#wrh deserves some fun and wholesome au plots

[songofclarity]

A silly yet satisfying basis for an AU is that Wen RuoHan’s canon backstory involves him being very pleased with a newly gifted saber, but the second a guest cultivator told him a certain person wouldn't agree that his saber is all that great, Wen RuoHan wasn’t pleased with this saber anymore.

So enter Meng Yao, who gets in good with Wen RuoHan by inventing all sorts of torture devices to entertain and delight! Wen RuoHan is entertained and delighted! Meng Yao has raised the bar on torture! There is no one more capable at it than Meng Yao! Wen RuoHan is very pleased!

And then Nie MingJue, captured and furious about it, finally snaps at Meng Yao, "Is that the best you can do!? I've been tortured worse by HuaiSang!"

...Oh no!

That's it for Meng Yao! He had a nice run but it's over! He’s not the best torturer anymore and Wen RuoHan is no longer pleased so Meng Yao’s been transferred to an office that won’t give him a power trip.

Wen RuoHan is, however, interested in seeing this finer torturer though--just like he wanted to see old Sect Leader Nie’s finer saber.

Nie HuaiSang gets summoned to Nightless City and Nie MingJue is in danger (Da-ge needs him!) so let's just say he comes despite everyone at Cloud Recesses telling him NO. He's all teary-eyed in front of Wen RuoHan and just, "Please don't kill Da-ge! Also please don't slap me, I'm fragile."

But thankfully torturers don’t get slapped and instead get put to the test!

Nie HuaiSang's torture method of choice? Painting fans.

A strange yet bold choice! Wen RuoHan is intrigued.

Nie MingJue is groaning and suffering. His back hurts and the paint is running and why the hell are you laughing, HuaiSang, what do you mean there is paint on his face!? And oh hell, there is paint all over his sleeve, too!

Wen RuoHan, who might actually have been grieving the past three years over his dead sons and that torture boom in the Fire Palace was a result of some serious complicated grieving exacerbated by a person who had reasons for making the torture of cultivators his brand (because it had nothing to do with said cultivators mocking him and not allowing him into their Golden Peacock Club, I’m sure), is just, "Fascinating."

And Wen RuoHan picks up a brush and tries to paint a fan himself.

Jokes on Wen RuoHan though because it’s art therapy! Nie MingJue is already familiar with this and he hates it (Nie HuaiSang, stop making fun of his birds!) but he’s a pushover when it comes to his little brother so now they’re all painting scenery. Peaceful scenery with misty mountains and bridges and trees and flowers. Back to meditation basics! No war, no death, no stress!

NHS: “No drawing people, Sect Leader Wen. Da-ge would love to draw a battle scene but he must suffer, remember.”

WRH: “How about one sleeping under this tree?”

NHS: “Hmm. Not bad! Since Sect Leader Wen wants it, I will allow it. Draw a person sleeping under the tree, Da-ge.”

NMJ, who can only draw stick figures: “There is something fundamentally wrong with both of you.”

WRH: “?”

NHS: “I love you too, Da-ge!”

Nie MingJue, who is still recovering from the Fire Palace torture and is more than a little pissed at HuaiSang for putting himself in danger, looks over at Wen RuoHan’s fan and says without thinking, “Looks better than HuaiSang’s.” Because even upstanding big brothers have their less-than upstanding moments.

“DA-GE, HOW DARE!?”

But Wen RuoHan is... very happy! Yes, his painted fan is very good, isn’t it? Wen RuoHan eats up that flattery and.

Oh.

Nie MingJue sucks at flattery but somehow coming from him pleases Wen RuoHan the most!? Something about the rigid and tight-jawed Sect Leader Nie speaking up and saying something nice. Thankfully, Nie HuaiSang knows just what Nie MingJue needs to say, and what he needs to do!

And so it’s true! Nie HuaiSang’s method of torture is masterful indeed! Wen RuoHan is very pleased! And Nie MingJue is suffering but maybe he can be happy with it because Wen RuoHan slowly shows he’s not The Worst, actually.

The war comes to a bizarre end due to the power of Nie brotherly love and Wen RuoHan needing a better hobby and kinder companionship. The end!