#zhuiling arranged marriage

[ibijau]

Sins of the fathers pt6 / On AO3

Jin Guangshan took a second to look up from the papers on his desk when the door opened, but smiled warmly when he saw that Jin Ling was there. 

“Come in, my boy,” Jin Guangshan said. ”And close the door behind you, won't you?”

Jin Ling quickly obeyed and walked up to the desk, trying not to gawk at the unfamiliar room. It was rare for his grandfather to use his office, and rarer still for him to allow anyone inside. Jin Guangyao was a frequent visitor, Jin Ling had noticed, but aside from that, the only people ever called to the sect leader's office were disciples who had gotten themselves in trouble. 

“You have asked to see me, zongzhu?” Jin Ling asked with a polite bow. 

“Zongzhu? Since when are you so distant, Rulan?” Jin Guangshan protested, looking so sincerely wounded Jin ling almost believed it.

“I only meant to be respectful, grandfather,” Jin Ling said with another bow. “You always say youngsters should be more respectful of their elders.”

“It is only the two of us, there's no need for that,” Jin Guangshan assured him, his tone too warm to be trusted. “Sit down, my boy, and let's take a moment to talk. It has been a long while since we've had a chat, hasn't it?”

Jin Ling nodded as he sat. It had been a while since he'd spent time alone with his grandfather, that much was true. They used to have a good enough relationship, but being forced to marry a stranger had helped Jin Ling see what sort of a man his grandfather was, and now his company was repulsive. Of course if Jin Guangshan had demanded that they spend time together since that falling out, Jin Ling could not have easily refused in spite of his disgust. However his grandfather had shown little interest in him since the wedding. 

Until that morning. 

“Is there anything in particular you want to talk about, grandfather?” Jin Ling asked, as if he couldn't guess why he was there. 

“With so much going on in your life these days, I wouldn't know where to start,” Jin Guangshan replied with a huff, sounding so much like the man he was in Jin Ling's better memories. “Your marital life, perhaps? But maybe that is not the right topic. We've had some disagreement regarding that, haven't we?”

He chuckled, as if Jin Ling’s rage and despair had been some amusing little incident, something they could now all laugh about. Maybe he even sincerely believed that. Or at least, as much as he was capable of any sincerity.

“I understand that grandfather had his reasons for doing the things he did,” Jin Ling flatly said, clenching his fists over his knees, where the desk would hide them. “It was not my place to judge your decision.”

“No, it was not,” his grandfather sharply agreed, before quickly softening again. “But I think my decision was not so unpleasant to you in the end. You get along well with that wife of yours, don't you?” 

“We are making the best of things,” Jin Ling said. 

An understatement, really. 

Wen Yuan’s lessons were going tolerably well. It was a surprise, as Jin Ling had half expected his husband would complain to his mother about his temper after the first lesson, and that would have been the end of that experiment. Instead, Wen Yuan had apparently expressed gratitude to his mother-in-law for organising this, and promised her to work hard to be worthy of the praises he’d received from Jin Ling.

The following lessons had still been tense, but by the middle of the second week they’d found a balance and things were… not bad. Wen Yuan knew to ignore Jin Ling’s outbursts most of the time. And Jin Ling was starting to accept that his husband was genuine when he thanked him or complimented something he did. They weren’t friends or anything, and maybe they’d never be, but at least they could get along, and that was more than Jin Ling had dared to hope since the moment his engagement was revealed to him.

“It must not be easy for you,” Jin Guangshan lamented. “Considering his father’s reputation, and that cold temper he's shown so far… I do hope your wife has not used his knowledge of his father’s methods to make you feel uneasy inside your own home?”

So that was the reason for this meeting, Jin Ling realised. He was grateful for his mother’s warnings, which had given him time to prepare something to say.

“Wen Yuan never mentions his old life,” Jin Ling replied. “He is very dedicated to learning the ways of the Jin sect and making them his, like a good wife should.”

That remark earned him a frustrated glare from his grandfather. Jin Ling knew it was a source of tension in his grandparents’ marriage that his grandmother still preferred to use the cultivation path that she’d learned from her parents, even after a lifetime in Lanling. Everyone knew that. It ought to make it harder for Jin Guangshan to openly complain that Wen Yuan wasn’t using demonic cultivation.

“It is a wife's duty to mould herself to the new family’s expectations,” Jin Guangshan agreed. “But a good husband should also show interest in his wife. If that Wei boy doesn't talk about his family, it might be because you do not inspire enough trust in him yet. If so, it is regrettable. I would have thought you had taken after your father.”

Jin Ling lowered his gaze, his eyes burning with rageful tears he couldn't afford to spill. 

He really wished people would stop only comparing him to his father when they wished to insult his temper. When his father did it, it was usually because he found Jin Ling too quick to anger, or too unsociable. When his grandfather said it, he meant that Jin Ling was weak for not realising rules and morality only applied to lesser people. Jin Zixuan was a well loved man, why couldn't anyone ever see his qualities in his eldest son?

“I'm doing my best, grandfather,” he said between clenched teeth. 

“Then maybe your best needs to be better, boy. Do you understand what I mean?” 

Jin Ling understood too well, but shook his head. 

“Grandfather will have to be more clear. I only want to please you, of course. But I can only do that if I know what you want from me. Does grandfather have certain expectations regarding my marriage to Wen Yuan, maybe? Grandfather should have said so from the start, then, instead of expecting me to guess things.”

As soon as he said that, Jin Ling regretted it. His grandfather tolerated few things, and insolence least of all.

“You know, it is up to me to choose my heir,” Jin Guangshan casually remarked. “Tradition would prefer it be my son, or my eldest grandson, but I could pick someone else. I have other grandsons after all, and a nephew who has a child of his own. If these options appear better for the future of my sect, I will not hesitate to make tough decisions.”

Jin Ling clenched his fists. He didn't care about being sect leader, it was a stupid job, full of dealing with stupid people. But that didn't mean he didn't recognise a threat directed at him, at his family, and that pissed him off. 

If it had been anyone else talking to him like that, Jin Ling would have let his anger explode. Or else he'd have laughed in their face, because in what world were Jin Zixun and Jin Chan better options than him to someday lead the sect? They were just stupid bullies and… 

And so was Jin Guangshan. So maybe they were better candidates, from his point of view. They were all pawns to him anyway. Jin Ling knew it too well, after going from favourite grandchild to someone who could be sacrificed to an unpleasant match. Nobody in this family mattered when compared to his grandfather and his ambitions. And still Jin Ling had been lucky, because Wen Yuan was a good person. If he hadn't been, would Jin Guangshan have cared to protect his grandson from a demonic cultivator? Or would he have allowed his new spouse to torment him, as long as he could get his hands on someone who could help him in that war against the Nie he wanted?

Jin Ling smiled.

“Of course, Jin zongzhu should be free to decide the future of his sect,” he said, imitating the placid tone Jin Guangyao used on very unpleasant people. “It makes sense. What does this have to do with our conversation, though?”

“Nothing at all,” Jin Guangshan pleasantly agreed. “It was just a thought that crossed my mind. Well, boy, I fear I'm already running out of time to talk to you. I have other business to attend, so you may go. But do think about what I've said, regarding your wife and gaining his trust. Otherwise he might find someone else to confide in, and we wouldn't want that, would we?”

Again, Jin Ling just smiled, the only safe answer against that man he'd grown to hate. He then bowed politely and left the room as quickly as politeness allowed. Once outside, he slowly walked away, willing himself to look calm under the watchful gaze of his grandfather's disciples, knowing any of them could betray him if he didn't hide how much that meeting upset him. 

More than once, he'd heard his uncle Jiang call the Jin sect a nest of vipers. Jin Ling disagreed. He didn't believe even animals would turn so viciously on their own kind.

It felt like an eternity before Jin Ling finally reached his home, the only place where nobody could spy on him. As soon as he closed the door behind him, Jin Ling let out a frustrated cry, and kicked the wall. 

“Is something wrong?” Wen Yuan asked, running to the door. 

On top of being angry, Jin Ling was immediately overcome with shame. He hadn't thought his husband would be home, since Wen Yuan usually spent mornings with his in-laws. It was one thing for Jin Ling to let his anger explode like that, and quite another to let anyone see it. Jin Ling opened his mouth to apologise, only to realise there was something more urgent to discuss. 

“Wen Yuan, has anyone approached you to befriend you since you’ve arrived in Carp Tower?” Jin Ling asked

The odd question puzzled his husband, but Wen Yuan soon shook his head. 

“No, no one except your siblings. Others find me… unsettling, I think.”

“Good, perfect even!” Jin Ling exclaimed at this confirmation his grandfather hadn't already started other schemes against his husband. “The less friends you make here, the better.”

Wen Yuan threw him a wounded look, but Jin Ling was too distracted to see it.

“Is that an order, husband?” Wen Yuan stiffly asked.

“You know, it just might be,” Jin Ling pondered. “It’s better for everyone that way.”

After all, there was nobody trustworthy in the entire sect. Which wasn’t to say there wasn’t anyone nice. Lanling Jin was a large sect, and not everyone in it was as awful as Jin Chan. In fact, most disciples were probably pleasant to chat with, charming even. But it didn’t matter how nice they were, because this was a sect where bullies were in charge, and they knew how to make nice people do awful things.

“Are you worried that I’ll betray you if I get close to others, husband?” Wen Yuan asked, his tone so icy that at last Jin Ling had to notice it.

“It’s not like that!” Jin Ling exclaimed. “I don’t care if you sleep with someone!” he winced, realising that probably sounded worse. “No, I do care! I just… don’t care who you… what you… I just care…”

He bit his lip to silence himself, expecting his husband to get angrier, but Wen Yuan only looked at him curiously.

“Are you trying to say you’re not ordering this out of jealousy?” he helpfully suggested.

“Yes, that’s what I meant!” Jin Ling agreed, relieved that his husband was getting used to his manners. “If it were just about making friends, you could be friendly with anyone, it’d be fine.”

“I see. Then why is it you don’t want me to have friends?”

“Only within our sect!” Jin Ling protested. “You shouldn’t have friends within our sect. Or within sects that are too closely linked to ours either, I guess,” he added after a moment of reflection. “If you happen to meet Jiang disciples and you hit it off, it’s fine. Or Lans, I guess, even though I can’t imagine why anyone would be friends with them.”

Of course the closest thing that Jin Ling had to a friend his own age was a Lan, Lan Jingyi, but that acquaintance only proved that the Lans were annoying. Lan Jingyi and him argued every time they met, and only sometimes hung out together because nobody else would put up with them.

“Any other sects I’m allowed to be friendly with?” Wen Yuan asked, smiling.

Jin Ling considered it, and shrugged.

“Just about anyone who doesn't lick my grandfather's boots. Well, maybe avoid the Nie, we’re not on good terms with them. But I doubt any Nie disciple would want to talk to you. They’re… they’re not very happy that you’ve entered our sect. For obvious reasons.”

Wen Yuan frowned at first, as if this remark too had hurt him, but his expression quickly shifted into something that was nearly a smile.

“You mean Wei zonghzu,” Wen Yuan said, sounding almost amused by the effort needed to decipher what Jin Ling meant.

“Him, yes. And he’s also why you need to be careful around Jin disciples. I probably shouldn’t tell you…”

Jin Ling bit his lip, but one look at Wen Yuan's handsome, honest face was enough to convince him. Wen Yuan not only deserved to know what was going on, but he also needed to. Anyway, hadn't his grandfather told him there should be trust in a married couple? 

“The thing is, Jin zongzhu is very interested in demonic cultivation,” Jin Ling explained. “He thinks it’d be the best way to protect ourselves from our enemies. And he also thinks that you can use demonic cultivation, but you’re withholding it from us.”

“But I’m not,” Wen Yuan protested, offended. “I’ve never learned!’

“I know,” Jin Ling replied. “I'm pretty sure it would have left marks on you, on your qi. I’d probably have noticed it from the moment we had our first lessons. But my grandfather is… when he’s decided that something is a certain way, nobody can convince him otherwise. And he thinks that you’re refusing to share your knowledge with us.”

“I'm not,” Wen Yuan insisted. “You can tell him that, I really have nothing to share on that topic.”

Strangely enough, it was a relief to hear that. Jin Ling couldn't deny that he'd been worried concerning the possibility of demonic cultivation. It was easy to say he would have noticed it immediately, but in truth considering Wei Wuxian's skill, he may well have come up with ways to hide the effect of his heretical paths on the body and mind. Of course there was the possibility that Wen Yuan was just lying, but Jin Ling didn't think that was the case. His husband hid many things, but so far none of the few words he'd said had ever been lies.

“Whether you know your father's craft or not, I'd encourage you to keep it secret,” Jin Ling advised. “Don't tell anyone, not even me, or my siblings, or even my mother. We've all lied to my grandfather before, but it's easier for everyone if we don't have to.”

Wen Yuan shot him a curious look, and shook his head. 

“I appreciate that, husband. But I am not lying. I really don't know anything at all. Wei zongzhu was always very firm on that, he’d scold me terribly if I showed too much interest in his methods. He knows too well how dangerous it is. He... he didn't want that for me.”

“Don't let anyone know that either,” Jin Ling said after a moment of reflection. “If my grandfather knows you can never fulfil the purpose he has in mind for you, he might try to get rid of you. It's better to keep an air of mystery about this.”

Wen Yuan tilted his head to the side. 

“I thought… Don't you also want to be rid of me?”

The question took Jin Ling by surprise. Not so long ago, he would have agreed that this marriage was the very worst thing that had ever happened to him. He wasn't so sure about that anymore. Wen Yuan was not unpleasant to have around, and their daily lessons were... nice. There was nothing particularly romantic about their marriage, but there was nothing awful either.

“You're not the worst spouse grandfather could have found for me,” Jin Ling replied. “If you were gone, I might just end up with someone worse, if my grandfather thinks it's his interest. He might try to marry me to Nie Huaisang for all I know! Do you know how annoying he can be when he's unhappy? Or… Or to one of Yao zongzhu's kids, and they're all duller than dirt, I've never heard them say something that wasn't boring. Or he'd find me someone ugly, which is just as bad as being boring. Anyway, I'm used to you now. It'd be a bother, having to deal with someone new, especially when they wouldn't be as good as you. And… And I wouldn't enjoy regaining my freedom, if it meant you had to suffer for it! Which you would. Grandfather is… not a kind man.”

Jin Ling blushed, all too aware that he was saying things in the worst possible way, once again. And yet Wen Yuan didn't take offence. If anything, he looked a little pleased by his husband's rambles. Truly, Jin Ling did not understand his husband in the least.

“I am grateful that my husband feels this way,” Wen Yuan said, fighting a smile. “I will try hard to be worthy of the praise.”

Without thinking, Jin Ling nodded.

He couldn't say it, because it would sound wrong and mean again if he tried to express it, but at that moment he actually felt very happy with the husband fate had chosen for him, that odd boy who had just enough patience to unravel the mess of words that often spilled out of his mouth.

[twistedappletree]

Arranged marriage zhuiling AU where instead of being arranged to marry each other, Jiang Cheng keeps trying to set Jin Ling up with random girls from other clans after Jin Ling mentions he’s interested in marrying ‘someone’ because he doesn’t know Jin Ling meant Lan Sizhui, so Jin Ling keeps doing the most ridiculously annoying and unappealing things to scare off every girl who comes to Koi Tower and Jiang Cheng is ripping his hair out because you little brat, you said you wanted to get married???

Eventually, both of them are so exhausted from the miscommunication that Jiang Cheng investigates and finally finds out what’s wrong, then tells Jin Ling he has one more potential spouse for him to meet. Jin Ling is a pouting lackluster mess over it until his entire world stops when the doors to Koi Tower open and Lan Sizhui walks through.

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

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1. hi guys hope y’all are well

for the next mood for

is it possible to have some more lesbian wangxian? i’ve read everything in the complication and now im a little obsessed

thank you for everything ❤️‍🔥

Beautiful mess, a colourful wreck  by covalentbonds (Not rated, 12k, wangxian, modern, rule 63, fluff & humor, mild smut, childhood friends, first meetings, evil vending machines)

End Racism in the OTW by Deastar (M, 2k, wangxian, F/F, modern, ABO, non-traditional ABO dynamics, alpha LWJ, omega WWX, fluff, rule 63)

Line of sight by deliciousblizzardshark (T, 8k, wangxian, F/F, pre-relationship, always different sex au, plucky heroines, misogyny, enemies to friends, WWX has ADHD)

you can always find me here by ScarlettStorm (E, 15k, wangxian, F/F, post-canon, getting together, genderswap, cisswap, trans woman LWJ, cis woman WWX, first time, vaginal fingering, oral sex)

A Heart in Ribbons by Alliandra (E, 8k, wangxian, F/F, gender or sex swap, canon divergence, war lord LWJ, darkish LWJ, powercouple wangxian, dub con, finger fucking, cunnilingus)

smoke gets in your eyes by Hi_Hello_smile (T, <1k, wangxian, F/F, modern, chef WWX, WIP)

Pocket Too Deep for Play by bigamma (E, 57k, Female WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Vibrators, Easter Eggs, Sex Toys, Autistic LWJ, Female WWX, Female LWJ, WWX Has ADHD, Lacrosse, Christian Themes, Sports Medicine, YZY’s A+ Parenting, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Christian Holidays, Easter Egg Hunt, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Bible Quotes (Abrahamic Religions), Cunnilingus)

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2. Hello, I am looking for fics about Lan Zhan being an overprotective father to Lan Sizhui, thank you. @majhe2026

❤️ A Civil Combpaign by Ariaste (M, 12k, zhuiling, wangxian, arranged marriage, combs, courting, awkward teenagers, teenage drama, humor, feelings, fluff, Mojo’s post)

Work in Tandem by MimiSpearmint (E, 23k, wangxian, LWJ & LSZ, modern cultivation, single parent LWJ, swordflight instructor WWX, fluff, protective LWJ, getting together, smut)

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3. Hey mods! Are there any fics where LWJ is hurtful towards WWX to protect him (like staying with him is dangerous and so LWJ acts all horrible so that WWX leaves) and then later he has to work to reconcile etc.?

