#sect leader nie

[robininthelabyrinth]

Hello it's last anon thank you for letting me give a prompt

So I really liked your pairing of LQR/WRH/Lao Nie and after seeing wwx's parents in the last episode of the donghua it got me thinking, How about WRH/WCZ/CSSR? WRH maybe saves them in yiling and they end up hitting it off (WRH might do it in the beginning just spite jfm by stealing his former best friend and crush) and the Wei family settles in nightless city, wwx grows up with the Wen heirs and wen Qing and wen Ning and that affects the events of Canon

(I wouldn't mind smut tbh if you want to include it, they're all hotties lol)

Thank you so much for letting me send a prompt 🙏😭❤️

ao3

“I don’t suppose you can help with this,” Wen Ruohan said to Lan Qiren, who had the unmitigated gall to look amused at him, as if he’d brought this disaster down on his own head or something like that. “Aren’t you supposed to be friends with that awful -”

“Cangse Sanren and I are indeed good friends,” Lan Qiren said peaceably and tonelessly, possibly just because he was trying to annoy Wen Ruohan to death. “I am therefore very familiar with the fact that there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop her from proceeding precisely as she wishes.”

That was not what Wen Ruohan wanted to hear.

“You’re her friend,” he said, deciding to focus on the important part. “Take her away.”

“You’re the sect leader of the Nightless City,” Lan Qiren rebutted. “Order her to leave.”

Wen Ruohan couldn’t do that.

Well, he could. By all rights, he ought to have done it a month ago, when Cangse Sanren had first marched into the Fire Palace and said, “Oh, this will work perfectly! I love it, you’re so thoughtful!” and started rearranging the entire place into some sort of workshop for herself, possibly involving grain storage. He’d meant to, but he’d been a bit distracted at the time – Wei Changze had wanted to know what all the machines did, and he’d had an endless number of clever ideas on how some of them could be repurposed for things other than torture, some of which had been really very intriguing.

Anyway, it wasn’t as if Wen Ruohan had time to attend torture sessions any more, not with three loudly yelling children running around all the time. Wei Wuxian might be the youngest of the lot, with both Wen Xu and Wen Chao as his elders, but he’d managed in a very short amount of time to make himself the undoubted leader of the pack and spoiled beloved youngest all at the same time. There had even been avid discussions about how they would need to bring other children over to visit in order to better socialize the children. He’d already summoned some cousins over, Wen Qing and Wen Ning, which meant that soon there would be even more children…

It was a headache, really.

Absolutely.

Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren were driving him up the wall.

They were also regular visitors in his bed, something that would very likely rapidly stop being the case if he actually kicked them out of the Nightless City.

“This one’s on you, Hanhan,” Lao Nie put in, grinning wildly at him. Now there was one that was completely unmoved by the news of Wen Ruohan’s new relationship – everyone else had reacted, whether by Jiang Fengmian’s profound embarrassment, raging jealousy, and quiet fury, Jin Guangshan very obviously trying to calculate some way of using this to his advantage, and Lan Qiren immediately going over to question his friends’ sanity – and that was pretty annoying in its own way. After all, Wen Ruohan had really only invited the two rogue cultivators into his bed in the first place as a matter of spite, a way of excising his rage when he’d heard the rumors about Lao Nie potentially taking on a third wife.

He hadn’t expected them to stay.

He hadn’t expected to want them to stay.

Which he didn’t! They were a mess, each one worse than the next – Cangse Sanren was barely human most days, like some sort of feral demonic beast that had accidentally achieved human form and continuously forgot (thanks to her prodigiously bad memory) that she was supposed to be pretending to be normal, and Wei Changze was remarkably similar to Lao Nie in the sense that he’d never taken anything seriously in his life, except for the fact that his humor was lighthearted and unleavened by the hints of trauma and tragedy that lurked behind Lao Nie’s unbridled hedonism. There wasn’t anything that he wouldn’t let slide off his shoulders, forgetting a beating as soon as it was over…Wei Changze might be a lot less vicious than Lao Nie was, but he was reckless to the extreme, in a way that made absolutely no sense. Wasn’t he supposed to be a servant? What was he doing rushing out into the field with a sword and smile and absolutely no advance planning whatsoever? Even Lao Nie wouldn’t do that!

Anyway, they were a handful.

They were maddening.

They were the most interesting thing that had happened to Wen Ruohan in years.

“Your input is not required,” Wen Ruohan informed Lao Nie, who shrugged expansively. “Unless you have something constructive to add.”

“No, no, nothing constructive, you know me, I’m not built for that…but I’m glad that you’re happy.”

Wen Ruohan stopped where he was.

“I’m not right for you,” Lao Nie said, and even though he was still smiling, same as always, there was something sharp in his eyes – the same sharpness that had caught Wen Ruohan’s interest in the first place, like a beautiful dagger that you longed to touch even though you knew its biting edge might cut. “You know, I know, even Qiren knows it…you’re happy now, and that’s good. That’s all I wanted to say.”

Wen Ruohan wanted to say something.

Preferably something cutting, something about how it was too late for Lao Nie to regret – except he didn’t think Lao Nie did regret, because Lao Nie did not live a life of regret. Lao Nie had enjoyed their time together, had been as sincere and true as he was made to be and no further. But, and maybe it was because he’d never expected to keep Wen Ruohan for very long in the first place, he’d felt little sorrow at it ending, instead feeling nothing but joy on Wen Ruohan’s behalf at seeing him happy, even if it was with another.

Wen Ruohan didn’t understand that. He’d always loved too fiercely, too well; he’d always yearned to keep that which he cared for close to him, nearby, somewhere he could protect them and keep them.

Even Lao Nie…Wen Ruohan had been enticed by Lao Nie’s ruthlessness, his bloodthirstiness, his Nie sect temper tempered with a nasty sort of cunning that had made him remarkably successful at expanding his sect’s reach in the north, and he’d been flattered at how persistent the other man was in pursuing him. It was only later, when he’d gotten used to having him around, that he had started to feel jealous…

“They’ll be good for you,” Lao Nie said. His eye twinkled. “You could use a bit of chaos in your life.”

Wen Ruohan shook his head. “I’m trying to get rid of them,” he protested, but even he didn’t believe what he was saying. “They’re a menace. Especially Cangse Sanren – do you know that she’s literally doomed? I swear, I spend all my trying keeping her from getting herself killed…”

“Don’t you enjoy defying the heavens?” Lan Qiren asked, rolling his eyes as if Wen Ruohan were missing something obvious. “I would have thought that someone carting around a heaven-sent calamity would be a perk for someone like you.”

…it rather was, wasn’t it?

