#and he was just plain awful to Nie Mingjue

[jayktoralldaylong]

MDZS spoilers

We as a fandom do not talk enough (and I say this because I haven't seen anyone mention this yet) about how outright abusive Jin Guangyao was to Nie Mingjue. I believe this abuse is so underrated because not only does Nie Mingjue not fit the stereotype of a victim, but he never truly realises that he's being abused.

- The betrayal of his trust.

- Being forced to bow to the man who killed his parents.

- Getting captured, having his subordinates killed, and getting handed over to the damn Wens during the m*th*r fucking war, when JGY knew damn well that Mingjue would be stressing on whether or not he'd ever see his brother again, just to pull the ✨"It was all a part of my ultimate plan" 😌✨ ruse so that Lan Xichen would like him more.

- Being gaslit every time he tried to call JGY out on his crimes.

- Doubting his own judgement.

- Having his own brother pull away from him because JGY understands him more.

And that's just the stuff I can remember.

"Mingjue you're bigger than him, stronger than him, more privileged than him, why do you insist on hating poor Mengyao who does nothing but respect you."

And Mingjue can't reply. He doesn't know how explain that man is evil in a way that Lan Xichen will understand. Because the evil comes out only when its him. The evil comes out when it knows Nie Mingjue has no proof. And Mingjue thinks he's safe, because he is in fact bigger, stronger and more powerful. So what really can that little guy do to him?

[ibijau]

Futures past pt19 / on AO3

As music lessons resume, Lan Xichen has a suggestion for Nie Huaisang

Nie Huaisang cheerfully knocked on the door, ready for his first music lesson of the year, only to be met by a decidedly grumpy Lan Xichen. The other boy tried to smile at him, tried to make conversation as usual and to ask how much he’d practiced that week, but Nie Huaisang wasn’t fooled.

“So, what’s wrong?” he asked as he set up his guqin, a little proud to show off again that he had his own instrument now. “You look so dejected that I could mistake you for your brother.”

“Let’s not talk about Wangji right now,” Lan Xichen replied, his expression turning sour. 

Now he looked like his uncle, though Nie Huaisang was too polite to say as much. It was really strange to see him so upset, and a little worrying as well, but Lan Xichen did not give him the chance to ask any questions.

“I’ve been thinking a lot while you were gone,” Lan Xichen announced with a fake smile that wasn’t fooling anyone, “and I think your level is good enough to start teaching you something a little more advanced. Shufu has given me permission to give you an introduction to some techniques we use for musical cultivation, if that interests you.”

Nie Huaisang gasped at the news.

“Really? You mean, real musical cultivation?” he asked excitedly. “The real deal? Like… like battle songs? Healing songs? You think I’m good enough?”

His earlier bad mood quickly melting away, Lan Xichen smiled warmly and came to sit next to Nie Huaisang.

“I think you’re very skilled, yes,” he said, making Nie Huaisang flush at the praise, “though it’ll be a while until you can use musical techniques in a Night Hunt. But since we have this entire year before us, I thought you could try to learn Inquiry.”

“Really?”

To confirm it, Lan Xichen merely handed Nie Huaisang a musical score, one he appeared to have copied himself. Nie Huaisang took it with trembling hands, awed to be trusted in that manner.

“The song itself is not particularly complex,” Lan Xichen explained as Nie Huaisang looked over the score, “and it can be learned and used even by someone of ordinary cultivation level. The real difficulty, and what is going to take us a while, is the Qin language needed to understand the answers given by spirits.”

His eyes still on the sheet of music, Nie Huaisang just nodded. Then, realising what he’d just heard, he looked up and stared at Lan Xichen with wide, shocked eyes.

“Isn’t that a secret Lan technique?”

“I'm not sure about 'secret' but it is an exclusive technique,” Lan Xichen confirmed, his expression turning more serious. “That’s why I had to ask for shufu’s permission before I could offer to teach you. I won’t hide that he was reluctant,” he added with a strained smile. “But I told him that I fully trust you to respect our secrets.”

Hands clenched on the music sheet, Nie Huaisang hurriedly nodded again. He couldn’t think of a bigger honour done to him. He’d never have dared to ask to be taught any Lan secret techniques, but since it was offered he would do his best to be worthy of it, and to show proper respect and gratitude.

“I also told him that having a goal of your own seemed to help you in your studies last year,” Lan Xichen added, “and that this might help you do better in your exams by giving you better motivation.”

However pleased he was that Lan Xichen would trust him, and with something that important, the reminder of his failure to do well in class made Nie Huaisang grimace, and instantly reduced his enthusiasm. “Does it mean the music lessons will be dependent on the grades I get in regular classes?”

“It’s possible that shufu came to that conclusion,” Lan Xichen replied with a mischievous smile. “But I never actually said that, and your grades are of no concern to me. I just like teaching you”

“Xichen-gege, you’re so crafty!” Nie Huaisang laughed. “Who knew you were capable of that! You’re the best, you know? I like when you teach me, too. I’ll try to be as good a student as you are a teacher!”

“I’m pleased you’d think so well of me,” Lan Xichen said, his cheeks turning a little pink. “Now, let’s get to work. I think for today, we’re just going to focus on the song itself. Then next week, if you are comfortable enough playing it, I can show you how to infuse it with your spiritual energy to have the right effect, and we can start learning Qin language.”

It sounded like a great plan, and one Nie Huaisang wholeheartedly agreed to.

Just as Lan Xichen promised, the song itself was not particularly challenging, and short enough that Nie Huaisang had good hopes of quickly learning it by heart if he just put his mind to it. He’d try to be careful not to practice it around the other Nie disciples, since it was a Lan technique, but he’d still work hard on it, and… maybe that might turn Night Hunts into something interesting at last. It should certainly make Nie Mingjue happy if his brother finally became interested in those, even if he had to use another sect’s method for it. 

It opened a world of possibilities, and Nie Huaisang promised himself to practice hard to make this happen, so both his brother and Lan Xichen would be proud of him. Or at least, as hard as he was capable, especially with all that he had to do that year. 

That would come later. The lesson having reached its conclusion for the day, Lan Xichen served tea for both of them, and offered some candies to celebrate the start of a new year of learning. By then, Lan Xichen’s mood appeared to have improved a great deal, and Nie Huaisang decided it would be fine to start the first phase of his great plan. 

"So, Xichen-gege, what do you think of this year's students?" Nie Huaisang asked innocently while grabbing some candies.

Lan Xichen's expression turned sour for a brief moment, before he got himself back under control and smiled again. 

"They are an interesting lot, certainly," he said without enthusiasm. "Are you making friends this time?" 

After taking a quick sip of tea, Nie Huaisang nodded, grinning.

"Gege, you won't believe it, but even last year I made a friend!” he announced. “Apparently, Zixun thinks I'm really cool and told his cousin about me!"

It was still really funny to him, and judging by his surprised expression, Lan Xichen hadn’t expected that either.

"Then Jin Zixun has better tastes than I expected,” Lan Xichen said with some hesitation, “and I must reconsider my opinion of him." 

"Well, me too! But I am making friends this year too, and they're nicer about it than Zixun was. Have you met Wei Wuxian yet?" 

Stopping short of drinking some tea, Lan Xichen's smile wavered. He froze for a second, and put down his glass again.

"I have,” Lan Xichen said in a tone of voice that made it plain the encounter had brought him little joy. “Jiang Cheng… I mean, Jiang gongzi came to greet me on his second day here, and Wei gongzi was with him. I suppose he was polite enough with me."

Nie Huaisang laughed at seeing him struggle to find something nice to say.

"But he upset your uncle and you don't like that."

That was all the encouragement Lan Xichen needed to allow his expression to turn into anger, which Nie Huaisang found very funny.

"He was extremely rude to shufu,” Lan Xichen complained. “It’s very unfortunate that he should show so little respect to a teacher. He's also determined to pester poor Wangji, who isn't used to being treated like that!” He paused, taking a deep breath to compose himself, but didn’t manage to put on a smile again. “Huaisang, since you're his friend, do you think you might tell him to leave Wangji alone?"

All of Nie Huaisang’s amusement quickly dissipated at that demand and he frowned.

"Well that's a problem! You really dislike him that much?"

Lan Xichen fell silent for a moment. Nie Huaisang found it more worrying than if he’d answered right away. A little anger at a misbehaving student was one thing, but he’d talked enough with Lan Xichen to recognise those moments when he was trying hard to be fair to someone he didn’t particularly like. He used to make the same face when talking about Su She, back before he started warming up to him.

"He doesn't seem like a bad person,” Lan Xichen said at last, “and he hasn't done anything to me, so I cannot dislike him. I am just worried for Wangji, who isn’t very good at dealing with people." 