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4. Hello!!

So I'm in the mood for Wei Ying homeless & found fics!! Like Wei Ying has been missing & found years later, or sometime later homeless and brought home. If there is intense trauma even better 🥹 I'm not really sure what to add.

Or even Wei Ying missing & found.

Full of secrets waiting to be revealed!! @spicyramen10969​

(Un)forgettable by Edens_Cat, VividestListi (E, 67k, wangxian, modern, kid fic, misunderstandings, angst w happy ending, teacher WWX, juniors as WWX protection squad, amnesia, protective WQ, protective LSZ, matchmaker LJY, single parent WWX, smut) dont think he's homeless in any of these but wwx has been missing and gets found again in all of them

End Racism on the OTW || Yesterday Once More by Sweetlittlevampire (T, 22k, wangxian, modern, reality show au, Long Lost Family au, adoption, family reunions, lost love, getting back together, family feels, angst w happy ending)

Running Home to Me by songsofthespring (T, 34k, wangxian, Anastasia fusion, royalty au, angst w happy ending, hurt/comfort, temporary amnesia, medical inaccuraties, JYL & LWJ friendship, everyone lives au)

Where You Fell by Sweet_William (E, 303k, wangxian, 3zun, NHS/JC, JYL/JZX, modern, coffee shop au, angst w happy ending, homeless au, pining, getting together, slow burn, implied/referenced child abuse, suicidal thoughts, self-esteem issues, autistic character, WWX has ADHD, panic attacks, hurt/comfort, implied/referenced sex work, implied/referenced substance abuse)

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5. Hello! I'm in a mood to know what everyone is reading right now!

The Fifth Type of Non-Contact Force by Caixx (Not Rated, 83k, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor, Actually Somewhat Canon, Mutual Pining, Horny Teenagers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Graphic Smut) Such a fun question! I'm rereading this fic, it's one of my fave teen wangxian fics

Caffeine, Small Talk by mistergoblin (E, 144k, WangXian, Modern AU, Friends With Benefits, Enemies to Lovers, or more accurately: frenemies to fuckbuddies to lovers, Angst and Fluff and Smut, touch-starved lwj, Slow Burn, high levels of sexual tension, Misunderstandings, Getting to Know Each Other, Switching, Bottom LWJ, bottom WWX, slight D/s, Happy Ending, side yanqing, lwj's patented horny grip, Sub LWJ) I just found this one and I'm hooked

Going on charmingly by scribbet (T, 21k, WangXian, Teenage LWJ, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, WWX is BSSR's Disciple, Genius WWX, Petty LWJ, Meddling LXC, Canon Divergence)

Mew Dao Zu Shi by DizziDreams (T, 28k, WangXian, Tokyo Mew Mew AU, High School, Minor Violence, knowledge of Tokyo Mew Mew not required) been keeping a close eye on this Tokyo Mew Mew AU

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6. for the next iitmf, I was wondering if any of our lovely readers wanted to rec a fic that they recently came across that is new and they think is worth a read ? I took a hiatus from all things fandom and now there are a ton of new fics and I don't know where to start! when I say new, I mean in the last 2-3 months. thanks everyone! I love this blog ! ❤️

The Scarlet Lotus  by rainbowninja167 (M, 137k, WangXian, Marriage of Convenience,  Secret Identity, Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before  It Gets Better, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical war crimes,  Yunmeng Bros, the mortifying ordeal of getting seduced by your own  husband, nonlinear chronology we die like cql, just kidding nobody dies  in this fic, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication) these two are my face recent fics that I think deserve waayyyy more attention!

Mad about the Boy by TriviasFolly (M, 62k, wangxian, 1950s America au, greaser WWX, historical smoking, historical viewpoints, angst, internal struggle, pre-relationship, historical homophobia, sexual awakenings, sexual exploration, self-discorvery journey, self-love journey, gay academia, teenage dramatics)

here's a few I adored that I recently read! Troubled Heart, Cooking With Love. by serenare (T, 10k, WangXian, Modern: No Powers, Light Angst, POV LWJ, Internal Conflict, Intern WWX, Strangers to Lovers, LWJ Loves Cooking, Cooking, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Anxiety, Ambiguous/Open Ending)

The Housewife's Guide to Causing Chaos by dvasva (T, 99k, WIP, WangXian, Canon-Typical Violence, Functionally Trans Character, Mild Sexual Content, Domestic Fluff, Love Confessions, Transphobia, Grief/Mourning, Body Dysphoria, Fake Marriage, Canonical Character Death, Misunderstandings, Doting LWJ, Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Misgendering, Mild Angst, Assumptions, Comedic Elements, non-sexual nudity, Discussion of Various Bodily Functions, 4 years of mourning instead of 13, POV Multiple, Corporal Punishment, Trans WWX, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, pregnancy mention)

Silenced With A Kiss by NinjaKK (E, 88k, WIP, WangXian, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Flirting, Teen Romance, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Soft WangXian, WWX in WWX's Body, Secret Relationship, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Dates, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Canon Divergence, Protective LWJ, Protective WWX, Ripple Effect, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Optional Smut, Supportive LWJ, BAMF WWX, Inappropriate Use of Gūsū Lán Forehead Ribbon, Has an Angry LWJ Kink)

Truth Will Out (when caught on video) - End_OTW_Racism!  by KizuKatana (E, 82k, wangxian, WN & WWX & WQ, graphic   depictions of violence, modern cultivation, canon divergence, YZY abuses  WWX , caught on camera, partial core removal, WWX kicked out of Jiang sect, livestreamer WWX, meet ugly, dual cultivation, smut, no war, WIP) I’ll take any and every opportunity to rec  - currently my absolutely favorite fic

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7. Hello! Once again thank you for everything you do. 

For the next in the mood for i'd like to request everybodies favourite getting together fics from Lwj's perspective. I just need more of him pining for Wwx. (But if you have other good Lwj POV fics i'd love if you could recommend them too)

Thank you in advance!!

like blue flame over my fingertips by tangerinechar (T, 37k, wangxian, modern, college/university au, pining, 5+1 things, food as a metaphor for love)

Window Shopping by thunderwear (E, 18k, WangXian, quarantine fic, Single Dad WWX, Getting Together, Long-Distance Relationship, kind of??, Mutual Pining, Fluff, lots of fluff, almost no angst, Happy Ending, First Time, Phone Sex, background 3zun, switching POV, Domestic Fluff, no like a shitton of domestic fluff, some smut)

fell by you by Vrishchika (E, 44k, Dragon LWJ, Fantasy, Explicit Smut in Last Chapter, Pining, POV LWJ, Canon Divergence, Immortals, Deities, Canon-Typical Violence, Dragon WWX, Angst with a Happy Ending)

leave all your love and your longing behind by ScarlettStorm (E, 143k, WangXian, Modern AU, no magic, Meet-Ugly, Panic Attacks, autistic lwj, neurodivergent wwx, the neighborhood asshole dog, if you’ve met one then you know, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Minor Angst, major shenanigans, Happy Ending, for everyone including the asshole dog, Eventual Smut, switch rights, Sex Toys, horny yearning, Masturbation)

Child's Play by flowercity (FaoriE) (T, 14k, WangXian, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, Family, Kid Fic, Fluff, Love at First Sight, Light Angst, Brief Hospitalization, Seizures, Alcohol, But no one gets drunk, Making Out, Single Dad WWX)

You'll be my by cupofwater (G, 2k, WangXian, First Meetings, Meet-Cute, Modern AU, Weddings, Fluff, Illustrated)

Admonishment by bookwyrmling (T, 6k, wangxian, canon divergence, fix-it of sorts, teacher LQR, student WWX, LQR pov, gusu lan sect positive, cloud recesses study arc, burial mounds settlement days, golden core reveal)

Keep Track of Losing Days by giraffeter (T, 74k, WangXian, NieLan, Modern AU, Case Fic, Police, Missing Persons, Mystery, Getting Together, Flashbacks, Rooftop Conversations, Detective LWJ, antifa WWX, team give LWJ friends, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sharing a Bed, First Kiss, First Meetings, Seattle, Mutual Pining, nonfatal car accident, mafia wens, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Guns) 

I know what my heart wants  by yakuso5u (Not Rated, 28k, WangXian, Modern AU, Single Father LWJ,   Fluff, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Accidental Child Acquisition, Domestic, Slice of Life, Christmas references)

The Second Jade of Lan's late but incendiary sexual awakening by KizuKatana (E, 41k, wangxian, modern, college au, genius WWX, competency kink, caretaking kink, canon wangxian dynamics, first time)

(not) puppy love by tiramisus (M, 3k, wangxian, modern, WWX owns an animal shelter, affection starved LWJ, LWJ’s tragic childhood, meet-cute, love at first sight)

some things go forward by everythingispoetry (T, 73k, WangXian, Modern AU, Hospitals, Teenage Drama, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Happy Ending)

~*~

8. Hello! For the next ITMF, I’m looking for fluffy fics with no misunderstanding and no oblivious WWX. Just falling in love, getting together, actual communication

i prefer canon but i'm down for modern as well :)

Question for 8: are they looking for canon or modern or both/any?

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9. Hii , thank you for all the hardwork. I really appreciate it and I am back with another request. Can you please recommend me fics where it's wangxian being in love but from outsider pov. Thank you so much @sineofu​

hey I just met you, and this is crazy by KeriArentikai (E, 9k, wangxian, modern, outsider pov, woke up married, married in vegas, with a twist, getting together, love at first sight, unrealistic sex)

Wait, What? by MarbleGlove (G, 1k, wangxian, time travel, outsider pov)

Always the right way round by so_shhy (G, 3k, wangxian, modern, office party, LWJ loves rabbits, good brother LXC, fluff, excellent boyfriend WWX, outsider POV)

The Misunderstanding by kisahawklin (T, 9k, wangxian, LXC & LWJ, WQ & WWX & WN, WWX & LSZ, modern, misunderstandings, outsider pov)

Everything's growing in our garden by like_a_bird_that_flew (T, 3k, wangxian, LXC & LWJ, modern, coming out, supportive LXC, family feels, established relationship, remrefenced fear of homophobia & rejection, fluff, angst w happy ending, humor)

looking through a window by glitteringmoonlight (T, 5k, wangxian, modern, college/universtity au, outsider pov, fluff, humor)

oh brother by lanzhans_rbf (G, 5k, LXC & LWJ, wangxian, modern, outsider pov, twin jades of lan dynamics, twin jades of lan feels)

~*~

10. *cupped hands* do you of /any/ fics where jin ling gets his dajiu's gift? bonus if it comes into play as it grows up? 🥺🥺 please i can't believe the only fic i know like this is my leaves reach ever for the sun 🙏🙏🙏🙏

a symbol to remind you that there's more to see by paperminds (T, 9k, JL & WWX, JC & WWX, JL & JC, post-canon, canon typical violence, hurt/comfort, angst w happy ending, JC & WWX reconciliation)

~*~

11. Askjhgahgahab I love your blog!!!! 

Have you heard of the fic called A Price to Pay by Wangxianist? In that one, a lot of WWX’s angst was caused by LWJ. I’m looking for fics where the same is the case. Where he’s angsty not because of the Jiangs or the SSC or anything else. But because of LWJ. But also not CQL post canon fics where the WWX is pining because LWJ left him on the roadside. 

~*~

12. For the next itmf,  can you recommend some dark lwj fics where he is older than wwx. The time period doesn't matter. Thank you for your hard work!💞💞

A Matter of Time by mrcformoso (M, 40k, wangxian, time travel fix-it, graphic depictions of violence, underage, LWJ pov, JC pov, dark LWJ, manipulation, grooming, teen body adult mind for LWJ, happy ending for wangxian, problematic consensual underage sex, blood & violence, insane LWJ, manic LWJ) i would recommend 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 by mrcformoso, i think it fits ♡︎

~*~

13. Hi!! I'm going crazy searching for Wen Yuan fics, especially something where he or the Lans discover his identity before WWX resurrection. I'm craving for angst. Thank you!! @niquels-mind​

no new age Series by everythingispoetry (M/T, 145k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Permanent Injury, Recovery, Disability, Parenthood, Character Study, Thirteen Years of WWX’s Death, Families of Choice) part 2 in this series is focused on pretty much exactly that!

the blurriness of being alive by RedLipped (T, 18k, wangxian, canon divergence, grief/mourning, burial mounds, angst w happy ending, hurt/comfort, LWJ is a good dad, inquiry, character study) lwj tells him before wwx resurrection but lsz doesn’t handle it very well at first

~*~

14. any fics where wwx has a dependable parental figure? preferably not jfm? examples that come to mind are jyl in the teapot plot, and lqr in ssj. i would absolutely adore more stories like this, in whichever way the parenthood comes into play ❤

~*~

15. it's been a while since i saw this request so please some inventor/genius/talented-artist wwx? love that guy :')

💖 Pentimento. by orange_crushed (E, 73k, wangxian, modern, college/university au, art conservation, museums, pining, not actually unrequited love, angst w/ happy ending, misunderstandings, smut, major character injury, hospitalization, hurt/comfort, past incarceration, forgery)

~*~

16. ITMF WWX debating with Lan Qiren? LQR could be kind or cruel, I just would love to read some fics where the two debate philosophy, practice, history, academia, etc.

Seasons of Falling Flowers by merakily (G, 40k, wangxian, LQR & WWX, LQR & LWJ, post-canon, character study, introspection, in-laws, emotional baggage, family bonding, protective LWJ, good parent LQR, LQR has feelings, LQR & WWX become friends)

💖 Minding series by WithBroomBefore (G, 85k, wangxian, canon divergence, what if WWX got therapy and recovery post-sunshot, trans LWJ) Part 2 of this series has some debating

~*~

17. Itmf: wwx dies a child birth or after having the baby, can be temporary character death.

The time we’ve lost by Anye (T, 54k, wangxian, LSZ & WWX, LSZ & LJY, modern, ABO, everyone is alive but they don’t know that, eventual happy ending, slow build, twins, misunderstandings) this one is wild bc lwj thinks wwx died in childbirth but he didn’t and has been raising lsz in America the whole time

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[lgbtlunaverse]

Luna I would so love to know about the polycule from hell.

OHHHH THIS IS A FUN ONE

Surpisingly, it has NOTHING to do with 3zun. It's me being on my "i'm injecting female ocs into this universe until it passes the bechdel test" bullshit.

it's a zhuilingyi + afformentioned female ocs polycule. Starting about 2 years post-canon in a frankencanon that leans mostly towards cql-canon but borrows some novel stuff (wangxian being canonically married, some jgy apologism, etc.) with established zhuiling and the protagonist, an outer jin disciple called Li Yue, getting into a relationship with Jingyi, who is currently trying very hard not to look into why his friends being together makes him feel weird. Meanwhile SHE is trying to outrun her own gay feelings for a cultivator from a jin subsidiary sect.

Basically it's two bisexuals who find a person from the opposite gender they have feelings for and are like OH THANK FUCKING GOD I'M STRAIGHT NOW and they are. Very Wrong. As spoiled by the title this will inevitably end with a polycule. Though not a polycule where everyone dates everyone else. Zhuilingyi are a triad, jingyi is also dating li yue, and then her gf is as lesbian as they come so she's only dating her and they've got a mono/poly thing going on.

We have, I believe, both got a "lan xichen arranged marriage postcanon" fic in the works (and i'm VERY excited every time i learn more about yours it sounds really good) and the one I have is set in the same universe as this fic. As well as multiple other stories all surrounding my beautiful set of girls i made up just for myself.

[wangxianficrecs]

❤️A Civil Combpaign by Ariaste

❤️ A Civil Combpaign

by Ariaste

T, 31k, series, lan sizhui x jin ling (zhuiling?), background wangxian

[Podfic] by jellyfishfire [Podfic] by exmanhater

Summary:  “And,” said one of the pompous ministers, “there’s the matter of a marriage to consider as well!”

Jin Ling, who at the beginning of that sentence had expected to slam into the very last wall of his patience and lose his temper entirely, paused. “A what?”

Thing was… it wasn’t such a bad idea.

My comments:  This is fucking adorable. I love it.

Wei Ying is the WEIRDEST uncle:

“I won’t leave my nephew all alone in his hour of need with no one to give him any advice except, apparently, ‘combs’.” Wei Wuxian fought back a grin. “Let’s talk about this.”

“There is no need,” Jin Ling sniffed loftily. “I’ve already decided what to do. You and Lan Sizhui will never have to see or think about me ever again. I will go become a rogue cultivator in the wilderness.”