“Whatever. Fine. Leave it, I’ll figure it out myself,” Wen Ruohan grumbled, then turned his narrowed eyes on the two of them. “Now for something you can help with: My children need more socialization or else they’ll genuinely think Wei Wuxian is a good example of other children. Sect Leader Lan – you’re a teacher, aren’t you…?”

“Well, yes. But –”

“What a wonderful idea!” Lao Nie clapped his hands together. “I can send my two boys to Qiren to teach, too! And we can definitely bully Fengmian and Guangshan into sending theirs. It’ll be…oh, I don’t know. A regular summer excursion!”

“In my sect?” Lan Qiren asked, arching his eyebrows. “Why me?”

“Because you’re a teacher, of course. Anyway, are you saying you don’t want Cangse Sanren to crash at your place for a few months..?”

“She’s not going anywhere,” Wen Ruohan said at once. When both of them smirked at him, he scowled. “Even if I wanted her too, she’s not. It was a statement of fact, nothing more.”

“Then perhaps we should all come visit the Nightless City instead,” Lao Nie said. “It could be like a miniature discussion conference, except limited to the Great Sects – we could go night-hunting and such while Qiren teaches the children.”

Was Lao Nie proposing an orgy? He’d better not be proposing an orgy, not if he genuinely intended to invite Jiang Fengmian and his wife or Jin Guangshan and his to attend…

“Of course, if it’s focused on the children, maybe the adults aren’t entirely necessary to invite – well, except for you, as the host, Qiren as the teacher, and me as the person who came up with the idea…”

Lao Nie was definitely proposing an orgy.

“…I’ll see what Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze have to say about it,” Wen Ruohan allowed. But only because he thought that it was something they would very much like, and he’d been completely out of ideas on what he could get a couple as notoriously disinterested in material goods as a courting gift – he hated not being capable, that’s all it was. There was no other reason than that! “We’ll see.”

“Did I agree to this?” Lan Qiren asked, frowning. “When did I agree to this –”

“You can’t say no,” Wen Ruohan said. “I’ll set Cangse Sanren on you if you do.”

“…I see that I’ve agreed to this.”

Lao Nie laughed, Lan Qiren sighed, and Wen Ruohan…

Wen Ruohan resigned himself to keeping Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze around a little longer.

Just a little.

[br-disaster]

*thinks about Nie dad and baby NMJ*

[screamsindepression]

Jin Ai: so Changze welcome to the dark side

Lan Qiren: I cannot believe you

Wen Changze: it's not my fault! Their kids!

Nie Luo: their dad's kinda mad you took them though.....

Jin Ai: their mom as well

Yu Ziyuan: so all is left is for Qiren to get a Wen in some way

Lan Qiren: no

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: and sings the tune without the words, ch. 7

Relationship: Jiāng Yànlí & Jīn Zǐxuān, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Yànlí & Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Jiāng Fēngmián & Lán Qǐrén

Characters: Jiang Yanli, Jin Zixuan, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Lán Qǐrén, Jiāng Fēngmián, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén

Additional Tags: Epistolary, Food, Music, Secrets

Summary: An epistolary follow-up to “the thing with feathers.” Exchanged letters.

Notes: See end.

Previous fic in the series: “the thing with feathers”

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

AO3 link

———

Jiang-zongzhu and Yu-furen,

I hope your family and sect are well. The sun has been shining brightly in the Cloud Recesses. 

I’m writing to let you know Wei Wuxian had a particularly troubling episode, the details of which are inappropriate in a letter, after meeting Nie-zongzhu. He was, as you might imagine, quite concerned, and stayed until he woke. 

Wei Wuxian explained his condition to Nie-zongzhu, as it’s become quite normal for him to discuss the attack and resulting amnesia and complications in his brain. 

I apologize, as I should have guessed meeting someone new could trigger an episode. He happened to be with my nephews when they came to greet Nie-zongzhu. 

The episode seemed to shake him a little—it’s the first he’s had since arriving in Gusu, after all, and so shortly before he’s set to return home. He’s had several nightmares since, which he and Wangji resolved by sharing a bed. He finds comfort in Wangji, and may continue to do so at Lotus Pier. 

The healers have worked with him to see if there are techniques that will help with his condition. 

Your son did extremely well in his studies. It’s unclear if he began remembering some of what he was taught in Yunmeng or if he is simply a very bright boy. His teachers all praised him, though some were bothered by his fidgeting. He has a lot of energy, and it simply needs to be directed at times. 

One of his teachers found a unique solution; upon seeing him doodle in the corners of his papers, he set Wei Wuxian drawing while listening. This was far less distracting to the students, and he could answer questions and follow along with no problem. Another gave him a puzzle box to work with while meditating, to great effect. 

His energy means he occasionally gets into mischief, but nothing harmful or untoward. Organizing a speed walking contest among his peers, for instance. Several of the elders were displeased, but it broke no rules. 

Wei Wuxian is an especially promising musician. He seems to be very adept at remembering tunes and playing them on his dizi. He barely needs to look at the notes, a natural ear. 

I will accompany them in a week’s time for Wangji’s stay in Yunmeng. Xichen has been somewhat obsessively packing a qiankun bag for him, a little concerned as this will be their first time apart for so long. I’m not sure if it will help them be more independent, and a good thing, or if it will be truly difficult. 

We shall see when it comes time to return to the Cloud Recesses without Wangji. 

A musician who can work with each of the children will accompany us and stay with Wangji to manage their musical education. She is also trained in the konghou and will be able to tutor your daughter, if you are amenable. 

We will travel by boat from Caiyi, so while the trip may take some time, it will be leisurely for the children. 

Lan Qiren

-----------

Lan-xiansheng,

My wife and I owe you our thanks for caring for our son and seeing to his education. Everyone here is well, the sun shining on Lotus Pier as it does at the Cloud Recesses. 

A-Cheng received a letter from A-Ying detailing his episode, and I’m certain we’ll hear details of it when you arrive. I even received a letter from Nie-zongzhu both inquiring after his health and asking if he may bring his two sons to meet our children. Such a thing could bring good intersect relationships, so that is a positive. 

A-Ying’s episode is concerning, but I’m guessing you’ve had Lan-daifu make sure his health is not threatened. Truly, the attack on him is mind boggling. We still have no leads, nor any idea who may have been behind it. San-Niang is frustrated, having taken it as an attack against the family—which it was, of course. But absent any clues, there is little that can be done. 

While regrettable, his health condition is something that would eventually be known to outsiders. You could not have foreseen the episode, so please do not blame yourself. We will need to take precautions in the future. 

