#once Smugji activates there is no hope for WWX

[besanii]

double happiness at your door

Extra 15: 姻缘树 (Marriage tree) ?! | previous parts here

The mortal realm has always been of interest to Wei Wuxian, whose curiosity and constantly wandering attention span means he often goes wandering around to all sorts of different places in search of amusement. And with how quickly time passes in the mortal realm, it’s always full of new and exciting things to see.

He’s wandering around the marketplace in one of the larger towns at the foot of a mountain in Yiling, a stick of candied hawthorn in hand, minding his own business, when he notices the people around him whispering and pointing towards something up ahead. Then two young maidens hurry past him in that same direction, giggling as they nudge each other along.

“No, you should ask first,” one girl cries, red-faced and shaking her head. “I’ll only do it if you go first.”

“What? No!” her friend complains. “I don’t want to go by myself! Come with me, we’ll ask together.”

Curious, he falls into step beside them and catches their attention by clearing his throat. They jump, startled, and eye him warily as he offers a deep bow and a friendly smile.

“Pardon me, Guniang,” he says in his most charming voice. “I was just wondering if you would know what is going on up ahead. Everyone seems terribly excited.”

The wariness in their eyes gives way to flustered giddiness as the girls blush and giggle at his smile. He smirks. Even the greatest of immortals are not completely resistant to the charms of the Fox Tribe, let alone two young, mortal women. One of them tucks a lock of hair behind her ear and peeks up at him shyly.

“Gongzi has not heard of the yinyuan tree?” she asks. Wei Wuxian shakes his head. “It’s a tree that magically sprouted from the ground one night on the north end of town and people say it’s been blessed by Yue Lao. It shows you your destined marriage partner!”

Wei Wuxian snorts quietly. A magical tree that shows your romantic destiny? Blessed by Yue Lao himself? Nie Huaisang’s management of his department must be getting lax if Yue Lao had enough free time to do something as frivolous as planting a magical tree in a random mortal city!

“Oh?” he asks, curious. “How do you know it’s blessed by Yue Lao? How does it show you your destined marriage partner?”

“The tree’s branches are all twisted!” the other girl exclaims in excitement. “It looks just like a tongxinjie! You just have to stand on one side and look through the gap in the centre of the knot and you’ll see your future partner!”

That sounds…unlikely, but Wei Wuxian has seen mortals who believe in stranger things. At least this sounds relatively harmless. Perhaps a random immortal who got bored and planted a random tree to prank gullible people in the mortal realm. He makes a show of nodding his head and tapping his chin thoughtfully.

“Thank you, Guniang, for your insight,” he says. He bows. “I wish you both the best of luck for a happy union!”

The girls giggle and return his bow quickly.

“All the best regards to you as well, Gongzi,” they reply.

Wei Wuxian follows them at a more sedate pace in the direction of the tree, nibbling at his candied hawthorn. He has to admit that the tree, when he sees it, really does look like a true lover’s knot. The branches are twisted around each other—definitely not natural, not with how symmetrical it looks—and in the centre of all those twisted branches is a single gap, just large enough for someone to peek inside.

A small crowd has already gathered around the tree by the time he gets close enough, and he watches as they approach it one-by-one. Some people walk away, disappointed; others jump back with a startled giggle; there are also those who remain silent, red-faced, and walk away without a word. But it’s clear that everyone seems to be seeing something in the tree.

When it’s his turn, Wei Wuxian polishes off the last of his candied hawthorn and skips up to the tree. He runs his hands over the trunk, the surface smoothed over by constant touching, and frowns. No sign of magic, or any sort of spiritual power. That’s odd.

His thoughts are interrupted by a loud cough from behind him.

“Are you going to look or not?” a man shouts. “Don’t hold up the line!”

He glances back over his shoulder at the disgruntled and impatient crowd, then back at the hole in the tree.

Well, here goes nothing, he thinks, and leans in to take a look.

