hilt. The pain is so overwhelming that Wei Wuxian can feel bile rise in his throat, not that he can do anything about it. Curling in on himself the way the agony makes his body want to would only make the sword cut deeper.

At least Wen Chao doesn’t demand an answer, but that’s probably only because he’s content to watch Wei Wuxian nearly bite his own tongue to stifle a scream. It’s almost a relief when the portal springs to life at the end of the pier, just a few feet from the place Lan Zhan sent him back to. At least if someone is leaving, Wen Chao might let him die in peace.

Apparently not. Wen Chao berates Wen Zhuliu like he has any ground to stand on, like there’s anything remotely superior about him. “Are you an idiot? This isn’t the dungeon. It’s not even Nightless City. That’s… Oh wait, is that the Burial Mounds?”

Wen Zhuliu’s tone lacks inflection almost entirely, which makes it hard to hang onto any of what he’s saying, but Wei Wuxian is determined. “It appears to be. Something must have interfered with the spell. Shall I close it and try again?”

“No. No, I’ve got a much better idea.” Wen Chao motions to the guards to let go and curls a hand around Wei Wuxian’s throat until it’s all that keeps him upright. Wei Wuxian can barely focus, let alone fight back. He resists very little as Wen Chao shoves him to the end of the pier until only the balls of Wei Wuxian’s feet on the edge of the wood keep him from falling into the portal and down into an abyss. “Maybe you won’t beg, but you are going to tell me something.”

“If this was going to be an interrogation,” Wei Wuxian says sarcastically as he can manage under the circumstances, which honestly isn’t that much. By the end it’s not much more than a whisper, delivered through obstinance more than anything. “You should have planned better.”

If Wen Chao notices the attitude, he’s interested enough in the information he’s after not to do anything about it. “You’re going to tell me how a twit like you managed to beat a compulsion spell.”

Oh, that. Wei Wuxian wishes he could properly enjoy the fact that Wen Chao is still spinning his wheels over it. “And you’ll give me what? My life?”

Whether Wen Chao lacks the sense to at least pretend to negotiate or just thinks he doesn’t need to, he doesn’t bother. “Oh no. No, I’m still going to kill you. You’re just going to tell me how you managed to lie first.”

“You sure drive a hard bargain.” Wei Wuxian doesn’t mean to. Not at first. It’s just an amused huff that escapes him initially. But, he can’t help but cling to what amusement he can find facing down the inevitable. Before he knows it, he’s laughing, a wet, wheezing sort of sound, the the blood thick and viscous in his mouth. “Never be so reliant on magic that you forget the other tools at your disposal.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Self preservation has never been Wei Wuxian’s strong suit at the best of times, and there’s no no use at all for it now. On borrowed time, Wei Wuxian ditches any attempt at diplomacy. “Don’t you know the first rule of magic? It’s the first thing children learn. Oh wait. I forgot. You’re not a mage.”

“Don’t toy with me.” He’s not surprised by Wen Chao’s hand tightening around his throat, but it still makes catching his breath a little more difficult.

Laughing is harder this time too, the muscles in his abdomen clenching horribly around Suibian. Wei Wuxian chokes on it, but he still manages to grin at Wen Chao. “Or what? What more do you think you can do to me?”

“Conduit,” Wen Chao hisses, which isn’t an answer. It sounds like nonsense, except apparently Wen Chao wasn’t speaking to him since the masked mage steps closer. The energy that springs from Wen Chao’s fingers clasped around his throat isn’t new this time. The feeling that he’s being torn apart from the inside out isn’t either. But it is… different, familiar in a way that runs so much deeper than their last encounter. It’s like… Wei Wuxian doesn’t know what it’s like, exactly, but he has the wild, untethered thought that if we were hanging onto life by more than a thread, he would know how to grab ahold of this and turn it around.

“You were saying?” Wen Chao prompts. Wei Wuxian’s vision is going spotty at the edges when the sensation finally ebbs.

Red silk flutters in the breeze, catching Wei Wuxian’s attention. What little of it remains at any rate. It’s not a flutter at all, but the mage - conduit, Wen Chao had called them - trembling where they stand. And just like that, Wei Wuxian’s most frustrating puzzle is solved.

He’s not creating power at all, Wei Wuxian realizes. The conduit is. Wen Chao is just stealing it from a source infinitely more powerful than he could dream of being. He should tell Lan Zhan, and he must really be falling apart now because it takes so much effort to remember why he can’t. He can only hope someone else is brilliant enough to puzzle it out before Wen Chao destroys anyone else.

Lost in thought, Wei Wuxian forgets there was even a question. Wen Chao shakes him for his silence, and his feet begins to slip. Much more and nothing will be able to keep him from falling. “Tell me how you lied through it.”

“I didn’t,” Wei Wuxian grits out, gasping for breath. He’s only honest because it suits him, getting to watch Wen Chao’s face screw up in fury one last time.

“I can make this worse for you,” Wen Chao threatens, though Wei Wuxian can’t imagine how. The only cruelty left is forcing him to keep breathing. “You wanna know what’s down there?”

Nothing clever comes to mind, not the way he’s flagging, so Wei Wuxian says nothing. He does spit blood and saliva in Wen Chao’s face though, and it’s well worth the slap he gets for his trouble.

“Down there is where we send anything too dangerous to risk even its ghost coming back.” It’s not the revelation Wen Chao might intend it to be. He knows enough about the Burial Mounds to know it’s no place for anything living that means to stay that way. “All that’s waiting for you at the bottom is ghosts and monsters.”

“Then what are you doing up here?” Wei Wuxian asks, careful not to squirm lest he lose his footing entirely.

“Your jokes aren’t going to save you.” Wen Chao’s fingers flex around his throat, but the searing pain Wei Wuxian expects never comes.

“What? Not going to finish the job?” It’s only a whisper, barely even that, but Wei Wuxian smiles around a mouthful of blood anyway.

“Why bother? If the fall doesn’t kill you, the residents of the Burial Mounds will do it for me.”

Remaining here is a sort of torture Wei Wuxian can’t take much more of, so he readies himself to step back whether Wen Chao lets him go or not. “Definitely going to haunt you.”

“From behind the wards? I don’t think so.” Abruptly, Wen Chao jerks the sword back, free of where it had run Wei Wuxian through. Clenching his jaw does little to mask the pained sound Wei Wuxian makes. He reaches instinctively for the wound left behind, but it’s a useless effort, leaving his hands warm and slick with blood. “You won’t be needing that.”

Before Wei Wuxian can even reply, his time is up. Wen Chao releases his hold on Wei Wuxian’s throat, sending him plunging down into the depths of the Burial Mounds. He’s falling, falling, falling with no way left to save himself. Out of options, wind whipping around him, Wei Wuxian squeezes his eyes shut. The end is coming, but he doesn’t really want to see it. Anticipation won’t leave him any less dead.

Only that’s not how it goes at all. Something cradles him, slowing his descent. Cradle might be too kind a word for the way it jerks his body, slowing the velocity with which he’s falling, and it’s not nearly enough, but it’s certainly something where nothing should be. He’s moving too fast to really turn his head to look, but the pressure against his spine feels like the wind itself is resisting his descent. He can’t be sure, woozy as he is and as fast as he’s falling, but he peers up at the portal he was pushed through and swears he sees the glint of light on metal.