Wen-zongzhu wrote to state that the head healers of the Dafan Wen, the medical branch, died recently in an accident, but their young daughter is becoming a doctor. Apparently she’s only a little older than A-Li, but is a prodigy, and Wen-zongzhu will bring her once A-Ying has returned to see if she can help with his condition. I have written to give him a timetable, and his visit may coincide with yours. If Lan-daifu is amenable to accompanying you, he could consult with Wen-guniang.

A-Ying does have quite a bit of energy and a quick mind, and always has. His potential as a scholar and cultivator is impressive, and I’m happy to hear he settled into his studies well. The technique redirecting his fidgeting is a good one, and one we may use here. An option might include him practicing his fingering for his dizi during class as well. 

The competition he organized, while mischievous, is just the kind of thing he would do here, though it would involve running. My guess is he altered it to fit the rules at the Cloud Recesses so as not to offend. Fostering these skills is good practice for emergencies, wouldn’t you agree? These events can also foster camaraderie among disciples.

Wei Changze was similarly a natural on the dizi, unable to read music and not classically trained, but he could replicate any piece of music he heard played. It is good to know A-Ying has inherited his father’s talent. When he wanted to play the dizi, I hoped he would. 

We look forward to your visit, and all the disciples are excited for A-Ying’s return. The children are impatient, as they miss their brother dearly, but they have held up well. San-Niang has missed him especially; she would never admit it, but she is quite protective of him. 

Separation is difficult with family, particularly when there has been prior loss, as your nephews with their mother and A-Ying with his parents. It will be a difficult transition, but I’m certain Lan Xichen will acclimate as mine have. Remind him that we will care for his brother as well as you have cared for A-Ying, and he’ll be able to write letters and send packages. 

I suspect the true test will be separating Lan Wangji and A-Ying at the end of the visit to Lotus Pier. They seem extremely attached, and I know A-Ying takes great comfort in your nephew. 

Your musician is welcome, of course. A-Li has read all the texts you’ve sent for her to study, and a tutor would be appreciated. We had been planning to hire one, as tutelage is needed to make stronger strides, but we can keep searching and hire one once she has returned to the Cloud Recesses. We will make sure to prepare quarters for her. 

Quarters have been prepared for Lan Wangji with the help of A-Li, who consulted with Lan Xichen via letters to make certain he would feel comfortable with them. He told her of their mother’s death and his brother’s difficulty around that time of year, so we will do our best to ease his grief. 

Lotus Pier is open to you, and we look forward to your arrival. May it be a smooth trip. 

Jiang Fengmian 

---------

As a note, remember the reference to the sun following the Waterborne Abyss incident. They know they cannot speak openly in letters in case of interception, but they are warning each other. 

They have, after all, set an intersect betrothal and the Jiangs adopted Wei Wuxian officially and made him Jiang Wuxian. This has garnered curiosity, and is why they wanted the details of his attack and condition kept quiet. 

Now Nie-zongzhu knows about the resentful energy aspect, and Wen Ruohan is coming to visit.

[offaeandcreation]

Sleep-Deprived College Student Becomes World's Strongest Cultivator By Bullshit Means

Chapter 6 + 7 + 8: The Father Trap Pt 3 + Pt 4 + Pt 5

Summary: There was still one person Ani hasn't comforted yet. Except, Wen Xu is missing.

Chapter 4+5: (Prev)

Chapter 9: (Next)

Content Warning: Emotional outburst, Mild Homophobia

It is truth universally acknowledged that an Ani, in possession of a terrible night’s sleep, is in want of an alarm clock. The darkness outside was no help in determining anything other than the fact that she shouldn’t be awake now. Ani flopped back into bed, staring up at the ceiling. No matter how much she tossed and turned, or how long she tried to meditate in the garden, or how many goldfish she counted in her head, her mind wouldn’t let her rest. 

What am I anxious about? 

Wen Xia is staying. Anyone in her family, especially A-Li, knew that if you cry enough in front of Ani, any semblance of a spine dissipates into the void. How else would Ani allow Wen Ruohan’s twin sister, who’s known him since childhood, to stick around? 

Ani face-palmed herself. 

Why am I LIKE this? 

She was temperamental too. Throwing a fight in front of the children. Wen Chao cried and Wen Xu–

Ani shot up.  

Dammit! I should have checked on him. At least to see if he was okay. 

Ani got to her feet and struggled to open the drawers to get a robe. Like a Tin-man in dire need of oiling, her arms jerked across the folded fabric.

What the hell?  

The robe refused to budge. She pulled harder. With a crack, she pulled out the entire drawer, the wood clanking onto the ground and silk robes scattered like snow. 

Fu- No this is fine. Just...gonna pick one up. The servants can clean it later.

With jagged movements, she pulled out a simple robe from the floor and tried to tie the knot she had seen the servants do. Her fingers refused to cooperate and she yanked at it until she got her finger stuck in a loop. 

Stupid fingers. Stupid long nails! 

 Ani bit her lip not to scream. She tasted iron. Her fingers dug into the fabric, long sharp nail catching on individual threads of expensive silk. Fire and thunder burned in her throat. Heat throbbed in her temples. 

Obeyme. Obeyme. Howdareyoudefyme-

The threads exploded in her hands: the silk robe in tatters on the floor. 

Ani blinked. 

What just happened? 

She merely tore a hole and–

All the drawers had shot out, spraying the entire room in clothing. She wheezed, curling up into a ball. Tears blurred her vision.

I need to get a hold of myself.

Ani wiped her tears with the helm of her sleeve. She picked up a dark brown silk robe and pants that got caught on a pillar. 

I’m just going to check on Wen Xu, before I forget. Then I need to figure out what caused this outburst. 

She groped the dark walls to climb to her feet. The cold lacquer tantalized her fingers until Ani stuck her face into it. The fire beneath her skin cooled. She sighed in relief.

 Ani grabbed one of the lanterns hanging by her door – a sphere of red rice paper covered in golden sun motifs protecting a flame –  and wandered into the hall. She must have miscalculated her movements; she stepped too close to the edge of the doorway and her elbow knocked a nearby vase. Ani froze as the ceramic spun on its wooden table, only stabilizing as the rim peered over the edge. She released a breath, pulling the vase back into its proper place.

Wow, my coordination is off today.

 She turned to walk out before promptly crashing into the wooden pillar. A sharp sting zapped up her nose; it’s a miracle it didn’t bleed. 

I’m walking around like a drunkard. 

Clearly needing it, Ani kept a hand on the wall to maintain balance as she trudged back to Wen Xu’s hall. The lanterns of similar ostentatious quality were still lit, illuminating red paint, and dark wood in a sheen of amber. There was little need for her own personal lantern. But who knows, maybe it will be useful later.

 Her hand brushed against paper, rice paper scrolls that lined the walls. Ani paused, using her lantern to illuminate the page.

Oh, I missed this. 

