#dismounted?.... jun voice: is fine

[dabihaul666]

I would love to watch and listen 2 the rest of the mikyx proview but i am asleep i will fall asleep i will just suck at support forever and its fine thankxy ou

[obaewankenope]

The Second Life of Sandu Shengshou

Thanks to a dream I had several nights ago, I ended up writing this. It’s the beginning of a Multi-chaptered fic that can be read on AO3 here. I’m not even remotely sorry for this.

Not in the slightest. 

One

The day Sect Leader Jiang dies is a day that the entire cultivation world remembers. For them, the passing of the Jiang Sect Leader is an event not to be ignored or celebrated. It is a day to remember his amazing deeds; losing his entire Sect to the Wen and then rebuilding it from the ground up; becoming a living legend during the Sunshot Campaign; fighting and killing the Yiling Laozu; raising the son of his beloved A-Jie into a fine young man who took the mantle of Jin Sect Leader well; being part of revealing the truth of Jin Guangyao’s deceit to the entire cultivation world; fighting fierce corpses and holding demonic cultivators to account for their crimes.

The day Sect Leader Jiang dies is one to remember his deeds and those of his brother, the last of his family beside the Sect Leader Jin.

For Sect Leader Jiang, it’s just another day of enduring a tired soul and a damaged heart, pasted back together with anger and grief. He expects the day to end with his finally seeing his family and those of his Sect who died in the Wen attack, again.

He closes his eyes, takes his last breath, and lets go. The heavens greet him and Jiang Cheng sees his family once more.

He doesn’t expect to take another breath until his next reincarnation which will hopefully be happier than his current one has been.

Jiang Cheng does not expect to cough dusty air from his lungs and open his eyes to the sight of a fierce corpse intent on killing him.

Instinct honed by battle and years of training serve him well as Jiang Cheng kicks out at the corpse, sending it careening back with an application of spiritual energy. His hand scrambles for his sword, for Zidian but finds only dirt. He has no weapon but his body and his core.

Jiang Cheng grits his teeth. So be it.

He jumps to his feet, stumbling when the strength of his core seems greater than his body can handle, but recovers well enough to drop into a open-handed stance. The corpse moves toward him at speed and, just as it is close enough for Jiang Cheng to strike, somebody slams into it and away from him.

In the moment it takes Jiang Cheng to register the identity of the person who just barrelled into a fierce corpse, a half-dozen purple-robed cultivators appear from the darkness of what he realises are trees. He’s in a forest. The humidity in the air tells him its a Yunmeng forest, but figuring out where he is suddenly isn’t important anymore when he gets a glimpse of some of the faces of the cultivators.

_He recognises them. _

Shidi’s he’d seen slaughtered by Wen-dogs. His disciples, his responsibility and here they are; coming to his rescue like he was a child again.

Is this his heaven?

Jiang Cheng looks around. He’s in a small clearing, ground recently disturbed by what he assumed had been the fierce corpse rising. A glimmer of silver on the ground reveals Sandu’s location and he immediately picks it up, relieved to have it in his grip again.

Everything is easier with Sandu.

“Drop it Corpse!”

Jiang Cheng looks in the direction of the fierce corpse that had attacked him, expecting it to be holding something, but it was down on the ground, pinned by a very, very familiar blade.

His father’s.

That was his father’s sword. That meant-

“I said, drop it!” Someone shouts. Fifth shidi, Jiang Cheng guesses, judging by the tone.

He looks at the children he’d seen die once, and realises, with a jolt, that fifth shidi is talking to him!

“What? I’m not a corpse!” Jiang Cheng exclaims and then almost let’s out a surprised shout because his voice—his voice.

He sounds like a child! 

Jiang Cheng looks down at his hands gripping Sandu. Those are not the hands of a Sect Leader of one-hundred-and-three years. Those are- those-

“A fierce corpse cannot speak.” His father’s voice, the voice of Jiang Fengmian. “My son is dead, who are you to use his body so?”

Pingheng glows a pale violet in his father’s grip and Jiang stares at his father, open mouthed.

“What?”

Jiang Fengmian’s face looks like it’s carved from ice with no emotion to speak of. He looks more like Hanguang-Jun than the father Jiang Cheng remembers.

