#mlisz

[plan-d-to-i]

ah, also, i'm the anon who sent you that text abt wwx letting lwj does whatever he wants to him. I have to add something, idk if you're going to agree or not, but lets go

yk when lxc goes "he told me that he didn't know if what you did was right or wrong, but it didn't matter. he would shoulder the consequenses along you"? so, here is the thing— I don't think that lwj himself thought that wwx was wrong. ok, that's not new, but hear me out: he agreed with him. he said that he would take it all with wwx, but it's NOT ONLY BECAUSE he loves him, it's not only because he is desperate to save him. he isn't like this, he doesn't let himself be blinded by his feelings — actually that's one of the things he's fearing to do all the time along —, he thinks that wwx is correct. "Was he wrong?", that's what he asks to jgy once wwx went to save the Wens; and the answer is no!!! jgy himself fucking answers! he is not wrong, and that's the reason why he can't say it!! it already had been a while that lwj developed his trust in wwx.

ok, here is my point— lwj got punished bc, yes, he injured 33 of his elders and protected a mass murder, but he would get even further punished alongside wwx bc, if wwx was wrong, if what he did was wrong, then lwj was wrong as well. wrong for agreeing, wrong for seeing sense on everything he did, or maybe even worse than him. worse for not taking any action on his— no, their believes, their vision of world. if wwx was going to get in trouble for what they believed was right, why shouldn't he? right or wrong: it didn't matter, he would shoulder it all with him. that's what I think he thought back then, and not only UNcOnditIOnAL love

— mlisz

So I see Lan Wangji's words as applicable to all of Wei Wuxian's actions, not just what WWX said about the Jins, but also his form of cultivation, the Wens, Wen Ning, the ambush, Nightless city etc. I think at this point LWJ has come to believe that Wei Wuxian's heart is in the right place. WWX didn't use his cultivation to chase power, he was trying to protect innocents. Even though WWX is nothing like what the rules of GusuLan have led LWJ to expect a righteous person to look and act like, WWX is in fact good. But LWJ can't strictly explain WWX's actions and categorize them as right or wrong himself. I don't think he lied to LXC:

LXC: After he went out of his way to send you back to Burial Mound and returned in such low spirits to receive his punishment, how long he kneeled before the Wall of Rules! I told him when I went to see him, Young Master Wei had already made a grave mistake, there was no use augmenting it. But he said… that he could not say with certainty whether what you did was right or wrong, but no matter what, he was willing to be responsible for all of the consequences alongside you.

and another translation:

Yet… he said, he couldn’t justify nor judge your actions, but no matter whether they were right or wrong, he was willing to face all the consequences with you.

In a way he echoes Wei Wuxian's parting words from their meeting in the Burial Mounds:

Wei WuXian spoke slowly, “Thank you for keeping me company today. Thank you for telling me the news about my shijie’s marriage too. But, let the self judge the right and the wrong, let others decide to praise or to blame, let gains and losses remain uncommented on. I, too, know what I should and shouldn’t do. I believe that I’ll be able to control it as well.”

As if he’d anticipated such an attitude since a long time ago, Lan WangJi nodded slightly and closed his eyes.

And that marked their farewell.

LWJ just trusts Wei Wuxian's heart to be in the right place. He trusts Wei Wuxian's judgement, and he trusts it enough to stand by him and take those consequences with him whatever they may be. The thing is, it's because of Wei Wuxian's heart that Lan Wangji loves him. LWJ's uncle believes that LWJ is like his father blinded by love, so he sees following Wei Wuxian as an error in Lan Wangji's judgement - as a repeat of the mistakes of his father:

LXC: With the ways in which he looked and talked to you when he saved you and hid you in that cave, even someone who was blind or deaf could perceive his feelings, which was why my uncle was in such anger. WangJi was a model for the disciples when he was young, and a prominent cultivator when he grew up. In his whole life he had been honest and righteous and immaculate—you were the only mistake he made!

But Lan Wangji's love is linked directly to his faith in Wei Wuxian's righteousness, and goodness, even if he can't explain that goodness, or neatly classify it with the rules he was raised on. He doesn't yet have the language (literally or figuratively) to decide for himself how something fits outside of that structure. In WWX's second life LWJ is better at it- he's sneaking WWX Emperor's smile, he carves WWX's flute so he can practice his cultivation. He's learned goodness and righteousness can exist outside of the rigidity of that structure.