"That's really inconvenient,” Nie Huaisang sighed. “Xichen-gege, I was really hoping you'd help me help them to become friends! It would have been a lot of fun, the two of us scheming together…” he sighed again. “Oh, well. I'll see if I can get Jiang-xiong or Su-xiong instead. I don’t want to involve you in something you’d find upsetting."

"I think the fact you’d want such a thing is already upsetting me a little,” Lan Xichen replied. “Is it even possible for them to be friends? They are… very different."

Nie Huaisang gave that a moment of consideration before shrugging.

"I guess. But we're pretty different too, and we didn't start off so well either, and look at us now! If it worked for us, it can work for them! I’m sure they can become good friends like us!" 

A spot or pink appeared on Lan Xichen's cheeks, but his expression remained conflicted. 

"I think it's different. Their first meeting was a fight."

Nie Huaisang could only laugh.

"And I ran away from you when you tried to chat!” he pointed out, grabbing another candy which he pushed toward Lan Xichen. “Anyway, wouldn't it be good for Wangji to have friends? He's too serious. It's not healthy for a boy his age to be so serious. As his elders, we need to make sure he doesn't get lonely." 

"you're barely a year older than him," Lan Xichen remarked, fighting a smile as he took the candy. "I'm not sure you have much claim as an elder." 

One hand on his heart, Nie Huaisang faked an offended expression which made Lan Xichen chuckle.

"I am an elder!” he protested theatrically. “I am wiser in the way of the world, so it is my duty to guide these children. Wei Wuxian too!” he added, a touch more seriously. “I think he was impressed by Wangji, you know. Jiang-xiong says that it's unheard of for him to find someone he can't beat.” He paused, and considered that. “Jiang-xiong also says he kind of hopes that Wei-xiong gets his ass kicked very hard, so it teaches him humility. And Meng-xiong didn't say anything, but he did nod."

Lan Xichen grinned.

"I do get the sensation that people tend to be as irritated by him as they are endeared. And I suppose… Wangji too was impressed by Wei gongzi's skill. Mostly he said it was quite upsetting that such talent should belong to a person with such poor manners."

Nie Huaisang smiled at that most encouraging news.

"There! If Wangji is complimenting him, then they need to be friends!" he exclaimed, making Lan Xichen laugh hard enough that he felt the need to hide it behind his sleeve.

"That's hardly a compliment."

"Coming from Wangji, it is."

That got another laugh out of Lan Xichen, which he quickly got under control and attempted to replace by a more severe expression. It might have worked, if his eyes had not been shining with barely repressed mirth. 

"Wangji is not nearly as bad as you seem to think,” Lan Xichen said. “He's just very shy, and being distant is the way he deals with it. Not everyone can be as bold and determined to collect friends as you are, Huaisang." 

"I'm not sure how to take that." 

"Coming from any other Lan, it might be an insult,” Lan Xichen admitted. “Coming from me, and to you, it's probably a compliment." 

Nie Huaisang grinned, delighted to be teased like that. How had he ever thought that Lan Xichen was boring? Maybe his future self was right about him not being too bright. But then again, wasn't it easy to make that sort of judgement in hindsight? Lan Xichen was fun now, but it had taken time for his smiles to gain real warmth when they were together. It had been time well invested though, and realising that made him hopeful that this business between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian might turn out fine. Maybe they too would get to have that sort of comfortable relationship someday.

More comfortable, even, since they were to fall in love someday. It was going to be so funny to see how Lan Wangji acted when he was in love.

After this, the two boys fell silent for a moment as they finished their tea. It was getting a little late, and Nie Huaisang knew that he would soon have to leave. It made him almost wish that Lan Qiren had already given them homework, so he’d have an excuse to stay a little longer by whining that he always worked better when he was with Lan Xichen. Or else, he might have offered to help copy some scroll or other for Lan Xichen’s great secret project. Anything at all so he wouldn’t have to go. After almost a whole winter apart, he just wanted to be in his friend’s company a little more, just a tiny bit more, even if he knew they were sure to have time together again the week after.

Then, just as Nie Huaisang was trying to accept that he couldn’t find a good excuse to stay, Lan Xichen spoke again.

"If we do help Wangji and Wei-gongzi become friends,” he said, “and that's still an 'if' on my part, the main issue will be to make them understand they both want to be friends. Wangji seems to think Wei-gongzi only exists to torment him, and despairs to see again his more positive qualities."

Excited both for the excuse to chat a little more and by the fact that Lan Xichen was falling to his side, Nie Huaisang nodded.

"Wei-xiong is convinced Wangji is giving him the cold shoulder in spite of his efforts to become friends,” he replied. “He’s not used to people not fawning over him, I fear. Xichen-gege, we're gonna have to work hard!" 

"It would take effort,” Lan Xichen agreed. “I can see you're very excited about this little project, but don't let it get in the way of your studies."

Nie Huaisang dismissed that worry with a hand gesture.

"Don't worry! I'll practice the guqin every day no matter what!"

That answer made Lan Xichen laugh.

"I meant your actual studies, Huaisang,” he corrected, trying to sound scolding but too obviously amused to be scary at all. “The lectures? With my uncle? You do remember that's why you're here in the first place?" 

Blushing a little at his blunder, Nie Huaisang shrugged.

"Oh, that. I'll deal with that,” he said with more confidence than he felt. “At worst, I'll just come again a third year. Wouldn't that be fun? We'd get even more time together!" 

"I'm not sure shufu would be thrilled,” Lan Xichen pointed out. “But I would certainly be happy to have you around as long as you want. And… of course, you'd get more time with Su She as well. Apparently you've even told your brother about him?"

If he hadn’t been in such good humour upon hearing that Lan Xichen enjoyed his company that much, Nie Huaisang might have noticed that the other boy’s expression became a little more pained when he mentioned Su She. But he was in too good a mood to be observant.

"Of course. It fell through last year because I didn't plan it enough in advance and my grades were bad,” he explained, “but this year, I absolutely want to invite Su-xiong home with me when I go back, even if I don't pass! I think we'll have a lot of fun, and da-ge can't ground me if I have a guest to entertain!"

Lan Xichen's smile turned strained again, nearly as much as when Nie Huaisang first arrived to see him. 

"How cunning of you. I'm sure you'll have great fun. I could try to steal your brother for a Night Hunt, so you and Su She can have some peace." 

It was a very generous offer, and Nie Huaisang gave it all the consideration it deserved.

"No, I think if you make it all the way to Qinghe, I'll want to keep you around too,” he announced. “Xichen-gege, even though you've come a few times, we weren’t friends back then so I've never really shown you my birds, right? And we could go painting all three of us… wait, Su-xiong isn't that fond of painting!” he remembered, hitting his forehead. “So it won’t do. Then… let's dump him with da-ge for a bit, so they can get all excited together about fighting and cultivation, and I'll steal you away! Oh there's this gorgeous little spot from where you can see the mountains at a wonderful angle… I've always wanted to show it to someone, and I think you're really someone who would know how to appreciate it. Will you go there with me next time you visit us, Xichen-gege?"

Lan Xichen tried to smile, his face a little pinker than usual.

"Wouldn't you rather take Su She, if you like it so much?"

Nie Huaisang considered that, too, before shaking his head.

"There are other places I can show him. That one, I really want to show you."

Looking definitely quite pink now, Lan Xichen smiled.

"Then I will gladly accompany you. If you like it so much, it must be very beautiful indeed, and I can’t wait to see it." 

"Xichen-gege is too kind,” Nie Huaisang replied, delighted by that new plan. “Really too kind. And in his great kindness, will he help me give Wangji a friend?" 

"You’re just as stubborn as your brother,” Lan Xichen accused, his good mood fully returned. “We'll see. I need to see a little more of this Wei Wuxian before I decide. But if I find him to be a good person, and if I am given reasons to think he’ll be good for Wangji, then yes, I will help." 

It wasn't unfair to worry about that, especially when Lan Xichen didn't have a messenger from the future to tell him that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were pretty much soulmates. Indeed, without that information, Nie Huaisang would never have guessed that Lan Wangji's cold anger might have hidden any other sort of tender feelings. That was why Nie Huaisang really needed Lan Xichen's help, he was the only person in the world who could understand his brother. 

Since he needed Lan Xichen's assistance so badly, Nie Huaisang wondered if he should maybe not ask Wei Wuxian to help him cheat in the next test. But he had already done his part of the deal in that regards, so it would be very upsetting to have copied all those boring texts for nothing. Besides, it would probably be fine. 

There was no way they'd be caught, right? 