It’s incredibly disconcerting.

“I’m not- but- what!”

Jiang Cheng doesn’t understand what is happening. If this is heaven for him until he reincarnates then it sucks.

“Who are you?” Jiang Fengmian’s voice grows as cold as his expression and Jiang Cheng realises that it wasn’t just his mother that he got his temper from. His father’s is colder, but no less intense.

“I’m Jiang Cheng!” He is and he doesn’t understand what is happening but he’s not going to be anyone but himself. But that doesn’t mean he can’t improvise.

A childhood spent growing up with Wei Wuxian and then being the youngest Sect Leader during a war taught Jiang Cheng a lot. Mainly that he can bullshit just as good as his brother is he really, really needs to.

“I have- I’ve been sent back!” He exclaims, holding Sandu and pushing his spiritual energy into it to make the blade glow a deeper purple than his father’s blade. “I have come back from the heavens to protect the Sect! I swear on my sword and my core!”

Wei Wuxian would be proud of his attempt to not get attacked by his own father and shidi’s. Speaking of Wei Wuxian…

“Why should I believe you?”

Jiang Cheng doesn’t splutter in shock but it’s a near thing. He has no idea why his father should believe him be abuse Jiang Cheng doesn’t actually know what’s going on but he doesn’t want to die in the afterlife. That would just be embarrassing.

“I don’t know!” Jiang Cheng exclaims in frustration. “You never paid me any attention when Wei Wuxian was all you ever cared about!” There’s a ripple of surprise in the group of disciples and even his father’s face shows a crack in the stone facade at the jab at his father’s favouritism. “Honestly, I’m over it! But it’s not like you know enough about me for me to give you a reason to believe me in the first place!”

Jiang Cheng snorts. “Whatever,” he mutters. “Believe what you want, I don’t care.”

He has spent literal decades coming to terms with his father’s lack of favour for him and his mother’s general disappointment in him. He’s over it.

“A-Cheng.”

Pingheng drops to the ground and Jiang Cheng finds himself wrapped in an embrace he barely remembers. His father is real and solid and clinging to him with the same kind of desperate relief that Jiang Cheng clung to Wei Wuxian all those months after Lotus Pier was destroyed.

It’s the kind of embrace that is full of emotions that can’t be said aloud.

He doesn’t drop Sandu—he’s not his father and he fought in a war, he won’t drop his weapon—when he wraps his much smaller arms around his father’s chest and clings right back.

Jiang Cheng has no idea what’s going on but his father is weeping silently as he holds him and Jiang Cheng can’t remain emotionally distant from that. He just can’t.

Apparently, this afterlife has him dead as a child and his family and Sect have mourned him. What this means, Jiang Cheng doesn’t know, doesn’t really care, because right now he’s in his father’s arms for the first time since he was a small child and that’s more important than figuring out what the hell is going on.

One thing Jiang Cheng knows is a priority however is to find out where his shixiong is. Wei Wuxian will have some idea of what is happening; he always does.

Although he’s expecting it, the sight of Lotus Pier as he remembers it from his childhood is disorienting enough that Jiang Cheng wobbles on Sandu as they come in to land. His father reaches out to steady him, close enough to do so with ease and he’s been hovering around Jiang Cheng since he accepted his son is somehow alive again.

Jiang Cheng steadies himself and dismounts Sandu smoothly, and looks around his home with a more open expression than he intends to have judging by the look his father is giving him. He would hide it, the emotions he feels looking at Lotus Pier as it was before the Wen attack, but Jiang Cheng doesn’t want to. He’s spent one lifetime hiding his feelings, he refuses to spend another doing the same.

Not when he understands how precious this time is.

Of course, his emotional journey at seeing his home unharmed is ruined by the sound of his mother’s voice, loud and very angry-sounding, rapidly approaching.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t sigh because he loves his mother, he does, but she was such a bitter, angry woman who had taught Jiang Cheng to fear showing his soft-side to those who mattered most to him. The Madam Yu, Jiang Cheng remembers was one consumed by resentment toward her husband for bringing home an orphan that was the son of two people her husband loved. After raising his nephew, Jiang Cheng can’t accept his mother’s behaviour as anything but motivated by spite and hate. Perhaps pain.

