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wangxianficfinder · 1 month ago

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Fic Finder

Oct 25th

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1. Hi. I’m looking for a fic and I don’t have a ton to go on, so here’s hoping someone knows which fic! I’m looking for a canon divergence, possibly a fix it or time travel fix it. It’s NOT the dynasty fic where WWX is WRH nephew and he disappears from the lectures. The specific scene I have in my mind is WWX avoiding the arriving sects at night less city, no one knows he’s been with the dafan wen or I guess where he had been. I know it makes a point to stress he’s dressed with care and in robes that are much nicer than he ever had with the jiang, I know they are using wen yuan to distract him bc he’s nervous about madam yu and the jiang arriving, I know wen Qing gives him an aggressive supportive pep talk in an inner courtyard while he basically is sitting there catastrophising. I can’t remember who is meant to be the wen sect leader, whether it’s wen Qing, wen Ning, or popo or maybe WWX?? I don’t think HE is the sect leader. LWJ might know he’s there and anticipating the sects arriving as well because he’s nervous how people will react seeing him there. I can’t remember if when Qing and wen Ning are time travelers. It’s KILLING MEEEE. I’ve been hunting thru my bookmarks and all the tags I can think of and I’m not finding anything. I know it’s complete and most likely over 20k words. (I’m wondering now if it’s that one he uses a talisman to make a lightning trap to save dafan village from a legendary beast??? And there’s flooding?? And LWJ and JWY happen upon him afterwards Idk I could be wrong) @takemitchyleaps

FOUND? We'll Build A Dynasty (one the heavens can't shake) by One_eyed_God (T, 66k, WangXian, canon typical Jiang family dynamics, BAMF WWX, Canon JC Characteristics, POV Outsider, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, WWX is a Wen, Sect Leader WWX, Genius WWX, The Casual Intimacy of Hand-Holding, Minor XuanLi, Not JC Friendly, Time Travel Fix-It)

FOUND? Cultivating immortality by KizuKatana (E, 231k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Mutual Pining, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, unreliable narrator, Found Family, First Time, novel canon relationship dynamics) Is this the one mentioned in #1 parentheses

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2. Hello ! I was searching for a fanfiction where WWX was under Lwj care who spanked him and punished him but also took care of him . It comes in series... Lwj master in CR. In one series LWj beat Wwx so much that he himself got punishment in ancestral hall. I remember reading it a few years back but can't find it now

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3. Hii!!! Can you help me find a fic where wwx dies in guanyin temple and promise lwj that he will return. Then wwx is reborn in the modern world where he is a scientist and a politician son. He sometimes remember lwj through dreams. He also has a girl best friend who helps him. Later he makes a machine to return to lwj in cloud recess and they reunite.

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4. Hello! i'm not entirely sure if i've mashed two together in my head or if it really is just one fic but here it goes: Lan zhan and wei ying are neighbors. a-yuan is wei ying's son, lan zhan works with a class of students on music cultivation. wei ying and a-yuan are actually hiding out from the wen's and the culminating scene has a-yuan possessed and needing to be cleansed and lan zhan and his students helping. I believe it was a multi chapter fic too. thank you so much!!

FOUND? Hear a song this deeply by so_shhy (T, 87k, WangXian, Modern Cultivation, Kind of academia AU, Music, Kid Fic, Canon-Typical Violence, Action/Adventure, To An Extent, canon-typical JGY behaviour, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, Fluff and Angst, we love us some tragic backstory, Happy Ending, for wangxian at least, [slaps fic] this baby can fit so much plot in it)

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5. Hello, I'm looking for a fic I've read before. Wei ying is at the lectures in CR and sees that Lan Zhan receives presents from people but rejects them. He was befriending him and thinks that lan zhan won't reject his present ..so he gives him a jade pendant. But lan zhan crushes it and WY gets mad about it and starts to avoid lz.

It was completed and I think just one chapter. Thanks in advance @smarti1997

FOUND? For you by 10thNoNamePerson (T, 16k, WangXian, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans, Canon Divergence, No War AU, Teen Wangxian, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Jealous WWX, Soft WangXian, No Sunshot Campaign)

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6. good day! so i was reading this wangxian dimension travel fic and i suddenly remember that one story; a student from modern world lost her way in the forest and kinda met wwx who just became yiling patriarch. i think her name is lily? or something close to that name. i know that i bookmarked it before and i dont know why but i cant find it (not sure if im using the correct tags or what) pls help me find it. thank you for ur help! 💙

additional info:: i think her bag is color yellow? she also went with wy to kill wen chao and thats how jc and lz met her. theres also a scene where she stopped wy during "the soup" encounter with jzx and she got hurt. @httpskaixx

hello! actually, the "i told u when i came i was a stranger" was the story i was reading when i submitted my ask. i followed the note and search it with "isekai" tag and i found it!! the story i was looking for is "wait a minute!" thankyou so much!

NOT FOUND! i told you when i came i was a stranger by Caramelized (M, 50k, OFC/LXC, minor WangXian, Isekai, Transmigration, Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Amateur cartography, Butterfly Effect, Sunshot Campaign, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, No Golden Core Transfer, Dimension Travel, Politics, LXC the politician, Self-Insert, Foreknowledge, Angst with a Happy Ending) If not, the requester might want to search "isekai" for The Untamed or Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù on AO3.

FOUND! Wait a minute! by Anonymous (T, 45k, WangXian, World Travel, Dimension Travel, Canon Divergence, Transmigration, Crack Treated Seriously, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff and Angst, Attempt at Humor, I've Been Told That OC has Kagome From Inuyasha Vibes, Isekai)

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7. JGY kills nie huasaing and delivers his saber to NMJ which reveals what actually happened to him so now Wei Ying, with the help of Lan Zhan, must resurrect NHS (at NMJ’s “request”) wen Ning style before NMJ kills like everyone. I’ve been looking on AO3 but the fic might have been on tumblr or cross posted. @i-cant-think-of-one-meh

FOUND? Digging Graves by nirejseki (Not rated, 13k, NHS & NMJ, WWX & XY, wangxian, Revenge, Broken Moral System, Non-Graphic Violence, the masterless sabers)

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8. Hi! I'm looking for a fic where Wei Ying is an ex-model who had an iconic magazine photoshoot (inspired by Burt Reynolds apparently), and a younger Lan Zhan is a big fan of him. Lan Zhan encounters him on a coffee run and they get together. I vaguely remember Wei Ying shouting that he's a cougar. I guess the title is along the lines of "came for the coffee" but I'm not sure anymore since I really can't find it. Thank you so much!

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9. Hi I’m looking for a fic that might have been deleted but I’m really hoping I’m just missing it. It was a one shot on the longer side, ABO dynamics, where LWJ turns WWX into an omega when they end up quarantining together over the pandemic. It used to come up pretty high when I sorted by kudos, so hopefully someone’s heard of it :( thank you so much!

FOUND! the twisting of secondary genders by HeavenlySkyfarer (E, 7k, WangXian, Modern, A/B/O, Non-Consensual Secondary Gender Modification, Extremely Dubious Consent, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Forced Heat, Baby Trapping, Questionable Use of The Quarantine As A Plot-Device For Questionable Porn, Dark LWJ)

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10. hii!! i've been looking for this specific fic thats on ao3 for a while.. the jist is lan zhan and wei ying are living together post-canon as a happy couple until they go night hunting together to figure out this pattern of suicides in a town or something? they don't really find much and head back home but it turns out lan zhan has gotten cursed and is now slowly declining mental health wise-- he pulls away from wei ying (to which wei ying is very sad about) and eventually tries to leave on bichen in the middle of night to go commit suicide, but wei ying catches him, realizes he's cursed, and helps him and then yay happy ending? thank you! @hyperizzation

FOUND! What lies beneath the bones series by seachronicles (E, 104k, WangXian, LSZ & LWJ, LXC & LWJ, LQR & LWJ, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Trauma Recovery, Rape Recovery, PTSD, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Disordered Eating, Survivor Guilt, Grief/Mourning, Canon Divergence, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Suicide Attempt, Implied/Referenced Sex, Hurt LWJ, LWJ Needs a Hug, LWJ Whump, POV LWJ, Character Study, LWJ is Not Okay, Mental Health Issues, Post-Canon, Sad LWJ, Depressed LWJ, Self-Esteem Issues, Canonical Character Death, LWJ-centric, Touch-Starved LWJ, Case Fic, Night Hunt, Ghosts, Curses, Suicide, conversations about suicide, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Child Abuse, only referenced, WWX Takes Care of LWJ, Soft WWX, Hurt WWX, but differently, Guilt, WWX gives him the hug, POV WWX, Self-Harm, nothing too graphic, Established Relationship, Mystery, Hair Washing, Wound Tending, WWX is So Whipped, wangxian literally live their cottagecore dream, WangXian in Love, Secrets, LWJ has a secret, Vulnerability, Drunk LWJ, Protective WWX, Miscommunication, Soft LWJ, Eating Disorders, Suicidal Thoughts, Recovery, LWJ needs therapy, he gets that therapy, LXC Tries, LQR Being an Asshole, Dad LWJ, Chronic Pain, Dissociation, LWJ Has OCD, Sex between Wangxian, Dubious Consent, because they don't know how to communicate, They Learn, Happy consensual sex, Mild Smut, Eventual Smut, Aftercare, Fluff and Smut)

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11. Searching really hard for a fic where wwx adopts a-yuan without telling anyone but lwj thinks a-yuan is wwx's bf, so when wwx finally asks him out and kisses him , lwj refuses and tells he never knew wwx was the kind of guy to cheat. He apologizes to wwx later when a-yuan visits him in university, I think. @maskdmafia

FOUND?🔒 breathe in the air, the last of its kind by wereworm (T, 27k, WangXian, Modern, assumed cheating, Miscommunication, gc transfer modernised as hand-wavey illness (referenced/implied), 5+1 Things)

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12. I read a fanfic awhile back where child Lan Zhan meets child Wei Ying while Wei Ying is still on the streets as an orphan. Lan Zhan gives him something, I can’t remember if it’s a toy or food. Then for the following years Lan Zhan spends time trying to find Wei Ying to check up on him using musical cultivation. There’s a woman who he calls to find him, one day she does find him. I believe it’s around the time Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng arrive at the cloud recesses.

I also think, and I might be combining two different fics here but hopefully I’m not, but the following plot is them falling in love while Wei Ying comes to term with the horrific and graphic abuse that Yu Ziyuan put him and other servants through and they end up investigating, finding proof, and she faces punishment. Pretty sure it’s an A/B/O fanfic where Yu Ziyuan forces Wei Ying to hide he’s an omega(?) for some reason. I think a chastity belt is involved that Yu Ziyuan put Wei Ying in. Jiang Cheng’s father resigns as sect leader when her crimes come to light.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, this has been a thorn in my side for the past few weeks. @staykookedsuga

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13. Hello! I have an ask for the fic-finder 😅

It's been a long time since I read this one, so it's an older fic (at least more than 3-4 years ago). It was centred around MDZS as a story with Jiang Wanyin as the MC and YLZ as the villain. Our main characters had a whole fandom around it, where LWJ is a famous author and WWX a not-very-popular artist who drew fanart of the most hated character in the book "Yiling Laozu" (I think he was an artist, could also be a fellow writer).

I remember there was lot of fandom discourse about WWX and his choice of character to support and how YLZ was always jealous of JWY and did actually maliciously cause everything he was accused of in this alternate MDZS canon. Then, suddenly, LWJ + WWX end up pairing up for a fandom event (a big bang or smth similar), and WWX has the idea of a story where canon divergence occurs and YLZ is a good person instead (like actual canon) and LWJ agrees to write for it.

This was as far as I had read for it. From I remember it was a WIP. Thanks <3 @indelibleme

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14. Hello :) I could use your help to find a fic: Modern AU, LWJ is an epidemiologist, at the start LWJ finds A-Yuan alone at a train station and waits with him until WWX shows up, WWX and A-Yuan move in with LWJ, A-Yuan locks himself in the bathroom and LWJ kicks the door in to get him out, WWX reenters Uni to finish a degree, LWJ sort of punishes him so he concentrates on work?, LWJ starts the process of adopting A-Yuan, WWX and LWJ confess in the bathroom during a family party. Thank you so much! @die-or-worse-be-expelled

FOUND? 🔒 Lost Boys by raitala (E, 115k, WangXian, LSZ & WWX, LSZ & LWJ, Modern, Kid Fic, Gen or Pre-Slash, hints of wangxian, finding your found family, A-Yuan is a sweetie, Emotional Baggage, LWJ is on the Asexuality Spectrum, Neurodivergent LWJ, Hurt/Comfort, sugar daddy LWJ, LSZ is the bestest boi, LWJ is trying his best, WWX needs a hug, background societal homophobia, Grief/Mourning, Under-negotiated Kink, Dom/sub Undertones, Mild Painplay, Sharing a Bed, Family Feels, Nice LQR, Adoption, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Spit Kink, Slow Burn)

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15. Heyy. Just wanna start of by saying your account is an absolute life saver. Thank you so much for the hard work you guys put into getting fanfiction.

I need help finding a fic: Jiang Cheng, blaming Wei WuXian for soemthing he did (can't remember), finds a magical array to erase Wei WuXian from this world. Only to find out they loose the Sunshot Campaign without Wei WuXian and his demonic cultivation so he works together with Lan Wangji to bring him back and save everyone in this universe.

There's alot of angst and family bonding as well as feels. I remember that the heirs of the great sects were taken prisoner in the world Wei WuXian was erased and that's when Jiang Cheng wants to solve his mistake.

FOUND? The Way It Wasn’t by KouriArashi (T, 72k, WangXian, XiYao, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, (eventually haha), Slow Build, Family Feels, Moral Ambiguity, Eventual Happy Ending)

FOUND? Not This Time by Marinelifeclub (M, 93k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Angst, Dark LWJ, Protective LWJ, YLLZ WWX, Resentful WWX, Established Relationship, POV Alternating, Sunshot Campaign, Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Minor XuanLi, not for jc fans, eventual 3zun, Kid Fic)

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16. Hi! I’d love your help in looking for a fic on AO3. I can’t remember if it was a long one-shot or a series, but here are plot points I do recall:

- Lan Wangji stays behind at Yiling with Wei Wuxian

- the Lans don’t hear from him for a long time, until people report sightings of him in Yiling

- Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren take a few other Lan disciples with them to investigate

- They almost don’t recognize Lan Zhan because he looks different - he is happy. He now wears a painted symbol of a cloud on his forehead, and allows the village children to braid his hair with beads. He is considered pretty, and either a deity/god or just someone special by the villagers.

I hope this rings a bell, I’ve been trying to find it for ages and I’ve had no luck! @ogfangirl93

FOUND!🔒Unpack Your Heart by Terri Botta (Isilwath) (T, 22k, wangxian, Romance, Everybody Lives, Canon Divergence, LWJ Has Feelings, Protective LWJ, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, Burial Mounds Ensemble as Family, Wangxian in Love, YLLZ WWX, Lan Clan Elders are Assholes, Minor Transgender Character, Qiongqi Path Divergence, LWJ loves his bunnies)

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17. Hello! I’m looking for a fic, I can’t remember a lot of it and some of the plot points might be off but here’s what I remember; WWX dies but is approached by the previous wielder of the sword that was in the xuanwu of slaughter’s cave and they say smth I forgot and then wwx is back in the past and he can wield said sword and then I can’t remember anything else. Thanks for the help!

FOUND? Did I Not Explain Why the Sunset Turns Red? by 3988Akasha (E, 110k, wangxian, time travel, canon divergence, Canonical Character Death, Soulmates, Demonic Cultivation, Original Female Character(s), Emotional Constipation, Minor Character Death, Hand Jobs, Sexual Content, Bathing/Washing, Idiots in Love, Poetry, Mild Gore, Anal Sex, Angst, Rimming, Blow Jobs)

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18. Hello! For Fic Finder, please! I am looking for a canon au where some people were shapeshifters and during the Sunshot Campaign Wen Ruohan was poisoning the shapeshifters and forcing them under his control. I remember one scene in particular where a Wen dire owl was shot down and it ended up being one of these kidnapped/enslaved shapeshifters. I think the poison was some kind of dust that had to be inhaled? Thank you for your help! @gloriousclotpole

FOUND! 🔒 Unstoppable by Netrixie (T, 150k, WangXian, LXC & WWX, Canon Divergence, Eventual Happy Ending, Unreliable Narrator, Slow Burn, Minor Original Character(s), Cloud Recesses, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Angst, Wolf-shifter WWX, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, Fix-It, Werewolf, Shapeshifters, Sunshot Campaign, Translation Available, Russian, Canonical Lan arm strength)

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19. Hi. I am looking for a fic where Baoshan Sanren knows about Wei Wuxian’s fate. She can’t interfere directly so she trains Mo Xuanyu as a cultivator. Mo Xuanyu joins the jin sect and has a good relationship with Madam Jin helping protect jin Ling. He leaves the sect and the cultivation world to write the ministry exams for the imperial family. But he is assassinated before he can write the exams. Instead, Wei Wuxian, who wakes up in Mo Xuanyu’s body writes the exams and rises high. Soon enough, he catches the eye of the emperor because his genius and tendency to modify talisman. The emperor then finds out what happened in the cultivation world and gives them an eye opener. Mo Xuanyu’s ghost also appears and reveals Baoshan Sanren’s plan and his agreement to go along with it. Lan Zhan, then finds out that Mo Xuanyu is Wei Wuxian, leaves the sect to go live with him on his lands outside the cultivation world. @darkshadowgrief

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20. I'm looking for a fic where Wei Ying babysits A-yuan for Lan Zhan? I think it was Modern AU but that's all i can remember maybe he taught him art?

I'm number 20 in the recent fic finder and I don't think paint smears is the one I'm looking for, not sure about the other since it's been deleted but I remember Wei Ying actually babysits A-yuan in his house or at least teaches him art at his house in his play room? And lan zhan is still at the house he just lets them be I think. I remember them learning about colors or painting something and also that lan zhan wanted to offer Wei Ying a permanent job as A-yuan's private art teacher and offered more than his regular job.

FOUND? Light travels faster than sound by Anonymous (E, 25k, wangxian) wwx is an artist commissioned to make musician!lwj's album cover, than to give a-yuan art lessons), but I think the author deleted their works?

NOT FOUND! 🧡 paint smears on sunny days by SnowshadowAO3 (E, 53k, WangXian, Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Everyone Is Alive, Modern AU, Dadji, Mutual Pining, Happy Ending, Brief Alcohol Mention, Masturbation, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Accidentally co-parenting with your son's art teacher, Fatherhood)

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#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic finder #wangxian fic search #the untamed #wangxianficfinder #long post

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bloopitynoot · 1 month ago

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11 Wangxian Fics Where Wei Ying is Raised by Others

This list is brought to you by the winning option in my latest wangxian reclist poll.

This list will include fics in which:

WY is raised by a person/persons other than the Jiangs

Wangxian become a thing

because it's me it will have happy endings BUT they may include a bunch of angst before then because I am masochistic

are all "tried and true" meaning I have read and love all of the fics included

If you would like a personalized wangxian list- pls feel free to DM! I love making and sharing them!

1 shades of grey spill from my veins (bleeding ink all over the page) (58881 words) by Reverie

Chapters: 40/40 Rating: Mature Additional Tags: POV Nie Mingjue, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Joining the "Wei Wuxian raised by the Nie Sect" Club, Mentions of WWX's life on the streets, Hurt/Comfort, Accidental Sibling Acquisition, Single Dad Nie Mingjue, Nie Huaisang & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Friendship, Fluff, Humor, Happy Ending, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Protective Nie Mingjue, a plot showed up, Sunshot Campaign (Modao Zushi), Some angst, Blood and Injury, Kidnapping, Protective Siblings, nielan, Found Family, do not repost to another site Series: Part 1 of Untamed Fics & Prompts, Part 1 of Different Sect Wei Wuxian AUs Summary: This was why he didn’t like to leave the Unclean Realm, Nie Mingjue thought with dismay. Guileless dark eyes blinked up at him, tiny hands clutching at his robes. Or: Nie Mingjue comes across Wei Wuxian before Jiang Fengmian and decides Nie Huaisang could use a friend. A/N: Y'ALL I FORGOT 50 SHADES OF GREY EXISTED. Please note there is NO relation whatsoever to that dumpster fire of a "book." Title has been updated so there's hopefully no association anymore, because yikes.