“Lan WangJi looked at him, as though he wanted to say something. Wei WuXian immediately added, “Fine, I know. No walking too fast, no speaking too loud, no this, no that, am I right? Don’t worry. Now that I’m back with you, I’ll definitely be as careful as possible to not violate any of the sect rules on your Wall. As careful as possible.”

Lan WangJi didn’t even think about it, “It is fine. Even if you violate them…”

[crossdressingdeath]

sometimes I just... I don't like comparing characters, but jc is so much his mother's son, that the thought of him abusing a kid is not that scary or outrageous. in fact, he leadered a siege to kill a toddler and his family members. and there is this very fucking annoying thing this fandom made up about jc being the 💜 best 💜 grape 💜 uncle 💜 to wwx's kid, most likely a-yuan.

the point of what I'm trying to say is... what if jc's jealousy was projected on a-yuan just as yzy's was on wwx? for exemple, I see so many bad takes of oh no little one, I killed your whole family, your grandmother, your uncles and your father figure, guess now i shall very honorably take care of you 😭 so, if jc found a-yuan... I highly doubt he would even let him live, for the fact that he was both a Wen by blood and raised by wwx. so I think it would be his turn to be the child abuser, not that he would be great to him.

+ wwx is always preatending the hurts he's suffered from the jiangs are not there, but, in another universe, if he came back after 13 years and jc was abusing of his kid, the Wen Siblings' cousin, + still torturing people with the sworename Wen, I highly doubt he would be so forviging.

— mlisz

Oh, but anon, he does abuse a child. JL. He is emotionally abusive to the poor kid in every scene they're both in to the point where JL literally flees across the country to seek JGY's protection from JC (and the reactions of everyone involved suggest that that is not a one-time occurance), and if memory serves on at least one occasion punches him to the ground. No need to create angst about JC abusing children when he already does it in canon!

That said, yeah, odds are that JC would have killed A-Yuan if he found him. He knew there was a kid there and led a siege to kill everyone anyway. He certainly wouldn't be taking A-Yuan in and raising him with love and care, that's for sure.

[plan-d-to-i]

I genuinely think that people don't understand that the reason that wwx went "you can do whatever you want to me" with lwj is bc he knows him and trusts in him. he is very much aware that lwj would never ask him to do anything that he wouldn't do/like, both in terms of relationship like sex and stuff and in terms of actions. they are married, they are a couple, they love each other, but they are also each other's greatest confident, best friend and, more important: partners. they agree with each other, they have the same moral ideals. they trust in eo's hearts. it's not bc wwx is blind by love, no, it's pretty much the opposite: it's bc he can see cleary who his beloved is

— mlisz

Absolutely. This is not Wei Wuxian meeting Lan Wangji for the first time and blindly giving him consent carte blanche. This is them growing towards each other over two lifetimes. WangXian may outwardly express themselves differently however their world views are completely aligned. They desire the same things, the same things are important to them, their goals are the same, the way they see the world, the people in it, and what's right and wrong is in harmony.

I think Wei Wuxian recognizes that he's met his potential match in Lan Zhan quite early, and he tries very hard to tease his way closer to him, but by the time LWJ figures out that he can trust Wei Wuxian's heart that boundless enthusiasm has dimmed somewhat both with past rejection and with the secret behind his demonic cultivation now coming between them. By the time LWJ makes his decisive move it's too late and Wei Wuxian can't even hear him.

In WWX's second life Lan Wangji has full faith in Wei Wuxian's nature, and he doesn't care if his feelings are returned as long as he's permitted to stand by WWX's side and be there for him unreservedly. He makes it clear enough with his actions that it can rectify all the previous misunderstandings they've had between them and it works. Unconsciously WWX starts to realize it -when jiang cheng kidnaps him and tortures him with Fairy, in that state of instinctive distress it's Lan Wangji's name that he shouts.

“Suddenly, Jiang Cheng glanced sideway at him, “Whose name did you call?”

Wei WuXian was in such a state of distress that he couldn’t remember whether or not he called someone’s name at all.”

As he's walking to reunite with LWJ he finally examines it:

“He had always thought that Jiang Cheng would be on his side, and Lan WangJi on the side opposite to him. He could never have imagined that things would turn out so differently.”

I'd say it really crystalizes when Lan Wangji takes his side in front of the whole cultivation world as his identity is revealed. Wei Wuxian gives Lan Wangji the same easy out he gave jiang cheng with his proposal to defect. He would take the world's condemnation squarely on his own shoulders and spare LWJ the ignominy of their association. LWJ however is not trash jc.

