#but there's something about zidian and what does she mean to the jiang sibs and especially to jc

[add1ctedt0you]

Three times someone touched Zidian (insp)

Bonus:

[trensu]

Episode 24: The One where LWJ Starts to Question Everything (except his sexuality)

The episode starts like a bad PSA about peer pressure and consent, courtesy of JGS being an utter douchebag

But since this is a wangxian guide, we’re not gonna get into that!!

I will say, tho, that the yunmeng sibs tag-teamed this scene excellently bc hell yeah, DON’T MESS WITH YUNMENG JIANG, BRO

Blah blah boring banquet blah blah

Jgy invites everyone for a sleepover at Carp Tower later with fun party games here.

This is Important for future WangXiantics

Plot plot, jgs and jgy being sneaky power hungry assholes, plot plot

STFU NOBODY LIKES YOU

Lotus Pier Time!!

Stuff happens here

The only fun part was JC using his Zidian (FOREVER THE COOLEST OF ALL THE SPIRITUAL WEAPONS) to smash down the wen crest over their home

I want a zidian. someone Give me a snakey electric whip of my own plz

Oooh, here we get a little morsel of WangXiantics courtesy of the lan bros

Lwj is playing Magic Music in his room at the cloud recesses

He’s practicing! He’s very focused!

Lxc interrupts him

Lxc: rumor has it that you went to the library and checked out ALL the Magic Music books and have been practicing like an obsessive crazy person

Lxc: yeah, so just dropping by to see if that’s true…*pointedly looks at the two stacks of Magic Music books lwj has*

Lwj, in typical little brother behavior, does not acknowledge the questioning

Lwj: I want to enter the forbidden chamber in the library.

Lxc: what for?!?

Lwj: ...to study Magic Music

HE WANTS TO STUDY FORBIDDEN MAGIC MUSIC

BC THE NOT-FORBIDDEN MAGIC MUSIC ISN’T HELPING WWX!!

HE WANTS TO HELP WWX BC HE LOVES HIM AND THEY’RE SOULMATES!!

Okay so that happened and suddenly some Lan person interrupts them to let them know that their uncle wants to see them dun, Dun, DUUUUNNNNNN!!

Lan fam time!!

They’re mostly talking plot here, SO BORING

But we do get a tidbit of almost-wangxiantics

Lqr looks at lwj while talking Plot and says to him, “I’ve heard about wwx.” (re: wicked tricks, i’m assuming, if his expression is anything to go by)

And lwj’s face says “oh shit.”

But, like, in a subtle way bc this is lwj we’re talking about here

Blah blah more plot blah

Here’s a painful wangxian-adjacent scene bc this show exists to HURT US

Lqr: lxc, you go cleanse the battlefields with Magic Music. Lwj, you’ll stay here with me to copy the lan clan rule books bc they were damaged or smth 

Lqr: totally not a punishment

Lqr: completely not doing this to keep you away from wwx

Lqr: copying the books is SUPER important for Reasons

And lwj is a good boy so he accepts the BIGGEST FREAKING RULE BOOK I’VE EVER SEEN that lqr hands him

Just as lqr is walking away, lwj just DROPS TO HIS KNEES with no preamble

LITERALLY FALLS TO HIS KNEES, EYES LOWERED IN RESPECT

Lwj: grandmaster, i want to enter the forbidden chamber

HE’S PRACTICALLY GROVELING

Lqr: oh, have you finished all the books in the Not Forbidden Library?

WHAT A DOUCHE

Lwj: i want to enter the forbidden chamber

He’s still on his knees! Still respectfully lowering his gaze. STILL HOLDING THAT HUGE HEAVY BOOK THAT LQR GAVE HIM IN OUTSTRETCHED ARMS

(Take a moment here to admire the incredible arm strength required to hold out your arms while carrying something that heavy)

Lqr: if you haven’t, then there’s no need for you to be there

And then lqr just walks past lwj? Who’s still kneeling and practically frozen at the rejection?? Like, you can see him shut down emotionally

HOW COULD YOU DO THAT, LQR. HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR NEPHEW WHO NEVER ASKS FOR ANYTHING AND ALWAYS DOES HIS DUTY??

Lwj doesn’t move until his brother pats him on the shoulder and EVEN THEN it takes him a minute to react

Lwj and lxc turn to leavE

Lqr: lwj…

Lwj turns around, his face going soft with hope for a split second!! BC MAYBE HIS UNCLE CHANGED HIS MIND AND IS GIVING HIM PERMISSION???

Lqr: do you understand why I’m not letting you go with lxc?

And then lqr doesn’t elaborate??? HE JUST DISMISSES THEM??

WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT??

GETTING LWJ’S HOPES UP FOR NOTHING!?!?!