NOTES: This was the first WY is adopted by someone else fic that I read and I immediately fell in love. You'll notice on this list I have a bunch in which the Nie's adopt WY and that is most definitely because I am SOFT for Mingjue. Something just hits different about single dad Mingjue and his two hot messes of children/siblings.

2 The Third Young Master of the Qishan Wen (138813 words) by KouriArashi

Chapters: 30/30 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin/Wen Qing, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn & Wēn Qíng & Wēn Níng | Wēn Qiónglín, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn & Mèng Yáo | Jīn Guāngyáo Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Canon, this fic's got it all, Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Politics, Revenge, Families of Choice, Sibling Bonding, Mutual Pining, Eventual Happy Ending, Everybody Lives Summary: The fic where Wei Wuxian is adopted by the Dafan Mountain Wens instead of the Yunmeng Jiang.

NOTES: This fic was surprisingly delightful! Yes there are intense moments of angst- ofc there would be with Wei Ying basically being adopted by the wens. But the boy is absolutely brilliant in this and the ending is lovely. Also, we get big sister Wen Qing which- MY HEART. What a BAMF.

3 Building a home (586482 words) by R95irth

Chapters: 110/110 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Cangse Sanren/Wei Changze, Jiang Fengmian/Yu Ziyuan, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin/Wen Qing, Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao/Nie Mingjue, Baoshan Sanren / Lan Yi, Meng Shi/ Sisi Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Okay maybe some will die, Some like Wen Chao?, Angst with a Happy Ending, Horror, Nightmares, Canon-Typical Violence, Complete list of ships in the serie summary, Family Fluff, Found Family, Babies, Untamed heroes are babies, Basically only no-canon-named people or bad people might die?, Like the trope but also lost and found family in the literal sense, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, but not done by the Lotus Pier squad, Also JGS exists so canon related things linked to him, Same goes for Lan parents Series: Part 1 of Home is where your heart is Summary: This was supposed to be an easy night hunt. They left Wei Ying at an Inn, and wanted to be back before sunrise. Instead they find themselves at the door of Lotus Pier, in the middle of the night, wounded, and their son, their beautiful son, injured. Things did not go as planned. Maybe, because, it is time to change their plan. Maybe it is time to stop wandering, to stop running away from the man they hurt, maybe it's time to heal. Maybe it is time to build a home. It's over!! See you on Burning roofs : the next installement!! Spanish translation is now available : https://archiveofourown.org/works/28693317 Russian translation is now available : https://ficbook.net/readfic/11789571

NOTES: letting you know In advance- the rest of the series is not complete HOWEVER, it is still worth it to read this fic as a standalone! This was such a cool story. Yes, WY is technically still with the Jiang BUT raised by his parents. There is some sneaky time travel(?) things, and demonic cultivation things, and ADORABLE baby wangxian. This was kind of wholesome with a bit of mystery. I truly hope the author completes the series because it is so wonderful.

4 forces of attraction (20925 words) by bleuett

Chapters: 4/4 Rating: Mature Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Song Lan | Song Zichen/Xiao Xingchen Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Romantic Comedy, of sorts, Cloud Recesses Study Arc (Modao Zushi), au where wwx was raised by Boashan Sanren, Idiots in Love, Developing Relationship, Accidental Marriage, Sharing a Bed, everyone's gay uncles sl and xxc, secret matchmaker lxc, Fluff, No War AU, Hand Jobs, lan wangji's fight flight or fuck instincts, the inherent horniness of sword fighting, Happy Ending Summary: Lan Wangji meets Wei Wuxian, rogue cultivator and disciple of Baoshan Sanren, and Lan Wangji is simultaneously annoyed and infatuated with him. “You are not here to be entertained,” Lan Wangji bites back. Wei Wuxian has the nerve to laugh. “I’m not here to learn either, I already know everything we’re going to be taught in these lectures. If you’re not going to entertain me, I’ll entertain myself, gege.” “Wei Wuxian!” Lan Wangji yells, barely maintaining his composure as his ears flame red. Wei Wuxian’s laughter rings through the Cloud Recesses and breaks about a dozen rules. “Call me Wei Ying, Lan Zhan, we’re going to be best friends!” Wei Wuxian replies, tugging at the sleeve of Lan Wangji’s robe with two fingers in a scissoring motion before he runs off in a flow of white robes and inappropriate laughter.

NOTES: If you love WY, chaos gremlin, you will LOVE this fic. This is the au in which WY is raised on the immortal's mountain and then makes his first appearance off of it at the lectures in cloud recesses. Bless Lan Wangji for his patience, RIP Lan Qiren's qi LOL It is a no war au with so much joy and romance.

5 Heart of the Beast (488986 words) by WaitForTheSnitch

Chapters: 109/109 Rating: Explicit Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Nie Huaisang & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Nie Mingjue & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen & Nie Mingjue, Nie Huaisang & Nie Mingjue, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin/Nie Huaisang, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao/Nie Mingjue, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Nie Mingjue, Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao/Nie Mingjue, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao Additional Tags: Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Isn't Adopted by the Jiangs, Adopted Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian is a Nie, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Oblivious Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Deserves Better, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Deserves Happiness, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Deserves Love, Protective Nie Mingjue, Scheming Nie Huaisang, Protective Nie Huaisang, Soft Nie Mingjue, Nie Mingjue is So Done, Nie Huaisang is a Little Shit, Pining Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Has Feelings Summary: “Wei Ying?” Nie Mingjue prompted him gently. “Where are your parents?” “They went on a night hunt,” Wei Ying said, a bit evasively. “Your parents are cultivators?” Da-ge asked in surprise. “Did they leave you here while they hunted? When did they go on their night hunt?” “Four summers ago,” Wei Ying said a bit uncomfortable. “Four summers ago,” Nie Mingjue repeated. “What are your parents’ names?” “My mama is Cangse Sanren and my baba is Wei Changze,” Wei Ying told him, and recognition registered in Nie Mingjue’s eyes. “Wei Ying,” Nie Mingjue said, sounding a bit regretful, “Your parents aren’t coming back.” Or, Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang run into Wei Ying while in Yiling and decide to bring him home. And it changes everything.

NOTES: This is one BEEFY boy, but absolutely worth the read. WY really deserves all the good things and does eventually get them in this fic. It is very much a canon divergence but WY is adopted by the Nie's. I truly could not get enough reading this. Yes there is some angst, but WY has so much more respect this time around :'3

6 Phoenix and the Ash (280378 words) by cytheriafalas

Chapters: 51/51 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Nie Mingjue, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao/Nie Mingjue, Song Lan | Song Zichen/Xiao Xingchen/Xue Yang | Xue Chengmei Characters: literally everyone Additional Tags: Everyone's favorite: A good old-fashioned prostitute AU, Canon-Typical Violence, Trauma, trauma for everyone, you get a redemption arc and YOU get a redemption arc, canonical Lan falling in love way too fast, slow burn but only in the sense of Circumstances Get In The Way, Because again: Canonical Lan falling in love way too fast, Platonic(?) bed sharing, Hair brushing as sign of affection Summary: At the request of the Nie, Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji investigate allegations about murders in a brothel in Qishan. Lan Wangji meets Yiling Laozu, and everyone discovers very quickly that murders at a brothel are the very least of what is happening. Started out as an homage to Kushiel's Legacy and ended with a war. Fully written, fully edited, chapters coming weekly—maybe biweekly, if I'm feeling particularly spicy.

NOTES: WARNING: this is such a heavy fic. It was truly hard to read, but the ending is very good I promise. CW: So much abuse, sexual assault, kidnapping, sexual slavery, non-consent. It does get better but I did cry a fuck-ton reading this. This is the AU in which the dafan wen's (they are enslaved and work in a brothel owned by Ruohan and co) take in WY from childhood and he is basically groomed by Wen Ruohan and squad to be their most deviant customer's favourite sex worker (he is tortured for their pleasure i cannot state how terrible it was). BUT He does get a very happy ending, lots of mental health and physical support and it does end with Wangxian in the softest of ways. I know I spoked a lot about the trauma but it was very good I promise.

7 We Meet at the Thousandth Step (315914 words) by Rynne, Admiranda

Chapters: 44/44 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Cangse Sanren/Wei Changze Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, No Sunshot Campaign (Modao Zushi), Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze Live, Rogue Cultivator Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Night Hunts (Modao Zushi), Genius Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Inventor Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Plot, Romance, Drama, Fluff, Strangers to married, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Developing Relationship, Minor Violence, Case Fic, Mystery, Flirting, Wei Wuxian's Canon-Typical Flower Flirting, Arson, There Was Only One Bed, Getting Together, First Kiss, Meeting the Parents, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, Wei Wuxian Is a Good Big Brother, New Relationship Bliss, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Blood and Injury, Yiling siblings, Married Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Honeymoon, Wangxian's Baby Fever Series: Part 1 of The Different Paths We Tread Summary: As they both go wherever the chaos might be, Lan Wangji and rogue cultivator Wei Wuxian, eldest child of the famous Cangse-sanren, find their paths converging. Soon they'll discover in each other the perfect partner for night hunting…and beyond.

NOTES: In which WY's parents did NOT die and he is raised as a rogue cultivator with them (and his sibling!). This is the most sweetest, fluffy, romance between rogue cultivator WY and the esteemed second jade of Lan. Honestly this is a soul cleansing fic. I am pretty sure I have rec'd it before, but I will continue to do so because it is adorable. Bonus- parental teasing from Cansge Sanren and Wei Changze!

8 what builds a home (45953 words) by Stratisphyre

Chapters: 4/4 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Characters: Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Meng Shi (Modao Zushi), Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Mo Xuanyu, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Adopted Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, POV Multiple, warning for JGS behaving exactly as expected, child endangerment, Brother Feels, Minor Character Death Summary: Two children, Meng Shi decides, cannot possibly be that much more work than one. On the run from the Jin, Meng Shi encounters another young boy in need of love, a family and a home.

NOTES: This is one of my favourtie premises I have come across and I am so glad I read it. Meng Shi is fleeing the brothel and the Jin cultivators after her with her son. In an alley in yilling she finds orphaned Wei Ying- what's one more (well more than one- we get some baby Xuanyu!) child to raise? In this AU WY is not a cultivator but brilliant with talismans, wangxian still happens (the most romantic first meet), and the jins have the day they deserve in the end. So sweet!

9 All will be well when the day is done (76082 words) by abCEE

Chapters: 8/8 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Sort Of, Fix It, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan Bashing, Yu Ziyuan Bashing, Definitely not Yu Ziyuan centric, Fix it for our main characters, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Butterfly Effect, Madam Lan Lives (Modao Zushi), No Sunshot Campaign (Modao Zushi), Artistic License, Unreliable Narrator, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin Bashing, non-yunmeng wei wuxian, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Good Uncle Lan Qiren, OOC, No Beta, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Get a Happy Ending, Wei Wuxian gets the love and care that he deserves from the very beginning, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Mainly CQL but has elements of the novel as well, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Isn't Adopted by the Jiangs, verbal and physical (c/o Zidian) abuse from YZY Summary: The one where Yu Ziyuan time traveled but she thought that it was her visions of her alternate life. She learned that there is a brat named Wei Ying who brought destruction to her and her family's life. And so in her present, she vowed that she will never allow that to happen. In which Yu Ziyuan found the four-year-old Wei Ying, newly pushed out of the inn where his parents left him, and decided that no, this child must never be associated with her, her family, and their sect at all. And so Yu Ziyuan thought that she could bring him somewhere where someone may or may not find him but definitely far from where her husband could find him. If he's lucky, he'll survive that winter, if he's not, then death awaits the fevered child. This is the extent of mercy that Yu Ziyuan could give a child. With this, she'll raise her children without having to deal with a brat that brings trouble where he goes according to her visions of her alternate life. Like the tag stated, this is definitely not Yu Ziyuan centric.

NOTES: Listen, I know this is more of a time travel fic (loosely) BUT it still results in WY being raised in the Lan sect (good uncle lan qiren fics are my life blood). The three jades of lan have a MUCH better time, wangxian romance, the war is averted, and we get a sneaky little twist in the end! A solid fic.

10 Going on charmingly (21238 words) by scribbet

Chapters: 4/4 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Teenage Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans (Modao Zushi), Cloud Recesses Study Arc (Modao Zushi), Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian is Baoshan Sanren's Disciple, Genius Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Petty Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Meddling Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, What if Lan Wangji didn't have an excuse to instantly write Wei Wuxian off?, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Jiang Fengmian Doesn't Adopt Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Wei Wuxian minus canon sense of obligation, but still with an inability to shut up around Lan Wangji, Jin Zixun is unfortunately present but only to lose face, Lan Qiren's inconsistent adherence to the Lan clan precepts, writing the effective Lan education you would like to see in the world, Technically pre-relationship - Freeform, but in the typical Wangxian way of them being in deep but just not acknowledging it yet, POV Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, I swear Lan Wangji's inner voice was not quite so snarky when I started this Summary: He pulled the door open smoothly, leaving the noisemaker with their fist still raised mid-knock. He could glimpse white robes underneath a thick and practical-looking travel cloak, but surely no member of his sect would think to barge in upon him in such a way. “Hello!” the interloper exclaimed, a bright smile coming into view as he lifted the sopping veils away to one side. “Would you happen to know how to reach the Cloud Recesses?” Or, a teenage Wei Wuxian arrives at the Lan sect as a (mostly) respected disciple of the Immortal Baoshan Sanren instead of the well-known troublemaker of Yunmeng Jiang. Lan Wangji learns to come to terms with this (eventually).

NOTES: WY was raised by Baoshan Sanren and turns up at cloud recesses once he descends the mountain. This was a cute read and doesn't really dig deep into wangxian as a couple but it is the story of them falling in love (adorable). I love a good Gusu study arc and this was very much that.

11 The Light That Fails to Dim (310880 words) by glowingreverie

Chapters: 81/81 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, tags will be updated as the story goes on, Mild Gore Summary: Wei Ying lost his parents in a night hunt. Cold and alone, he wandered the streets of Yiling for nearly two years. However, one fateful night, a tall, scary man finds him and takes him back to a place he calls Qinghe. Later Wei Ying, now known as Wei Wuxian, discovers that that tall, scary man is not bad at all. And his cowardly brother makes an even better friend than he initially thought he would. With a content feeling in his chest every day, Wei Wuxian can only hope these peaceful, happy days with his new family will last until the end of time. Or, in which Jiang Fengmian is unaware of what happened to Wei Wuxian's parents and Nie Mingjue takes him in and the story continues from there…

NOTES: Another sweet sweet Nie sect adopts WY fic. This fic really broke my heart i'm not going to lie pals. It does have a very happy ending but it also includes 16 years of WY away from civilization (he is not dead but is in the burial mounds fixing some things that happen to him). It is worth it for the happy ending- AND it includes some cute bonus chapters!

#bloopitynoots wangxian recs #wangxian rec list #wei wuxian #wei ying #lan wangji #lan zhan #adopted wei ying #wei ying is adopted #or raised by not the jiangs #these fics are all so solid #i will forever recommend them #mdzs recs #mdzs fanfiction

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rosethornewrites · 4 months ago

Text

Fic: this body yet survives, ch. 17

Relationship: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Tags: No War AU, Recovery, Trauma, Dissociation, Courtship, Courting Rituals, Near Death Experiences, Attempted Murder, Eventual Happy Ending, Panic Attacks, Vomiting, Siblings, Protective Siblings, Soup, Triggers, Protective Lan WangJi, Protective Lán Qǐrén, Yúnmèng Siblings Dynamics, Bad Parent Yú Zǐyuān, POV Third Person, POV Lan WangJi, reference to poisoning, reference to assassination, Reference to chronic illness, reference to infanticide, Depression, Minor Injuries, Painting, Gift Giving, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn Has a Fear of Dogs, Good Sibling Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Good Sibling Jiāng Yànlí, BAMF Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jealous Su She | Su Minshan, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Protection Squad

Summary: Birthdays and brotherhoods.

Notes: See end.

Parts 1 & 2

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

AO3 link

——————

Wei Ying’s birthday celebration was low-key, celebrated with Wen Ning, Wen Qing, and Nie Huaisang, who had bullied his brother until he was allowed to visit the Cloud Recesses for it under the care of a steward of the sect. The Nie heir showed up as they ate a late lunch and insisted on eating with them, even pulling out packages of food he’d purchased in town to supplement the lunch Jiang Yanli made.

Nie Huaisang pouted when he learned that Wei Ying was swearing brotherhood again with someone not him, and was only appeased by the offer to swear brotherhood with him as well.

It was appropriate, as the numerology of a two person brotherhood was “easy,” and Lan Wangji imagined such a brotherhood would be easy for Wei Ying. Similarly, a three-person brotherhood with the Wens was apt, with one aspect of the numerology being “health,” given Wen Qing was Wei Ying’s doctor.

A four-person brotherhood was unlucky, sounding like and associated with death, and out of the question.

Off and on all afternoon while they all visited, Jiang Yanli cooked up a feast to serve for dinner. Wei Ying successfully ate his longevity noodles without breaking them. The time passed quickly, with Wei Ying contributing to the conversations and even initiating them, so much more comfortable around people than he had been, and this was blessedly a good day.

By hai shi he was falling asleep, used to the Lan schedule now, and the Wens excused themselves, leaving a gift of copies of rare books on talismans from the Wen library.

“Unc—Uncle thought you might… might enjoy them,” Wen Ning said, clearly happy with Wei Ying’s enthused response.

“No other library in the jianghu has these books,” Wen Qing added. “He fully expects that you’ll build on these to create worthwhile talismans. Write a book yourself—you have the talent.”

Wei Ying could only blush at her kind words, if delivered brusquely.

“Ah, Qing-jie, I knew you liked me!”

“You grow on people like mold,” she sniffed, rolling her eyes, and Wei Ying laughed.

Nie Huaisang gave more art supplies, including some gold leaf paint he picked up in Lanling.

“I want to commission you more, once you finish Wen-zongzhu’s. I still use the fan you painted for me,” he added, brandishing the fan proudly. “Oh, I wonder if the Nie library has books on talismans? I should ask Dage!”

“Most sects do,” Wei Ying said, his voice a bit distant.

The Jiang had only had his contributions, Lan Wangji had learned, which had been sent with him to Gusu. And now Yunmeng had none.

Lan Wangji worried he might close off, but he shook off the dark emotions quickly as Jiang Yanli pushed a segment of orange into his hand, knowing the smell and taste would help.

“I have some fruit we can enjoy,” she said, distracting everyone effectively as Jiang Wanyin brought in a tray.

Nie Huaisang demurred and excused himself. Jiang Yanli and Lan Wangji kept fruit on Wei Ying’s plate until he protested that he was full.

He had handled having guests well, and Lan Wangji was proud of his fortitude, knowing only weeks ago, with all the stress, he may not have been able to endure. He would still sometimes struggle, but Lan Wangji would be there to help him when he needed it.

After they left, Lan Wangji gifted Wei Ying the blanket he had commissioned, the topside embroidered with panels of the seasons, topped by mountains and clouds, with romantic symbols like a pair of mandarin ducks, butterflies, and two dragons, as well as auspicious ones meant to show how he saw Wei Ying, including a tiger for his bravery and the Four Plants of Virtue. The blanket contained replaceable sachets scented orange and cinnamon so he might feel safe as well as warm. It was also large enough for their marital bed, a reminder that made Lan Wangji’s ears hot with a mixture of anticipation and excitement at his own audacity.

“I’ll use it tonight, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying said softly after examining the scene. “It smells so good.”