“Lan WangJi, though, was different from him. He wouldn’t even have to explain, and people would explain for him, such as how HanGuang-Jun had been deceived by the YiLing Patriarch.

Wei WuXian, “HanGuang-Jun, you don’t have to follow me!”

Lan WangJi looked straight in front of him, saying nothing in reply. The two left behind them a crowd of cultivators shouting to kill. Amid the chaos, Wei WuXian spoke again, “You really want to go with me? Think carefully. After you walk out this door, your reputation will be destroyed! The two had already dashed down the steps of Koi Tower. Lan WangJi grabbed his wrist”

Things get even more dire after Jin Ling, driven by the hate and lies jc has poured into his ear all these years, stabs WWX (in the same spot jiang cheng had stabbed him) still Lan Wangji remains staunchly by WWX's side.

“[Wei WuXian] didn’t know how long had passed, but when he hazily opened his eyes again, Lan WangJi flew on Bichen, while he was carried on Lan WangJi’s back. Blood had spilled onto half of his snow colored cheeks...

Wei WuXian called out, “… Lan Zhan.”

Lan WangJi’s breathing wasn’t as placid as usual, feeling somewhat rushed. It was probably from carrying Wei WuXian while fending off attacks and being on the run for too long.”

“The tone in which he replied, however, was still the single syllable, as steady as ever, “Mnn.”

After the “mnn”, he added, “I am here.”

Hearing the words, something that Wei WuXian had never felt before sprouted within his heart. It was like sorrow. His chest hurt a bit, but also felt a bit warm.

He could still remember how, back in Jiangling, Lan WangJi came all the way to assist him, yet he didn’t appreciate the kindness at all. With all kinds of disputes, the two of them often parted with disapproval.

But what he hadn’t expected was that when everyone feared him and flattered him, Lan WangJi scolded him right in his face; when everyone spurned him and loathed him, Lan WangJi stood by his side.”

It's very interesting that after this we get the long flashback of suffering WWX went through in his previous life, and as he finally wakes up in the present again :

“Lan WangJi sat beside Wei WuXian for a while. Seeing that he was motionless again, he was about to stand up when Wei WuXian grabbed him with his other hand, hugging his arm and refusing to let go. He shouted, “I’ll go with you, quick, take me back to your sect!

This comes right on the heels of the chapter ending with LWJ standing outside the courier station where jc and WWX have killed Wen Chao and where LWJ's “Go back to Gusu with me” was misunderstood and rejected by WWX. So the novel beautifully contrasts these two moments and the sharp change between them.

When WangXian head out again towards Yiling to investigate further it's clear things have shifted for Wei Wuxian. He even starts thinking of his childhood! with his mother and father and the incomparable warmth and safety that he experienced with them and playfully tricks Lan Wangji into reenacting that little scene with him.

“With this journey to Yiling, it was clear that their future was still unclear, even somewhat dangerous. Wei WuXian couldn’t get himself to feel nervous at all. Sitting on a donkey with Lan WangJi holding the rein, leading them down the path, his entire heart was fluttering, feeling as though he was walking on air. Even if a bunch of sects suddenly attacked from beside the road, aside from destroying the scene and spoiling his mood, he thought that he wouldn’t find it too bad.

Finally the symbolic fall from the tree into Lan Wangji's arms.

“All of a sudden, an abnormally strong impulse surged into Wei WuXian’s mind.

He wanted to fall down again, just like back then.

A voice inside of him said, If he catches me, I’ll…

At this point where he thought ‘I’ll’, Wei WuXian let go. Seeing that he fell out of the tree without any warning, Lan WangJi’s eyes immediately widened. He shot forward just in time to catch Wei WuXian, or one might say, be caught by Wei WuXian.”...

“His voice was hoarse, “Thank you.”

He wasn’t scared of falling. All these years, he’d fallen many times. But falling on the ground still hurt, after all. If someone was there to catch him, it’d be more than wonderful.”