Whatever this afterlife is for him, it’s giving Jiang Cheng the chance to right wrongs to his family and his brother then, by the heavens, he’s going to take it!

“What do you think you’re doing, Jiang Fengmian: leaving me with that child! He’s useless!”

Jiang Cheng has no clue what his mother is angry about precisely but he knows exactly who she’s talking about. Wei Wuxian. And where his shixiong is, his A-jie isn’t far behind.

It’s unbecoming of him to break into a run, leaving his father and shidi’s where they landed, but Jiang Cheng’s priorities are his siblings. Seeing his mother would be nice in that distant way seeing someone he once valued the opinion of, but he’s lived so long now without her that Madam Yu is less a priority than his siblings.

That’s probably an uncharitable thing to think about his mother but, well, Jiang Cheng won’t lie about the fact that A-jie definitely did more mothering of him and Wei Wuxian than Madam Yu ever did.

Resenting your children because you resent your husband is definitely not a sound basis upon which to build a family, let alone a Sect. Jiang Cheng can admit that, even if it’s only to himself.

The sight of his mother heading straight toward the landing point is a nice sight nonetheless. The last he saw of his mother, she had been fighting Wen Zhuliu with the fierceness she had shown all Jiang Cheng’s life. Seeing her in her prime is something he wishes he’d treasured when he’d had the chance. He has the chance again.

“Mother!” He exclaims, smiling in a way he hasn’t ever smiled at her before. He loves her still; she’s his mother.

His smile is ripped away when Madam Yu let’s out a cry of what sounds like horror and Zidian arcs out in a crackling purple chord that smashes into Jiang Cheng and sends him crashing into boxes of lotus seeds.

Shaking the dizziness from his head, Jiang Cheng realises that if his father thought him dead then it would stand to reason that his mother would have too. His mother of the Meishan Yu. He’s lucky he still has his head_ attached to his body_.

“Ziyuan! Stop!” His father shouts and Jiang Cheng looks up to see his mother with her blade drawn moving toward him with deadly intent.

Right. The whole ‘dead thing’.

“He’s alive! A-Cheng is alive!”

Madam Yu’s approach falters at those words but there are tears in her eyes and a determined, grief-stricken expression on her face that tells Jiang Cheng that his mother is not going to stop.

She must think he’s a conscious corpse like Wen Ning!

Talking to his mother when she’s like this is about as useful as talking to Wei Wuxian into not abandoning him for the Wen remnants had been. So Jiang Cheng doesn’t bother.

He vaults up from where he’s still sort of kneeling among broken boxes of lotus seeds, drawing Sandu and parrying Zidian as it tries to throw him off his feet again.

Jiang Cheng focuses on his mother to the exclusion of all else, though he doesn’t lose the awareness battle dried into him of his surroundings. He needs to fend his mother off and falling into the lake would not help with that.

Fighting his mother is a little bit like the one time Jiang Cheng spared with Nie Mingjue but without the pressure of not making an utter fool of himself. No, the pressure here is not having his head separated from his body by his mother.

Jilie, his mother’s sword, is as fierce as its master, but Jiang Cheng has more years of battle under his belt than his mother and father both. Sandu was more than a match for Jilie but Zidian was still a problem.

Parrying her attacks, Jiang Cheng focused on defending himself rather than attacking his mother; distantly registering the sound of his father calling for his mother to stop, for Jiang Cheng to stop.

Jiang Cheng will stop when his mother stops.

The problem with fighting his mother is that Jiang Cheng has grown used to fighting with Zidian, not against it, and it makes it difficult to handle both Jilie and Zidian at the same time. Eventually his luck at dodging Zidian will run out, he knows that.

When it does, he’s not surprised. Jilie and Sandu are locked and Jiang Cheng can’t disengage fast enough to avoid Zidian arcing around to slice into his neck. The only thing he can do is let it injure his arm instead.

The spark of pain from Zidian wrapping around his forearm is enough to have Jiang Cheng curse and snap at the spiritual weapon with his own spiritual energy.

He doesn’t expect Zidian to unfurl from his arm and instead settle around his wrist, violet sparking disappearing as the weapon goes inert.