“It’s beautiful, Wangji,” Jiang Yanli added, wrapping it around Wei Ying’s shoulders.

He was permitted to hug Wei Ying under the keen eyes of their chaperones before Jiang Wanyin shooed him out, citing his brother’s exhaustion.

Lan Wangji dreamt of holding him that night, just holding him close so he would feel safe and warm.

The next day they learned the disciples sent out found the hole-riddled body of Su She, which they took to Caiyi for a pauper’s burial, though the Cloud Recesses was closer—the man had backtracked for an attempt at revenge. The disciples had decided collectively (and correctly) that he should not be interred in the Lan compound after his transgressions. They had performed “Inquiry” to be sure his spirit didn’t linger; it didn’t, Su She being mediocre even at resentment.

Lan Wangji was relieved—the curse had no additional culprit, only a known actor. Wei Ying just sighed and shook his head, but he was clearly relieved not to have to worry about the vicious little man any longer. None of his co-conspirators were found with him, so he likely acted alone. Scouts found that the others had split up and largely already left Gusu, one already joining a remote temple to serve Guanyin, a good outcome out of a bad situation.

The news was balanced out by the swearing of brotherhood, first with the Wen siblings, and then with Nie Huaisang. They all skipped the banquet, but the kitchen insisted on sending a small one to the Jiang guest house to give Jiang Yanli a break from cooking. She was embarrassed, and insisted she didn’t need one, but it was good for her to be able to rest.

They provided more than simply Lan fare, having brought dishes from Qishan and Qinghe into the banquet, and Lan Wangji noticed Wei Ying stuck to those dishes, particularly enthused by a spicy soup dish Wen Qing identified as hulatang and a Qinghe specialty with braised chestnuts and pork. Also included were hot dry noodles popular in Yunmeng, among other dishes from that area.

He wondered if Jiang Yanli would teach him to prepare his favorites, as he had no desire to make Wei Ying eat what he did not enjoy, and resolved to ask her.

The beginning of the meal was silent, and involved tasting the various dishes, from mutton-stuffed baozi to yangrou paomo to pearl meatballs. Sweeter dishes included rose mirror cakes, tofu jelly, and red date soft candy. The spread was incredible in its array of flavors, and Lan Wangji found himself deviating from the traditional Lan fare in favor of some of them. It didn’t take too long for conversation to pick up as they ate.

Nie Huaisang made sure to point out that Wei Ying was his didi based on age.

“After all, it was my third time at the lectures and only your first when we met,” he said jovially.

“You just want me to call you Gege, Nie-xiong.”

“Of course!” he said, without shame. “And you get an extra gege with Dage! He really respects you.”

They were wonderfully distracted, speaking of happier days past, of the summer of their adolescence that had brought them together. Had brought Wei Ying into Lan Wangji’s life, tearing through his boundaries with his beautiful smile.

Again, Wei Ying handled having guests well, though he looked apologetically relieved when the Wen siblings excused themselves early, citing their plan to begin their travels back to Nightless City the next morning.

“I’m happy you came to celebrate with me, Didi,” Wei Ying said. “I didn’t expect you at all!”

“Shu… Shushu asked that it b-be kept secret in case I could… couldn’t.”

Nie Huaisang stayed only a bit longer, and Lan Wangji didn’t miss the surreptitious passing of a qiankun pouch, which undoubtedly contained more spring books.

“I’m so glad you look well; much better than my last visit,” the Nie heir said, patting Wei Ying’s arm. “I can’t stay longer—Meng Yao is my escort and he’s Dage’s right-hand man, so we need to get back to Qinghe.”

Wei Ying smiled at him, the pouch disappearing into his robes.

“I’m glad you came, Sang-ge, and I’m glad I can call you ge now.”

“Me too, Didi. You deserve more family, and now you almost have us in all the major sects,” he replied with a smile. “Except the Lan, but your future husband is here.”

He excused himself to return to his guest quarters.

“You do deserve more family, A-Xian,” Jiang Yanli echoed after his departure. “More people to support you.”

Lan Wangji stayed until shortly before hai shi, when Wei Ying was visibly drooping from the busy and emotional day.

They saw their visitors off at the front gate the next day, and the next several weeks were spent in peace. The family held a small private celebration for Jiang Wanyin’s birthday, and Lan Wangji gifted him stationery to write with, including new, decent-quality brushes. Xiongzhang and Shufu gifted him a weiqi set and a book about historical sect leaders, respectively. Wei Ying found a book involving lotus farming at the Caiyi bookseller during one of their trips, and gifted that without reading it, unsure whether it was a guide, novel, or book of poetry—Jiang Wanyin hid it away in a qiankun bag immediately for Wei Ying’s comfort, and would only find out when he returned to Lotus Pier.

“It doesn’t matter—if it’s about lotuses you need to read it,” Wei Ying said. “You’ll be sect leader, after all.”

The auger provided Shufu with a list of auspicious dates, and one was chosen for after the new year, the soonest available. Lan Wangji was more excited than he could properly express—not only would Wei Ying be his husband, joining him in the Jingshi permanently, but he would be safer with the title of Lan-er-furen. It was title Lan Qiren had mentioned could be altered as it had not been used in more than a generation, but Wei Ying had insisted upon it happily and proclaimed he would fulfill the appropriate role with its associated responsibilities.

Lan Wangji’s ears were hot for quite some time at the implied sexual connotation, which Wei Ying didn’t seem to know he had made.

Wedding invitations were written, with the hiccup that it was not possible to avoid inviting Jiang Fengmian for political reasons, though Yu Ziyuan’s ban from the Cloud Recesses would stand. Lan Wangji knew it was because he was a high-ranking member of the Lan clan and thus his marriage was considered a major event, and he hated it.

“You don’t have to serve him tea,” Wei Ying said softly, trying to soothe him, he was so good. “He will just be a guest and we don’t have to talk to him. Lan-xiansheng can examine whatever gift he gives before it reaches us.”

He would serve tea to the Jiang siblings, and to the tablets of Wei Ying’s parents, and Wei Ying would serve Xiongzhang and Shufu, as well as his parents’ tablets. That was acceptable.

Wei Ying otherwise spent much of his time painting or working on talismans, going back to the quiet productivity he’d displayed consistently since he’d started to truly heal, and the four of them spent many quiet afternoons in his workshop. At times he tutored disciples in sword forms, always happy to teach any who asked. Jiang Wanyin, Shufu told him, had suggested over tea that Wei Ying would be an effective archery instructor, something he was considering asking of him after the wedding.

The relative quietude was only interrupted by his siblings taking him to the most renowned clothier in Caiyi to commission wedding robes—far less harrowing an event, considering. His siblings were being very secretive about them, even to Wei Ying.

“They won’t tell me anything about them,” Wei Ying groused over tea with Lan Tayi, who clearly found the whole thing amusing. “I’m to wear a blindfold when we get to fittings, even!”

In truth, Lan Wangji had heard only of the custom of the couple being unable to see each other’s robes prior to the wedding, not that oneself couldn’t see their own robes. He wondered if the Jiang siblings wanted Wei Ying to be as surprised by his appearance as he would be, perhaps to heighten the joy of the wedding.

When he said as much, Wei Ying smiled at the idea, and Lan Wangji honestly didn’t think they could possibly make him more beautiful than he already was.

Nearing the winter festival, Wei Ying had a breakthrough with the talismans Madam Jin had commissioned, completing one that lit up red when two people who were related held it when it was activated, and black when they were unrelated.

“Red for good fortune, black for neutrality,” he clarified when he demonstrated the talisman using the Jiang siblings and then Lan Zhan and Xiongzhang. “It would light up a dimmer red if Xiansheng held it with one of you, too.”

He was still working on one that would find relatives in the first place, hoping to modify the talisman he and Lan Tayi had created to reveal Su She.

“They would have to be very close by, and I guess that would be up to Jin-furen to arrange. It’d be easier if I could make something like a compass, but that wouldn’t work for blood… energy would be easier to detect that way…”

He presented the talisman to Jin Zixuan upon his next visit to Jiang Yanli and explained its use.

“Muqin has a list of people to verify already, so she’ll be very happy to have this talisman,” Jin Zixuan said with a smile.

Wei Ying looked a little surprised by the Jin heir’s happiness, and he clarified:

“I’ve always wished for siblings; I was jealous that everyone else seemed to have them but me. I don’t know that it will go well, but I want to try to do right by them.”

Jiang Yanli looked at him with love in her expression, clearly pleased with his desire to be a devoted brother. From what Lan Wangji had seen, she valued such devotion, and it certainly implied the sort of husband and father he would ultimately become.

Jin Zixuan blushed a bit under her gaze, but continued.

“I would have been happy to swear brotherhood with both of you, but you’ll be my jiuzimen soon enough. It’s good that you have ties to all the major clans, Wei Wuxian. You have more stability in terms of reputation and prestige.”

Lan Wangji understood he was referring to the rumors his father was a servant rather than a disciple, completely ignoring that Baoshan Sanren was his grandmaster through his mother. The jianghu gentry liked to tear down those with what they deemed inferior blood, despite the fact that Wei Wuxian was one of the most promising cultivators of their generation.

“You… really? Even though I punched you?” Wei Ying asked, baffled.

“I’ve said before that I deserved it,” Jin Zixuan said, flushing. “You’re the brother of my beloved’s heart, and you were defending her honor.”

Wei Ying rubbed his finger against his nose, a nervous habit, then nodded.

“I guess you’ll be my jiefu too, then, not just Jiang Cheng’s,” Wei Ying said with a smile, before changing the subject by explaining how he had come up with the talisman.

Most of the explanation clearly went over Jin Zixuan’s head, but he nodded along and asked pertinent, if rudimentary, questions.

They enjoyed a quiet meal thanks to Jiang Yanli before Jin Zixuan left for Lanling, promising that payment would be forthcoming, something that left Wei Ying looking perplexed.

“It’s weird to have people paying for my talismans,” he murmured as they walked back to the Jiang guest quarters. “I always just gave mine to Jiang… to Jiang-zongzhu.”

“I don’t think A-Die ever sold your talismans like the Lan have—he just put them in the library,” Jiang Yanli said after a minute. “Unless you trained disciples to use them, they simply sat on a shelf.”

“They should have been used and sold, and you should’ve gotten a percentage,” Jiang Wanyin said, his voice strained. “But Muqin…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but such a thing would have incensed Yu-furen and made Wei Ying even more of a target. For some reason, his success in anything was reason for her to punish him, he’d told Lan Wangji once.

“He sent them with Shufu when Wei Ying came to the Cloud Recesses,” Lan Wangji said. “They should be among the qiankun bags from Lotus Cove.”

“A-Xian should find them and let Lan-xiansheng help decide what to do with them, then,” Jiang Yanli said, taking Wei Ying’s arm in her own. “Xianxian will be a wealthy man.”

“Xianxian is only three,” he said, leaning against her like a child. “Xianxian doesn't know what to do with that much money.”

Shufu had shown him the summary of his earnings over tea the day before, and it had shocked him.

“Use it on what you want,” Jiang Wanyin said. “Spoil yourself. Buy all the books and trinkets you want, eat all the food you want, wear nice clothes.”

“Even with that, it’s a lot,” Wei Ying protested. “Just what Jin-furen is paying… And she insisted on the price, not me!”

He seemed overwhelmed, and Lan Wangji knew it was because he never had much money—the Jiang had paid for anything he picked up at market, but he wasn’t a spendthrift. Likely if he had been there would have been consequences.

“It’s a lot,” he said again. “How does one go from the streets to riches? If you told me back then…”

He let the thought trail off as they reached the guest house. Jiang Wanyin made tea while Jiang Yanli put together plates of snacks.

“You will eventually decide what to spend your money on,” Lan Wangji said as they sat together at the table, discreetly holding hands underneath.

“Knowing him, it’ll be food for street kids,” Jiang Wanyin commented as he set a tray with the teapot and cups on the table.

Wei Ying startled a little, then tapped his nose as he thought. It was clear Jiang Wanyin had suggested something that appealed to him.

“An orphanage,” he said finally, his voice a whisper. “Something to help street kids. Shelter and food. Safety.”

He paused, silent for a moment as though seeking the right words.

“A future.”

“Oh, A-Xian,” Jiang Yanli breathed as she surged forward to embrace him. “That’s a wonderful idea.”

Lan Wangji’s heart ached for him, for his selflessness and beautiful desire to make the world a better place. This was the boy he’d fallen in love with.

“I will help. We will speak to Shufu. He will help, too. It is a righteous project.”

He squeezed Wei Ying’s hand under the table and received a return squeeze. He would support his husband in anything he wished to accomplish, for the rest of their lives.

—————

So this is 17 chapters just like “the thing with feathers,” which is funny. I intend to write a follow-up fic with the wedding at some point, but this is nearly the end of the series. Please feel free to check out my other fics while you wait.

I’m doing somewhat better health-wise. Healed from the gallbladder removal and infection, anyway. Still fatigued, but at least I’m writing.

a-die = dad

didi = younger brother

furen = madam

ge = older brother

hai shi = 9-11pm

hulatang = spicy/hot pepper soup

jiefu = elder sister’s husband

jiuzimen = plural of jiuzi, meaning wife’s younger brother

muqin = mother (formal)

shushu = uncle

xiansheng = teacher

xiong = brother

xiongzhang = older brother

yangrou paomo = flatbread soaked in mutton broth

zongzhu = sect leader

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quotablefanfiction · 10 months ago

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Wei Wuxian scoffs, “Kids these days can’t handle a little dismemberment.” Lan Wangji frowns at him, “No one likes dismemberment, Wei Ying.” Wei Wuxian shrugs, “Well, presumably not, but you kind of get used to it.”

the juniors are a bit squeamish (chp. 24)

A Bell That Tells Us to Rise and Fight by DeerstalkerDeathFrisbee (AO3) Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed – Teen – Lan Zhan/Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing, Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan #Alternate Universe #Canon Divergence #Arranged Marriage #Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies #Everyone Needs A Hug #Not Beta Read #Women Being Awesome #Wen Qing is a goddess #Wangxian are still dumb #cute but dumb #content warning for Jin Guangshan #content warning for Xue Yang #content warning for Meng Yao #Wei Wuxian’s terrible awful brilliant plans #Yunmeng Bros #Yanli is an angel #BAMF Women #I take it back Nie Mingjue still dies #Minor Character Death

“Aunt?” Wei Wuxian asks, looking at Wen Qing. “Who else do you think could handle being married to Jiang Cheng?” she says, tone deliberately casual. It’s very satisfying when his jaw drops and he goggles like a fish. “What did you people do while I was gone?” he shrieks.

Wei Wuxian evacuates the Burial Mounds before they fall. Jin Zixun attacks before Jin Ling's birth. Yanli and Jin Zixuan survive and Jiang Cheng marries Wen Qing to protect the Wen Remnants. Thirteen years later Wei Wuxian returns from the dead to a very different world.

#fanfiction #quote #Mo Dao Zu Shi #The Untamed #Wei Ying #Wei Wuxian #Lan Zhan #Lan Wangji #A Bell That Tells Us to Rise and Fight #DeerstalkerDeathFrisbee

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ao3feed-xicheng · 3 months ago

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The God of The Underworld meets the God of Spring

by Elizabeth_K9 When the mortal Wei Wuxian challenged Wen Ruohan's rule as The God of the Underworld, nobody not even the Gods thought Wei Wuxian would make it out alive, but not only did Wei Wuxian win, the Hells or The Underworld itself stripped Wen Ruohan of the title and bestowed it upon Wei Wuxian, but because Wei Wuxian was human, a mortal man who had sacrificed much to defeat Wen Ruohan including his cultivation, Wei Wuxian was transformed from mortal to the first True Demon, despite this, the mortal world worshipped him as a god. Because of the growing support for Wei Wuxian, Jin Guangshan, the Heavenly Emperor and God of Wealth and his second born son Jin Guangyao, God of Manipulation attempted to overthrow Wei Wuxian only to be revealed as corrupt Gods, allowing Wen Ruohan to unleash the dead upon the living, punishing even the most innocent of souls. This led to a new Emperor being chosen; Lan Xichen. Because of the close relationship between the Underworld and Heaven, Wei Wuxian becomes fast friends with Lan Xichen and meets Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian is completely oblivious to Lan Wangji's attempts to court him, so Lan Wangji with the permission from his brother, goes all in, causing chaos that Lan Xichen had not predicted. Words: 8791, Chapters: 4/?, Language: English Fandoms: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi Characters: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue, Nie Huaisang, Wen Qing (Modao Zushi), Lan Qiren, Wen Ning | Wen Qionglin, Jiang Yanli, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Luo "Mian Mian" Qingyang, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jin Ling | Jin Rulan, Lan Yuan | Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, Ouyang Zizhen Relationships: Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Lan Huan | Lan Xichen & Nie Mingjue, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin/Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Nie Mingjue, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin/Nie Mingjue, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiang Yanli/Luo "Mian Mian" Qingyang/Wen Qing, Jiang Wanyin/Lan Xichen/Nie Mingjue, Past Jiāng Yànlí/Jīn Zǐxuān - Relationship, Nie Huaisang/Wen Ning | Wen Qionglin Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Demon Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, BAMF Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, BAMF Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, BAMF Jiang Yanli, BAMF Wen Qing (Modao Zushi), Demon Wen Qing, Demon Wen Ning, Cinnamon Roll Wēn Níng | Wēn Qiónglín, BAMF Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, jin ling is a jiang, Ouyang Zizhen is a Nie, Triggers, trigger warning, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Possessive Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Oblivious Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, God Of Death Wei Wuxian, God of Spring Lan Wangji, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Supportive Lan Qiren, Good Uncle Lan Qiren, Slow Burn, Jin Zixuan is a dick via https://ift.tt/DMbGUhY

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #xicheng #jiang cheng #lan xichen #mdzs #cql

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ladysunamireads · 4 months ago

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#AO3 Link #FanFiction #AO3 Wangxian #♥#Wangxian #Wen Ning #Wen Remnants #Wen Qing #MDZS #⚣#⚔️#R:T #A:Bi Bird37

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vyther16 · 1 year ago

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Hi!! I was the one who commented on your ao3! Is it possible for you to write an au where shen wan’er actually dies after getting stabbed by her brother? And how yan bingyun copes/regrets?

hello! this has absolutely not been sitting in my inbox for over a month, and i am absolutely not writing this directly into tumblr like a maniac when i should be working on homework.

anyway!

I'm going to be completely honest, my whole schtick is saving minor women from death so I'm going to modify this a little bit right off the bat by saying she's not actually dead, just faking her death and Yan Bingyun is not in on it. This has no real effect on YBY's side of things but it does mean that whoever saved her (Fan Xian probably) is real shifty by the end of the timeline. (This modification has the added bonus of my romantic shipper heart being satisfied at the end).

okay so. We're at the battle, right? And Shen-xiaojie is on the sidelines, watching the two men she loves most in the world trying to kill each other. And then her brother has her beloved knocked down and is about to stab him. So she does what any self-respecting minor character's love interest does in a cdrama--- she throws herself in front of the sword, taking the wound for herself and stopping the battle in its tracks. Yadda yadda yadda, canon plot happens. Fan Xian goes and saves her and they start back for Qing.

Here's where things diverge. (rest under the cut bc this got long)

So, this could go a few different ways, but the following is my favorite: Shen Wan'er wakes up, finds herself in a carriage on its way to Qing and comes to the completely reasonable conclusion that she is to be a hostage and summarily tortured for information she may have received from her brother. She decides "fuck that shit, I'm outta here" and sneaks away in the middle of the night. She has somehow timed this perfectly with Xie Bi'an's cornering of Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun, so the two of them are too distracted to notice that she's gone until they have bigger things to worry about. Thus, she is given up for dead.