“Nice,” said Wei Wuxian, nodding approvingly. He perched himself on a rock and crossed his legs at the knee, leaning back on his hands. “I highly recommend that path. You could go take over Yiling if you wanted.The Burial Mounds are a great place to be wistfully, yearningly deep in unrequited love. You can stand on a hill and look out at the landscape and murmur to yourself, Ah, it is barren and empty, like my heart. I have done this many times. Can’t be beat.”

arranged marriage, courting, teen drama, humor, wei wuxian’s avuncular powers, uncles, family feels, family bonding, angst, misunderstandings, fluff, confused jin ling, mortified jin ling, confused lan sizhui, Stone Cold Bitch lan wangji, bad advice, good advice, adorable juniors, podfic available, favorite, @ariaste​

[eachandeverydimension]

MDZS/CQL Fic Rec List

A fic rec list for mdzs/cql focusing on wangxian and zhuiling, because it’s criminal how many good fics aren’t on any rec lists right now!

My first time making a fic rec list, so be gentle please. If any of the authors would like me to remove their fics, just let me know!

All fics are completed.

Lan Zhan/Wei Ying (Wangxian)

Canon-verse

Something Yet to Learn by Glitterbombshell

Synopsis: Wei Wuxian is asked (under duress) to babysit a class of tiny Lan cultivators for just a few minutes. A few minutes turns into an hour, turns into two hours, turns into an impromptu literal field trip and now there's an entire class that is weeks ahead of their curriculum, their most junior disciples have apparently imprinted on Wei Wuxian like baby birds, and Lan Qiren has no one to blame but himself.

蓝色生死恋; a blue love (to live and to die for) byyiqie

Synopsis: Wei Wuxian separates his life, without noticing, into three chapters. Some days, they’re hard to look at, hard to read, harder to know he wrote all of them himself. Some of the words are in blood.

asymptotic by chinxe

Synopsis: The members of the Lan Clan have never been particularly well-known for their good judgement when it comes to matters of the heart.

Which is why it should come as a surprise to no one when Lan Wangji falls in love with an actual ghost.

Linger in the Sun by etymologyplayground

Synopsis:  Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji find themselves cursed, unable to see or hear each other. They figure things out anyway.

Comments: casefic (or in this fandom’s case, nighthuntfic)

seldom all they seem by Fahye

Synopsis: or, one hundred and thirty-three principles of the Gusu Lan, pertaining to the state of marriage

***

He bows to Wei Wuxian, sword in hand, sleeves falling properly. Wei Wuxian bows in return, and the sect leaders begin the opening courtesies, and for all of ten minutes Lan Wangji is under the impression that he is betrothed to a boy who is perfectly normal and acceptable apart from an unfortunate tendency to fidget with his clothes.

That impression does not last.

Comments: Arranged marriage AU

concessions to love by besanii

Synopsis: Conceding to love is not admitting defeat.

(In which there is an arranged marriage with at least one unwilling party. At first.)

Comments: Another very good arranged marriage AU

A Match Made In Heaven by Ariana

Synopsis:  After getting fed up once and for all with Wei Wuxian getting into trouble, Madam Yu decides it’s time to call in the matchmaker.

Comments: Can you tell that I love the arranged marriage trope? Yeah, it’s probably obvious HAHA

Perfectly Arranged by mondengel

Synopsis: Three nights before his wedding to an omega from Yunmeng, Lan Wangji meets Wei Yuandao.

Comments: One last arranged marriage AU, this time round with mistaken identity thrown in!

Accidents Will Happen by mrsronweasley

Synopsis:  Wei Wuxian finds himself in a whole new situation.

Comments: Canon post-series mpreg

Desiderium by seredemia

Synopsis: After the war is over, the imperial realm can finally breathe a sigh of relief. While there is much celebration to be had, the price of war claims the life of their emperor, thus throwing the realm into uncertainty. Prince Lan Wangji must now watch as his older brother inherits the throne, bearing the weight of the legacy their father left behind.

That, however, is the least of his worries. As the lands gather in celebration, Prince Lan Wangji is reunited with a man he has not seen in thirteen years. Wei Wuxian's smile is as captivating as ever; and with each day that passes, the prince struggles more and more to stay away from him.

Comments: Ancient china au.

The Absolutely True Story of the Yiling Patriarch: A Manifesto in Many Parts by aubreyli

Synopsis:  In which the junior disciples (namely, Lan Jingyi, Ouyang Zizhen, and a reluctant Lan Sizhui) turn to RPF in an attempt to rehabilitate Wei Wuxian's reputation so that he and Hanguang-jun can get together and get married and live happily ever after. It's... surprisingly effective.

Concerning Rabbits by pomme (manta)

Synopsis:  In which Lan Wangji navigates life, family, grief, friendship, and love through the years—with rabbits.

Sleeping in Paradise by daiki

Synopsis:  (prompt: AU where Demonic Cultivation shattered Wei Wuxian's soul before Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli's deaths and he went into a death-like state. Since nobody's ever done demonic arts before, nobody's sure if Wei Wuxian is alive or dead so they preserve his body and watch over him.)

Modern!AU

Operation Old Men by Chiharu

Synopsis: An ill-fated parent teacher conference reunites Jin Ling's wayward uncle with Sizhui's father. AKA: A matchmaking disaster as told by Jin Ling, Sizhui, and Jingyi.

And they were roommates... by harriet_vane

Synopsis:  A fic based lightly on a reddit post— "I (21f) have a crush on my roommate (20f). I can't figure out if she actually likes me back or not or is just being friendly. She cooks for me and knows all my favorite foods, and brings me lunch. She buys me anything I want, and her family all joke about our wedding. I once fell asleep on her lap and when I woke up she was stroking my hair and I almost had a stroke. I can't figure out if she's flirting with me or not. Help!"

Blink by Menuridae

Synopsis: Mo Xuanyu's family has set him up on a blind date with a rich young master after learning he is gay. However, he already has plans for that night. Instead of going on the date himself, Mo Xuanyu enlists Wei Wuxian to go as a substitute. Wei Wuxian must act like his best friend for the night before kindly turning down Mo Xuanyu's date.

Only, Wei Wuxian finds out that turning down Mo Xuanyu's date is possibly the hardest thing he has had to do in a long time.

from me to you by Ceta

Synopsis:  Or; Three-time Golden Globe recipient Wei WuXian and seven-time Grammy award recipient Lan WangJi’s love story through the eyes of the internet.

PWP

Fair Play by threerings

Synopsis: “Do you ever want to try out my role?” He propped himself up on one elbow and looked at his husband. Sweat still glistened across his bare chest from their recent exertions and Lan Wangji’s expression was soft and open.

“Hm.” The sound wasn’t either a negative or a positive.

“What does that mean?” Wei Wuxian asked. “Have you thought about it?”

“Wei Ying wants that?” Lan Wangji met his gaze, his eyebrows raised.

“Hmm.” Now it was his turn to hum noncommittally. “It’s not that I don’t enjoy this. Obviously, I do.” His smile twisted into a bit of a smirk as he gestured between their naked bodies. He could still feel the imprint of his husband’s strong hands on his hips, on his right thigh. Still feel where he’d pounded him until he begged for mercy. “But it feels so good...I might like to make you feel that good, too.”

Sun on Stone by Gotcocomilk

Synopsis: It was almost five. It was almost time for the guards to emerge, for careful cultivators to clamber up the walls and wear fine white robes into the sunshine.

It was time for the Cloud Recesses to awaken, and they were in full view of where those eyes would show.

Wei Wuxian had never felt hotter.

Comments: public sex, exhibitionism

24 Hours by tailor31415

Synopsis: Lan WangJi is always so attentive towards Wei WuXian, giving him what he needs before he even realizes he needs it. This time, Wei WuXian wants to give something back.

Comments: Part 1 of Can't Have WangXian Without Kink, an excellent kinky series.

Everything I Hold Dear by sealdog

Synopsis: For Lan Wangji's birthday, Wei Wuxian figures out how to make a duplicate of himself. Every day shenanigans ensue.

Comments: Threesome PWP with two Wei Wuxians and Lan Wangji.

Jin Ling/Lan Sizhui (Zhuiling)

Just the sight of you (is getting the best out of me) by Ibijau

Synopsis: Jin Ling wants all that Lan Sizhui will let him have, even when he knows it's needy of him. When they're caught having sex, Jin Ling loses the boy he loves and realises he'll have to fight to get him back.

Comments: Jin Ling’s efforts to get Sizhui back are so sweet. A treat to read.

A Civil Combpaign by Ariaste

Synopsis: “And,” said one of the pompous ministers, “there’s the matter of a marriage to consider as well!” 

Jin Ling, who at the beginning of that sentence had expected to slam into the very last wall of his patience and lose his temper entirely, paused. “A what?”

Thing was… it wasn’t such a bad idea.

Comments: Jin Ling decides that Lan Sizhui would make the perfect spouse. The first fic that turned me onto mdzs, highly recommended. Funny and touching. Also recommended is it’s equally good sequel below.

Besieged by Ariaste

Synopsis: “Mn,” says Lan Zhan out of the blue one night. He has been playing guqin on the other side of the room without speaking for two hours, and Wei Wuxian has been noodling with some new ideas for talismans for nearly as long--one of those easy, quiet evenings of companionable silence, until Lan Zhan has thrown this enormous tantrum out of nowhere.

---

(A companion fic to "A Civil Combpaign". Read that one first.)

Comments: Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian’s POV of the matchmaking shenanigans that took place in A Civil Combpaign,

[zhuilingyizhen]

arranged marriage AU where jin ling and lan sizhui are set up, jingyi & zizhen accidentally bump into each other while both stalking zhuiling on their date, and zhuiling try to think of how to explain to the other about they’re in love with their best friend while slowly falling in love with each other.

[victortortor]

I'm fairly ambivalent on xicheng. I see it as mostly a fix-it ship with a lot of free real estate that people like to fill with fluff and the usual tsundere/gentle dynamic. But considering Xicheng seriously, both JC and LXC both lose someone (WWX and JGY) over the course of the story, are both attractive, canonically single, fandom-popular characters, and have the added bonus of being a parallel to wangxian since they're both brothers to wwx and lwj respectively. They barely interact in canon,

I might as well just point out everything about xicheng that rubs me the wrong way for any sort of inane reason. Long post with negativity incoming.

1. I acknowledge the validity of xicheng in light of them both having similarly unhappy endings, but I’m still surprised there aren’t more “Everything is OK AU” or fix-its with xiyao, and I’ve already mentioned once or twice that I’m surprised that chengxian isn’t that popular, but I get that most people aren’t willing to break up the CP for the latter. But yeah, fluff and hurt/comfort? Please consider Xiyao or chengxian.

2. More importantly, “added bonus of being a parallel to wangxian since they’re both brothers” is something I understand conceptually, but disagree with. This point has been the biggest turn off since day one. It’s unrealistic and weird and makes me very uncomfortable. My grandmother’s sister and my grandfather’s brother are also married to each other, do you know why? Because the marriages were both arranged and no parties had any say in it. On a meta level xicheng is totally an arranged marriage for the sake of parallels, and I’m. I don’t like this. This is always the one thing I refuse to get over.

And ah yes, I’ve seen that fic around too. I think I even read a bit of it, though if I have I’ve forgotten everything about it. in general it screams not for me. hsdfhjkl I really should give it a genuine chance, but I’m afraid it’s just going to get me more upset. Look upon this generic theoretical passage that I have constructed off my knowledge of xicheng:

“Lan Huan!” Jiang Cheng protested, blushing despite his harsh tone. “Let me go!”

“A-Cheng,” Lan Xichen said gently while smiling, “I think you look very lovely today.” His hold on Jiang Cheng’s waist was firm and resistant to his lover’s protests.

Jiang Cheng turned an ever darker red as he muttered, “Shut up… you look fine, too.”

Now look upon this generic theoretical passage that I have constructed off my knowledge of zhuiling:

“Lan Yuan!” Jin Ling protested, blushing despite his harsh tone. “Let me go!”

“A-Ling,” Lan Sizhui said gently while smiling, “I think you look very lovely today.” His hold on Jin Ling’s waist was firm and resistant to his lover’s protests.

Jin Ling turned an ever darker red as he muttered, “Shut up… you look fine, too.”

Both these ships in one fic, plus wangxian being the “nauseating couple” in the background as suggested in the tags… holy shit, I honestly think I’m going to explode.

Writing this out, I think perhaps one of the other problems I have with it is just the type of the happy ever after it suggests. 

I don’t mean as in resolving LXC and JC’s bad endings, because I support that. I mean as in “WWX and JC are brothers once more, and they all live happily ever after together.” Which I guess is what fandom wants. I’ve heard people say they don’t think their reconciliation it’s realistic, or people saying it’s possible postcanon, but I feel like I’m the only person out there that hopes, whether or not it’s realistic, that it never happens, period. 

Obviously super hypocritical of me to say while I write fix-it JC/LWJ/WWX, but I still think it’s better if JC and WWX are never friends again. Resolve their endings, go ahead. But resolution with LXC doesn’t necessarily mean that he has to get together or be friends with JGY in some universe where he survives, and resolving JC’s emotional plotline shouldn’t mean he has to be friends with WWX again. Let them move on to different people. Let them make different friends. You don’t have to mend old, important relationships, and frankly, I don’t think WWX or JC want to.

Anyway in other words, one time I saw a fic where WWX and JC bicker over who has the better husband while said husbands dote on them lovingly and that’s the sort of “everything hurts” that I’m pretty sure is the exact opposite of what was supposed to happen. I am very thankful that xicheng isn’t canon and I really wish I could like it or at least think of it as fun like you do anon, because then I would be able to enjoy twice as many things as I do now.

[ibijau]

Sins of the Fathers pt5 / On AO3

At noon Jin Ling went to his parents’ house where his husband had spent the morning. They all had lunch together, after which Wen Yuan and him would head back home to start training. Following Jin Guangyao's advice, Jin Ling planned on testing his husband's knowledge of internal cultivation and to work on that as a first order of business. If Wen Yuan proved to have been taught already, they could move on to martial arts. Jin Ling hoped that could be delayed, though. If they had to go to the training grounds, Jin Chan might see them and try to cause problems, which he hadn’t decided yet how to handle.

It felt unbearably awkward to be alone together in the middle of the day. They never spent time like that in each other’s company, so Jin Ling felt his husband was still pretty much a stranger. Making things worse, Wen Yuan was as silent as ever, waiting in the middle of the room, staring at Jin Ling with cold eyes. 

Jin Ling wondered if it had been a mistake to accept his mother’s request. It probably was. But between his unresponsive husband and being around Jin Chan and his idiot friends… 

“My mother told me you already have some training?” Jin Ling asked, trying to sound imposing and confident, like his cool uncle Jiang Cheng. “Tell me more about that.”

Wen Yuan nodded, not the least bit impressed by his husband’s tone.

“When I was young, Wei zongzhu taught me a few notions. It was a long time ago. I was younger than Jin Bai when the lessons had to stop.”

“Do you know why he stopped teaching you?”

“Yes,” Wen Yuan said.

Jin Ling waited for his husband to elaborate. No further explanation came. Wen Yuan just placidly looked at him, radiating indifference.

“I’m not asking because I’m nosy,” Jin Ling announced, which was mostly true. “We’re not friends, we don’t have to know everything about each other! But I need to know if your lessons stopped because you were bad at cultivation, or if there was some other reason.”

“Oh,” Wen Yuan said, blushing a little. He quickly shook his head. “No, it was another reason. Wei-ge… I mean, Wei zongzhu said I showed promise when he was teaching me. But circumstances forced us to give up.”

It wasn’t the answer Jin Ling had expected. Considering Wei Wuxian’s reputation as a cultivation genius, and his animosity toward all other sects, it would have made sense for him to train any child of his that had any skill. He would have needed some disciples now that he’d left the Jiang sect, and also some people to fight for him in case the other sects decided to attack him. The undead were a useful weapon, but they could only do so much.

After being told by his mother that Wen Yuan had only minimal training, Jin Ling had assumed that his husband lacked natural predisposition for cultivation. It was the reason most cultivators gave up on their own child. His own mother had been like that, interested in cultivation to a degree but with a body too frail for it. So either Wen Yuan was lying (but why would he, when Jin Ling was sure to soon find out the truth?), or Wei Wuxian had lied to him to spare his feelings (but would an evil genius ready to sell his son care about that?) or… or there was something fishy going on.

“Well, alright, let’s see that then,” Jin Ling said, once more trying to sound imposing like Jiang Cheng. “Let’s test your breathing first. If you’ve really learned anything at all, it should be that.” He paused and hesitated, something Jiang Cheng would never have done. “I, uh, I’m going to have to touch your chest to check that. Don’t go getting ideas, it’s just to see if you’re doing it right!”

To his surprise, Wen Yuan blushed again. Which was stupid, because Jin Ling had just said there was nothing personal to it. But of course seeing Wen Yuan blush made it weird, and suddenly Jin Ling too was blushing

“Sit down,” Jin Ling ordered. “And, uh, get in position to meditate and all.”

Wen Yuan obeyed, sitting down in the middle of the room. Strangely, the position he adopted was the same one Jiang disciples usually took to practise their breath and improve their inner cultivation. It seemed Wei Wuxian, however creative he’d been for other things, still used the basics he’d learned in the Jiang sect. Jin Ling wondered if Jiang Cheng would be happy or angry about that. It was the sort of thing that was often reproached to new sects (Jin Ling had heard so much criticism of the Moling Su sect) but in that particular case, maybe Jiang Cheng wouldn’t mind that much.