That, more than anything, has both his mother and him stop dead.

Jiang Cheng stares at Zidian wrapped around his wrist. “What the fuck?”

In hindsight, saying anything was probably a bad idea but swearing was the worst idea ever.

Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian both state at him with near identical looks of disapproval at his profanity which is just hilarious, really. Jiang Cheng’s entire political history is cursing, shouting, threats of violence, and profanity.

Still, he is somewhere around twelve and twelve-year-olds do not battle their mothers to a stand still and curse. But, this is Jiang Cheng’s afterlife so he can do what he wants, parental disapproval be damned.

Whether it’s his swearing, his father’s words finally penetrating his mother’s battle focus, or the fact that Zidian has in fact decided Jiang Cheng is fine, Yu Ziyuan pulls away from Jiang Cheng and studies him with a more open expression than he’s ever seen on his mother.

“Jiang Cheng?” Hearing his mother say his name so tentatively, sounding so uncertain, is just another surprise on top of more surprises.

He nods warily, unsure if his mother will start shouting at him for swearing, fighting her, or whatever other reason madam Yu can no doubt think of. Jiang Cheng certainly doesn’t expect his mother to drop her sword and drag him into a hug.

He can literally count on one hand how many times he’s been hugged by his mother. This makes hug number three; and he’s including the hugs from his previous life too.

Madam Yu doesn’t cry like Jiang Fengmian did but there’s a slight shaking to her shoulders that tells Jiang Cheng that she probably would if she ever allowed herself to be that emotionally vulnerable. His father approaches carefully, as mindful of his wife’s temper as ever, and gently joins the embrace; an arm around his wife and Jiang Cheng each.

This, this Jiang Cheng has never experienced. Both of his parents embracing him at the same time. The dashed wishes of the child that Jiang Cheng was long ago rise up and have him clinging to his parents with a desperation he doesn’t expect of himself. He’d reconciled his parents memory with his own failings long ago; he doesn’t need this from them but… It’s nice.

Jiang Cheng deserves nice things after all the crap he’s lived through.

The reunion with A-Jie and Wei Wuxian is either going to be wonderful or possibly worse than his mother realising he’s not dead. Jiang Cheng honestly doesn’t know which it’s going to he but he strongly suspects it’s going to involve a lot of shouting and crying at the least.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t pride himself on being right about things like Wei Wuxian always had, but he’s a little proud of himself for guessing rightly about the shouting and tears. He’s less proud when the source of shouting is his sister and tears is his brother.

Mostly because he doesn’t know how to handle either of those things separately, let alone at the same time.

Jiang Cheng feels perfectly justified in mumbling the same excuse he gave his father to A-Jie as she gives him the same look Madam Yu always gave him; expectant. At least, Jiang Yanli expects an explanation whereas his mother expected perfection.

Wei Wuxian is, in comparison to A-Jie near catatonic, clinging to Jiang Cheng the way he used to whenever someone mentioned dogs or he saw one. It’s terror and fear and a desperate, desperate need for comfort. Jiang Cheng, after literal decades spent trying to be less emotionally constipated, complies readily and pulls his shixiong into a hug that buries Wei Wuxian’s head against his chest.

Jiang Cheng used to do that with A-Ling all the time when his nephew was young and needed comfort after a nightmare. The experience comes in handy with his brother.

“I’m sorry, A-Jie, I didn’t plan on dying in the first place, let alone being thrown back by the heavens to protect the Sect,” Jiang Cheng says and there’s more sarcasm to his words than there should be considering the way his sister actually glares at him. “I’m sorry for hurting you all.”

A-Jie’s glare softens at those words. Jiang Cheng means them for a lot more than just being dead in his afterlife here. He means them for failing his sister and her husband, for not being a better uncle, for pushing Wei Wuxian away, for being so ignorant that he didn’t even realise his core was actually his brothers…

Jiang Cheng is sorry for a lot of things.

“You are forgiven A-Cheng,” A-Jie tells him, smiling at last as she joins Wei Wuxian in hugging Jiang Cheng. “Do not do it again.”