(She is not dead--- she spends the rest of the fic wandering around future fantasy china, eventually ending up in Danzhou, where she meets Grandma Fan and learns to have some self-respect. After all the shenanigans in the capital have passed, Grandma Fan makes a visit and Shen-xiaojie meets YBY as a woman confident in herself)

Back to YBY. He's just had to help fake Fan Xian's death (bc until s2 comes out and tells us otherwise, he was working with Fan Xian). And then suddenly the girl he's not allowing himself to like is gone. She was badly injured (because of him), surrounded by foreign men (because of him), and in an unknown location (because of him).

His reaction at first is to put in a box with the rest of the emotions he's not allowing himself to feel (read: all of them). But throughout the fic, as YBY is bullied into caring about himself by Teng-furen and Fan Xian (bc he still takes FX to the Teng Family Farm and Hospital bc how can I not have my bamf Wen Yinhong in any au lbr), he starts to allow himself to think about the fact that he did, actually, like Shen Wan'er. Grief is not an emotion he is used to--- he would also be realizing that he maybe kinda sorta also cared for Teng Zijing. But by the end of the fic, he's maybe reached a sort of equilibrium in that he's not actively repressing everything anymore, but he's also not emotionally healthy, because Fan Xian and Wen Yinhong are many things but licensed therapists they are not.

(And then the end is the two of them reuniting and getting to restart their relationship on much more even footing for the both of them)

Anyway, I'm not sure if this was quite what you were asking, but I do Not have to time to write a full-fledged fic like this at the moment, so enjoy this ramble-y and un-edited plot summary!

#asks #joy of life #qing yu nian #yan bingyun #shen wan'er #shen-xiaojie #worry76

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satire-please · 6 years ago

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Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Summary: This started with “How do I get Wei Wuixan to pine for his husband?” to “How do I kill off the rotten parts of Wen Clan?” (Prepare for emotional whiplash) This is the third fic in the Marriage Au. Part 1, Part 2

Ao3 link

“Will you be alright?”

“No, I’ll die.” Wei Wuxian laughs and laughs. Then he presses their foreheads together because he can. “Of course I’ll be alright! Why ask the question in the first place? Are you worried, Lan Zhan, just because this will be the first time we’ve been apart since we got married?”

“Yes.”

It’s only for a little while. A couple of days or weeks at most.

Wei Wuxian has no idea why Lan WangJi is making such a fuss about his departure. He’s already agreed to stay at Cloud Recesses like a good wife, though it irks him when the other leaders implied that he would be useless on this mission. So what if he’s not a healer? He can do something! Like carry the sick, fetch firewood to boil water for the victims or gather and distribute herbs or other precious medicines. Another helping body is what matters right?

But when he mentions this again to his husband, even now when he’s about to leave, “Are you sure I can’t come?” What does he get?

“I don’t want you to come.” Ouch. Have more sensitivity than that, Lan Zhan! Mind your words! Wei Wuxian’s heart squeezes and he tries to laugh it off awkwardly. In response, Lan WangJi’s brow becomes more furrowed. “I don’t want you among the ill. It’s not safe. Stay here.”

“Boo. What happened to our marriage vows? You know it’s rather hypocritical of you to say that to me when we especially promised to stick together in sickness and health. I could be there supporting you!”

Lan WangJi’s face is a storm. His hands squeeze Wei Wuxian’s in his and he bites his lip. Of course, the Jade Twin is saved by his brother.

“Now, now. I do not think the vows quite apply when Brother doesn’t want you exposed to the miasma. Only our best disciplines in medicine are coming, which you already know, anyone else would be highly vulnerable so there’s no need for you to poke at your husband’s insecurities.” Lan XiChen intervenes with one hand on Lan WangJi’s shoulder. He smiles warmly at Wei Wuxian with a twinkle in his eye. “Besides with the two of us gone, who will care for Cloud Recesses in our behalf?”

“Oh, I’ll take good care of it.” Wei Wuxian promises with a smirk. Lan WangJi clutches his hands a little harder in reprimand.

Lan XiChen clears his throat to clarify. “I hope you mean to defend it if any crisis emerges.”

Wei Wuxian is a crisis. “I’ll take very good care of it. I’ll ensure everyone is happy and safe.” He does not promise that everyone will remain sane, however.

Lan XiChen sighs, “That will have to do. Brother?”

“Mn?”

“It is time to go.”

The two brothers stare at each other. The elder watching the younger step closer to Wei Wuxian, making the space between them as small as possible and Lan XiChen is filled with a year of sighs.

It’s too soon.

“I understand. I’ll inform the others to begin heading out, please do not tarry long. The longer your goodbyes, the harder it will be for you to join us.”

“...I know.”

Lan XiChen gracefully steps on his sword, “I beg you, do not harass my Uncle too much, Wei Wuxian. It would be disheartening to return and need to nurse another victim back to health!”

“I’ll keep that in mind just for you!” But Lan Qiren is a tough man, surely he can handle a good joke...and little vomiting of blood.

Wind whips through their clothes as Lan XiChen departs and they’re alone again. Lan WangJi’s hands slip under Wei Wuxian’s forearms to wrap around his waist, pulling him in. It’s reassuring, the thought that their hearts are close enough, even through layers and layer of cloth, to feel the other’s beat. Wei Wuxian lets his arms flop over Lan WangJi’s shoulders and play with the hair at the base of his neck.

“Will you be alright?”

“Yes.”

Wei Wuxian just snickers and lets his husband kiss him goodbye. It’s unfair how cute his husband is. Another grievance to keep track off for Jiang Fengmian later.

“I’ll miss you.”

“I’d miss me too,” he teases, words muffled now and then by lips. The arms around his waist are like brands and for a moment Wei Wuxian hopes they bruise. “So come back to me fast so you don’t die of heartache okay? It’s one thing to get respectfully divorced and another to become an unfortunate, but attractive young widow. With such an unlucky reputation I’d never get married again!”

Wei Wuxian hisses as his lower lip is bitten punishingly. “No remarrying. Ever.” The small hurt is then soothed by tongue as an afterthought. An apology.

“Then come back soon~” He sing-songs.

“I will.”

“I know you will.”

It’ll be fine.

Lan WangJi will be just fine.

Wei Wuxian will be just fine.

They’ll be fine.

After all, it’s only a couple of days.

The Nightless City has always been filled with terrible things.

Buildings black and dirty from the parade of fire pits that compete with the stars. People with searing pride and ugly sneers. Awful plans ordered with a laugh. Cruel deeds.

How strange that it takes just one more one to tip the scales.

Groans and sobs of the devastated punctuate the air in a terrible symphony. They are the ones alive enough to feel. How lucky. The pain doesn’t last long. There are too many infected, the end is truly nightless and Wen Qing hasn’t slept in more than brief catches for a week. Yet if she could, she’d need melted wax poured in her ears to get any peace. Wen Qing puts a hand to her head and digs her nails in her skull to stay focused. She needs to come up with something better to say.

“Please. Our people are dying.” Should she pray?

Some say it’s a curse.

Some say the gods are discontent. Some say that the jealous clans they’ve rightfully dominated sent it on the winds. Some say the fault lies in the last beast the heir Wen Xu killed, the one they cracked open their chest and feasted. The demon boar had been enormous. Black as coal, the girth the size of a house in its own right and its eyes burned and blazed even dead with the great spear planted in the center of its forehead. The smoke from the cooked meat could be smelt from one side of the city to the other.

The smell still lingers.

Wen Ruohan that night had given a speech to the whole Qishan Wen Sect about the glory of his heir and how like the boar, none would stand in their way.

They ate.

They drank.

And in the morning the first lepers appeared.

Their mouths wide open in silent screams, their chalky white hands outstretched with black veins only for their flesh to shift, fingers falling to the tile the same way burnt incense does. After all...what else could remain after a fire? The first victims hobbled to and fro throughout the courtyard, body parts littering the streets as they seek any relief. That was the first mistake, they should have been apprehended, not shunned, not pushed for when they fall...the ash gets everywhere. The Qishan Wen Clan’s traditional wear of red and white have been stained grey. Even Wen Qing has too many handprints on her sleeves to wash out now. But they don’t matter. All that matters is the veil carefully drawn tight over her mouth. She tries again.

“Sir. This humble branch member could be more useful out there. Please allow me to personally supervise our forces directly.”

Wen Qing doesn’t care about the cause.

She cares that she’s not doing enough.

This is what she knows.

The epidemic is a parasite of air. If any inhale the dust from the dead, within the hour the first symptoms appear. It begins with smoke escaping nostrils and mouth from the embers formed in the victim’s lungs. The second stage has rivers of black streaking across the skin as the disease overtakes the blood veins. Once its dark network is complete all it takes is a final spark to set off a chain reaction from lungs to heart to the rest of the body.

The victim burns from the inside out.

They call it...The Scorch.

There is evidence that a golden core only accelerates the process. The strong are not immune, instead...high cultivators are susceptible.

After all, Wen Xu died first.

Still, she cares and grits her teeth when the Sect Leader denies her request to dedicate her time to find the cure again.

“Your task is decided. Your first priority, your only priority, is to tend to me...and me alone,” Wen Ruohan says with a glint in his eye. To cross him is unwise. “Anything else is secondary, is that clear, Branch Head?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Wen Ruohan is not a good man. However, he is her sect leader and she has a duty as a member of the Wen clan and a healer.

A doctor’s mission is to heal.

Wen Qing repeats this over and over to herself and does her job. She keeps Wen Ruohan alive.

Wei Wuxian is having the time of his life.

Lan Qiren is not.

“This is going to be great.”

“Don’t. You. Dare.” Wei Wuxian giggles and the sound becomes the most terrifying cackle Lan Qiren ever endured. He has no idea how the delinquent got up the side of the mountain like that. Nor does he understand the forty-two firecrackers that Wei Wuxian has somehow procured and fixed into every large enough crevice between the carved words of their honorary rules. But if the man dares to light the giant tail mess of strings that connect to each one…

He’ll kill him.

Or the attempt will be half-sincere. Crippling is also acceptable. Lan Qiren will apologize as prettily as required to his unfortunate nephew.

But Wei Wuxian must be punished.

“Oh Master Lan Qiren, don’t you know that such an event needs to be celebrated? Why you’ve graced us with your presence for forty-two years, how could we not honor your birth? Your every wrinkle?” Wei Wuxian knocks down another sword blow from his precarious position at the base of the cliff face. His own sword should be wedged in the rock, a foothold for balance would be quite appreciated here, yet sadly he needs Suibian to defend against the volley of strikes the older man rains upon him.

“Miscreant.” Metal clangs, no sings. “Slanderer.” Their swords clash and scrape harshly across the rock. Wei Wuxian teeters but like a mountain roach, he stubbornly clings on to the cliff face, one hand reading the spell he needs for the job. “The only reason for such mischief is because the young masters are absent.”

“Now, now, you’re hurting my feelings!”

“Yet none of those feelings are a flicker of shame!” Lan Qiren roars.

Wei Wuxian smiles serenely. “This is true.” Then he sets the fuses ablaze.

In fascinated horror, the entire Lan sect watches. The mountain comes alive. This is different from the simple flares used to communicate and summon, no, this is a show. It’s loud. It’s bright. The sky is lit up in every color of the rainbow and soon they shall all go blind.

Wei Wuxian is having a moment.

It is a beautiful moment. His grin is gleefully demonic and honestly, one of the best thing about marrying into the Lan Sect is the money and he didn’t need to scrimp on the good firepower at all.

So fireworks go on for more than a half an hour.

The Lan Sect Elders are not having a good time. The flashing colors reflect on their solemn stone faces, though the maroon shade blooming over Lan Qiren’s is not from the display.

The Junior Lan Disciples also are not having a good time...at least that’s the demeanor they try to present. Yet the younger members start to crack. How can they not? The finale starts, the elegant symbol of their Sect emerges, a white shimmering cloud that rains down sparks while a coil of a red and orange become a dragon to dance underneath it. They point, their hands flap and gesture. There are too many ohhh’s and ahhhh’s that the booming crackle cannot muffle out. There are too many stars in the young eyes and Lan Qiren is not heartless enough to put them out.

Damn Wei Wuxian.

Damn him.

“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Master Lan Qiren!” The vile In-law croons nearby. “Happy Birthday to–Ah! Can’t you wait until the show is over to hit me! Stop! Fine, catch me if you can!”

Lan Qiren will catch that troublemaker if the last thing he does.

He will.

The audience hall is ornate with gold. From the ceiling, it drips and twists into heavy scenes of Qishan Wen Sect glory. It wraps around pillars to flare out in sculpted flames, but few dare to linger too close to those sharp edges. Such decorations are placed here and there to discourage timidness. Only the bold can survive here. Only the brave. Only those with hot personalities that rival the sun.

But these days the chamber is kept cold.

The padding of boots against the tile is soft, yet only when they stop in front of his throne does Wen Ruohen open his eyes.

He looks down his nose at the group of white.

“How ironic that only one that comes to our aid is the virtuous and righteous Lan Sect.” The disdain for such virtues drips, yet the Lan Sect volunteers have faces far too thick to respond to it. “To help those in need is your creed correct?”

"It is one of many, yes." Lan Xichen salutes to the man on the throne, the gauze over his mouth may cover up his smile so he does his best to convey the sentiment with his eyes instead. “We sorrow at your plight. For this tragedy, our finest healers are at your beck and call. Where shall we put them to work first?”

Wen Ruohan sneers.

The line of his mouth becomes a jagged line of absolute displeasure and for a breath, he imagines smearing the courtyard with them. Their eager nature to help mocks him. Yet. Perhaps for their assistance, their eventual subjugation shall be...less painful and punishing compared to those worms who have abandoned them and their powerful flag. They shall suffer. They shall all pay. Besides him, a slight figure shifts and reaches to firmly press on a meridian in his upper arm in warning. Ah, yes. He must not forget. Negative emotions hasten the spread.

Anger is not the only fire in his veins tonight. Above the collar, black trails up his neck and curls over his chin like a possessive lover.

“Wen Qing. Debrief them.” He orders with a finger.

Wen Qing rises from the plain wooden stool next to the elaborate throne.

“We have quarantined the worst of the outbreak. Most victims are kept in the inner layers of the city while unaffected family members have been quartered on the outskirts just in case if they need to be evacuated. The Wen Clan needs the majority of your forces to keep the rooms of the infected cool and the patients calm and sedated. Encourage trance-like meditations or even drug them into a coma if necessary. Such conditions buy our people more time as I look for a cure."

Wen Ruohan tilts his head to the side. Wen Qing feels Qi pressure compress, no squeeze her entire body. Her legs start to weaken but she maintains her posture stubbornly. The pressure thickens. Like a doll, her body falls backs to sit on the stool. "My...esteemed physician means to say that we also require your assistance in the discovery of the cure. She will advise you daily when you bring updates every sunrise. Is that understood?"

It's like that last sentence is not for the Lan Sect. Still, Lan Xichen answers politely, "Very much so, we will start immediately."

"Good." Wen Ruohan smiles. How obedient they are in servitude. Their sect will be a fine addition to theirs when the time comes. "My men will show you where you will be stationed. Now go."

Lan Xichen salutes once more and then turns, subtly tugging his brother's sleeve in passing. It is unwise to get in a dispute here. His brother's glare is too obvious.

“We are here to help.” He reminds Lan WangJi in the hall.

“I know.” His face is sullen and his eyes angry. “The Wen doctor…”

“We will do all that we can.” Each word is a platitude. “That will have to be enough.”

It’s only when they get to the first room of patients does his comforting attitude drop. It’s dark. Shadows of the disease crawl towards them until a Wen guard kicks one of their own people back from getting too close. Ash litters the ground and makes patterns as the sick drag it across the floor.

“Put these on.” A Wen sect member orders, throwing a pair of dark overclothes in their direction. “Unless you want to catch the scorch too.”

Lan WangJi and Lan Xichen snatch the garments in midair and to pull it over their robes quickly. With a nod to each other, they get to work.

They will not fail.

Meanwhile. In the Grand Hall, Wen Qing finds new reasons to gnash her teeth.

“I am not known for repeating myself. The Branch Head stays by my side.”

One of the two messengers wrings his hands helplessly. “Please Honored One, we’re doing everything we can! Even Wen Qing’s own brother is our esteemed Wen Chao’s bedside now, giving most of his spiritual energy to buy minutes! But we need the master physician to stabilize him.”

“The answer is still no.” Though the corner of his eye, he looks at Wen Qing where she was beginning to rise again, without his permission. His spiritual presence in the audience hall spikes. It’s cloying weight filling them with fear. Wen Qing sits down angrily, her stool screeching across the floor.

“But my lord, he’ll die! Why–” The messenger starts to choke. His fingers fly to his throat, nails digging at it as if he could remove the spell placed there. Fortunately, it seems like Wen Ruohan is in a gracious mood. The service of the Lan Sect perhaps? So the messenger gets to drop to his knees, the sound loud in the hall, his companion hovering as he coughs and wheezes but he can breathe. He can breathe.

“Then he will die. Do you need my words carved into your face to remember? Return to my son and leave us.”

The two messengers flee and Wen Qing closes her eyes. Her brother is a tender one...this will devastate him. Though Wen Chao has only given Wen Ning grief, the rude, humiliating bastard, her brother did not reject the man’s summons. Wen Ning worked hard to heal, to learn as many tonics and acupuncture points as possible on the nights Wen Qing could manage an hour away from their sect leader just to keep the new heir alive. But in vain.

Wen Ruohen generously allowed Wen Chao to take as many attendants and healers in his entourage as he wished. The only exception? Wen Qing.

She may only serve as Wen Ruohan’s doctor.

She’s his only one.

Her brother’s heart is too soft. His focus should be on their own branch members instead.

Still.

“He is your son.” She says quietly.

Wen Ruohan smiles at her cruelly. He gives her his wrist as a silent order to continue her work to stop the flow of decay. She takes it. “It does not matter. I can always have more. If a great tree always sheds new seeds every autumn then so shall I. New growth is possible. In addition, for the sake of the Wen Clan, perhaps it is necessary to graft the branch family back into the main.”

He pointedly twists his arm so his hand rests on her knee.

To her credit, Wen Qing does not cringe. The stream of her energy she feeds into this man remains a steady and constant flow. Her stare into his eyes does not break. Why would it? She knows every single conceptative in the land, every way to turn a man impotent. Besides, there are few survivors of the disease. Who can say that such a condition would not be a result, no, a possible cost of recovery?

She will make sure Wen Ruohan’s line never bears fruit again.

“Are you not pleased?” Every word is more poisonous than the air outside. His thumb starts to rub the inside of her thigh.

“...The Wen Clan would be stronger if Main and Branch families are together.”

“Good.” His smirk is wicked with pride and the grip on her leg tightens.

Wen Qing does not bite her tongue.

But she does imagine ripping out his.

Many, many times.

The first couple days with the stuffy in-laws are a riot. Since Wei Wuxian has started four of those, they’re barely tussles really, in the disciple quarters. Without Lan Zhan here to keep him in check or exhaust him nightly so that mischief is barely a twinkle in his eye...Cloud Recess experiences its worst nightmare.

Wei Wuxian proves he’s the prettiest one.

He makes it a goal to break as many rules on the stone mountain as possible. All the frivolous ones about running, shouting, eating, etc...He breaks about 800 before he tuckers himself out.

And Lan Qiren catches him.

Still, even with all the new bruises on his back, it was worth it. It was. Yet thank all the heavens and Lan Zhan that he knows about the healing spring so he’s not absolutely crippled. If Lan Qiren had his way, Wei Wuxian would be beaten black and blue enough that he wouldn’t be able to lift a finger until the Twin Jades return.

The seventh day, however, is less fun. Wei Wuxian overcompensates, jokes and bad lewd poetry echo through pristine halls and he practically loses his voice in the progress.

The thirteenth day is bland.

The fifteen day is gray.

Lan Qiren no longer has to run to catch him anymore.

He doesn’t even need to.

Today, their bed is cold. Wei Wuxian shivers and pulls the covers over his head. The light garish and muted as it streams through the window. He doesn’t want to get out of bed today. Honestly, why bother? Who’s going to make him? No one. Why would anyone go through the trouble to coax him from his nest, help him get ready, lead him to where the steam rises in coils above a bowl of bland warmth when Lan Zhan isn’t–

Lan Zhan isn’t here.