It was a man sitting on a porch, surrounded by Chrysanthemums, reading a scroll. His figure took center place of the entire piece. The attire, flames embellishing his collar and the headpiece on his head, was the same that Ani wore that day. Wen Ruohan. Ani scanned the calligraphy. Wen Xu signed it. 

He made a portrait of his father? And hung it? 

Ani filed that note for later. It is possible that his work would come up at some point and ‘forgetting’ that he was skilled in art would end in her being outed as an imposter. Or at least being sus. 

More rice scrolls lined the walls. Some of mountainous landscapes, and some portraits of unfamiliar faces. 

All of them undeniably skilled and beautiful.

The hallway turned until finally the door came into view. As Ani approached the door, a scuffle disturbed the silence followed by rapid footsteps and a creak. Ani’s ears twitched. 

Huh? 

Ani considered knocking to ask if Wen Xu was injured...

He’s a teenager, idiot. 

The tips of her ears burned as she rubbed her face.

Right, he probably is fooling around in there. I should leave him be-

A loud thud caught off that thought like a butcher’s knife. 

That doesn’t sound like fooling around. 

Ani’s heart hammered in her chest, thundering in her ears. Her free hand fell to the wooden door handle It creaked under the force of her grip.  

Is Wen Xu hurt? Did someone attack him? 

Ani kicked open the door. 

If it is just something kinky, I’m going to regret this. 

The room was empty, being nothing more than a private sitting room and library. The severe lack of any light sources painted the room in a deep blue hue. 

“Wen Xu?” Ani called out, her voice bouncing off the walls like it would in a cave. She used her lantern to illuminate the dark room. 

No answer. 

Nothing.

What the hell was that noise?  

Footsteps. Like a child running. Above her.

Ani rushed to the nearest window, one hidden behind drawn curtains, and pulled it open. A figure jumped from the roof, landing on the opposite one. They were small, old enough to be an adolescent, but were not fully grown. Ani frowned, narrowing her eyes. 

She pushed open the door to the bedroom. Empty. The bed untouched. Drawers thrown open. Fabric and clothes littered the ground. 

Her lungs were too small. Everything around her spun into dizzying colors.

I shouldn’t have left him alone. 

The walls of the room warped and shrank, as if to crush her. 

I should have insisted on checking on him. 

 The lantern in her hand fell to the floor with a thud. The light within flickered out. 

And now he ran away. 

_____________________

I saw him. It can’t be too late. I have to find him, convince him to come back–

Ani searched the dirt streets for Wen Xu, between plain robes and unfamiliar faces. 

Hanging red lanterns lit the plentiful crowds of Qishan, turning night to day. Restaurants with colorful flowing banners served customers, employees dressed in grey and blue advertising at their entrances.

“Will Young Master try Qishan’s best tea!” A server jumped in Ani’s path, shoving a cup of tea below her nose. Hot leaf juice so potent she could taste it in the back of her throat. 

“No thanks,” Ani backed away, looking over his head for Wen Xu’s bobbing, ribboned bun. 

Wait. Bun. 

Ani paused, scanning the crowd one more time. The youngsters playing with toys a few paces away had their buns in red ribbons. And the passersby eyeing Ani with a range of horrified stares had their hair pulled up by bronze and wooden pins. The old man in the middle of the street singing at the top of his lungs had his hair up. 

Ani had her hair down.

I’M A BARBARIAN! 

“Would you prefer noodles instead, Young Master?” The waiter said, unaware of Ani’s inner cyclone of doom. 

“Not unless I can use them to tie my hair.” 

“Young Master?” 

I said that out loud, didn’t I? 

God, why didn’t I think this throughhhhh. 

“Would you perhaps like some more rice wine instead? We have the best in the city!” The smiling waiter pulled out a brown jar of wine, literally from nowhere. 

“I haven’t had any-” Ani stopped, glancing at her sorry excuse for ‌clothing.

I look like a drunk. 

Dust and mud-caked the front of her robes, but the silk still shimmered under the lanterns.  

A filthy rich drunk. 

“Young Master?” 

I can’t pop in looking for Wen Xu like an undignified drunkard. That’ll surely embarrass him.  

“Mind I ask where you got your clothes? I need the outfit,” She glanced at the simple light grey hemp robes of the waiter. 

The waiter blinked. He bit his lip and shuffled back a step, “why does Young Master want my robe?” 

Over his shoulder, Wen Xu exited a noodle restaurant several blocks down. His clothing a mute black robe with a sash, but no knapsack or even his sword.

Wen Xu!

The memory of the mess in his room, clothing thrown all over the floor resurfaced.

He was just trying to find that outfit for his outing? To blend in– 

Wen Xu wove through the crowd, drifting farther and farther away.

Shit!

“Well,‌” Ani gestured to herself, tapping her foot with impatience, “I’m a researcher and journalist on the…” she gestured at the waiter’s shop, “the treatment of waiters in restaurants and pubs, such as your own. Do you feel underrepresented in your place of work? Does your employer provide dental?” 

The waiter’s brows furrowed, “Dental? I haven’t heard of this.” 

He thinks I’m spouting drunk nonsense. 

Ani clicked her tongue, “Not even dental, would you look at that. How unfair. Healthy teeth are important, you know!”  

The waiter blinked, but at least he stopped leaning away from her, “I don’t understand why dental is important.” 

Fuck, can we do this faster?

“Your teeth will rot and fall out. And then you get cavities in your brain and die. Not really pleasant.” Ani burst out. 

The waiter paled considerably, clutching his mouth, “My aunt had bad teeth and died! They wouldn’t even provide tanghulu for her offerings. She adored tanghulu!”

Ani nodded, “Exactly! Bad teeth kill people!” 

“But what does young master’s research have to do with my clothing?” The waiter asked, scratching his chin. 

Please. I beg you. PLEASE. 

“If you give me an extra set of robes,” Ani gave him her best customer service smile, “I’ll make certain your workplace will provide dental first. Now go! Hurry! And don’t forget a bun ribbon!”

He ran into the restaurant, seconds later bringing out a spare robe and pants. Ani thanked him and threw it over her silk robes, tying her hair up with a ribbon mid-run. 

Wen Xu. Wen Xu. Wen Xu. Where were you last-? 

Ani tripped over a child carrying sweet rice cakes. The cake fell onto the dirt ground, trampled underfoot. The child stared at the ground with wide, watery eyes before bursting into tears. 

“SORRY!” Ani cried out, before knocking into a couple, “I’m so fucking sorry!”

How many people am I going to piss off before I find–

Wen Xu’s bun bobbled into a nearby restaurant. 

THERE. 

She ran inside the building, stepping from the rock pathway to the wooden boards. Just as the tables filled with people came into view, another waiter stepped in front of her. The thick waft of alcohol tsunamied her senses.