“I definitely don’t plan to, no,” Jiang Cheng promises, smiling despite himself because he has his siblings again. They’re alive and safe and though they’ve been grieving him, he knows they’ll be happy again soon enough.

And he’s going to keep them that way. Even if he has to go and kill Wen Ruohan himself at the tender age of twelve. Possibly Jin Guangyao- wait, it’d be Meng Yao still. Su She too, maybe.

Jiang Cheng sighs into his siblings embrace. He’s going to have to write a list.

The years of being a Sect Leader with no family and a newly rebuilt Sect will come in handy now that Jiang Cheng is going to have to single-handedly organise protection of Lotus Pier and possibly kill several cultivators without getting caught. He can do it, he’s of Yunmeng Jiang, but it’s going to be annoying with Sect Heir duties.

Judging by the hair pierce and robes Wei Wuxian wears, Jiang Cheng figures his father made him the Sect Heir after Jiang Cheng’s… Demise. Of course, Wei Wuxian would be a wonderful Sect Heir and Leader for Yunmeng Jiang, Jiang Cheng has come to accept this about his shixiong and not resent him for it. But Jiang Cheng gets the feeling that Wei Wuxian doesn’t want to be Sect Heir instead of Jiang Cheng.

Considering that Wei Wuxian had become Sect Heir thanks to the Wen attack, Jiang Cheng trusts that his brother has been carrying out Sect Heir duties just fine. The admission by Wei Wuxian that he has in fact been completely useless in the week since Jiang Cheng’s death is… Surprising.

But it’s not, not really, when Jiang Cheng thinks about it. Wei Wuxian loves him—he hasn’t shied away from this fact for three decades, he’s not about to start shying away from it now—and Jiang Cheng himself had been pretty useless those first few days after the Wen attack and then Wei Wuxian’s disappearance. He understands.

“You’re meant to be the next Sect Leader, anyway,” Wei Wuxian mumbles into Jiang Cheng’s robes.

“Maybe, but you’ll be my Sect Heir when I do,” Jiang Cheng replies, calmly staring at Wei Wuxian’s shocked expression. “I’m serious. A-Jie will marry and leave Lotus Pier, but you’re Head Disciple and will become Sect Heir when I take over from father.”

Wei Wuxian stares at him. He looks a bit like a koi fish.

Jiang Cheng kindly does not tell him that.

“But- Madam Yu-“ Wei Wuxian splitters and Jiang Cheng cuts him off.

“Mother is not Sect Leader or Sect Heir,” Jiang Cheng says firmly. “It is not her decision who I have as my heir. I love her but you are my brother and I will not allow anyone to treat you like you are unworthy of being treated as my brother. Not even mother.”

It seems that Jiang Cheng can reduce Wei Wuxian to speechless by a) dying and reviving, and b) declaring him his brother and being willing to fight Madam Yu about it.

Considering Jiang Cheng has already fought his mother today, he’s relatively confident he could beat her if it came to that; even if he’s twelve. He’d rather it didn’t but Jiang Cheng has learnt to plan for contingencies as a Sect Leader.

You never knew if you were going to reveal a major plot to undermine the Great Sects and frame your brother for crimes he didn’t commit, after all.

Speaking of contingencies, Jiang Cheng wonders if it would be wise to reach out to Gusu Lan earlier than the Disciple Exchange in three years. The Lan would be able to offer assurances to the other Sects that Jiang Cheng really isn’t dead, and it would afford him the chance to introduce Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian sooner. Whilst he’d much rather gouge his eyes out than witness his brother being so shameless with the Second Jade of Lan, Jiang Cheng remembers how happy his shixiong had been with Hanguang-Jun and Jiang Cheng will do whatever he has to, to make sure his siblings are happy.

Even if he has to endure shameless flirting and truly obnoxious displays of affection.  

He’ll have to figure something out regarding the peacock for A-Jie too. Jiang Cheng sighs. The things he does for those he loves. 

[estelwenadia]

WangXian Week 2019: Day 8 - (Free) The Grandmaster of Dance Choreography

Wei Wuxian was glad that everyone, well, most, finally managed to tolerate his existence after he came back, and then after he married HanGuang-Jun.