Wei Wuxian curls into a miserable ball.

It’s 5:00 in the morning and he can’t go back to sleep. No matter how much he tightly closes his eyes. No matter how he contorts his pillow over his ears, he can still hear the sweet song of birds outside the Jinishi, the melody mocking him. Their bedding is smelling more like him and less like...He doesn’t like it. Wei Wuxian pretends to sleep anyway, letting the thoughts, the wishes, the ‘I miss’...rattles in his head for a while. What’s the point of getting up?

Hours go by. Sometimes he dozes in and out if he’s lucky.

It doesn’t matter.

“Ingrate, enough is enough. I’ve come to retrieve you.” Says a stern voice. Wei Wuxian clutches the pillow harder over his face. Lan Qiren is the worst in-law. “It’s far past noon and you are not a bear or any other creature that hibernates. Stop wallowing like a dog and come out to eat.”

“Do I really have to?” Wei Wuxian points out sullenly. His head peeking out from the sheets at the voice. “Also isn’t there a Lan sect rule somewhere that even the great Master Lan Qiren must knock to enter one’s quarters?”

Lan Qiren regrets the oath he made to the twin jades not to let Wei Wuxian waste away. “You would know. Or next time you may discover the answer when I have you copy them blindfolded. Unfortunately, I will proceed to disregard your privacy and drag you out in the sun if you don’t show your face immediately. Come out, you ghoul.”

“Ha, ha. Be careful, that might be almost funny.” As a reward, he drags himself off the bed and onto the floor with a thump. He crawls. Overdramatic or not, it gets him out of his nest and Lan Qiren should be grateful. He even manages to shrug a coat over his inner layers and wash his face. He leaves his hair loose and wild though. He doesn’t feel like doing it. Wei Wuxian doesn’t need to look nice, it’s just his uncle-in-law when the man leaves he’ll...read in the Jinishi or something...he’s fine alone.

When he slides open the door, Lan Qiren scowls at him, both hands in his sleeves. “You look positively unkempt.”

Wei Wuxian smiles, “Not all of us can be as beautiful as you, Master Teacher.”

“Hmph.” Lan Qiren turns, his spine upright with snooty posture. He doesn’t beckon Wei Wuxian to follow, he expects it.

Well, Wei Wuxian doesn’t have anything better to do. He flops along. They don’t get far though with his bare feet slapping on the wooden floor.

Lan Qiren head jerks back with a glare. “Put your shoes on.”

Wei Wuxian returns the ugly look and grumbles, “What does it matter?”

“We are going out.”

Wei Wuxian begins to whine and drag his feet even more.

“Stop that.” Lan Qiren orders. “You need nourishment, sunlight and fresh air.”

“What am I? A plant?” Wei Wuxian grouses. Lan Qiren throws a pair of sandals at him. Then because he’s a vicious type of man, just like his former Sect leader’s wife, he slides open the door abruptly. The morning air is too refreshing, too chilly and Wei Wuxian hisses at it hits his skin.

“If only. A plant would be so much less difficult to tend to than you.”

“I bet. Do you garden Master Lan? What is your favorite flower to ‘pluck?’”

“In addition, plants are silent. Another advantage.” Lan Qiren inserts, avoiding the question. Every now and then he pauses on the stone pathway, one eye on the younger man until he catches up. The white coat with the cloud motif flutters in the breeze where it’s draped haphazardly over Wei Wuxian’s shoulders. Lan Qiren squints. Even if Wei Wuxian put on properly the size would be too big for him. So why–

Ah.

Disgusting. Newlywed couples are disgusting, especially the heartsick ones.

At last, they come to their designation and Wei Wuxian blinks at the sight of the open field instead of the hallowed halls of the dining pavilion. On a nearby rock, a black lacquered box rests with a straw mat beside it. Curious Wei Wuxian approaches and opens the box. Instead is the simple fare of pressed rice, flaked fish and the mildest pickles Wei Wuxian has ever had the misfortune of tasting...though his stomach gives a low growl at the sight of them, traitor.

“Sit. Eat.” Lan Qiren folds his arms and waits. Observes.

Wei Wuxian picks up the chopsticks, starts to pick up a pickle when he narrows his eyes. “Why are you being so...nice. Did you poison this?”

“Hmph. Would I even need to? Without your husband, you seem quite content to starve yourself to death. If I wanted you gone then all that is required of me is to do nothing and wait.”

“I’m not that bad.”

The old man quirks his lips, begging to differ.

“I’m not!”

The pickles are perfect. Argh. He can’t even mock the cuisine as normal, but just munch away as the light flickers through the trees. It’s peaceful.

Even the silence as a companionable nature to it.

Wei Wuxian thinks this might be the longest he’s been around Lan Qiren without the elder scolding him. They just stare at the view the mountainside provides. The mist whirling between the waterfalls nestled in the cracks of various cliffs.

It’s beautiful.

It just makes him think of other things that are beautiful.

Things that are not here.

Plop.

Did...the Master Teacher just toss something into his lap?

The creature’s beady eyes are curious, yet it doesn’t struggle, content to its new, strange placement. The rabbit makes him crack a small smile. Lan Qiren takes it as a cue to plop another one into his arms, giving the white one a friend as black fur burrows into the other. They nuzzle, cuddle under his hands, so soft and Wei Wuxian is so glad he shoved two of these into Lan WangJi’s face almost a lifetime ago. They are a multiplying scourge but Lan WangJi took such good care of them.

He takes good care of him too.

“Wei Wuxian…Stop that face.” This was never the elder’s intention. Yes, the miscreant is smiling, but there’s wetness in those eyes. That is not allowed. The scene was meant to raise the man’s spirits!

“He’s such a stick in the mud.” There’s something wrong with Wei Wuxian’s nose. He sniffs hard to clear it, his throat thick. He must be getting sick. “Lan Zhan too obsessed with rules, he barely lets me have any fun. He won’t even let me eat these guys!”

“They never should have been released within the compound in the first place.” Yet Lan Qiren wonders if it’s too late to free the poor rabbits before they become a convenient meal.

“Yeah, I know. But they’re so cute, and you should have seen Lan Zhan’s face when I pushed them at him the first time. Hopping around, pretending they don’t like you, when really they’d love for you to...stay. You know, they remind me a lot how my–” His voice cuts out, see he really is sick! Now his eyes aren’t working the way they should. Way too blurry for his liking. He shuts up. He tries really hard to shut up.

“Distance...is difficult for new married couples. Your feelings are to be expected.” Each word is dragged out slowly and reluctantly.

Yet the awkward pat on his shoulder must be the cruelest act the older man can give. The common gesture of comfort almost causes him to bawl. He’s been barely keeping it together. He can do this.

“It’s only for a couple more days!” Wei Wuxian voice cracks, “I’ll be–I’ll be fine. I am fine. I don’t have to miss him at all.”

“...Lying is not permitted at Cloud Recesses.”

“Oh, shut up and give me another rabbit!”

Lan Qiren complies.

It takes fourteen carrots and eight rabbits to get Wei Wuxian to stop crying. Somehow their fluffy weight cures him for the moment.

This will do.

Lan Qiren supervises and keeps his oath to his nephew. Wei Wuxian will not starve and wilt under his watch. Their sect keeps their promises. Even for the benefit of whining, unruly, ungrateful personages such as his nephew-in-law.

Always.

“She’s not coming.”

“You don’t know that.” Wen Ning winces, the pull of his energy scrapes across his nerves as he does his best to slow the infection from burning the fat in Wen Chao’s limbs. The veins are already compromised. The only thing keeping him alive is is the small part of Wen Ning that’s stubborn in times such as these. He doesn’t want to give up. He doesn’t want to admit that the young master is right.

His sister is not coming.

“Ha! I do know it. Don’t you dare mistake me for a fool! Admit it,” Wen Chao haughtily demands, “You think I deserve this, don’t you, you filthy branch member?”

“I don’t think anyone deserves this.” This end of ash and bone is for no one.

Wen Chao snorts and retorts, “That’s because you’re without an ounce of imagination. There are several sects I would personally deliver this miasma to if this body had the strength to walk. Maybe to the prideful Jiang Sect, or that Jin Sect that flaunts their wealth so much. It would the best sort of entertainment to watch them squirm when their gold and treasures won’t save them! Perhaps for my dying wishes, I shall write to Father that my ashes are to be passed on to a messenger and–”

Wen Ning plants one hand on Wen Chao chest, pushing him down in bed. Firmly. It breaks the young master’s tirade.

“No one deserves this.” Wen Ning says.

Wen Chao sniffs indignantly. “As I’ve said before. You’re just weak. Too weak and pathetic. It must a defect in your blood, you’re barely a Wen after all. What a lack on our part that we never burned that feebleness out of you.” Wen Ning looks to the side away from that stare.

Wen Chao scoffs. Humility is no virtue for the Wen Sect. If Wen Ning weren’t so pathetic, Wen Chao might have given the idiot the honor of being his personal attendant.

He’d given him plenty of chances. Wen Chao gave him one at the Grand Discussion, where it the midst of shouts and yells of their most skilled, when that arrogant Jiang Sect member suggested that Wen Ning was a fair shot, Wen Chao let him make one.

He missed.

What a joke. Look at those shaky hands! That lowered head in defeat! How could Wen Chao not laugh? How could he not mock him further by letting him participate in the archery competition? Of course, this was after the stipulation that he, himself would compete to balance the disparity. The decision would have many purposes. One to bestow Wen Ning an opportunity to regain a sliver of honor from his gracious self. Another to demonstrate how much greater the Main family is to the Branch family. Proof that the only place for Wen Ning and his kin was under his powerful heel.

The boy should be grateful that his boot might be light.

Father had approved.

The stone forest rang with his shrill laughter when the Jiang and Lan sects were distracted by petty internal affairs. Who proposes during a competition? The flustered crowd of purple and white had been amusing. Especially seeing Wei Wuxian wail and scream that he didn’t mean it provided an abundance of vindictive joy. But most of all the commotion left all the more targets for him and his men. So the Sun triumphed. Wen Chao weaved in and out of the rock pillars, his arrows soaring and all over the training field, the sky was ablaze with Qishan Wen signal flares.

Though not all were his, many fired in the opposite direction of his location.

How could this be?

In the end, Wen Chao may have ranked number one on the archery competition. His father may have acknowledged his score with a rare quirk of his face that could be considered a positive expression. The words from the Sect leader were almost praise, “This was the only outcome from our sect, my son.”

But in the end, he finally got his hands on the final rankings. His shoulders shook before ripping the recording to shreds.

He had only beaten Wen Ning by one shot.

A shot Wen Ning didn’t even take when he noticed Wen Chao lining up his bow. The tart even dared to lower his weapon to salute him before the arrow flew at last feral ghost target. If they weren’t twenty feet apart he would have wrung Wen Ning’s neck.

It was infuriating.

His fingers clench in the sheets. The top layers of his skin flake and fall in gray piles between the wrinkles.

“Please, stay calm. If you agitate yourself you’ll burn much faster and–”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Wen Chao spits out. His eyes bulge with anger and the black veins pulsate and crack rapidly over his face towards his eyes. “I am the master here. I’m in control. Not you! Your status, your value barely rises above a servant, you fool, you imbecile, you–”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop that.” Wen Chao hisses, he claws at the hand still at his chest. Tries to shove it way as far as his remaining strength allows. “I didn’t ask for your pity. Stop being so nice. Kindness gets you nothing.”

“I didn’t ask for anything, Young Master,” Wen Ning whispers. His long bangs fall across his face and Wen Chao wants nothing more than to cut them off. If this is to be his last sight then nothing should obscure it. At least this feeble fool has such a girlish face. It’s easy to pretend a beautiful, delicate maiden is attending his bedside. Though he would prefer those doleful, pitying cow eyes to be gouged out.

They disgust him.

“Stop looking at me like that.” He orders.

Those stupid eyes start to shine and glaze over. “I’ll...I’ll try? I’m sorry.”

“If you say sorry one more time...” His other hand comes up to viciously tug at the gauze over Wen Ning’s face. It starts to fall. Wen Ning jerks, his fingers frantically fly up to hold it in place. “I’ll give you a reason to be sorry for.”

“I’m s–” Wen Ning swallows. The apology gets caught in his throat. “It won’t happen again, Young Master.”

“Good.”

The dust lights the room in red. Wen Chao appreciates the way the light catches on the gold and silver decorations here and there.

“Is there...Is there anyone you want me to call for?”

“Who is there left to summon? My bodyguard is dead and my whore fled the city days ago. No. You’ll do. Your bedside manner is enough and I don’t even have to order you to cry for me, do I?”

Wen Ning’s lower lip starts to tremble.

“See, you stupid boy. You’re already the perfect mourner. Perhaps you should just leave. Just like all the others.” The room is already a tomb. Every clan member that said, promised, swore they would stick with him until the end is gone. Not even the servants remain. “Your other efforts are pointless anyway. My nerves have burned through, I feel nothing, nothing now.”

The sunset makes Wen Ning’s eyes of jade glow.

“I-I could stay with you.” The fool even has the insolence to sit on the bed beside him. His weight making Wen Chao’s body sink and their sides knock together lightly as they settle.

“Ha! Why?”

“No one should die alone.”

Wen Chao’s mouth opens. Then closes.

Without the rejection, Wen Ning moves his hand to cover over Wen Chao’s. It’s hesitant. Like a dragonfly resting on a blade of grass. Wen Chao could shake it off immediately. Should do so immediately. He doesn’t need this kindness. This pity.

He doesn’t.

“I’ll stay with you.” Wen Ning repeats. This time firmer. This time with iron filling his quiet voice. “Until it’s over.”

Wen Chao’s fingers twist and worm themselves between Wen Ning’s. His nails dig grooves into the back of Wen Ning’s knuckles, ensuring the idiot can’t break his promise easily.

“...mark your words, Wen Ning and don’t you dare look away.” And then for his last order, he demands Wen Ning is to cut the flow of energy.

Wen Ning obeys.

Wen Chao doesn’t say thank you when the bedside curtains fill with smoke, the white fabric becoming charcoaled and stained with brown and black curls. Wen Chao doesn’t cry or beg or wail because like he said, there’s no pain, and he will not disgrace himself before this hopeless weakling. The weakling that will have to take care of the clan after him. So he bites his lips to keep them closed and let Wen Ning make all the noises instead.

Wei Ning does not look away.

In the morning when he seeks his sister’s comfort, she notices the burnt scar tissue wrapped around his fingers and the back of his hand like ugly pink snakes.

He doesn’t ask her to heal it.

He never does.

Wen Qing learns to hate.

Learns to hates the long dark hallways to the bedchamber and how her shoes ring so loud on the stone floor. Learns to hates the small closet of a room she must reside in that’s next to it, all in order to be close to her patient and her patient’s needs. Learns to despise the stifling nature that she’s unable to discern if the source is from dealing with the time-consuming disease or from the presence of Wen Ruohan himself.

Her only respite is the high arched windows she can perch beside when the disease finally ebbs and lulls.

Or when the beast sleeps.

“What gives you such amusement?”

But it’s never for long. So he’s awake. Of course, he is. Why would he fall to sleep for more than an hour or two?

She sighs. The warm curling tones from the bedside curtains suggest their lord is in almost a playful mood. A mood that she must humor...or else. “The stars. I never knew they were so bright over the city.” Her eyes sweep towards the heavens, the spray of stars clustering together in a glorious line. The ever lit lamps must have smudged the view them out before like a child’s dirty fingers. Their smoky haze stealing light from the celestial sky.

“How charming. Take me to the window.” He orders.

Wen Qing does. She rises from her seat to approach the bed. Offering a hand, the man grabs her wrist to pull himself upright slowly, his fingers proprietorial as they trail down her forearm for a better grip. She grits her teeth, then clenches harder, at unnecessary touches continue at the small of her back to her hip as they hobble to the window. At least the cover of night is enough to mask her expression.

“Ah. You are correct.” He states as they settle next to the intricate latticework of the window. The shadows of it lash over their forms as they peer up.

She doesn’t know if Wen Ruohen plans to make her into a wife or a concubine, but she does know that the wing of his palace where they used to be kept is empty, all of his claimed beauties died during the first two weeks of the epidemic.

If she scars her face, will her body stay empty?

Wen Qing feels his breath on her skin. He’s too close beside her. One hand checks her veil to make sure she doesn’t inhale his smoke. In her ear is a dark, cloying chuckle.

“Fear not, my dear Branch Head, I am far too careful to accidentally kill one that keeps me alive.” Together they lean against the windowsill. He demands, “How soon until the cure is completed?”

“The Lan Sect administered the newest batch to willing volunteers yesterday. The sect will see the results of their test tomorrow.” It is not the first test they’ve conducted. If Wen Qing was with them, it could be. Instead, after each trial, the Lan Sect bows and act as silent sentinels for the mourning when hope turns to ruin.

Failure wears on them all.

“What a nuisance. Without a definite cure, the plan cannot proceed.”

Wen Qing is not the only one without sleep but at these words, her spine tenses. “What plan, Sect Leader?”

His side presses into hers firmly and scoffs as if her incompetence amuses him. “Why this disease may be a blessing in disguise, my ignorant healer. The perfect instrument to bring those insubordinate, arrogant sects to heel.”

“Forgive me, My Lord, I do not follow.” She says numbly.

The light is minimal, but Wen Ning does not need much to see that hint of a smirk. “You’re far too clever to be daft to the possibilities. This curse of ours could be our greatest asset. Once a cure is provided, we will need to prove our clan’s might. To prove that we are not fallen. That a weakened sun can still scorch its enemies.”

Wen Qing’s heart pounds loud in her ears. No. No. From her memories, images of the empty courtyard, the marketplace, of grey wraiths drifting by floods her mind.

“The only way to rise in the sky is to burn those that soar?” She questions with a careful, blank face.

A palm almost crushes her shoulder. The scourge has done nothing to Wen Ruohen’s strength. “Do you honestly believe the other sects will not take advantage of our current state?” He hisses. “That they will not circle like the vultures they are? That they won’t descend and feed upon our carrion and wealth?”

Or escape now that the Wen Sect’s stranglehold is slack. Or worse...that the previous subdued, dejected clans will find the courage to retaliate. These things, these concerns are real.

Wen Qing knows that.

“No.” The Sect Leader says scornfully. “Surely, you cannot be this foolish.”

She is no fool. Still, she attempts to reason. “Some sects are more than scavengers. The Lan Sect, for instance, has thrown themselves into danger for our aid. And others will not throw away the chance to gain favors between–”

“The Wen Sect does not do favors.” Wen Ruohen tightens his grip enough to hurt. “The Sun may bless, but it doesn’t owe. I grow tired of your responses.”

“Then I will speak no more.” She will not even warn him that their conversation is definitely affecting Wen Ruohen’s condition. She makes no mention about the veins that have conquered another centimeter on his visible flesh. Soon they will enter his eyes.

“Good. No one is fond of talkative women. Once the cure is made, our preparations will begin. First…”

Wen Qing turns back to the window, gazing up at the stars as he outlines his plan. How the ashes of their dead will be used instead of wetted down and buried as they have been. How something so horrible can be innovative, a new weapon among flying swords and powerful seals. How the miasma will be kept alive in ash cakes strategically placed for the wind to tear apart in Lotus Pier, the Golden Tower, the Unclean Realm...and Cloud Recesses.

With each sentence, she steels herself. There is a thought that keeps echoing in her head, a thought she keeps rejecting because she is a doctor. She helps people. She heals them. But the idea grows with quiet persistence.

“–As for the Lan Sect, we must detain the members here immediately. Only when the Scorch has spread, will they be allowed to return home. By doing so, they will be so frantic to heal their own they will not think to help others with the same plight.”

“You would thank them like this?” The words escape her.

So does her breath when Wen Ruohen slaps her.

