#erring on the TV portrayals of Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang

[doctorcanon]

Ouyang Sect Headcanons

Ouyang Zizhen is my newest side character hyperfixation. So have this, I guess. Gong Er is an OC but heavily based off of a real life, though heavily mythologized figure in Chinese History. 

The Ouyang Sect is in Baling, nestled in Huangshan (where the scenes in Qishan were filmed irl, I believe). Their compound is carved into the mountains. It seems simple at first glance, but if you know the place well, you’d see that it’s actually an intricate system of tunnels, stairs and bridges. 

Not many people can live in a place so high up, so their sect has always been rather small. It was one of the first sects subjugated by the Wen Sect back in the day.

You don’t have to climb the stairs but it’s strongly advised. If you’re not careful on your sword or you might fly right into a cliff.

Cultivators have to have some kind of wilderness or endurance training to Night Hunt in Baling. The Terrain is very treacherous and the prey even more so. The more dangerous the surroundings the more potent the resentful energy. Accidental deaths often lead to spirits possessing parts of the forest and becoming grudges - one of the Ouyang Sect’s specialties.

Despite this, the Ouyang Sect isn’t quite as austere as one might think though Ouyang Xi is an infamous hardass. Some say that the cries you hear in the valley at night are the Juniors forced to carry weights up those many, many stairs.

Every sect has it’s list of rules or precepts but the Ouyang Sect is a little different. Because of the nature of their training, rules regarding free time are actually quite lax. Because of this, however, punishment for any infractions are harsh. 

Some say the training is punishment enough. 

It’s not uncommon for a trainee to be stolen from their beds at night, dropped in the middle of the wilderness, and told to find their way back home. Some don’t make it. Some just decide that it’s not worth it. Those that come back however, are greatly rewarded. 

Ouyang Sect members are unnaturally resilient and often uncommonly strong. Their heir, Ouyang Zizhen exemplifies their values.

As heir, Zizhen receives the harshest training. Some question the wisdom of sending his own son to face the elements alone with packs up to 69 kg - particularly after he nearly died from hypothermia - but Sect Leader Ouyang Xi just says if Zizhen can’t succeed in this simple task then he doesn’t have a son. 

Some people wonder if Zizhen is his son by blood anyway. Ouyang Xiaoyu died when her son was five and Ouyang Xi refuses to entertain these suspicions but some say that his harsh treatment of him only confirms it.

Zizhen was mostly raised by a proxy named Ouyang Li Mei, an abbess who was formerly adopted into the family at 18 due to her medical prowess in the Sunshot Campaign. Some say that she was supposed to eventually marry Ouyang Xi when his ailing wife passed away, but it never happened. Her birthname is Gong Er.

Ouyang Li Mei was stripped of her title and adoptive name after being accused of demonic cultivation. She was sentenced to be executed by Ouyang Xi but Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng intervened on her behalf. However she was still brutally punished and banished. She did, however, eventually make it back to her home temple in Gongzhi and cannot contact the outside world.

Ouyang Zizhen lost two mother figures in a very short time both he was directly involved in. Even Nie Huaisang’s intervention never quite quelled the rumors that Zizhen is not his father’s actual child.

The rumors only got worse after Guanyin Temple, when late-bloomer Zizhen started growing taller and stronger than his father, topping 190 cm. 

Father and Son don’t see eye to eye. On anything. And it’s only gotten worse since Gong Er was banished. Rumor has it that Wei Wuxian poisoned Zizhen against his father but this is something that has been brewing for a long time.

Before he met Jin Ling, Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui, Zizhen had very few confidants despite his charisma. To keep himself from developing a temper like his father, he often sought solace in books and art and when he got older, drink. 

Ouyang Sect and Nie Sect have always been dedicated allies. Just being in Nie Huaisang’s proximity only encouraged Zizhen’s romanticism and wit. Whether Huaisang did it to spite Ouyang Xi has yet to be decided. 

While he’s a dedicated survivalist, Zizhen is quite the hedonist outside of his training. You can often find him in the nearest inn, surrounded by disciples, dramatically reciting poetry and drinking Baling’s (in)famous Yanli Laoshi Liquor which - as the name implies - is more of an experience than an actual drink. So suffice to say, he has a strong stomach.

He claims that the memories of wine and song keeps him company throughout his long treks in the hinterlands. While he often goes out with a team of disciples, his solo night hunts can take weeks. A true extrovert; the harder the hunt, the wilder the revelry. 

Despite his stature in both status and height, Zizhen’s gregariousness makes him about as intimidating as a bunny. Because of this, however, he has a lot of friends. In fact, it seems like he has a friend in every city. He can always find a place to stay or someone to chat with. Making friends - he says - is another way of survival. 

Speaking of his friends, he’s a frequent visitor in both Gusu and Carp Tower but he prefers the latter, if only because they have better liquor. He honestly has no idea why Wei Wuxian likes Emperor's Smile so much, it might as well be water. (Wei Wuxian disagrees, according to him the kid just has no taste.)

He’s often seen in the company of Jin Ling, Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui during Cultivation Conferences and Competitions. Sects from all over usually call on the Ouyang Sect to help escort more important, sick or load bearing members from larger sects through dangerous areas when flying isn’t viable. So each of them travel with him often. Especially Lan Sizhui whose music is often used to treat sickness of the mind as well as the body. 

The Ouyang Sect favors practicality over propriety. So Zizhen’s knowledge is largely practical. He often feels a bit...dumb compared to his friends. Especially to Lan Jingyi who “knows everything” - according to Zizhen. 

His formal training (beyond basic Cultivating) is as follows: Orienteering (without a map), Bare-handed combat, Advanced First Aid, Survival Talismans, Survival Tactics (without talismans: building a fire or shelter etc…), and Astronomy. All of his work revolves around practical applications and some of the finer points of Sect etiquette are a little lost on him.

Sect Leader Yao noticed this, being one of Ouyang Xi’s closest friends, and tried to take the young man under his wing and teach him the proper way of doing things and filling in some of the blank spots his old friend couldn’t. It didn’t end well. And Sect Leader Yao’s son Yao Ji has not forgiven Zizhen for making his father lose face. 

Yao Ji and Ouyang Zizhen used to be friends. In fact, Zizhen used to call Yao Ji his Big Brother. However, when he started to surpass Yao Ji, their friendship fell apart. When Ouyang Zizhen started making friends outside of the Minor Sects, Yao Ji became straight up antagonistic.

As it stands, Ouyang Zizhen is the only person who can take over the Ouyang Sect. He has no siblings, and Sect Leader Ouyang has no living relatives, thanks to the Wen Sect. Without Zizhen, the Ouyang Sect could very well fall apart.