The gap is only just wide enough to peek through, so it takes him a second to find an angle that isn’t obstructed by twigs and branches. When he finally gets a clear view, a familiar figure crosses his line of sight.

“AH!” His cry attracts the attention of everyone in the vicinity and they all stop and stare as he launches himself around the tree. “Xiao-xianshi!”

It’s the young cultivator who had attacked him on the mountain! Even if it had been ten, almost twenty years ago by now and his memory is not the best, there is no way Wei Wuxian could forget a face that handsome. And so his type, too! Amber eyes widen in surprise as they catch sight of him, so he takes it as an invitation and bounces over cheerfully.

“Fox Demon,” his young cultivator says stiffly. Wei Wuxian pouts.

“I’m not a fox demon!” he protests. “And I have a name!”

A tiny frown appears between perfectly sculpted brows.

“What are you doing here?” the young cultivator asks, ignoring his complaints. Then he notices the crowd staring. “What did you do?”

“Hey!” Wei Wuxian pouts. “I was just checking out this yinyuan tree!”

“Yinyuan tree?” He glances over at the tree, confused. “What is that?”

“It shows you your future marriage partner!” he chirps, cocking his head to one side with a sly grin. “Can you guess who it said I’m going to marry?”

He waggles his eyebrows suggestively and is delighted to see the young cultivator’s ears turn bright red. How cute!

“Say, Xianshi…” he says slowly, reaching out to walk his fingers up along one white-robed arm. “What are you doing here?”

The arm beneath his fingers tense and pull away.

“Hunting,” he replies. “There were reports of demons attacking people in the next village.”

Wei Wuxian gasps, his hands flying to his mouth with exaggerated shock.

“Oh no!” he says. “Did you pin them against a wall and attack them with your big sword as well? I thought I was the only one!”

He hears a few scandalised gasps from the crowd behind him, but he’s more interested in the way his young cultivator’s jaw clenches and his amber eyes darken. He looks furious. He is so Wei Wuxian’s type. How can he possibly resist?

“I’m heartbroken, Xianshi,” he cries dramatically, pressing a hand over his heart to illustrate his point to their captive audience. “I’ve been pining over you after our encounter for all this time! And now to find you’ve been dallying with others behind my back! How could you be so cruel?”

The crowd murmurs sympathetically and he catches a few older women shooting glares in the young cultivator’s direction, who is frozen in place in a state of shock and indignation. Wei Wuxian whips out a handkerchief from his sleeve and dabs at his eyes with a loud sniff.

“I was so happy when I saw you through the yinyuan tree,” he sighs forlornly. “I thought it must have been a sign that we were meant to be! Oh, I’m such a fool!”

“Don’t let him get away with it, Gongzi!” one woman shouts encouragingly. “Make him take responsibility!”

Her companions join in as well, sympathetic to his plight. He bows to them, still sniffling, and thanks them humbly for their support. He feels a thrum of spiritual energy from behind him and turns around to see the young cultivator, sword in hand, trembling with fury, and immediately drops his act.

“Hahaha, just kidding,” he laughs, backing away with his hands clasped behind his head. “Don’t take it so seriously, Xianshi! It was just a joke!”

“Wei Wuxian!”

“Oh you do remember my name! I’m flattered, really Xianshi, but I still don’t know yours—”

He yelps at the flash of blue light hurtling towards him, jumping back just in time to narrowly avoid it slashing him open from hip to shoulder. The crowd screams and backs away.

“Okay, okay, no more playing!” Wei Wuxian laughs, dancing out of reach of the next strike. “I’ll see you around again someday, Xianshi!”

He dodges another strike and makes a break for it, blowing him a kiss on the way.

Notes:

Guniang (姑娘) - miss, young lady

yinyuan (姻缘) - romantic/marriage fate (the fate that brings lovers together)

tongxinjie (同心结) - true lover’s knot, often made using red strings and is a token of love/affection

Yue Lao (月佬) - the immortal in charge of the romantic fates of mortals, also the one who ties the red string between lovers

// buy me a ko-fi //

Previous parts here