It's just such a beautiful progression. Wei Wuxian trusts his entire being into Lan Wangji's care because he's seen step by step how careful Lan Wangji is with him and he's learned to read Lan Wangji and accurately reinterpret his past actions. Lan Wangji has become his safety. I think nowhere is it actually more obvious than in his own thoughts right before the Guanyin Temple at the end. In his life WWX was the kind of person who made due with what he had. Maybe because he'd lost his family so young and then lost what passed for his second home, then had to give up his Clan, then lost whatever home he'd set up with the Wens, a part of him remained untethered. He learned that he could lose everything so he should need nothing, but that was no longer the case when it came to Lan Wangji:

“He thought about it some more. Wen Ning didn’t know where he was going, but he didn’t know either, did he? In the beginning, when he was with Lan WangJi, he never thought about this problem at all. He took it as granted that they’d continue like this without change. But after tonight, maybe he and Lan WangJi wouldn’t go back to how they were ever again. Without Lan WangJi, it seemed as if it wasn’t too impossible for him to roam the world on his own.

But a voice in Wei WuXian’s heart told him with clarity, No, you can’t.

The words he said back on Koi Tower really proved to be true. The current Wei WuXian couldn’t do without Lan WangJi.”

[plan-d-to-i]

you probably already talked about it, but i really need to know further about this topic

Jiang YanLi

I don't really know what to think about... her. I have several reasons to dislike her, but I also have a lot of reasons to think that she is not bad if compared to the rest of the Jiangs. people say that she liked wwx better, but it just doesn't make sense to me. i have no clue about how far I can protect her bc of her ignorance, bc she wasn't aware of a bunch of stuff because I have no clue of how much she actually knew. she indeed loved wwx and treated him good, but love alone isn't enough. lack of action— no, actions that would get things worse, such as fucking marrying into the very sect that wanted her beloved a-xian's head on a platter, to rob his inventions and to attack the 50 people he was strugling to protect. people that she didn't really did anything to try to save as well. she also didn't try her best to save wwx. I see a lot on fanfics or fanon headcanons that she was So Worried About Her Baby Brother 💔 when in fact she acted as if everything was normal. as if her soup would fix things. wwx himself says that lwj keeps on reminding him how everything is different now the only person who was actually freaking out to keep wwx safe. the one and only who was concearned and actually cared. she acts so... naturally. wwx also does everything he does bc of his instincts and jc couldn't care less as long as wwx won the fucking war. it's clear he's done reckless things to protect them before.

also... her relationship with each brother. why is she constantly asking wwx to stop? to "get it aside?" since their very first strong connection, she was there bc jc didn't want to be in trouble and wanted wwx to not to say anything about their fight.

I don't know how much she didn't know about politics, I know it was very little, but I cannot believe she is that stupid. she is such an aNgEL to wwx that... she scapes from further analysis. i just... I don't know. what do you think of her?

— mlisz

I think the reason YanLi can feel hard to pin down is because there are two versions of her. The version WWX sees and presents to us through rose tinted glasses because she's the only person to show him warmth in the Jiang household; and YanLi's actual character/ actions in the story: a kind but mediocre girl who preferred to remain naive and pretend everything was ok, who just wanted everyone to put on a smile, and whose main concern was getting married;

In many respects Wei Wuxian's relationship with YanLi is loving but shallow because he can't really share his troubles with her. Her way of relating to others is by mothering them. I know a lot of people complain that she was shoved into this role, but it just seems to be her natural way of showing her affection for others. So for her contentment WWX is happy to act like a kid. In that way the dynamic between them feels somewhat performative on his part.

"Jiang YanLi passed a handkerchief for Wei WuXian to wipe his mouth, “Is it good?”

Wei WuXian didn’t take the handkerchief. Instead, he pouted his mouth with exaggeration, “Yes!”

Jiang Cheng, “Don’t you have hands yourself?!”

With a smile, Jiang YanLi wiped Wei WuXian’s mouth and chin, and walked happily out with the bowl in her hands.

She makes soup for him and shows him a nurturing warmth and in exchange he acts like everything is ok and keeps smiling for her and embraces the only qualities she has: cooking soup, mothering and appeasement. That dynamic is set up from the start when she praises him after he takes the blame for getting injured squarely on his shoulders.

“Seeing how worried he seemed, Wei WuXian took the initiative, “Relax. I won’t tell Uncle Jiang. I only hurt myself because I suddenly wanted to climb a tree last night.”

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng sighed in relief. He swore, “You can relax as well. Anytime I see a dog, I’ll chase it away for you!”

Seeing how the two finally made up with each other, Jiang YanLi cheered, “That’s the spirit.”