After giving his husband a moment to get started, Jin Ling knelt down next to him and placed one hand over his ribcage. The first thing he noticed was Wen Yuan’s heartbeat increasing the instant he was touched, but Jin Ling ignored it, refusing to make this whole thing any weirder than it already was. Instead, he focused on Wen Yuan’s breathing, its slow and steady rhythm, the way it helped energy gather inside his body, making it pool in the right places.

Wen Yuan hadn’t lied, and neither had Wei Wuxian. He really had a lot of potential. Well trained, Wen Yuan would have formed a golden core years ago. It was baffling that he didn’t have one. With such good bases, even just handing him a cultivation manual and checking on him every few weeks would have been enough, as long as he practised dutifully. So why had Wei Wuxian given up on him?

Jin Ling didn’t bother asking. Wen Yuan wouldn’t have answered. Still, it was hard not to be curious. Nothing about this made any sense. Even Jin Guangshan, not particularly known for caring about junior disciples unless they were rich, would not have given up on someone who showed such promises.

Jin Ling removed his hand from his husband’s chest. Wen Yuan looked at him, his expression a little less cold than usual.

“You’re doing alright,” Jin Ling said. “More than alright, really. How long can you last doing that?”

“All day,” Wen Yuan replied, some pride piercing through. “I can also keep it up when I sleep sometimes, but it’s harder and I'm equally likely to fail.”

“No surprise there. It’s hard to learn to breathe right in your sleep, unless you have a teacher who’s willing to watch you and wake you up every time you go back to normal. Xiao-shushu said he’s never gotten the hang of it. It’s mostly fine, though. It’s not as good as if you could maintain the right breathing all the time, but you can still cultivate like that. Can you control the energy inside you at all?”

It was the expected next step. There was hardly any sense in gathering energy and then not doing anything with it. Even Jin Bai had already learned how to do that. And yet, Wen Yuan shook his head, looking embarrassed.

“Only a little,” he confessed. “Wei zongzhu… didn’t have a lot of time to teach me, even when he still had time at all, and I was often busy as well.”

“You’re a sect’s disciple, what could be more important than your training?” Jin Ling exclaimed. “It's a real waste, with natural skills like yours! If your father was just some rogue cultivator it would be one thing to prioritise other things, but someone like Wei Wuxian should know better. To leave you to your own devices like that…”

“You don’t know him,” Wen Yuan cut him off. “So don’t talk about him.”

He didn’t raise his voice, he didn’t even frown. But coming from a boy that normally couldn’t even be bothered to speak to Jin Ling at all, well, he might as well have been shouting.

“I know enough about him,” Jin Ling snapped back. “I know he sold you to us and couldn’t be bothered to see you get married. I know that he couldn’t bother to properly teach his own son. He’s really just as bad as everyone says, in the end.”

“You don’t know him,” Wen Yuan softly repeated, looking down at the floor. “Wei-ge is a good man. The things he’s done, the good he’s done… but you wouldn’t understand.”

Jin Ling clenched his fists. Of course he didn’t understand, when his husband refused to tell him anything about anything! Was he supposed to read Wen Yuan’s mind to learn in what ways Wei Wuxian was entirely unlike everything everyone knew about him?

To Jin Ling, it was clear that Wei Wuxian was a cold and uncaring person. Everything he'd done in the past had proven it, everything Wen Yuan had said now confirmed it. That Wen Yuan still wanted to defend his father was to his credit, it made him a filial son… but it also made him a bit of an idiot. If Jin Ling could accept the truth about his grandfather, then he expected everyone should look at their own family with the same clarity.

The only reason Jin Ling kept from saying these things out loud was that he didn’t want to disappoint his mother. It was clearly important to her that these lessons go well. Jin Ling couldn’t let her down.

“Nevermind your father, none of this is about him,” Jin Ling said. “It’s about you. So you’ve got some basics when it comes to internal cultivation, that’s already more than I expected. What about fighting? Has anyone taught you that? Hand-to-hand styles? Or some swordsmanship maybe?”

“I’ve never used a sword,” Wen Yuan replied, looking embarrassed again. As he should be, even the smallest and poorest of sects found enough money to get their disciples a blade. “But I can defend myself, and I’m alright with a bow.”

In spite of himself, Jin Ling felt a spark of interest at the mention of archery. A bow was not the most common weapon for a cultivator, but it was one he’d always liked. It was in his blood. His father was after all a renowned archer, as was his uncle Jiang Cheng. But come to think of it, Wei Wuxian too used to be a reputed archer in his youth, so perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that his son had inherited his skill.

“Has your father taught you?” Jin Ling asked.

“No,” Wen Yuan said. Then, to Jin Ling’s shock, his husband actually elaborated on his answer, on his own. “It was my cousin Wen Ning who taught me archery, and most of what I know about hand-to-hand combat as well. He’s the one who really took care of me after…”

Realising he’d said more than intended, Wen Yuan trailed off with a frown.

“After what?” Jin Ling asked.

Wen Yuan looked away, his frown deepening.

“It’s not important. Do you want to test me for this, too?”

Although disappointed that his husband had stopped talking just as the conversation was becoming interesting, Jin Ling considered their options. On one hand, he definitely needed to assess Wen Yuan’s level. His mother had given him the impression that his husband was a complete beginner and he’d planned some lessons accordingly, but Jiang Yanli seemed to have underestimated her son-in-law. 

On the other hand, trying to test someone who had trained with a fierce corpse was a little scary. It was possible that Wen Yuan wouldn’t know how to control his strength, nor how to avoid seriously harming a living opponent. 

Ultimately though, Jin Ling had to test him, and he had to do it without showing any fear. He was the teacher in this situation, and what could he hope to teach if his student knew he was scared?

“Let’s get up,” Jin Ling ordered. “You’re going to try to strike me.”

“What if I hurt you?” Wen Yuan asked, unfolding his legs and getting up while his husband did the same. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”

“Have you hurt people before?”

“Yes, once or twice,” Wen Yuan calmly said. “Sometimes, people would try to enter the Burial Mounds in Yiling. Uncle Wen usually took care of them alone, but in recent years I’ve helped him when necessary.”

Jin Ling shivered. “Have you… killed anyone?” he asked, dreading the answer.

Wen Yuan hurriedly shook his head, looking horrified.

“Oh, good then,” Jin Ling awkwardly said, more relieved than he could admit. “If you couldn’t kill some low level robbers, then I don’t think you’ll really be able to hurt me.” He took a fighting stance, bracing himself. “Go on, show me what you can do. Hit me as hard as you can.”

Visibly reluctant, Wen Yuan got in position to strike. Before he’d even moved, Jin Ling noted that his posture wasn’t very good, his legs weren’t as solid on the ground as they should have been. It would have been easy to knock him over. He kept that thought to himself, and waited for his husband to hit. 

When he finally did so, Wen Yuan’s attack turned out so weak that Jin Ling easily took the blow without flinching. It would have hurt a common person, sure, but that was all the good that could be said about it. It had lacked power, proving that Wen Yuan had never learned to use his energy to strengthen his blows, something any child would learn in a sect. It also lacked speed. A common person with some knowledge of martial arts could have avoided it. A cultivator, even a low level one, definitely would have dodged, and found Wen Yuan open for a counter-attack. 

Overall, Wen Yuan had attacked the way a fierce corpse would, but he lacked the raw power of one.

“Are you alright?” Wen Yuan asked. “Did I hurt you?”

“Was that the best you can do, or did you hold back because you were worried about hurting me?”

Wen Yuan looked embarrassed by the question, which was already an answer in itself.

“I held back a little. If something happens to you because of me… I don’t want to risk the wrath of the Jin sect.”

That was a fair concern to have, so Jin Ling couldn’t scold him. At the same time, it was insulting that Wen Yuan thought him weak.

“Don’t worry about hurting me, you’re not capable of it,” Jin Ling assured him. “If you’ve hurt anyone before, it was just luck on your part. We’re going to have to start over from scratch, you’re really bad at this. Your family and your sect have failed you, if this is all they’ve bothered teaching you.”

It might not have been the nicest thing to say, Jin Ling realised after he’d already said it. But he was starting to get angry on Wen Yuan’s behalf. Bad training could be worse than no training at all. It was going to be so hard to undo all the bad habits he’d probably picked up over the years, something Jin Guangyao had told his nephew he’d also struggled with after using fake cultivation manuals when he was young. Right then, Wen Yuan was offended at the insult against his family, but Jin Ling didn’t doubt that in a few months, Wen Yuan would be furious that they had failed to properly guide him.

For now, Wen Yuan took a deep breath. There was a spot of red on his cheeks, this time likely from anger rather than embarrassment, but aside from that he still looked perfectly calm. It made Jin Ling feel like he wasn’t even worth getting angry at, which in turn made him angry.

“What is next in the lesson?” Wen Yuan quietly said, like a dutiful student talking to his teacher. “More testing?”

“No, I know everything I need to know,” Jin Ling scoffed. “You’re much better than I expected, but also much worse. I have to change my plans for you, nothing I prepared will work for someone like you. You can go if you like, or stay here and hide in your room until dinner. I have to go to the library to figure out how to deal with you.”

His face still red, Wen Yuan bowed deeply and, Jin Ling thought, with a touch of disdainful irony.

“Thank you for your patience with this unworthy student,” Wen Yuan said, and definitely that had to be ironic. “I am grateful for my husband’s help.”

Jin Ling scoffed, refusing to answer that veiled insult. His patience indeed! Next, Wen Yuan would thank him for his gentleness. Maybe it was better when Wen Yuan didn’t speak to him at all, if all he could do was mock him when he spoke.

But Jin Ling didn’t have time to deal with that. Without another word, another look at his husband, he left the house and strode toward the sect’s library, hoping something in there could help him deal with a student who was at once too good and too awful to be taught the usual way.

[ibijau]

Sins of the Fathers pt2 / On AO3

Wen Yuan's first encounter with his new in-law didn't go quite as bad as Jin Ling feared.

Still, it was far from ideal.

First of all, Wen Yuan overslept. Then, he took an eternity putting on the new clothes of golden silk he'd been gifted, only to put all of them wrong. Jin Ling, kindly, stepped closer, reaching out to at least fix Wen Yuan's collar. His hand was promptly slapped away, and his husband glared at him as angrily as if Jin Ling had tried to assault him. 

“Fine, look like a mess for all I care,” Jin Ling snapped. “But I tried to help, remember that!”

Wen Yuan frowned, his too pale cheeks colouring slightly, as if he were the one who had any reason to be embarrassed, when it was Jin Ling who would be really humiliated to be seen with his new husband. 

And indeed, when they met with Jin Ling's parents and grandparents for breakfast, everybody looked shocked to discover Wen Yuan's face. None of them had met him beforehand. The whole engagement had been set up through letters, followed by one single encounter between Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao acting on strict instructions from his father. Wen Yuan's appearance had never been discussed, Jin Ling suspected, because they'd all assumed any young cultivator would look healthy and decently handsome. 

Wei Wuxian had to be laughing, all the way back in Yiling. 

Still, it was a little rude, the way everyone stared at Wen Yuan without a single movement to greet him. Jin Ling couldn’t be the one to breach the silence, or else he’d have been rude, but it became tempting the longer everyone refused to say anything. Thankfully Jiang Yanli soon recovered from her shock, and smiled warmly at her new son-in-law. 

“Wen Yuan, we are so pleased to meet you,” she said, gesturing for Jin Ling and him to sit down.

Jin Ling promptly obeyed, taking his usual place between his father and the twins, but Wen Yuan did not move, standing awkwardly next to the table, as if he couldn't see an extra spot had been left empty between Jin Zixuan and Jin Ruyi.

“I am honoured to be here,” Wen Yuan mumbled with a deep bow toward Jin Guangshan first, and then Jin Zixuan. His voice was rough, his enunciation poor, as if he weren't used to speaking. “Thank you for letting me join your family, I will try to be worthy.” 

Both of Jin Ling's grandparents frowned and exchanged a concerned look, before remembering they hated each other too much to bond over disdain for a new in-law. 

“I'm sure you will be fine,” Jin Guangshan told Wen Yuan. “Don't hesitate to tell Rulan if anything troubles you. It is a husband's job to make his wife happy and comfortable.” 

The entire family looked away from him, shocked that he'd dare to say such a thing, worried he might take offence at their shock. Only his wife dared to glare at him, but she was the only one who needn't fear him. 

“Speaking of which,” Jin Guangshan went on, “while you are more than welcome to join your husband and my disciples in training, we don't expect you to entirely drop your previous cultivation method either. Just tell us what accommodations you need, and it will be arranged.”

“Thank you,” Wen Yuan mumbled, finally going to sit with his husband. 

Jin Guangshan stared at him, clearly hoping for more of an answer so he could start gleaning information about the Yiling sect's methods, but Wen Yuan remained silent.

In fact, nobody managed to get more than a word or two out of him after that, much to the annoyance of Jin Ling's grandparents.

Jiang Yanli casually mentioned the great distance from Yiling to Carp Tower, and what a long and exhausting experience a wedding day was. With such an excuse provided for him, it was harder for Jin Guangshan to complain too much about young people and their bad manners. But even her skill couldn't have saved Wen Yuan from reproaches if anyone besides Jin Ling had noticed his odd eating pattern. Like the previous night, Wen Yuan never ate anything unless he saw someone else eat it first, and even then he ate very little, very slowly. When that pattern repeated at lunch and dinner, Jin Ling became convinced his new husband really feared poison, and he wondered if that was a reflection of his own sect's reputation, or of life in the Burial Mounds. 

The rest of the day was somewhat uneventful, although not quiet by any means. Wen Yuan had to be introduced to a number of elders and relatives, as well as the higher ranking disciples of the sect, and the servants who would work for Jin Ling and him. The entire time, Wen Yuan hardly said a word, which Jin Ling thought was for the best. His husband wouldn't embarrass him as much if he didn't speak.

On the next day, their new normal life was set to commence. Jin Ling was dreading going back to his usual training schedule, knowing he’d have to face his cousin Jin Chan and his opinions, so he allowed himself to be late for the first classes. It wasn’t his fault, he told himself. Wen Yuan still wasn’t awake at the hour training was meant to start, and Jin Ling couldn’t possibly leave without letting his poor husband know where he was going. Not that Wen Yuan particularly cared when he did wake up at last and Jin Ling told him, but it was as good an excuse as any.

“You can come along if you want,” Jin Ling offered. “To watch, or to participate. I think it’s hand to hand combat this morning. Otherwise, you’re free to do as you like all day as long as you don’t get in trouble.”

Wen Yuan frowned, and slowly shook his head. Wise of him, really. Being small, skinny, and associated with Jin Ling in any way was too much of an invitation to be bullied by Jin Chan. And then Jin Ling would be the one getting in trouble for not protecting his husband, while Jin Chan would probably be praised by his asshole dad. Everyone knew Jin Zixun held a deep grudge against Wei Wuxian, and that he’d threatened to leave the sect over that marriage. He'd only agreed to stay because Jin Guangshan himself had asked him to, as a personal favour from a nephew to his uncle. Or at leat, that was the official version. Everyone knew Jin Zixun had no friends outside the sect, and was involved in some shady business with his uncle.

Well Jin Ling thought he should have left, and taken his idiot son along with him.

Just as Jin Ling feared, Jin Chan started mocking him from the moment he joined the other junior disciples. Accusations of enjoying his new bride's company too much to be on time were thrown at him, followed by jokes about the ugliness of said bride, something which Jin Guangshan had apparently complained about to half the sect already.

Jin Ling did his best to ignore his cousin, knowing that Jin Chan would pose himself as the true victim if he dared to punch him in the face. Already, Jin Ling had a somewhat bad reputation among teachers, who thought he was arrogant (he preferred skilled), capricious (determined), hot-headed (brave!) and unwilling to admit his faults (because he had none). He couldn’t add violent to that list, no matter how much his fists itched.

Also, it would upset his parents to learn he’d been fighting again, even though he was a married man now, practically an adult, someone his younger siblings should be able to look up to.

So Jin Ling withstood every horror his cousin shout-whispered at the other boys while the teacher pretended not to notice, and then escaped as fast as he could once the lesson was over. 

He was supposed to eat with the other junior at lunches, because his father believed it was good for him to be around boys his age. But really, Jin Ling usually went directly to the kitchen to get food, and then either ate there or took it somewhere hidden so his father wouldn’t discover him being antisocial. Sometimes it was his room, but currently that wasn't an option because his husband might still be there. Jin Ling wasn’t in the mood to deal with yet another person who didn’t like him. 

Instead he went to hang out in Jin Guangyao’s office. His little uncle welcomed him warmly, and let him play with his dog too. It should have been Jin Ling’s dog anyway, but his grandfather had refused it on his behalf for stupid reasons so his uncle had been forced to keep it. Jin Guangyao was so overworked he rarely had time for poor Fairy, so Jin Ling was really the one training it, and even secretly took it on Night Hunts if he could do it without his grandfather’s knowledge. 

Fairy might as well have been Jin Ling’s dog, really.

In exchange for letting him hide at lunch, Jin Guangyao made Jin Ling help sorting some papers. It was their usual deal, and it allowed Jin Ling to tell his father he was taking an interest in sect business, another thing Jin Zixuan was really weird and insistent about. 