The smack is loud in the silent bedchamber. Her head forced to the side from the blow. When she turns back, they stare at each other and Wen Qing doesn’t bother to lift a hand to her cheek. Yes, she spoke out of turn. She can’t believe she forgot to tread lightly here.

“Do not question my mercy.” He says in low tones. It’s not exactly an apology but his finger is gentle as it traces over the veil, right on the red mark he made. “Unlike the rest, the Lan Sect will already have access to the cure. That is gracious enough. The others will have to come forward and might be able to buy it from our cultivators if they beg prettily enough.”

Wen Qing holds her breath.

“I simply can’t wait...to tell several of them no.” He ends with his thumb tenderly rubbing over her new bruise, his nails catching at her hair as the rest of his fingers frame the side of Wen Qing’s neck. “Yes, the Lan Sect should be grateful. As should you.”

She says nothing.

Wen Ruohen is the last member of the main family. A few days ago, he had alerted the rest of the elders of his intent to merge Main and Branch families of the Qishan Wen Sect. Either way, after him, she is second in power.

After him.

“Bring us back to the bed, I am ready to rest a bit longer.” Wen Ruohen murmurs, his eyes are heavy and when he comes close enough, Wen Qing doesn’t flinch when their lips touch through the veil. It’s his favorite way to take spiritual energy from her. The drain makes her body sags a little in his hold. “Shall we rest together?”

He won’t force her. Wen Ruohen is too prideful for that, but if she says yes she’ll be close enough to...the fingers in her hair tighten in stages, the pain makes her wince at the admonishment. Oh, that’s right, he asked her a direct question. and weariness makes him impatient.

“...Just for rest.” Wen Qing answers.

He laughs at her. “Yes. Just for rest,” he mockingly repeats as they return to the bed and slide over the sheets. Only then does he unravel his hands from her hair and clothes. They stay on top of the covers with about a foot or two between them for health and propriety’s sake.

Wen Qing fiddles with something in her sleeve. She takes a gamble, “My Lord, would you like to be sedated as usual?” She pulls out an acupuncture needle that gleams in the dim light.

“Hmph. Only for pain. Do not go too deep.” He tilts his head towards her.

Wen Qing keeps her hold on the needle steady, business-like and professional in her every movement. “Of course, Sect Leader.” She places the tool at the point between his eyes and sinks it in carefully, slowly. The Wen Sect Leader whole body goes slack.

Then she pushes the needle deep.

Deeper then she has ever gone before with him.

The body jerks once, but it’s too late. Wen Ruohen falls unconscious immediately.

She sits up and gets to work. Her hands fast to place more and more needles. Needles to numb, needles to immobilize, needles, more needles as if she can’t trust the comatose state, Wen Ruohen’s cultivation is so high, what if he wakes up, if he wakes up he’ll…

He won’t. Wen Qing stabilizes her breathing. The shaky quality of it is disgraceful.

The last thing she does is release the seals she’s painted on Wen Ruohen skin to stop the progress of the Scorch. Like greedy shadows, they race for new territory to conquer.

And then...she watches their sun go out.

It’s a new dawn and Lan WangLi never intended to kidnap a child. Nor did he intend for a two-year-old to be thrust at him until said child latched onto his leg.

The boy refuses to let go.

“Take him. Get him far away from this awful place.” A knapsack of possessions is shoved at his arm until he takes it. Lan WangJi does not believe this is how adoption works. The tiny arms around his leg tighten and when he glances down it’s hard to break the gaze between him and those huge round eyes.

He swallows roughly. “Madam. I cannot–” He starts out with but he doesn’t get far in his excuses due to a bony finger. It stabs into his chest. Repeatedly. The old woman is half his size, her spine crooked and frail but there’s fire in those eyes and Lan WangJi has never been so intimidated.

“Yes. You. Can.” The finger jabs. “You are just the guardian he needs. I know this because you did not ignore his tears. You saw a child in need and did not abandon him in his distress.”

No. Instead Lan WangJi had just quite awkwardly stood there in front of the child. For five minutes. His head whipping back and forth to scan for aid in the empty marketplace. The few survivors that scurry on the outskirts barely gave the scene a tired glance or a sniff before continuing on their way. Only when the child’s sobbing grew even louder did Lan WangJi remember the fresh lotus seeds in his pouch.

The lotus seeds his husband had prepared for this trip.

The seeds that were specifically prepared for him.

They’re bland, barely salty. His favorite. His heart hurts. If he lingers on the hole in his chest, where his husband belongs and fits so well, he’ll be inconsolable until his brother finds him. However, Wei Wuxian would forgive him if he gave a few seeds to the boy. Or maybe half the bag. Lan WangJi may confess he had been stressed at the time and grabbed at the chance of respite when the cries had halted the moment he pulled one from his bag. If the shiny whiteness of it was what distracted the child, then there’s no shame for Lan WangJi to pull out handfuls more. He pushed one seed after another into that small mouth.

That happy munching was very much preferable to lonely tears.

“The boy belongs with his clan.” He attempts to argue. Lan WangJi remembers the speech the new sect leader made yesterday. Another rather intimidating Wen Sect woman to be honest. Her white robe stark in the morning light when they announced that Wen Ruohen was dead.

“Many have forgotten the Sun gives as well as takes. Release any clan that wishes to leave our subjugation. Let them find out if they can live without our light.” It is an answer the surviving Wen Elders can accept. Especially since their focus should be on recovery and stabilization. They also feel pacified when Wen Qing says, “Only let them come back if they beg.”

She will be a strong leader. Lan WangJi doubts the sect will have any trouble with her around.

“No, the boy belongs with someone who can keep him safe. This is no place for a child. You think everything will be fine now that the disease has been stopped? Ha.” The crone crows. “You think we don’t know how much the other sects talk about us? How much the other sects hate us? Our burning time isn’t over yet. No, with restoring the clan and defending against attacks, this is not where our A-Yuan can grow.”

“His parents–”

“–Are dead.” She answers with steel. “And I’m already one foot in the grave myself. We of the Qishan Wen clan don’t ask for favors lightly, young man. If you require payment, there‘s plenty of funds in the bag…”

“No. That’s not it.” His brow furrows. The hands on his pant leg begin to shake and quietly he rests a hand to softly pat the top of that small head.

Her features soften minutely. “Please. Please be A-Yuan’s guardian, even temporarily, Young Master Lan.”

“I know nothing about the care of a child.”

The old sect member observes the gentle way the Lan Sect member untangles A-Yuan’s fingers from his clothes. How he bends down, kneels at A-Yuan’s level before wiping the corner of his mouth with a clean sleeve. “I think you’ll do just fine. So will you take him?” She asks.

The toddler smiles a toothy grin in gratitude. Lan WangJi is weak. Terribly weak to expressions like that.

“...Mn.”

It’s as if Wei Wuxian was a plant, a neglected one, that once watered with the news that his husband was returning sprung back up with a vengeance.

Truly Lan Qiren regrets giving him the paper missive.

“Is he here?” Wei Wuxian rocks back and forth on his heels and Lan Qiren is this close from pushing him off the mountain. The man paces in front of the entry gates, the elder perched in a meditative pose, weary from the excited energy the Wei Wuxian alludes. “Is he here yet?”

In his grip, the paper with his husband’s handwriting flutters as his arms wave about. Lan Qiren had given him that message three days ago. Wei Wuxian has not put it down once. Perhaps tucked it into his robe when he eats, but Lan Qiren has caught him unrolling it to reread the lines, mouthing the words as he stares at it with the most disgusting of fond smiles.

‘I’m coming home.’

“No. I told you once, I told you a thousand times, when our absent Lan members return the outer wards of Cloud Recesses will chime.”

“But they haven’t chimed yet. I haven’t heard them go off once.” Wei Wuxian whines worse than the biggest brat Lan Qiren has ever had the misfortune of teaching. Perhaps because Wei Wuxian has been that brat. Beyond Lan Qiren’s comprehension that trait of his has only advanced.

Wei Wuxian may be the master of vexation.

“Yes, because he isn’t here.” He grits out with his eyes to the heavens, begging for patience.

“But whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?” Wei Wuxian continues in the most irritating way possible. “He said he would hurry back as soon as he was able. He’s able. He’s skilled. He should be here by now!”

One must understand that Lan Qiren has put up with the same behavior for three days.

He explodes.

“If you cannot wait then leave! Go out to meet him!” Lan Qiren shouts.

Wei Wuxian twists to him in surprise. “Wait, I can do that?”

“I do not see why not!” The veins in his face bulge. Wei Wuxian is an ever threat to his blood pressure.

Those eyes widen and sparkle, his lips stretch into a disbelieving grin of news too good to be true. “I can do that. I can go see Lan Zhan right now! Thanks for the brilliant idea, Master Teacher! Who knew you could still impart knowledge to a troublemaker like me!” He draws Suibian to jump on it for flight.

“A feat I’m not sure to be proud of.”

But that frustrating charge of his is already gone. A figure in black already high in the sky and racing through the mist and clouds. A chime sounds signifying that their magical barrier has been crossed. Lan Qiren shakes his head.

Newlyweds. Hopeless, idiotic newlyweds.

Wei Wuxian urges Suibian faster. Faster. How could he not think of going out to meet Lan Zhan himself? And he supposed to be the clever one! See? This is another reason why he should stick to Lan Zhan’s side always, without the man to match wits with, his brain dulls significantly when he’s gone.

His hair whips behind him as he searches the horizon for any sign of white that’s not a cloud or snow-capped peak. The wind making his eyes sting and water as he presses to hurry. To find him. His heart beating in tune to the thought, a mantra, when time stretches for far too long.

Find him.

I need him.

I want him.

I love–

There!

“LAN ZHAN!” Wei Wuxian screams. That blur of white better not be a flock of birds. Oh gods, please don’t let that be just his imagination messing with him. He sends up a signal just in case, firing up the Cloud Recesses symbol though it barely shows with the sun directly overhead.

He gets an answering flare.

So he screams some more. His joy bursting as he flies harder, flies quicker until the blur becomes plain to see. Becomes definitely not a flock of birds, but a group of white robes and one of them passes something to another before breaking away from the rest.

Racing to meet him halfway.

Racing to collide into him.

They crash and it hurts. It hurts in the best of ways when Wei Wuxian launches himself off his sword into arms that snap open to catch him.

It doesn’t quite stop them from falling.

But somehow they make it to the forest floor in one piece, somehow between desperate kisses that pepper over every inch of skin they can reach, Wei Wuxian going for cheeks, forehead, eyes while Lan WangJi struggles to keep Wei Wuxian’s face still long enough with one hand on his jaw because he hasn’t tasted his husband in weeks.

Bichen is a talented weapon. It keeps both fools alive and gets them to land on firm ground.

With a wise hand gesture from the other Twin Jade, the group above keeps moving. They don’t need to be around for this.

“You look horrible.” Wei WuXian says happily. His hands carding through Lan WangJi’s hair, messing the silken strains up even more. “Whatever happened to my neat and pristine husband?”

“Sorry,” is murmured against his mouth.

It’s as if Wei Wuxian’s looking in a mirror. There are bags under red eyes and parts of his clothing rumpled. It’s a gleeful consolation that Lan WangJi looks as harried as he. It serves him right for leaving him. Wei Wuxian fingers move to fix Lan WangJi’s crooked forehead ribbon. They linger there. No one could dare peel off the digits if they tried. His hands belong there now. On his husband's skin, and Lan Zhan is just going to have to deal with that for the rest of his life. Tough luck.

He married him.

Yet since strong arms move to his hips, pulling them flush together, and perhaps it’s not that much of hardship to the other man at all.

He sure as hell doesn’t mind. Not when Lan WangJi pushes him up against a tree. The rough bark scraping his back means nothing when he finally has his legs around Lan WangJi’s waist again. Their bodies still fit together like two pieces of a puzzle and as Lan WangJi attacks his neck, he laughs. This feels so right.

“I didn’t miss you.” We Wuxian uses his grip on Lan WangJi’s hair jerk the head up from the impressive kiss mark his husband is in the process of making. But too bad. He wants another kiss. Needs another kiss right now.

“Mn.” His husband provides. He answers his wish by sucking in his bottom lip between his teeth for a bite.

Wei Wuxian hopes it bleeds. A little pain is fine if it proves this isn’t a dream. “I knew you were coming back.”

“Mn.” Lan WangJi loosens his robes, longs to feel that skin he’s missed for so long. He has too many ‘everydays’ to catch up on.

“But don’t—“ Wei WuXian pulls back, unforgivable, to hit his own chest to clear it, to stop that wobbly sound. “Don’t ever leave me behind like that again.”

“I won’t.”

“I didn’t like it. I hated it. I was so...bored.”

“I was bored as well.” Lan WangLi chews on the phrase. It’s not quite right but it’ll have to do. He presses their foreheads together and attempts more words. He knows they’re important but they’re so much more clumsy than actions. “Your company is pleasant. I missed your voice. I missed your face next to mine when I wake. We should not part again.”

The ‘stay with me’ is crystal clear in his golden eyes.

“Ha! You’ve done it now. Now you’ll never get rid of me! I promise I’ll be stickier than rice. Are you prepared for that Lan Zhan?”

“Yes. Always.”

And when Wei Wuxian snickers and burrows deeper into his embrace Lan WangLi can finally breathe again.

He’s home.

Later...much later.

“Husband, mine. Why is there a child in the Jinishi?” Wei Wuxian puzzled and confused gawks at the new addition, the new souvenir, in their home.

“...He’s ours.”

Wei Wuxian blinks, the child looks up at him and raises his arms. “Up!”

Wei Wuxian picks him up automatically. Not that there would be any other option. Not with those chubby cheeks that just beg for a pinch and a squish and a kiss...maybe two. “Since when? I don’t recall giving birth. Despite your various consistent efforts.”

The tips of Lan WangJi’s ears go red. Not necessarily for this purpose but those efforts had been very, very thorough.

Of course, Wei Wuxian can’t help but play up the drama, he gasps, “Did my Lan Zhan have an affair? Is this your child from another lover? Oh, woe is me, now I do have cause for divorce!”

“What other lover? I would not stray.” Lan WangJi states with cold eyes. Wei Wuxian snorts and buries his face in the boy’s hair, his whole body shaking with suppressed laughter because Lan WangJi looks so offended.

“Did you kidnap him?” He teases.

“No. Present.”

“A toddler was given to you for a present?” Wei Wuxian screeches. Flustered Lan WangJi spins away from the pair. When Wei Wuxian tries to walk around him, to see his face, his husband turns away again. Oh, this man is so cute. Hopelessly entertained, Wei Wuxian decides to give him some mercy...for now. “And how did that happen?”

“I was asked to be his guardian.” The explanation is stiff, awkward.

“And you forgot to consult your dear spouse if we were ready for kids? I’m shocked, Lan Zhan! How dare you! I’m far too young to be a father.” His ire all pretend.

Lan WangJi can somehow sense that, it turns the tide into a direction Wei Wuxian has no control over. Tucking his hands in his sleeves, he finally faces the two. “Is that so?”

The boy makes a small sound of discomfort. Distracted, Wei Wuxian bounces the child up to hold him more securely. “Hmmm I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I think you have all the characteristics of a great father.” And then Lan WangJi smiles.

Is Lan WangJi going to win every argument by smiling at him?

Dumbfounded and red Wei Wuxian sputters. The kid muffles a giggle into his neck and fuck, fine Wei Wuxian has a small one now. This is fine. Instant child, fine, he can work with this.

It’s going to be much harder to divorce Lan Zhan, oh ho, was that his cunning husband’s plan? To trap him with a child? So he can’t even think of breaking up a happy family dynamic? How diabolical! But he can work with this.

He’s not alone anymore.

Not with Lan Zhan by his side.

Not with his l-lov–he can’t say that L-word….not in his mind or out loud.

Not yet.

#IT IS DONE #I AM FREE #my writing #mo dao zu shi #arranged marriage #wangxian #domestic happy fic #wen qing is a bamf #wen qing #mdzs

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pocketfulofrecs · 3 years ago

Text

Light Source by abCEE

mature | 31k | wangxian | complete | WWX defects from Jiang Sect

For a moment, he felt it, resentment coiling in his gut.

He feels so done.

At eighteen, Wei Wuxian realized, he's done.

"What does Yu-furen want me to do?"

"I want you gone from our lives! Away! Somewhere I cannot see you!"

"From this day forth, I, Wei Wuxian is renouncing my title as the Head Disciple of Yunmeng-Jiang."

In which after they were saved from the Xuanwu Cave, Wei Wuxian was punished by Yu Ziyuan and he has decided that he had enough. Wei Wuxian defected from Yunmeng-Jiang Sect. He left and he did not look back.

AND

“Ah, the rabbits.”

“You saw them? I wanted to bring some but I figured that Lan Zhan could use some friends.”

“You said the rabbits have ribbons?”

“Yes they do, but they didn’t have it when I returned. I think it vanished with Ancestor Lan Yi’s spirit.”

Lan Xichen’s brows furrowed. Why does he feel like he missed something?

And in which Lan Xichen realized that something more happened in the Cold Pond Cave.

Or a story where Wei Wuxian defected from Yunmeng-Jiang Sect before the attack and what happened to him and everyone else after that.

Dee’s thoughts - Very sweet. It’s nice to see WWX saying enough and walking away. Everything goes relatively smoothly for him after that. CQL canon but I think the characterization is quite good. I’m all for WWX developing positive relationships with LXC and the others. Definitely not kind to the Jiang sect as a whole.

Ju’s thoughts - After the Xuanwu cave, Madame Yu punishes WWX to the point that he can't take it anymore and he defects from the Jiang sect. He leaves but is very hurt and faints. Wen Ning rescues him and takes him to his sister, where Lan XiChen is also hiding, because they helped him when he escaped the burning of Cloud Recesses (instead of JGY). After they leave, they join the Sunshot campaign together. There's a betrothal between wangxian, and war.

This is CQL canon. Really sweet story, and as bad as WWX suffers in the beginning, the rest of the story is all about giving WWX all the support and family he deserves. He still got his golden core, and he is a force to be reckoned with during the war. He even gets his own title (not YLL). This story is all about giving WWX the recognition he deserves.

Author’s tags: OOC, Wei Wuxian knows self-worth, Fall of Lotus Pier (Módào Zǔshī), Jiang Family Bashing, Yú Zǐyuān Bashing, Lan Xichen best wingman, Best Wen Siblings, No Golden Core Transfer (Módào Zǔshī), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Sunshot Campaign (Módào Zǔshī), NHS and WWX best friends, Establish Relationship, Twin Jades of Lán Dynamics, wangxian are married and have a son, all of members of the Jiangs treated WWX worse than in canon, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn Get a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Artistic License, Medical Inaccuracies, No Beta, No demonic cultivation, Accidental Baby Acquisition

Remember to leave feedback to the author! <3 Comments and kudos feed the author’s soul.

recced to us by: anon

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wangxianficfinder · 4 months ago

Text

Fic Finder

Aug 16th

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1. i hope it's okay to resend an ask from 3 years ago? 😅

(it's #2 on the first 'fics still missing'. there's a rec however i think that fic/the relevant scene was posted AFTER i sent the ask on may 2021 so it's probably not it, and i do not think it's 300k 😲 long!)

the only thing i still remember is that wen qing does a surgery to bring back wei wuxian's core, and the new core is from a wen prisoner who is set to be executed. the prisoner turns out to be wen yuan's bio dad, and he's willing.

i think there's another core surgery but as punishment? i may be mixing up fics since it's been a long time.

many thanks!!! @danmeireader

FOUND? Until The End by abCEE (M, 365k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, war changes people, resulting to OOC, no pinning, Established Relationship, Mpreg, Good Uncle LQR, a little grey LWJ, a bit of JC bashing from LWJ, BAMF JYL, 16 years of yearning, mainly CQL verse but has scenes from the novel as well, LSZ is WangXian’s Child, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Canon Rewrite, Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts) except that in that, Yuan is WWX and LWJ bio son but there is another child whose father gives WWX his core. Might be worth checking it out as even if it's not the right one it's a good story

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2. Hello! I am searching for one fic i read it was WIP i guess, in one particular scene there was sparing practice in cloud recesses school days, where someone tries to stab WWX but Jin Zixuan takes the blow near heart.. when Wen Qing with other healers arrive they find WWX's blood is compatible with Jin Zixuan that's how they become sworn brother with Nei Huisang too. idk but there was some other invention to secure swon brotherhood shared with JZX in front of JGS

FOUND? sounds exactly like a scene from 🔒 The Second Hand Unwinds by trulywicked (E, 64k, WangXian, JYL/JZX, WIP, Time Travel Fix-It, Not JC Friendly, Not Yunmeng Jiang Sect Friendly, Not Jiāng Family Friendly, Not YZY Friendly, Time Travelling LWJ, Protective LWJ, Fluff, Minor Angst, Minor Character Death, JGS is his own warning, Wooing, LWJ is romantic af, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective Gusu Lan Sect, Supportive LXC, Good Uncle LQR, WWX Protection Squad)

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3. Hello!