Maybe this refusing to look at the ground was a bad idea after all. Wei Wuxian can’t even scream when he unexpectedly crashes into the floor of the Burian Mounds, doesn’t know if anyone would hear it anyway over the crunch of broken bone. Dragging in shallow, frantic breaths, he finds he can’t even fill his lungs anymore, and maybe whatever caught him is meant to be torture because it certainly didn’t save him. The only thing it’s given him is the opportunity to drown in his own blood.

Sprawled unnaturally along the Burial Grounds floor, Wei Wuxian can do nothing but wait. Even curling his fingers is an insurmountable task, the tips of them only twitching uselessly in the barren soil. The lip of the cliff he’d been dumped over is so high he can barely even see the edge of it, not that seeing would do any good.

It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. He should have said goodbye to Jiang Yanli somehow. He should have held onto Lan Zhan a moment longer. He should have… something. Something other than this.

Whatever Wei Wuxian should have done is crowded out by the emptiness that seeps into his vision. He barely breathes at all, wondering in an absent, dreamy sort of way if he’ll feel his heart stop. The sky, the cliffs, all of it fades with his consciousness, leaving Wei Wuxian a motionless heap in the dirt.

[wangxianficrecs]

Throwback Rec

Original rec by Mojo. Bookmarked on August 4, 2020.

Kay's comments: So, I really enjoy the stories of this author, because the plot always goes into the wildest direction and there's so many twists and turns and so much happening. This story may start with Madam Yu punishing Wei Wuxian after him punching Jin Zixuan, but it kickstarts an incredible canon-divergence featuring Jiang Yanli and Nie Mingjue as a delightful side-pair and Jin Zixuan growing up and learning not to be such a brat amongst many other things. I'd also say this is Wei Wuxian whump, but he's a genius of course and always finding new way to overcome all the challenges and throwbacks life throws at him. Based on The Untamed canon.

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(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

❤️To have and to hold by Moominmammashandbag

❤️To have and to hold

by Moominmammashandbag

M, 79k, wangxian, nieli (is that nie mingjue/jiang yanli?)

Summary:  Madam Yu comes to Cloud Recesses.

Lan Xichen is woken to be told worrying news.

Lan WangJi does not break someone’s arm. It was dislocated.

My comments:  Oh, wow, what a ride this has been!

In which Madam Yu, rather than Jiang Fengmian, comes to Cloud Recesses after wwx punches jzx and beats him raw with a discipline whip, inspiring lwj to step in and claim him as his husband… thus setting off a canon divergence wherein lwj goes on the Yin iron quest alone and wwx invents many talismans while bedridden and recovering. The Wens attack, but wwx and the Lans are ready for them, because of all the talismans, and wwx begins a career of exploding the heads of his enemies. (A very rewarding field.)

This story feels epic (and is a very fast read, and utterly enthralling, gah, I was up until almost 3am), due in part to a wide-ranging POV that includes jxy, nmj, jyl, madam jin, wen qing…. And the thing is: you fall in love with all of them. Madam Jin is a terrifyingly competent badass. Jin Zixuan is a good-hearted mama’s boy. Nie Mingjue speaks in exclamation points and utterly loses his head over Jiang Yanli (it’s mutual). Lan Qiren is a good uncle and strong cultivator. Lan Xichen is soft (and gullible, but we knew that). Author is The Queen Of Snappy Dialogue, okay, and so it was hard not to paste dozens of excerpts, but this’ll give you a feel for it. Be aware, though: while much of the tale is humorous, much of it is also filled with whump (omg, poor wwx, he just really gets it over and over which Really Frustrates Lan Wangji) and wwx’s tortured history with his adoptive mother and Wen Rouhan being a global-scale bitch who has decided he wants this talented and inventive cultivator no matter what it takes.

Excerpt 1:  Wei Wuxian had eleven whipmarks, eleven slices through skin and muscle down to the bone. The medic’s face was grim as she inspected them, and she called for dressings and herbs. She carefully cut the remains of his tunic off and away, gently pulling it from underneath Wei Wuxian as he lay on his front.

Lan Zhan knelt beside the low couch and concentrated on sending energy to Wei Wuxian, who was a worrying shade of grey.

There were loud footsteps outside and Jiang Cheng slid into the room, banging the door.

“No running.” said Lan Zhan. Rule 6. He decided not to mention the noise rule again as Jiang Cheng looked very stressed.

Excerpt 2:  Nie MingJue rose and dressed, ordered that breakfast be brought with all speed and strode outside to assess the day.

It looked like it would be cloudy. Lan WangJi was involved with a staring competition with someone that Nie MingJue was almost sure was the Jiang son. Nie MingJue instantly assumed that Jiang Wanyin must be an idiot. “Young Master Jiang? It is Young Master Jiang, isn’t it? What happened to your hands?” “He had to take a ceiling apart.” Lan WangJi answered, without breaking eye contact. Nie Mingjue’s opinion of Jiang Wanyin rose. “Hah! They look painful. You should get them dressed, and I daresay your fingernails will regrow.” “Thank you, Sect Leader.” replied Jiang Wanyin, still holding the stare. “There’s no point.” Nie Mingjue advised him. “You won’t win.”

Excerpt 3:  “Wei Wuxian won the battle. He can make people’s head explode now!”

Jiang Cheng brooded briefly. Jiang Yanli looked worried. “Poor A-Xian. He must have been very upset. He wouldn’t do that normally.” “It was a battle!” Jiang Cheng defended his brother. “Yes, but you know what I mean, A-Cheng. He doesn’t get angry like that.” “Lan WangJi was in danger.” Jiang Yanli perked up. “How nice that they love each other so much! I wish I had been able to see it!” “They wouldn’t stop kissing! It was embarrassing, not nice at all!” “It must be lovely, to have someone who feels like that.” Jiang Cheng put his arm around his sister and hugged her as they walked. “Someday, A-Li, you’ll marry someone who will blow off people’s heads for you. I promise.”

canon divergence, students at cloud recesses, humor, punishment, abusive madam yu, discipline whip, hurt wei wuxian, serious injury, hurt/comfort, accidental marriage, forehead ribbon, genius wei wuxian, inventor wei wuxian, talismans, bamf wei wuxian, bamf lan wangji, bamf wen qing, kidnapping, stabbing, temporary character disability, internalized abeism, lan clan rules used as arguments and rebuttles, found family, ensemble cast, muliple POV, wei wuxian whump, emotional hurt/comfort, caretaking, exploding heads, weddings, fluff, smut, angst, past child abuse, abused wei wuxian, protective lan wangji, protective wei wuxian, powerful wei wuxian, powerful lan wangj, favorite, @moominmammamia​​

(You may wish to REBLOG as a signal boost for this author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[cqlfic]

heyyy!! do you have any recs in which wwx in baoshan sanren's disciple??? or in which his parents live and he becomes very popular and bamf??? thank you in advance

mid-reading this ask i caught myself doing the meme where it’s like *rubs hands together* *presses computer key* thank you for this opportunity

recs:

Become Tomorrow by ShanaStoryteller (@shanastoryteller) (Not Rated, 15648 words, on-going): bssr disciple!wwx gets caught sneaking into the cloud recesses; tumblr post

[series] Cartwheels In Cloud Recesses by ShanaStoryteller (@shanastoryteller) (Not Rated, 23672 words, on-going): wei changze and cangse sanren don’t die; first work: Cartwheels in Cloud Recesses

crying like a fire in the sun by cl410 (@i-like-plan-m) (T, 10203 words): wwx leaves the jiang sect and joins bssr [my post here]

Peacefall by adrian_kres (@bichen-suiban-blog) (T, 23296 words): assassin!madam lan, lwj hides her secret; cloud recesses era [my post here]

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

Nov 14th

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1. Hello, I am looking for a fic that I think is wangxian. It was based on the ballad The Highwayman, and it ends tragically. It should be a complete work. Thank you!