[waiting-to-be-lost-at-sea]

social worker!jiang cheng & kids head canon

okay yall this is the 2nd part (I’m in the middle of trying to finish off two chapters for ‘falling in love with the right person’  fic. So update soon. But here is some added jiang cheng & kids. (First headcanon here)

(please ignore the subtitle )

- Jin Ling is the first child Jiang Cheng took into his care, he was very loud and angry but after Jiang Cheng gets him a plushie of a husky(Fairy) the older man becomes his favourite person in the whole world. Even going as far as to try and copy his hairstyle (luckily JC got the scissors out of the little boy’s hands in time)

- The Lan twins are quiet and tend to keep to themselves, JC understands as he gets the two a couple of plain white notebooks and a few pens, pencils and colouring pencils. Judging by the fact Sizhui likes to write and Jingyi prefers to draw. (the two warm up to him after witnessing JC play with Jin Ling, the smile on the older man’s face helps just as much)

-The twins and Jin Ling at one point don’t eat as much as children should, so JC starts feeding them everytime he sees them, whether it’s snacks or usually his sister’s infamous Lotus & Pork Ribs soup, he’s ensuring they get their fill. (Jin Ling & the twins make a pact to always ensure JC eats with them as well, even going as far as to whine that there si too much food :) :) :) )

-Xue Yang had nightmares, until one night they stopped, he hadn’t realised it was due to JC singing to him in the night, until Mo Xuanyu commented about it doing breakfast. (none the less Xue Yang feigns sleep just to hear JC sing to him from now on)

Xue Yang: no more nightmares

Mo Xuanyu: yeah dad-i mean jiang cheng’s a good singer

Xue Yang: wait what- *insert surprised pikachu face*

-the first time the kids meet Wei Wuxian they think he’s a suitor of JC’s and spend the entire weekend trying to get rid of him. Cue adorable kids feigning injuries and stomach aches to keep Wei Wuxian away from JC, (it nearly works, nearly until Sizhui admits their plans “GODDAMN IT A YUAN” - Xue Yang facepalms)

- Mo Xuanyu was the hardest kid to take into his care, it took Nie Mingjue AND Lan Qiren to get approval to take away from his guardians (added help from Mingjue’s fiancee Meng Yao who knew Mo Xuanyu) The kid doesn’t let go of Jiang Cheng the entire first night he stays at Jiang Cheng’s home.

-Xue Yang is automatically the default adult they go too, if they have issues they do not want to bring up to Jiang Cheng (bullies at school, unwanted adults hitting on JC, forgetting to let the puppies go out to pee). Xue Yang honestly has face palmed too many times, the other kids see him as a second Jiang Cheng.

-Mo Xuanyu realises he sees JC as a father when the man picks him up from piano lessons, and he’s so scared that the others will tease him and berate him, he avoids JC when Xue Yang finds out, he takes Mo Xuanyu to the side and asks him why he’s being distant and the younger boy tells him. Then Xue Yang is rocking his fellow brother to sleep in his arms, humming the same lullabye JC sings him to sleep with. They sleep warm and peaceful, JC tucking them in before leaving them to sleep.

-Jingyi has trouble with school, it gets to the point he feels like he’ll never match up to his brother’s smarts. JC takes him to a local art museum after he admits his results, asking Yanli to take care of the others, they take a tour Jingyi being in awe, as JC tells him as long as he’s doing something he loves nothing else should matter. Jingyi ends up getting fried chicken for lunch and JC makes sure to cook his favourites, with help from the others.

- When the kids first hear about Lan Xichen, Xue Yang realises JC likes him, so he feigns being sick to ensure he can keep JC away from the man until they’ve done a proper background check. (background check VIA Wei Ying & Yanli of course thou they also ask Huaisang & Song Lan just in case)

- The kids during the holidays all sleep in JC’s room, the first time they did that, JC only remembered going to bed alone, but somehow he wakes up, Jin Ling on his chest, the twins wrapped around his leg, Xue Yang behind Jin Ling and Mo XuanYu on the other side of him, his heart nearly hurts but he pulls them a little closer before going back to sleep.

- Song Lan definitely scared all the kids the first time they saw him, since he was basically covered in blood when he rocked up to JC’s apartment, not realising that his friend had not informed him about the new additions to his home.

-All the kids love dogs, every single one of them, JC takes them to the dog park on Saturdays and watches them run and play fetch with every single dog. He takes photos and sends them to his family. 

(I’ll probably add more but these are here just for now, in two days time, chapters for ‘Falling in Love with the right person’ will be up) thank u

[vaguely-concerned]

my friends... like a fool I did watch fatal journey. and I indeed cried a lot because nie brothers!!!! spoilers under the cut!

- first of all: nie huaisang is my favourite mdzs character and I’m SO happy with how they’ve done his characterization here! he’s so smart! (and his brother knows and respects it, as does their whole sect ;_______; I get the sense not a lot of people actually know him that well, it’s so good to know nie mingjue does and is aware that his brother is intelligent and capable behind his antics) 

also loved how the narrative supported the emotional throughline that nie huaisang doesn’t need to be changed into something he’s not to be a Valid sect leader -- he is never going to be a martial arts master or into military stuff and he is kind of soft but he’s also very explicitly not a coward and is competent and charismatic in his own way as well as y’know a secret mastermind. (...and he survives jin guangyao where his brother doesn’t. owwwww.)  most of all he shows he’s aware of the lives he’s responsible for and takes it extremely seriously. there is a... righteousness, I want to say? to him, behind all the grey morality stuff in the revenge plot. I guess there’s a reason he got along so well with wei wuxian haha. 

- oh nie mingjue. oh my heart is breaking for him again and again, he tried so hard. he tried so hard to get away from his family’s terrible legacy and he was so young when he was forced to take it on and like huaisang says he did the best he could with what he was given and it’s so awful. all this guilt and pressure he was never responsible for creating but has to find a way to handle somehow. (the generational trauma metaphor when he was literally being beaten into the ground by the manifestation of their family’s history fsdalfsdjh (admittedly in the form of some frankly irredeemable CGI but y’know what the emotional metaphor still stands lol)) 

literally my only solace right now is that ultimately he might not have managed to break away from or question that dark legacy himself... but he essentially raised a person who could. because he loved his little brother for exactly who he was, even when that was something different from what he himself had been raised to value. hmngh. hnnnnnnnnng. no it’s okay it’s just raining on my face 

- on a shallower note: nie mingjue with his hair down tho.   O.O

- “Do I really have to watch you die in front of me before you stop?” THIS IS JUST PLAIN OLD CRUELTY!!! JUST STABBING ME IN THE HEART WITH A RUSTY BREADKNIFE REPEATEDLY WHAT THE  F U C K

(it’s also nie huaisang making it clear to his brother that he sees and knows a lot more than he lets on and it’s devastating in every way) 

- those poor nie guys helplessly watching what could easily have been the last remaining heir to lead their sect THROW HIMSELF OFF A CLIFF because he’s profoundly ride or die (or resurrect) for the people he cares about     

- nie mingjue. openly crying. and apologizing to huaisang for making him practice with the saber. because he knows he’s dying and he doesn’t know any other way than what he was taught or how to leave his little brother better equipped for the eventual burden he’ll inherit. and he feels like he’s failed as a brother and as a son and as a clan leader. fhjkdshakjsfhasdflhkj 

but you know what murders me more than all of that? the fact that this moment of vulnerability and ‘weakness’ from him is when huaisang actually becomes calmer and more secure. because what he’s really been afraid of this whole time is that his brother is already gone, lost to the saber madness, or that he really thought he was useless and cowardly and worthless. and here is the brother he loves and remembers, being present with him. so now he can focus his big brain and solve the puzzle. he was more scared of losing his brother than dying with him down there as long as they were together. HELP ME   

- rip to this earnest handsome dualwielding nie dude doomed from the outset b/c he doesn’t appear in the main series. ur sacrifice was appreciated buddy

- I have a LOT of feelings about how clear it is that nie mingjue more or less raised his brother. there’s something about the sentiment of ‘no matter what you want to do with your life, as long as I’m alive I will love you and protect you’ that is so deeply parental. the way he was like ‘it’s okay, I’m here’ after he caught him from falling? same thing. (his voice is so sooooft right there) can’t explain it, but I sure as hell feel it. unconditional goddamn love huh

(and in their final scenes together, as he’s helping his brother stay upright, there’s the unavoidable implication that nhs is thinking ‘but I don’t know if I can protect you’. and in the end...)  