I'm looking for a fic where wwx became jyl's personal healer and where he meets lwj at her wedding with lan xichen, when lwj accidently gets an approdisiac meant for the groom (to cause an incident???), so wwx has to help him out in his professional role and of course to save his shijie's wedding.

Thsnk you in advance! @janiquebeingcreative

FOUND! trust your fingertips by plonk (Not Rated, 15k, WangXian, Aphrodisiacs, Medical Kink, Canon Era, Different First Meeting)

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4. hi! i hope you're doing well. im trying to find an ongoing fic where wwx leaves lotus pier way before the wen decides to act up. he lives with the wen sibs far away from the cultivation world but comes back eventually to help the sects to defeat the wen. the last time I saw it it had been months from the last update.

FOUND! the sea meets the moon-blanched land by rkivees (G, 44k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, YLLZ WWX, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, Childhood Trauma, Sect Leader WWX, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, BAMF WQ, Good Parent LQR, First Love, Love Confessions, minor jiang sibs appearance, Mentioned LXC, Past Child Abuse, Drunken Shenanigans, Past Violence, No Golden Core Transfer, Non-Linear Narrative) I think 4 on the fic finder post is the sea meets the moon-blanched land by rkivees but not sure since it was updated recently.

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5. I am looking for a fic it is wangxian a

Arranged marriage this what a remember for the plot that wei Ying is Outcasted by the lan elders because madam yu did give the gift tha the send a copy of the rules and the jaed token @androgynousbelievergarden

FOUND! Finding a Home by Duochanfan (T, 8k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Light Angst)

NOT FOUND! Concord by Deastar (T, 41k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Gūsū Lán Sect Rules, Depression, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending)

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6. Hello! For fic finder, please! I am looking for a fic where instead of giving JC his own core, WWX knocks out a random Wen soldier and they use that guy’s core for the transfer. I think that the core was weak and throughout the remainder of the story JC was angry that his new core from “Baoshan Sanren” was so weak and puny. Does this sound familiar? Thank you!

FOUND? Never Again by Hauntcats (T, 67k, WWX & WN & WQ, JC & WWX, wangxian, graphic depictions of violence, major character death, Canon Divergence, Angst, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, Time Travel Fix-It, Not JC Friendly, Dark, BAMF WWX, mentions of abuse, Not Everyone Dies au, XY doesn’t have a happy ending) It has them taking Wen Chao's core over a random soldier's but the rest fits

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7. Hi, thank you so much for all your hard work!!

I'm looking for two fics:

A) I think this one might have appeared in your blog and that's how I learned about it the first time. Modern AU Wangxian where they're retired/considering retiring figure skaters, and the fic is a series of them trying to have sex but something going wrong. At the end LWJ breaks/hurts his ankle really badly on the way to a cabin to have sex in Olympics gear, and then they get married.

B) WWX comes back in a random cultivator's body while LWJ is recovering from the discipline whip, and he sneaks into the Cloud Recesses to learn about A-Yuan. I think the cultivator gave his body up to WWX to punish him, and the curse mark on his arm becomes activated when he's happy, and it activates so badly it nearly cuts his arm off.

Thank you!

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8. Hello! For the next Fic Finder, I'm looking for a modern AU, rated either Mature or Explicit, where Wei Ying and Lan Zhan end up stranded in a ski resort. It's just them, no one else. They end up getting together by the end of the story. I cannot recall if one person was injured, I think the answer is no but I could be wrong! Thank you!

FOUND! Certain Obscure Things by hkafterdark (E, 32k, wangxian, Snowed In, Modern AU, First Time, and there was only one bed, Cabin Fic, Drinking, canon typical kink)

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9. hii please could anyone help me find this fic where wwx and lwj are both genderbent and theyre both authors at a writers conference thats kinda all i remember

FOUND? Happy for Now by ScarlettStorm (E, 80k, WangXian, Modern, Rule 63, Cisswap, wlw wangxian, There Was Only One Bed, but that's not actually where the tension lies, romance author au, Adhd WWX, service top LWJ, two gay disasters, Pining, Smut, Comedy, Minor Angst, major shenanigans, whoops your hotel booking was a scam?, That's A Shame, guess we better share, there are no other options, horny yearning, furtive masturbation, Cunnilingus, Vaginal Fingering, Sex Toys, Chekhov's sex bag, everybody's parents live, except for QHJ but we don't care about him, mama lan had cancer but she's okay now)

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10. Fic finder, could you help me find the delightfully sexy A/B/O roleplay fic? Our guys are in the irl present day, and LZ finds out WY has been reading A/B/O stuff, and they roleplay it. In the finale, they have drunk sex, and WY cums so hard he passes out, and LZ is a weepy mess about it.

FOUND? eating sugar out of your hand by azuresummer (E, 20k, wangxian, Modern, ABO roleplay, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Dom/sub, Dominant LWJ, Submissive WWX, Established Relationship, Roleplay, Consensual Non-Consent, Under-negotiated Kink, degradation kink, Praise Kink, Light Bondage, Size Kink, Size Difference, Spit Kink, Hair-pulling, Daddy Kink, Slight Crossdressing, Lingerie, Breeding Kink, Creampie, Feminizing Language, Dirty Talk, Overstimulation, Prostate Milking, slight breathplay, Facials, Snowballing, Finger Sucking, Panty Kink, Spanking, Crying, Mentions of Face-Slapping, Drunk Sex, Mating Cycles/In Heat, LWJ & WWX Have a Breeding Kink, PWP, roleplay as a love language)

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11. Heyyyy do you guys remember that one fic where jc kept wy in a basement kinda situation? Uk he held him captive while the world thought wwx is dead and I'm pretty very sure there was a forced crossdressing situation with abuse too? This fic has been mentioned many times in itmf posts or fic finders too.. I don't remember it's name, does my description ring a bell? @constellationdks

FOUND! on restitution by glitteringmoonlight (M, 98k, LSZ & WWX, WWX & JL, wangxian, dark JC, not JC friendly, captivity, non-graphic torture, angst w/ happy ending)

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12. Hello,

I'm looking for a fic that I read ages ago, but don't remember what website it was on. It had both wangxian and xicheng in it. So Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen reached immortality and now they are living in present time where everyone has reincarnated. Lan Wangji has custody of Lan Sizhui and I think Lan Jingyi as well but not sure about the latter part. Both of them attend high school where Wei Wuxian is a teacher (I think he just transferred to the school but am not sure). Jin Ling also attends school with them. Jiang Cheng takes care of him and he is a policeman. He does not talk to Wei Wuxian as he blames him for their sister death/bad medical state. I don't remember exactly which one it was. I also remember that Nie Mingjue is Jiang Cheng boss, Nie Huisang and Jing Guangyao are in the actor/entertainment business and Wen Ruohan is a villain in there @kyjrd

FOUND? monotone by seredemia which the author put on drive instead of ao3

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13. Hello! I'm looking for match-making fic where Jin Zixuan (tired of wwx constantly interrupting family time with his wife and newly born son) decides the best way to get him out of the way is to matchmake him with someone. I think he tries Nie Mingjue mainly, because they have similar interests, etc.

Jiang Cheng also gets roped in, but he thinks Jin Zixuan is nuts the whole time. NMJ thinks Wei wuxian is definitely flirting with him at some point because his muscles get complimented? Lan Xichen has to reassure him that "no, he is just like that".

It's a comedy of errors mainly, because LWJ and WWX definitely have something going on between them, and it ends with them running off with horses to elope into the sunset or smth. Jiang Yanli doesn't know her husband's matchmaking scheme, but she does know about wwx and lwj and helps them elope at the end.

Pretty sure it was a short fic, ignores canon and occurs in a what-if scenario where the whole burial mounds situation didn't happen.

I'd be very grateful of you could help me find this! Thank you 😊 @indelibleme

FOUND! Marital Prospects by Vamillepudding (G, 18k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives, Romantic Comedy, Misunderstandings, LWJ Needs a Hug)

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14. I was reading a fic but I lost it. It was where wwx was frozen for I don't know how many years and they think. I think it was the lans? I think lwj was a doctor or archaeologist? A-yuan was his son there they were. There was a scene from wwx taking apart a mechanical pencil/pen and putting it back together and lwj is surprised by it. Lqr? He thinks wwx is not human lwj thinks otherwise and they locked him in a room @quwieiidkd

FOUND? 🧡 The Shade of Old Trees by Kryal (T, 363k, WangXian, Ridiculously Long Notes, History, Canon Divergence, Modern AU, Slow Burn, Worldbuilding, Slow Life, Action/Adventure, Magic Returns, BAMF WWX)

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15. I'm looking for a fic that canon era WWX had ended up accidentally raising up a bunch of dinosaurs. The main thing I remember is that JC was talking with him about it and they were considering them different kinds of mythical creatures(I remember qilin and Fenghuang especially.) Though anything dinosaur and untamed is awesome. @bcaugust

FOUND? Fenghuan and Qilin by Ibijau (T, 544, JC & WWX, Dinosaurs, Demonic cultivation, undead dinosaurs, mdzs with dinosaurs)

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16. Hiya, I'm wracking my brains trying tonfind a fic. The only part I really remember is that to rebuild their library's collection, Gusu Lan reached out to other sects, asking for texts to copy. I think the Jiang weren't originally for it (whether it was Jiang Cheng or Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian vetoing it I can't remember), but Wei Wuxian tried to help. I think maybe Lan Wangji paid a visit to Lotus Pier, but again, I'm not sure.

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17. Hello! I am looking for a specific fic that I have lost. It was a canon-divergent fic. In it Wei Wuxian ties decorative knots as something to keep his hands occupied while his mind runs. I think it was set primarily during the Yiling settlement days, because I remember he had a room/small house/workspace which had knots hung all over the walls. Although, my brain is also saying that this could have been a “WWX grows up on Baoshan Sanren’s mountain” au and his room could have been there. The knots are the unique detail I remember. Any clue? Thank you!

FOUND? inevitable everything by isabilightwood (E, 193k, WangXian, WQ/MM, JYL/JZX, BSSR/LY, Canon Divergence, YLLZ WWX, but WWX is BSSR's disciple/adoptive grandson too, the cultivation sects think this is a, War Prize AU, it's actually self-arranged marriage, Arranged Marriage, yin iron shenanigans, LWJ Has Friends, Mutual Pining, Pining while fucking, LWJ Has a YLLZ Kink, Switch WangXian, BDSM, Submissive LWJ, Dominant WWX, Angst with a Happy Ending, magical illness of a side character (who will get better), Rope Bondage, Impact Play, Rimming, Bottom LWJ, Temperature Play, Face-Fucking, Breathplay, (talisman-based breathplay to be specific), Cock Warming, Public Scene, no one gets naked in public this is the sense of WWX invents the, Remote Controlled Vibrator, Semi-Public Sex, Outdoor Sex, Blindfolds, one qingmian smut scene with oral and fingering, Minor Character Death, All Sex Scenes Are Skippable!) It is a Baoshan Sanren raises WWX and the knotwork is highlighted several times in the story, starting in chapter 2.

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18. ff request! can't remember much, other than the fact that wwx creates a justice array, which they use to question lan elders, some jins, & other sect leaders to successfully reveal their crimes of colluding w the jins. wonder if this rings a bell? thanks! @potatokunst

FOUND! IF by Remma3760 (Not Rated, 94k, WangXian, QingJue, Aftermath of Violence, Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives, Fix-It of Sorts, BAMF LWJ, Golden Core Reveal)

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19. Good morning! I am looking for a fic where Wei Wuxian was captured by the Jin and given a false trial and he was punished by being hunted. He was set loose into the land surrounding Koi Tower and all the Jin disciples hunted him, but he managed to survive, decimate all the Jin disciples, and escape. I think it was a very short fic, but was possibly one piece in a longer series. Would love to read this again, thank you!

FOUND? the wild hunt series by antebunny (G, 18k, WangXian, JYL & JL, WWX & JL, WWX & JC, LXC & LWJ, Canon Divergence, Angst, Non-Linear Narrative, Canon-Typical Violence, JL and his many many uncles, JGY is morally ambiguous but okay, BAMF WWX, WWX is innocent of literally everything for plot purposes, JYL Lives, Not Everyone Dies, Hopeful Ending, Fix-It of Sorts, what is fanfiction but 10k of reunions, Found Family, Fluff, they're soft your honor, Domestic Fluff, Happy Ending)

FOUND? foliage by antebunny (G, 7k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst, Non-Linear Narrative, Canon-Typical Violence, JL and his many many uncles, jgy is morally ambiguous but okay, BAMF WWX, wwx is innocent of literally everything, for plot purposes, JYL Lives, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Hopeful Ending)

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20. Hi! This is fic finder. I dont remember much. It set in sunshot campaign. When they want to storm Nightless city, Wen Ning volunter to open the underground passage. It need the wen blood. I think the door has a family tree on it? Thats all i can remember @idontknowwhattowriteforusername

FOUND! ❤️ Gentians in bloom by teawater (M, 251k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, AU after cold spring, Political Marriage, Dysfunctional Family, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, LQR bashing (not really), POV Multiple, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Eventual Happy Ending, BAMF WWX, JC is actually a lot better than canon, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, YZY bashing (again not completely))

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21. Hey! I saw this prompt on AO3 searching for the ff. "Everyone is arriving to Gusu Lan to study and while they were introducing themselves and their clan. The Wen clan interrupt the Jiang clan (as usual) and Wei Ying spoke out and all of sudden bunnies were entering the class when Wei Ying said something all the bunnies transformed into human yelling, “yes, madam Lan”. Everyone is shock." @vbhardwaj-reads

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#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic finder #wangxian fic search #the untamed #wangxianficfinder #long post

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wangxianficrecs · 1 year ago

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Throwback Rec

Original rec by Mojo. Bookmarked on August 4, 2020.

Kay's comments: So, I really enjoy the stories of this author, because the plot always goes into the wildest direction and there's so many twists and turns and so much happening. This story may start with Madam Yu punishing Wei Wuxian after him punching Jin Zixuan, but it kickstarts an incredible canon-divergence featuring Jiang Yanli and Nie Mingjue as a delightful side-pair and Jin Zixuan growing up and learning not to be such a brat amongst many other things. I'd also say this is Wei Wuxian whump, but he's a genius of course and always finding new way to overcome all the challenges and throwbacks life throws at him. Based on The Untamed canon.

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(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

❤️To have and to hold by Moominmammashandbag

❤️To have and to hold

by Moominmammashandbag

M, 79k, wangxian, nieli (is that nie mingjue/jiang yanli?)

Summary: Madam Yu comes to Cloud Recesses.

Lan Xichen is woken to be told worrying news.

Lan WangJi does not break someone’s arm. It was dislocated.

My comments: Oh, wow, what a ride this has been!

In which Madam Yu, rather than Jiang Fengmian, comes to Cloud Recesses after wwx punches jzx and beats him raw with a discipline whip, inspiring lwj to step in and claim him as his husband… thus setting off a canon divergence wherein lwj goes on the Yin iron quest alone and wwx invents many talismans while bedridden and recovering. The Wens attack, but wwx and the Lans are ready for them, because of all the talismans, and wwx begins a career of exploding the heads of his enemies. (A very rewarding field.)

This story feels epic (and is a very fast read, and utterly enthralling, gah, I was up until almost 3am), due in part to a wide-ranging POV that includes jxy, nmj, jyl, madam jin, wen qing…. And the thing is: you fall in love with all of them. Madam Jin is a terrifyingly competent badass. Jin Zixuan is a good-hearted mama’s boy. Nie Mingjue speaks in exclamation points and utterly loses his head over Jiang Yanli (it’s mutual). Lan Qiren is a good uncle and strong cultivator. Lan Xichen is soft (and gullible, but we knew that). Author is The Queen Of Snappy Dialogue, okay, and so it was hard not to paste dozens of excerpts, but this’ll give you a feel for it. Be aware, though: while much of the tale is humorous, much of it is also filled with whump (omg, poor wwx, he just really gets it over and over which Really Frustrates Lan Wangji) and wwx’s tortured history with his adoptive mother and Wen Rouhan being a global-scale bitch who has decided he wants this talented and inventive cultivator no matter what it takes.

Excerpt 1: Wei Wuxian had eleven whipmarks, eleven slices through skin and muscle down to the bone. The medic’s face was grim as she inspected them, and she called for dressings and herbs. She carefully cut the remains of his tunic off and away, gently pulling it from underneath Wei Wuxian as he lay on his front.

Lan Zhan knelt beside the low couch and concentrated on sending energy to Wei Wuxian, who was a worrying shade of grey.

There were loud footsteps outside and Jiang Cheng slid into the room, banging the door.

“No running.” said Lan Zhan. Rule 6. He decided not to mention the noise rule again as Jiang Cheng looked very stressed.

Excerpt 2: Nie MingJue rose and dressed, ordered that breakfast be brought with all speed and strode outside to assess the day.

It looked like it would be cloudy. Lan WangJi was involved with a staring competition with someone that Nie MingJue was almost sure was the Jiang son. Nie MingJue instantly assumed that Jiang Wanyin must be an idiot. “Young Master Jiang? It is Young Master Jiang, isn’t it? What happened to your hands?” “He had to take a ceiling apart.” Lan WangJi answered, without breaking eye contact. Nie Mingjue’s opinion of Jiang Wanyin rose. “Hah! They look painful. You should get them dressed, and I daresay your fingernails will regrow.” “Thank you, Sect Leader.” replied Jiang Wanyin, still holding the stare. “There’s no point.” Nie Mingjue advised him. “You won’t win.”

Excerpt 3: “Wei Wuxian won the battle. He can make people’s head explode now!”

Jiang Cheng brooded briefly. Jiang Yanli looked worried. “Poor A-Xian. He must have been very upset. He wouldn’t do that normally.” “It was a battle!” Jiang Cheng defended his brother. “Yes, but you know what I mean, A-Cheng. He doesn’t get angry like that.” “Lan WangJi was in danger.” Jiang Yanli perked up. “How nice that they love each other so much! I wish I had been able to see it!” “They wouldn’t stop kissing! It was embarrassing, not nice at all!” “It must be lovely, to have someone who feels like that.” Jiang Cheng put his arm around his sister and hugged her as they walked. “Someday, A-Li, you’ll marry someone who will blow off people’s heads for you. I promise.”

canon divergence, students at cloud recesses, humor, punishment, abusive madam yu, discipline whip, hurt wei wuxian, serious injury, hurt/comfort, accidental marriage, forehead ribbon, genius wei wuxian, inventor wei wuxian, talismans, bamf wei wuxian, bamf lan wangji, bamf wen qing, kidnapping, stabbing, temporary character disability, internalized abeism, lan clan rules used as arguments and rebuttles, found family, ensemble cast, muliple POV, wei wuxian whump, emotional hurt/comfort, caretaking, exploding heads, weddings, fluff, smut, angst, past child abuse, abused wei wuxian, protective lan wangji, protective wei wuxian, powerful wei wuxian, powerful lan wangj, favorite, @moominmammamia

(You may wish to REBLOG as a signal boost for this author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

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polkadotdragonx · 4 years ago

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Women of The Untamed || Queen

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rosethornewrites · 8 months ago

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Fic: this body yet survives, ch. 16

Relationship: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Summary: A hiccup and a visit.