Found by asker as a Star Wars fic -

Nov 14 #1 requester, I think I’ve found it but it’s a Star Wars fic. If a wangxian version exists, I’m happy to have it, but I think it’s solved. Always fun separating out the fic memories from a fandom obsession transition period…

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2. I hope you can help me find this one. It was a Twitter threadfic. In that LWJ proposed to WWX but WWX said no because he didn’t believe in marriage. They go to a wedding and the groom gets cold feet but LWJ helps him. Seeing that made WWX want to marry him but by then it was LWJ who changed his mind and WWX was heartbroken .

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3. There was this fix where wwx was a funeral arranger? Or something like that and lwj and wwx established relationship but then madame yu and her husband died and it focused on like grieving and stuff, there was also yanli and jiang Cheng and showed like the sibling bond I can’t find it I been trying for ages now

FOUND? grave goods by luckymarrow (E, 28k, WangXian, Grief/Mourning, Minor Character Death, Modern AU, mortician!wwx, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Marriage Proposal, abrupt tonal shifts, Tragicomedy, Comedy, Romance, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Adoption, Implied/Referenced Abuse, for lan parents, it’s not described and is all backstory, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Married WangXian, brief daddy kink, the barest hint of consensual non-consent, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, BDSM)

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4. Hello! I'm looking for a couple of fics I lost sight of a long while ago!

A) The first one took place during the Cloud Recesses Arc: all the swords are stolen at night by 'Wei Wuxian' who is later found badly injured in the forest. He had been attacked by the future Wei Wuxian/ Yiling Laozu.

B) The Second One took place after the Siege, and I'm pretty sure the spirits of the Wen Remnants attacked others? I don't remember much about it, I'm sorry.

Thank you in advance and I appreciate your service a lot

4A)

FOUND? For the Dust and the Dirt by Nyxelestia (M, 63k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time travel Fix-It, Cloud recesses study Arc, It gets worse before it gets better, WWX Whump, Hurt/comfort, Angst, Eventual Happy Ending)

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5. Ok hi sorry can’t remember much but school in tilling WWX is teacher there LWY moves there to teach also become friends a misunderstanding make WWX not speaking to LWY after LWY follows a Yao and finds WWX fighting it on a rooftop they defeated the Yao and LWY asks WWX “you’re wearing crocks?” WWX is that what you are going with …, or something like that

As always THANK YOU for all that you do for us 😁 @bkpmystinen

FOUND? An Unscheduled Stream by trippednfell (M, 68k, WIP, WangXian, Modern AU, Modern Cultivation, Misunderstandings, BAMF WWX, BAMF Wen Popo, WWX cultivates resentful energy but keeps his golden core, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Presumed Enemies to Lovers, Not Yunmeng Jiang friendly, Time Skips, Dual Cultivation - Not the Sexy Kind but ALSO the sexy kind, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Horny wound tending) I'm not sure about the crocs bit, but WWX and LWJ definitely end up fighting yao on the roof of the school.

FOUND? Roadside Attractions by Bodldops (T, 10k, WangXian, Teacher WWX, Teacher LWJ, The power of organized aunties)

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6. Heyy! I'm looking for two fics:

A) Omegaverse, modern au, wei ying is an omega and jc is an alpha and wy lives w the jiangs and i think there's this sort of expectation that he's gonna marry jc or atleast that's what jc wants, but wy gets pregnant by lwj and moves out after a fight then yeras later lsz and jl go on a date and that's how wy and jc meet again, cos jc's there when wy goes to dinner to meet jl's parents and uncle and turns out its the jiangs obviously, and basically jc's really stalkery and jealous after that but lz protects him.

B) modern au, omegaverse, lxc goes to pick up lwj from school and finds out a kid jc is his mate. he's disgusted and goes away for a while. when he comes back jc is older now. i don't remeber much but wy and lz are the side couple and wy is a beta as far as i can remeber, and there's a scene where jc wakes up in the hospital and wy and lz are kisisng and jc's kinds like fucking finally yk but yea!

Thank you! Love you guys!!

@body-inabyss-heart-inparadise

6A)

I recognise the fic though I can't remember the name. The author deleted all their works from AO3 a few months ago, if I recall correctly. I know it's also been on other fic finders.

FOUND? 6a is Meant To Be (But Not That Way), dm me ~dripping-moonlight

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7. Hello,

Ficfinder request.

Modern but with magic or cultivation. LWJ is a magical creature(?) hunter working for some kind of agency to protect humans.

The rest of the sects(from my memory) are families of magic creatures(?) but WWX has some kind of ‘half-breed’ status so when he goes through the magic/darkness detectors at LWJs work he doesn’t set them off.

Much of the fic is from LWJs pov but there is a great chapter from WWXs pov when he fully lets his powers out and we get badass WWX.

I feel like it was mdzs+ some anime but i don’t know which anime. 🥺 @empiresprince

FOUND? our reflections as seen (when the water stills) by chatonnerie (E, 121k, WangXian, XuanLi, Modern, Tokyo Ghoul Fusion, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, This is a ghoul au, but everyone is also in university, so dumb energy is peak, Gore, Body Horror, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Biting, our reflections as seen (when the water stills) [PODFIC] by Opalsong) OHHH 7 IS THE TOKYO GHOUL AU IT’S SO GREAT AND ALSO THERE’S A PODFIC WHICH IS ALSO ABSOLUTELY AMAZING (I was too excited sorry for a million replies, but) It’s so good that there’s absolutely no tokyo ghoul knowledge needed, reads like a fun creature!modern!au kinda this way, has been one of my comfort listens for several years now

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8. Hello, I am looking for a fic, where Wei Wuxian runs away from Lotus Pier, right after he was brought there and Jiang Cheng kicked him out and threatened with dogs (when they were children). I think that Wei found his father? Not sure, but I have a feeling that this fic was found here and I forgot to save it. Thank you in advance.

FOUND? 🔒 the world wags on by justdoityoufucker (T, 5k, WCZ & WWX, WCZ & LQR, WCZ/LQR, canon divergence, pre-canon, not everyone dies au, not Jiang friendly, past child abuse, canon Jiang family relationships, parent-child relationship, not YZY friendly, pre-relationship) has elements of the world wags on but it isn't a perfect fit.