...shit I’m crying a bit again don’t mind me 

- everything to do with the flute makes jgy’s eventual fate all the more satisfying to think about. *me filming nhs pulling the longest and most devastating long con of vengeance for his brother on this piece of shit* you’re doing amazing sweetie 

- NIE MINGJUE OVEREXTENDED HIMSELF TRYING TO PERFECTLY FIGURE OUT THE SABER TECHNIQUE SO HIS LITTLE BROTHER WOULD NEVER HAVE TO HURT LIKE THAT I AM WAILING 

- anyway nhs gave his best friend the second chance at life and love he deserved and honored his brother’s memory by getting revenge on his murderer in the most meticulous and thorough way possible, bringing all the injustices that asshole had committed to light in the process, all without ever showing his hand, and I love him more than words can describe haha 

[restingdomface]

Consider: Lan Xichen afraid of thunder (big scary bangs are aweful but rain makes for safe calm feeling and so he’s got mixed feelings and is generally okay with this as long as he has somewhere quiet and safe to hide and blankets to burrow in) and Meng Yao’s got a fever (child cannot sit still and stop working for ten whole minutes NMJ is in distress tying to get MY to sit still long enough not to die along with getting NHS to actually train for once and not die in an equally stupid way) and Nie Huaisang is just plain stupid and dragged a fevered MY to Nie Mingjue’s room so DaGe can deal with this cause he’s Not Going To but then he passed out in the bed anyways and NMJ wakes up with what feels like a hot water bottle pressed against his side and LXC nearly smothering NHS in his sleep cause LXC got scared of the thunder and every bang startled him into hugging tighter but NHS doesn’t care when he’s Out, He’s Out, and just. Y’all. This shit. NMJ has to Deal with this shit. He’s everyone’s mother and it sucks.

[ibijau]

ever since the very brief nhs/jzx in worst engagement, i’ve realized i really like that combination, so... sangxuan, any setting, with “I like watching you. When you laugh, when you smile, when you’re passionately engaged in something you enjoy.” please?

warning for internalised biphobia and homophobia :)

Jin Zixuan isn’t a cut-sleeve because he likes girls, thanks. Sure he doesn’t like his fiancée (she’s plain, she’s boring, her brothers are the most annoying people in the world) but he does like other girls and politely looks at them from a safe distance (because if he got anywhere near a girl who isn’t his fiancée, his mother would have his head). He knows that because of the difficult state of his engagement, and his open disdain for Jiang Yanli, some people like to joke that maybe it’s all girls Jin Zixuan dislikes, but that’s just plain wrong.

Jin Zixuan isn’t a cut-sleeve. He looks at girls.

So it doesn’t matter if he looks at boys too.

It’s just that he isn’t blind. He can tell that the Twin Jades are, indeed, so impossibly handsome that he can’t mind they’re ranked higher than him. And Jiang Cheng might be an annoying brat, but he has very fetching eyes so his place at number five is well deserved.

Wei Wuxian being number four is an aberration, but some people just don’t have taste.

The point being, looking at other boys doesn’t mean anything. Everyone does it. Jin Zixuan has noticed the faint trace of admiration in Lan Wangji’s eyes when Wei Wuxian’s around (again, some people have no taste) and the way Wei Wuxian openly checks out Lan Wangji… and these two don’t even like each other.

And then there’s Nie Huaisang, Grand Purveyor of Porn, who obviously isn’t a cut-sleeve since he has so many prints and books about men and women enthusiastically doing things to each other, and yet is always play-flirting with other boys. 

Nie Huaisang who somehow didn’t make it on that stupid list (possibly because he managed to fail his studies twice already), thus proving again that there’s no accounting for taste because he is so pretty he should be number one.

Nie Huaisang who can befriend anyone, and is on first name basis with a staggering number of Lan juniors, including both of the Twin Jades.

Nie Huaisang who needs to cheat on every single test they’re taking because he can’t memorise a single lesson, but knows entire poetry books by heart and can make near perfect copies of any painting.

Nie Huaisang with his lips so red they look painted, his easy smiles that he generously shares, his eyes always shining with mischief, his delicate hands, the beautiful curve of his neck.

Jin Zixuan might think about Nie Huaisang a little more than he ought to, especially since Nie Huaisang has recently taken a shine to him and won’t leave him alone. It’s probably just because Wei Wuxian was kicked out because of Jin Zixuan, and now Nie Huaisang wants to have someone, anyone, to hang out with (Jiang Cheng is surprisingly studious when he’s alone, Nie Huaisang has complained, and so makes for a poor companion).

It’s fine though. Jin Zixuan likes girls, so he’s not a cut-sleeve, it’s fine that he looks so much at Nie Huaisang, that he can’t get enough of his laugh, that his entire body is burning when Nie Huaisang casually touches him.

Nie Huaisang is a very tactile person.

It’s fine, it’s normal for boys to be grabbing each other’s wrists, or throwing an arm over a friend’s shoulders, or even laying their head on a friend’s lap while studying. It’s normal because Nie Huaisang, who isn’t a cut-sleeve, does it all the time to Jin Zixuan, also not a cut-sleeve.

It’s fine.

It’s normal.

It’s just a friendly thing.

And so today, as Jin Zixuan is sitting on his bed to study, Nie Huaisang laying down with his head on his lap and openly trying to distract him from studying, the two of them completely alone, Jin Zixuan doesn’t harbour any dangerous thoughts.

He doesn’t want to touch Nie Huaisang’s hair to find out if it’s as smooth as it looks.

He doesn’t admire the lighter specks in his friend’s eyes, like stars on an inky sky.

He doesn’t at all, ever, not even for one second, wonder how soft Nie Huaisang’s lips are, what it would feel to kiss them.

Jin Zixuan does allow himself to think that it might be the only way to get Nie Huaisang to shut up thought. It makes him chuckle, which disrupts Nie Huaisang. The other boy glares at him and pouts, as if Jin Zixuan needed the encouragement to be looking at his lips.

“Well, share the joke then?” Nie Huaisang demands.

“It’s nothing,” Jin Zixuan retorts, feeling his cheeks heat up. “Stop bothering me, I’m studying.”

Nie Huaisang looks up at him, his pretty pout turning into a dangerous smile, the one he has when he’s about to make himself particularly annoying.

“No you’re not. You’ve been on the same page the whole time. Are you distracted, Jin-xiong? Is there something on your mind? You can tell me about anything, you know. We’re friends.”

They are friends, even if Jin Zixuan didn’t really have a choice in the matter.

They are friends and friends don’t think like that about each other’s lips.

“There’s nothing,” Jin Zixuan snaps. “Just let me study.”

“Boring,” Nie Huaisang replies. “Ah, I’m really bored, I’ll probably fall asleep like this. You don’t mind if I nap on you, right?”

“You’ll fail your next test again,” Jin Zixuan grumbles, trying not to feel anything at the idea of Nie Huaisang falling asleep on him. It has happened before. It was heaven. It was a torture. “You really need to step up or you’ll fail this year as well.”

“No, I’ve decided I won’t fail,” Nie Huaisang announces, laughing lightly. “It was fun at first to come here again and again. But now I’ve made friends, and I want to be able to go visit them. Can’t do that if I’m stuck in the Cloud Recesses another year. This time, I’ll pass.”

“You make it sound easy.”

“It is if you know how. And I have motivation now, so it’ll be fine.”

Of course Nie Huaisang has motivation. He got along so well with Wei Wuxian, and he gets along with Jiang Cheng also, for all that he complains about him being too serious. He probably has a standing invitation to Lotus Piers already.

Jin Zixuan wishes he could extend an invitation of his own, but he knows better than to do that without his father’s approval, and he knows his father and Nie Mingjue have a… tense relationship, to say the least. Jin Guangshan has always been a little too quick to find excuses for Wen Ruohan’s attitude toward other sects, which may or may not be because there’s so much money to be made from trade between their territories.

Jin Zixuan doubts he’ll get to see Nie Huaisang much after their time in the Cloud Recesses is over.

It’s fine.

Everything is fine.

Jin Zixuan tries to go back to his book. Maybe skillfully passing exams is a thing Nie Huaisang can turn on and off at will, but he’s not so lucky so he needs to focus.

“Hey, Jin-xiong?”

“What now?”

Jin Zixuan’s tone must have been too dry. Nie Huaisang’s eyes widen in surprise, and he pouts again. It’s unfair how pretty he is.

Jin Zixuan isn’t a cut-sleeve, but he’s sure no girl in the world could ever be half as pretty as Nie Huaisang.

“You’re really in a bad mood today!” Nie Huaisang remarks, sitting up.

The ghost of his warmth remains on Jin Zixuan’s legs.

It is a normal thing to note. It doesn’t mean anything.

Nie Huaisang gives him an oddly calculating look though, and Jin Zixuan feels panic rising in his chest, slowly choking him. He knows Nie Huaisang can’t read his mind, can’t see what’s inside his head, least of all when he’s so careful to not even let himself think these things, but if he guesses somehow, if he realises, if he becomes disgusted…

“Jin-xiong, do you dislike me?” Nie Huaisang asks in a weak voice.

