#jiang cheng just has truly a terrible day in this chapter

[curiosity-killed]

a bow for the bad decisions

canon-divergent AU from ep. 24 (on ao3)

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11 | part 12 | part 13 | part 14 | part 15 | part 16 | part 17 | part 18

Jiang Cheng is going to kill him. He’s going to get ahold of Wei Wuxian and throttle him, or at least shake him until something like sense rattles back into his head. It had taken nearly a week for the sect leaders to agree on a course of action, six days of yelling and debating and talking around each other until Jiang Cheng’s head was splitting from the noise. Lan Xichen had testified to Wen Ning and Wen Qing’s characters, at least, and Nie Mingjue had suggested a review of the existing camp conditions by a multi-sect group. No one had spoken up for Wei Wuxian, but he isn’t sure there’s much to say in Wei Wuxian’s defense. From where he’s standing, he can’t find much forgiveness. The idiot. They’d agreed they wanted to appease Jin Guangshan, not give him more cause to reach for the Stygian Tiger Seal. He’d promised he wouldn’t cause trouble, that he’d keep his head down and behave. Jiang Cheng’s hands tighten uselessly on the reins. A-jie’s been quiet the whole trip, and as they wait for Cao Xingtao to return from up the hill, he reaches out to take her wrist. “It’ll be okay, jiejie,” he promises. “We’ll bring him home.”

She smiles for him, but it’s thin. She turns away as footsteps signal Xingtao’s return, and he frowns as he listens to their report.

“Stay here,” he orders. “We’ll see it.” “Sect Leader, it may not be safe for you,” Xingtao warns, her brow furrowed. Wei Wuxian’s recent replacement as swordmaster, Xingtao worked her way into Jiang Cheng’s regard during the war through her stubborn discipline and unwavering loyalty. She’s a good lieutenant and remarkable with a blade, but she barely knows Wei Wuxian, only met him first on the battlefield. Her opinion has never quite warmed after that first bloody encounter. “Stay here,” he orders. “We’ll be back.” It’s a short walk up to the talisman barrier Xingtao described, and he pauses before it. Red shimmers across the gate, resentment roiling off it. The whole place itches with resentful energy, like a hundred biting flies stinging his skin. Reaching out, he finds the barrier itself feels almost familiar. He frowns and steps back, studying the wards. “A-Cheng, what is it?” jiejie asks. Shaking his head, he reaches his hand out palm first. The barrier hums against his skin, and the tether point pulses gently against his wrist as if in greeting. “It feels like the wards around Lotus Pier,” he says, stepping back and crossing his arms. “If they’re the same, Wei Wuxian should know we’re here.” Sure enough, within a few minutes a familiar black figure appears around a corner in the path. A second figure walks alongside him, smaller and clothed in rusty maroon, and Jiang Cheng’s heart stutters into his throat. “Jiang Cheng! Shijie?” Wei Wuxian greets, slowing to a halt. “Are you going to let us in or not?” Jiang Cheng demands. Rolling his eyes, Wei Wuxian flicks his hand in a gesture too quick to read and the humming energy slips down enough for them to pass through. Ash compresses under his shoes, too soft to be soil, and unease rolls in his belly. “Wen-guniang,” jiejie greets, and he remembers to bow only a beat late. “Sect Leader Jiang, Jiang-guniang,” Wen Qing answers. “Ah come on, you didn’t come here just to stand at the gate,” Wei Wuxian interrupts, giving Jiang Cheng’s wrist a tug. He pulls it out of his hand, shooting him a glare. Whatever they’re doing here, Wei Wuxian’s not getting out of this so easily. He still has to come back and give a full account of his recklessness and then figure out some way to appease the rest of the sects. Wei Wuxian looks at him, lips thinning, before he dips his head and gestures up the path. “A-Xian, we’ve been worried,” jiejie says gently. “You ran without telling us.” There’s no accusation in her voice, just that soft worry like water seeping into paper. As expected, Wei Wuxian’s shoulders hunch a little in shame, and Jiang Cheng feels a surge of gratitude that jiejie came with him. No one can get Wei Wuxian to listen like her. Wen Qing walks alongside him, and Jiang Cheng can’t quite help stealing small sideways glances at her. Her robes are rougher than he’s used to, plainer than the rich scarlets she wore at the indoctrination camp or in Yiling. She’s thin, too, cheeks hollowed out with hunger. She catches him looking, and he swallows. “I am glad to see you well, Wen-guniang,” he says and immediately wants to shove his entire foot in his mouth. She has better grace than to point out the idiocy of his comment, but Jiang Cheng still feels his face flush with heat. He turns his gaze stubbornly to the path before them. Resentment lingers on the edge of his senses, as if it’s being pressed back by a single arm. His skin crawls as he takes in the withered, bent trees and the grey ash that seems to linger in the air. As they reach the peak of the hill, signs of life start to emerge from the pale death around them. Small fields, freshly dug without any green yet sprouting from them, appear like patches in the silty soil. He eyes them doubtfully, but he only sees a few upturned bones, outside the perimeter of the fields. They walk into a clearing, and Jiang Cheng’s heart jolts to a stop in his chest. This is — this isn’t a camp or a huddled party awaiting rescue. Trees have been felled, a small house built and the first bare beams of another raised. Zidian crackles on his wrist as he takes it in and feels his hope curdle and slip away into a sticky sick feeling deep in his belly. “What, are you going to live here then?” he snaps. What are you doing? he wants to demand instead. You’re supposed to come back with us, you’re supposed to stay with us in Lotus Pier — why do you need to build houses when you already have a home? Wei Wuxian lifts his eyebrows, lips pressed together in something almost like a pout. “Why not?” he asks. “I lived here for three months.” He says it so casually, as if he hadn’t evaded and chased away any mention of those months during the war. It hits like a punch to Jiang Cheng’s gut. How can he feel so much safer and more secure here in this land of death, with the people who destroyed their homes, than he did beside his own brother? “What will you eat?” he presses. “Don’t tell me they’re going to grow food here. Can it even be eaten?” The look Wei Wuxian fixes him with is funny, strange. There’s a little quirk to the corner of his lips like he’s amused, like Jiang Cheng has said something silly and childish, and his grey eyes are dark. “Believe me,” he says, “when people are hungry enough, they’ll eat anything.” He speaks with calm authority, and Jiang Cheng’s stomach twists. He doesn’t know what he means; he doesn’t want to know how his brother came to be an expert on hunger. Whispers shiver up his shoulder blades anyway. “Perhaps it would be better to speak inside,” Wen Qing suggests. It’s only this comment that makes Jiang Cheng look away from his brother and realize they have an audience. Around them, a couple dozen Wen villagers stare with scared eyes. They’re all — elderly, frail. He can’t see a single cultivator among them. Where are the dangerous prisoners Jin Guangshan claimed he held? As he looks over them, there’s a jolt of unwelcome recognition in his chest. He’s seen these people before — years ago, back when war barely in his periphery. Deep in his chest, a knot tugs tangled emotions into a nest. Wei Wuxian turns to lead them toward the open mouth of a cave set in the back of the clearing, but Jiang Cheng feels a sudden weight clamped onto his leg. Jerking away, he finds a child wrapped around his shin and beaming up at him. “What is this?” he demands. He leans away from the kid. “Get off me.” “A-Cheng,” jiejie scolds. “Ah, don’t you know better language than that?” Wei Wuxian chides. He braces his hands on his hips and looks down at the child. “A-Yuan, let Uncle Jiang go — aiya! No, don’t put the dirt in your mouth!” He drops into a crouch, reaching out to pry the child’s dirty fist his mouth as if he’s done it a hundred times before. Jiang Cheng stares, struck mute, as his brother pulls the toddler away from his leg and hoists him up onto his hip. “A-Yuan, what’ve we told you about the dirt here? You can’t put it in your mouth, okay?” he scolds, peeling open the kid’s fist and wiping the dirt off his palm and fingers. “A-Xian, who is this?” jiejie asks, stepping close with a delighted smile. No, Jiang Cheng thinks. This is terrible. Jiejie’s supposed to help him cart Wei Wuxian back home, not coo over this child and reinforce his idiot ideas about building here. She’s the one with common sense. “This is my son!” Wei Wuxian chirps cheerfully. “A-Yuan, this is your Auntie Yanli.” Wen Qing releases a quiet sigh and turns to Jiang Cheng and jiejie as Wei Wuxian bounces the child. “He is my cousin’s child,” she explains quietly. “Both his parents were killed in the war, and he was with Popo in the camps. Since we came here, he’s been attached to Wei Wuxian like a squirrel.” Jiejie’s leaned over Wei Wuxian’s arm to coo at the child, squeezing his cheeks gently and earning herself a wild giggle. Over her head, Wei Wuxian’s grinning with a smile to match the child’s. Jiang Cheng hates it. Anger and grief burn up the inside of his chest, dig claws into his ribs and tug. “A-Xian, I can’t believe you have a son before I’ve even gotten married,” jiejie scolds cheerfully, swatting his arm. “Ah, sorry, sorry shijie,” Wei Wuxian says even as he grins, unrepentant. “At least you’ll still get married before me.” Mostly because no one will ever marry Wei Wuxian, but Jiang Cheng doesn’t say it aloud. He doesn’t want to join in on this cheerful teasing. He doesn’t want to hear their laughter. They were supposed to find misery here. Wen remnants desperate and dangerous like cornered dogs and Wei Wuxian lonely and quick to plead his way back to Lotus Pier. They were going to rescue him and go home. Wei Wuxian looks over and his smile fades, turning thin. Transferring Yuan to Wen Qing, he nods toward the cave and leads them inside. Jiang Cheng’s jaw clenches and twitches.   As soon as they step inside, it’s clear that this is Wei Wuxian’s living space. Talisman paper, some blank, some half-finished, some cluttered with characters, flutters on any flat surface including the floor, and there are half-finished projects scattered throughout. There’s…a lot, for the ten days he’s been here. The thought makes his heart squeeze uncomfortably and he pushes it away. They perch on stone seats, all uneven heights, and Jiang Cheng curls his hands into his skirts. “A-Xian, can you tell us what happened? The sect leaders are very upset,” jiejie says. “Jin Guangshan is asking for justice. And — and for the Stygian Tiger Seal.” Wei Wuxian’s expression tightens, hand curling into a fist around Chenqing where the flute lies across his thighs. Satisfaction, thin and forked, curls through Jiang Cheng’s chest. Good. Let him remember there are consequences to his actions. Let him choose between his precious seal and coming back to his family. “He can’t have it,” he says, firm and final. “It’s too dangerous for someone like Jin Guangshan to have control over it.” Part of him wants to protest, wants to ask how it can be safe in Wei Wuxian’s hands, then, if it’s so very dangerous. He thinks of Wei Wuxian insisting he not have access to the wards, of his white-knuckled grip on Chenqing, and he doesn’t ask. “I know, a-Xian,” jiejie soothes. “Is there any other way? You had said something about destroying it.” A muscle jumps in the back of Wei Wuxian’s jaw, and he looks away, lips thinning. His hands tighten around the flute in his lap before he visibly loosens them. Swallowing, he looks down at his lap and gives a slight nod. “I…” He pauses, swallows and lifts his gaze to them. “Right now, the Seal is the only thing keeping the Wens safe. I can’t let it go until I know they’ll be safe, but I could — I could destroy half of it, send that to Jin Guangshan.” His expression is carefully composed in a way that makes ants shivering under Jiang Cheng’s skin. He shouldn’t look so serious, so pale. He should be overconfident, irritated, gesturing with both hands. The stillness makes him seem small, brittle, in a way that leaves Jiang Cheng itchy with discomfort. “Aren’t the wards here the same as Lotus Pier?” he asks. “Can’t you just let the Burial Mounds feed them?” His voice comes out more accusatory than he means, and Wei Wuxian breathes out a little smile. “Not quite,” he says. “These are more temporary. I’m the anchor.” He says it evenly, and the calm in his voice does more to jar Jiang Cheng than any anger could. Anchors are usually built into stone or earth or occasionally particularly ancient trees — great acts of creation that can shoulder the weight of such strong magic, that can support massive draws of energy without faltering. He stares at his brother’s pale face and wonders that he is upright. Jiejie glances between them, brow creasing in a delicate frown. He shakes his head slightly, swallowing to clear his throat. “Then we need to find a safe place to resettle the Wens, right?” jiejie suggests. Quiet footsteps interrupt them, and Jiang Cheng looks up to see Wen Qing balancing a tray with a kettle and cups. “I’m sorry, we don’t have tea,” she admits as she lays the tray on the crude table before them. “It’s only water.” “Please, join us, Wen-guniang,” jiejie says. “This is your family; you should have a say in our plans.” Wen Qing hesitates, gaze flicking toward Jiang Cheng. He can’t imagine why except that he supposes he is technically the highest authority here. The thought settles uneasily in his chest even as he gives her a slight nod; he’s been born and raised to be sect leader, but among the three of them there has never been much hierarchy. They’ve always been a three-part whole, each supporting each other’s weight.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Beautifully Spent

aka Five Times Lan Qiren Left The Lan Sect Behind

- Chapter 5 -

It didn’t matter how many years it had been, or that he had died and returned in a different body, or even that he was now a married man, an adult, well-respected by the whole cultivation world – being summoned to have tea with Lan Qiren still had a way of making Wei Wuxian feel like a disobedient schoolboy all over again.

He thought that they were on better terms now than they had been before, at least. At some point after he’d finally settled into the Cloud Recesses for good, Wei Wuxian had started assisting Lan Qiren with his classes, or perhaps more accurately, Lan Wangji had made a request with an eye towards his uncle’s uncertain health, Lan Qiren had refused, and Wei Wuxian had bullied his way in to act as an aide anyway by simply showing up and refusing to leave.

At first, he’d thought Lan Wangji’s idea was a terrible one, thinking that after all he was on bad terms with Lan Qiren, who disapproved of him as a general matter and of Lan Wangji’s relationship with him in specific, and therefore that they were on such bad terms that his presence would only make things worse. Only…one day, he had seen Lan Qiren coughing into his sleeve after they’d all had a brief scare as a result of a badly phrased letter from Lan Sizhui and spotted blood, and then suddenly been assaulted by the memory of Lan Qiren bleeding from all his qiqiao, crying out half-unconscious for Wei Wuxian to stop butchering his flute playing as if that was the only thing he remembered how to condemn.

It was not a memory that Wei Wuxian particularly enjoyed – the man had been his teacher, after all.

So despite his misgivings, he’d gone ahead and done it, and brazened it out the way he always did. They’d fought like cats and dogs at the start, Lan Qiren tetchy and querulous, Wei Wuxian too often inclined to argue just for the sake of arguing, but just as he’d been on the verge of giving it all up as a bad idea, Lan Wangji had, in his oh-so-serious way, told Wei Wuxian that he did not need to assist his uncle if he thought he couldn’t handle it and that, of course, had only lit a fire under his ass to actually manage it.

(Yes, he knew that Lan Wangji had done it on purpose, but it wasn’t like he didn’t use his own sexy wiles to convince Lan Wangji of all sorts of important things, like having a drink with him once in a while.)

At any rate, Wei Wuxian had gritted his teeth and forced himself to play along a bit better with Lan Qiren’s monotone lecturing, and after a while he found to his surprise that assisting with the classes actually wasn’t anywhere near as boring as he thought it would be. In turn, Lan Qiren had eased up a little on him, explaining the reasons behind what he was doing upon request, and things started to work better, little by little.

And now – now they were having tea.

Weird.

“You’ve adjusted well to the Cloud Recesses,” Lan Qiren said, accepting the tea Wei Wuxian poured for him. His voice was neutral and monotone, but Lan Wangji had assured Wei Wuxian that his uncle’s voice always sounded like that, and sure enough all the classes they shared together seemed to bear it out. Even when he was horribly upset and coughing up blood, his voice stayed as toneless and dull as ever; the only thing he really adjusted was the volume.

“Ah, I’ll never quite get the hang of when you wake up,” Wei Wuxian said, automatically deflecting, but Lan Qiren shook his head.

“Ancillary rule,” he said, and a few months of sitting in on Lan Qiren’s classes made Wei Wuxian ponderously put his hands together and say, using his own best monotone, “Ancillary rules support the fundamental rules. Even the keystone in an arch doesn’t stand alone.”

Lan Qiren nodded, serious despite Wei Wuxian’s attempt at teasing (clearly unsuccessful). “And yet you have adjusted to the underlying purpose of the rule regarding when to wake, which is to fill as much of your day with meaning as possible. Your relationship with Wangji is going well?”