It also feels like once the main subject of her affection shows her attention she sort of forgets about everything else. I mean Jin Zixuan is the heir of the family that wants Wei Wuxian dead... but when she finally communicates with Wei Wuxian after his defection it's to show off her wedding dress for her impending wedding to the man and expects WWX to rejoice... On top of that she doesn't ask once how he's doing. Doesn't think to bring him one thing other than soup. She's helped out in the camps during the war so regardless of how immensely ignorant and sheltered she may be she has to at least have SOME idea of the fact that people need food and shelter that and generally requires a form of payment. Again people will be like she was poor! She didn't have her own money! Even if she didn't have one penny to spare as the sister of a CLAN LEADER of one of the richest Clans, this is a point where she could have told jiang cheng to give Wei Wuxian silver in front of her and go off on him if he didn't. Hell she had jewelry! Qiankun bags are a thing. It's absurd to act like there was nothing she could do other than show WWX her fit. But she didn't. She preferred everything swept under the rug. Her big wedding dress reveal is a farce of caring. Wei Wuxian knows his part. Be grateful for the soup, admire the dress and act like everything is fine. And as always she downplays jiang cheng's temper and snide comments and asks of Wei Wuxian to compromise around it.

"Both of you can stop fooling around. I brought soup for you two. Wait a second.”

The thing is Wei Wuxian wasn't fooling around. jc was being nasty. She takes a bowl of soup to Wen Ning... a fierce corpse who can't eat even though she grew up in a cultivation Clan... She doesn't however ask Wen Ning to stay inside the courtyard. She let jiang cheng rudely kick him out... That's almost like her entire behavior in a nutshell. Appease jc and apply soup.

Wen Qing on the other hand lived her whole life aiming to protect Wen Ning but then went with him so they could turn themselves in in the hopes of making things better for Wei Wuxian. This was not an impulsive act. It was discussed, it was though through, consciously decided with a cool head and full knowledge of the fatal consequences.

When Yanli she makes her ill fated run to Nightless city it's clear she's not in her right mind. It's interesting that the two times the jiang siblings moved to protect Wei Wuxian was when they'd lost something major, whereas the Wen siblings risked the height of their privilege to help. I've also seen people write that "YanLi even forgave Wei Wuxian for Zixuan's death" but we're not told that at all

“Jiang YanLi, “I’m… I’m here to tell you…”

To tell him what? That it’s fine? That I don’t hate you? That everything is fine?That I don’t blame you for have killed Jin ZiXuan? It was impossible.

But she couldn’t say anything that was the opposite either. And so, she didn’t know what else she could say to Wei Wei WuXian, under such circumstances.

She saw him and ran after him without thinking to see him one last time, but she asks him to stop fighting against all the people who would kill him.

With a sigh, Jiang Yanli said, "Axian, you... stop first. Don't do it again, don't..."

Idk what her thinking is here but she's definitely not treating him like he's the one who was ambushed and walked in on a party cheerfully moodboarding his murder. YanLi is not an evil person and she benefits from the contrast with her foul mother and brother but she's willfully naive to the point where it's harmful. She also expects Wei Wuxian to compromise around jiang cheng so in that way she does not treat them equally. In the end though just like when Wei Wuxian first fell from the tree and still got hurt because YanLi could not catch him, her love was always going to fall short. That's why Lan Wangji catching him securely is so symbolic. So just because Wei Wuxian has warm feelings towards her doesn't mean as a reader you can't find her insipid and uninspiring when she is in fact written as mediocre.

[plan-d-to-i]

damn yk when ppl make wwx awful for doing incredible difficult and unrealistic choices that no teenager(not even a adult) should have to make and yet he did what was less selfish, the hardest choice. like. fandom going like But Wwx murdered thousands in SSC!! mf look at me in the eyes do you think i wanted wwx to go there and be one of the greatest soldiers in that fucking war? one of the main forces and killers? damn no!! i was aching for him, i was bitter in his place, he should have left another soldiers to die! who cares that he could kill thousands in one night, therefore less people that were by his side would have to fight? Let! Them! Die! LP revenge? pft!! wy get it aside my dear heart

or the core transference? "Wwx should have asked jc!" "wwx shouldn't have done it!" that's the first time in my life that I Agree With You; let jc die!! he wouldn't have accepted the transplant for a lot of reasons, such as: he doesn't want to get on top with another person's help, he would never(will never) get over the fact that he only got there bc someone helped him. he wasn't eating, he wasn't cooperating to stay alive, he was a regular person, he Was going to die! there was no other way unless wwx kept his core to himself and let jc Deal With It.