“Why would I dislike you?” Jin Zixuan gasps.

Nie Huaisang shrugs, and gathers his knees against his chest, all curled up on himself. It makes Jin Zixuan want to hug him until he stops feeling whatever he’s feeling.

“You didn’t even want to be friends in the first place,” Nie Huaisang mumbles, hiding his face against his knees. He sounds like he might cry. “I had to force you, and you were always complaining, and… and you’re still complaining about it sometimes, even if you put up with it most of the time. Is it… is it really just that? Are you just putting up with me?”

“That’s not it,” Jin Zixuan protests, stunned to hear and see Nie Huaisang in such a state of doubt. He’s usually so confident in himself, wearing even his failure as badges of honour, always the first one to laugh that he’s bad at studying, that he’s been called annoying by a number of people, that he’s the worst cultivator of their generation.

“It’s okay if you don’t like me,” Nie Huaisang insists with a sigh so heartfelt that it nearly takes Jin Zixuan’s breath away. “I’ll stop pestering you from now on.”

“I like it when you pester me!” Jin Zixuan exclaims, which startles Nie Huaisang enough that he raises his head from his knees. His eyes are shining, as if he might really have been on the brink of tears, and the idea does something to Jin Zixuan. Mostly, it seems to fry his brain. “I like when we spend time together,” he continues, even when his every instinct tells him to stop. “I like that you’re the only person who teases me. I like that you want to be around me, and I like being around you as well. And I like… I like watching you. When you laugh, when you smile, when you’re passionately engaged in something you enjoy. I just… I like you a lot, Nie-xiong, so stop worrying about that.”

It’s too much. Nie Huaisang stares at him with eyes so wide they look like marbles, his face colouring quickly in a way it never does, no matter what shameless thing he’s discussing.

It’s too much but it’s true.

“Jin-xiong,” Nie Huaisang breathes, a little awed. “That’s…”

“It’s normal for friends to like each other,” Jin Zixuan hurriedly cuts him, scrambling to save himself. “It’s not like either of us are cut-sleeves, anyway, so it’s fine. We both like girls anyway, so…”

“I mean, I like boys as well,” Nie Huaisang says slowly, his eyes turning calculating again.

Jin Zixuan’s body goes cold.

It never occurred to him that it was possible to like both. It’s not really something that is discussed at home, except to say that cut-sleeves are a plague on their bloodline who disrespect their ancestors by not having children. His father has strong opinions on the matter. His mother too, actually. It’s the one thing on which they can agree.

It’s always been one or the other, in Jin Zixuan’s mind. And since he definitely likes girls, then he’d figured he was safe, he was normal.

He might not be safe.

He’s certainly not normal, not with the way his heart beats so fast when Nie Huaisang smiles again.

“I don’t just like boys in general,” he says, kneeling, scooting closer. Too close. “I like you a lot, Jin-xiong.”

Nie Huaisang leans forward, just a little. Jin Zixuan wants to run away. He stays right where he is, trying not to look at his friend’s lips.

He fails as that.

“As a friend?” Jin Zixuan asks, breathlessly.

“As a friend,” Nie Huaisang agrees. “But not only. Jin-xiong, I like you so much. I also look at you all the time, you know.”

He continues leaning forward, until Jin Zixuan can feel his breath against his lips. He closes his eyes, because if he can see what’s happening, then it’ll be too much, too real.

Nie Huaisang hovers there a moment, as if trying to give him a chance to put a stop to this.

Jin Zixuan doesn’t want it to stop.

He nearly sobs in relief when Nie Huaisang presses their mouth together, gently, just a little hesitant.

Nie Huaisang’s lips are soft but firm, and they are warm and fit perfectly against Jin Zixuan’s, as if they were meant to be like this.

“Is this okay?” Nie Huaisang asks when, all too soon, he pulls away. “Jin-xiong… Zixuan, it’s okay, right?”

It’s not.

Jin Zixuan’s father is going to kill him for this, or kick him out, or at the very least he will demand that Jin Zixuan act normal again and ask that he marry a girl and have children, as is normal, as is right.

It’s wrong to be kissing Nie Huaisang.

It’d be worse still to not be kissing him, now that Jin Zixuan knows what that’s like.

So instead of answering, Jin Zixuan blindly reaches out toward Nie Huaisang, locking his arms around the other boy’s neck to pull him closer and kiss him again.

It’s okay, it’s fine.

It’s worth the trouble that will follow.

[ibijau]

You’re a marked man, brother, part 3 / also on AO3

Lan Xichen and his companions make their way through the Magpie King's domain, guided by their new ghost friend

warning for some mild violence and animal death (insects)

As they first advanced into the realm of the Magpie King, everyone was quiet, fearing an attack. Sangcan in particular was highly nervous, jumping and trembling at every noise he heard. A few times he made them get off the apparently empty road and walk into the surrounding woods for a little while before returning to the path. When asked, he would just explain in a pitiful voice that there were traps there.

At first, Sangcan didn't really speak much if he could help it, awed and terrified by these powerful people. He just walked near Lan Xichen, having apparently decided he was the one in charge. Or perhaps it was that since Lan Xichen had promised to try to free him, he thought it best to stay close. 

Remembering that promise as well, Lan Xichen tried to make polite conversation. Asking about Sangcan's days as a living person seemed a little indelicate, especially since his life had been dark enough he'd turned to the Magpie King to hide some parts of it. So instead, Lan Xichen asked about Sangcan's current existence, and tried to get more details about his master's domain. 

On that subject, Sangcan admitted his knowledge was a little spotty. 

"I've not worked in the palace, see?" he explained. "Nobody does, really, it's just him. The rest of us, we patrol around or take care of the little ones." Sangcan shivered. "I like mine well enough, but there's some I wouldn't want to be in charge of, eh?"

"Little ones?" Lan Xichen asked. 

Sangcan nodded and glanced around before discreetly pointing first at the canopy above them, then at the ground under them. 

"They're everywhere," he explained, his voice dropping to a whisper. "That's how he makes his business, right? My little ones aren't so bad, but some others are really… wait, stop !"

Lan Xichen immediately obeyed and stopped walking, but it was too late. 

While they were chatting, Wei Wuxian had come near them, curious to learn more about his fellow Devastation and perhaps wanting to steal some ideas for his own domain. When Sangcan suddenly ordered them to stop, Wei Wuxian was caught by surprise and accidentally stumbled forward, taking two more steps. Sangcan cried out, before pressing both hands against his mouth to silence himself.

At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Wei Wuxian turned to look at Sangcan, tilting his head curiously. Just as he was about to ask what the matter was, he suddenly cried in pain and brutally slapped his own arm. He rose his hand to the level of his face to inspect it, and grimaced. Again he seemed about to ask Sangcan about that, but before he could speak he had to slap away something else, on his shoulder this time, then his hip, his arm again, while something dark started covering his body. The darkness only receded when Lan Wangji threw a few talismans at his husband, causing a mass of little black dots to fall to the ground.

“Mosquitoes?” Wei Wuxian asked, stomping on them.

“Some are escaping, don’t let them!” Sangcan cried. “They’ll report to the king!”

Indeed, now that they knew what to look for, there was a whole swarm of mosquitoes on the path. A huge number of them lunged at Sangcan, as if guessing that he was a traitor and might lead these intruders to the Magpie King if he wasn’t stopped. Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji threw more talismans at them, though ultimately it was Wei Wuxian who took them down. After the initial surprise, he bit his thumb to draw blood and did something which made all the bugs drop to the floor, even those that were trying to leave and against which Jin Guangyao was using his fan.

They all stared at Wei Wuxian, shocked by the ease with which he’d done this. Sangcan was perhaps the most impressed of them all, having been so afraid he’d be denounced to his master.

“So I guess that’s how the Magpie King learns so many secrets?” Wei Wuxian guessed, stomping again on the piles of dead bugs. “I’d assumed he used birds, with his nickname and all.”

“It started with magpies,” Sangcan confirmed. “And that’s what my little ones are. But bugs get into all sorts of places, right? So the King branched out into all sorts of vermines as his power grew.”

“But he kept the old title anyway,” Wei Wuxian mocked. “I guess the Mosquito King doesn’t sound as good, and he’s a little vain, isn’t he?” Before Sangcan could reply, Wei Wuxian turned to Lan Wangji, his expression quickly going from haughty to pitiful as he showed his bloody thumb to his husband. “Lan Zhan, I’m hurt! Look how hurt I am! And they bit me too!”