Wei Wuxian choked a little. “Uh, yes.” He hoped Lan Qiren wasn’t thinking of dissuading him now – they were already married! Lan Qiren had even participated, accepting Wei Wuxian’s respect in the place of Lan Wangji’s parents. “Did you have any…questions…?”

Lan Qiren shook his head. “You’ve also repaired your relationship with Jiang Cheng, have you not?” he said instead, changing the subject, and – on firmer ground – Wei Wuxian nodded. “Good. He’s an excellent sect leader.”

“He is, isn’t he?” Wei Wuxian said, feeling fond as always when he thought of Jiang Cheng. “He grew up so well.”

It would have been better, of course, if Wei Wuxian had been able to be by his side – but it hadn’t been meant to be, and now they were getting over that.

Lan Qiren nodded.

There was a few moments of silence, and just as Wei Wuxian was wondering if it was his turn to come up with a conversational subject, Lan Qiren put down his cup.

“Xichen has been out of seclusion for over a year,” he said. “Wangji helps him with the work of sect leader, but the bulk has returned to his hands, and he is doing well with it.”

“Yes, definitely,” Wei Wuxian said, but he had to admit he was a little puzzled as to where this conversation was going. It seemed clear that Lan Qiren was leading somewhere, but with all these subject changes, he couldn’t keep up. “Teacher Lan, what’s your point?” he asked, taking a sip of his own tea.

“I want you to take over my classes.”

Wei Wuxian choked.

Lan Qiren politely waited for him to catch his breath. “I’m serious.”

Wei Wuxian had just been about to ask if he was joking. “Why?” he asked. “You love teaching classes.”

It was true, too. He hadn’t appreciated it as a child, seeing only the old man hiding in Lan Qiren’s bones, but Lan Qiren truly loved teaching students – and he was good at it, too. It was impossible to teach those that didn’t want to be taught, so for a reckless idiot like Wei Wuxian who hadn’t been willing to listen, he’d ordered him to copy the rules as a punishment; as a result, to this day, Wei Wuxian could still recite each and every one of them. If Wei Wuxian hadn’t gotten into that fight with Jin Zixuan and been pulled out of the classes so recklessly back then, he might’ve had the chance to learn what he was learning now – not just the basic foundation of what the rules were, but why each rule existed, the history and background of it, the debates and complexity about its meaning, the way each rule intersected with all the others. How the rules, even when seemingly meaningless, had a life and background of their own; how they could be associated with various points of good conduct, of righteousness and ethical behavior.

When they could be broken, and why.

Lan Qiren might be an old man from the bottom of his soul, he might speak in a monotone and be stiff and unyielding and stubborn, slow to change his fixed views on things and even slower to pick up on sarcasm or undue cleverness, but he worked with each student on how to understand what he was trying to convey, teaching them not only the content of his lectures but how to learn. He wasn’t especially patient, wasn’t especially gentle, was overly strict, but his students learned – sometimes despite themselves.

And now…he wanted to give up on his classes?

“Is something the matter?” Wei Wuxian asked, distressed despite himself, thinking of bad blood welling up in Lan Qiren’s chest – thinking of all the stupid things he’d done to aggravate him, whether now or in the past. Had the old man’s health really gotten that bad?

“Nothing is the matter,” Lan Qiren said. “And my health is fine, no matter what Wangji might have you think. It is merely a matter of time. Of time, and of dreams.”

“Of…dreams?”

“Mm,” Lan Qiren said, and for a moment he sounded exactly like Lan Wangji. “When I was a child, I once dreamed of being a traveling musician. I thought I’d roam the world, playing for anyone who would listen, and when I had my fill of wanderlust, return home – retire – teach.”

Wei Wuxian had had no idea. He could scarcely imagine Lan Qiren as a child – no, he couldn’t imagine it at all. Much less wanting to leave the Cloud Recesses as something as daringly bold as being a traveling musician! Not even a rogue cultivator, but a traveling musician!

The brief moment of glee that the image inspired got snuffed out a moment later when he recalled why, exactly, Lan Qiren had never gone out to fulfill his childhood dream. He knew the story well by now, the story of Lan Wangji’s father and mother, their mutual disaster. Wei Wuxian was intimately familiar with sacrificing everything for his loved ones, but he couldn’t even imagine how it must have been to be Lan Qiren – his dreams destroyed by his brother’s selfish actions, another person’s love affair leaving him chained to his sect and raising two children as if they were his own.

Even Jiang Cheng had the comfort of knowing that his life had been destroyed by an enemy.

“I became a teacher prematurely,” Lan Qiren said, nodding when he saw the light of recognition in Wei Wuxian’s eyes. “I have enjoyed it, as I always expected I would. But it is not enough. It is time.”

“Time?” Wei Wuxian echoed, and then realized: “You want to be a traveling musician? Now?”

Surely it was impossible.

Lan Qiren was – not old, no, not really, but his health was bad; he had never recovered from the attack on the Cloud Recesses, from Wen Xu’s vicious attacks that had nearly crippled him. Moreover, he wasn’t just some nobody who could go around unnoticed – he was the only sect leader left from his generation, even if he had technically only played an interim role, and more than that, he was the honorable teacher Lan Qiren, who could turn any waste into a gentleman. He’d taught hundreds of students over the years – Wei Wuxian had seen the records – and he counted among his students some of the most influential people in the cultivation world.

Even Wei Wuxian, who’d been in his class only a month or so and spent most of it in punishment, felt distress at the thought of Lan Qiren trudging through the mud of the mortal world with a guqin on his back, playing for his supper. How would those who had actually done well in his class feel?!

“It will not be as I originally imagined,” Lan Qiren said, entirely calm. “I plan to visit my former students, if they would have me there, and travel only between their homes – it will not be as stressful as the life of a rogue cultivator. I will have the sect’s resources available to assist me. It will be fine.”

“But -!”

“Xichen is sect leader, and recovering well from what he lost. Wangji is your husband, and happy. The only thing binding me to the sect now is my students – and you have helped me with my classes for months now. You are charming and thoughtful, charismatic; the students listen to you. You will do well with it.”

“I don’t know all the rules!”

“You know enough.”

“But – but –”

“If you say no, I cannot go,” Lan Qiren said, and he didn’t even sound angry about it, merely accepting. “I have a duty to see to the juniors’ education. I would entrust you with it, but I will not force it upon you. But I would very much appreciate it if you would agree. Will you do it?”

If I say no, I’d be the one locking you here, Wei Wuxian thought, and swallowed. That didn’t seem right.

“…all right,” he said, and was rewarded by one of Lan Qiren’s rare smiles. “But you have to get me up to speed first!”

“Of course,” Lan Qiren agreed. “I will plan to go only after the New Year, in the spring. I will tell Xichen and Wangji of my decision this evening.”

Wei Wuxian felt his heart freeze at the thought of their reaction at discovering their beloved uncle’s plans – and finding out that he had played a critical role in enabling it.

“Uh,” he said. “I…may need to go out tonight. For a – thing. Important thing! Very…Lotus Pier! I’m going to the Lotus Pier! Urgently!”

Lan Qiren looked at him, unimpressed.

“It will not be that bad,” he said. “They will understand, and there is no reason for them to be concerned.”

“Oh yeah?” Wei Wuxian said, and crossed his arms. “Want to bet on that?”

[baoshan-sanren]

Chapter 54

Emperor Wei WuXian And His Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Birthday

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 Part 1 | Chapter 8 Part 2 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 Part 1 | Chapter 15 Part 2 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 Part 1 | Chapter 22 Part 2 | Chapter 23 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25 | Chapter 26 | Chapter 27 | Chapter 28 | Chapter 29 | Chapter 30 | Chapter 31 | Chapter 32 | Chapter 33 | Chapter 34 | Chapter 35 | Chapter 36 | Chapter 37 | Chapter 38 | Chapter 39 | Chapter 40 | Chapter 41 | Chapter 42 | Chapter 43 | Chapter 44 | Chapter 45 | Chapter 46 | Chapter 47 | Chapter 48 & Chapter 49 | Chapter 50 | Chapter 51 | Chapter 52 | Chapter 53

It is past midday by the time the grand hall doors can be opened.

Wei Ying had intended to hold the meeting in the early morning, to spend the midday meal with A-Yuan, to perhaps have an evening alone with Lan Zhan. He had planned the day’s events with his old body in mind, counting on his old resilience and boundless energy. Instead, it had taken nearly two hours just to dress him, the majority of the work accomplished by A-Sang and shijie, while Wei Ying struggled with the simple task of remaining upright. It is astounding, how many mindless, day-to-day tasks, he had taken for granted in the past. Meaningless actions, such as putting on his own robes, securing his own belt, standing on a single foot to slide into his own shoes. Each one so straightforward and undemanding, each one suddenly transformed into an arduous undertaking, requiring many hands, frequent periods of rest, and more than one muttered curse by everyone involved in the process.

Running over the rooftops seems a distant dream. The act of walking, supported by both A-Sang and Lan Zhan, to the grand hall dais, settles a trembling ache into every one of his muscles. By the time he is seated on the throne, his robes adjusted, his sleeves pulled down to cover the splint on his wrist, he is tired enough to sleep the rest of the day away.

Patience has never been his strong suit, and the inability to force his body into obedience fills him with frustration that can find no outlet. Lan Zhan’s eyes settle on his broken wrist so often, that Wei Ying can practically hear the unspoken string of self-recriminations. In the wake of his earlier confession, A-Sang has been mostly silent and subdued. It is impossible to be angry with shijie, whose patience can rival the Immortal Mountain itself.

Jiang FengMian is admitted to the grand hall before any of the others, and Wei Ying, irritable and exhausted, snaps at the man without thinking. It does not lessen his discomfort, and the reproachful look he receives in response only sours his mood further.

At the root of this frustration, there is a fear he cannot voice. His body will recover. His current weakness will not last forever. But will he ever again belong to himself alone? Will he ever again be able to view his own anger as justified? Or will he be forced to forever question the root cause?

Any descendants that posses the affinity, Xue ChengMei had told A-Sang.

The words have replayed in Wei Ying’s mind countless times, invading every thought, tainting every past decision. He wonders if the boy knew the terror that his words would carve into Wei Ying’s bones. Is there another YanLing DaoRen waiting somewhere inside of Wei Ying? How deep does the affinity run? What will it take, to bring it out into the open?  

If these were questions that Wei Ying had never considered before, he would find Xue ChengMei’s revelations easier to bear. But they are not new; somewhere, in the murky depths of Wei Ying’s belief that he had never truly been suited to the throne, these questions have reared their ugly head each time his confidence had faltered. He had never executed a man without wondering if YanLing DaoRen would have done the same, without wondering if his mother would have offered a pardon instead. Now, even his simple frustrations are no longer just his own, forever tainted by the blood that he shares.

Can he ever again trust any decisions he makes? Can he ever again be certain that they came from a righteous place?

Fingers brush his hand, mindful of the injured wrist. Lan Zhan’s gaze is focused on the entry of the hall, on the task ahead. His face is cool and collected, any emotion that is concealed beneath the surface impossible to read. But his fingers are a gentle reassurance, a promise and a pledge, spoken in a language Wei Ying is finally beginning to understand.

The touch does not take away the anxiety, but it muffles it into something bearable, something Wei Ying can push down, back into the dark recesses from which it came. If he cannot trust himself, he can trust Lan Zhan. He can trust A-Sang and shijie, Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing.

“They may enter,” he says.

It is immediately obvious that there have been some slight changes in the hierarchy. The Jiang and the Nie are the first to be admitted, as they always have been, but the place traditionally taken by the Jin is now filled by Lan XiChen and a small number of Lan disciples. The Jin Sect is next, but instead of MeiShan Yu, the Fan Sect follows immediately behind, Fan XiaoHu striding proudly at her father’s shoulder, and making no effort to conceal her contempt for Jin GuangShan. This arrangement has, of course, pushed some sects further to the back. Wei Ying notices Sect Leader Yao’s disgruntled gaze measuring the new distance between himself and the dais.

Any arrangement that keeps the man further away from Wei Ying is a good one, regardless of the circumstances. He thinks, if only he had known that nearly dying would have such an unexpected benefit, he may have risked his life sooner.

It takes some time, as it always does, for all to settle in their respective places, for the shuffling of the feet to cease, for the murmurs to grow silent. On Wei Ying’s left, Lan Zhan had refused the pillow, opting to stand. On his right, A-Sang had settled in his usual place, his easy posture concealing nerves that are just as brittle as Wei Ying’s own. The weight of the dragon crown is pushing down on Wei Ying’s neck, a dull pain radiating through his shoulders. His ribs ache, resentful of his stiff posture. His wrist, a minor pain compared to some of the others, is beginning to throb with greater frequency. He does not know how long he will be capable of keeping his spine fixed in a straight line, how long before his weakness becomes apparent to men who have always known exactly where to look.  

He does not have the time for diplomacy. The thing he must do, which would have taken a great deal of finesse and caution in the past, must be done through crude and forceful tactics instead.

“There will be no war with the Wen,” he says, his words cutting through the murmurs.

Before any of the Sect Leaders can gather their thoughts to voice opposition, Wei Ying signals to Jiang Cheng.

A group of Jiang disciples carry forward an object wrapped in a red silk cloth, setting it down in front of the dais. Unwrapped, the parcel reveals a set of armor, the steel polished and shining, an intricate dragon with milky jade eyes depicted on the chest plate.

“This is the gift from Wen RuoHan,” Wei Ying says coldly, “The gift that was delivered by the Wen Sect disciples, and later replaced by a cursed object in time for the Gifting Ceremony.”

He does not mention the fact that the gift had come with a message, Wen RuoHan’s decisive hand easy to read in each ruthless stroke. Wei Ying had been right to assume that the man had been ready for war when the gift was sent. The note had offered the Emperor sincere congratulations on managing to reach the age of eighteen. It had also expressed a hope that this set of armor may actually make Wei Ying a worthy opponent in the upcoming war, as well as an offhanded assurance that, at the very least, the armor will guarantee a dignified appearance to his corpse.

The others, especially Lan Zhan, had been deeply offended on his behalf. Wei Ying, relieved to not be suiting up for battle, could muster up very little resentment. He had always found Wen RuoHan’s arrogance amusing, rather than disrespectful, but he is fairly certain that none of the others would understand his forbearance.

The note is currently tucked in his qiankun pouch, where it will remain, unread by both the General and the High Councilor.

“Your Majesty,” the High Councilor says, “Are you certain this is not some trick by Wen RuoHan?”

“The Royal Companion had inspected each gift the day before the Ceremony. Between the inspection and the Ceremony itself, the Wen Sect gift was replaced. Wen RuoHan may be untrustworthy, but the Royal Companion is beyond reproach.”

“I wonder why,” Jin GuangShan says carefully, “the Royal Companion did not set our minds at ease sooner? It certainly would have been a grave offense, to have attacked a blameless Sect due to a misunderstanding.”

“An attack?” Wei Ying says, his voice dangerously low, “How can there be an attack without a declaration of war? Who, other than the Divine Ruler, would dare declare war in His name? Surely, the Jin Sect Leader did not mean to use those words.”

“Certainly not, Your Majesty,” Jin GuangShan stutters, “Forgive me, I misspoke--”

“The Royal Companion,” Wei Ying interrupts, “has behaved in a manner befitting his position. Those who have overreached during my absence will find that my tolerance has limits. The Sect Leaders may prepare to extend their stay in the Immortal Mountain until these matters have been resolved to the Divine Ruler’s satisfaction.”

The silence that greets his words is thick and indignant.

Wei Ying believes he may have very little time left before his spine gives up on the tedious task of keeping him upright.

“You are dismissed,” he says.

[lady-of-the-lotus]

Thank you @gusu-emilu  for the tag!

How many works do you have on AO3?