A year or two ago, he’d overheard his father tell his mother that he, Jin Ling, was too much like Jin Zixuan himself had been at that age. The way he’d said it, it hadn’t sounded like a compliment. Soon after that, Jin Ling had been given new rules to follow, like having lunch with other juniors, and helping his father and little uncle with various tasks, and also his mother had a very awkward talk with him about how he should be nice to girls but not too nice either, in case they got the wrong idea and thought he was like his grandfather.

Grown-ups were weird.

In the afternoon, Jin Ling had more lessons to attend with his cousin, but he skipped them and went to practise archery instead. He’d seen enough of Jin Chan and the others already, and wasn’t sure he’d manage to keep his temper in check.

At the end of the day, Jin Ling finally returned to his house to pick up his new husband, so they could eat dinner with the rest of the family, the only meal they all had together, although his grandparents regularly found reasons not to attend. He couldn’t be sure, but he suspected that Wen Yuan had not left his room all day. Not only that, but it seemed as though he hadn’t eaten anything all along. There was a tray full of food on a table, probably lunch, and all of it was intact. And Jin Ling had already eaten breakfast by the time Wen Yuan woke up, so it was possible he’d eaten nothing all morning as well.

Jin Ling felt a little guilty for that. Sure it was stupid of Wen Yuan to fear poison, but Jin Ling should have made more of an effort to at least have breakfast with him. And did they show that boy were to go have lunch if he wanted to eat in company? The previous day had been so full, Jin Ling couldn’t remember. At least Wen Yuan was able to eat at dinner, but he was so thin that it couldn’t be good for him to skip meals like that.

The next day, Jin Ling was again unable to have breakfast with his husband. Wen Yuan overslept again, but Jin Ling had been threatened with punishment if he was late that morning too. He still made sure to return to their home at noon to show Wen Yuan where he could have lunch. He didn’t stay to eat with him, though, because he’d promised Jin Guangyao to give him a hand brushing Fairy.

As he walked away, Jin Ling glanced behind and saw that Wen Yuan, after some hesitation, decided not to enter the refectory and instead headed back for their home.

Well.

Jin Ling had tried. The rest was out of his hands.

The following days went on much the same. Wen Yuan still wouldn’t eat unless someone was present to taste the food before him, and he still refused to leave their home to be around people who could eat near him. Jin Ling tried to talk about it, but quickly got the impression that Wen Yuan wasn't really listening, so he gave up. But his husband's refusal to eat was bad enough that one servant mentioned to Jin Ling that the food they brought to Wen Yuan always remained untouched. And if servants were concerned enough to tell him, it meant pretty soon the entirety of Carp Tower would know as well.

It wasn’t much of a surprise when his parents demanded to see him one afternoon. Jin Ling had noticed some pretty sharp looks coming from them at dinners, and whenever they spotted him throughout the day. He'd made extra effort to not linger around them too much, certain he'd get scolded for something that wasn't even his fault. But if they asked for him specifically, then it couldn't be avoided anymore.

When he arrived at his parents’ house, the first thing Jin Ling noticed was the eerie quiet. His siblings weren’t there, then, not even the baby. Maybe his parents wanted to shout at him without scaring their younger children, the ones they loved so much they weren’t married to starving mute weirdos.

His mother was sitting on a sofa, looking purposefully relaxed. His father stiffly stood beside her, a disapproving frown already on his face.

“A-Ling, come sit with me,” Jiang Yanli gently invited, patting the spot next to her. “Oh, don’t make that face. You’re not in trouble, we just want to speak to you.”

Jin Ling shrugged, and stayed standing, just as stiff as his father. His mother sighed, as if she thought he was the most unreasonable person in the entire world, but she still smiled at him.

“Alright, if you’re more comfortable like this, it’s fine,” Jiang Yanli said. “Well, I think you can imagine why we wanted to talk to you, can’t you?”

“I can’t,” Jin Ling bluntly retorted. “You’ll have to tell me.”

“A-Ling, please,” his mother started, but her husband interrupted her.

“We want to know how things are between you and Wen Yuan,” Jin Zixuan stated. “It’s not an easy situation, for either of you. How are you dealing with it?”

Jin Ling glared at him, fighting not to let his hands form fists.

“It’s not easy for either of us?” he shouted. “Really? That’s all you can say? What’s not easy about this for him, exactly?”

“Watch your tone,” his father warned.

Jiang Yanli put one hand on her husband’s arm, the not-so-secret signal they had when she thought he should let her handle a difficult situation. It used to really be a secret signal, but since his grandfather has ordered his marriage Jin Ling had caused it to happen so often that he’d noticed it. Now it irritated him every time, while also making him feel ashamed that even his mother thought he was a problem to be solved.

“A-Ling, we know you are upset about the marriage,” Jiang Yanli told him. “I know you think we betrayed you, but I promise you we tried everything we could to change your grandfather’s mind. We always promised ourselves none of our children would be forced to marry someone they didn’t choose, and you cannot imagine how sorry we are.”

“Sure, you are,” Jin Ling grumbled.

“It wasn’t our choice,” his mother insisted, something like distress piercing through her voice, making Jin Ling even more upset. “Your grandfather was very determined. Things are what they are now, but we want to ensure everything is going as well as it can. For you, and for Wen Yuan too. You have your family around you, your home, but that poor boy is alone among strangers, and his struggles…”

“What struggles?” Jin Ling exploded. “He’s just a useless, ugly, stupid person!”

Both of his parents startled, and exchanged a concerned look.

“A-Ling…”

“He is!” Jin Ling shouted. “He really is stupid! Only a stupid person would still think he’s going to be poisoned after so many days here! And he’s so stupid that he never wants to leave the house, even when I invite him to come walk around with me! And he looks so bad, with his hair that’s always messy and the way he can never dress correctly! Jin Chan keeps telling me I’m married to a scarecrow and he’s not wrong! I’m the heir of the Lanling Jin sect, I’m going to rule it someday! Why do I have to be married to that guy? I’m the heir of the greatest sect, I should have my pick among all the prettiest and smartest people in the cultivation world, but instead I’m stuck with that!”

His mother’s face turned red. His father’s, white. Both of them stared at him with undisguised horror, as if they couldn’t believe that their son dared to have such feelings, when Jin Ling couldn’t imagine anyone feeling any other way if they were forced into such a cruel and unfair situation.

“He’s just the same,” Jin Zixuan whispered with undisguised horror. “Listen to him, isn’t he just the way I was?”

Tearing her eyes from her son, Jiang Yanli weakly smiled at her husband and patted him on the arm.

“Dear, now isn’t the time for this.”

“But…”

“Why don’t you let me talk with him alone?” Jiang Yanli suggested in that very gentle tone of hers that was always to be understood as a firm order. “If you’re upset over nonsense, you won’t be helpful, and this is a situation we can’t leave to fester.”

Jin Zixuan nodded with some hesitation. He strode out of the room, purposefully avoiding looking at his son. It wasn’t the first time Jin Ling felt his father was disappointed by his bad temper, but that day it particularly hurt.

“A-Ling, come sit,” his mother said when his father had closed the door behind him, still using that same gentle-suggestion-but-actually-an-order tone.

Jin Ling wanted to refuse, but a lifetime of habit was stronger. Before he knew it, he was next to his mother on the sofa. Still, as a vain act of rebellion, he sat as far from her as he could. She did not comment on it.

“A-Ling, I am not angry at you,” Jiang Yanli said. “Neither is your father.”

“Yeah, right!”

“Right indeed,” she insisted. “He’s upset at himself, that’s all, and only because he doesn’t see things the way I do. And you… my poor little boy, have things really been that bad with that new husband of yours? Has he made you very miserable?”

“Like that matters,” Jin Ling grumbled.

“It does,” Jiang Yanli assured him, reaching to take his hand. 

Jing Ling pulled it away, but she grasped for it again, and once she had it she held it too tightly for him to think of escaping.

“A-Ling, even if we cannot dissolve the wedding when your grandfather is so determined on having this alliance, it doesn’t mean I’ll let you suffer for the sake of his ambition,” Jiang Yanli said. “If Wen Yuan is cruel to you in private, if there is something about his behaviour or manners that is objectionable, we won’t force a cohabitation.”

“He is objectionable. He is unpleasant and unworthy of being married to me.”

Jiang Yanli grimaced, but managed to turn that into a smile.

“You’ve certainly made that clear. Is it what you really think, though, or are you just angry because your cousin is mocking you about this?”

“I don’t need Jin Chan to tell me how to feel about things,” Jin Ling haughtily retorted.

“Indeed you don’t,” Jiang Yanli agreed. “So tell me what you think of your husband, not what your cousin feels. Is Wen Yuan difficult to live with?”

Jin Ling hesitated. He wanted to be angry, he wanted to hate Wen Yuan whose arrival in his life had made everything worse. But it was always harder to be furious when he was around his mother. Maybe it was the way she really seemed to listen to him, when most grown-ups didn’t.

“He is not… difficult as such,” Jin Ling reluctantly admitted. “Sometimes, it’s like there’s nobody at all living with me. He’s really weird, you know. I meant it, he doesn’t know how to dress or do his hair, and he refused to have servants do it for him. And also, he thinks we’re going to poison him.”

Jiang Yanli's eyebrows rose in surprise.

“He told you that?”

“No. He never speaks to me at all!” Jin Ling complained. “But it’s clear he’s scared of poison. He never eats anything if someone else hasn’t also eaten it. I know grandfather hasn’t noticed, but I worry grandmother has, and I thought you did as well.”

Jiang Yanli shook her head, a crease forming between her eyebrows. Her hand tightened on Jin Ling’s, almost painfully so.

“I only saw that he wasn’t eating very much,” she said, “although his portions have gotten a little more lately. I thought maybe… during the Sunshot Campaign, if we rescued from the Wens someone unpracticed in inedia who had been left without food for a long time, they weren’t allowed to eat a lot, not right away. It can be dangerous, I've been told. But I don’t think… Wei Ying would never let a child of his starve, not unless something was very wrong. After what happened when he was young… he could not, I am sure of it.”

Jiang Yanli sounded so sure of herself as she said that, as if Wei Wuxian were still the same childhood friend she’d grown up with, and not a man inspiring fear in the entire cultivation world. Her mother had been very close to the man who became the Yiling Patriarch, Jin Ling knew that. He’d even heard people say that the true reason Wei Wuxian had left the Jiang sect was because Jiang Cheng hadn’t allowed him to marry his sister, opting to let her have a love match.

If that was true, then nobody must have told Jiang Yanli. She still believed that Wei Wuxian was at heart a good person, even when there was ample proof he wasn’t, like the way he was rumoured to sometimes kill his own disciples in the streets of Yiling if they displeased him.

“So these are your reproaches?” Jiang Yanli asked her son. “He has odd eating habits, he doesn’t speak a lot, and he does not pay attention to his looks. Those are things we could try to solve, I think. I will have a talk with him, if you don’t mind. Unless there are other issues?”

“Just that is already pretty bad!” Jin Ling insisted, but in spite of himself he already felt less angry at Wen Yuan.

It really was just those things that annoyed him about his husband. Anyway, the food thing mostly irritated him because he was worried Wen Yuan was going to fall sick if he kept not eating, which everyone would blame on Jin Ling. The silent treatment was also not great, but Jin Ling hadn’t exactly gone out of his way to chat either after the first day or two, so he wasn’t exactly on steady grounds to complain about that. As for Wen Yuan’s looks… well, he looked like an underfed wet rat who someone wrapped in silk robes. There was no denying it. But it wasn’t exactly his fault.

All of the rest of Jin Ling’s anger was really against a lot of other people, mostly Jin Chan and Jin Guangshan. But he wasn’t really supposed to be angry at them because they were family, so it was easier to blame Wen Yuan for everything.

“I’ll go visit your husband right away,” Jiang Yanli decided, as she got up from the sofa, pulling her son’s hand so he’d stand too. “Why don’t you go and visit your little uncle? I think playing with his dog would do you good right now.”

“She’s a spiritual dog, mother, I don’t play with her!” Jin Ling protested, rolling his eyes. “I train her for him, because he’s so busy. It’s not fun, it’s very serious!”

“Well, go and train that puppy then,” his mother gently suggested-but-really-ordered, releasing his hand at last.

There was no resisting her when she was like that. Jin Ling walked toward the door, but stopped short of opening it.

“Mother…” he hesitantly started. “Father, he… he seemed really angry at me, earlier…”

“I will talk to him, A-Ling,” Jiang Yanli said, coming closer to press a kiss on his temple, like Jin Ling was some sort of upset baby to comfort. “I think once I tell him what we’ve talked about, he’ll actually be proud of you. I know I am. You’re dealing with this so much more maturely than we had any right to expect.”

Jin Ling huffed, trying to pretend he didn’t need anyone’s approval, but he couldn’t completely refrain a smile as he left the house.

[ibijau]

Sins of the father pt1 / On AO3 Wanting an alliance with the Yiling sect, Jin Guangshan arranges a marriage. One of the children Wei Wuxian had from his infamous harem of seducted women will marry his own grandson, Jin Ling, in exchange for a large sum of money. Of course Jin Ling is less than thrilled about it, and it seems neither is Wen Yuan, the strange and silent boy who now shares his life. Nobody in the history of the world has ever been more unlucky than Jin Ling. But there is more to his new husband than meet the eye, and if Jin Ling can figure out what secrets Wen Yuan holds, he might just have a shot at happiness.

The weather had started pretty good that morning, only to quickly degrade as time passed. It was nearly a full blown storm by the time the bride's sedan appeared down the road, with such rain and wind that would ruin everyone's clothes. Jin Ling took it as a bad omen. But of course, Jin Ling was in a mood where he would have found fault even with sunny weather. The blue skies were mocking his misery, he would have said. Still, it was very stormy, and that felt appropriate for the most mismatched wedding the world had ever seen. 

Naturally, Jin Guangshan was to blame. Jin Ling used to adore the man who spoiled him rotten, but in recent years he'd somewhat revised that opinion. At now fifteen, Jin Ling was starting to suspect that everything wrong with his sect could be traced back to his grandfather. It was an opinion he kept to himself. People were already quick to call him insolent, arrogant, or ungrateful, he didn't want to prove them right. Besides, grown-ups hated it when young people were smarter than them, and Jin Ling suspected many adults in his life hadn't yet realised what a problem their sect leader was. 

But really, it had been Jin Guangshan's idea, this wedding, as well as the alliance going with it. And he'd refused to listen to reason when anyone had pointed out the risks, which was one thing. But he'd also not paid any mind to his oldest grandson's very real emotions on the topic, which Jin Ling hadn't expected. He was the oldest grandson, the future heir. He'd thought his wishes would have more weight than that, but Jin Guangshan had been quick to put him back in his place, letting him know nobody cared about what he wanted.

And now Jin Ling was getting married, against his will. 

As the bride's sedan came closer, it became noticeable that people were accompanying it. Jin Ling squinted, trying to get a look at his future spouse's friends and relatives. Instead he saw nothing but a dozen corpses, some half rotten, others as fresh as if they'd just died, which had to be worse. There was only one living person visible, a gaunt man wearing dark robes who walked in front of the rest. Even without ever meeting him, Jin Ling knew this had to be Wei Wuxian, the Yiling Patriarch, the entire reason for this whole stupid wedding. 

At last, the bridal sedan arrived in front of Carp Tower's gates. The sedan's door opened and Jin Ling got a first peek at his bride, a slender figure dressed in red, whose head was covered by an opaque veil of the same colour. When that person stepped out, Jin Ling wondered if there had been a change of plan, if Wei Wuxian had found a daughter of his own after all, one he was willing to sacrifice for Jin money. There was no way this small, frail figure belonged to the boy of seventeen whom the Jin sect had bought. This bride was shorter than Jin Ling, and more slender too, when already Jin Ling was at that difficult stage of growth when his entire body seemed made of bones with no flesh attached. A girl would be a better deal, of course, as she could give the Jin sect an heir. But she'd be in more danger with some of her in-laws, especially if she had the misfortune of being the least bit pretty. 

But no, this had to be a boy. There was a very flat chest as a first hint, and then the hands peeking out of the sleeves, the only visible part of this newcomer, looked too big and rough for a girl. This really had to be Wen Yuan, the bastard son to whom Wei Wuxian hadn't deigned to give his own name. 

Jin Zixuan nudged his son, and Jin Ling stepped forward to offer his hand to his bride. This earned him a glare for Wei Wuxian, as if somehow Jin Ling was at fault for this situation, as if it weren't Wei Wuxian himself who had sold them his own child. Wen Yuan did not move. Perhaps the veil was too thick, and he couldn't see Jin Ling's hand. Or else he saw it, and just didn't want to take it, to make Jin Ling look foolish. 

“We welcome you here,” Jin Ling said, sounding awkward to his own ears. “We hope… we hope our preparations for this joyful day will satisfy you.”

Wei Wuxian's glare intensified, seizing Jin Ling with terror he couldn't control. It wasn't just him, either. Behind him, the adults were shifting uncomfortably. Even Jin Ling's mother looked ready to jump in, as if she didn't quite trust her childhood friend after all. 

“I will take the money before I give you the boy,” Wei Wuxian announced. 

Jin Guangshan stepped closer, although he did not dare approach as much as Jin Ling had. 

“We have it, of course. But surely such matters can wait until after the ceremony? We have prepared a banquet that you will surely…”

“I will have the money now,” Wei Wuxian cut him, his expression darker still. “And I will not step inside Carp Tower, not unless my people can follow me there.” 