Much to his brother’s embarrassment, Lan Wangji let out a small noise of concern and started fussing over Wei Wuxian as earnestly as if he weren’t a very powerful and likely dangerous ghost king capable of surviving nearly anything. Unwilling to look any longer, Lan Xichen went to check on his own husband, in a more calm and composed manner.

“I think I’m getting the hang of those,” Jin Guangyao said, inspecting the fan in his hand. “But I wish I’d gotten one with fire power, it might have been more useful than wind after all.” He glanced toward Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, still lost in the world, and grimaced. “That Yiling Patriarch is something, isn’t he? If he decides to side with the Magpie King…”

“He won’t,” Lan Xichen said firmly. “Not unless he decides Nie Mingjue has done some evil to deserve the Magpie King’s ire, and of course he hasn’t, so there’s nothing to fear.”

Jin Guangyao looked rather unconvinced. In truth, Lan Xichen wasn’t too sure either what Wei Wuxian would do, but it was a risk he had to take. Nie Mingjue had done no wrong, and Wei Wuxian seemed like a man of his word, if nothing else.

Having made sure his husband was fine, Lan Xichen decided to check on the last member of their party. Poor Sangcan was a rather weak ghost by the look of things, and those mosquitoes had attacked him quite viciously. His already plain face was now covered in huge bite marks, and he seemed quite miserable as he watched Lan Wangji rub a soothing balm on Wei Wuxian’s skin.

“I have some as well,” Lan Xichen offered, taking a pot out of his sleeve. “Please help yourself. Are you much hurt?”

Sangcan gratefully took the balm, and started applying it on himself until his whole face was shiny with it.

“I’m quite fine, my lord. I don’t deal much with the bugs usually, but sometimes they escape their handlers and bother everyone, so I’ve been bitten before. The mosquitoes are fine anyway. It’s the flies you’ve got to look for, there’s some very vicious ones. The ones here are carnivores, you know!”

“We won’t let anything happen to you,” Lan Xichen promised. “Between the four of us, I think we can handle some flies.”

Sangcan shrugged, and handed him back his pot of balm. With this taken care of they resumed walking, though Sangcan warned them they would soon have to completely leave the road, since it didn’t actually lead anywhere. Past a certain point it just went in circle, and anyone who didn’t know about it would be trapped on that portion until they died. Sangcan, again, walked next to Lan Xichen, but was far quieter than before. Lan Xichen thought it was because he didn’t want to miss the sign that they ought to leave the road and remained quiet as well, but suddenly Sangcan grabbed his sleeve between two fingers and pulled lightly to get his attention, a very serious look on his face.

“My lord, if that’s not too bold… you’re very nice and kind of not bad looking,” Sangcan said, giving Lan Xichen an appraising look. “And I’ve been thinking. Well, my mother always used to say I was the prettiest man she’d ever seen. And you know, looking at those two…” he gestured at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, walking too close and chatting in hushed voices. “I’m thinking if I get a powerful lover, then it doesn’t matter if I can break that contract or not, because I’ll have someone to protect me, right?”

“I’m already married,” Lan Xichen replied.

“I won’t tell your husband if you don’t either!” Sangcan insisted with a wink.

“His husband is right here,” Jin Guangyao remarked, looking very calm in that way which Lan Xichen knew to mean he was quite aggravated.

Sangcan startled at the news, his eyes jumping between the two of them.

“You two sure don’t look married,” he commented. “But in that case, I guess I don’t mind having you both? Or if you’ve been married a while and think of going your separate ways…”

He winked again, and Lan Xichen had to suppress a laugh. It was hardly the first time someone tried to hit on either of them, though this was definitely the worst attempt he’d ever witnessed… and Sangcan’s face, still bumpy with bite marks and shiny from the balm, really didn’t help.

“We’re not ever going to separate,” he announced, “and neither are we interested in spicing things up, before you try that. A-Yao and I are fated.”

To prove it, he cast a small spell which revealed the thin, bright red thread running from his hand to Jin Guangyao's. It was a useful trick to deal with unwanted flirting, one he’d learned shortly after ascending. At the time, he had hoped the thread might lead him to A-Sang’s spirit. Instead, he’d discovered that the person fated to share his life was actually Jin Guangyao, who Nie Mingjue had just brought to the Middle Court. 

To his mild shame, he’d originally been disappointed by that discovery, though of course he’d gotten over that with a little time, and now would not have changed what he had for anything in the world. Jin Guangyao and him weren't as obnoxious or open about their feelings as Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, but they had a good, steady companionship.

“Oh, that’s a fun trick!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed, jumping closer to look at the thread. “Can you check other people too?”

Lan Xichen hesitated, but nodded and cast the spell on Wei Wuxian. To his consternation, this made it appear that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were, in fact, linked by a thread of their own. If Lan Xichen had had any hopes that his brother might return to his senses, this killed them. Nothing could come between a pair of soulmates.

Wei Wuxian grinned and threw himself at Lan Wangji’s neck who smiled at him, the pair of them looking happy beyond words. Lan Xichen sighed. He’d have to reconcile himself with this, especially if it really made Lan Wangji so happy.

“Can you do me too?” Sangcan asked in a high voice as he presented his hand to Lan Xichen. “I've got to know… "

There was something almost desperate to his expression, so Lan Xichen promptly complied. They all gasped at the result.

“Because he’s dead?” Lan Wangji asked, turning a little pale at the sight.

“But I’m dead too and it’s not like this,” Wei Wuxian remarked, glancing at the thread that linked them. 

Lan Xichen said nothing, fascinated and horrified at once by the torn off thread hanging from Sangcan’s hand, its extremity frayed and ugly. In the centuries during which he’d used that little spell, Lan Xichen had never once seen a thread like that one. Either there was a link, or there wasn’t.

Sangcan looked pitifully at the thread, lifting his hand to better look at the torn end, but out of all of them he was the least surprised one.

“Is this something the Magpie King did to you?” Lan Xichen asked. “Or is this the secret you sold him? Did you do something to your soulmate?”

Sangcan opened his mouth, looking utterly scandalised at the suggestion, but no sound came out. He tried again a few times, only to end up looking like a miserable fish. 

"Fine, it wasn't you," Wei Wuxian guessed, and immediately Sangcan calmed down. "But something happened. Someone did this to you, and your curse is linked to that."

This time, Sangcan did not even try to speak. He just looked at Wei Wuxian, his eyes shining as if he might start crying. Feeling sorry for him, Lan Xichen lifted the spell on all of them so at least Sangcan wouldn't have to see this proof of what he had lost. He wanted to offer some words of comfort to the ghost, while Wei Wuxian looked ready to interrogate him. 

Neither of them had the chance to say anything.

Just as Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to ask more questions, a loud humming sound started coming from above them, and Sangcan cried out in fear before hiding behind Lan Xichen. With the mosquitoes still in mind, they all braced themselves for another attack. As the noise grew closer though, Lan Xichen wondered what sort of insect might make a buzzing sound so loud he could nearly feel the vibrations reverberating inside his body.

“Zewu-Jun, behind you!” Wei Wuxian cried out.

Lan Xichen twirled around, Shuoyue in hand, and sliced in half a creature flying toward him at great speed. Before he could get a good look at it, another had launched itself at Sangcan, landing heavily on his shoulder and biting down on his neck. Without losing a moment, Lan Xichen dispatched that creature as well. He shivered in disgust when he realised the things attacking them with time were huge flies, nearly as large as cats.

That certainly explained why Sangcan had seemed so terrified when he’d explained the flies in Xinglu Ridge were carnivores.

Still, no matter the size, no matter the diet, those fifty or so flies that attacked them just couldn’t measure up to two martial gods and a ghost king. In fact, they were weak enough that even Jin Guangyao managed to take down a few of them without trouble. Aside from Sangcan, no one at all was hurt.

But of course it was concerning that the weakest member of their group was the one who suffered the most once again. Lan Xichen felt again that Sangcan had to have been targeted, and he decided it would not happen again. He had promised the ghost that he would be protected, and he intended to keep his word.

For now though, Sangcan’s wound had to be looked at. Lan Xichen was the closest one to him, but the pot of balm he’d brought had been almost entirely depleted earlier, so Lan Wangji came to offer his own.

“It hurts so bad!” Sangcan wailed while Lan Xichen applied some balm on the ugly bite. “Ow! My lord, please be more gentle! Ah, it hurts so bad, it’s awful! Ow, Ow!”

Lan Xichen, already as gentle as he could be, half smiled at those complaints and continued working, trying to make his movements lighter still. Lan Wangji looked at the proceedings, with a bored expression. It surprised Lan Xichen at first that his brother wasn’t with that husband of his, but a glance to the side informed him that Wei Wuxian was currently studying the giant flies' insides, something that would definitely upset Lan Wangji’s sensibilities.