26. I used to have more but I deleted them.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

211,726 – the majority of that is CQL

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

CQL, The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, Sherlock, Star Wars, Venom, LOTR/Hobbit, Agent Carter, Arcana

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? (sigh, my deleted fics had more I think)

Night at the Museum – Symbrock smut/character stuff/humor

Immersion Therapy – the sequel to the above

The Gang Goes To Family Counseling After A Series of Toddler-Related Mishaps (fluffy/cracky modern au with all the main couples at a counseling session run by poor Dr. Wen Qing)

Fractured Ice – xuexiao/xiyao roadtrip – LXC and Xue Yang try to resurrect Xiao Xingchen and Jiggy

I Promised You A Garden – the happy ending xuexiao deserved! (I’m sorry, Song Lan) – “disturbing fluff”

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

OF COURSE. Getting a nice comment makes my day! I appreciate each and every one, no matter how short or simple.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha (ha) (ha) (….ha)

Better to ask which don’t have an angsty ending?? (a surprising amount, actually, but hush)

I’d probably have to open this up to the floor. I’d say even my angsty endings are earned, it’s not for the shock value. Perhaps Familiar Faces? My least popular CQL fic? I don’t dwell on the angst, as the fic ends right at the [redacted spoiler], but it’s pretty dark. Oooooh right-- You Look So Pretty With Blood On Your Face  probably! As I have more time to dwell on what happens.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

May I interest you in: Jiang Cheng Loves Jar Jar Bombad Mui & (the better one) WHATSA DAT TONGUE DO?: Jiang Cheng x Jar Jar Wedding Night?

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I too have been visited by the Xiyao troll! About seven times total, because they dropped the ball on a few chapters of “Fractured Ice” (smh).

Do you write smut? if so what kind?

I do, though lil ol’ ace me is all smutted out at the moment. I’ve written dubcon, necroph—um never mind, snuffmut, rotsex, Jarcheng, sex pollen, lots of blood as lube, sex magic, etc. The only “nice” sex I’ve written in detail is Jarcheng. Writing nice, healthy, loving sex just squicks me out and makes me uncomfortable. I’ve done it a bit for xuexiao, but in fics with other messed-up elements and dubious sex.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t think my fics are anywhere near popular enough to get stolen.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I had one podfic made, of Jarcheng 1! It was very flattering.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Symbrock will always be a love of mine, but I’d say xuexiao is my favorite ship. There’s just so much potential and f*ed-uppedness and anime-levels of cranked up emotion. You can do fluff, you can do angst, smut, domesticity, you name it.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Ace JC exploration. But the one I really wish I would finish/write is the Madam Yu and Wen Zhuliu fic that I have 13 chapters of outlined.

What are your writing strengths?

I’d say atmosphere? I like wrapping a lot of my fics in a sense of creeping dread or hazy dreaminess. It’s easier when writing from LXC or Xiao Xingchen’s pove. With Xue Yang, I tend to go more blunt and earthy, though I think Whispers to the Dead was sufficiently…is “atmospheric” still the right word? Lol

What are your writing weaknesses?

This is more of an original story issue than fanfic issue, as fanfic tends to reward it, but I tend to write too much, and then have to go back and strip things down and trim the fat (<- this sentence did not need both “strip things down” and “trim the fat,” for  example). I’ve written 140k stories I’ve gone back and cut down to 115k. Numerous times. I tend to ramble and overdo it on dialogue, but I think having switched to fanfic during the pandemic gave me practice sticking to the point.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’m terrible with languages (seriously, I took years of other languages and came away with only the rudiments), so I prefer having things dumbed down into English as much as possible.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I think it was Sherlock, a truly questionable Sherlolly fic that I’ve since deleted off Ao3 though it can be found on FF.net because I keep forgetting to delete it.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I don’t have a favorite really. I have a special place in my heart for A Thousand Miles In Its Light. It plays with identity and proxies and the loss of self…all fun stuff. Consume Me Slowly I’m proud of in that I actually wrote the post-resurrection xuexiao I always thought I’d never be able to write, plus I’m proud of the atmosphere in the final section. OH how did I forget Jarcheng!! Okay, I might go with the Jarcheng smut because that was the most fun I’ve ever had writing anything.

[mhalachai]

advance snippet: Updating Wednesdays on Patreon (The Untamed)

So. Do I need to write an Untamed modern!AU with a college twist (Lan Xichen is a music professor in Canada) in which Wei Wuxian attempts to self-therapy himself by creating a graphic novel fantasy AU version of his life (aka the real story of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) and Lan Xichen attempts to rebuild his life after a toxic relationship ended? I mean probably not but has that ever stopped me?  here’s the intro snippet we’ll see how things go.

(Title is tentatively Updating Wednesdays on Patreon because i don’t know what to call this thing)

~~

The first day of August finds Lan Xichen in a coffee shop, tinkering with the syllabus for his new music theory course, when his phone pings with a message.

> Lan Wangji: Brother.

> Lan Wangji: Wei Ying has asked me to inform you that he will be publishing the first collection of pages in his new graphic novel on Patreon this afternoon.

Lan Xichen smiles at Lan Wangji's tone. For all that his little brother is more verbose in electronic communication than verbal, he's always so exact.

> To Lan Wangji: Can't wait! What's it about?

The little cursor blinks for a while as Lan Wangji continues to type. Lan Xichen just hopes that his brother-in-law's creative enthusiasm isn't running up against Lan Wangji's sensibilities.

Finally, a reply appears.

> Lan Wangji: Wei Ying wants me to tell you that it is completely fictional.

This gives Lan Xichen pause. Why on earth would Wei Wuxian, or Lan Wangji himself for that matter, need to make that declaration?

> Lan Wangji: It is a high fantasy xianxia story.

Before Lan Xichen can ask why that is causing this odd message exchange, another notification pops up on his phone.

> Wei Wuxian: Lan Xichen! Lan Zhan types so slow! It's just a different art style I wanted to try out and it snowballed from there!

> Wei Wuxian: I know you follow me on Patreon so you're going to get the notification this afternoon so I wanted to warn you hahaha

> Wei Wuxian: All names and places are purely fictional. I don't really have a sword.

Another message arrives, with all the information Lan Xichen needs.

> Lan Wangji: This matters a great deal with Wei Ying.

Lan Xichen smiles at his brother's words. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian have been together since their junior year of high school, through a great deal of personal difficulties on both sides, and are still as fiercely protective of each other as ever. He loves them both for it.

> To Lan Wangji: Thank you for the information. I'm sure it will be great.

> To Wei Wuxian: Can't wait to see it! Anything you do is always great.

No more messages arrive, so Lan Xichen goes back to considering how to change the quiz structure of his musical theory class to avoid a marking crisis with the evaluation of his ensemble class.

Finally, as Lan Wangji gathers up his papers to leave, one last message comes in on his phone.

> Lan Wangji: Thank you for your support. We all appreciate it.

Attached to the message is a photo taken of Lan Wangji's family, he and Wei Wuxian holding Lan Yuan between them. The toddler grins at the camera, his arms around Wei Wuxian's neck. Wei Wuxian's looks at the camera, dark circles under his eyes like he's working through the night again, while Lan Wangji only has eyes for his husband.

It's so wholesome and loving that a sliver of pain rakes through Lan Xichen's heart. He's happy for his brother. His brother deserves the world. Lan Wangji deserves being loved, and to love.

Not everyone gets that. Sometimes, that falls apart.

Sometimes, for some people, love is just an illusion.

Lan Xichen tucks his phone away and leaves the coffee shop.

~~

He gets home mid-afternoon, and spends a while stowing away the groceries he picked up on his walk. The neighbourhood has several Greek and Persian markets and he's able to buy most of what he needs on foot, saving the Chinese markets in Richmond for his weekly dim sum brunches with Lan Wangji's family when he can borrow the use of Lan Wangji's sensible and economical mini-van.

He doesn't drive any more, not since—

Lan Xichen stops and puts down the bag of avocados. His mind is a funny place, bringing up the oddest things at the most inconvenient of times.

He doesn't drive anymore. He doesn't need to, using the bus and the odd taxi to transport his instruments up to the university for performances. The public transit system is so much better.

Safer.

He goes back to putting away the vegetables, pulls out a cookbook (new, spine uncreased, bought for him by Lan Qiren for his birthday) and opens it at random. He's never had coconut curry salmon before, but he has all the ingredients.

Trying new things. He's supposed to be trying new things.

The recipes says it will only take half an hour to make, so he goes up to his office and turns on his computer to check his work email. The message fly fast and furious, some about the new department head, some about class enrollment, a few from students asking if they can get onto his waitlist. He replies to the most urgent, files the rest, then checks his personal email.

The notification from Wei Wuxian's Patreon is up, so Lan Xichen clicks it.

Then he sits back, frankly impressed. He's seen Wei Wuxian's comic style progress since the boy was drawing silly cartoons to entertain Lan Wangji in history class, but even he wasn't prepared for this.

The art is gorgeous. Stylized figures, intricate period costuming, rich backgrounds – it's truly a work of art.

Then he gets a better look the two characters' faces, and laughs out loud. It's Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, clear as day, with long hair and flowing robes. Wei Wuxian's even managed to capture that exasperated-yet-fond look Lan Wangji has whenever Wei Wuxian is being particularly loud.

The introduction is even better. "Join our hero Lan Wangji and dashing rogue Wei Wuxian as they battle deadly monsters and forge a path with demonic cultivation!"

Wei Wuxian hasn't even changed their names. True, he uses his mother's surname professionally, so Cangse Ying can't be easily tracked back, but still.

Lan Xichen wonders for a moment if Lan Wangji is okay with this, but then he notices that the project text is available in both English and in Chinese, with the Chinese written in Lan Wangji's style.

They worked on this together, then.

Trying not to think about why that makes his chest feel funny, Lan Xichen opens to the first page--

-- Which features a bruised and bloodied Wei Wuxian falling off a cliff while a horrified Lan Wangji screams after him.

Confused, Lan Xichen makes sure he hasn't accidentally read the last page first. No, this is the first. Still a little baffled, he clicks to the next page, sees the stylized banner that reads six years ago and relaxes. This is Wei Wuxian's style of using flashbacks to interrupt the narrative flow. Lan Xichen spent most of Lan Wangji's university years hearing his brother's despair for Wei Wuxian's artistic choices in essay form.

But enough about the past. Lan Xichen settles in to read the first chapter of the story, where Wei Wuxian and his siblings (Jiang Yanli drawn lovingly, Jiang Cheng with a bigger frown and more menacing eyebrows than Lan Xichen remembers) traveled to the Cloud Recesses (the sarcastic nickname Wei Wuxian gave to Lan Qiren's West Vancouver mansion) for cultivator lectures. Lan Xichen is there on the page, too, drawn taller and far more imposing than he is in real life.

The first encounter between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji is fantastical and improbable and, according to Lan Xichen's recollection, almost completely accurate. Wei Wuxian had mouthed off at Lan Wangji at the weekend orientation camp for their new arts high school, Lan Wangji glared the boy into submission, then later that night when Wei Wuxian tried to sneak back onto school grounds with alcohol, he and Lan Wangji had gotten into a fight. Verbal, instead of with swords, and without the supernatural murder victims, but Lan Xichen remembered everything else from Lan Wangji's indignant recitation on his return home.

He keeps reading, enjoying the art and the lyrical narration, and keeps enjoying it right up to the scene when Nie Huaisang appears on the page to offer Lan Qiren a present, Meng Yao standing right behind him.

Lan Xichen doesn't remember standing up, but here he is, two feet away from his computer, heart pounding. He hadn't—Why—

What was Meng Yao doing in a story about Wei Wuxian's high school years?

Taking a deep breath, Lan Xichen makes himself return to his desk. As far as he knew, he was the one who introduced Meng Yao to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, when the boys were in university and after he and Meng Yao started dating--

Lan Xichen can feel his heartbeat slow, as he tries to breathe. He needs to stop this foolishness over Meng Yao. They dated before living together for a while, that was all. They broke up. It happens to people all the time.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were in college for most of that time, anyway, living their lives. They barely knew Meng Yao, even if Wei Wuxian's sister married Meng Yao's half-brother. They couldn't know how badly Lan Xichen had messed up their relationship, how terrible he had been to live with. It was his fault that—

Stop.

Stop.

It's over. In the past. A story that has Meng Yao as a minor character isn't going to mess with Lan Xichen's head. He's not going to let it.

He exhales and makes himself look back at the screen.

Meng Yao only shows up a few more times. For some reason, he's the only character who isn't tagged with his own name. He's there handing over the present to Lan Qiren, standing in front of Nie Huaisang when the Wens arrive, then in two last panels in which he tells the on-screen Lan Xichen that he has to return to Nie Mingjue's side.

Lan Xichen's stomach sours. He and Nie Mingjue had been close, before Meng Yao came into Lan Xichen's life. After that, Lan Xichen hadn't had much time for anyone else. That was normal, Meng Yao always said. People in love only needed each other.

Lan Xichen picks up his phone, then puts it down. He can't ask Lan Wangji about this. It would be weird. Wei Wuxian must just be making artistic narrative choices.

The chapter ends soon after, with Wen Qing and Wen Ning welcomed grudgingly into Cloud Recesses. The next chapter is due up in two weeks, the page declares, and welcomes any comments or feedback. A few people are already posting, gushing over the art work and discussing the teaser from the opening page.

Wanting to be supportive, Lan Xichen writes a small review, complimenting the artistic style, the intricacies of the outfits, poses a query as to the different colour palettes between the first page (dark, red, menacing) and the flashback scenes in Cloud Recesses (light, airy, hopeful), then translates the comment into English and posts both versions up. If Lan Wangji is going though all the trouble of ensuring a bilingual experience, then he will too.

He should go start dinner, he really should, but some part of him is drawn back to the first panel in which Meng Yao appears. He's shorter than Lan Xichen remembers in life, the long hair and braids suiting his face.

It's been so long since Lan Xichen last saw Meng Yao. He's not sure what he's thinking. Is he wistful? Mournful? Sad?

He doesn't know. He never knows what he feels about Meng Yao, which was the problem. He's not normal about feelings. Even Lan Wangji, whose brain is a unique and complicated thing, looking for order and reason and patterns in an illogical and messy world, loves fiercely, feels passionately. Maybe he got all the love in the family, and Lan Xichen got stuck with the stunted and undergrown heart.

Stirring, he pages back to the first appearance of his on-screen twin. The Lan Xichen on the screen looks patient, kind, a smile hiding behind his eyes.

He hadn't realized this is how Wei Wuxian sees him.

He picks up his phone.

> To Wei Wuxian: What an incredible achievement! The art is amazing!

> To Wei Wuxian: Where is the story from? As it's a work of fiction and has nothing to do with your real life ;)

> Wei Wuxian: Oh hahahha the story is a collaboration of a bunch of ideas! I can't tell u more (sworn to secrecy by my collaborators) but so glad you like it!!!!!!

> To Lan Wangji: Did you do the writing? I love the dialogue.

> Lan Wangji: Wei Wuxian did most of the English. I made it better and did the translation.

> To Lan Wangji: Have you told uncle about this project?

> Lan Wangji: He prefers to speak of my composition achievements.

Lan Xichen puts his phone down and rubs his eyes. The old tension between Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji never goes away. It started in high school with Lan Qiren's disapproval of Wei Wuxian, continued into university with Lan Qiren's disapproval of Wei Wuxian as well as Lan Wangji's decision to attend a local university for musical studies instead of going to Julliard in Lan Xichen's footsteps, and outrage at the news that Lan Wangji asked Wei Wuxian to marry him before they even finished their undergraduate degrees.

The resulting years had been a long-standing cold war, with Lan Xichen trying to mediate in the middle. Even the arrival of Lan Yuan on the scene twenty months previous hadn't softened both sides into anything resembling ease.

If Lan Wangji doesn't want to tell their uncle that he and his husband are collaborating on a semi-biographical graphic novel, Lan Xichen isn't going to muddy the waters.

> To Lan Wangji: It sounds like you're enjoying the project.

> Lan Wangji: Working with Wei Ying on any project is enjoyable. I read that couples with young children should try to engage in a mutual hobby outside of parenting.

> To Lan Wangji: Very wise.

He wonders if he should ask about Meng Yao, types out a message to that effect, then deletes it.

> To Lan Wangji: I should start dinner – see you on the weekend for brunch?

>Lan Wangji: Yes.

Lan Xichen puts his phone down. The days are long in August and the sun still bright, but he's tired and he doesn't know why.

~~

anyway that’s where this whole disaster is going. new fandoms are fun. 

[local-void-creature-izzy]

Cloud Recess Wrath

Chapter 32: A needed talk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1am

Heavy rain

One would say the weather was in tune with one’s emotions. But it wasn’t Huaisang, he was peacefully asleep as his mate had a job to take care of. Well he was peacefully asleep until he heard constant knocking at his door.

He groaned and then got out of his comfy bed and proceeded to head to the door. He checked the peephole this time and was surprised by who he saw. He opened the door to see a soaking wet Jin Guangyao who looked like he’s seen better days.

“...Can we talk?” Jin Guangyao asked, eyes screaming please.