FOUND? In Another Life by SingingInTheRaiin (M, 21k, wangxian, time travel)

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9. Hi, I’m looking for a fic where after wwx is found during the sunshot campaign Jiang Cheng pretends his demonic cultivation is just the Jiang clan’s secret technique and uses that to keep the other sects off their back. I’m pretty sure it was from jc’s pov, and compared wwx, jc, and jyl to different bodies of water at the start of it (though I could be wrong about that part)? Thank you for the help

FOUND? Three kinds by apathyinreverie (T, 7k, wangxian, JC & WWX, canon divergence, protective JC, twin prides of yunmeng dynamics, soft WWX, smitten LWJ, worldbuilding, fix-it, golden core reveal, fluff, siblings) 

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10. Hello! I'm looking for a wangxian reality TV fic. It's a dating show and lwj is a participant while wwx is his camera man. They try to keep their relationship a secret but by the end the crew discovers them and has wwx brought in as lwjs partner. I think lwj proposes to wwx at the end and that Mo xuanyu was involved as the participant who stayed the longest

FOUND? After the Final Rose by azurewaxwing (E, 55k, wangxian, modern, reality show au, secret relationship, fluff & angst, happy ending, bachelor LWJ, cameraman WWX, smut)

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11. Hello! I'm so sorry to bother you but I've tried doing all my own searches and just can't find it. There's a fic series where Madame Yu cut off Wei Wuxian's hand before the fall of lotus pier and the Wen siblings took him in to help him recover. He ended up leaving the Jiang sect and starting his own and he and Wen Qing became amazing at making spiritual prosthetics. I know it's a series and I know I loved it but I can't find it anywhere! Thank you for your help! @queerlyloud

FOUND? 🔒 a star called sun by thelastdboy (E, 120k, wangxian, SL/XXC, JC & JYL & WWX, JYL & LWJ, WWX & WN & WQ, JYL/JZX, Canon Divergence after Xuanwu Cave, Fall of Lotus Pier, But worse!, Power Imbalance, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Not Everyone Dies AU, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Canon-Typical Violence, Sunshot Campaign, Miscommunication, Heavy Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Major Character Injury, Loss of Limbs, Chronic Illness, Seizures, WWX’s Three Months in the Burial Mounds, Wēn Remnants Live, Wēn Remnants Deserve Better, WWX Creates a Sect | Yílíng Wèi Sect, Additional Warnings In Author’s Note, Hurt/Comfort, Selectively Mute LWJ, Service Animals, Crows)

FOUND? 💖 from the other side of sorrow by Sour_Idealist (E, 127k, JC & WWX, JC/WQ, JC & WWX & JYL, JYL & WQ, WangXian, WWX & JYL, JYL/NHS, LXC/JGY, JGY & NMJ, JGY & WQ, Canon Divergence, Golden Core Fix-It, Golden Core Transfer, canon-typical family dysfunction, Torture, secondary character death, Canonical Character Death, Comfort Sex, Femdom, Choking, Cock Slapping, Cunnilingus, Series Context Provided, Under-negotiated Kink, Mentions of canon-typical violence, Clan Leader JYL, Sunshot Campaign, JYL POV, spiritual weapons, Sect Leader WQ, Biased Narrator, Slow Burn, sect politics, Trauma, D/s elements, Reconciliation Sex, Reconciliation)

FOUND? 🔒💖  in payment, a hand series by justdoityoufucker (M, 10k, wangxian, not jiang friendly, amputation, injury recovery, self reflection, abusive YZY, families of choice)

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12. Hello! I started reading a Tangled x MDZS fic which I remember being pretty long. It was with lwj as Rapunzel and wwx as Flynn Rider. I started reading it but then decided I don't want to and now I regret it 😭. The part that I read was exactly like the start of the movie, with wwx complaining about how his wanted poster looked and all that jazz.

FOUND! we sit in the sunset glow by moonsteps (T, 36k, WangXian, Tangled AU, Fairy Tale Elements, Strangers to Lovers, Slow Burn, Curses, Sharing a Bed, Minor Violence, Traveling, Falling In Love) for the tangled AU, it sounds like it could be it starts just like the movie with Wei ying complaining to lil apple abt how he looks in his wanted poster😂

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13. Hey buddy, Hope you are doing well!

I'm searching for a fic. The only thing I remember is just a scene. The cloud recesses is hosting lectures and and guest disciples from all sects are visiting. I think it is after the war with the wens. It's a cannon divergence I think. The scene I'm referring to is, two of the disciples are from Su She's (Su Minshan, I think the full name is) and the sect heir is just a kid below 10. At some point others makes fun of him and his sister when they present gifts at the beginning of the lectures and LWJ kinda defends them, I think....

That's all I remember. Thanks in advance! @grrumpywoof

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14. Hello , I am looking for a fic where Jang Cheng dies instead of Jang Yanli at nightless city. Then she moves back to Lotus Pier and becomes sect leader, and lan wangji ends up living there too. Also, wei wuxian is brought back to life earlier, and by xue yang. lan wangjis back takes longer to heal.

Thank you!

FOUND? picking up the pieces by KouriArashi (M, 111k, JYL & LWJ, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Alternate Canon, Grief/Mourning, Angst, Regret, Family, Kid Fic, Families of Choice, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Politics, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Canon-Typical Violence, canon typical political bullshit, Eventual Happy Ending)

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15. I'm in search of two time travel fics: A) WWX has traveled back to CR. LXC hears him playing dizi (wangxian among others) and recognizes it as something LWJ composed (possibly same fic, though I may be conflating details, he realizes in lessons WWX is pretending to be less skilled at the dizi than he actually is). B) LWJ travels back in time from right after the 30 lashes and ends up in the burial mounds early w/the wens, still seriously injured and bleeding through his robes. Thank you guys! @moku-youbi

15B)

FOUND! The Cottage Amongst the Gentians by Enigmatree (T, 5k, WangXian, LXC & LWJ, Time Travel, LWJ and WWX time travel from post nightless city to before jin ling's celebration, or, I give WWX back to 13-years-grief LWJ like he deserves, Hurt/Comfort, Feat. LXC being a good brother who'd love to know what the fuck is happening, WWX goes to Gusu with LWJ after time travel; the fic, Domesticity) maybe?

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16. Hi I'm looking for a arranged marriage fic where lwj and wwx both are in love with each other but the marriage is arranged by their families. On the wedding day wwx overheard a conversation between lwj and his best friend who also have initials of ww the best friend had found a letter addressed to ww written by lwj confessing his love and think lwj is in love with him and he is trying to convince lwj to not marry and give him a chance. Their married life is full of misunderstanding.

FOUND? A Marriage Story by DeviyudeThoolika (E, 38k, wangxian, NMJ/LXC, married wangxian, but there are some complications, because it’s marriage, Sex is complicated, Angst and Pining, Pining while fucking, Mature elements, Mutual Pining, HEA, Arranged Marriage, Sort Of, Misunderstandings, of epic proportions, One True Pairing, Good Sibling JC, Good Parent YZY, Fluff and Angst, in that order, Slow Burn, Angst with a Happy Ending, Everyone Loves WWX, Angst and Hurt/Comfort)

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17. Hello! I would like to ask for help in finding a wangxian fic:

Modern with magic

I remember that Wei Ying got injured in Xuanwu cave together with Lan Zhan. In the Lan hospital he was denied help because he was fired (?) from the Lan org and later received a bill to pay for expenses.