“There is a mark,” Lan Wangji suddenly said, coming closer.

Lan Xichen didn’t understand at first, until his brother pointed at Sangcan’s throat. It was very faint, but there was a thin, clean white line going all around the ghost’s neck. Without thinking Lan Xichen brushed his thumb against that mark. Sangcan shivered and let out a low moan, one that sounded far more sincere than all of his earlier whining.

“You were beheaded?” Lan Wangji asked.

Sangcan, so vocal a moment ago, fell silent and looked down at his feet. In this case, the absence of an answer was an answer of its own. Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji exchanged a glance.

“Were you executed?” Lan Xichen asked.

Although he didn’t manage to speak, Sangcan was able to shake his head.

“Murdered then?” Lan Xichen insisted.

Sangcan didn’t react in any way, and Lan Xichen again looked at his brother. The mark was very clean, meaning there had been only one blow, from a very sharp weapon. Being both martial gods, they knew beheading were rarely so clean, especially among mortals. It took a very strong blade to cut through bone and muscles that way. 

Formal executions were rarely performed in a single blow, unless the executioner was particularly skilled. In the course of war, beheading just wasn’t a very efficient move when there were quicker ways to kill a person, so Lan Xichen hadn’t even bothered asking about that possibility.

The last possibility then was murder, and even more than the other two, it would justify a soul turning into a ghost. Sangcan was, by the look of it, a bit of a fool and a coward, but even he might have been enraged after being murdered.

Wei Wuxian, still poking at the corpse of a giant fly nearby, spoke up. 

"Maybe he sold the secret of his murder so he could be avenged," he suggested. "Is that what you wanted? Revenge?" 

Sangcan appeared conflicted. He didn't say anything, which hinted Wei Wuxian wasn't wrong, but he also pinched his lips and crossed his arms, as if the conclusion that had been reached didn't please him. 

"Let's drop this matter," Sangcan grumbled at last, finding his voice again. "My lords, I think it's time to leave the road. It's more dangerous from this point on. If you get lost… well, it's bad. Some people say the Magpie King turned this place in a maze so twisted even he could get trapped!" 

"Is that so?" Wei Wuxian sneered, abandoning his study of the giant fly. "Sounds like he's not so smart as people say then." 

"If he were, would he need to hire others to take care of his business?" Sangcan retorted. "I'm just saying, some people have a great reputation, but if you dig a little then you find it's all shit under the surface. I mean, it's like that among ghosts for sure. And among gods?" 

He asked that question to Jin Guangyao who appeared startled. 

"You're one of those paperwork gods, right?" Sangcan insisted. "I've seen your temples once or twice. And paperwork gods, well, they're just like the Magpie King but on the other side of things, right? So I bet you know plenty of secrets too, and you'd be the right person to know if all heavenly reputations are deserved!"

Lan Xichen looked at his husband in concern, only to find Jin Guangyao smiling his most empty smile. 

Aside from his normal duties of answering his followers' prayers, Jin Guangyao had risen to a certain fame in the heavenly court as a spymaster of sorts. He was the one in charge of keeping track of gossip, checking if there was any truth to them, and making sure the Jade Emperor knew what he needed to know. As far as jobs went it wasn't a very respectable one, and Jin Guangyao wasn't quite sure how he'd ended up in that position in the first place. In fact he'd asked a few times to be relieved of his duties, especially since Nie Mingjue disapproved of such things, but the emperor had kept him where he was. After all, his efficiency couldn't be denied. 

Still the comparison to the Magpie King had to hit a little too close to home, even if Sangcan couldn't have known that. 

"There will always be people who aren't what they seem," Jin Guangyao said at last, his voice hitting that specific tone he only used when upset. "But in the heavenly court, such things are rare. Secrets never last very long, and anyone who tries to cheat their way up will be caught and put in their place."

Wei Wuxian snickered upon hearing this, but Jin Guangyao paid him no mind. They were all getting used to him finding amusement in things that weren't funny in the least. As for Sangcan, he nodded eagerly. 

"You're right my lord, you've got to be right! Justice must prevail, and secrets must be uncovered!" 

Just like this, the sad mood that had come from discussing his manner of death was lifted, and Sangcan returned to normal. He insisted again on the need to leave the road behind, and took them into the forest where they all followed closely, heeding his warnings about getting lost. 

"He's really quite the character, that guide of ours," Jin Guangyao remarked to his husband, careful to keep his voice low. 

"I think he likes you. You might have gained another follower, A-Yao." 

"I prefer my followers smarter than that. Though enthusiasm has its merits as well, I suppose."

"He seems a decent enough person," Lan Xichen protested. "He has good taste in men, surely a point in his favour." 

Jin Guangyao wrinkled his nose. "If you must betray me, please at least do it with someone prettier."

A little ahead of them, a branch creaked, the sound resonating in the quiet of the night. Sangcan, who had stepped on it, nearly lost his balance out of surprise. He turned around and glared at the others, especially at Lan Xichen.

"My lords, please don't talk too much," Sangcan asked in a stern tone. "It is not safe here. Even if they don't attack, the King's little friends hear everything."

Lan Xichen flushed, wondering if Sangcan had heard the details of their banter. He didn't look upset, but his steps were less light than before. In fact, up until then, Sangcan hadn't made any sound while walking, and though he was still less noisy than the rest of them, that there was noise at all showed some temper on his part. Lan Xichen worried his husband and him might have accidentally antagonised their guide just when they needed him the most. 

After a while though, Sangcan appeared to regain control of himself. His steps turned light and silent once more, making it a little hard to follow him in the darkness of the forest. It hadn’t been a problem on the road, but now Lan Xichen was truly concerned about losing sight of the ghost. To avoid that, he abandoned Jin Guangyao and caught up to Sangcan, silently walking by his side. No matter how well trained he was in martial arts, Lan Xichen couldn’t make himself entirely silent the way Sangcan seemed capable of, so even without seeing anything the other three would still be able to follow them. Sangcan didn't appear to mind his proximity, but didn't particularly acknowledge him either.

They walked for many hours, until the sky above them started turning lighter with the first hints of a dawn soon to come. Once or twice, Sangcan stopped in his tracks, motioning for them to be silent, and they heard loud buzzing noises passing by. More giant insects by the sound of it. Even though they weren’t attacked again, Sangcan seemed more and more worried as time passed, as if fearing the confrontation with his master now that they were getting closer. Lan Xichen wanted to comfort him again, and to remind him that they wouldn’t let any harm come to him if they could help it, but since Sangcan had ordered silence, he obeyed. He could not take the risk of ruining their rescue of Nie Mingjue.

At last, the sun rose, colouring the forest around them. Although it must have been a beautiful place, especially bathed this way in golden light, Lan Xichen only felt growing anxiety at this proof that too much time had passed without them seeing any trace of Nie Mingjue. If he had been captured, or worse…

Just as he thought this, Lan Xichen tensed and glanced at his brother, only to find Lan Wangji also looking at him. Without a word, they both stepped closer to their husband, Lan Xichen dragging Sangcan as well behind him before unsheathing his sword. Lan Wangji did the same, waiting for something to come. 

At first it was nothing but a presence, the vague sensation of something dark and powerful coming their way. Then, somewhere above the canopy, a faint fluttering of wings. Wei Wuxian appeared more intrigued than anything, but Jin Gyangyao nervously took out his fan and prepared to defend himself if need be.

The flapping sound came closer. Catching a glimpse of dark wings, Jin Guangyao moved to attack and send a powerful gust of wind against whatever was above them. Before he could though, Sangcan cried out loudly, giving the things a warning, and grabbed both of Jin Guangyao’s wrist with great strength. Jin Guangyao, startled, made a wrong movement and his fan was pushed against the edge of Lan Xichen’s sword, splitting it in two.

“What have you done?” Jin Guangyao hissed. “That was a present from da-ge, he’ll be furious!”

“Don’t you dare hurt them!” Sangcan snarled in response, rushing forward to meet a pair of birds, offering them his arms to land on.

“Aren’t they going to report to the Magpie King?” Jin Guangyao asked. Sangcan didn’t grace him with an answer. All his attention was on that pair of magpies who had hopped on his shoulders to play with his hair, while he scratched their necks.

“Hello, hello, I missed you too,” Sangcan cooed to the birds, his voice soft and warm. “Are you fine? Do you have enough to eat? Good, I’m glad. Do you bring news?”

The pair of birds started cackling excitedly at him, appearing to speak over one another. A few times they let out more strident sounds, while Sangcan nodded seriously to all of it.