“Um yeah, come inside you’ll catch a cold.” Huaisang quietly said. He let Jin Guangyao in and shut the door before heading to the guest room. In a few short minutes he had a towel and spare clothes in hand. “Here, you know where the bathroom is so go dry up. I’ll make so tea to warm you up.” He said.

Jin Guangyao just quietly nodded and headed to the bathroom. Once dry and changed, he went and sat down in the living room, Huaisang coming with the tea a few minutes later and handed Jin Guangyao his cup. “It’s your favorite.” Huaisang said.

“Thank you...” Jin Guangyao said, he took a sip and it was like heaven. “Your tea is always the best....I miss drinking it.” He said, setting the cup down on the table. “Do you know what I’m here to talk about...?”

“Is it about Wen Chao again? Or did guilty conscience bring you back here? Because I honestly don’t know if I should believe you anymore Jin Guangyao.” Huaisang said.

Hearing the way Huaisang said his name stung. “I know I shouldn’t have kept it from you but your brother’s final words were for you to never find out how he died. Yes Huaisang I admit because of me giving false information it cost him his life-“

“So what is there to talk about then? You lied to me. I trusted you, you saw how bad Dage’s death broke me. You know how many nights I spent crying. So why didn’t you tell me?!” Huaisang yelled.

“Who do you think killed him Huaisang? Who do you think gave me that information? That damn mate of yours.”

Huaisang turned slightly pale. “No, your lying. I know he committed terrible crimes in the past but he’s trying to change! He has changed! Why can’t you guys see that?!”

“He’s manipulating you Huaisang! You say he’s changed but its all an act to have you under his control to kill us all!” Jin Guangyao yelled back, surprising Huaisang because he hardly if not ever yelled.

“What proof do you have?! All of you keep saying that and that he isn’t my mate but what proof do you have?!”

“Proof? You want proof? Alright here’s your proof. Xue Yang is in the hospital because Wen Chao shot him in the stomach. Wen Chao nearly killed Ms. Yanli. Wei Wuxian hasn’t slept in days without Lan Wangji and Lan Sizhui because Wen Chao threatened his only child and he’s scared to lose them. Wen Zhuliu was ordered by Wen Chao to attack Ouyang Zizhen. Wen Chao drugged Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng hasn’t left his apartment because you wanna know why? Because Wen Chao fucking raped him! You wanted proof, there’s your proof.” Jin Guangyao was out of breath now but now Huaisang knew the truth.

A truth he wasn’t ready, or more like didn’t want to accept. “N-No...he said he changed. He did, he-he never...” Huaisang felt like he couldn’t breathe. “He’s my mate-“

“He’s not your mate, I AM.”

Suddenly Huaisang’s whole world felt like it was flipped upside down.

“No you’re lying. You can’t be...I felt the connection with Wen Chao! He did as well! And if you were my mate then why didn’t you tell me?! Why didn’t I feel it?”

“Because I hated myself.”

“W-What...?” Huaisang’s words died on his tongue.

“I hated myself Huaisang. When I presented, I presented as an alpha and I was terrified because alpha’s killed my mother. So I took suppressants and lied about never presenting.” He explained.

“Even so, you weren’t there when I felt the connection, so don’t say you’re my mate-“

“Huaisang I was there. You were still in high school for god’s sake and you decided to go to a late night club. I was worried sick about you, granted you were a senior but still. I was so scared for you, thinking someone would try drugging your drink to have their way with you. So I followed after you once your brother fell asleep. I was there Huaisang, you felt the connection through me and I did as well...but that bastard walked in front of me when you turned around. Do you know how heartbreaking it was hearing you found your mate and it was him? To see you so happy, only for a few months later see you letting out soul shattering tears because he broke your heart and nearly your mind.”

Huaisang was silently crying now, Jin Guangyao saw this and immediately started wiping his tears. “And if all that is true...then why didn’t you tell me sooner..? Why did I have to go through that heartbreak? Why did Dage have to die? Why...?”

“Huaisang please believe when I say I never meant for any of that to happen. If I had known how truly despicable Wen Chao was then, I would’ve killed him on the spot. And I never told you I was your mate because I didn’t deserve you.”

“What...?”

“Huaisang, the day you felt the connection was the day your brother was killed. When I realized that, it felt like fate was telling me I was never meant to have you, that I didn’t deserve you. But Huaisang, that was then and this is now.” Jin Guangyao said.

He gently wiped Huaisang’s tears away and rested their foreheads together. “I’m truly, genuinely sorry I made you wait this long. I know I can’t fix the past and I know you probably don’t forgive me and probably hate me now. I won’t even ask for a chance. All I ask is one kiss and I’ll go.” Jin Guangyao gave a sad broken smile.

“J-Just one...that’s it?” Huaisang questioned.

“Yes, just one. So I can know what is like to kiss the one destined for me before he cuts me out off his life. Will you grant me this one and final request...?” He hesitantly asked.

Huaisang didn’t know what possessed him but he said yes. And then their lips met in a slow gentle kiss, Huaisang’s heart was beating out of his chest and he felt like he was on cloud 9. But the kiss ended shortly after.

“So that’s the euphoric feeling everyone talks about...thank you Huaisang. And I’ll...be taking my leave now. Goodbye.” Jin Guangyao said. As he was about to stand up to leave, he felt Huaisang’s hand on his arm, holding him tight.

“No don’t leave me....want more. Don’t leave me again...please Meng Yao.” Huaisang cried out, the feeling in his chest suffocating him. The feeling of truly having your mate kiss you.

Jin Guangyao had Huaisang in his arms in a instance. “I’ll never leave you again if you truly want me to. I just want you happy Huaisang.” He said.

“Then kiss me again.” Huaisang said.

And Jin Guangyao did just that, he kissed Huaisang again but this time he really let loose. He practically had Huaisang in his lap as he kissed the daylights out of Huaisang. But sadly the need for oxygen arrived and both pulled away panting. But they were happy, Huaisang was happy.

Sadly the moment didn’t last, as a gun shot went off and Jin Guangyao coughed up blood before losing consciousness. “Guangyao..? Meng Yao...? No! Wake up, please wake up!” Huaisang cried out, he just got his mate back he wasn’t going to loose him again.

“I knew I should’ve killed him instead of your brother. I’m disappointed in you Huaisang. All that work I did for you, all for nothing.”

Huaisang looked up and saw Wen Chao holding a gun. And in that moment, Huaisang truly saw the monster that was Wen Chao...

To be continued....

[skywalkersapprentice]

mdzs novel review

Now that we’re in quarantine and I have an infinite amount of time on my hands, why not read a novel that’s 500k, right?

(Spoilers ahead.)

I totally fucked up my sleeping schedule by staying up for three nights in a row and sleeping four hours in the afternoon while reading it. worth it, though. Despite a few flaws that tripped me up close to the end, Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) was a gorgeous story. Kudos to the translators for giving it to us in English.

I’ll start off by saying that this story is not for the faint of heart. The main character has very grey morals. There is self-cannibalism, gore, period-typical homophobia, corpses come to life, mentions of rape, incest, sexual content, straight up dubcon and disturbing themes all the way through. If I’d seen this tagged as such on Ao3, I definitely would have left it alone. Despite all this, there’s also some truly wonderful characters, a plot unlike anything I’ve ever read before, subtle pining, fantastic worldbuilding, magical music, found families, and!! canonly lgbt characters that get to experience all of this things in the one hundred goddamn chapters it takes for them to get together.

The Good:

Wei Wuxian. One of the most interesting characters I’ve ever encountered. How can one be so good, so happy, so giving, yet so incredibly fucking annoying? He’s so clever, but also a moron. He’s selfless, but only in regards to things and people he cares about. He has an absolutely terrible memory (god me too) and knows how to get under everyone’s skin and has killed literal thousands of people and also. He is my son. If I knew him in real life I think he wouldn’t have survived long enough to become the Yiling Patriarch but in fiction he is wonderful.

The plot: Look. This novel is longer than the first four Harry Potter books combined. You can almost think of it as two books- one set in the past, one set sixteen years later. But although it’s the longest book I’ve ever read, it never really felt boring. It was definitely confusing at times (I’ve never had to take notes on a novel before to keep everything straight in my head) but I wasn’t bored. Things just keep happening- Wei Wuxian is back from the dead!! Now there’s a creepy hand!! Now there’s a statue that can move!! Now we’re in the past!! Now we’re back in the present and there’s a castle that eats people!! Now we’re in a ghost city and there’s some freaky stuff going down!! Time for the saddest flashback of all time, and now we’re starting to put the puzzle of this dismembered person together!! All of this is interspersed with worldbuilding and character dynamics and creating a full picture of the past and- whew. It was so hard to tear myself away to sleep or eat because I just wanted to know- what’s going to happen next? 

The love story: Hello, slowest of burns in the entire fucking world. I live for the enemies-to-friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-what-are-we-to-lovers love story that this book gave me. Lan Wangji, you poor emotionally repressed disaster gay. Wei Wuxian, you blind oblivious moronic disaster bi. Somehow, they’re perfect for each other. I was really, really hesitant to read this book because I know it has roots in that specific straight-girl-writes-gay-men type of culture that is often terrible and fetishistic. There were definitely things that I disagreed with that that I’ll talk about later, but largely, stereotypes were avoided and I have to give the author credit for this relationship that managed to be so many things. I relate heavily to the type of person Lan Wangji is, and I adored watching him fall for Wei Wuxian, through Wei Wuxian’s eyes, without either of them really even realizing it. They’re the definition of what I like to call a “Red and Blue couple”- the opposites, the fire and ice, the calm and the wild, the dark and the light, the red and the blue, who complement one another so well despite being so different. They balanced each other out wonderfully. Don’t talk to me about the WangXian song or the fact that they have a child or I will start crying.

Lan Wangji: Though I love Wei Wuxian, annoying traits and all, Lan Wangji is who I heavily resonated with. He kind of reminds me of Else from Frozen?? Anyone else?? Like, his whole thing is basically “conceal don’t feel”, except what he’s concealing is the fact that he feels things so deeply. He just wants to help people, to be essentially perfect at what he does (scooby doo villian voice: and he would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for wei wuxian) His character development from the past to present was lovely. I silently cheered for him whenever he broke the rules, or let the strict facade down for a bit. 

The side characters: Literally how are there so many characters in this book who are so fleshed out that they feel like real people? Xiao XingChen, Lan SiZhui, Wen Ning, Jin Ling, Jiang Cheng and Jiang LanYi all especially stood out to me, but even beyond them, everyone had a fully explained reason and motivation for like, everything they did. Even if I hated the villains, they weren’t needlessly evil. We love a grey story.

But there were some things I didn’t like.

The Bad

The R rated stuff: Well. This is probably the weirdest critique I’ve ever had to make about a book, and maybe some of it was partly due to translation, but... the sex was out of character. I thought the general dynamic made no sense for the two of them as people and it just.... wasn’t super well written? Thankfully I was warned beforehand that the Incense Burner chapters contained content I wasn’t prepared to read, but yikes, I felt like I was reading about two different characters the second clothes started coming off. I haven’t finished the bonus chapters for this reason. The second I read the word “rape”, I had to stop. Consent is a pretty hard line for me, and I can’t do a dubcon kink. Obviously the author can do whatever the hell she wants with her characters, but I felt like she threw away their personalities for the sake of trying to write something hot (which- it wasn’t.) This is why straight people have no rights and also why I will be pretending those scenes don’t exist. 

The Hatred Chapters: I do feel like all of the tension and action was sort of- let down at what was supposed to be the climactic showdown in the temple. It dragged on for so many chapters that I didn’t feel on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next.That could also be due to translation. I’m not sure. Maybe I need to read the Hatred chapters again. But I did feel sort of let down in the final 20 chapters of this novel. It wasn’t enough to seriously impact how much I love the general concept, but it was disappointing.

Semi related but after 100 chapter build up, that confession could have been better. Again- maybe a translation thing.

The Nie MingJue backstory flashback: just- honestly wasn’t interesting to me. It was the only part of the novel that I really had to slog through. 

Lastly - this isn’t the novel’s fault, and I am certainly grateful to the translators for all of their work translating this gigantic novel, but there were some consistent grammatical issues surrounding the dialogue tags that bugged me. I’m not sure how it is in Chinese, but in English, writing “Wei WuXian, “Nothing.””  just- isn’t correct. At the very least, you need a verb like “said”. I usually read fast enough that my brain tends to insert the word even if it’s not there, but when reading slowly, this did frequently jar me out of the story. I’d be willing to edit the entire novel just to fix these errors. But it says a lot about how good this novel is that I continued reading despite errors like this because something like that in a fic would have me closing the tab immediately.

Alright, that’s all. 

Overall:

There are so many small things, little moments and lines that I loved about this story, it would take me days to list them all. The dialogue patterns from character to character were distinct. Things like the forehead ribbon were endlessly entertaining. Side plots like the A-Qing one had me in tears and I was laughing a few chapters late from drunk LWJ. The novel was just fun to read. There were errors, yes, there were disappointments, sure. But it made me feel so much. I’ve been through the entire range of human emotion while reading it, and it’s so rare to find a book that just yanks you into the universe like this one did to me. I really needed an escape this week, and this was absolutely a welcome one. If I go read it again, I’m sure I’ll find a hundred more things I like about it. Heed the warnings I’ve given, if you read it, but I absolutely adored most of this book and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

9/10.

[boat-full-of-lotus-pods]

MDZS Chapter 101. “A Hatred for Life” Part 4

Failed rescue

Jin Ling sat up instantly and called, “Uncle!”

Leveling him with a glare, Jing Cheng spat coldly, “Now you know to call me Uncle. What were you running for earlier?!”

Then, he threw his gaze half-heartedly towards Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi. Before their eyes could meet, however, Su She had already gotten to his feet by leaning on his sword, Nanping[1], and stabbed at Jiang Cheng. Before Jiang Cheng made a move, a series of loud dog barks exploded in the air as Fairy leaped into the temple like a flying fish and pounced straight for Su She. At the sound of the dog barks, all the hairs on Wei WuXian’s body immediately stood up. His soul ready to disperse out of fright, he shrank into Lan WangJi’s arms and called, “Lan Zhan!”

Lan WangJi had already secured his arms around him. “I’m here!”

Wei WuXian said, “Hold me!”

Lan WangJi replied, “I’m holding you!”

Wei WuXian continued, “Hold me tight!”

Lan WangJi replied again, “I’m holding you tight!”

Without having to turn around to look, just their voices alone was enough to make Jiang Cheng’s entire face twitch. Originally, he’d at least wanted to shoot a look at the two of them. Now, however, Jiang Cheng forbade his neck from turning with all his might. Just then, numerous monks and cultivators rushed out from the back of the temple to the front with swords in their hands. Smirking, Jiang Cheng sent out a blinding a ray of purple light with a flip of his right hand. The ray of purple danced within the temple, flinging out everyone it touched with explosive force. The oil paper umbrella still remained steady in his left hand. As the wave of bodies collapsed all over the floor, most still twitching from the effects of electrocution, Jiang Cheng at last closed his umbrella. Meanwhile, Su She was still hopelessly tangled by Fairy’s harassment, cursing nonstop. From the side, Jin Ling shouted, “Fairy! Be careful! Fairy, bite him! Bite his hand!”

Lan XiChen warned, “Sect Leader Jiang, beware of the guqin’s melody!”

Right as he finished speaking, two long notes of the guqin can be heard coming from the back of the temple. Since Jiang Cheng had already fallen prey to the dark melody once, he was exceptionally vigilant this time around. So the moment the music started, Jiang Cheng kicked at the ground and, with the tip of his boot, sent a cultivator’s fallen sword into the air. Tossing away the umbrella in his left hand, he grabbed the air-born sword and, pulling out Sandu with his right, struck the two swords together.

As the two blades scraped against one another, the resulting screams of metal scratching sharply against metal drowned out the tone from Jin GuangYao’s guqin.

It was a very effective method to counter the dark song! But it had one problem—the resulting noise was too terrible and unpleasant for the ear!

It sounded so terrible that people felt like their ears would bleed. It was exceptionally unbearable for Lan XiChen and Lan WangJi of the Gusu Lan Sect, both of whom couldn’t help but frown. Right now, however, Lan WangJi was too busy holding Wei WuXian to be able to cover his own ears, and so Wei WuXian covered Lan WanJi’s ears for him while shivering to the sound of dog barks.

With a hard expression and a sword in each hand, Jiang Cheng continued to create those awful but effective noises against the demonic melody as he advanced towards the back of the temple. Before he reached it, Jin GuangYao walked out of the back himself, speaking as he covered his ears, “Sect Leader Jiang, I must say I am greatly humbled by the devastation you’re accomplishing with this tactic.”