He is saved by Wens.

Few years later Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen seek his help in some kind of case. Wei Ying says something along the lines of "I don't work with Lans".

Later Lan bros find out it was Su She's fault in how WY was treated.

I would really appreciate your help in finding it! ❤️‍🩹 @popugaj-ara

FOUND? 🔒 Wish I could forget the taste of your skin and the feel of your hands pinning me down by KizuKatana (E, 63k, wangxian, WQ & WWX & WN, Modern Cultivation, weapons-grade thirst, Getting Back Together, Trying REALLY hard to not still like your Ex, but failing, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, Canon Divergence, Case Fic, LWJ’s canonically big dick, sort of a ‘thirsting for your co-worker ex’ vibe, it eventually gets worked out, Mutual Pining, Guest-starring LWJ’s canonically poor communication choices after romantic cave encounters, novel canon relationship dynamics, basically this fic is about escalating sexual tension)

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18. hi there thank you for finding fics for us

there is a fic where WWX is a teacher in Yilling and LWJ accepts a teaching job at the same school, they become friends and then a misunderstanding (not uncommon btwn them) WWX ignores LWJ LWJ follows a trail of a yao sees WWX fighting it on top of the school roof when landing he sees is WWX and then asks "Are you wearing crocs?" I think WWX tells him is a comfortable wear

please/thank you @mysticalyunique

FOUND? An Unscheduled Stream by trippednfell (M, 68k, WIP, WangXian, Modern AU, Modern Cultivation, Misunderstandings, BAMF WWX, BAMF Wen Popo, WWX cultivates resentful energy but keeps his golden core, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Presumed Enemies to Lovers, Not Yunmeng Jiang friendly, Time Skips, Dual Cultivation - Not the Sexy Kind but ALSO the sexy kind, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Horny wound tending) I'm not sure about the crocs bit, but WWX and LWJ definitely end up fighting yao on the roof of the school.

FOUND? Roadside Attractions by Bodldops (T, 10k, WangXian, Teacher WWX, Teacher LWJ, The power of organized aunties)

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19. hi this is for the fic finder! i remember the fic so well but i fear it may be deleted bc i just can’t find it in my bookmarks? so wwx after dropping off the face of the earth due to Wen Drama is a folk punk (?) musician along with wen ning and they live in a van, and jingyi is a huge fan, he drags sizhui to a show where they realize this guy might be lwj’s long lost best friend <3 call lwj over and they reunite, lsz is actually wwx’a bio child whom lwj adopted, they get to know each other etc

FOUND? your heart is a muscle by howodd5ever (E, 47k, WangXian, Modern AU, Pacific Northwest, folk punk, Adoption, WWX is LSZ's Parent, as in bio parent, WQ is LSZ's bio mom, brief mention of past wwx/wq hook up, chosen family, ljy and lsz are best friends, wwx is a folk punk singer, wn is a folk punk singer, Getting Together, Eventual Smut, fan boy ljy, protective big brother lxc, Happy Ending, I promise)

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20. Hi! This is fic finder. A ghost WWX after the first burial moubd sige. His ghost is in YMJ. JWY makes WWX to teach. WWX trains JL. And then there are a conference in lanling where WWX goes too. Thats all i can remember. Thanks! @idontknowwhattowriteforusername

FOUND! Death of a Ghost by Gotcocomilk (E, 107k, Family Bonding, Fluff and Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Mutual Pining, Parental WWX, BAMF WWX, he is a beast and I love him so much, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergence, Ghost Sex)

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[cyb-by-lang]

Since Tomoe and Shinta are near WWX’s age-group... does that mean we get to see big sis!Kei despite her not having little gremlin brother Hayate yet!? (*looks at Wen Yuan and Jin Ling excitedly*) because if Wuya-jie doesn’t pull up her sleeves and dive headfirst into the clusterfuck that is the Wen Remnants, then what was the point of WWX getting another badass shijie?

(On another note, I find it fascinating how many strong, independent women WWX attracts/knows. There’s JYL, sweet lady that she is that burned JZX’s cousin at Phoenix Mountain; WQ, who is pretty much self-explainatory; MianMian, who stood against the Jin Sect and left; YZY, while a sour woman, still very bamf; BSSR, an immortal for heaven’s sake; LY, the only mentioned female sect leader and creator of the Assassination Chord Technique. Which, can any of the Nippon residents pull off?)

Long answer below the cut, with some spoilers.

Kei hasn’t been born in this part of the timeline. Right now, Tomoe and Wataru aren’t even officially together yet. They’re sort of writing back and forth, with Tomoe using Shinta as a messenger pigeon because she’s kinda holding off any character development with both hands and her bad attitude. Even her overtures to Wei Wuxian, Wen Qing, and Jiang Yanli are from a place of fairly obvious self-interest. At this point in the story, Tomoe’s early enough in her character arc that she’s not particularly nice, and Kei and Hayate are not even a thought in her head. 

From what I can tell, the Chord Assassination technique is...basically the same as if you garrotted someone with a wire, but with spiritual energy used to reinforce the wire/ensure cutting power. Originally used to silence dissidents within the Lan sect. Cheery, really. Anyway, there are a lot of spiritual techniques that are fiendishly difficult (if not impossible) for people without the correct training and/or spiritual structures in their bodies, but Chord Assassination is fairly straightforward. It’s just the exact opposite of what Tomoe does when she attacks someone with her katana. 

On the whole, the Japanese characters introduced in Dig Two Graves mostly don’t have access to the standard cultivator skill set. No flying on swords, no talismans, no ability to stave off starvation through inedia, and not much in the way of an increased lifespan/youth. They’re also too old by most cultivators’ standards to actually do the training necessary to forge a golden core. By the same token, cultivators almost all share a power source and general set of skills, but mostly can’t branch into the weird esoteric crap that the shinobi bring to the party. For example, there’s not really a means to give someone the Inuzuka sense of smell, or the Uzumaki blood magic/chain manifestation. On top of everything, most of these abilities are treated as secrets not taught to outsiders by both countries, which means there’s less crossover than there might otherwise be. It’s just that Tomoe and Shinta are in an area where their version of “everyone knows how to do that” doesn’t fly. 

Literally.

Wei Wuxian does seem to have Protagonist Syndrome; barring like… Qin Su, basically every character has some sort of reaction directly to him. The ones who don’t also happen to be dead. Then again, a lot of the ones who do are also dead. Mianmian is a glorious exception, but also very much an exception. There’s a bit of a body count in this story, is what I’m saying. (And since he’s never actually met Baoshan Sanren, I’m a little vague on their theoretical relationship and don’t think either character actually cares to pick up that thread.)

To give you an idea of what my and Beta’s opinion of Madam Yu is, one of the conditions of actually having a beta reader on Dig Two Graves was that she needed to be dead. Her and Jiang Fengmian. I agreed immediately, because I didn’t like either of the Jiang parents and still don’t. Especially not Madam Yu.