“Good boys, good boys, let me see if I have something for you,” the ghost said when they were done, digging into his sleeve until he found a small pouch. From there he took a handful of various bugs, some of which seemed alive. The pair of birds eagerly ate from his hand, while Sangcan smiled tenderly at them.

Lan Xichen stared.

Something about this felt familiar. It was something he hadn’t thought of in many years, because he’d been too busy, because he hadn’t wanted to think about it, but his friend A-Sang used to love birds. He’d feed wild ones until they became used to him, and had an entire aviary even though his family didn’t approve. He often handfed them, no matter the diet, just because he wanted to take care of his little friends.

He always looked so happy with them, enough so that Lan Xichen would joke about being jealous. He could nearly remember A-Sang’s delighted face, could almost recall his smile that shone like the sun, the same way Sangcan’s did as he fed those magpies, and for a second Lan Xichen wondered…

But it was impossible. A-Sang had been young when he’d died, not quite twenty, and he’d been a very handsome man, even if Lan Xichen could hardly remember his exact features after so long. There was no way that Sangcan, plain and middle aged, could be the same person. A more powerful ghost might have managed to change shape, but Sangcan was a very weak one, barely strong enough to have a physical shape at all.

The only reason Lan Xichen could find any resemblance between the two was because Sangcan had been on his mind since his visit to the Burial Mounds. It annoyed him mildly, especially since Jin Guangyao was right there.

Wanting to distract himself from unnecessary nostalgia, Lan Xichen walked closer to Sangcan and his birds.

“Those are beautiful,” he said. “Are you their handler then?”

Sangcan jumped slightly at being approached, to which the birds complained. He threw Lan Xichen a suspicious side look before nodding slowly.

“They're my little ones,” he confirmed. “I haven’t seen them since being sent to guard the entrance, and they were missing me. So they escaped, and brought me news as a gift. That martial god, the one who broke in yesterday, your rude friend… He’s made it to the Unclean Realm. That’s the Magpie King’s palace,” Sangcan added as an explanation.

“Your boss sucks at names,” Wei Wuxian said, joining them. “Who’d want to live in a place like that?”

Sangcan shrugged slightly, careful not to jolt his little feathery friends around.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know! I’m not close to him, am I? I’ve heard some people say it’s just the old name of a place where he used to live, but I don’t know. Even we don’t know much about him, and we work for him. Maybe he just thought it was funny. Hey, do you know why it’s called that?” Sangcan asked one of the birds, which cackled in answer. Whatever it said, Sangcan didn't find it worth translating.

Lan Xichen had to close his eyes for a second. He felt a little faint because that name was…

Just as A-Sang had loved birds, he’d had a taste for history as well. He liked to read about it, curious as a cat on topics he enjoyed, and loved sharing what he learned with those few people close to him. And so Lan Xichen could just remember A-Sang explaining one day that once upon a time, the place he lived in used to be called the Unclean Realm, though the name had fallen in disuse over time. It had so pleased him to have discovered this useless little bit of trivia, and so Lan Xichen too had been happy, as he so often was in his company.

But A-Sang couldn’t be the Magpie King. The idea was even more ridiculous than being Sangcan. A-Sang had been sweet and innocent, a little mischievous certainly but never cruel the way the Magpie King could be, and certainly not resentful enough to turn into a ghost king. It would have taken more than a murder, however randomly violent, to turn such a lovely young man into a creature like the Magpie King, so Lan Xichen refused to even consider it. He just had A-Sang on his mind too much, and it was getting ridiculous.

Wanting to distract himself, yet also still plagued by memories of a boy long dead, Lan Xichen thoughtlessly tried to pet the birds, remembering how A-Sang always encouraged him to do so with his own pets.

The tip of Lan Xichen's fingers barely brushed against those feathers, yet it was enough to make him flinch away. The dark presence Lan Xichen had felt earlier had truly come from those birds, and it turned out they were so steeped in resentful energy it could harm even a god. From where they stood Lan Wangji and Jin Guangyao couldn't see it happen, but Wei Wuxian noticed, as did Sangcan who chuckled uncomfortably while scratching under the bird's chin. 

"Did that lord scare you, my friend?" he asked the bird, getting a grumpy sounding high sound in return. Sangcan turned to Lan Xichen with an apologetic smile. "My lord, please don't be mad at them! But of course, those aren't ordinary birds. They are the Magpie King's oldest allies, you know. Even before he became a ghost king, these two were with him, so you'll understand they are picky with who can touch them."

As if agreeing, the two magpies cackled in unison and threw Lan Xichen a disdainful glare. 

"Well, it's time for you to leave anyway," Sangcan told the birds. "We don't want your absence to be noticed, eh? I'll see you later maybe, if this doesn’t kill me. Go on! Shoo!" he ordered the unimpressed birds. "Ah, I'm always saying you're such good boys, and now you're making me lie!"

Since he sounded so miserable, the magpies pecked a last time at his hair and took flight. They all watched them go, all feeling different emotions about that encounter.

“Should we be letting them go this easily?” Jin Guangyao asked. “Aren’t you worried they might reveal our presence to their king?”

“Oh, no, they like me too much to betray me,” Sangcan proudly replied. “I always sneak them treats, so they’re good boys to me.”

“Boys… so they’re not a bonded pair?” Jin Guangyao asked, still staring in the direction where the birds had disappeared.

“Birds can have the same tastes as humans, my lord,” Sangcan informed him. “There’s some males that won’t ever touch a female. Aren’t all of you lords like that as well, all married to one anothers and the like? But anyway… you’re right actually, they’re not a bonded pair. They’re brothers, as it happens, which is even neater than just mates, isn’t it?”

Jin Guangyao looked unimpressed by that reveal, while the Lan brothers both nodded in agreement. As for Wei Wuxian, some complicated emotions flashed on his face, as if the topic of siblings were an unpleasant one for him.

“Can’t imagine being stuck with a relative of mine for centuries and having to work with him,” Wei Wuxian muttered, before grinning at his husband. “No offence, Lan Zhan. At least, your brother seems easy to get along with. More than I could have said of…” He stopped with a sigh, and turned again to Sangcan. “And do you have relatives? Hm? A brother of your own, perhaps?”

Sangcan didn’t reply, his lips pinched tight. He stared at Wei Wuxian with surprising intensity, as if trying to figure out something about the ghost king. Whether he found what he was looking for or not, Sangcan suddenly started walking again.

“Let’s go, my lords,” he ordered. “Your friend might need help if he’s reached the Unclean Realm. It’s not a good place, not in the least, so let’s not lose any more time, hm? Not that it’s very far by now...”

Because his steps were making noise again, Lan Xichen guessed that either the question about his family or the encounter with those magpies had gotten Sangcan upset again. At some other time he might have asked, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that ultimately, it was nothing to be concerned about. He couldn’t have explained it. Lan Xichen just knew that Sangcan had no malicious intentions, that he just wanted to do what he’d promised, get his curse lifted, and then just go on with his non-life in peace. It made little sense, but Lan Xichen had been alive long enough that he felt he’d gotten at least somewhat good at guessing if people were dangerous or not.

Sangcan was no threat to himself, just as Wei Wuxian, however odd and possibly dangerous to others, just didn’t strike him as a person who would ever purposefully try to harm Lan Wangji.

So Lan Xichen left Sangcan to his emotions, and tried to calm his own unquiet heart. If Nie Mingjue had already arrived to that Unclean Realm, if he had already confronted the Magpie King… there was a very real chance that things would go badly. In fact, it was almost certain at that point that they wouldn’t be able to avoid a fight.

Lan Xichen couldn’t refrain a sigh. It was exactly what he didn’t want to see happen. Still, he hoped that the Magpie King, like Wei Wuxian, wasn’t all that his reputation made him to be, that there would be a way to negotiate with him.

While Lan Xichen mused on every option that might be available to them, the Unclean Realm appeared before them quite suddenly. 

One moment they were walking in the dense forest covering Xinglu Ridge, the next they were in a vast clearing in the middle of which stood an ancient looking home, which had the air of an antique temple reconverted into a habitation. Lan Xichen gasped as he recognised it, while Jin Guangyao let out a weak cry of fear and grabbed his husband’s hand so tight it Lan Xichen thought he might break a bone.

“Is something wrong?” Wei Wuxian asked.

Lan Xichen silently nodded, staring at that building he’d never thought he’d see again. Next to him, Jin Guangyao was trying to pull him away from the Unclean Realm, growing more obviously worried with each passing moment. Not without reason, of course. Last time Jin Guangyao had been in there, he’d become the sole survivor of a terrible slaughter, an event so traumatic he refused to talk about it to that day. Because this place was…

“This is Nie Mingjue’s house when he was mortal,” Lan Xichen whispered. “And it was destroyed centuries ago.”