so yeah, agreed, wwx should have left jc to die or live by force in endless pain and gall, should not have helped in the war, and, as a consequence, let more of his allies to die and battle. maybe not even winning or, who knows, taking even more years to win and paying the price of the victory, in men, in soldiers, in family, in blood. as another consequence, never getting back the territory of the Jiang Sect, neither getting money from the war participation to rebuild the Jiang Sect. i have to say, i didn't expect you to love wwx this much at the point of wanting him to be selfish and minding his own business instead of trying to help!!

it sounds awful if stated this way, doesn't it?

bc is the actual point of view we should see things, that's how things would go if wwx was any less good and selfless as he is. i may wanted him to do it for the reason that I Am Salty In His Place, but is twisted bc he being, once more, GOOD AS HE IS, is one of the main reasons y i love him. he would never just let jc, the guy whose the person who gave wwx a house asked to take care of before he died, his shidi, the person he was always meant to protect, die.

- mlisz

haha I too read the novel and my petty heart wishes WWX would just let jc shuffle off this mortal coil... but then he wouldn't be WWX and it would be a very different story. I don't doubt that jc would've taken the core even if he knew where it came from.

The reason some in fandom, usually jc (sometimes jgy) stans seem determined to give all of WWX's deeds a negative twist is that it's really fucking hard to make jc look better. It's not like there are hidden qualities to shine a light on- unless they dive into head canon territory. The most expedient way to do it and to take in as many people as possible, is to baffle them with bullshit try to make WWX (and/or LWJ) look bad. Like : "trying to save the innocent war refugees was AcTuALLY reaLLy sUpeR selfiSh of WWX >:-/". This ironically is the same tactic jc employs in the narrative when he keeps trying to tarnish all of WWX's noble actions and accuse him of only wanting to play the hero, when in fact WWX is just trying to do the right thing that no one else wants to step up and do. No wonder his stans take to him so vehemently, like calls to like ig.

[plan-d-to-i]

not to be an annoying "everything wwx does is to protect his siblings cause he loves them!" bitch but I Wonder if people understand that wwx ALREADY KNEW that his situation would end really bad (come on, it's WRITTEN ON THE NOVEL! THAT'S WHY HE BROKE THE TIGER SEAL IN TWO!!) and that's one of the reasons why he defected from the Jiang, bc he didn't want to cause any more trouble.

of course it wasn't from it alone, but i'm Fucking Exausted of seeing bitches bitching "hE wAS sO sELfiSh FoR LeaViNg!!". here motherfucker, he was ALSO thinking abt your fucking grape and his oblivious sister while they didn't. wwx was thinking about EVERYBODY ELSE but himself, you stupid fucker

sorry plan i did too much but love you tho

—mlisz

Hahah no no I think you did just fine.

In his first life Wei Wuxian certainly carries the promise Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan had him make to protect jc in his mind:

“He remembered every single thing he promised Jiang FengMian and Madam Yu—to help and take care of Jiang Cheng.” (Chapter 102)

He does love YanLi and he cares about jiang cheng but he's strongly motivated by duty and the debt he feels he owes the Jiangs and he goes above and beyond trying to repay it. He certainly honors his perceived debt 100x more than jc's honors his life debt to the Wens w a mealy mouthed sentence, but I don't see them dragging jc.

I wouldn't reduce WWX's motivation to just love. I agree tho, idk how people can say he's selfish when he sacrifices so much for YunmengJiang. For one his core and with it his cultivation, cutting his lifespan short. He creates a whole new method of cultivation to come back and avenge the Jiangs and help win the war, reestablish the Clan and jc's power etc. Then he makes it perfectly clear that his defection is to take the burden of repaying the debt and defending the Wens entirely on his back alone and making sure YunmengJiang won't share in that burden. Not to mention I think that promise is part of the reason the siege on the Burial Mounds succeeded- bc jc was in the lead and WWX could not risk killing him in the fray. I find it hard to believe that a guy who could control corpses would lose a battle on a mountain made of corpses if he'd put his full force into it. As for the tiger seal, WWX recognized how dangerous it was to the world because it didn't respond to only one master.

“The Stygian Tiger Seal’s powers were considerably greater than what he had imagined. He originally wanted to use it to assist him, but its powers were almost exceeding him, its creator. Moreover, it didn’t settle on one single master. This meant that if someone got hold of it, no matter who they were, whether they were good or bad, friend or foe, they were able to use it.”

People who think WWX was selfish for leaving a grown man who was in a comfy cozy position of immense power and privilege- that WWX had secured for him, to save war refugees sound as whiny, needy and deluded as jc. At least he realizes he sounds like a clown.