Jiang Cheng still glared daggers at him, but it lacked the hostility and hatred. In fact, it looked like he was grudgingly welcoming Wei Wuxian back into his life, though he would never admit that. He even allowed Wei Wuxian to stay at Lotus Pier every now and then, declaring he paid for his stay by mentoring the YunmengJiang disciples, which Wei Wuxian didn't mind at all.

Jin Ling seemed to be much friendlier to him now, too, willing to listen and was actually respecting him as one of his elders. He should, since Wei Wuxian was still his uncle.

Besides, if Jin Ling decided to unleash Fairy on him just to have a laugh or two, Lan Zhan would always reprimanded him so it was a win-win.

And Lan Zhan…

Blushing, Wei Wuxian decided not to dwell on that. It wouldn't do, to suddenly turn red during dinner.

Glancing at the window, Wei Wuxian realized that it was time.

Wei Wuxian carefully placed his chopsticks down on top of his bowl and stood up.

“I, uh, have to go.”

Everyone looked up at once.

“But Senior Wei,” Lan SiZhui protested, “we are leaving for night hunt soon.”

“I'm sure you are more than capable to handle a night hunt without me around,” Wei Wuxian absently waved off Lan SiZhui’s concerns. “Besides HanGuang-Jun will be with you so there's no need to worry.”

“Where are you going?” Lan Wangji narrowed his gaze.

It wouldn't do to have anyone find out his nightly secret.

Especially his husband... 

“Somewhere,” Wei Wuxian replied, deliberately vague. “I'll return before nine, promise!”

And with that, Wei Wuxian hurried out of the dining hall and was gone.

They stared at the door where Wei Wuxian had disappeared to, not quite believing what had transpired mere moments ago.

“Should we follow him?” Lan JingYi asked, still transfixed at the door.

Lan Wangji calmly sipped his tea. “No need.”

“But HanGuang-Jun,” Lan JingYi refused to be deterred, “Aren't you curious at all? It has been a few weeks since Senior Wei keep disappearing at around this time and return before nine!”

Lan Wangji furrowed his brows slightly. “I trust Wei Ying.”

“JingYi,” Lan SiZhui gently nudged his friend.

Huffing, Lan JingYi returned his attention back to his food. Though he no longer had the appetite, he resumed his dinner, but his thoughts were racing.

He needed to find out what Senior Wei was up to, no matter what.

And he would not be doing it by himself.

Suddenly, a thought occured to him.

“HanGuang-Jun,” When Lan Wangji looked at him, he boldly continued, “If Senior Wei is returning to Lotus Pier this weekend can I accompany him? I heard that Jin Ling will be there too. I'll bring SiZhui along.”

“JingYi!” SiZhui hissed, alarmed.

“Senior Wei and Sect Leader Jiang will be there so you don't need to worry,” JingYi went on, “We promise not to create trouble for them and will be our best behavior.”

Lan Wangji watched them for a long moment. Just when JingYi was certain that his request would be denied, Lan Wangji nodded, “Alright. I will send word to Sect Leader Jiang.”

JingYi could barely contain his excitement. “Thank you so much, HanGuang-Jun! Come, SiZhui, let's go prepare for the night hunt!”

Stunned by the sudden turn of events, Lan SiZhui hastily bowed his thanks to HanGuang-Jun before hurrying after Lan JingYi.

- At night after their everyday is everyday session -

"Wei Ying."

"Hmm?"

"Where have you been going to for the past few weeks?"

Wei Wuxian muttered something incoherent and snuggled closer to Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji could not help but tightened his embrace around his husband.

"Wei Ying."

"I am planning a surprise for you," Wei Wuxian mumbled. "Lemme sleep, Lan Zhan. G'night..."

Lan Wangji smiled fondly and planted a kiss on Wei Wuxian's hair. "As long as it is not anything dangerous. Good night, Wei Ying."

- At the Lotus Pier -

Lan SiZhui, as planned, asked Senior Wei to bring him around Yunmeng while Lan JingYi feigned exhaustion so he could rest at the quarters provided.

Wei Wuxian was more than happy to bring Lan SiZhui for a tour in Yunmeng, and truthfully Lan JingYi wanted to go too, but there was something more pressing at the moment.