“Would Young Master like to try Qishan’s best rice wine?” He gave a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

Wasn’t the last guy’s wine the best in Qishan? 

“I’m actually looking for-” Ani squinted. The room was enough to hold at least fifty people. Customers sat on simple yellow mats around dark worn tables covered in rice wine and snacks. The waiters balanced ceramic cups and bottles that clinked as they shimmied between each other, careful not to trip over the hemp mats. They would pause over a table, offering more to those who seemed to have already had plenty.  No Wen Xu bun in sight. 

I saw him enter. He has to be here.  

“Sect Leader Wen completely lost his mind,” someone slurred. 

Ani tensed, her fingers twitching.

Shit! did I cause something- 

“What do you mean, Liu Shen?” one of the people in the crowd shouted at the speaker. “Isn’t that common knowledge?”

Oh, wait, no, he was nuts before. 

Ani exhaled, wiping her brow. 

Haven’t fucked up yet. 

“Sect Leader Wen requested directions to his very own library! Can you believe such nonsense? Isn’t he hailed as one of the top cultivators and minds in Qishan? And he doesn’t know where the library is?”

Fuck! FUCK! FUCKING FUCKITY FUCK! 

She did that! To herself. If Ani wasn’t in public, she would slam her face into the nearest pillar. 

“Uh, Young Master? Are you well?” The waiter looked worried. 

Sweat dripped by Ani’s temple, “Mm, fine. Fine. I’m just… looking for someone, bye!” Ani pushed past the waiter into the restaurant. 

Her eyes wandered from face to face, looking for familiar features. Most were young men, sitting in groups of three and four, faces barely lined with baby fat.  Her eyes landed on what looked like a couple in the room’s corner: one had their hair in a bun gazing into the eyes of the other who wore blue robes. It was hard to make out his features, but the dark eyes and carefully braided brown hair did not belong to Wen Xu. He opened his mouth, accepting a peanut from his companion in familiar black robes. 

Very adorable.

 Ani shook her head, tearing away to leave the lovebirds in their secluded spot. 

I need to just find Wen Xu and leave before I’m recognized. 

“There is more!” The speaker continued, facing away from Ani, “Sect Leader doesn’t require servants to walk on their knees now! And he hasn’t once shown his face to the public for over a fortnight!” 

Ani stumbled, catching onto the wall, her hand flying to her head. Her vision swam like someone spilled ink all over her face. 

How the fuck does he know that?! 

 Collective gasps from the crowd. Several patrons spoke at once: 

“Has something softened Sect Leader Wen’s heart?” 

“Has his cultivation been crippled?” 

“May it be that the tree will fall soon?”

Ani leaned onto the nearby wall, hand clasping onto the rickety table beside her. The rough wooden splinters dug into her fingers.

May it be that the tree will fall soon? Or may I die soon because I’m an incompetent fool? If my position is questioned, the Wen sect will fall. Wen Xu and Wen Chao will be killed. 

“The Sect Leader has been ill. Perhaps his cultivation was never as high as they said. Useless like the rest of the Sect when the common folk ask for help!” With side bangs flying as he swung his head with emphasis, the speaker basked in the attention like an arrogant movie star. Patrons roared, several comments flew at him at once. Some agreeing, others not. He stood above them, holding a drink in hand, smirking as the patrons begged for more information. He looked about the crowd with his nose in the air.

His face came into view. Ani nearly choked on her own breath. 

My servant! 

“Funny you say that, considering you work directly for Sect Leader Wen.” A familiar, youthful voice interrupted the rally. Heads turned, and the same peanut-chomping lovebirds from before walked from their corner, holding hands. 

“Xiao Dan! Hong Cheng!” A waiter stepped in front of her, shouting, “I missed you two!”

The unfamiliar boy waved with a shy smile. The other held his back with far more strength: he gave a nod towards the waiter with a full-blown out grin. Ani’s breath caught in her throat. It was Wen Xu! 

“It would be a shame if he found out what you spouted drunkenly to a crowd.” Wen Xu cocked his head to the side, giving a little half-smile, “You’re drunk, servant. Go home and then he may just not find out.” 

Ani watched the crowds: all of them familiar with Wen Xu.  

They don’t know his real name?! Nani!   

One of the patrons stood up from his seat, gesturing to Wen Xu, “Xiao Dan is right! You’ll be tossed into the Fire Palace.” 

The crowd murmured in agreement. 

The servant, who Ani placed as the one who dressed her, laughed. Rice wine spilled from his cup, splashing his hand in clear alcohol. 

“And what about you,Young Master Wen?” 

Voices murmured among the patrons. Sweat prickled at the back of Ani’s neck, her fingers digging into the scratched wood. The hemp outfit was suddenly far too thin to keep the chills at bay. 

Wen Xu’s expression darkened. His fists clenched by his side. The boy beside him frowned, saying; “Are you so drunk as to confuse Xiao Dan with the Young Master Wen?”

“How else would he know my employer? They even share the same looks. And you fools fell for a child’s lies?”

Several patrons spoke at once. One of them shouted: 

“You mean this is Sect Leader Wen’s son?”

He revealed him!

She snatched the table up. A low growl escaped her throat.

I have to do something. 

The servant grinned at Wen Xu a mile wide, rivaling Ursula as she rose from the sea and towered over the couple on their tiny rickety boat, “What are you doing holding hands with another boy? Did you cut your sleeves? It would be a shame if Sect Leader Wen found out.” 

 “You’re fired,” Ani snarled, before slamming the servant with a wooden table. He crashed into the adjacent wall. 

Silence. Ani glared at the crowd, holding the wooden table up like a super-sized anime sword, “Anyone else have a problem?”

The entire restaurant dropped in a low, panicked bow.

“Good.” 

She tossed away the table, approaching the couple. As she walked over, he clasped his hands and straightened his back like he swallowed a sharpened rod.

“Fuqin.” Wen Xu stood up in front of her, blocking the other boy from sight, ”please don’t hurt Cheng Hong!” 

Ani met his pleading eyes. 

Why is he panicking–

He thinks I’d hurt—

Wen Ruohan I WILL stuff a PINECONE up where the sun don’t shine, you absolute BASTARD. 

“We’ll discuss this elsewhere.” Ani said, gesturing out of the restaurant, “but first, go tell your boyfriend you’ll see him later. I’ll wait.” 

Ani snickered into her sleeve as Wen Xu saluted. As he turned to address his boyfriend, Ani noticed that every single patron still held their noses to the floor. 

“Uh, you can get up now.” 

Everyone jumped up, the older patrons flinching and clasping their backs.

Whoops. 

A server helped the servant out of the hole in the wall, blood leaking down from his head.