Zidian shot straight at him. Jin GuangYao dodged to the side and asked, “Sect Leader Jiang! How did you end up here?”

Jiang Cheng didn’t bother to answer. Jin GuangYao’s spiritual energy wasn’t as strong as his own. Unable to confront him head-on, Jin GuangYao could only continue to nimbly dodge. While his subordinates surrounded Jiang Cheng, Jin GuangYao continued to speak with a composed and unassuming air. “Did Jin Ling run off by himself again? And chasing after him led you here? Fairy must have even led the way for you. Ahh… I gave him the spiritual dog as a gift, and look what I get in return?”

Tight in Lan WangJi’s arms, Wei WuXian no longer felt as terrified by the dog’s barks, which cleared his mind enough to think. Noticing how Jin GuangYao was like in combat, with his eyes dancing, mouth smiling and talking incessantly, Wei WuXian was reminded of a certain someone. He said in a quiet voice, “He and Xue Yang really are cast from the same mold.”

Lan WangJi remained silent. Hearing no response from him, Wei WuXian looked up and realized that he was still covering Lan WangJi’s ears. Lan WangJi must have not heard him at all. Just as Wei WuXian lowered his hands, Jin GuangYao suddenly switched the topic with a smile. “Sect Leader Jiang, what’s wrong? You’ve been avoiding looking at that side of the room for a while now, is there something there?”

Jiang Cheng spat, “Aren’t you at least the Chief Cultivator? Stop with your bullshit and focus on the fight!”

Jin GuangYao continued, “Still avoiding? There’s not much over there, just your shi-xiong[2]. Did you really end up here from chasing after Jin Ling?”

Jiang Cheng fired back, “Or what?! Who else would I come for?!”

Lan XiChen warned, “Don’t answer him!”

Jin GuangYao was a master at word play. The moment Jiang Cheng started responding to him, he would no doubt be distracted by Jin GuangYao and be riled up to become more and more emotional. Jin GuangYao said, “Fine, Mister Wei, did you see? Your shi-di[3] is not here for you. In fact, he doesn’t even want to look at you.”

Wei WuXian smiled and said, “What a weird thing to say. Jiang Cheng��s attitude towards me isn’t new. Do I need you here to remind me?”

Hearing this, the corner of Jiang Cheng’s mouth twitched slightly. Veins protruded on the back of the hand that held Zidian. Jin GuangYao turned back to him and commented with a resigned sigh, “Sect Leader Jiang, you see? It’s not easy being your shi-xiong.”

Noticing that Jin GuangYao kept on steering the conversation to be about him, Wei WuXian became alarmed. Jiang Cheng sniped back, “Sect Leader Jin, being your sworn brother is even harder!”

Jin GuangYao continued, seemingly without a care whether Jiang Cheng was actually listening, and said, “Sect Leader Jiang, I heard that you made a big scene at the Lotus Pier last night, seemingly without reason. I hear that you were running all over the place with the Yiling Patriarch’s sword, and asking everyone to unsheath it.”

Immediately, Jiang Cheng’s expression darkened beyond terrifying.

At the same time, Wei WuXian suddenly sat up within Lan WangJi’s arms. His heart gave a hard jolt as a voice in his head said, ‘My sword? Suibian? Didn’t I throw it at Wen Ning for safekeeping? No, wait, I really didn’t see it with him yesterday or today…… How did it end up in Jiang Cheng’s hands?! Why is Jiang Cheng asking other people to unsheath it? Has he tried unsheathing it himself?’

Feeling high-strung, it was only after Lan WangJi gently caressed his back twice that Wei WuXian felt himself calm down a little. Jiang Cheng, meanwhile, had fallen into a gloomy silence. Jin GuangYao’s eyes were ablaze when he said, “I also heard that no one can unsheath that sword, yet you’ve somehow managed to do it. Now that’s just weird. The sword had already sealed itself thirteen years ago when I first took it into my collection. Aside from the Yiling Patriarch himself, it should be impossible for anyone to unsheath……”

Jiang Cheng launched both Zidian and Sandu in a single, combined attack as he raged, “Shut your damn mouth!”

Smiling, Jin GuangYao continued talking without a care, “Which made me remember that back in the days, Young Master Wei had truly been arrogant. He would never bring his sword anywhere with him, and each time he would find a different excuse for it. I’ve always found it very strange. Don’t you?”

Jiang Cheng roared, “What exactly are you trying to say?!”

Jin GuangYao raised his voice. “Sect Leader Jiang, you truly are exceptional. The youngest sect leader alive, single-handedly rebuilding the Yunmeng Jiang Sect from scratch. I truly admire you. But from my memories, weren’t you always second place next to Mister Wei WuXian in terms of everything? Would you kindly enlighten me on how you’ve managed to reverse your positions after the Sunshot Campaign? Did you take some miracle elixir for your golden core[4]?!”

Jin GuangYao punctuated the words “golden core” harsh and clear. Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng’s facial features were ready to scramble themselves over. A dangerous flare of white light sizzled from Zidian. With his mind entrenched in utter chaos, an opening appeared in his movements.

The opening was exactly what Jin GuangYao had been waiting for. He flung out the qin string that he’d been hiding for a while now. Immediately, Jiang Cheng’s full attention snapped back to block them. As Zidian and the qin string entangled, Jin GuangYao felt the shock of the weapon numbing his palm and dropped the string immediately. And then, with a light chuckle, he flung out another qin string with his other hand and aimed straight for Wei WuXian!

Jiang Cheng’s pupil contracted to a fine point as he immediately redirected Zidian to block the other string. Yet, Jin Ling screamed, “Uncle, watch out!”

In the span of a second, Jin GuangYao had already taken out the sword wrapped by his waist and stabbed right at Jiang Cheng’s heart!

Ashen-faced, Jiang Cheng clutched at his chest. Blood oozed out between his fingers, dyeing the robes over his chest into a shade of purple so dark that it was almost black. After blocking the string, Zidian had reverted back into a ring on his finger. Spiritual weapons always returned to their least energy draining state when their owner was losing too much blood or gravely injured. Taking this opportunity, Jin GuangYao walked up to Jiang Cheng and sealed his cultivation with two strokes. Retrieving a handkerchief from within his sleeve, Jin GuangYao wiped his soft sword clean before wrapping it back around his waist.

Jin Ling was already by Jiang Cheng’s side, supporting him. Lan XiChen sighed, “Don’t move around too much. Help him sit down slowly.”

-

Footnotes:

[1]:  Nanping: 难平, Su She’s sword, literally means “hard to find peace” in the sense of “having difficulty in achieving satisfaction over something”, “finding things to be not enough”.

[2]: shi-xiong: 师兄, “older brother who studied under the same master/teacher/sect”.

[3]: shi-di: 师弟, “younger brother who studied under the same master/teacher/sect”.

[4]: Miracle elixir for your golden core: 金丹妙药, broadly means “miracle elixir” or “wonder drug”, already contains the words 金丹 “golden core” as part of its name. So in the original, Jin GuangYao wasn’t putting as much stress on the words “golden core” as it sounds in the translation, but was only dropping/hinting at them indirectly. 

[mihanada]

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

(back to masterpost)

There is a lot going on in this chapter that is both immensely satisfying and extremely creepy.

And this arc is so tiny! Only two parts, I believe.

Chapter 61: Evil (Part 1)

Alright, this is not quite as gross as the Xuanwu chapter for me, but just in case anyone forgot, this novel is not for the faint of heart. The levity distracts from the heaviness of the rest of the content for you to also forget about the gross bits until they come up again and hit you in the face. This novel strikes a nice balance between all of these elements, which is nice.

“It’s been three months since I threw him into Burial Mound. Why are you still having dreams of him? Just how many times has it been?!”

IT SERVES YOU RIGHT!!!

Up until the icky stuff happens, that ^ is what I was whispering fiercely the entire time.

“How could it be possible? Before this, how many cultivators have our sect sent to clean Burial Mound up? Did any one of them come back alive? Now that he’s been thrown inside, his corpse has probably rotted away already.”

Whose bright idea was it to create a great big mound of CORPSES. It got so bad that everyone you sent to clean it up dropped dead. Seriously, you would think cultivators would not let something like this get that bad. Obviously they had wanted to do something about it a while back, so why didn’t someone clean it up before it became a literal hellhole...

“The people who died in Burial Mound, all of their souls would be shackled there.”

Apparently this is a thing, too.

“What Sunshot Campaign? Some Sunshot it is. Want to shoot down the sun? Dream on!”

YOUNGEST SHIDI YOUR LEGACY IS HERE.

“Wang LingJiao felt wronged, but she felt hatred as well. She put down the teacup. Fixing her hair and her robes, she walked outside with a smile.

Just as she went out the door, the smile on her face faltered.”

I’ll take this opportunity to say that I appreciate the small attempt to humanize Wang Lingjiao here. I appreciate the disintegration of hers and Wen Chao’s relationship even more, but. xD

She was one of those typical bitchy villains, but hey, at least she wasn’t totally dumb and naive enough to believe without a doubt that Wen Chao would continue adoring her. She hoped, but when it was clear that he had enough of her, she also decided it was best to derp off.

ooh the pieces are finally falling into place! Wen Xu being beheaded was mentioned during Nie Mingjue’s flashbacks.

“When they emerged under the banner of the ‘Sunshot Campaign’, nobody took them seriously.”

I wish we could’ve seen this thing form instead of after the three month time skip, but oh well.

“However, three months later, the circumstances didn’t turn out the way they expected them to at all!”

and they managed to turn the tables without demonic cultivation meddling! though that probably helped immensely, later in this chapter.

“There was none of her beloved treasures, only a pale-skinned, curled-up child!”

I’m actually wondering what the hell this was. Was she hallucinating? But it ends up in the room later...

What matter of demonic cultivation is this?? xD

it’s delightfully creepy though a bit cliche. want horror? go straight for the creepy babies.

“A white-colored child lay prone under her bed, staring into her eyes.”

what is happening, seriously

“Wen Chao shouted. He unsheathed his new sword and sliced at her, “Go away! Get lost!”

“new sword”

I appreciate that the author remembered he lost his back in the cave. xD

“Wang LingJiao’s shoulder had been gashed by the sword. Her features were even more twisted as she shrieked, “Ahhhhhh… It hurts, ahhhh… It hurts, ahhhh!!!”

the, uh, creepy and disturbing part is that she’s not actually dead, yet acting almost like a corpse being controlled (we know this isn’t going to happen yet though, since mr. Ghost General was the first).

“On the ground, Wang LingJiao had already picked up one leg of the stool, frantically stuffing it into her mouth, laughing as she did, “Fine, fine, I’ll eat it, I’ll eat it! Haha, I’ll eat it!”

I’m wondering what and how she is compelled to do this by...? It’s definitely something to do with demonic cultivation, and it’s a no-brainer who is responsible.

However, getting her to literally eat a chair leg is pretty impressive. 

“Wen Chao was almost dead from the shock.”

hahaha I was also all ??? at this point. what is going on, how-

“Each carrying their cultivators, they flew on their swords in silence.”

notice that? notice it?

a certain someone who lost their golden core can suddenly fly again...

we should all wander a nameless mountain blindfolded for 7+ days

“Two months ago, the Two Jades of Lan cooperated in a surprise attack with Jiang Cheng.”

That’s pretty impressive with just three of them.

“Jiang Cheng looked at him, as if surprised that he had suddenly asked about Wei Ying. He answered, “No.”

hahaha we all know why he asked about Wei Ying...

To Jiang Cheng though, it probably is a little random.

awww Jiang Cheng is toting his sword around though...

imagine if things didn’t work out and he never got to give it back hahahaha. well, Jiang Cheng, things have pretty much been shit for you, but at least that worked out.

Like, I guess these are objectively gross. xD not enough to squick me, but yeah, pretty nasty.

However, having recently read a novel that truly had a gratuitous amount of violent, bloody, and disgusting deaths, GDC has a good balance. It’s not exactly for the shock factor, nor gratuitous. Gross, yes, but not to a pointless degree.

I’m wondering how they all died in a different manner though. We’ve never gotten to see demonic cultivation used in this way yet.

I like the bit of mystery behind it.

“She had killed herself by forcing herself to swallow the stool leg into her stomach.”

So yeah, it has to do with controlling people. They’re not dead yet when they controlled though.

“Jiang Cheng turned the corpse’s twisted face over. After he had scrutinized it for a while, he gave out a cold laugh. Holding the stool leg, he shoved it into her mouth, somehow managing to stuff the half that had been outside into her body as well.”

We’ve reached the point that Lan Wangji didn’t comment on this. Yeah, he was inspecting the talismans, but you can’t say he didn’t notice Jiang Cheng shoving a stool leg down a corpse’s throat.

this, was kind of a yuck moment.

But can you blame Jiang Cheng after the shit these people put him through. and she’s dead anyways.

“These brushstrokes were the ones that entirely changed the pattern of the talisman. Now, looking at it, the talisman stuck to the door seemed to be the face of a person, smiling eerily.”

someone has been busy~

“Jiang Cheng was shocked, “Talismans… could attract evil? I haven’t heard of anything like it.”

yes you have, once, in speculation, two years ago!

“Jiang Cheng, “Then who could this person possibly be? Amongst all of the renowned cultivators, I haven’t heard of any who can do such a thing.

Immediately after, he continued, “But no matter who they are, it’s fine as long as their objective is the same as ours—to kill all of the Wen-dogs!”

oh, jiang cheng.

“Jiang Cheng snorted, “Dark? In this world, could there be anything darker than the Wen-dogs?!”

Oh, you say that now, Jiang Cheng...

It is quiet funny and such a part of human nature for this to occur though. “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” and once the Wen sect is no longer around as a common enemy...

“This person had to be Wen Chao. But how did Wen Chao’s voice become like this? So thin and so sharp, it didn’t seem to be Wen Chao at all?”

I mean, this is terrible and all, what happened to him but you can’t help but feel a bit of satisfaction as well. that’s what you get for terrorizing everyone and murdering basically an entire clan!

I’m amazed Jiang Cheng managed to find people to recruit at all in those three months, actually.

“Wen ZhuLiu appeared to be indifferent, “Perhaps.”

those are some words of encouragement, Wen Zhuliu.

never go to Wen Zhuliu for comfort, ever.

“Wen ZhuLiu, “You need ointment. Or else you’ll be dead for certain.”

Practical, though. And oddly loyal. What is with this guy? Though, at this point, even if he abandoned Wen Chao, his life would still be on the line. All he would have is some more time to run.

“Wen ZhuLiu peeled off the bandages layer by layer, revealing the skin of the bald man. On the face, scars and burn marks scattered without order, making him look as if he’d been cooked. Ugly, hideous, they couldn’t see at all the shadow of whom he used to be!”

What in the world happened???

We better find out what demonic art thing is responsible eventually. xD

“Don’t cry. Or else the tears would make the wounds fester and worsen the pain.”

Well that sucks. They are burn wounds, though.

“Suddenly, Wen Chao shrieked, “The flute! The flute! Is it the flute?! I heard him play the flute again!”

Wen ZhuLiu, “No! It was the wind.”

I guess his flute can do more than control corpses.

“Seeing this, Jiang Cheng remembered what a plight he and Wei WuXian were in the day when they fled. The didn’t even have any food. Such a situation was karma indeed!

Heart filled with joy, the corners of his curled lifted and he broke into mad but soundless laughter.”

can you see the current Jiang Cheng in him now.

after what happened to his sect, it was just a downward spiral from there....even though he’s got his cultivation back, the experience and trauma altered his personality forever.

Everyone is unhinged in this chapter omg. Lan Wangji and Wen Zhuliu are the only sane ones.

“He threw the bun away and screamed, “I’m not eating meat! I’m not! I’m not! I’m not eating meat!”

Geez, what happened to you??

“No no no, Wen ZhuLiu, Brother Wen! Don’t go, don’t leave me behind. If you can take me back to my dad, I’ll let him promote you to the highest level guest cultivator! No no no, you saved me, so you’re my brother—I’ll let him recognize you into the main clan! From now on you’ll be my elder brother!”

what an asshole. this is the only guy who is willing to stay by your side and strong enough to do so, he could have just ditched you and taken his chances running but instead he is lugging your sorry ass around for some reason.

