#consider this the spiritual successor to the Summer Camp fic

[robininthelabyrinth]

Wen Ruohan, Jin Guangshan and a few chosen others (say, wen Chao, wen xu, jin jixun, xue yang?, meng yao?) die untimely deaths...of natural causes. Just after the sect heirs have received invitations to the wen indoctrination camp. Huh. That's strange. But the cultivation world has just become a better, happier place. Whoever is back in time and what's going to happen next idk but you might

“So,” Nie Huaisang said. “I have good news, great news, and bad news.”

“Is the good news that you weren’t brutally murdered when you were dragged away by guards from the Fire Palace?” Jiang Cheng wanted to know.

“…yes, actually. Good guess.”

Jin Zixuan sighed audibly.

“The rest of my news is more important!” Nie Huaisang protested.

“All right, all right,” Wei Wuxian said. “Hit us with it. Don’t leave poor Lan Zhan in suspense.”

Lan Wangji, who had not shown the slightest hint of impatience (or interest, for that matter), ignored him. As usual.

“Okay,” Nie Huaisang said. “Great news: war’s over.”

They all stared at him.

“I’m not joking,” he clarified. “War’s over.”

“Okay,” Wei Wuxian said. “Right. What does that – mean?”

“Well, among other things, Sect Leader Wen is now dead.”

“He’s what?!” Jiang Cheng yowled, and he wasn’t the only one, either; even Lan Wangji was standing up and staring at him in alarm, although Wei Wuxian noticed soon enough and pushed him to sit back down on account of that broken leg and all. “In that case – Wen Xu –”

“Also dead.”

“…what?”

“Wen Chao, too. Plus Wen Zhuliu, in case anyone was worried about that.”

“Nie Huaisang,” Lan Wangji said, a warning tone in his voice.

Nie Huaisang held up his hands. “I’m completely serious! They’re all dead!”

Jiang Cheng sat down abruptly. Everyone looked at him.

“If they’re really all dead,” he said blankly. “If that’s true…the war really is over.”

They all stared at each other wordlessly for a while. It didn’t seem possible for it to be over so quickly – so anticlimactically. But without Wen Ruohan – without his two sons – who was left to be in charge of the Wen sect?

Wen Qing, maybe, as Wen Ruohan’s ward? Wen Ning?

Impossible.

Even if they did take over, they’d been Dafan Wen once – maybe they could be talked back into being pacifists or something?

“How did it happen?” Jin Zixuan asked. “All three of them dead all at once like that…it seems impossible.”

“Oh, well, you know,” Nie Huaisang said, a faintly malicious smile appearing on his face. “I’m not sure if Jin-xiong knows my brother’s deputy, Meng Yao?”

Of course he knew. Everyone knew the relationship between the Jin sect and Meng Yao, least of all the Jin sect.

“Well, he apparently showed up at the front gate of the Nightless City a few days ago having turned traitor and swore to serve Wen Ruohan. He even made him a few ingenious torture devices for the Fire Palace and got on his good side. And when Wen Ruohan finally stopped paying attention…”

“He killed them?” Jiang Cheng was disbelieving. “All three – well, four, with Wen Zhuliu – I thought his cultivation was weak? How could he defeat them?”

“He didn’t! They were having dinner and he volunteered to play them a song – well, possibly he did it a few times, I’m not terribly clear – well, either way, he volunteered to play them a song and then apparently used musical cultivation to drive them all mad and then they murdered each other. Poetic justice, in my opinion.”

Everyone exchanged glances, then shrugged and nodded. That seemed about right.

“He’s a hero, then,” Wei Wuxian said. “Meng Yao.”

“That should be enough to win him any favor he wants,” Jiang Cheng said, with a significant look at Jin Zixuan, whose shoulders went up a little, defensively, but who was gracious enough to nod in agreement.

“Oh, he doesn’t want to join the Jin sect anymore,” Nie Huaisang said gleefully. “He said that he learned his lesson about that – and some other things, too, which don’t make much sense, but I think he’s just tired from the whole assassination thing. Maybe he’ll change his mind later? Who even knows?”

“Well,” Wei Wuxian said, blinking rapidly. “All’s well that ends well, I guess?”

“Uh, about that…that was the good news and the great news,” Nie Huaisang said. “Who wants to hear the bad news?”

Everyone turned to look at him.

“I’m almost relieved,” Wei Wuxian murmured as an aside to Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng. “It was starting to feel too good to be true, you know?”

“Shut up,” Jiang Cheng said.

Lan Wangji didn’t say anything, but his look suggested he agreed with Jiang Cheng.

“The bad news is – the Wen sect still has an army,” Nie Huaisang announced. “A very large, very powerful army, with lots of weapons and magical tools and all that, and without being dealt with, they could go anywhere and do anything.”

“Not good,” Jin Zixuan said, looking alarmed.

“That’s an understatement,” Jiang Cheng said, scowling, and Wei Wuxian nodded.

“I’m going to guess that you have an idea,” he said to Nie Huaisang, who pouted at him. “Sorry for spoiling your surprise, but you wouldn’t be this calm otherwise.”

“Wei-xiong, let me have my fun! But all right, yes, we have an idea: we don’t tell anyone that they’re dead.”

“…what?”

“I mean, we send messages back to our families, of course. But we don’t tell anyone here that they’re dead.”

“…what exactly are you suggesting?”

Nie Huaisang beamed at all of them. “I’m suggesting we collectively impersonate the Wen clan and run the Wen sect – maybe with Wen Qing and Wen Ning’s help, why not – for a few weeks until our families can eradicate the army problem.”

“That,” Lan Wangji said solemnly, “is a terrible idea.”

Nie Huaisang waved a hand at him. “Naturally it is. But it’s the only one that seems plausible – even Meng Yao agrees! And so – who’s with me?”