#for one almost certainly rabid female disciple

[featherfur]

A New Way to Announce an Engagement

Silence at Lotus Pier is never a good thing. Neither is a suddenly very nervous nephew. Putting them together means Jiang Cheng is in for a hell of a surprise.

Characters: Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling Warnings: Implied Jin Ling x Lan Jingyi, Cursing, Mention of an OC Words: 1.5k

Tea with Jin Ling that didn’t involve paperwork or other Sect Leaders was a rare gift that Jiang Cheng normally held dear to his heart.

It should have been a perfect day. Fairy was curled beside her master, tail thumping every now and then whenever someone walked past their room. The tea was Jin Ling’s favorite blend, a little on the bitter side but without a horrible aftertaste that Jin Guangyao had always preferred. It wasn’t quiet the sweltering heat of midsummer, a little humid but nothing bad. The lake was peaceful and quiet, only the occasional sound of footsteps to disrupt the frogs croaking.

Which was the problem.

Lotus Pier was never quiet.

Jiang Cheng swallowed down his glass of tea, glancing at the side window and then back towards his nephew. At twenty three, his nephew looked more and more like a fully grown man who now stood taller than Jiang Cheng himself. Yet, right now he looked like a guilty eight year old who just got caught in the mud trying to catch frogs with the Yunmeng kids in town. He kept stroking his left wrist anxiously and Jiang Cheng was not sure he wanted to know what was being planned.

“Have you spoken to Li Caihong recently?” Jiang Cheng asked slowly, watching Jin Ling’s face run through various shades of red. That menace of Jiang Cheng’s was definitely in on this, whatever it was. He didn’t know how, why, or what was going on, but she was definitely involved and Jin Ling was a lot easier to break than she was.

“No, why would I be talking with one of your disciples?” Jin Ling said stubbornly, staring into his tea cup. Sixteen years of living with Jin Guangyao and seven with Wei Wuxian popping around, and Jin Ling couldn’t figure out how to lie decently?

Clearly Jiang Cheng still had a lot to teach him. If Jin Ling couldn’t lie to him about whatever bullshit he was in on, how was he supposed to lie to Sect Leader Yao’s face about being busy and not available to talk?

“Hmm… Strange, I believe she was the one who met you at the gate? You may remember because you were tackled by her and Jiang Yusen… Your cousin? The one you got mad at me for saying isn’t actually your cousin?”

Jin Ling immediately spilled his tea with a yelp, turning his head to check that the door behind him was closed.

“Don’t say that Jiujiu! He’s my Biao-di! What if he heard you, why would you make him cry?” Jin Ling looked so offended at Jiang Cheng’s words that Jiang Cheng was honestly taken aback. Of all things for Jin Ling to get up in arms about!

“He’s fifteen he shouldn’t be crying over the fact that he’s not your cousin. You’ve been spending way too much time with Wei Wuxian, you don’t know how bloodlines work anymore. His dad was adopted into the Jiang sect, not into my bloodline. He’s not my kid and he’s not--”

Jin Ling’s lips were pressed together to keep a laugh from escaping and Jiang Cheng realized he’d fallen directly into his trap.

Maybe Jin Ling did pick up some skills from the snakes of the Jin Sect. The only lesson Jiang Cheng was going to teach this brat was that no matter how old he was, Jiang Cheng could still toss him in the lake.

“You little shit! What the hell are you and Li Caihong planning? I swear to god if it’s something fucking stupid I’m kicking her out of the sect and you can deal with her.” Jiang Cheng snapped, feeling rather vindicated when Jin Ling looked horrified at having the nineteen year old prior street rat and Wei-Wuxian-level menace running around his sect.

“I’m not planning anything, Jiujiu, why are you so suspicious-”

They both fell silent as the building they were in shuddered.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes slid closed, fingers pressed against the top of his nose. He loved his nephew, he did, he was sure of it. He loved his sect, of course they were annoying but he loved them very very much. He was grateful for their existence and he’d never want them gone...

He kept repeating that to himself, certain that if he said it enough then he could keep himself from committing murder.

“What. The. Fuck.” Jiang Cheng growled, mostly to himself as Jin Ling shrunk into his seat to pretend he wasn’t there. He stood with a flourish, carefully avoiding Fairy’s suddenly thumping tail, and marched out of the room.