"Sect Leader Jiang," Lan JingYi was at his most polite behaviour - Teacher Lan world have been proud. "May I trouble you to listen to a favour?"

Jin Ling cast him a weird look. "Speak plainly, JingYi! Why do you go all polite for all of a sudden?"

Lan JingYi bristled and was about to retort when Sect Leader Jiang sighed, looking as if he was sporting an immense headache.

"Dispense with the formality," he said coolly. "What is it that you want, Lan JingYi?"

Hearing this, Lan JingYi became emboldened. "Senior Wei had been disappearing at the same time after dinner for a few weeks now, and he only returned just in time for bed. He even missed night hunts! I think here he might even stay out longer!"

Sect Leader Jiang listened calmly. "Then, what does your HanGuang-Jun have to say about this?"

"He said to leave it be," Lan JingYi sighed, dismayed. "But isn't anyone curious to what Senior Wei is up to? I know I am. And so is SiZhui!"

There was a moment of thoughtful silence.

"Back at Cloud Recesses we are not allowed to head out unnecessarily," There was a note of frustration in Lan JingYi's voice. "So we can't tail Senior Wei even if we want to."

"So that is why you decided to ask Wei Wuxian to bring you to Yunmeng , so you are able to tail him out of curfew?" Sect Leader Jiang remarked.

"Yes!" JingYi nodded, relieved that the Sect Leader understood what he wanted to say. "If Sect Leader Jiang do not wish to follow us, it is alright! But we seek your permission to leave Lotus Pier to tail Senior Wei just to see what he is up to."

"I want to follow too!" Jin Ling said. "Uncle, may I?"

Another insufferable sigh. "Fine. I will come along. Just for tonight!"

Not only he did not want anything to happen to the juniors while they were happily tailing Wei Wuxian, he also wanted to find out what was Wei Wuxian doing that even HanGuang-Jun wasn't allowed to know.

- after dinner -

"I'm heading out for awhile, alright? Jiang Cheng, help me keep an eye on them, will you? See you!"

And with that, Wei Wuxian was gone again.

But this time, Jiang Cheng and the three boys were already anticipating it, so as soon as Wei Wuxian disappeared out of the door, they rose to pursue.

For speed and stealth, they mounted their swords and took to the sky.

After a while Wei Wuxian stopped at a clearing in the middle of the forest.

The group dismounted and quietly found some shadowy place to hide.

Then they realized that they were not the only one wondering what Wei Wuxian was up to.

Sect Leader Nie Huaisang was hiding too!

"You!" Jiang Cheng hissed. "What are you doing here?!"

"Wei Wuxian ordered fans from me," Nie Huaisang whispered back. "I am curious to know why."

As they watched, Wei Wuxian brought Chenqing to his lips and blew a tune.

"What is he trying to do?!" Jin Ling gasped, but was shushed by the other two.

Jiang Cheng's frown intensified.

Corpses ambled into the clearing as though they were waiting for him.

And they ambled into their positions. Like they were audience for a performance.

Gleefully Wei Wuxian clapped his hands together. "Alright. Tonight, like every night, you shall be my audience! Nothing can be scarier than feral corpses watching you, right?"

Whatever happened next stunned them speechless. As soon as Wei Wuxian finished, Jiang Cheng decided that he had enough.

"Wei Wuxian... You... You... What are you doing?"

"Uh, dancing?" Wei Wuxian awkwardly scratched his chin, "By the way, Sect Leader Nie, , thank you for the fans. They're so pretty!" Wei Wuxian skillfully flipped the fan open and closed to show what he meant.

"Uh... " Nie Huaisang didn't know what to say to that.

"But why are you dancing?!" Jin Ling demanded, "Are you out of your mind?!"

"Hey, that's rude! You're just like your uncle. Not me, obviously. He should have taught you manners," Wei Wuxian groused, "Anyway, why can't I dance? You all hate me if I use my dark arts, and my cultivation level so low so I'm practically useless in night hunts anyway! What else do you want from me?"

Lan JingYi wanted to argue but Lan SiZhui interjected instead.

"Senior Wei, but why are there so many zombies here? We thought you have been surrounded..."