Come to think of it, Wen Zhuliu has a pretty abhorrent ability that is NOT classified as demonic cultivation. But perhaps that’s the reason he ended up with the Wen Sect. Who else would want to be associated with such a horrible ability? Only those with the power to suppress all opposition and no care for morals.

“Wen ZhuLiu stared in the direction of the stairs, “There’s no need.”

Once again, never go to this guy for pep talks.

“The pair of palms, on the other hand, was bare, without a single finger on it!”

It’s amazing he’s still kicking (...well...) actually.

“The person slowly walked upstairs. He was covered in black. With a slender physique, he had a flute at his waist, hands behind his back.

However, when the person strolled up the stairs and turned around, smile on his face, Lan WangJi’s eyes opened wide, having seen those bright features before.”

GUESS WHO.

(quotes from ExR’s translations)

← back��onward →

[rosethornewrites]

Monday & Tuesday T & G reading

The usual

Finished

Teen:

Wei Wuxian’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good First Meeting With His Future, by Enigmatree

Wei Wuxian is expecting to have a nice day learning from Lan Qiren and bugging Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng in the Cloud Recesses.

He's not expecting to see a portal open and drop out a fake Lan Wangji carrying a madman demonic cultivator that the fake Lan Wangji calls Wei Ying.

Too bad that's what he gets.

imagine me and you, by jalpari

Single dad Wei Ying brings the apple of his eye, A-Yuan, to the shelter to adopt a bunny. Little did he know, he would find much more than a pet rabbit.

Of complaints and silver bells, by afincf_tirwer

When Jiang Cheng receives hundreds of complaints about the Yiling Patriarch and the fact that he doesn't belong in the Lan Sect, what else should he do but send an invitation for Wei Wuxian to re-join the Jiang sect with his husband.

When Wei Wuxian is invited to re-join the Jiang sect, surely he can be forgiven for neglecting to explain the significance behind the silver bells they received, after all, he's so happy he can't stop crying.

When Lan Zhan receives a silver bell in the post, surely he can be forgiven for not remembering all his lessons on the customs of the other sects, after all, surely it can't be that important.

Truth, Like an Arrow, by Nahiel

Wen Ning understands that somehow he got a second chance, but he doesn’t understand why. If anyone should get a second chance, shouldn’t it be someone who actually has an ability to make a difference?

Still, since he’s here in the past, he’s going to do his best.

Travel Back Down That Road, by iSwallowMy_converse (3 chapters)

Some random psycho who apparently is his self from the future just smacked his head and told him that he was the biggest embarassment in his two lifetimes. Now how exactly is he supposed to respond to that.

The Cottage Amongst the Gentians, by Enigmatree

Wei Wuxian manages to send himself and Lan Wangji back in time from after the Siege on the Burial Mounds, and Lan Wangji wakes up in a world where he doesn't (yet) have a son, isn't in forced seclusion, and the Yiling Patriarch is still alive.

It's a day for miracles, apparently.

this is our vow (oneshot version), by orro

Waking up in Gusu isn’t a surprise but waking up as a teenager is enough to make Wei Wuxian scream, disrupting the precious silence of the Cloud Recesses.

Wei Wuxian had been given a second chance when he was brought back to life. But this time, he can truly fix everything, and if he can’t find a way back then at least he can make some things right that he could never atone enough for.

You Need Tending, by Eleanor_Fenyx (3 chapters)

“It’s alright, young master, the dogs are gone I promise. Can you sit up? We can help you feel better. Do we need to find your parents?”

“Xichen,” Uncle says, voice uncharacteristically quiet. “Take Wangji back to Lotus Pier. I’ll take care of the boy.”

Part of Lan Zhan wants to protest, but most of him just wants to go somewhere quiet so he can calm down. He lets Brother take his hand to lead him away from the sight of Uncle kneeling to tend to the boy's injuries. They turn a corner and then the scene is gone and he faces forward again, his mind racing.

//

“What’s your name?” the man asks and Wei Ying blinks up at him, surprised that he wants to know.

“A-Ying,” he replies with a tremble in his voice and the man nods.

“A-Ying. I am Master Lan. Where are your parents? You are hurt and you need tending.”

Wei Ying sniffles again and ducks his head to scrub at more tears.

“They’ll be back soon,” he replies, like he always does when someone asks. It was the last thing Mother had said to him before she and Father had left on their night hunt, and though he isn’t entirely sure how long ago that was now he still trusts her promise.

It's Not That Simple, by Eleanor_Fenyx

13 years after Wei Wuxian's death, Jiang Cheng gets caught in a demonic cultivation array that throws him back to the night before it all began - the night before Wei Ying was found and brought to Lotus Pier to live.

How much can one man change about the future, and can he set his anger aside long enough to do what needs to be done?

Holding shreds, by barisan

An accident on a practical lecture has the Lan realising the state of Wei Wuxian's body.

Or, the angsty body swap AU my soul needed.

Kill The Dog, by SauerstoffBrauchtManZumAtmen23 (2nd in a series)

Wei Wuxian and his two sons get attacked by a dog. Lan Wangji is worried.

And that's it.

The Lives of Lan Wangji, by azurewaxwing

“Be gone!” the pile of rags yelled, leaping up. “All those who disturb the sleep of the Yiling Laozu shall face the wrath of the Burial Mounds! The Blood Pool will boil over and scald the flesh from your bones! Fierce corpses will tear you limb from limb!”

Lan Wangji startled back, coming up hard against the cave wall. The rags, seeing that he was moving towards the entrance, began waving apologetically.

“Aiya, no, don’t go!” The frayed blankets dropped to reveal a boy around Lan Wangji’s age. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I thought you were one of the Wen brothers. The Blood Pool won’t really do any of that, I promise.”

“Who … who are you?” Lan Wangji managed.

“I’m the Yiling Laozu, of course,” said the boy, with a shrug. “Who else would I be?”

General:

Over the Mountain and Through the Woods, by mondengel

Qingheng-Jun gets a visitor.

針沒有兩頭利 - A Needle Has No Two Ends, by Kuraiikel

Lán Qǐrén has been given a task,

A task to have the Yílíng Lǎozǔ leave Cloud Recesses,

For good.

But how can he,

When there is no Yílíng Lǎozǔ in Cloud Recesses,

Just a young man who wants to live in peace.

Lifeline, by WithBroomBefore (2nd in a series, 2 chapters)

She needs to go home. Whatever happens at the Nightless City, she must believe that it is not too late for Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng will find a way to bring him back, and the three of them will be together, and they will take care of each other as they always have.

my love is like ice, and I to fire, by stiltonbasket

“If you don’t care about having a wife, he’s an ideal candidate to play the role,” Huaisang said, when they were going through the neighborhood list of single young people within a few years of Nie Mingjue’s age. “With his family issues, he won’t say no to the cash offer.”

Nie Mingjue had kept Lan Xichen’s name in mind—it stood out, what with the man’s good looks and family obligations.

But in all honesty, he had his heart set on Xichen, right from the very beginning.

hands full of sand (but they fall right through), by qvystkm

Wei Wuxian thinks he's finally had his happy ending, but like everything, things don't go his way.

---

Or; Wei ying dies and gets thrown into a time loop.

one of our own, by glitteringmoonlight

Times change, but some people remain the same.

The Lans are nothing, if not aware of this.

For one of their own, they will stand against the world.

Or, 5 times the Lans defended Wei Wuxian, and the 1 time he was there to see it happen.

Unfinished

Teen:

Debts to be repaid, by marhikit

“The cultivation world had turned its back on you, Wei-xiong, Hanguang-Jun had to leave because the lonely path is something he cannot join you in. I admit I am a coward who does not want to be ostracised more than I already am, your brother had abandoned you, even your precious Shijie left you to marry—”

“I get it, Huaisang!” It hurt to hear all this coming from his best friend, it hurt having to confront these truths and betrayals.

“What do you want me to do?” Wei Wuxian asked. “Your supplies could only last us for so long, and what then?”

“Which is why I’ll distract everyone for you. I’ll start a fire big enough to burn the whole place, make everyone think you burned yourself to the ground. I’ll erase your existence so long as you escape.”

“Why are you doing this, Nie-xiong? If they learn you helped me escape, you’ll be tried for treason!”

“I can’t be useless forever,” Nie Huaisang said, “not when my best friend could die the moment you take a step towards Lanling.”

-----

NHS helps WWX escape from the Burial Mounds with the Dafan Wens, this leads to WWX ending up as the advisor of a datu eight years down the line.

Grand Master of Rogue Cultivation, by waterphoenix21

A Wei Wuxian raises A-Yuan fic!

After Wen Qing and the remaining Wen Clan are accused of Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli's mysterious deaths, Wei Wuxian speaks in their defense. This naturally leads to a rift between him and Jiang Cheng.

Then one night, the last surviving member of the Wen Clan is found asleep on top of Jiang Yanli's grave. Nobody knows how or why. But feeling as if he no longer belongs to any clan, Wei Wuxian decides to raise little Wen Yuan on his own, as he sets on a path to becoming a rogue cultivator, following in his mother's footsteps and seeking to find the mystical mountain of the legendary immortal, Baoshan Sanren.

今日复今日 - Today after Today, by ThisIsWhereTheMagicHappens

Wei Wuxian opens his eyes.

He’s at least two steps closer to his husband, who is still sitting in the cold spring with his back to him. With an unmarred, all smooth back. The night has changed to day. The snow is nowhere to be seen, the bamboo forest sways lightly in the hot breeze.

Chenqing presses against the skin on his palm from how hard he is clenching his flute. Not daring to move in case he had run into an illusion in the middle of the Cloud Recesses - as impossible as it should be - he reaches out his spiritual powers to scan the area.

In the next second he’s on his knees on the uneven forest floor, his shout dispersing between the bamboo. His hands shake where he has wrapped them over his lower abdomen, his eyes have closed on their own, just like a few breaths earlier. His heart hammers too fast, too hard in his ears.

Or:

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji timetravel back to the day after their first drinking night in the Cloud Recesses. No one knows why.

Once Again for Love., by chesschoco

In their first lives, they were greatly suppressed.

Pressure coming from both outside and inside sources, having a will but no power to make a way, being pitted against the small amount of family they each have left, having to abide by politics, wanting to help but not being able too...

Then, they’re all gifted with a second life.

In this life, they have a chance. Anything that could go wrong, can be prevented. They can proudly stand and fight. They can stick by those they love. They can use the newfound power they have to help those they call their own. They can get the comfort that they themselves all so desperately need...

And they will not let the opportunity go to waste.

(Or, Sunshot Generation get reincarnated as their predecessors.)

After All I Drifted Ashore, by lingering_song

"And how do we even know if this Grandmaster would help us?"

The thing is, Nie Huaisang really doesn't know. The Wei-Xiong he knew had been kind and ever-willing to aid whoever was in need, but Wei-Xiong had been vilified and cornered by the world after he had ceased to be of use. Had been ambushed on his way to meet his supposed family, left with no one and nothing until the only way out was to remove himself from the land. Wei-Xiong doesn't owe any of them his aid, doesn't owe them anything at all.

"We don't know," he says as much, "But at this point, do we still have the luxury of choice?"

After the Yiling Patriarch surrendered the Stygian Tiger Seal, Lanling Jin rules the entirety of the Cultivation World as Wen Ruohan once sought to do. What is left of the Sects try to fight back by seeking the help of a powerful Grandmaster across the sea.

Relentless, by nirejseki

“Why are we even here?” Wen Xu groused.

“Yeah! That’s right! Why are we here?” Wen Chao immediately chimed, very obviously taking his cues from his elder brother – much to the latter’s irritation, judging by his immediate scowl.

Lan Qiren knew that he needed to pick his next words very carefully. With recalcitrant students, a teacher only had a few opportunities to really connect with them. If he allowed them to dismiss him or categorize him as an enemy at this early stage, it would be an incredibly uphill battle to gain enough respect in order to teach them anything, and in this case, given the strength of their background and the fact that this little teaching session was both likely to be short and definitely completely unauthorized, it would quite possibly make it completely impossible to ever get through to them.

“You are here,” Lan Qiren said solemnly, each word slow and thoughtful, “because your father is an ass.”

(a story of kidnapping and falling in love, reluctantly)

Back To Before, by raccoon___bitch

Wei Wuxian is back, and he’s going to make it everyone’s problem.

Alternatively:

Wei Wuxian gets his old body back. His goal now is to see how many old cultivators he can give heart attacks to.

General:

Bus Stop, by AwkwardJello

The boy has no umbrella, only a soggy textbook to protect him from the rain mercilessly pounding down on him. His footsteps make disgusting squelching noises as he hurriedly ducks under the bus stop canopy, but not without splashing Lan Wangji’s carefully polished shoes with his final step.

The boy catches Lan Wangji’s eye and grins, not a single trace of discomfort nor regard for his disheveled appearance. “Oh, hey there! You catching the bus too?”

or

Lan Wangji meets a boy while waiting for his bus (aka the bus stop fic no one asked for).

Lotus Remix, by TheAdelaideParade

As if Wei Wuxian didn't have enough problems when he came back from the dead, now he has to figure out just what is going on with Lan Zhan to make him go into seclusion. It looks like he'll have to tag along on this mystery if he wants to figure anything out. And just who is that Jiang disciple who keeps popping up everywhere?

Or, a canon AU in which someone else saved Wen Yuan before Lan Wangji could get to him.

[professorjjong]

 me rambling about mdzs (the novel) bc it’s literally six am my body woke me up at 4 am for the sole purpose of finishing it and i finished it and then started reading the post script but it was like my heart was wylie coyote it wasn’t until a few minutes after i’d finished it that i realized i was destroyed

good book

sdkfjesiofhdcklwjfioe ok wei wuxian carries like the first fourth of the book. there’s so many fucking characters and names like wtf was going on. it wasn’t made clear what wei wuxian was doing or why--and tbh i don’t think it ever really is, his intentions. like, where was he planning to go after mo village? what was he planning on doing? when he leaves cloud recesses with lan wangji, why does he stay with him at all--why not just run the fuck off? he didn’t know, at this point, that lan wangji knew who he was so why would he risk it? the one thing that was made clear about wei wuxian’s intentions after he had been brought back to life were that he did not want to be recognized, so why would he stick around with lwj? 

for that first fourth, wei wuxian didn’t hesitate in where he was going or why or whatever he was just, going and doing things for no good reason and i didn’t know why and it was frustrating, following around a character who doesn’t seem to have any idea what he wants and also doesn’t even hesitate to think about it. but ugghhh he’s such an interesting character. his past, only teased, seemed super interesting and had created a man who interacted with his surroundings in a comedic and almost flippant way. it made the fantasy elements, buttload of information about cultivation and its sects and enemies as well as the sheer number of characters less intimidating--yes, because it probably wasn’t until almost halfway through that I was able to figure everything out, but i had wwx to hold onto. he’s a suuuuper strong character and was so, so fun to read about i miss him :( 

lwj truly didn’t do anything for me until near the very end when the events following the siege at the nightless city were revealed. i didn’t dislike him as a character, i thought he was fine--but i didn’t think he was as good of a foil to wwx as he could have been. i mean, they’re clearly meant to be foils--one is dressed in black and the other in white. u don’t even need to know anything else aside from that information to know that they’re foils. but i don’t think lwj was a strong enough presence to really “oppose” wwx for most of the novel. honestly, he didn’t even feel present for the first, what, 3/4? it wasn’t until wwx really started developing and even acting out on his feelings that lwj stepped into prominence. the emphasis of the novel, its focus, had shifted along with wwx’s toward lwj. compared to wwx, lwj is almost colorless as a character. yes hahahahahahha more color differences between them but i think, in order for characters to really function as foils, they need to be on equal footing, if only in the framing of the novel. but they weren’t. even during the flashbacks, there was an unevenness to it. at times, lwj felt almost like an afterthought. i remember myself thinking, ‘oh, lwj is there too.’ which yeah, he is quiet, but he’s there. his presence was not always made clear, and, since wwx is such a bright beacon and such an overwhelming chaotic presence, don’t you think lwj should have been a bigger presence to properly be his foil? it’s not until the very end, truly, that the two of them are able to bounce off of each other in a very fun and dynamic way--but, again, the veryyyyyy end. like, the last two chapters very end. 

aside from the plot hole i brought up in the first paragraph, there are some others, big and small. won’t bother to list them--but, and i mean maybe it’s in the additional chapters that i haven’t read yet, super upset we didn’t get to see the actual siege on burial mound. that moment would have been so fucking tense and cool and also would have just answered questions--like, was he killed as a backlash of his own power or was it jiang cheng or someone else who delivered the final blow? wtf was he thinking about as it was happening??? pls?? pls??? i want to know???