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: this body yet survives, ch. 16

Relationship: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Characters: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Lán Qǐrén, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Jiāng Yànlí, Su She | Su Minshan, Madam Jin, Jin Zixuan, Wen Qing, Jiāng Fēngmián, Niè Huáisāng, Wen Ning | Wen Qionglin, Wen Ruohan

Tags: No War AU, Recovery, Trauma, Dissociation, Courtship, Courting Rituals, Near Death Experiences, Attempted Murder, Eventual Happy Ending, Panic Attacks, Vomiting, Siblings, Protective Siblings, Soup, Triggers, Protective Lan WangJi, Protective Lán Qǐrén, Yúnmèng Siblings Dynamics, Bad Parent Yú Zǐyuān, POV Third Person, POV Lan WangJi, reference to poisoning, reference to assassination, Reference to chronic illness, reference to infanticide, Depression, Minor Injuries, Painting, Gift Giving, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn Has a Fear of Dogs, Good Sibling Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Good Sibling Jiāng Yànlí, BAMF Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jealous Su She | Su Minshan, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Protection Squad

Summary: A hiccup and a visit.

Notes: See end.

Parts 1 & 2

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

AO3 link

The weeks that followed passed in peace, and Wei Ying blossomed in the absence of fear, working with excitement on the commissioned talismans for Jin-furen, using the Jiang siblings’ blood to test his ideas. They were able to resume their quiet afternoons in his studio while he worked on the portrait for Wen-zongzhu, often all four of them, each working independently together. He was relaxed more than he had been since the incident, more lively, and Wangji was glad to see it. 

Several juniors approached Wei Ying for help with their forms, impressed by his performance against Su She, and they found in him a willing teacher, one who could diagnose the exact issues interfering with their mastery. Often he recommended exercises that would correct underlying problems like balance or footwork, diagnosing bad habits that had not interfered with more basic forms, but would prevent them from progressing. Always, he made sure to praise the juniors for what they were doing well, and they responded like flowers opening for sunshine.

Wangji had an inkling that he would eventually be teaching formal classes, once he had more fully recovered, having caught Shufu watching the informal lessons more than once. Wei Ying had clearly earned his status of head disciple in Yunmeng Jiang, and he flourished in a teaching role like he was born for it. 

Some of those students had given him early gifts for his birthday, always in the form of consumables, which he shared with them but which were helping him continue to gain weight back, and Wangji made note of them as allies to Wei Ying. 

Wei Ying often took tea with Lan Tayi, discussing talisman and array ideas with the master as fluently as one himself, and he had delighted in learning and even modifying the talismans that had been used against the conspirators, arguing they could be used to stymie yao during night hunts with a little tweaking. For his part, Lan Tayi seemed happy to distract him with such conversations, consistently bringing extra snacks to pawn off on Wei Ying, who would eat whatever was put on a plate in front of him when thus engaged. Wei Ying was often so excited about the ideas that came from tea that he would tinker with talismans for several hours those afternoons, with resulting in amazingly innovative results. 

In truth Wangji understood little of their conversations, but he was happy to see Wei Ying enjoying himself, and that alone was reason to attend. As an added benefit, Jiang Wanyin preferred not to attend these teas and was happy for Lan Tayi to act as chaperone, and Lan Tayi did not frown over them holding hands as though convinced it would harm Wei Ying’s image. After the fight with Su She and the missive sent to all sects, with just enough information to show his beloved’s skill and strength while remaining modest in adherence to the rules, it was increasingly unlikely his status and value would be harmed by small gestures of affection, and Lan Tayi would never gossip. 

As expected, multiple sect leaders found excuses to visit the Cloud Recesses following the missive, all looking for information, and they were immediately warned by disciples each time, and were able to stay in private areas of the grounds, whether the Jiang guesthouse, Wei Ying’s studio, the jingshi, or the bunny field. They had as of yet not been disturbed, despite several visiting disciples separating from their groups only to be found where they shouldn’t have been. This stopped when Xiongzhang enlisted several inner disciples and gave them permission to “gossip” with certain agreed-upon details that would assuage the curious visitors, though it frustrated him with its necessity, that people could not leave Wei Ying any privacy. 

As his birthday approached, Wei Ying received a package from Nie Huaisang, which included expensive art supplies and a stack of books that made him blush deeply when he opened one, and which he placed in a qiankun pouch. 

“For later, after we’re wed,” he told Wangji with a shy smile. “They’re, ah… educational.”

Wangji had known Nie Huaisang for enough years to know he’d sent cutsleeve spring books for their enjoyment, and he couldn’t be upset with it, especially since Wei Ying seemed pleased with the gift. They were not technically against the rules of the Cloud Recesses, so long as they were for educational purposes, and he had no doubt they would be very instructive. He was very willing to find loopholes to rules for Wei Ying’s happiness. 

Shufu received a missive from Wen-zongzhu that Wen Qionglin was well enough to travel and they would come to the Cloud Recesses to celebrate Wei

Ying’s birthday in person, asking that it be a surprise for him, and Wangji hoped it would further lift his spirits. The information was easy enough to keep secret, particularly with Wei Ying distracted with his many projects, often shifting between several each day. 

Their days had the same basic structure, varying based on Wei Ying’s needs and whims. Wei Ying always started his day with breakfast together at the Jiang guest house, often something Jiang Yanli prepped the night before, and usually involved soup: often pear soup, meant to keep the late fall chill at bay. She rose with him, styled his hair, and ate with them to act as chaperone, though he was certain she slept a bit more after they left. On occasion Jiang Wanyin joined them, but more often he ate later. 

Xiongzhang assigned chaperones from a surprisingly long list of volunteers on a sort of schedule, and so they were accompanied by a disciple when they were together at all times. The first chaperone came to the Jiang guest cottage to escort them after breakfast. Their minders were polite and kind, not intruding too much on their time together, something Wangji appreciated. 

While Wei Ying was in dizi lessons, Wangji had tea with his uncle and brother and returned for him, and when Wangji was teaching sword forms, both Wei Ying and Jiang Wanyin often chose to accompany him. Some days they went to Caiyi, even. But there were still days where he could tell Wei Ying was less able to handle being around people, and he would prefer to stay in the guest cottage and work on talisman ideas, read, and rest all day, and Wangji and the Jiang siblings coaxed him to do just that. 

The day before his birthday seemed to be one such day, and Wei Ying shrugged off their coaxing.

“It’s the shift in weather,” he argued, stubborn. “I just need to move around a bit.”

The chill often bothered Wei Ying, and he was likely to spend much more time indoors when winter fell. To Wangji, the winters in the Cloud Recesses were something of a reminder of the death of his mother, but they were also beautiful and tranquil, and he hoped Wei Ying would enjoy that aspect despite the cold. 

“If you’re sure,” Jiang Yanli said, relenting when he nodded. 

So they started their day as they normally would, a leisurely breakfast and a chaperoned stroll to his flute lesson, and Wei Ying seemed to push through the malaise without difficulty, chattering on about a new stasis talisman idea he wanted to explore. 