Notes: See end.

Parts 1 & 2

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

AO3 link

The weeks that followed passed in peace, and Wei Ying blossomed in the absence of fear, working with excitement on the commissioned talismans for Jin-furen, using the Jiang siblings’ blood to test his ideas. They were able to resume their quiet afternoons in his studio while he worked on the portrait for Wen-zongzhu, often all four of them, each working independently together. He was relaxed more than he had been since the incident, more lively, and Wangji was glad to see it.

Several juniors approached Wei Ying for help with their forms, impressed by his performance against Su She, and they found in him a willing teacher, one who could diagnose the exact issues interfering with their mastery. Often he recommended exercises that would correct underlying problems like balance or footwork, diagnosing bad habits that had not interfered with more basic forms, but would prevent them from progressing. Always, he made sure to praise the juniors for what they were doing well, and they responded like flowers opening for sunshine.

Wangji had an inkling that he would eventually be teaching formal classes, once he had more fully recovered, having caught Shufu watching the informal lessons more than once. Wei Ying had clearly earned his status of head disciple in Yunmeng Jiang, and he flourished in a teaching role like he was born for it.

Some of those students had given him early gifts for his birthday, always in the form of consumables, which he shared with them but which were helping him continue to gain weight back, and Wangji made note of them as allies to Wei Ying.

Wei Ying often took tea with Lan Tayi, discussing talisman and array ideas with the master as fluently as one himself, and he had delighted in learning and even modifying the talismans that had been used against the conspirators, arguing they could be used to stymie yao during night hunts with a little tweaking. For his part, Lan Tayi seemed happy to distract him with such conversations, consistently bringing extra snacks to pawn off on Wei Ying, who would eat whatever was put on a plate in front of him when thus engaged. Wei Ying was often so excited about the ideas that came from tea that he would tinker with talismans for several hours those afternoons, with resulting in amazingly innovative results.

In truth Wangji understood little of their conversations, but he was happy to see Wei Ying enjoying himself, and that alone was reason to attend. As an added benefit, Jiang Wanyin preferred not to attend these teas and was happy for Lan Tayi to act as chaperone, and Lan Tayi did not frown over them holding hands as though convinced it would harm Wei Ying’s image. After the fight with Su She and the missive sent to all sects, with just enough information to show his beloved’s skill and strength while remaining modest in adherence to the rules, it was increasingly unlikely his status and value would be harmed by small gestures of affection, and Lan Tayi would never gossip.

As expected, multiple sect leaders found excuses to visit the Cloud Recesses following the missive, all looking for information, and they were immediately warned by disciples each time, and were able to stay in private areas of the grounds, whether the Jiang guesthouse, Wei Ying’s studio, the jingshi, or the bunny field. They had as of yet not been disturbed, despite several visiting disciples separating from their groups only to be found where they shouldn’t have been. This stopped when Xiongzhang enlisted several inner disciples and gave them permission to “gossip” with certain agreed-upon details that would assuage the curious visitors, though it frustrated him with its necessity, that people could not leave Wei Ying any privacy.

As his birthday approached, Wei Ying received a package from Nie Huaisang, which included expensive art supplies and a stack of books that made him blush deeply when he opened one, and which he placed in a qiankun pouch.

“For later, after we’re wed,” he told Wangji with a shy smile. “They’re, ah… educational.”

Wangji had known Nie Huaisang for enough years to know he’d sent cutsleeve spring books for their enjoyment, and he couldn’t be upset with it, especially since Wei Ying seemed pleased with the gift. They were not technically against the rules of the Cloud Recesses, so long as they were for educational purposes, and he had no doubt they would be very instructive. He was very willing to find loopholes to rules for Wei Ying’s happiness.

Shufu received a missive from Wen-zongzhu that Wen Qionglin was well enough to travel and they would come to the Cloud Recesses to celebrate Wei

Ying’s birthday in person, asking that it be a surprise for him, and Wangji hoped it would further lift his spirits. The information was easy enough to keep secret, particularly with Wei Ying distracted with his many projects, often shifting between several each day.

Their days had the same basic structure, varying based on Wei Ying’s needs and whims. Wei Ying always started his day with breakfast together at the Jiang guest house, often something Jiang Yanli prepped the night before, and usually involved soup: often pear soup, meant to keep the late fall chill at bay. She rose with him, styled his hair, and ate with them to act as chaperone, though he was certain she slept a bit more after they left. On occasion Jiang Wanyin joined them, but more often he ate later.

Xiongzhang assigned chaperones from a surprisingly long list of volunteers on a sort of schedule, and so they were accompanied by a disciple when they were together at all times. The first chaperone came to the Jiang guest cottage to escort them after breakfast. Their minders were polite and kind, not intruding too much on their time together, something Wangji appreciated.

While Wei Ying was in dizi lessons, Wangji had tea with his uncle and brother and returned for him, and when Wangji was teaching sword forms, both Wei Ying and Jiang Wanyin often chose to accompany him. Some days they went to Caiyi, even. But there were still days where he could tell Wei Ying was less able to handle being around people, and he would prefer to stay in the guest cottage and work on talisman ideas, read, and rest all day, and Wangji and the Jiang siblings coaxed him to do just that.

The day before his birthday seemed to be one such day, and Wei Ying shrugged off their coaxing.

“It’s the shift in weather,” he argued, stubborn. “I just need to move around a bit.”

The chill often bothered Wei Ying, and he was likely to spend much more time indoors when winter fell. To Wangji, the winters in the Cloud Recesses were something of a reminder of the death of his mother, but they were also beautiful and tranquil, and he hoped Wei Ying would enjoy that aspect despite the cold.

“If you’re sure,” Jiang Yanli said, relenting when he nodded.

So they started their day as they normally would, a leisurely breakfast and a chaperoned stroll to his flute lesson, and Wei Ying seemed to push through the malaise without difficulty, chattering on about a new stasis talisman idea he wanted to explore.

Wangji was having tea with Shufu and Xiongzhang, the latter focused on wedding ideas to be discussed with Wei Ying later, when their assigned chaperone rushed in and bowed hastily, and he immediately knew something must be wrong, even before the disciple told them that Lan Mingkai had taken Wei Ying to the infirmary.

Shufu nodded at him, gesturing toward the door immediately, giving him permission he was hardly waiting for. Wangji remembered to murmur a thank you to the disciple as he rushed out, and the disciple, a junior a few years younger than him, nodded and kept talking, giving more details—Wei Ying was unconscious, suddenly passed out—loudly enough for him to hear them until he turned a corner.

Worry consumed him, possibilities popping up despite his best effort not to conjecture—illness, poison, some long-term effect of Yu Zixuan’s attempt on his life, all the worst case scenarios fighting for purchase in his mind as he clutched Bichen hard enough to mark his skin and hurried to the infirmary. They had finally rooted out the saboteurs, but still Wei Ying could find no peace.

He was met by the Jiang siblings, who were also on their way there after being fetched by a servant, their expressions pinched with concern.

The healing staff immediately brought them back to where Wei Ying was being examined, his form still, his robes open, something Wangji hesitated at, but only his chest was bared. A curse mark, like a patch of charred and blackened skin over his heart, immediately confirmed his worse suspicions—that this was an attack—and clearly incensed the Jiang siblings. Jiang Yanli rushed to his side, while Jiang Wanyin loomed protectively.

“The curse is too weak to defeat his core,” the healer assured them, “but it will take time to burn through it.”

Jiang Yanli asked why he had passed out, and the healer assured him it was a reaction to the onset of the curse, though the state of his body as he worked to recover had also played a role. It wasn’t simply recovery from Yu Ziyuan’s abuse, but also his slow wasting afterward, overtaxed already only to be cursed.

“The curse is focused on his body?” Wangji asked, wondering if that detail would narrow down the possibilities.

Shufu and Xiongzhang arrived as he asked the question, and Shufu immediately went to Wei Ying’s side to examine the curse mark, the healer deferring to him.

“That seems likely, but it’s hard to know what the curse is given that he won’t be presenting symptoms,” the healer responded.

“Wen-zongzhu is something of an expert on curses,” Shufu commented as he looked over the curse mark, “so he may be able to identify it.”

“They should arrive later today, and he may even be able to break it,” Xiongzhang said.

Until then nothing could be done but to make Wei Ying comfortable, Wangji knew, hating that he could do nothing. Wei Ying would recover, but he had once again been attacked in Lan care, with little way of determining the perpetrator.

“What about the talisman A-Xian helped create?” Jiang Yanli asked as she fretted over her brother, smoothing his hair. “Could it not be used on the curse to find the caster?”

Shufu shook his head, but looked thoughtful.

“Not as it is. Curses can be cast from some distance, and the talisman has a limit, though Lan Tayi may be able to adapt it. I will speak with him.”

Nothing could be done for Wei Ying immediately, save making him comfortable while his jindan cleansed the resentful energy of the curse, and so he was transferred to a private room in the infirmary, where he looked far too small and still for Wangji’s liking. The healer gave him permission to play Cleansing for him, and he left his side only to fetch his guqin so he could do so, leaving the Jiang siblings to watch over him.

By the time he returned, Jiang Yanli had taken Wei Ying’s hair down from its crown, tying the forehead ribbon around his wrist. She’d had Jiang Wanyin turn him on his side while she braided his hair, likely of the opinion that he would be more comfortable, and he returned as she tied it off with his red ribbon and settled him back beneath the blankets.

Wangji sat nearby to play, letting himself focus on the music to the extent that the world would fall away for a bit, and started with WangXian in the hopes that Wei Ying would hear it and know he was safe, before transitioning into Cleansing. The song would help with the process of removing the resentment, aiding his jindan in burning through the curse, and Wangji hoped it would shorten the process.

Aside from a break when Xiongzhang insisted he eat, Wangji focused on the music, aware that Jiang Yanli left several times to work on the evening meal she hoped Wei Ying would be awake to enjoy, losing himself otherwise until the late afternoon when Wen-zongzhu arrived. With him were Wen Qing and Wen Qionglin, the latter of whom was being pushed in a wheeled chair, which Wen Ruohan had commissioned for his nephew’s comfort.

As Shufu and Xiongzhang led them in, Wen Ruohan nodded a greeting to Lan Wangji, placing a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from rising to bow, before he immediately attended Wei Ying with Wen Qing.

“It will take another two days to filter out the curse,” Wen Qing said after she examined the curse mark.

The idea that Wei Ying could be so still for days, after which it would be ill fortune to celebrate his birthday rankled Wangji, an important milestone in his recovery unmarked, lost because of the interference of another.

“It is no trouble to transfer such a weak curse to myself, and I can fully rebound to the caster to permanently prevent another attempt,” Wen Ruohan offered, his attention on Wen Qionglin, who looked particularly upset by Wei Ying’s condition.

The offer was extremely generous, especially if it was made without expectation of repayment, and would resolve a problem in what would likely be a very public way. Wangji could see Shufu and Xiongzhang wondering what he might want in return.

“I only wish that Wei-gongzi consider swearing brotherhood with my niece and nephew, if he wishes, if he insists upon this being a debt,” the sect leader assured.

Wangji was astonished, seeing that not as a way to repay a debt, but as a way to more formally protect Wei Ying—the Lan sect would protect him as a disciple and Wangji’s betrothed, and the bond of siblinghood with Jiang Yanli and Jiang Wanyin also offered some protection as well as an implied rebuke of Yu Ziyuan, but he had no doubt being the sworn siblings of the beloved niece and nephew of one of the most powerful men in the jianghu was an even more powerful protection, particularly if Wen Ruohan’s rebound killed the caster, as he had implied it would.

Wei Ying, no doubt, would agree happily, already close to Wen Ning and Wen Qing, the latter having saved his life at Lotus Pier, but he would also see the weight of such a brotherhood and perhaps its offer of safety as a relief, and Wangji would confess to being relieved by it as well.

The Jiang siblings exchanged looks with each other and then with the Wen siblings. Whatever Jiang Yanli saw led her to nod, and she patted Jiang Wanyin’s arm and took over, smoothing her hanfu as she bowed to the Wens, her brother following her lead.

“I know A-Xian will agree. Thank you for helping my didi, Wen-zongzhu.”

Wangji bowed with Shufu and Xiongzhang to offer thanks as well.

Wen Qing supervised her uncle, making him sit while he transferred the curse to himself, and Wangji knew the moment it was done by the way Wei Ying let out a soft sigh. He hadn’t noticed the tension in his future husband’s body as it fought the curse, but it was made clear when his body seemed to unclench and he sank deeper into the bedding.

He still didn’t stir, but Wen Qing assured them that was expected, the curse having strained his system.

“Hundred Holes,” Wen Ruohan murmured, checking the curse mark that was now on his own chest. “His cultivation is not as weak as the caster imagined.”

That particular curse was meant to cause constant pain and to disfigure the victim, as though Wei Ying hadn’t already suffered enough, wasn’t scarred enough.

The Wen sect leader pulled his robes aside, baring his chest, and cut a finger with a small dao-style jade dagger engraved with the sun on its handle and guard, then used his blood to paint an array around the curse mark. Wangji could interpret only a bit of it—that it was meant to rebound—but it was much more intricate, and with blood, much more powerful. Wei Ying would have been fascinated, he knew, and he wondered if Wen-zongzhu would be a good correspondent for him regarding talismans and arrays.

When he was finished, Wen Ruohan inspected his work, then nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased with the lines of his work.

“When I activate this array, the entirety of the curse will rebound; the caster will face the full force of the curse, and will not survive.”

He stated this casually, as though giving Shufu and Xiongzhang time to protest, knowing how the Lan abhorred killing. Neither did, and Wangji felt a cold sense of relief in their willingness to allow a more permanent solution.

If the body was discovered it would be investigated by a local sect because of the manner of death, and word would ultimately reach Gusu, identifying the culprit. Hopefully such a discovery would prevent a resentful ghost from rising and continuing to target Wei Ying.

Privately, he hoped the caster was someone known to them already, perhaps even Yu-furen, though he doubted Wei Ying would want the guilt he would feel associated with her death with the Jiang siblings.

Truthfully, casting curses from afar didn’t align with Yu-furen’s disposition or weapon of choice, meaning others sought to harm his future husband, and that was perhaps worse for Wei Ying’s mental wellbeing.

Wen Ruohan demonstrated no pageantry, simply activating the array, which seemed to absorb into the curse mark. The spiritual energy in the room seemed to go taut, then snapped out and away from the Cloud Recesses, taking the curse mark with it.

Xiongzhang pointed in that direction, and Wen-zongzhu nodded.

“I will assemble a team of seniors to search in that direction,” Shufu said grimly.

Wangji knew his uncle felt particularly protective of Wei Ying, as he had confessed that he was ashamed of his behavior toward him during the lectures, his dismissal of his bright intellect and undying curiosity. If the culprit’s spirit was resentful, the seniors would handle it before it became a problem.

Wen Qing briefly checked her uncle’s meridians, then shooed him, Shufu, and Xiongzhang to the door, adamant that Wei Ying needed no stress upon waking until she could check him for any lingering effects of the curse, uncaring of rank. She then had Wen Qionglin wheeled to another private room so she could examine him and make sure the travel had not had ill effect, leaving them to settle and wait for Wei Ying to wake.

Jiang Yanli reluctantly left to continue cooking, though she was pleased that Wei Ying would likely be awake to enjoy it, and Jiang Wanyin commented after she left that likely she would cook even more dishes with the intent that the Wen siblings would dine with them.

“If Wei Wuxian is up to it,” he added after a moment, watching his brother’s still face.

There was no telling how Wei Ying would take this most recent attempt to attack him, but Wangji suspected he would meet it with quiet acceptance and try to forget about it as he tried to forget all ills perpetuated against him with varying success. He drew out his guqin again, focused now on playing WangXian, hoping to ensure he woke surrounded by love, that it would comfort him.

Shortly, Wei Ying woke with a start, no warning that he was stirring, babbling about curses and resentful energy and scrabbling at his robes. Jiang Wanyin stopped him, holding both his wrists so he couldn’t hurt himself, sitting in front of him so Wei Ying could see him.

“Deep breaths, A-Xian. You’re safe.”

Jiang Wanyin breathed with him to help him calm, and Wangji started WangXian again, having stopped with a discordant twang when he woke so suddenly. The music seemed to help calm him, his breathing returning to normal.

Wen Qing returned to check the flow of his qi through his dantian, and nodded in satisfaction.

“Uncle transferred the curse and rebounded it,” she said brusquely. “Your body and cultivation are undamaged. The caster will no longer be a threat.”

He blinked up at her, surprised to see her as they had kept the visit secret, though this certainly wasn’t the revelation Wangji had expected.

“I felt it take root, and then just nothing,” Wei Ying murmured hoarsely, prompting Wangji to abandon his guqin and pour a cup of water from an ewer on the bedside table.

“Hundred Holes, far too weak a curse to take hold on someone with as powerful a jindan as yours,” she told him, refilling the cup when it was empty. “Uncle hopes you will swear brotherhood with A-Ning and I during our visit.”

Wei Ying was quiet for a moment, lost in thought, but then he jolted, looking at her hopefully.

“Wen Ning came with you?”

At her nod, he smiled widely, distracted from his ordeal at least temporarily.

“Swearing brotherhood?” he asked, momentarily taken aback at the offer before he smiled again. “Ah, Qing-jie, I knew you liked me! Of course I’ll be your sworn brother. Ningning’s too.”

Wangji suspected that Wei Ying’s focus on the ramifications of the brotherhood was simply masking his reaction to being cursed, and when he glanced at Jiang Wanyin he could see that same suspicion written into his expression.

“You’re ridiculous,” Wen Qing huffed, and something in her demeanor told Wangji she, too, had that worry.

They would have to pay closer attention in the coming days for signs that Wei Ying would benefit from a visit to the mind healers, though Wangji thought he might mention the possibility to Wen Qing in private. Wei Ying’s focus on the good in the situation could be problematic if he did not reach out when he needed support, if he tried to hide his hurts or shut down.

Jiang Yanli’s return served as another distraction, conversation about Wei Ying’s health diverted by her joy at seeing him awake, having been summoned by a disciple sent by Shufu, as well as Wei Ying’s insistence that he was only three years old in the play Wangji had become accustomed to.

When Wen Qionglin was brought into the room, the group naturally expanded, bringing good cheer and laughter to Wei Ying in a way that soothed his worries a bit.

Though Wangji knew the mood was a distraction, it was something his zhiji needed now, and he was more than happy to sit beside him as he basked in the presence of family and soon to be family. All else could wait.

——————

This Wen Ruohan dotes on his niece and nephew, and the combination of Wen Qing’s concern as Wei Wuxian’s doctor and Wen Ning fretting over his best friend’s health and well-being spurred him to act here. His sickly nephew traveled a long way to celebrate Wei Wuxian’s birthday with him, and he’ll be damned if that falls through!

Lan Wangji is concerned in the end that Wei Wuxian might bottle up his feelings about being cursed, causing a setback in his recovery. While Wei Wuxian has learned mindfulness of his own needs, his bad habit of setting them aside for others, ingrained in him by his upbringing, sometimes sabotages him.

Continuing my medical issues, but I just started a promising medication that has so far had amazing results. I’m feeling pretty hopeful.

I spent April Fool’s Day sitting in the ER with a gallstone—took 8 hours to finally get pain relief, and I couldn’t even play games on my cell phone through the pain. Several firsts for me: IV, blown IV, CAT scan, CAT scan with contrast (this blew the IV), and morphine. So I get to be more mindful of what I eat. No more chili cheese nachos, alas.

Thank you all for sticking with me through the slow writing. Please let me know what stood out to you in this chapter!

Happy birthday, Wen Ning!

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