Saying this, he gestured at the corpses which had now gathered behind him in two neat rows, like an army following its commander. 

“Someone go get the chest,” Jin Guangshan ordered. “Guangyao ! Hurry!” 

Jin Guangyao rushed away, and the wait began, made uncomfortable by the rain and the wind. Even with his pretty good cultivation, Jin Ling was starting to feel cold, and he knew he couldn't be the only one. His mother had to be miserable, and his younger siblings too. It gave Jin Ling some twisted joy to notice that Wen Yuan was shivering too, suffering as well from the capricious whims of his father, but that was short lived. Wei Wuxian himself appeared untouched by the dreadful weather, still standing tall and proud to glare at everyone, never noticing the discomfort of his own child. But then again, what more could be expected of a father so willing to sell his son? 

At last Jin Guangyao returned, carrying a small chest Jin Ling knew to be filled with gold. The price of Wen Yuan's life, of Jin Ling's own ruined future. Wei Wuxian opened the chest to check its content, something Jin Ling found unspeakably rude, while knowing his grandfather would have done the same had the positions been reversed. When he was satisfied with what he'd counted, Wei Wuxian handed the chest to one of his corpse soldiers. He then turned to Jin Ling, his expression severe. 

“If anything happens to my son, I will make your family wish you were never born,” Wei Wuxian warned. “And I'll make you watch everything I do to them, until there's nothing left of this sect but ashes. This is my son, and your treatment of him will be taken as a reflection of your respect for me. Am I clear?” 

Jin Ling quickly nodded, so nervous he could hardly breathe. Wei Wuxian turned his cold eyes to Jin Guangshan. 

“The same goes for you, and for that son of yours.”

While Jin Guangshan swore that Wen Yuan would be treated well, Jin Ling wondered why Wei Wuxian was worried his father of all people would do anything bad. It was fair to be wary of Jin Ling himself, who as a husband could easily mistreat his new bride if he wished, although he'd been raised better than that. And as for Jin Guangshan… The less said, the better. But Jin Zixuan ? He was universally well liked, and well respected, with a reputation for kindness. Why would Wei Wuxian think his son would be the exception to Jin Zixuan's kind disposition? Was Jin Ling's new bride so unlikeable that even his father might get irritated? 

While Jin Ling worried, Wei Wuxian took his son in his arms and hugged him tight. It would have seemed like a sincerely affectionate goodbye, had Jin Ling not known how much money his father-in-law was earning from this.

“Don't forget what I've taught you,” Wei Wuxian ordered Wen Yuan, his voice wavering. “Let me know immediately if anything is wrong. I meant it, I won't let anyone hurt you.” 

Wen Yuan nodded, but said nothing. And yet when Jin Ling was finally allowed to take his bride's hand to guide him inside Carp Tower, he found the older boy's fingers were icy and shaking from emotions he couldn't hide. 

Wei Wuxian watched as the entire Jin sect followed the young couple, all of them in a hurry to put distance between him and them. Glancing back, Jin Ling saw his mother linger a moment, hesitating to approach the man who had once been a boy she knew, before her husband lead her away so she wouldn't miss any part of her son's wedding. 

-

It felt wrong to get married to someone who didn't have a single person representing their family, nor a single friend. Wen Yuan might as well have been a ghost… But no, even a ghost wedding would have had relatives present, someone, anyone. 

Jin Ling knew he ought to have felt sorry for his bride, but he was too busy being humiliated that this was the spouse his grandfather had found him, someone so unwanted and isolated. Everyone his age was going to mock him and say even all of the Jin money wasn't enough to find him a decent spouse when Jin Ling's personality was so difficult. 

But the worst was yet to come. 

After every usual ceremony, Jin Ling and Wen Yuan were sent to the house they would now occupy as a married couple. It was another thing that upset Jin Ling about the whole business, being made to leave his old room to move too far away from his parents and siblings to see them as easily as he used to. He hadn't even had a choice in the decoration, so everything looked showy, the way his grandfather preferred. 

Once the door closed behind them and they were alone for the first time, Wen Yuan pulled on his veil to remove it. Jin Ling didn't have time to be disappointed he couldn't do that himself. Instead, he was faced with the greatest shock of the day, the final humiliation this marriage had to throw his way.

“Oh damn, you're ugly!” Jin Ling exclaimed. 

Wen Yuan's cold eyes turned to him, his face impassive. Maybe it didn't hurt him because he knew he was ugly. There was no way he didn't know, actually. But really, there was nothing appealing about him. He was skinny, even more so than Jin Ling had suspected. This was not the elegant slenderness of a talented cultivator, either. Instead, Wen Yuan looked as famished as a peasant after a decade of bad harvests. He was also deathly pale, making for a harsh contrast when his cold eyes were surrounded by dark circles. There had been an attempt to tie his hair elegantly, but the result was messy, his hair in such a bad condition that it couldn't hold in place. 

People said Wei Wuxian had been a handsome youth, comparable to the twin jades of Gusu Lan, and even to Jin Ling's own father. Apparently, his son had inherited none of that charm. It made Jin Ling want to cry from humiliation. They'd bought him a bride, such an expensive one, too, and this was all his family could find for him. Jin Chan and the rest of his cousins were going to laugh at him for the rest of his life. 

Jin Ling's existence was ruined for ever. 

Still, that poor half dead boy in front of him wasn't to blame. They'd both been treated like pawns by the adults around them, but maybe they could make the best of this. Ugly as he was, Wen Yuan might at least be clever, or kind, or funny, or anything at all, as long as it didn't bring Jin Ling even more shame. 

“Sorry, I was rude,” Jin Ling said. “I just didn't expect… Nevermind that. Do you want to eat?”

He gestured at the food which had been laid out for them before they even arrived, selected from the banquet his grandfather and his guests were having in the main hall. Every dish was more elaborate than the last, except for a pot of simple lotus root soup. Normally Jin Ling loved it, but everything was so awful that day, even the sight of that soup felt embarrassing. His mother was the wife of the future sect leader, she should behave like it. Now Wen Yuan was going to think this soup was among the best they could offer, and… And it was! No dish in the world could beat it, but it was just a simple soup, it had no place at a wedding banquet… But Jin Ling loved it, and his mother had made it because she loved him, and… 

“Come on, let's sit and eat,” Jin Ling grumbled. “You must be hungry.” 

He went to sit at the table. Wen Yuan hesitantly followed him, glaring at the dishes as if one of them might bite him. Maybe he really was scared, in fact, because he just sat there and didn't move to take anything. 

“You can have anything you like,” Jin Ling insisted, demonstrating by putting some food on his own plate. “All of this is for us. Or do you want to drink, first? There‘s wine here, but I can ask for water or tea if you'd prefer.”

Wen Yuan said nothing, and still didn't move. Maybe he was one of Wei Wuxian's fierce corpses, Jin Ling wondered, before quickly dismissing the idea. There were arrays in place around Carp Tower, a fierce corpse couldn't have gone in without notice. His new bride was alive. Rude, unpleasant, ugly, but alive.

“If you don't eat meat, that dish is vegetarian,” Jin Ling offered. “That one too, I think. And there's fried rice here, I don't think that has meat. Just eat something, alright?” 

Still silent, Wen Yuan watched him like a hawk. Maybe he was deaf. Maybe he was stupid? Maybe he'd grown up surrounded only by walking corpses, never getting a chance to develop social skills or learn any manners. 

Maybe… 

Maybe Jin Ling was too angry to care anymore. He'd done his best to be welcoming, he'd done his duty as a new husband, what more was he supposed to do? If Wen Yuan didn't want to eat, he could starve for all Jin Ling cared. But as for Jin Ling himself, he started scarfing down food, because he hadn't had anything since dawn anyway. 

Almost immediately, Wen Yuan served himself some of the same dishes Jin Ling was eating, and started his meal. He ate only small pieces, and very slowly at that, as if the richest foods the Jin sect could offer didn't quite satisfy him. Or maybe he feared poison, Jin Ling realised when he tried other foods, only for his new husband to try them after him, never eating anything that Jin Ling hadn't tasted first. As if they'd be stupid enough to hurt Wen Yuan, when it might start a conflict with Wei Wuxian. 

When they were done eating, Jin Ling had servants take away the leftovers. He made sure to stand near his new bride until they left, and to smile as if the situation were a pleasing one. He didn't want to give his grandfather any reason to be displeased with him, on top of everything else. 

Alone again with his husband, Jin Ling ought to have chatted with him. A wedding night was a good occasion to get to know one's spouse after all. But Wen Yuan hadn't said a single word so far, and Jin Ling doubted it was about to change. So although it was still early in the day, Jin Ling showed Wen Yuan his bedroom. Jin Guangshan, with his views of marital fidelity, had agreed the newlyweds should be allowed separate rooms. A small kindness, easily granted when he had no grandchildren to expect from that union. Wen Yuan did not look surprised to have his own space, nor pleased, nor even upset. His indifference appeared limitless. Without even thanking Jin Ling or wishing him good night, Wen Yuan entered the room and promptly closed the door behind him. 

This had to be the worst wedding in history, Jin Ling miserably thought as he walked to his own room. A fitting prelude for what was sure to be the most miserable marriage ever, worse even than that of his grandparents, who hadn't spoken to each other in five years at that point. It was just so unfair, and Jin Ling wanted to die, so everyone would miss him and regret that they'd forced him to marry that corpse-like boy. Or maybe he run away to Yunmeng and ask his uncle to adopt him and then someone else could get his husband. Jin Chan, maybe. They'd make a fitting couple, both of them unpleasant to look at, and even worse to be around. 

Or else, or else… 

Jin Ling fell asleep like that, imagining elaborate scenarios that freed him from this nightmare, quite certain that he was the most unfortunate person who had ever lived.

[ibijau]

Sins of the Fathers pt 4 / On AO3

It wasn’t Jin Ruyi alone who came to fetch Wen Yuan that morning. Jiang Yanli was there as well, and she’d brought baby Jin Hui with her. As puzzled as he was by this change in their routine, Jin Ling greeted his mother and offered her to share their breakfast (his breakfast, really, since Wen Yuan rarely had it with him).

“I think I will, thank you,” Jiang Yanli replied, coming to sit at the table. “But A-Hui is a little fussy this morning, I think he could sleep some more after all. A-Yuan, would you mind taking him back to my house with Ruyi and putting him back in his cradle? She’ll show you how.”

Instantly, Jin Ling found that suspicious. He’d seen enough babies in his life to tell that Jin Hui didn’t seem particularly sleepy. And normally Jin Ruyi would be clamouring that she could take care of her youngest brother without help, but instead she remained meek and smiling, as if she’d been coached for it. 

Wen Yuan, less used to their family dynamics, obediently nodded and took the baby from his mother-in-law, holding him as if it were the most precious treasure in the world as he left the house with Jin Ruyi.

A little on edge, Jin Ling poured his mother some tea, which she took with a smile.

“A-Yuan really seems to love children, doesn’t he?” she remarked. “I don’t think he’s seen many of them before coming here. At least, he never mentions anyone his age or younger from Yiling. But he’s very good with them, very patient.”

Jin Ling shrugged. “Well, he’s never going to have any, so I don’t know if that’s a good thing that he likes them.”

Jiang Yanli shot her son a surprised look, but did not comment on that remark. She didn’t need to. Of course Jin Ling had said the wrong thing again, even if it was the damn truth. Wen Yuan would never have children. Jin Ling might, if he decided to become the sort of man his grandfather was, but Wen Yuan couldn’t afford that sort of scandal, not when he was the wife in this marriage.

Breakfast passed silently, which unnerved Jin Ling. His mother had to be there for a reason, and that reason couldn’t be that she just wanted to see him. Nobody ever just wanted to see him anymore. Now that he had joined the world of grown-ups thanks to his marriage, people only made time for him when they needed something from him, or so it seemed to him.

“A-Ling, I have a favour to ask you,” Jiang Yanli said when they were done eating, proving Jin Ling right. “It is a favour, not an order, I want this to be clear. You can refuse, and I will make other arrangements. But I also think it would be best for everyone if you agreed.”

Jin Ling grimaced. “What do you want, mother?”

“It’s about Wen Yuan,” she explained, and of course it was. Nothing else seemed to matter lately except that boy. “I don’t have all the details yet, but it seems that his education is… somewhat incomplete.”

Jin Ling shrugged. “Yeah, we’ve all noticed. So what? Aren’t you already teaching him?”

His mother nodded.

“Where I can, yes. But it seems he also hasn’t been trained as a cultivator,” Jiang Yanli explained with a concerned frown. “Or at least not enough to develop a golden core. It is not from lack of skill: I’ve tested him in what capacity I can, he has potential. And it is not a lack of interest on his part, either, his attitude when the twins and BaiBai talk about their lessons made that clear. I think he just wasn’t given the chance.”

“Then just have him train with the rest of us,” Jin Ling dismissively replied, before quickly grimacing as he realised what that meant. “Wait, no, don’t do that! Jin Chan would make his life a living hell, and mine too. He thinks anyone who didn’t have their golden core at twelve is an idiot and should be kicked out of the sect!”

Jin Chan himself, naturally, had performed that extraordinary feat. 

Jin Ling’s own core only formed a little before his fourteenth birthday. It was a reasonable age by any logical standards, but Jin Chan liked to act as if that was a complete disgrace. Maybe because his cultivation had never really improved after that important milestone, while Jin Ling was still making steady progress.

“Your cousin’s treatment of him is one thing that has me concerned,” Jiang Yanli agreed. “Jin Chan can be… a difficult child. And speaking to his father would do little good.”

Jin Ling nodded. He didn’t like Jin Zixun. More importantly, he suspected his mother had nothing but disdain for her husband’s cousin, although she was never anything less than polite when forced to be around him. But she had to be forced to be in his company, and her politeness lacked any warmth. She might as well have spit in Jin Zixun’s face and called him a toad, it would have been the same for anyone who knew her.

“That’s why I was thinking maybe you could try tutoring Wen Yuan,” Jiang Yanli went on with a smile.

“Me?” Jin Ling exclaimed. “Why me? Why not a senior disciple? Or even a proper teacher? We have so many elders in the sect, surely one of them could do something useful for once?”

His mother sighed, looking more severe than he’d ever seen her. Once more Jing Ling had the feeling he was disappointing her, as he now did every time he showed any emotion over that damn stupid marriage.

“A-Ling, I’m going to talk to you like an adult, and I hope I can trust you not to repeat these things,” Jiang Yanli said in a tone of voice so serious she sounded like a stranger. “I am not sure why your grandfather has decided he needed an alliance with Yiling, but I think we both know him well enough to suspect he is planning something, especially considering the current tensions between the great sects. And whatever he is planning, I fear your father and I don’t agree with it.”

It surprised Jin Ling to hear his mother speak so plainly. She never openly involved herself in politics if she could help it, but of course she couldn’t have missed what was going on. Even Jin Bai and the twins had noticed enough to incorporate it into some of their games. They’d play at a new war sometimes, one between the Jin and the Nie, for which they imagined extraordinary causes.

Usually, they’d spend most of the game arguing over who got to be Nie Mingjue and Jin Zixuan, clearly the superior characters to play.

Jin Ling didn’t think it’d ever get as bad as an actual war, because most of the Jin sect opposed such a conflict. But there was no denying Jin Guangshan and Nie Mingjue disagreed on everything these days. Even Jin Ling’s marriage had caused its own tensions. Apparently, Nie Mingjue had opinions about allowing anyone named Wen back into a major sect.

Jin Ling would never accuse his grandfather of purposefully angering Nie Mingjue in hopes he’d start something, forcing the Jin sect to heroically defend themselves with the help of their new ally the Yiling Patriarch.

He wouldn’t have accused Jin Guangshan, but he also wouldn’t be surprised if that turned out to be the truth.

“I would feel safer if Wen Yuan did not have to be alone with people I am not sure I can trust,” Jiang Yanli said. “All of the sect’s teachers answer to your grandfather and would find it difficult to resist his demands to influence him. I cannot tutor him myself, it would be ridiculous to pretend I can teach cultivation. Your father could not spare the time. I considered sending him to learn alongside the girls, but I fear it might be awkward for him to be around much younger children, and I could not ask them to protect him the way I can ask you.”

“But I’m too young to be teaching anyone!” Jin Ling protested. “Also, he hates me!”

“I’m sure he doesn’t hate you, A-Ling,” his mother replied, the slightest hint of scolding in her voice. “He’s a little shy, and might have a bad impression of Jin cultivators due to some things that happened when your father was young. If Wei Ying told him certain stories… but you’re not like that at all, and Wen Yuan can see it. And I don’t think you’re too young to teach, either. The Jin sect is just really unusual with this,” she sighed. “Were you born in any other sect, you’d have started helping teach the younger disciples a long time ago. At your age, Jiang Cheng was already overseeing even the adults’ training sometimes.”

“At my age, jiujiu was a sect leader,” Jin Ling grumbled. “You can’t compare us.”

His mother smiled, something a little sad showing on her face. She had that expression sometimes when the conversation went to the days before the Sunshot Campaign. Just like her brother, she’d never really spoken of that period since Wei Wuxian had completely cut them off, and Jin Ling had been discouraged from asking. They had both lost so much, and that’s all everyone thought he needed to know.

“A-Ling, I am asking this because I believe you can do it,” Jiang Yanli said, reaching over the table to take his hand. “If I thought it might be too much for you, I would have directly looked for another option. If my trust in you is not enough to convince you, though, consider the advantages.”