The ghost sensation of wood tingled her fingers. She clenched them until the knuckles of her hands turned white. 

I did that. 

_______________________________

In silence, they walked together out of Qishan, heading towards the Nightless City. Crickets chirped around them, alerted by the lantern Wen Xu carried. Every crunch underfoot emphasized the heavyweight between them, heavier than an elephant. 

“I hope that the reason you are losing sleep isn’t because you’ve been out partying.” Ani teased.

Wen Xu ducked his head, “Rarely, Fuqin.” 

Okay… so he’s responding. That’s good. 

“What was the occasion then?” 

Wen Xu muttered something under his breath, but the words didn’t make much sense. Stilted. He clasped his hands, rubbing them together. 

His reaction from before pleading with me to spare Cheng Hong.  

“I want to be clear, you are welcome to pursue whomever you wish: man, woman, nonbinary, as long as they treat you well. You don’t need to see anyone in secret from me.”

Silence. 

“Respond to how you wish, regardless of the content. You have my permission.” Ani quickly added. 

“What’s nonbinary?” Wen Xu asked. 

Ani choked, “um, a discussion for later. Anything else?” 

Wen Xu’s brows pinched together, his lips quirked to a frown, “I have a duty to the Sect and Clan, how can I continue the family line as a cut-sleeve?” 

“Cut-sleeve refers to preferring the company of the same gender if I recall correctly?” 

Wen Xu stuttered mid-step, staring at Ani, “that’s com-” He stopped himself, mouth forming a thin line, “yes.” 

Ani balled her fists, “That servant outed you. In front of strangers.” 

Wen Xu paused, footsteps coming to an abrupt stop.  His expression dark, scowl emphasized by the lowlights. He didn’t look like a boy at that moment, even the softness around his jaw disappearing. A man fighting a war within himself, or perhaps with her. 

He bowed, head so low Ani feared he would try to kowtow. 

“I was a fool, Fuqin. I should have silenced him another way. Instead, I ignited rumors. I ruined our reputation.”

Oh right, rumors.

As Ani grasped onto Wen Ruohan’s reputation for safety, of course, Wen Xu must do the same. Still, no son of hers should have to beg to exist.

Wen Xu’s shoulders sank, “I broke it off with Cheng Hong. I didn’t want to involve him in my mistakes.” 

Ani’s heart clenched in her chest. Wen Xu’s identity had been exposed right by his partner. It would be a danger to continue the relationship – they would paint Cheng Hong as a gold digger at best. 

“Reputations are stupid.” Ani grumbled, “do people have nothing better to do than gossip?” 

Dark red eyes met her own, his mouth slightly agape. A silent ‘what the fuck?’  

“Nearly dying has a tendency to change opinions,” Ani prayed he’d accept the excuse.

That comment earned her a well-deserved frown. 

Ani sighed. Wen Xu stood there, coiled up in more knots than a cat tangled in a spring. 

“If there’s a solution, I’ll find it, even if it means ‌heads will roll.,” Ani said, pausing before adding; “Especially if it includes heads rolling.”

 Wen Xu snorted. His shoulders slumped, the rigidity in them dissipating. 

___________________________

Sunlight leaked from between the curtains. Ani glared at it from beneath her blanket of hair and covers. Her mind buzzed all night, as if high on acid. One moment the words that damn servant spoke screamed in her mind, next she was thinking about how cats were the villains in Jaws. How in the world she jumped there, she had no idea, she just knew that cat’s don’t go sticking their tails out like sharks when hunting, right? It would be stupid to do so. Granted, her knowledge about cats, unlike potatoes, was near nonexistent. If she were god, she would make sure cats didn’t stick their tails up to hunt––there she went again! 

First tearing up robes, hitting a servant with a table, and now ranting about cats in my head. What the fuck is wrong with me? 

Frantic knocking disturbed her very much terrible worst morning ever. 

“What!” Ani croaked. 

The door slid open. Wen Zhuliu walked in, giving a salute, “my apologies for disturbing you so early.”

“Lucky for you, I wasn’t getting much rest anyway,” she grumbled. Especially since cat-sharks ran around in her head. Like legit, where did that thought come from–

Wen Zhuliu held out a scroll. An unfamiliar insignia of a beast pasted on its front. Ani took it, peeling the seal away with her fingernails.

At least they have some use.

“A messenger arrived a quarter of a sichen ago with a scroll from Sect Leader Nie.”

Wasn’t there a conflict between Wen Ruohan and Sect Leader Nie that led to this? Placing Ani’s very soul in this body? 

“He wasn’t permitted to enter due to what occurred last time,” Wen Zhuliu continued, “but I believed you would want to receive it immediately.” 

Wait, back up. What happened last time!?

“Is the messenger-”

“He is from the Nie-Sect. I didn’t think it was wise for him to take you by surprise.” 

What the fuck HAPPENED last time?! 

The rice paper crinkled as she unrolled it. Calligraphers would grumble in jealousy if they saw this handwriting. She scanned the letter once. Her death grip tore the paper.

Sect Leader Nie requested a meeting. 

[lazycranberrydoodles]

soggy failgirl sect leader

while i was looking for the reference pic i found out someone already did this for shang qinghua lmao

[restingdomface]

Nie Minjgue: *blatantly lying* My brother would never do that, he’s the laziest man alive!

Meng Yao: *watched NHS stalk a songbird for 3 days to catch it* :/

Sect Leader Yao: *has been stalked and threatened by NHS for the past two months and is coming to beg for help to get rid of him* …I can’t refute that…

Nie Mingjue: Good, don’t! *plans on giving NHS a new set of paints later for his service, no idea why he did it but sure it was deserved*

[trueishcolours]

[cubbyhole-for-flea-bee]

chifeng zun and lianfang zun heightswap has serious comedy potential methinks

[robininthelabyrinth]

I messed up my prompt, I left some out so I’m going to awkwardly regroup it.

Au where Wen Zhuiliu is Meng yao’s dad instead of JG. Meng Yao is raised in the wen sect, as his son also the idea of the golden-core-snatcher thing being hereditary or not would be fun to explore. It’s be the ultimate dagger-up-the-sleeve move. Meng Yao joins Wen Qing and Ning to study at the Lans sect.

ao3

"Question," Lao Nie said, and Wen Ruohan tried not to groan - the other man had a tone that suggested trouble. "Do you remember that time in Yunping when that Jin bastard was so drunk that he couldn't find the brothel stairs?"

"Why do you care?" Wen Ruohan grumbled. He just wanted to sleep - Lao Nie was one of those irritating people that got more energy after sex rather than falling asleep like any normal man. Freak. A freak who wouldn’t stop poking him, and not with anything fun, either. "Fine, fine, yes, I remember. What about it?"