Lwj wants to get Forbidden Magic Music bc his soulmate needs help

WHY WON’T YOU LET HIM HELP HIS SOULMATE, YOU BASTARD

We cut to Lotus Pier briefly to see JC do sect leader-y things and his sibs are super proud of him

Then we’re back with LWJ who’s on a patio sadly reading the GINORMOUS lan clan rule book

He’s in deep thought

“Eradicate evil, set up laws, and then Goodness is everlasting.”

Ah, yeah, this isn’t foreboding AT ALL, it’s not implying anything about the future of our ship AHAHA

Plot plot lotus pier time plot plot sad wwx & jc time plot plot

Oh, and now we’re in a wine house in yunmeng and wwx just invited lxc for a drink!

Wwx: *watches lxc knock back two shots like a boss*

Wwx: wow. You hold your liquor much better than lan zhan. Are you secretly drinking at the cloud recesses like i did~?

Lxc: *gives him a Look*

Wwx: ahaha, jk jk

Lxc: actually, i get rid of the alcohol using my golden core so it doesn’t count as drinking

(Uhh, pretty sure that’s not how it works, lxc. But whatever helps you sleep at night, i guess)

Wwx: so you’re cleansing things, huh? Lwj does that sort of thing too. Why isn’t he with you here in yunmeng, near my home, where i would be able watch him longingly from afar

Lxc: he was ordered to stay home to copy the lan clan rule book(s)

Wwx: !!!

Wwx: but there’s so many rules!! It’s unbearable!! HE’S PRACTICALLY IMPRISONED

Wwx: BUT HEY, i don’t have much going on, i’ll go with you to gusu! That way i can supervise lwj while he copies stuff like he did with me back in the day! It’ll be much more fun this way *cheeky grin*

Lxc: well….if you’re coming over, why don’t you listen to lwj play some Magic Music he learned? 

Lxc: you wouldn’t happen to know why he’s suddenly learning all the Magic Music do you?

And here wwx immediately goes on the defensive

It’s super frustrating

Wwx: your clan sure likes sticking their noses in other ppl’s business, huh?

RUDE

THAT WAS REALLY RUDE, WWX

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU INVITED YOURSELF OVER TO BEGIN WITH

Lxc is too polite to rise to the bait

Lxc: lwj is my brother, i know him better than anyone. Even if you don’t want to listen, i have something to say to you

LXC LOVES HIS LITTLE BROTHER SO MUCH. HE’S SO CONCERNED FOR HIM

Lxc: if you were the only person in the world, you could do whatever you want without consequence. But you’re not the only person in the world. The people you care about are affected by your actions.

Aka YOU’RE MAKING MY LITTLE BROTHER SAD 

Lxc: if you trust me and lwj, please come to gusu so we can help you pick up the sword again

Aka PLEASE COME VISIT MY LITTLE BROTHER SO HE’S NOT SAD ANYMORE

Obvs wwx shuts that down real quick (and is cocky about it in a not-adorable way)

It was a good try, lxc. Better luck next time.

Yunmeng Bro Drama Happens

We’re ignoring this bc it makes me Sad and also has no wangxian stuff

Blah blah blah Stuff Happens more

Now we’re in the ancestral hall with jyl!! She and wwx have a super adorable moment

Well, okay, it’s kind of emotional at first where jyl is all do you not wanna live with us anymore?? And wwx is like NO, this is my HOME, we’ll be together FOREVER

*HYSTERICAL SOBBING* IT’S A LIEEEEE

And we’re gonna take a moment here to admire wwx’s hands. He’s got nice hands. Almost nice enough to distract from the future heartbreak!

Anyway

Wwx acts SUPER CUTE HERE, OMG

He rests his chin on jyl’s knee and whines about being a hungry toddler WITH A LITTLE POUT AND THEN A GIGGLY SMILE

HOW ARE YOU SO CUTE WWX

Oh, oh, here’s the wangxian bit THAT WE LOVE

Wwx: i have a question i want to ask you, jyl

Wwx: why would a person like another person? I mean, to like them so much? Asking for a friend

Jyl: why are you asking this suddenly? Do you have someone in your heart~? (jyl knows whats up, she’s our captain)

Wwx: NO, NO I’M NOT AT ALL CRUSHING ON ANYONE

He says, you know, LikE a LIaR

Wwx: there’s no need to like a person that much. Isn’t that like haltering your neck?

Idk why he’s even bothering with this

IT’S TOO LATE, WWX, YOU’RE ALREADY IN LOVE WITH LWJ

THERE’S NO GOING BACK

Now all three yunmeng sibs have a moment

Nothing super important happening

BUT THEN we cut to LWJ at the cloud recesses

We see that HE’S BROKEN INTO THE FORBIDDEN CHAMBER

He’s reading FORBIDDEN BOOKS IN THE FORBIDDEN CHAMBER

This, my friends, is the first time we see LWJ deliberately break the rules for wwx, the first time he questions an order and decides to go against it

AND IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST‼️

And that’s all the WangXiantics for this episode

They were all second-hand WangXiantics, tho

People talking around the subject rather than addressing it directly and our boys didn’t share screen time at all.