ok wait i do need to bring this up like WTF i cannot believe they did not explain wtf happend when wwx was on burial mound for three months and where the fuckkkkkkkkkkkk he learned about the dark magic. there was some throwaway line about a book and i’m just?? u expect me to believe there was jsut some crazy ass book like sitting on a tree stump among a bunch of dead-ass bodies, just waiting for someone to find it? Like seriously?? seriously?? even if there was such a fucking book who the fuck wrote it and why did they put it on the mountain and why did wwx decide that he needed to reclaim his power through it? why did he decide to use music, like the lan sect? why a flute? i have so many fucking questions!! AUTHOR!! AUTHOR!!!! PLEASE WHAT THE FUCK!!! 

also ok this isn’t a “plot hole” but a... theme... hole. a theme hole. i don’t fucking know but the book does a really good job throughout of bringing up mob mentality and other social behaviors when someone becomes the “enemy” of the group. they do this first with wwx and painstakingly set up how much of it is fabrications or exaggerations or bandwagoning, etc. and even why this happened--the people were still hurt by what had happened with the wen sect and, fearful of another force building up its power, it was easy for them to focus their animosity on wwx (the fact that it was him and the remaining wen clan didn’t help either, obvs). so, we’re sympathetic toward wwx because, not only have we been following him for the first half of this novel (by the time we go far enough into the past to learn about what happened when and after he became the yiling patriarch) and because we know his true intentions are pure. he’s a good guy at the end of the day. yeah he did some really, really bad shit during the war and was using a “twisted” ability, but he was trying to help people (also this book clearly has the message that revenge =  good which is,, interesting? i have certainly never read a book before that justifies revenge. usually, the morale is that revenge is never quite nice. see the count of monte cristo (the book, obviously). so, in the moral universe set up in this book, wasn’t wwx totally justified in his actions, however terrible, against the wen sect bc they destroyed the jiang sect? not saying i think that way, just that i think the story expects us to think that way). so, our set up to rumors and badmouthing by people is that it’s wrong, right? and that the other person doesn’t deserve it, no matter what they may have done? it just leads to more and more lies and should be stopped, right? we didn’t like it happening to wwx, who was also frustrated by it both in flashbacks and in the present, so, when it happens to the villain..... it’s okay? our protagonists dont’ have to rise up to defend him, even if he did do wrong? wwx just thinks ‘well, at leeas they weren’t this shitty to me’ and that’s fuckKING IT?? REALLY??

like this is the second ot last scene of the entire fucking story and that’s the fucking note it ends on? there’s nothing else?? no other perspective on responding to mob mentality that we’re going to get?? didn’t wwx die bc of mob mentality and, rather than trying to clean up his perception, he just maintained his behavior and quietly accepted being called evil???? doesn’t that mean it’s bad??? but they just?? let it happen??? again???  that’s the note?? author??? author??? is it all ok that people talk this way even when it leads to people getting killed??? author??? author?????????????? 

i think i got enough of my feelings out now to go read the additional chapters. peace

[baoshan-sanren]

Chapter 34

of the wwx emperor au I’m thinking of calling -- you know what? I suck at titles. let’s just accept the fact that I’ll slap something vaguely poetic on this thing when it’s finished, and that it will probably have no relation to the actual fic

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 Part 1 | Chapter 8 Part 2 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 Part 1 | Chapter 15 Part 2 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 Part 1 | Chapter 22 Part 2 | Chapter 23 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25 | Chapter 26 | Chapter 27 | Chapter 28 | Chapter 29 | Chapter 30 | Chapter 31 | Chapter 32 | Chapter 33

About half-way to the Imperial guest chambers, it occurs to Wei Ying that he cannot simply knock on Lan Zhan’s door past midnight. 

Lan Zhan had asked him to use the door, and Wei Ying wants to use the door, but he cannot. It takes a few moments for his pleasantly drunk mind to reconcile itself with the whole not using the door thing. But he still wants to see Lan Zhan. He wants to see Lan Zhan pretty badly. He wants to apologize for being stupid, although, at this very moment, he is not exactly sure what he had been stupid about. Probably a lot of things.

He sighs.

He also needs to apologize for failing to protect Lan QiRen. Lan Zhan had clearly told him that he does not want his brother or his uncle being hurt. Wei Ying had sworn to protect them both to the best of his ability. It does not matter that Nie HuaiSang had made the decision to decrease Lan QiRen’s guard. Wei Ying had promised. Protecting Lan Qiren had been his responsibility.

The horror he had felt, when he saw the Peach Blossom Pavilion on fire, cannot be described. If Lan QiRen had been killed, after Wei Ying had sworn to protect him-- he does not think that Lan Zhan would have ever forgiven him.

Still standing, stupidly, in the middle of the hall leading to the Imperial guest chambers, Wei Ying thinks perhaps his mind is not in the best place at the moment. He should wait and speak to Lan Zhan in the morning. He should not be stumbling drunk around the Iron Palm Palace, as if looking for Madam Yu to corner him.

But he wants to see Lan Zhan.

He remembers the absolute fury with which Lan Zhan had turned on A-Sang, the wild look in his eyes, the white robes flaring in an arc, blade flashing. Against the backdrop of the fire, he had looked coldly savage; an ancient immortal, an avenging deity too terrible to be gazed upon by ordinary humans.  

In that moment, Wei Ying had been certain that Lan Zhan would not hesitate; that he would not let himself be restrained with such a simple gesture as his brother’s hand on his wrist. A-Sang would meet his end in that courtyard, and Lan Zhan would not stop there, but go on to carve a bloody path through every person in his sight, Wei Ying included.

The Peach Blossom Pavilion, its fragile old wood and intricately carved posts, dusty and forgotten, had stood for over a century, the Immortal Mountain City growing and spreading around its delicate shell. A legacy, left behind by the Immortal Empress, an arrogant girl who had thought herself so powerful that she had tried to rule over the cycle of life and death, nearly extinguishing the flame needed to form the Empire.

Her peach trees cannot be moved, altered, or destroyed. They are a lesson Wei Ying had been taught long before he understood what it meant.

But there is a much more subtle lesson in the Pavilion itself, a building even YanLing DaoRen could not bring himself to touch; the brittleness of family, home, comfort. How even the meanest creature will take time to burrow a hole in the dirt, then protect it with its last breath. The Immortal Empress had burrowed a hole next to her peach tree, then nearly given up her life to keep it intact.

Watching the Peach Blossom Pavilion be consumed by flames, used as a death trap for an honorable, righteous man, Wei Ying could not help but think that, if Lan Zhan had truly decided to kill them all, he would have been hard pressed to explain why they did not deserved it.

He leans against the hall arch, the stone cool and soothing against his skin. His mind is definitely not in the best place. But he still wants to see Lan Zhan.

Instead of heading towards the Imperial guest chambers, he turns to the door leading into his public study, a room he actively tries to avoid unless pressing business requires his presence. It is a bleak, cavernous space, where guilty men, often three times his age, would kneel on the marble floors, begging for their lives. He had not executed men often, even when they were indisputably guilty, but the few times he had were enough to make the space unbearable forever after.

There is one aspect of the study that Wei Ying does not hate, however, and it is the window hole leading out to the lower rooftop of the receiving hall. In the daylight, this particular portion of the roof is clearly visible from the entirety of the Iron Palm Palace courtyard. But during the night, it is a perfect starting point, no matter which part of the City he means to access. Some day, someone will realize that Wei Ying uses the tops of the courtyard walls as bridges to all of the surrounding palaces. The wall tops will be deemed a security breach, one that uncle Jiang will remedy without asking for his opinion, or his permission. But that day is not today, and Wei Ying has no intention of using the walls anyway.

The receiving hall roof curves to the east and west, winding around the palace, and Wei Ying counts window holes carefully, never having accessed the Imperial guest chambers in this manner before. It would just be his luck to drop into Lan XiChen’s chambers in error, or even worse, Lan QiRen’s.

He should not have worried. Long before he can be certain that he has counted correctly, he sees the flash of the white robes.

Lan Zhan had crawled out his window as well, and is sitting on the cold rooftop tile, the snow-white sleep robe pooling around him.

His hair is loose, a dark cape laid over the bright robe, and Wei Ying thinks he looks ethereal still, beautiful and aloof, not meant to be observed by lowly human beings.

Preoccupied by Lan Zhan, Wei Ying forgets that he is, in fact, more than a little drunk, and that he had forgotten to take his shoes off. The soles, not meant to grip the slick tiles, slide without a warning. He flails, nearly loosing his footing altogether.

By the time he has regained his balance, an act that was probably ridiculous to watch, Lan Zhan has noticed him and gotten to his feet. Wei Ying feels stupid, however, this has never stopped him before, so he crosses the last stretch of the roof anyway, but carefully now, minding his footing.

“Lan Zhan,” he says softly.

Lan Zhan studies him for a few moments, then lowers himself back down. Wei Ying takes this as a permission, and ungracefully sits next to him.

Something about the coolness of the night seems to magnify the scent of the sandalwood; it wraps around Wei Ying, smooth and warm, cutting through the chill of the north-western winds. He had come to apologize, but the right words seem to have abandoned him for the moment. Lan Zhan is perfectly still, a cold statue glowing brightly in the darkness. Wei Ying’s drunk tongue, unable to to properly ask for forgiveness, has nonetheless found a thousand poems at its disposal, each one attempting to give justice to Lan Zhan’s beauty, and each one falling short of the mark.

He does not regret coming to find Lan Zhan, but he does regret doing so with his mind less than perfectly clear.

Perhaps some other youth on some other rooftop can speak of marriage lightly, carelessly drunk on wine and beauty of the person beside them, knowing that the life they promise to share will be the one of comfort and safety. But the last few hours have made some truths starkly clear; Wei Ying has nothing to offer that does not come with its share of danger and grief. And Lan Zhan is no Nie HuaiSang, to find pleasure in the vicious court games, to smile politely while cutting with his words, to accept gifts with one hand while hiding a knife in the sleeve of the other.  

He remembers Lan QiRen’s admonishment clearly, and wonders, for the first time, if Lan Zhan could ever be happy, married to Wei Ying.

The silence has now stretched so long, that anything said out loud may carry more than one meaning. Lan Zhan does not look as if he intends to speak at all. Coldly beautiful he may be, but at this moment he is also oddly peaceful, his breaths deep and even, his eyes half-lidded, studying some mystical point in the distance that Wei Ying cannot see.

Silence has always been Wei Ying’s enemy.

It is Jiang Cheng’s anger, grown too vast for words. It is Nie HuaiSang’s hurt, caused by his carelessness. It is uncle Jiang’s disappointment, shijie’s grief, Wen Qing’s disapproval. Things unspoken have always wounded Wei Ying in a way that no spoken word ever has.

Because long before he had learned their silences, and all the ways in which they brought him pain, there had been the silence of the Six Fans Pavilion, never again graced with his father’s footsteps. The silence of his mother’s chambers, never again to echo her laughter.

Silence had always meant loss.

But now, sitting next to Lan Zhan, wrapped in hushed tranquility, he wonders if one person can change the nature of silence forever. If one person can have such power, to transform this thing he had always dreaded to something bearable and peaceful, something in which he may find contentment.

As if hearing his thoughts, Lan Zhan shifts, a smooth, soundless movement that brings him ever so slightly closer. In the next moment, Wei Ying feels a brush of cool skin against his hand. A finger hooks around his own, and this time, it does not tremble.

[baoshan-sanren]

Chapter 24

of the wwx emperor au I’m thinking of calling Lan QiRen’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 Part 1 | Chapter 8 Part 2 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 Part 1 | Chapter 15 Part 2 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 Part 1 | Chapter 22 Part 2 | Chapter 23

Tomorrow comes too soon, and for Wei Ying, it comes with insistent and painful flicks to his ear.

He groans, his ribs aching, his head still throbbing lightly, warning him that the amount of sleep he had gotten is nowhere within the acceptable parameters. The next flick to his ear is particularly vicious, and he tries to swat it away, his face still buried in the blankets. His toes feel cramped. Shifting them does nothing but make his ankles ache. Is he still wearing boots? Why?

A vicious slap lands on his ear, propelling him upright.

“What--“

Nie HuaiSang is sitting up in bed, his arm strapped to his chest, the other hand half-raised, as if he intends to slap him again.

“A-Sang!”

Somewhere on the other side of the bed, Jiang Cheng groans in complaint. Wei Ying can see nothing of him but one purple shoulder and a tuft of hair. HuaiSang is still pale, but it looks as if he had taken care to arrange his sleeping robes, and comb his fingers through his hair before viciously slapping Wei Ying awake.

“How do you feel?” Wei Ying asks carefully.

“How do I feel?” A-Sang says incredulously, “How do I feel?”

Uh-oh, Wei Ying thinks.

“I feel like an arrow went through my shoulder,” he hisses, “I am in pain. I feel miserable, and hungry, and extremely fucking angry. How am I supposed to get dressed?”

“How-- what?”

“How am I supposed to get dressed with this thing on my arm?” A-Sang growls.

Jiang Cheng groans in complaint again. HuaiSang snatches a pillow, and whacks him three times in quick succession.

Jiang Chen is upright almost as quickly as Wei Ying had been, his hair an unholy mess, his expression murderous.

The moment he sees HuaiSang, his expression softens, and he opens his mouth.

“Do not ask him how he feels,” Wei Ying says quickly, and gets a pillow to his face for his efforts.

“Get up!” A-Sang snaps, “Both of you. I want breakfast. I want roast duck and wild herb salad, stir-fried spinach with dried shrimp, steamed lotus root with rice, steamed buns, and I better not see any of that minced pumpkin abomination in my buns either. I want them stuffed with mutton. And where is my tea? Is this the Emperor’s palace or a QiShan winehouse? Move!”

Wei Ying scrambles off the bed. He is still within the reach of the pillow, and does not think his head would tolerate another hit. Jiang Cheng is a little slower, tangling in his own robes, and the pillow catches him on the ear.

“I want Wen Qing to give me something for pain. I want all the Imperial seamstresses in this room in less than an hour, and they best be ready to work. You--“ he points the pillow at Wei Ying, “owe me an entire closet of robes. We will settle on the number, and then I will increase it, and you will not say a single word in complaint. Understood?”

“Yes,” Wei Ying says quickly.

“And you--!” he points the pillow at Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng is finally awake, and now fully cognizant of the situation.

“Tea!” he exclaims, “Worthless servants! Where is the tea?”

And then he escapes, leaving Wei Ying all alone with furious HuaiSang who looks as if he wants to be clutching a sword instead of the pillow.

“I want a palace,” A-Sang snarls, “of my own. And thirty servants, in addition to the five I have now.”

“Done,” Wei Ying says quickly.

A-Sang’s eyes narrow, “I want a title for A-Jue.”

“Fine.”

“And a three-day banquet thrown in my honor every year, until I am old and blind.”

“Done.”

HuaiSang grunts, and puts the pillow down.

Wei Ying waits a few moments, then shuffles a little closer.

“Can I sit down now? Or do you want to hit me again?”

“You may sit,” A-Sang says graciously, “I might hit you again anyway.”

Wei Ying feels that is an acceptable risk to take, and settles down on the step below the bed, where Jiang Cheng had spent the majority of the night.

“I assume you did not catch the assassin,” HuaiSang huffs, readjusting his robes.

“No. The arrow came from the East watchtower, but the assassin was gone by the time A-Cheng got there. He left two arrows behind. Perhaps he is not as skilled as we thought.”

“I should say,” HuaiSang says scornfully, “He has done a terrible job of trying to kill you.”

Wei Ying’s throat tightens. He will have waking nightmares of that arrow shifting a little more to the right, and he will deserve each one.

HuaiSang waves a hand in front of his face, “Stop that. I am not in the mood for your self-pity right now. Do we have any new information? At all?”

Aside from the fact that someone had tried to kill him in the view of every Sect in the cultivation world? Absolutely nothing. This had definitely not been an average assassination attempt. But the way in which it differs does not offer any clues.

“They were Lan Sect arrows,” Wei Ying says.

“Hm. I am not surprised. Anything else?”

“Lan QiRen,” Wei Ying says, “showed me a note that was waiting for them at the Peach Blossom Pavilion the night they arrived. The note said that the Young Masters are in danger, and that they should leave the Immortal Mountain.”

“Interesting. Do you have the note?”

Wei Ying has been keeping it in his sleeve, and he hands it over.