Wangji was having tea with Shufu and Xiongzhang, the latter focused on wedding ideas to be discussed with Wei Ying later, when their assigned chaperone rushed in and bowed hastily, and he immediately knew something must be wrong, even before the disciple told them that Lan Mingkai had taken Wei Ying to the infirmary. 

Shufu nodded at him, gesturing toward the door immediately, giving him permission he was hardly waiting for. Wangji remembered to murmur a thank you to the disciple as he rushed out, and the disciple, a junior a few years younger than him, nodded and kept talking, giving more details—Wei Ying was unconscious, suddenly passed out—loudly enough for him to hear them until he turned a corner. 

Worry consumed him, possibilities popping up despite his best effort not to conjecture—illness, poison, some long-term effect of Yu Zixuan’s attempt on his life, all the worst case scenarios fighting for purchase in his mind as he clutched Bichen hard enough to mark his skin and hurried to the infirmary. They had finally rooted out the saboteurs, but still Wei Ying could find no peace. 

He was met by the Jiang siblings, who were also on their way there after being fetched by a servant, their expressions pinched with concern.

The healing staff immediately brought them back to where Wei Ying was being examined, his form still, his robes open, something Wangji hesitated at, but only his chest was bared. A curse mark, like a patch of charred and blackened skin over his heart, immediately confirmed his worse suspicions—that this was an attack—and clearly incensed the Jiang siblings. Jiang Yanli rushed to his side, while Jiang Wanyin loomed protectively. 

“The curse is too weak to defeat his core,” the healer assured them, “but it will take time to burn through it.”

Jiang Yanli asked why he had passed out, and the healer assured him it was a reaction to the onset of the curse, though the state of his body as he worked to recover had also played a role. It wasn’t simply recovery from Yu Ziyuan’s abuse, but also his slow wasting afterward, overtaxed already only to be cursed. 

“The curse is focused on his body?” Wangji asked, wondering if that detail would narrow down the possibilities. 

Shufu and Xiongzhang arrived as he asked the question, and Shufu immediately went to Wei Ying’s side to examine the curse mark, the healer deferring to him. 

“That seems likely, but it’s hard to know what the curse is given that he won’t be presenting symptoms,” the healer responded. 

“Wen-zongzhu is something of an expert on curses,” Shufu commented as he looked over the curse mark, “so he may be able to identify it.”

“They should arrive later today, and he may even be able to break it,” Xiongzhang said.

Until then nothing could be done but to make Wei Ying comfortable, Wangji knew, hating that he could do nothing. Wei Ying would recover, but he had once again been attacked in Lan care, with little way of determining the perpetrator. 

“What about the talisman A-Xian helped create?” Jiang Yanli asked as she fretted over her brother, smoothing his hair. “Could it not be used on the curse to find the caster?”

Shufu shook his head, but looked thoughtful. 

“Not as it is. Curses can be cast from some distance, and the talisman has a limit, though Lan Tayi may be able to adapt it. I will speak with him.”

Nothing could be done for Wei Ying immediately, save making him comfortable while his jindan cleansed the resentful energy of the curse, and so he was transferred to a private room in the infirmary, where he looked far too small and still for Wangji’s liking. The healer gave him permission to play Cleansing for him, and he left his side only to fetch his guqin so he could do so, leaving the Jiang siblings to watch over him. 

By the time he returned, Jiang Yanli had taken Wei Ying’s hair down from its crown, tying the forehead ribbon around his wrist. She’d had Jiang Wanyin turn him on his side while she braided his hair, likely of the opinion that he would be more comfortable, and he returned as she tied it off with his red ribbon and settled him back beneath the blankets.

Wangji sat nearby to play, letting himself focus on the music to the extent that the world would fall away for a bit, and started with WangXian in the hopes that Wei Ying would hear it and know he was safe, before transitioning into Cleansing. The song would help with the process of removing the resentment, aiding his jindan in burning through the curse, and Wangji hoped it would shorten the process. 

Aside from a break when Xiongzhang insisted he eat, Wangji focused on the music, aware that Jiang Yanli left several times to work on the evening meal she hoped Wei Ying would be awake to enjoy, losing himself otherwise until the late afternoon when Wen-zongzhu arrived. With him were Wen Qing and Wen Qionglin, the latter of whom was being pushed in a wheeled chair, which Wen Ruohan had commissioned for his nephew’s comfort. 

As Shufu and Xiongzhang led them in, Wen Ruohan nodded a greeting to Lan Wangji, placing a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from rising to bow, before he immediately attended Wei Ying with Wen Qing. 

“It will take another two days to filter out the curse,” Wen Qing said after she examined the curse mark. 

The idea that Wei Ying could be so still for days, after which it would be ill fortune to celebrate his birthday rankled Wangji, an important milestone in his recovery unmarked, lost because of the interference of another. 

“It is no trouble to transfer such a weak curse to myself, and I can fully rebound to the caster to permanently prevent another attempt,” Wen Ruohan offered, his attention on Wen Qionglin, who looked particularly upset by Wei Ying’s condition. 

The offer was extremely generous, especially if it was made without expectation of repayment, and would resolve a problem in what would likely be a very public way. Wangji could see Shufu and Xiongzhang wondering what he might want in return. 

“I only wish that Wei-gongzi consider swearing brotherhood with my niece and nephew, if he wishes, if he insists upon this being a debt,” the sect leader assured. 

Wangji was astonished, seeing that not as a way to repay a debt, but as a way to more formally protect Wei Ying—the Lan sect would protect him as a disciple and Wangji’s betrothed, and the bond of siblinghood with Jiang Yanli and Jiang Wanyin also offered some protection as well as an implied rebuke of Yu Ziyuan, but he had no doubt being the sworn siblings of the beloved niece and nephew of one of the most powerful men in the jianghu was an even more powerful protection, particularly if Wen Ruohan’s rebound killed the caster, as he had implied it would. 

Wei Ying, no doubt, would  agree happily, already close to Wen Ning and Wen Qing, the latter having saved his life at Lotus Pier, but he would also see the weight of such a brotherhood and perhaps its offer of safety as a relief, and Wangji would confess to being relieved by it as well. 

The Jiang siblings exchanged looks with each other and then with the Wen siblings. Whatever Jiang Yanli saw led her to nod, and she patted Jiang Wanyin’s arm and took over, smoothing her hanfu as she bowed to the Wens, her brother following her lead. 

“I know A-Xian will agree. Thank you for helping my didi, Wen-zongzhu.”

Wangji bowed with Shufu and Xiongzhang to offer thanks as well. 

Wen Qing supervised her uncle, making him sit while he transferred the curse to himself, and Wangji knew the moment it was done by the way Wei Ying let out a soft sigh. He hadn’t noticed the tension in his future husband’s body as it fought the curse, but it was made clear when his body seemed to unclench and he sank deeper into the bedding. 

He still didn’t stir, but Wen Qing assured them that was expected, the curse having strained his system. 

“Hundred Holes,” Wen Ruohan murmured, checking the curse mark that was now on his own chest. “His cultivation is not as weak as the caster imagined.”