"Oh! That! Never mind that!" Wei Wuxian chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. "They are just practice audience so I won't be nervous when I perform for real audience. Heh."

"... Perform...?" Sect Leader Nie's voice was strangled.

"Real audience?" echoed Jin Ling.

"Yes. I'm not ready yet. Still need a bit more practice. Uhm, now go away, you lot. Shoo. You can come back in another week to see the real thing. Then I won't be known as The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation anymore. Hehehe."

"Then... What shall you be known as?" Jiang Cheng asked, but he was already regretting his question.

"The Grandmaster of Dance Choreography!"

Silence ensued the clearing, until the only sounds that remained were crickets.

"By the way, there will be a surprise at the next Discussion Conference," Wei Wuxian said, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Well, the surprise is more for Lan Zhan, anyway, so please, please, please do not tell him. Don't make me use the silencing spell on you. Lan Zhan already taught me, heh."

Everyone except Jiang Cheng looked immensely awkward. "We won't tell HanGuang-Jun."

Wei Wuxian's smile was nothing short of eerie. "Excellent."

- At the Discussion Conference at Lotus Pier -

"Thank you for coming all the way down to Lotus Pier for the Discussion Conference this year," Jiang Cheng began, his solemn voice stilled everyone into silence.

He glanced at the table where the GusuLan's representatives occupied - Lan Wangji and his faithful disciples.

Jin Ling at his side gave him a subtle nudge.

"Before we begin our Discussion, I have, reluctantly agreed, to hold a surprise performance, as per request by someone annoying. Eyes at the entrance, please."

Lan JingYi looked as if he wanted to whoop and cheer so badly, but the presence of HanGuang-Jun made him forcefully reined in his excitement.

The music started playing, and all heads swivelled to the entrance, where Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying, the Yiling Patriarch, husband of HanGuang-Jun, appeared in full Yiling Patriarch outfit, much to the horror of the guests.

The sun set behind the Yiling Patriarch just as he started moving, and everyone was instantly captivated.

Lan Wangji sat frozen, unmoving, eyes wide in uncharacteristic display of shock.

Wei Wuxian danced to the beat and the feel of the song - his steps fluid and confident, his movements graceful and mesmerising.

He was even silently mouthing along to the song without even losing his breath or halting his movements!

Wei Wuxian bent down low, a hand outstretched, before straightening up and casually took out a fan from his robes, turned around and walked away.

Then he turned around, snapping his fan (crimson lined with black) open. He surprised everyone when he expertly twirled the fan around his finger before erupting into an entire new set of fast-paced dance steps.

Especially when he folded the fan, tucked it between his lips, and started another set of dance moves. This time, it radiated energy and strength in his movements.

Just as casually, subtly he took out his fan, he tucked it back into his robes while dancing.

Everything was so smooth, flawless it took everyone's breath away.

When the song finally came to an end, with Wei Wuxian stood lightly panting, fan opened and poised in front of him, no one said anything for a long moment.

Until Lan JingYi gave in and burst into enthusiastic clapping and cheering. Seeing that Lan Wangji was still unmoving, Lotus Pier erupted into applause and delighted guffaw.

Wei Wuxian beamed, and it looked like the sun had never set. "Well, I hope you enjoyed it. I had been practicing for weeks, just so I could surprise my dearest husband today, in this Discussion Conference. Thank you, everyone for your support. Thank you, Sect Leader Jiang, for your graciousness to spare a bit of this important event for me. Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, what did you think of my surprise? Do you like it?"

"You did well, Wei Ying," If Lan Wangji's voice was slightly hoarse, no one dared to comment.

"Well, before I return to Lan Zhan's side, does anyone would like to join me?" Wei Wuxian flashed them a bright grin. "Then I won't have to dance alone."

"Me!" Simultaneous 'me's' rang out. Among them were Lan SiZhui, Lan JingYi, Ouyang Zizhen, and surprisingly even Jin Ling.

As soon as Wei Wuxian was reunited with his husband, he nudged Lan Wangji's side and whispered seductively into his ear, which steadily grew an alarming red.

"Don't worry, Lan Zhan. I will dance a different dance for you, in our bedroom. That dance is only for you, Lan Zhan."