HuaiSang hesitates a moment, his fingers brushing over the dry blood prints Wei Ying had left on the paper. But he does not say anything about them, unfolding the note, and frowning at the characters.

“This was written by a child,” he says, his tone surprised.

“Or someone who has never really learned how to write,” Wei Ying counters.

“If we assume it is the same person,” A-Sang muses, “it is someone who is young, uneducated, but has a fair amount of spiritual power for their age. Probably someone who lacks confidence in that power as well. If this is a disciple, they have not been one for long.”

“It could be more than one person,” Wei Ying says.

“It does not matter,” A-Sang sniffs, folding up the note, “Assassinations are my domain. Mine and A-Cheng’s. You just go do-- whatever you need to be doing.”

He tucks the note in his own sleeve, and Wei Ying knows he will likely never see it again.

“You should not even be here right now,” HuaiSang says, frowning, “Was the archery competition postponed?”

“It was canceled,” Wei Ying says, “It seemed in poor taste, considering.”

“Hm,” HuaiSang says, “You should go to YiLing today, then.”

“What? Why?”

They have been planning Wei Ying’s Great Escape to YiLing for months now. How to hide his absence from the court. How to get by the main gate. How to disguise himself properly. How to enter the Immortal Mountain again without raising an alarm. It has become a frequent subject of their drunk planning, their schemes and ideas often spiraling into fantastical nonsense the more alcohol they consumed.

Yet, Wei Ying never truly believed that these ploys would ever come to fruition.

“Because,” HuaiSang says patiently, “We need to ascertain how closely the assassin is positioned to the throne. Obviously close enough that they had access to the palaces and the Imperial servants, but not close enough to have caught wind of your competition scheme. This is a perfect opportunity. Although, it will not be the great escape we planned.”

His face scrunches up in displeasure. As the mastermind of the Great Escape, he has taken pride in planning out the minutiae, and Wei Ying knows it must irk him to have to make adjustments.

“Some people will need to know. I will need YanLi’s assistance. Is A-Lin back yet? No, never mind,” he says, before Wei Ying can even open him mouth, “I think I can do without him. But the Lan Sect will definitely need to be informed. Actually, take Lan WangJi with you, and see if you can convince Lan XiChen can tag along, as a-- chaperone of some sort.”

“Wait a moment--“ Wei Ying splutters, but A-Sang is no longer paying attention to him.

“We must be able to trust the Nie Sect, at the very least. I need to speak to my brother first; only he can decide if Nie ZongHui can be trusted with the details of the plan. What time is it? Is it still mid-morning? I hate doing things on a tight schedule, you know. This is how mistakes are made. Where is my damn tea? Did A-Cheng get lost on the way to the kitchens?”

Wei Ying opens his mouth, and A-Sang waves a hand in front of his face again.

“We should have sent a message to QiShan sooner,” he snaps, “I despise making decisions based on flimsy and insufficient information. Well? You need be ready to leave by sundown. Go, speak to the Lan Sect, then come back. Did I not just say that we do not have a lot of time? Move!”

Before Wei Ying has a chance to respond, Wen Qing is sweeping into the room, and A-Sang is slumping dramatically against the blankets.

“Wen Qing,” he whines breathlessly, “I am in agony. Absolute agony. I cannot live with this pain. The room is spinning. Is it getting darker? Oh. Oh! I think I will faint again.”

[baoshan-sanren]

Chapter 41

of the wwx emperor au that’s back to being called Emperor Wei WuXian And His Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Birthday

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 Part 1 | Chapter 8 Part 2 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 Part 1 | Chapter 15 Part 2 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 Part 1 | Chapter 22 Part 2 | Chapter 23 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25 | Chapter 26 | Chapter 27 | Chapter 28 | Chapter 29 | Chapter 30 | Chapter 31 | Chapter 32 | Chapter 33 | Chapter 34 | Chapter 35 | Chapter 36 | Chapter 37 | Chapter 38 | Chapter 39 | Chapter 40

The South Lakes courtyard is wrapped in gloom.

Wei Ying feels guilty for his late arrival. For the second day in the row he had promised A-Yuan that he would visit, and had failed to show before the boy had been put to bed.

The lingering feeling of regret over placing Jin ZiXuan in the dungeons disappears completely. Had the ridiculous peacock not made a scene outside the council hall, Wei Ying would have gotten at least fifteen minutes with A-Yuan, even if those fifteen minutes only allowed him to put the kid to sleep with an obnoxious fairytale or two.

He comforts himself with the knowledge that tomorrow is the Gifting Ceremony, which means that every clan and sect should be preparing to leave the Immortal Mountain. Of course, having placed Jin ZiXuan in the dungeon, Wei Ying must bear Jin GuangShan’s presence a little longer. He is sorely tempted to release the brat just so he can see Jin GuangShan’s backside pass through the Five Phoenix Gate with all the other sect leaders.

He will not do so. He cannot show lenience to someone who had so blatantly disrespected him in front of half the Council. 

It does not bother Wei Ying so much that Jin ZiXuan had drawn his sword; they had seen each other compete mere days ago, and Young Master Jin had to know that he had no chance of winning, even if Wei Ying had been alone and unprotected. It does bother him that Jin ZiXuan had acted in such an unreasonable and stupid manner. Perhaps the engagement had meant a great deal to him. Perhaps Jin ZiXuan does care for shijie more than he is capable of displaying thought that thick veneer of narcissism and arrogance.

But despite his earlier words to uncle Jiang, Wei Ying has never truly believed Jin ZiXuan to be stupid. Smug and self-important, yes. Vain and haughty, heavens yes. But stupid enough to attack the Emperor in front of dozens of guards and Sect Leaders? Sect Leaders who may fawn over his father on good days, but are perfectly capable of turning on him the moment the Jin Sect fortune begins to decline?

Wei Ying does not think Jin ZiXuan stupid, but he does think the boy’s pride and arrogance are likely to leave him vulnerable to the wrong type of influence. He would wager that the true instigator of today’s events was not Jin ZiXuan, but someone standing directly behind him. 

But to what purpose?

“Finally,” Wen Qing’s voice comes from the darkness, “I was about to send guards in the search of you.”

Wei Ying pauses, half-way across the courtyard, his stomach twisting in anticipation, “Wen Ning is back? We have a response?”

“We do,” she says, and he can read nothing from her voice, or her vague silhouette near the pavilion door, “come inside. It has taken me nearly an hour to decode it; I had to ask Granny to help. She is very upset with you, by the way.”

Wei Ying grimaces. It is not that he does not trust her, or Granny Wen, or Wen Ning and Uncle Four, but the more there are of those who know a secret, the less likely it is to remain a secret. He supposes that all the years of Nie HuaiSang’s influence could be blamed for his overabundance of caution. A-Sang is a firm believer in telling people only those things that they absolutely needed to know.

“Jiang Cheng knew,” she says, her tone now accusing.

“I was not the one to tell him,” Wei Ying says.

He leaves out the part where he would have told him, regardless. He would have felt guilty about keeping anything of such magnitude from Jiang Cheng, but it had been A-Sang who had decided that Jiang Cheng should be informed. Wei Ying had simply... not questioned the decision.

“Get inside,” she says “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

Wei Ying expects to meet Granny Wen’s accusing glare the moment he steps into the pavilion, but the only people waiting for him are Wen Ning and Jiang Cheng. He heaves a sigh of relief, even as he habitually moves to prevent Wen Ning from bowing.

“Uncle Four?” he says.

“Stayed behind,” Wen Ning says, then rushes to explain, “we were not sure what the message said, and he would not try and decode it in YiLing. We thought-- if things turned out badly, it may help to have him outside the Immortal Mountain.”

“The message,” Wei Ying says, impatient, “Where is it?”

Jiang Cheng hands him a piece of paper. Wen Qing’s lovely lines are obvious in each character, the ink still slightly damp in places. He takes care not to smudge it; A-Sang will want to see it as soon as possible.

It is an agreement. Wen RuoHan has agreed to his proposal.

Wei Ying’s knees feel weak; he fights the urge to sit down on the floor.

“Where is the original?”

Wen Qing is the one to hand it over, Wen RuoHan’s signature large and stark, his personal seal nestled next to the red Sun Seal of the Wen Sect.

He grins at Jiang Cheng, and finds Jiang Cheng grinning back. The grin is wide, making him look young and careless, the way he had not been since all of them were children together, hunting imaginary demons through Iron Palm Palace halls.

“Uncle Four has gotten two more messages from his men in the Nightless City,” Wen Ning says, “The rumor is that the Second Young Master of the Wen Sect has gotten himself into some trouble with the YingChuan Wang Sect. The Sect Leader’s youngest daughter. Some rumors say that he has already been married, quickly and quietly, as the trouble is-- uh-- time sensitive. Other rumors state that the wedding will take place soon."

“Granny thinks that Wen RuoHan will send an official letter to the Immortal Mountain,” Wen Qing says, “as a means of informing the Emperor of his youngest son’s indiscretion, apologizing for the Wen Sect absence, and asking for forbearance in these trying times.”

“That old fucker,” Wei Ying says in delight, and does not even mind when Wen Qing slaps him on the shoulder.

Even a year ago, he would have thought it impossible to feel even a grudging sort of respect for Wen RuoHan, but the man has managed to throughly impress him.

“He should be in prison for treason,” Wen Qing says, “Instead, you have provided him with everything he has ever wanted.”

She sounds vaguely disapproving; it is impossible to tell if she objects to the plan, the methods used, or the fact that he had not consulted her ahead of time. Still, Wei Ying is far too happy with the outcome to feel guilty for keeping secrets.  

“Good,” he retorts, tucking the letter into his sleeve, “and may we never see another war or a rebellion as a result. Where is Granny? I am more than prepared to be scolded now.”

“She is with Song Lan,” Jiang Cheng answers in Wen Qing’s place, “he arrived not long before you did.”

“Song Lan? Why is he here?”

Before anyone has had a chance to answer the question, the man himself is already hovering at the entrance to the receiving hall. Elated by their success with Wen RuoHan, Wei Ying does not immediately notice the tightness of Song Lan’s features, or the wary set of his shoulders. The moment he does, however, his earlier euphoria vanishes in an instant.

Between Lan Zhan, the Council, and Jin ZiXuan’s stupidity, he had forgotten the initial reason behind Song Lan and uncle XingChen’s arrival. Now, seeing the troubled expression on Song Lan’s face, he feels a heavy sense of foreboding.

“He is here,” Wei Ying says, “the person you are hunting. He is in the Immortal Mountain.”

It is not a question, and Song Lan’s curt nod does not fill him with surprise. It seems expected somehow, that this news would come at the heels of the other, as if the string of events was somehow predestined.

He grins humorlessly, and rubs the side of his nose.

Destiny is not set in stone. Perhaps in the course and culmination of human life, there exists some objective certainty that is both transcendent and beyond human control, but his approach has always been a rational one, and now that same rationality offers a different answer.

This is no preordination. Wei Ying has simply come to anticipate that any success, any accomplishment, any occasion in which he may find joy and contentment, will come with a cost.

The realization is bitter and unhappy, and he pushes it away.

“Tell me what you have discovered.”

[rosethornewrites]

Sunday & Monday T & G reading

The usual

Finished

Tumblr:

MDZS Star Wars AU, by @mondengel

untitled, by @fox-bright

Soulmate AU, by @stiltonbasket

Teen:

eternal sunshine, by Zaire121

Wei Wuxian, a wealthy C.E.O., deals with falling in love with café/bakery owner Lan Wangji and trying to win him over while grieving the death of a loved one and truly learning what it means to let go.

——————————

“I always thought that I needed this necklace to keep moving forward. This way, I always had a piece of Wen Qing with me. But.. I know now that I don’t need this to keep going. She wouldn’t want me to be stuck to the past. I have to grow and I have to grow without her and I know now that that’s okay. This necklace.. it’s a reminder. And it’s a memory,” Wei Wuxian said.

If I could go back, by Xiao_Hua

Wei WuXian is in shambles, there is an army of rabbits whilst Lan WangJi may or may not punch someone for insulting his husband.

Or one where both Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian travel back in time and are forced to face the mess that has been their lives.

Aunties Always Know Best, by JiangChengLotus (12th in a series)

We wouldn’t be in the mess if you had just let the juniors handle it.

Quit blaming me! That’s all you’ve been doing these past few days. Nagging and nagging and nagging-

“Wait a minute. So when you two go silent and get a blank look on your faces, are you guys actually communicating?” Wei Wuxian asked, sounding fascinated.

Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji reluctantly nodded again.

“Wow! That’s so cool!!” Wei Wuxian took note of everyone else's displeased expressions and immediately schooled his features. “I mean...terrible. Truly terrible.”

~

(Or, Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng accidentally formed a telepathic bond, for someone so quiet, Lan Wangji's mind is very talkative, Jiang Cheng is exhausted, and Lan Qiren just wanted one nice family dinner)

Fugitives On The Run, by JiangChengLotus (13th in a series)

“Oh my god!”

“Stop panicking.”

“What do you mean stop panicking?!” Jiang Cheng grabbed onto Lan Wangji’s shoulders and started manically shaking him back and forth. “We just murdered a Sect Leader!”

Lan Wangji looked down at Sect Leader Yao who lay motionless on the forest floor and then back at his brother-in-law. “Maybe he’s just resting.”

Jiang Cheng shot him an incredulous look, so Lan Wangji tried again.

“He may still be alive, just unconscious...”

~

(Or, Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji quickly realize they don't have enough braincells between them to get away with murder, Sect Leader Yao is probably just sleeping (right?), and Wei Wuxian and Lan Xichen are part of the "Exhausted Big Brothers" squad.)

General:

Five People Who Never Summoned Wei Wuxian, by EHyde

(and the one who did)

Of all the people who could have sacrificed themselves to bring back Wei Wuxian, isn't it fortunate that things turned out how they did?

Lineage, by CeruleanWinter (5 chapters)

Sometimes A-Yuan felt like a water lily that had lost its roots, drifting aimlessly down the lake. Until one day, a man came to see him, and things started to change.

This is a story of Sizhui growing up in Gusu Lan Sect and finding his place in the family.

Hanguang-jun didn’t look imposing like what he imagined zongzhu’s brother would. He was thin and almost frail. There were dark shadows underneath his eyes, which were red around the corners.

Despite his haggard appearance, Hanguang-jun sat dignified. His robes were immaculate. Not a crease or a fold out of place. Not a speck of dust visible. The pristine white cloth practically gleamed.

A-Yuan suddenly felt self-conscious about the state of his own clothes. He fidgeted under the man’s silent gaze, not knowing what to do.

Hanguang-jun finally said gently, “A-Yuan, do you remember me?”

Shopping, by Befallings

For the Untamed Winterfest 2019 Prompt 8: Shopping

Unfinished

Teen:

The Yiling Wei Sect Blooms in Adversity, by Wei Huihua (Nanibgal)

Jin Guangyao took careful, measured steps through the hall, stepping out to the courtyard to get just one more breath of fresh air before the newest batch of chaos. Perhaps it wasn't so bad that he was taking some pride in his work- it was no small feat to puppet the great Wei Wuxian and his esteemed Jin relatives. Ah, it was worth cracking another genuine smile, at least.

Just in time, the communication talisman grew hot in his robe, and he pulled it out to reveal the message from Su Minshan:

WEI WUXIAN DID NOT COME

relish, relinquish, relapse, by whenthesummertime

Weighing the effects of the Yin Iron and Stygian Tiger Amulet, manipulating resentful energy, lacking a golden core, years spent fighting and sleeping on stone slabs and hard dirt, getting stabbed and sliced... what were the effects of a couple bottles of liquor each day, amidst all that?

Once you’re in a body long enough—and have gone through much worse—your mind isn’t the best judge of your physical state. Trust in his own judgment is temporal at best, but despite this, Wei Wuxian feels fine, tells himself he feels fine.

(Wei Wuxian is forced to confront his alcoholism.)

What has long been concealed, by Gaby007

The Burial Mounds change everything falling in their grasp, Wei Wuxian is well-placed to know it. Lan Wangji is rather nonplussed when he learns his beloved's secret yet seizes the opportunity to finally bring the Yiling Patriarch to Gusu and keep him safe.

Now, he just has to keep Wei Ying hidden from the cultivation world, and maybe he will get to learn some secrets of the Lan sect as he does.

General:

Habits of a Previous Ghost, by LaenaEverwood (2nd in a series)

A series of shorts following the fic Midnight Clarity, some good fluff and stuff while Nie Mingjue does his best to support Nie Huaisang as his brother readjust after everything that's happened.