“You mean like more time with Wen Yuan?” Jin Ling scoffed.

“And less time with Jin Chan,” his mother retorted with a smile. “Naturally you would no longer attend as many shared lessons with other disciples if you were to tutor your husband. Your father has agreed that if you accept to do this, your own progress should be supervised in individual sessions with teachers instead of the group classes you have at the moment.”

Jin Ling stared, a grin creeping on his face. For years he’d begged and threatened to be granted that exact thing, and finally it was within reach. To finally be spared the company of his cousin… Sure Wen Yuan wasn’t fun to have around, but he was miles better than Jin Chan.

“Father knows this?” Jin Ling still cautiously asked. “He’s fine with it?”

Jiang Yanli smiled at him. “All he wants is for you to be around people your age. When he was young… your father was very isolated, inside the sect and outside. It caused him a lot of problems, especially with your uncle and with Wei Wuxian. And since you're…”

“Proud and bad tempered,” Jin Ling finished for her. 

“Very secure in your beliefs for a boy your age,” his mother corrected with a fond smile. “Which isn't a bad trait to have as an adult, even if it can make life difficult at your age. Your father was like that too. He remembers how much pain it caused him, and he worries you will be hurt too. He's trying to protect you.”

Jin Ling scoffed and crossed his arms on his chest. He'd heard variations of this for a while. It sounded stupid the first time. It still sounded stupid now. 

“I hate Jin Chan.” 

“We know that now, A-Ling. And that's why your father and I hope you will agree to tutor your husband. It would be the easiest way to remove you from your cousin's company without making it look like you're avoiding him, wouldn't it?” 

With great reluctance, Jin Ling nodded. For all that he'd dreamed of no longer being around Jin Chan so much, there was no doubt his cousin would have still found ways to sour things for him if their time together stopped without good reason. Even like this, Jin Chan would manage to laugh at Jin Ling, saying he was too obsessed with his ugly wife or something. But it was normal for a married couple to cultivate together, and Wen Yuan didn't look bad these days, now that his cheeks weren't so sunken. 

“Then let's start this as soon as possible,” Jiang Yanli said, smiling brightly. “You are excused from your classes today to start preparing for your new task. The Library would be a good start I think, but see if you can talk to your little uncle. Guangyao started learning around the same age as Wen Yuan, I'm sure he can provide some insight. And tomorrow afternoon, you can start tutoring Wen Yuan.”

Jin Ling frowned, a little unsettled that things should move so fast. He couldn't complain, though, when it meant one less day around his dreadful cousin. 

[ibijau]

Sins of the fathers p3 / On AO3

The morning after Jin Ling had that talk with his mother, Jin Ruyi came early to her brother's door to pick up her brother-in-law. She was pretty cheerful about it, even when it turned out that Wen Yuan had failed to wake up at the agreed hour. 

This was all part of Jiang Yanli's plan to help her son-in-law feel more comfortable in his new home. Wen Yuan might have turned down all of Jin Ling's attempts at cordiality, but he hadn't dared be that rude toward his mother-in-law. So it had been decided that from that point forward, Wen Yuan would join Jiang Yanli and the children for breakfast and then spend the day with them. Jin Bai was still young enough that he was in class only half of the day, and the twins's lessons were also fairly short, because the Jin sect currently didn't try hard to educate female disciples. With those three as company, in addition to Jiang Yanli and the baby, Wen Yuan wasn't going to stay shy very long. 

Still, that first morning was a little difficult. Mostly because Jin Ruyi didn't like to wait. She must have been warned to be forgiving with her brother-in-law though, so instead she scolded Jin Ling for not waking his husband. 

“I've tried,” he retorted, rolling his eyes as he often did around her. “You go and see if you can do better!” 

“Of course I can,” Jin Ruyi claimed, confidently walking into Wen Yuan's room. 

Watching her go, Jin Ling almost pitied his husband. Jin Ruyi was an annoying brat with more ego than brain, who hated to lose and didn't care much about being rude. Some people said she was very much like Jin Ling, for all that her twin and her had their mother's gentle face. Jin Ling himself found no resemblance between them. Jin Ruyi was just supremely annoying most of the time, though he couldn't deny they made a good team whenever they were angry at the same thing. 

At the moment, Jin Ruyi being rude and annoying was an asset. She really managed to get Wen Yuan to leave his bed and get ready much faster than Jin Ling could ever have managed. She then dragged him out of the house, and Jin ling didn't see him again until dinner in common with the rest of the family. 

The same thing repeated the next day, and then the one after, until that became the new habit. 

After about a week, Wen Yuan was used enough to this new rhythm that he no longer had to be dragged out of bed. If anything, he was regularly fully dressed before Jin Ling woke up, and waiting for one of the twins to pick him up. Jin Ling took that as a sign that his husband was happy with the new way his days went on. Wen Yuan never confirmed it, but his eager wait for the girls, and the way he finally started putting on some weight, were good hints of his enjoyment. 

There were apparently more overt signs of Wen Yuan's improved happiness, but Jin Ling was not privy to those. Around him his husband remained perfectly silent and closed off, the same he'd always been. But according to Jin Bai and the twins, he was very different with them and Jiang Yanli. 

“He always plays with us when we asks,” Jin Ruyi claimed when Jin Ling caught the twins and Jin Bai one day to interrogate them. “And he laughs at all my jokes.”

Jin Ling nodded. That was fair. Jin Ruyi was annoying, but she could also be pretty funny when she wanted (although never as much as Jin Dongmei, whose subtle remarks could be as dangerous as they were hilarious, especially when she felt like being insolent to their grandfather without him ever appearing to realise it)

“He also laughs at BaiBai's jokes too,” Jin Ruyi added.

Jin Ling raised an eyebrow. His little brother, aged ten, was sweet and adorable and nearly perfect in many ways, but he couldn't tell a joke properly to save his life. He was too much like their father for that. 

“He also likes mom a lot,” Jin Ruyi went on. 

“Everyone likes mom,” Jin Ling immediately retorted. 

“But he liked her even before he met her!” his sister insisted. “His dad had told him about her. Stories about when he was little, and she took care of him. They talk about that a lot. I had no idea mom had so many stories about Wei Wuxian!”

Jin Dongmei nodded quietly when Jin Ling looked at her for confirmation. Jin Ruyi was known to sometimes exaggerate her stories, but Jin Dongmei was usually a trustworthy source, unless she felt like supporting her sister’s boasts for a laugh.

“It must be a shock for him to learn that the Yiling Patriarch used to be a funny kid,” Jin Ling said. 

Unlike his sisters, he’d heard many stories about Wei Wuxian when he was younger. At the time, there had still been hope that Yiling might turn into a normal sect. Even if Wei Wuxian had been unable to come to Jin Ling's hundred day celebration for reasons unknown to him, in secret good relationships had been maintained for a while. But a couple years after the twins were born, the Burial Mounds had stopped all communication with the rest of the world. Everyone there might as well have been dead, except for Wei Wuxian and his Ghost General going into town sometimes to exact violence onto men who had claimed links to the Yiling sect to terrorise ordinary folks. After that, Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng had stopped sharing stories about their childhood friend, so the twins and Jin Bai mostly knew Wei Wuxian as a boogeyman of sorts, the same as every other children.

“No, he’s never too surprised,” Jin Ruyi replied. “He said the Yiling Patriarch is still kind of like that, and still likes to laugh and joke.”

Again Jin Ling turned to Jin Dongmei, who nodded solemnly.

“He really said that,” she confirmed, before pouting pensively. “He said when he was little, one time his father buried him and told him he’d grow like a radish if he was watered. But then… he stopped talking for a while, and he looked sad.” She paused, looking concerned. “I think he misses home.”

“Why would he miss home?” Jin Ruyi scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Here we have all the good food he can want, and pretty silk clothes, and we have flowers, and birds… Ge, he was so excited when we showed him my birds! He said birds don’t sing like that in Yiling. If you’re a good husband, you should get him some birds, it’ll make him happy for sure!”

The twins had received a pair of birds from Nie Huaisang when they’d turned seven. Jin Dongmei hadn’t cared too much, but Jin Ruyi was obsessed with them and had obtained more in the years since. It was her opinion that everyone should have birds, so Jin Ling never listened when she suggested that. He was more of a dog person anyway, and didn’t see the point of pets that did nothing except sit in a cage all day. Still, he was willing to reconsider, if it could improve his marital life. He made a note to ask his mother. If she also thought it might make his husband dislike him less, then Jin Ling would spend all of his allowance on really nice birds.

He’d never have admitted it, not even under torture, but it was starting to annoy him that Wen Yuan was apparently opening up to everyone in the family except his own husband. Well, his own husband and of course Jin Guangshan and his wife, but nobody who joined the family was ever expected to like them, anyway. And maybe Wen Yuan was not really warming up to Jin Zixuan either, come to think of it. But he was getting on really well with his mother-in-law and Jin Ling’s siblings, and it was so frustrating.

Jin Ling knew Wen Yuan and him didn’t need to like each other. His grandparents had ensured he knew that much about married life. But since Wen Yuan and him lived together and would continue living together for years to come, he thought it’d be more comfortable if they could get along. His grandparents’ example had also taught him how unpleasant the alternative could be.

So Jin Ling tried. He did! He made sure to ask Wen Yuan about his plans in the morning, and asked him about his day in the evening. When they ate together, Jin Ling tried his best to notice which dishes Wen Yuan liked best, and he’d make a show of eating those first, so his husband knew these weren’t poisoned. Nothing worked, though. Wen Yuan never replied to his questions, and if he noticed what pain Jin Ling took to eat things he personally sometimes hated, all for his sake, he never thought that was worth even a ‘thank you’.

It was quickly becoming exhausting, and more than a little frustrating. There were evenings when Jin Ling wanted to shout at that cold husband he was stuck with, especially on days when Jin Chan had been particularly nasty. Or if he’d seen Wen Yuan smile at his siblings, his face so bright for a moment that he became really pretty, only to turn to ice at the sight of him. Sometimes Jin Ling felt like he might explode, except he wasn’t allowed to be angry like that. His mother had said she was proud of him for the way he’d dealt with everything. He wanted her to remain proud of him. He didn’t think she’d really stop loving him if he disappointed her, but he also didn’t want to risk it.

After all…

It was a very stupid thing to worry about. But one day, about a month after Jiang Yanli had started taking active interest in her new son-in-law, Jing Ling had overheard his cousin and some other boys talking in the gardens.

At that moment, he’d been crouched behind a bush, looking for some small wild flowers that occasionally grew around. The disciples in charge of the gardens would destroy them on sight, but Jin Dongmei found them pretty, so Jin Ling sometimes collected them for her, so she could replant them somewhere hidden. When he’d heard people coming that way, Jin Ling had been worried they’d seen him and mock him for doing something so silly and he'd tried to stay hidden to avoid explaining. But when he heard their conversation, he froze entirely.

“I hear she's sleeping with him, you know,” one boy was saying, an older teenager who had poor cultivation but rich parents. There were more than a few of those in the sect. ”Since Wen Yuan is the son of her first love!” 

Jin Ling almost revealed himself by laughing. It wasn't the first time people accused his mother of once loving Wei Wuxian. He’d had that thrown at his face since before he could understand the insult. Whether that was true or not, he knew for a fact she would never betray the husband she had now, so he’d learned to ignore it. And as for having that sort of relationship with Wen Yuan… how could she, when the twins and Jin Bai were always around?

“No, you've got it wrong and it's worse than that,” Jin Chan claimed, and Jin Ling grimaced. Of course if someone was trying to badmouth his mother, his cousin was first in line. “He's not her lover. He's the son she secretly had with Wei Wuxian, before her marriage. Why else would she care so much about his education? He's her true first born… And she seems to like him more than the official one, not that I blame her. Even that half ghost kid is less of a pain in the ass than Jin Rulan!”

The boys started laughing as they passed by the bush where Jin Ling hid. he almost jumped in the middle of them to beat them up. His mother wouldn't…she hadn't! She would never! And even if she had, only the worst sort of monster would push one of their children to marry a half sibling!

Even if it was the only way to have him near, even if… 

Anyway, Wen Yuan didn't look anything like Jiang Yanli, or Jin Ling, or any of Jin Ling's siblings, not even his youngest brother Jin Hui, a baby who everyone said took so much from the Jiang side. Jin Chan had to be blind if he couldn't see that. Or maybe he saw and didn't care, as long as the story made his friends laugh, as long as it made Jin Ling sound stupid.

And it wasn’t true either that Jiang Yanli liked Wen Yuan better than her eldest son. It couldn’t be true. Even if she barely had any time for him these days, hadn’t really had time for him in a long while, with four younger kids to raise and all the duties of a sect leader’s daughter-in-law. Even if she had made that time for Wen Yuan, a stranger.

Even if…

She couldn’t…

Long after his cousin and the others had walked away, Jin Ling had stayed crouched by that bush, with crushed little pale flowers in his hands. His eyes had burned from trying not to cry.

He hadn’t bothered asking Wen Yuan about his day that night.

Why should he keep trying anyway, when the other party thought he wasn’t worth any effort?

[twistedappletree]

one day, i hope you say

i’m the one who almost got away

until we meet again,

i hope this letter never sent.

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for a Fic...

~*~

1. Hi! Me again jsjs, for the next ITMF I need fics where people realize how young WWX still is, like not about how young MXY's body is (but if you have of those even better 'cause I love that idea too) but that he wasn't older than 21/22 when he died and for him he's still barely out of adolescence (considering the last of it he spent fighting instead of properly growing out of it). Bonus points if they realize he's closer in age to the juniors than his brother, his husband or the rest of his generation @jiangclaritybell

Help, My Dad Is Fucking Someone My Age!! by sweetlolixo (T, 3k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Humor, Crack, Fluff, Romance)

The Price of Old Wishes by SoManyJacks (E, 67k, WangXian, Minor canon divergence, Angst, POV LWJ, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Slow Burn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, semi-verbal!LWJ, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide) (link in #11) has a scene where lwy thinking about how young wwx died when he's talking to a young girl.

All Technicalities by DummyDipl0d0cus (M, 4k, JC & WWX, WangXian, Rated M Just To Be Safe, Overprotective JC, Post-Canon)

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2. Hello beloved mods. I'm in the mood for fics where Lan Sizhui, as the eligible bachelor and Best Boy he is, starts receiving marriage requests, while Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are very Parental about it.

A Civil Combpaign Series by Ariaste (T/M, 31k, ZhuiLing, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, the difficulty of arranging your own marriage, overly subtle courting or overly oblivious courtee?, awkward teenagers, Teenage Drama, Humor,companion fic, WWX POV, Feelings, Fluff, WangXian's Weird Flirting)

Lan Sizhui's Got a Crush! by Theladyofravenclaw (T, 46k, LSZ/OFC, Junior Quartet, Humor, Fluff and Crack, Case Fic, Gūsū Lán Juniors Dynamics, Junior Quartet Dynamics, Body Horror, Mild Gore, Post-Canon) is more about lsz and his friends but there is a whole chapter of wangxian trying to give relationship advice

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3. I'm itmf some evil jgy fics who gets what he deserves no redemption arc and obv wangxian get their happy ending but way less trauma jc friendly pls :)

i would like to suggest the 'bad person meng yao' and 'meng yao bashing' tags for some (sadly not all) fics that fit the prompt.

The Fire Lapping Up the Creek by notevenyou (E, 66k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Injury, Injury Recovery, Blood, Respiratory Illness, Major Illness, Fever, Grief/Mourning, Burial Mounds, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hunger and food scarcity, Surgery, Fix-It of Sorts)

To Mourn the Young Man by Iamnotawriter (T, 56k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, BAMF WWX, Most people live, but not the bad guys, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Hurt/Comfort, Golden Core Reveal)

Friends, Sabers, and Other Essentials for Solving a Conspiracy by MeridianGrimm for Lisa_Telramor ( T, 50k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mystery, Smart NHS, WWX doesn't stay dead, LWJ gets a new friend, Happy Ending, Fix-It, To be clear the WangXian is mostly background, This fic is about friendship) (link in #4) kinda fits?

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4. Hiii!! I'm itmf nhs centric fics I would like it if they are fix it/time travel fix it/fix it of sorts type of fics thank you!!

💖 The Path by Seastar98 (Not rated, 279k, wangxian, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, fix-it of sorts, CQL verse, golden core reveal, angst w/ happy ending, BAMF NHS)

Friends, Sabers, and Other Essentials for Solving a Conspiracy by MeridianGrimm for Lisa_Telramor ( T, 50k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mystery, Smart NHS, WWX doesn't stay dead, LWJ gets a new friend, Happy Ending, Fix-It, To be clear the WangXian is mostly background, This fic is about friendship)

This Time Around by KouriArashi (T, 83k, JGY & NHS, NHS & WWX, JGY & WWX, Time Travel Fix-It, Kid Fic, Families of Choice, Angst, Grief/Mourning, Politics, Class Issues, Past Child Abuse, Moral Ambiguity, Everybody Lives, Eventual Happy Ending)

Third Sun by PhantomWriter (T, 57k, NHS & NMJ, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Crack Treated Seriously, BAMF NHS, Protective NHS, Protective NMJ, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, LWJ is a Wēn)

Unexpected Salvation series by clipper782 (M, 162k, NHS/JGY, time travel fix-it of sorts, past incest, murder, psychology, love/hate, friends to enemies to friends to lovers, crack treated seriously, demonic cultivator NHS)

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5. itmf Wei Wuxian being unused to Mo Xuanyu's body: he stumbles, is shorter than he is used to, isn't used to his strength, etc. Bonus points if there is angst where WWX has panic attacks or disgust about being in someone else's skin. Thank you!

the soft animal by cafecliche (T, 5k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, [PODFIC] the soft animal by flamingwell)

your own heart beating by varnes (G, 1k, wangxian, body dysphoria)

mine? by Anonymous (Not rated, <1k, wangxian, body dysphoria, post-canon)

If only we could never think nor feel by Alianita (M, 1k, wangxian, slight angst, body dysphoria, feels)

unsettled by cryptenhope (G, 1k, wangxian, post-canon, established relationship, body dysphoria, hurt/comfort)

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6. hello! do you know of any 'The Wife is First' AUs for wangxian?? that would be lovely!