That particular curse was meant to cause constant pain and to disfigure the victim, as though Wei Ying hadn’t already suffered enough, wasn’t scarred enough. 

The Wen sect leader pulled his robes aside, baring his chest, and cut a finger with a small dao-style jade dagger engraved with the sun on its handle and guard, then used his blood to paint an array around the curse mark. Wangji could interpret only a bit of it—that it was meant to rebound—but it was much more intricate, and with blood, much more powerful. Wei Ying would have been fascinated, he knew, and he wondered if Wen-zongzhu would be a good correspondent for him regarding talismans and arrays. 

When he was finished, Wen Ruohan inspected his work, then nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased with the lines of his work. 

“When I activate this array, the entirety of the curse will rebound; the caster will face the full force of the curse, and will not survive.”

He stated this casually, as though giving Shufu and Xiongzhang time to protest, knowing how the Lan abhorred killing. Neither did, and Wangji felt a cold sense of relief in their willingness to allow a more permanent solution. 

If the body was discovered it would be investigated by a local sect because of the manner of death, and word would ultimately reach Gusu, identifying the culprit. Hopefully such a discovery would prevent a resentful ghost from rising and continuing to target Wei Ying. 

Privately, he hoped the caster was someone known to them already, perhaps even Yu-furen, though he doubted Wei Ying would want the guilt he would feel associated with her death with the Jiang siblings. 

Truthfully, casting curses from afar didn’t align with Yu-furen’s disposition or weapon of choice, meaning others sought to harm his future husband, and that was perhaps worse for Wei Ying’s mental wellbeing.

Wen Ruohan demonstrated no pageantry, simply activating the array, which seemed to absorb into the curse mark. The spiritual energy in the room seemed to go taut, then snapped out and away from the Cloud Recesses, taking the curse mark with it. 

Xiongzhang pointed in that direction, and Wen-zongzhu nodded. 

“I will assemble a team of seniors to search in that direction,” Shufu said grimly. 

Wangji knew his uncle felt particularly protective of Wei Ying, as he had confessed that he was ashamed of his behavior toward him during the lectures, his dismissal of his bright intellect and undying curiosity. If the culprit’s spirit was resentful, the seniors would handle it before it became a problem. 

Wen Qing briefly checked her uncle’s meridians, then shooed him, Shufu, and Xiongzhang to the door, adamant that Wei Ying needed no stress upon waking until she could check him for any lingering effects of the curse, uncaring of rank. She then had Wen Qionglin wheeled to another private room so she could examine him and make sure the travel had not had ill effect, leaving them to settle and wait for Wei Ying to wake. 

Jiang Yanli reluctantly left to continue cooking, though she was pleased that Wei Ying would likely be awake to enjoy it, and Jiang Wanyin commented after she left that likely she would cook even more dishes with the intent that the Wen siblings would dine with them.

“If Wei Wuxian is up to it,” he added after a moment, watching his brother’s still face. 

There was no telling how Wei Ying would take this most recent attempt to attack him, but Wangji suspected he would meet it with quiet acceptance and try to forget about it as he tried to forget all ills perpetuated against him with varying success. He drew out his guqin again, focused now on playing WangXian, hoping to ensure he woke surrounded by love, that it would comfort him. 

Shortly, Wei Ying woke with a start, no warning that he was stirring, babbling about curses and resentful energy and scrabbling at his robes. Jiang Wanyin stopped him, holding both his wrists so he couldn’t hurt himself, sitting in front of him so Wei Ying could see him.

“Deep breaths, A-Xian. You’re safe.”

Jiang Wanyin breathed with him to help him calm, and Wangji started WangXian again, having stopped with a discordant twang when he woke so suddenly. The music seemed to help calm him, his breathing returning to normal. 

Wen Qing returned to check the flow of his qi through his dantian, and nodded in satisfaction. 

“Uncle transferred the curse and rebounded it,” she said brusquely. “Your body and cultivation are undamaged. The caster will no longer be a threat.”

He blinked up at her, surprised to see her as they had kept the visit secret, though this certainly wasn’t the revelation Wangji had expected. 

“I felt it take root, and then just nothing,” Wei Ying murmured hoarsely, prompting Wangji to abandon his guqin and pour a cup of water from an ewer on the bedside table. 

“Hundred Holes, far too weak a curse to take hold on someone with as powerful a jindan as yours,” she told him, refilling the cup when it was empty. “Uncle hopes you will swear brotherhood with A-Ning and I during our visit.”

Wei Ying was quiet for a moment, lost in thought, but then he jolted, looking at her hopefully. 

“Wen Ning came with you?”

At her nod, he smiled widely, distracted from his ordeal at least temporarily. 

“Swearing brotherhood?” he asked, momentarily taken aback at the offer before he smiled again. “Ah, Qing-jie, I knew you liked me! Of course I’ll be your sworn brother. Ningning’s too.”

Wangji suspected that Wei Ying’s focus on the ramifications of the brotherhood was simply masking his reaction to being cursed, and when he glanced at Jiang Wanyin he could see that same suspicion written into his expression. 

“You’re ridiculous,” Wen Qing huffed, and something in her demeanor told Wangji she, too, had that worry. 

They would have to pay closer attention in the coming days for signs that Wei Ying would benefit from a visit to the mind healers, though Wangji thought he might mention the possibility to Wen Qing in private. Wei Ying’s focus on the good in the situation could be problematic if he did not reach out when he needed support, if he tried to hide his hurts or shut down. 

Jiang Yanli’s return served as another distraction, conversation about Wei Ying’s health diverted by her joy at seeing him awake, having been summoned by a disciple sent by Shufu, as well as Wei Ying’s insistence that he was only three years old in the play Wangji had become accustomed to. 

When Wen Qionglin was brought into the room, the group naturally expanded, bringing good cheer and laughter to Wei Ying in a way that soothed his worries a bit. 

Though Wangji knew the mood was a distraction, it was something his zhiji needed now, and he was more than happy to sit beside him as he basked in the presence of family and soon to be family. All else could wait. 

——————

This Wen Ruohan dotes on his niece and nephew, and the combination of Wen Qing’s concern as Wei Wuxian’s doctor and Wen Ning fretting over his best friend’s health and well-being spurred him to act here. His sickly nephew traveled a long way to celebrate Wei Wuxian’s birthday with him, and he’ll be damned if that falls through!

Lan Wangji is concerned in the end that Wei Wuxian might bottle up his feelings about being cursed, causing a setback in his recovery. While Wei Wuxian has learned mindfulness of his own needs, his bad habit of setting them aside for others, ingrained in him by his upbringing, sometimes sabotages him. 

Continuing my medical issues, but I just started a promising medication that has so far had amazing results. I’m feeling pretty hopeful. 

I spent April Fool’s Day sitting in the ER with a gallstone—took 8 hours to finally get pain relief, and I couldn’t even play games on my cell phone through the pain. Several firsts for me: IV, blown IV, CAT scan, CAT scan with contrast (this blew the IV), and morphine. So I get to be more mindful of what I eat. No more chili cheese nachos, alas. 

Thank you all for sticking with me through the slow writing. Please let me know what stood out to you in this chapter!

Happy birthday, Wen Ning!