He glared out over his home, looking for the source of the racket and found it almost immediately. He definitely should have known that if Jin Ling was visiting, Wei Wuxian wouldn’t be far behind and neither would Lan Jingyi. Neither of which should be anywhere near Li Caihong for the sanity of everyone in a 50 li radius. None of them had braincells on a good day, adding them together somehow managed to make them even more idiotic.

“No wait Jiujiu-” Jin Ling yelped, scrambling after him with a rather concerning crash of the teacup against the floor.

He swerved around his uncle in a mess of golden robes, arms held out to stop him. His only advantage was his height and that was actually rather helpful and left his uncle scowling glare directed at him instead of whatever was going on at the water’s edge.

“A-Ling… Did I just see Lan Jingyi missing his headband and in Li Caihong’s pink Yunmeng Jiang robes?” Jiang Cheng growled, squaring his shoulders to make himself look more stern than he actually felt.

Oh they were in trouble, they were all in trouble. Even the Jiang Seniors who didn’t intervene were in trouble. But the ten seconds glance of Lan Jingyi’s face blackened with soot and Li Caihong covered in algae took more than a little edge off of his anger. No need to let Jin Ling know that though.

Jin Ling glanced over his shoulder, cheeks adorably red and Jiang Cheng missed the days he could squeeze them. By the time his nephew had turned back around, Jiang Cheng recognized the stubborn set to his jaw and-

“Do not even think about lying to me, a-Ling. I raised you better than that.” Jiang Cheng snapped and Jin Ling gave in immediately.

“.... Jingyi wanted to blow up a boat.” Jin Ling mumbled, looking appropriately abashed as he flicked his eyes up at his uncle.

“I’m sorry… He wanted to do what?” Jiang Cheng hissed, staring at his nephew with wide eyes. What in the hell was his twenty-three year old nephew thinking?

Jin Ling shuffled, lips pressed shut stubbornly before it all came blurting out like he’d been holding it back for hours.

“He wanted to blow up a boat! Sect Leader Lan said no but Wei Wuxian said you wouldn’t mind but we couldn’t get caught not being Jiang or else you’d yell at us and Caihong-meimei said she’d let us borrow some robes. And I had to keep Jingyi’s headband safe because you know it’s a big deal and that it would give him away.”

For a moment Jiang Cheng couldn’t do anything more than stare at his nephew and wonder where he had gone wrong in his life. He was disowning everyone and moving to the mountains for some peace and fucking quiet.

Then the irritation came rushing back.

“I’m going to yell either way! What the fuck is wrong with all of you?!? And where is his Lan headband? If you lost it you’re telling Teacher Lan.”

The relief that had started to spread on Jin Ling’s face at no longer having to hide the truth was wiped away with a dark red flush of embarrassment. It was so reminiscent of Jin Zixuan whenever Yanli would flirt with him that Jiang Cheng almost couldn’t breathe.

“Wait hang on… you said you were keeping the headband? Why would you be… a-Ling, why exactly did you come visit suddenly today?” Jiang Cheng said, curiosity making his voice soften momentarily. There was no way Jin Ling was…

Jin Ling’s left hand suddenly disappeared, tucking it behind his back as he gave an I-dunno noise and shrugged his shoulders. When Jiang Cheng tilted his head after the arm, Jin Ling managed to get even more impressively red and stubbornly held up his head, jaw straight out and hid the arm even moreso.

Well… That was one way to keep Jiang Cheng from being angry.

“... I won’t kill Jingyi… The rest of them are fair game.” Jiang Cheng said, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and lower the headache that was building as Wei Wuxian’s cackle reached his ears.

Jin Ling looked relieved, both hands reaching out to grab Jiang Cheng’s other sleeve like he was a child again. His eyes were bright with excitement, nearly vibrating where he stood with happiness.

“Thank you Jiujiu!”

“Yeah yeah, I want a fucking wedding. If you even think about eloping like Wei Wuxian I will disown you. Now. I have a few bodies to prepare for a funeral.” He cleared his throat with a gentle shake of his hand to remove Jin Ling and stepped around his nephew. “Wei fucking Wuxian! Li Caihong! Don’t think I don’t see you, Cai Bolin!”

Jin Ling watched with a smile, turning to Fairy whose tail was thumping the floorboards rapidly.

“Caihong-meimei was right. That really did get him to accept the engagement faster than expected…” Jin Ling turned to watch Wei Wuxian body slam Jiang Cheng and Jingyi in the lake, the juniors around them scattering at Jiang Cheng’s screeching. “Probably should have told him before the explosion like the original plan though…”