I’m giving it 6/10. Mostly bc wwx was adorable asking jyl that question and lwj takes his first foray into delinquency!

Return to Masterpost

[drwcn]

Hi Anon! Since a lot of this will get explained in the next two chapters, I can talk about it a little and won’t be spoiler since it’s gonna be revealed anyway. I’ve yet to write it bc life got crazy and the covid19 happened and then i had to finish Begotten and then I started writing prompts... to say i got distracted is an understatement.

TLDR: WWX’s golden core is completely intact. He never did go back to save Jiang Cheng because Jiang Yanli became extremely ill and required urgent attention, as was seen in Prologue. This necessitated them to go straight to Meishan to seek help. JC gets tossed into the Burial Mount after his core is melted. The Wen Clan declares his death & disgrace, signalling “the end” of the Jiang Clan. When news of this reaches Jiang Yanli, she becomes Sect Master to avenge her family with the help of Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng, in the mean time, becomes Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. 

I wrote a short little thing for when Jiang Cheng returns because @totallynotfangirl​asked for reunion and you asked for yunmeng sib angst :) Hope this does both and is not too much spoilers.  

Lotus Pier at dusk was the most enchanted place under the sky. With twilight scattering like stars across the calm water and an amber sun dipping low across the western bank, burning the clouds into blossoms of crimson, gold and lotus pink, the whole world seemed warm and safe. 

A small boat drifted slowly between the lily pads. Underneath in the bamboo awning, a man wearing a black veiled douli sat cross-legged as he observed ahead with a longing gaze.  

In the distance, Jiang Yanli’s private pavilion could be seen from the river. It had not changed much since before the siege, but the woman that occupied it was no longer the gentle cheerful girl of days past. 

A week ago, under the command of Wei Wuxian, Yunmeng Jiang Clan reclaimed their ancestral home. Wen Chao, under the protection of Wen Zhuliu, fled immediately. The remainder of his men who did not perish under Wei Wuxian’s sword were rounded up in the main courtyard and executed without exception. 

The townsfolk who had gathered at the gates to witness the event spoke of Jiang Yanli in dark violet robes, sitting on what had once been her father’s dais, a cup of tea held leisurely in hand as she watched heads roll one after another and blood ran in streams past her feet.  

They said she did not look away. They said she never even batted an eye. 

The townsfolk did not call her Jiang-guniang or Yanli-guniang anymore. She was Jiang-zongzhu, and only Jiang-zongzhu. 

Jiang Yanli sat now at the edge of the pavilion, breaking pieces of her dinner bun and throwing them over the railing into the river. There used to be plenty of carps nearby, fed fat and happy by their obliging patroness. The man in the boat wondered if there still were. 

Jiang Cheng lifted his veil as a figure could be seen making its course through the network of boardwalk sprawling around the pavilion, leading from the main house.  His sister was not the only one who had changed. Wei Wuxian was in his uniform, something he seldom wore in the past. He seemed taller, older, broader, though somehow, less sure of himself than he’d been before. 

When his brother drew up within six feet of his sister, he paused and bowed. He never used to do that either.

The A-Xian he remembered always bounded up to a-jie like a puppy to its best friend, eyes crescent with a smile and his imaginary tail all but wagging.  Jiang Cheng clenched his fist tight. Zidian - now Modian - crackled black and red around his fingers. What has happened to his family in his absence? He watched, brows furrowed and breath abated as Jiang Yanli extended a hand towards Wei Wuxian, at which he hesitated but stepped forth to accept a moment later. They spoke, whispering words he could not hear from afar. Then suddenly, Wei Wuxian fells to his knees. 

“Shijie!” 

His brother’s cry echoed across the water, piercing straight into emptiness inside him where his core used to be. Jiang Cheng felt the stinging in his nose before tears blurred his vision. Still, he saw them, saw Wei Wuxian shuffling forward until he could bury his face against Jiang Yanli’s knees, saw his a-jie hover over him, cradling their brother against her legs as he became wrecked with sobs.      

Jiang Cheng lowered his veil, hiding the first of his tears tracking down his face. How he wanted to go home, to the people waiting for him! But then he looked down at his hands, bony and startling pale against the black of his sleeves. These were not the hands he knew.  Jiang Wanyin was dead, long dead. What he was now, there was no word for it: a ghost perhaps, a vengeful spirit, a lingering hate of Yunmeng’s history.  Jiang Cheng made a rough wipe at his chin and picked up the oars. 

Lotus Pier may have been won, but Wen Chao was still at large. 

Right then. 

To work.