"Didn't you order that new retainer of yours to go upstairs and fuck that prostitute for him? Saying something like 'it's a waste not to get the value even if he can't'?" 

That sounded suspiciously like the sort of spiteful mean-hearted joke Wen Ruohan might make while drunk, yes. 

"What about it?" he asked.

"She got pregnant."

Wen Ruohan blinked.

"Now, she's saying it's Guangshan's, of course,” Lao Nie said. “They all do when they don’t realize how much of a miser he really is under all that gold. But if there's a chance...it was that Zhao Zhuliu fellow, wasn't it? The one with the core-melting hand?"

"Wen Zhuliu," Wen Ruohan corrected. "And yes. I think he was too new to realize I wasn’t actually serious...hm. You think the child may have inherited his talent?"

"Why not? Especially if you start teaching him early..."

What an interesting proposition.

"So…” Lao Nie scooted closer. Somehow. There was not enough room on this bed. “Can I have this one?"

"What? Absolutely not."

"But you already have the father!"

"And that means the son is mine as well. Get lost!"

"But -"

"Keep your grubby hands to yourself,” Wen Ruohan scowled. “All good things belong to me, least of all talents that I've put in time and effort to raise."

"Spoilsport,” Lao Nie said, though he didn’t look especially put out by the refusal. “Anyway, what if I were to put my 'grubby hands' here..."

“Get lost!”

-

"Sect Leader."

"Get lost," Wen Ruohan growled, not even bothering to turn to look at whoever it was that had entered. When he didn't hear the pitter-patter of fleeing feet, he added: "Or else I'm going to kill you."

It wasn’t a threat. It was a statement of fact, and a sincerely meant warning.

Wen Ruohan might have a temper and be inclined towards sadism, but he valued talent. Anyone with access to his study was a talent he had cultivated with great effort, and it would be such a pain to undo all of that by murdering them himself. 

Which was not to say he wouldn't, if his mood were bad enough, just that he'd make the effort to warn them away first. If they still didn't listen, that was their problem, and presumably a sign that they didn't really have as much talent or brains as he'd initially thought.

"Sect Leader, I have some news for you."

Wen Ruohan restrained the urge to throw something - did he seem like he was in the mood to receive news, either positive or negative? - but only because the longer speech had revealed the identity of the servant that had intruded: it was little A-Yao, Wen Zhuliu's boy.

He was being uncharacteristically stupid in stubbornly insisting on approaching Wen Ruohan now, which was most unlike his usually gentle and cautious character, but he was also ten years old - some stupidity was to be expected. Didn't adolescence start around then or something....? Or whatever it was that rotted teenage boys’ brains the way it obviously had his sons’? 

Wen Ruohan pinched his brow and exhaled hard, struggling to manage his temper. He had not yet descended to the level of squabbling with children.

"What," he forced out through gritted teeth, "is it?"

"Nie-gongzi wrote that he'd like to come visit," Wen Yao said, which was both exactly the type of "news" a child might be expected to think was earth-shatteringly important and which made Wen Ruohan nearly see red at how stupidly inane it was - and all the more because it included that accursed surname Nie. "He says his father is being intolerable."

Well, Wen Ruohan could scarcely argue with that.

After all, wasn't that why he himself was so angry at this precise moment? Lao Nie's cavalier behavior, his indifference, his disdain...

Wen Ruohan frowned, suddenly distracted from his anger. 

"Did you say Nie Mingjue was complaining?" he asked. "Nie-gongzi, not Nie-er-gongzi? Not Nie Huaisang, the littler one?"

Nie Huaisang complained about everything, being six, but loud with it. But Nie Mingjue?

Nie Mingjue was fourteen and fundamentally a good boy, with none of the typical self-absorption and moodiness of adolescence. For him to complain about another person, least of all his father, and to someone in another sect, no less, even if that someone was just a friend he'd made during his father's visits to the Nightless City or Wen Ruohan’s own to the Unclean Realm...that was out of character.

That was practically a cry for help, really. It suggested something might be genuinely wrong.

Something wrong with the Nie sect leader –

Wen Ruohan’s anger, entirely caused by the particularly aggravating behavior of Lao Nie, abruptly cooled so fast that it felt as though his entire body had fallen into an icy river.

After all, who didn't know about the Nie sect's famous inclination towards qi deviations...?

"Yes, sect leader," Wen Yao said, blinking up at him. "The older Nie-gongzi. He seemed very distressed. Should I write him back and ask about particulars?"

"No need," Wen Ruohan said, making a snap decision. "I'm going to go pay a personal visit to the Unclean Realm right now. I'll settle the details myself when I get there."

He swept out the door, tossing a "Get someone to clean this mess up, will you?" over his shoulder as he did.

-

It turned out the letter from Nie Mingjue was a fabrication, but after patching things up with Lao Nie, Wen Ruohan was in a good enough mood to forgive Wen Yao for his little schemes.

-

"How attached are you to Wen Yao?"

Wen Ruohan blinked, then stared incredulously at Lan Qiren, who was probably the last person he'd expect to try to poach talent away from him. It was Lan Qiren, after all, boring old-before-his-time teacher that he was.

Lan Qiren grimaced at him, which was an unusual posture with which to start such negotiations. Normally someone trying to steal someone away, much less someone actually surnamed Wen, servant or not, would put on a flattering expression and try to butter him up first. Lan Qiren’s disgruntled expression was completely out of place. After all, people didn't try to steal other people's servants involuntarily...

Unless.

"Wait, you're saying Mingjue's little scheme worked?" he blurted out, and Lan Qiren’s scowl worsened. "It did? Absurd. I don't believe it."

Nie Mingjue had only been talking for the last two or three years about how he had to introduce his two good friends, Wen Yao and Lan Xichen, and how well he was sure they would get along. Up until now, Wen Yao had been politely putting him off, mostly because of some ridiculous self-image issues - so what if he was a servant's son or born of a prostitute, he had the Wen surname, and that alone made him nobler by far than any of the smaller sect's true-born children, perfectly capable of speaking on equal terms with the heir of a different Great Sect, and really, Wen Ruohan needed to encourage the boy to pick up more of the arrogance that was now his right - but with Wen Ruohan sending him, Wen Chao and Wen Ning to the Cloud Recesses for lessons with Lan Qiren as a favor to Lao Nie, he presumably wouldn't have been able to avoid meeting Lan Xichen any longer.

Apparently, it had gone even better than Nie Mingjue had predicted, if Lan Qiren was already here to feel Wen Ruohan out about a potential marriage agreement.

Unless that had been what Nie Mingjue meant all along - Wen Ruohan wouldn't put it past Lao Nie's son.

He wouldn’t put anything past that family of rascals.