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7. Hey! Are there any lwj/wwx/mianmian smut fics? I'm looking for one that i came across but i can't remember any details about it.

Time by WithBroomBefore (M, 30k, WangXianMian, Time Travel, Fix-It, Canonical Character Death - WWX, WWX Lives, JYL Lives, Polyamory, Ghost WWX, for a little bit, Grief/Mourning, Eventual Happy Ending, Trans LWJ, bisexual LWJ, Bisexual WWX, POV Multiple, Memory Loss, Minor Character Death)

winged cupid painted blind by isabilightwood (E, 6k, WangXian, XianMian, Modern AU, and they were ROOMMATES, wwx & lqy are strickly friends with benefits, and lwj & lqy don’t do anything with each other, endgame wangxian, background endgame qingmian, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Accidental Voyeurism, Explicit Consent, Threesome, Fingering, Blow Jobs, Rimming, Getting Together, Light Angst, Fluff, Bottom LWJ)

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8. this is pretty specific but i'm itmf fics that in some way have creative variety in wwx's demonic cultivation powers! i see a lot of standard control-fierce-corpses-and-ghosts type of stuff in fics, but i recently reread the books and there's a moment where wwx gets a skeleton to crawl out of the ground and whisper to him that the juniors were kidnapped (without even using chenqing i think?), and (inspired by that) i'd love to read something where the author just goes ham with the interesting alternative techniques lol.

can be a focus of the fic or just a one-off mention, anything goes! preferably no character bashing or hard nsfw. thank you!

Ad Oblivione by Baph, HikariNoHimeWriter (M, 70k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Temporary Character Death, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Identity Reveal, Golden Core Reveal, Cultivation World Critical, Not JC Friendly, Abusive YZY, Angst with a Happy Ending) along with having a ghost companion, there's also a brief scene where WWX is spotted asking directions from a skeleton's hand that came up from the ground.

The envy of the world by vulnerable_bead (E, 48k, WangXian, Case Fic, Fluff and Smut, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Canon Compliant, WangXian as teacher(s), WangXian as musicians, Spell-weaving) remember the Power Stunt WWX used in the Yueyang Chang graveyard, where he dramatically punched the ground to dynamite-fish for corpses? vulnerable_bead does: “The boys felt the earth under their feet vibrate slightly, painfully, as if some telluric current had radiated from him, sending a message all the way to the bedrock that a man stronger than the mountains had arrived and he would brook no resistance.“

Re #8 note that The envy of the world does contain hard NSFW sex scenes, although not graphic violence.

the field meets the wood by astronicht (T, 7k, WangXian, BAMF WWX, slight whump, Ritualistic Self Harm, Canon Era, Tang Dynasty style, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, salt economics, Post-Canon, [Podfic] the field meets the wood by semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona), [podfic] the field meets the wood by jellyfishfire) (link in #14) WWX works a *lot* of inventive, sustained, and gruesomely detailed blood magic, including long-distance life support and a chilling application of Painted Eyes—and then there’s the climax, wherein he invokes the terrifying power of Higher Mathematics.

blossoms at the roadside by bleuett (T, 13k, wangxian, alternate universe, different first meeting, getting together, tenderness, gardens & gardening, happy ending, hand feeding) Wei ying uses resentful energy to heal plants 💚

all the bonds of nature by luckymarrow (E, 68k, wangxian, MXY & WWX, LWJ & MXY & WWX, modern w/ magic, romantic comedy, roommates to lovers, pining, necromancy, ethical necromancer WWX, music teacher LWJ, fluff & smut, ghosts, urban fantasy, light angst, kink negotiation, praise kink, BDSM, developing relationship, dom LWJ) Wei ying is an ethical necromancer using resentful energy from dead  animals and also putting them to rest.

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9. Hi I love your blog and hope you might help me with finding fic we’re Lan Zhan is the dead one . It can be cannon or non cannon or morden Au just were Wei Ying is the one who has to grieve and care for Lan Yuan . @cfox86

Over the Rotted Bridge by vailkagami (T, 314k, WangXian, Temporary Character Death, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, LWJ dies, Wei Wuxian doesn't die, neither do (most of) the wens, JYL also lives, Original Character(s), outside pov, YLLZ WWX, Canon Divergence, CQL Verse, Illustrated, Grief/Mourning, Non-Consensual Resurrection, mute LWJ, Hurt LWJ, Slow Burn, canonical death of a child (mentioned), Survivor Guilt, PTSD) is very good I highly recommend it

Turnabout and Start Again by runningondreams (T, 34k, WIP, WangXian, Temporary Character Death, Role Reversal, Soulmates, Canon Divergence, Blood and Injury, SuicideI, mprisonment, Violence, Minor Character Death, Mild Gore, Pining, Identity Issues, Getting Together, Happy Ending) I recommend "Turnabout and Start Again" by runningondreams on ao3. unfortunately it hasn't updated since 2020 so I understand if you don't actually recc it. but the 11 chapters is does have are really good!

the passing of seasons by tennssi (G, 12k, WangXian, Character Study, Canon Divergence, Family, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Moving On, Eventual Happy Ending)

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10. Hi! It's me again haha -//- Do you have any recs for long xiyao with a happy ending? I've been reading the top kudos ones on ao3 and consulting Google, but so far not much luck (┬┬﹏┬┬) @thepurplewombat

The Halo You're Wearing, It's Not Yours To Keep by poemwithnorhyme (E, 54k, XiYao, JGY/WX, JGY/WRH, Forced Prostitution, Hurt/Comfort)

An Atypical Courtship by KouriArashi (M, 48k, XiYao, WangXian, Romance, Slow Build, Developing Relationship, Prostitution, Class Issues, Light Angst, Political Shenanigans, Asexual Relationship, Asexual LXC, Canon Divergence, Happy Ending, Sharing a Bed)

Last of Our Kind by Shiome (E, 103k, XiYao, Post-Canon Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Temporary Amnesia, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Issues, Case Fic, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV Third Person, Pining, Sexual Content, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Power Bottom MY, Action & Romance)

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11. hello :) thank you for everything you're doing !! for your next im in the mood, i wanted to ask if you know of any canon compliant fic that follows lan wangjis pov throughout all (or even part) of mdzs/cql. thank you so much x

The Price of Old Wishes by SoManyJacks (E, 67k, WangXian, Minor canon divergence, Angst, POV LWJ, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Slow Burn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, semi-verbal!LWJ, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide)

The Hospitality of the Qishan Wen by treemaidengeek (T, 14k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Compliant, POV LWJ, Traumatized LWJ, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Feels, WWX is a chaos gremlin, LWJ Has Feelings, Hurt LWJ)

well-met by warlight by wukuiyuxin (Not rated, 2k, wangxian, WIP, Old English Style Poetry, Epic Poetry, [Podfic] well-met by warlight by Cathalinareads (Cathalinaheart), Tumblr gifset) Lan Wangji’s account of meeting, loving, losing, and mourning Wei Ying and raising A-Yuan—in mock-Norse epic verse / see also #11 on this post.

~*~

12. I need fics in wich Harry Potter somehow ends up in mdzs and with one Character there. Until now Ive only read one with Harry x Sizhui and that one wasn’t updated in a while. Thanks in advance

~*~

13. I‘m in the mood for canon era fics where WangXian are living out some BDSM/BDSM adjacent kinks. Bonus points if there are no lengthy contract discussions or constant asking for safewords. Aftercare highly appreciated.

mercy, tear it down. by orange_crushed (E, 31k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Dual Cultivation, Light BDSM, In Which Wangxian Fumble Towards An Understanding of D/S Dynamics, Porn with Feelings, Recovery, Angst with a Happy Ending, Wangxian-Typical CNC Play, Aftercare, Slight Feminization (ie Wei Ying Keeps Saying 'Wife'), True Love, Past LWJ/Other)

old wounds by BloodRedCarnation (E, 23k, LWJ/MXY/WWX, wangxian, PWP, kink negotiation, age difference, powerdynamics, threesome, established wangxian, both top & bottom sub&dom LWJ, post-canon, fix-it of sorts)

at your feet by darkredloveknot (enheduane) (E, 2k, wangxian, post-canon, sub LWJ, sexual tension, explicit sexual content, hairpulling)

the mortifying ordeal of being loved by attackofthezee (noxlunate) (T, 1k, wangxian, post-canon, established relationship, birthday fluff, praise kink, dom/sub undertones)

Closer than my hands have been by Spodumene (E, 5k, wangxian, post-canon, established relationship, rough sex, dom/sub undertones, consensual non-con, hairpulling, facefucking, bondage, spanking, cock slapping, jealousy, top drop)

i'll be your warmth here by mistergoblin (E, 1k, wangxian, canon divergence, PWP, dom/sub elements, sub & bottom LWJ, orgasm delay/denial, bondage, spanking, happy ending)

~*~

14. IITMF: Post-canon case fics my beloved 🥺

love lies beyond words by acrosticacrumpet (G, 4k, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Whump, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Yunmeng Shuangjie Reconciliation, not a completed reconciliation but the beginning of one, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Self-Worth Issues, painful conversations with a tasteful smidgeon of, Cuddling & Snuggling)

just as the stories say by TheDameJudiWench (T, 11k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Medical Procedures, some gore, brief mention of a farm animal dying, Yunmeng brothers feelings, Family Dynamics, Attempted Murder, Injury Recovery, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Established Relationship, brief mention of vomiting, Happy Ending, Found Family, POV Outsider, Guilt, Revenge, Mention of Suicide (not main character), Grief/Mourning, Forgiveness, Whump, Near Death Experiences)

the field meets the wood by astronicht (T, 7k, WangXian, BAMF WWX, slight whump, Ritualistic Self Harm, Canon Era, Tang Dynasty style, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, salt economics, Post-Canon, [Podfic] the field meets the wood by semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona), [podfic] the field meets the wood by jellyfishfire)

in your skin by darkredloveknot (enheduane) (E, 10k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, Horror, Body Horror, Blood and Gore, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Non-Consensual Body Modification, kinda?, ?Reflections over death and self-worth, mentions of canon suicide, Near Death Experiences, [Podfic] in your skin by flamingwell)

shadows in the sun rise by Yuu_chi (E, 24k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Night hunts, Curses, Intimacy, Light Angst with a Happy Ending, shadows in the sunrise: podfic by victorianotte)

JC and WWX's Get Along Sweater series by newamsterdam (T, 29k, JC & WWX, bg wangxian, post-canon, trapped in a closet, cultivation as a plot device, JC & WWX reconciliation, miscommunication, hurt/comfort, panic attacks, emotional tension, ghosts, action/adventure, brotherly love, complicated relationships)

🧡 climbing up that coastal shelf by Sour_Idealist (T, 15k, JC & WWX & JL, Post-Canon, Mutually Unrequited Forgiveness, Yunmeng Brothers Reconciliation, Family History, Generational Trauma, Discussion of Canonical Abuse, Awkward Attempts at Communication, [Podfic] climbing up that coastal shelf by RevolutionaryJo)

build me no shrines by occultings (microcomets) (M, 54k, WangXian, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, First Time, Getting Together, Confessions, Sharing a Bed, Hair Washing, Sentient Burial Mounds, Case Fic, Post-Canon, CQL Compliant, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Light Angst, Flashbacks, mild body horror, foot washing, Happy Ending, Non-Sexual Intimacy, ...then sexual intimacy, [Podfic] build me no shrines by flamingwell)

With Absolute Splendor by Lise (T, 43k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Wedding planning, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Complicated Relationships, Angst with a happy ending, [Podfic] With Absolute Splendor by kisahawklin, [PODFIC] With Absolute Splendor by Gwogobo)

some good mistakes by Lise (T, 18k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Road trips, rescue Missions, Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Conversations, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, [Podfic] some good mistakes by kisahawklin)

the soft animal by cafecliche (T, 5k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, [PODFIC] the soft animal by flamingwell) (link in #5)

grow by cafecliche (T, 14k, WangXian, Age Regression/De-Aging, Character Study, Post-Canon, [Podfic] Grow by jellyfishfire)

Wearing Down Every Bone by CSHfic, VSfic (E, 30k, WangXian, Groundhog Day, Time Loop, Temporary Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Case Fic, Curses, Pining, Getting Together, Time Travel, Hurt wwx, Mystery, Angst with a Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, Depression and Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, gratuitous use of empathy, Wearing Down Every Bone [Podfic] by Rionaa)

The envy of the world by vulnerable_bead (E, 48k, WangXian, Case Fic, Fluff and Smut, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Canon Compliant, WangXian as teacher(s), WangXian as musicians, Spell-weaving) (link in #8) LWJ and WWX supervise LSZ, LJY, and OC Lan Juniors on a village investigation; poetic fairytale prose; a casefic of unfurling complexity with an intelligent, subtle, and tragic antagonist; mysterious uncharted musical magic; a climactic confrontation that deserves to be animated. And then there’s the famous Windowsill Papapa Scene.

~*~

15. itmf canon compliant/divergent (not modern) politic heavy fics? Court life, politics and diplomacy, secrets and plot twists as people wait to play their hand, etc.

Between the Candle and the Sun by Legume_Shadow (T, 304k, ZhuiYi, WangXian, LingZhen, XiCheng, XuanLi, Angst, Friendship, Slow Burn, Falling In Love, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, MM is a Badass, WN is a Badass, Protective WQ, Most people live, Ensemble Cast, Action/Adventure) is a Royal AU more focused on plot, including politics, but is primarily a junior-pairings fic (with secondary Wangxian)

~*~

16. In the mood for fics where wangxian adopt another kid(s) post-canon

❤️ Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste for williedustice (T, 36k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Adoption, Family Fluff, Kid fic, Family drama, Fluff, [PODFIC] Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste by lunatique)

~*~

17. Fics where WWX is actually respected; as a scholar/genius/cultivator. @utxqia

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 528k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement)

Story-Shaped by lingering_song (T, 13k, WangXian, NHS & WWX, Post-Canon, Chief Cultivator LWJ, Inventor WWX, Found Family, Mentioned Character Death, Alcohol, Protective NHS, WangXian Endgame, Not JC Friendly, Not particularly gentry sects friendly overall tbh)

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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[ibijau]

Art tag: jau draws

writing tag: jau writes

personal tag: jau rants

AO3 Account

Message me (not on anon) for an invite to the xisang discord!

prompts are open for art and writing. I welcome anything, just be warned that I won’t always fill prompts because I’m mostly doing this for fun

I’m fine with translations/podfics/fanart/anything inspired by my fics. More than fine, I’m vibrating with excitement that anyone would take the time to do that. My only request is to share it on sites where I’m present (preferably tumblr or AO3), to link to the original work, and if possible to let me know about it so I can enjoy and hype it ;)

And a small selection of what I have to offer (there’s a lot more on AO3)

A collection of most of my short prompt fills

I am what I am, I know what I know:  Xisang + mentions of Nielan, arranged marriage. Lan Xichen is engaged to Nie Mingjue. When his fiancé dies of a Qi deviation, the engagement is transferred to Nie Huaisang. They learn to make the best of it.

Love of my life, I hate you :   Xisang, slow burn, arranged engagement. Nie Huaisang and Lan Xichen are engaged since childhood and while they both initially hate it, feelings eventually start to emerge

We can light a match and burn it down:  Wangxian, Xisang, arranged marriage. After the death of Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji is forced into a political marriage with Nie Huaisang. Neither of them is happy with that, but they’re used to not getting what they want.

Brotherly Concern :  Wangxian. Lan Xichen wants to help his brother with his complicated romantic situation but makes a very wrong assumption about the situation

Mirrors :  Xisang, A/B/O. Lan Xichen finds a magic mirror that lets him chat with Nie Huaisang from a different world, leading to them falling in love

Just the sight of you (is getting the best out of me):  Zhuiling. ABO, underage. Jin Ling is caught having sex with Lan Sizhui and must now prove he’s more than a horny teenager so he can marry the boy he’s desperately in love with.

A Lamb in wolf’s clothing:  Xisang. Nie Huaisang did not orchestrate the fall of Jin Guangyao, but must deal with everyone thinking he did.

Second Chances For First Time Villains :  WIP, Xisang, post canon. After it is revealed Jin Rusong did not actually die, Nie Huaisang finds himself in charge of the little boy and tries his best to care for him

Heart and Soul : WIP. GEN, angst, daemon AU. Nie Huaisang has a daemon who never settled, Jiang Cheng’s settled on the wrong shape, and Wei Wuxian misses his when he returns from the dead.