"Believe it or not, as you wish, but that doesn't change the reality of it," Lan Qiren said, sounding grumpy, and for the first time Wen Ruohan realized that the other man - who he normally avoided out of residual dislike of teachers, and perhaps some jealousy of Lao Nie having friends other than him - was completely unafraid of him. How interesting. "I assume you'll want to extract everything you can over this and naturally you have me over a barrel, so I thought it better to finish it quickly so that you wouldn't have time to think of any more outrageous demands."

How delightfully blunt. Had Wen Ruohan missed something here, seeing Lan Qiren only in his role as acting sect leader? He'd assumed that the overly-cautious pedant was all there was to the man, Lao Nie's unfathomable appreciation for him aside, but perhaps Lan Qiren was one of those rare people who was genuinely different in a different milieu. 

Perhaps Lao Nie might even be right about him, which, knowing that man's proclivities, would mean that this seemingly innocuous man was actually dangerous in some fashion. 

Interesting indeed.

"What's the rush?" Wen Ruohan asked, and suppressed a grin at Lan Qiren’s audible huff of exasperation. "This is their life we're talking about, after all. We should treat it seriously."

It was said that Lan loved only once in a lifetime, and irrevocably - if that were true, Wen Ruohan really did Lan Qiren over a barrel, as the other man had so forthrightly admitted. Given Lan Qiren’s obvious adoration of his nephews and Lan Xichen's role as sect heir, even sect leader presumptive given his father's seclusion, Wen Ruohan was in a position to make considerable demands.

Studying the man in front of him with curiosity, he wondered idly if he could even go so far as to obtain a person of the previous generation. A teacher renowned throughout the cultivation world had to have considerable talent, and, well, Wen Ruohan had always appreciated talent...

[carrot-felisidad]

If you think about it, Nie Huaisang's plans aren't as meticulous as Jin Guangyao's. His plans could be stopped immediately by unforeseen forces with enough bad luck, like what if Mo Xuanyu was not banished and instead killed? What if the ritual did not work? What if JGY denied his cryings in the Koi tower, disabling the messenger to deliver the letter to Qin Su? What if Qin Su wasn't that repelled from the fact that they're siblings? What if Qin Su did not believe the truth about their son's death? What if Si si refused to drop the bombs? What if the Sect leaders refused to believe the two random and unknown women? WHAT IF WEI WUXIAN DID NOT PLAY "WANGXIAN" IN THE DAFAN MOUNTAIN?

So many plans were released to the wind with a little prayer "I hope this works!", and you know what? They did! Because Nie Huaisang isn't actually an evil calculating meticulous mastermind who has plans from A to Z. That's Jin Guangyao. NHS is an artist, a theatre kid, and a grieving little brother.

He was also sided by the gods. (And the author)

[br-disaster]

growing old together...

[lilapplesheadcannons]

Nie MingJue has a pet chicken. No, it's not a spiritual rooster. It's not his emotional support animal. It's not smart enough or loyal enough to be anything other than dinner. Which it was supposed to be. Except the cook is not as nimble as she was, and the chicken made a mighty escape from her arthritic fingers. Nie Mingjue came out of his study room to shout at whoever was causing the ruckus and was hit by what seemed like a moulting feather duster on his midriff. The kitchen staff were banished promptly to the kitchen by him. But in their hurry to get away, they left him holding the chicken.

Most people think the chicken is significant to him. Even Jin GuangShang made sure to ask Nie MingJue about his new pet and its extraordinary feats. Nie Mingjue will strangle HuaiSang the moment he gets his hands on the little rat because who else would spread the rumours that a chicken can count up to 10 and sing like an oriole? Who has ever heard of a chicken singing? Damn it, damn it, damn it!

But despite the headache caused by a chicken in his living quarter (spilt ink, upturned rice bowls, feather under his pillow), Nie MingJue doesn't order the kitchen to take away the chicken.

"What do you call him?" Lan Xichen brings out few grains of rice from his sleeve.

Nie MingJue runs a tired hand over his face. He wishes people wouldn't attempt to feed a chicken in his living quarter. Or assume he's actually raising that chicken.

"Nothing. I don't call it anything."

"Nonsense. You must give him an appropriate name. How about...."

"Her."

"Pardon?"

"It's a she." Surely Xichen knows the difference between a rooster and a hen? On the other hand, you can never tell with the Lans.

"Oh. How about Xiao Hua?"

"I am not naming it."

"Come on. You can't raise her without giving her a pretty name."

"I am not trying to raise her, I swear. For heaven's sake, it's a chicken!"

Xichen turns to meet his eyes. "Are you angry? I am sorry, it was presumptuous of me to try to name your chicken."

Nie MingJue growls before stomping away. Tonight, he'll order the kitchen to make stewed chicken.

Except the chicken doesn't really end up stewed. Or boiled or fried or anything else. It ends up with a golden ring on its ankle. Jin GuangYao only smiles apologetically when Nie MingJue asks him about it. People start referring to the chicken as Jingwei, much to MingJue's chagrin. He gets confronted by the sight of a bunch of Lan teen disciples intently staring at the chicken pecking at the ground and taking notes. On the next discussion conference, the Yiling Laozu himself plops down beside him and goes into a rant about headstrong pets and their antiques. Nie Mingjue is so exhausted, he nods along even though he's pretty sure he'd catch fire any moment from the glare Wangji is sending his way. Jiang Wanyin drags Wei Wuxian away after a while, and Nie MingJue sighs. But his relief is short-lived as Jin GuangYao carefully carries the chicken to him.

"She was beginning to get restless," he offers as an explanation.

Nie MingJue wants to scream. Instead, he takes the chicken and starts patting its bony spine.

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

[lgbtlunaverse]

I'm a little bit insane about how in novel canon the whole xiyao ending where Jin Guangyao wants to die with Xichen, who accepts, which then makes jgy change his mind and pushes him away at the last second isn't actually explicit. A lot of adaptations chose to make it so but in the novel this is all VERY up for interpretation.

Here's what actually happens in the text: Lan xichen stabs jgy, jgy moves away from lan xichen, xichen follows him, wwx realizes jgy is about to open the coffin and calls "watch out!" to lan xichen. Jgy unseals nmj, pushes xichen away, nmj kills jgy and they are both dragged into the coffin which is sealed again.

Here's what wei wuxian, our narrator, thinks is happening: Jin Guangyao wanted to lead lan xichen to his death out of revenge for stabbing him. Lan Xichen, unaware, simply followed Jin Guangyao to try and stop him from getting away. Wei wuxian's warning came too late, but Jin Guangyao- for an unknown reason- changed his mind at the last second and pushed lan xichen out of danger before lan xichen had any idea of what was going on.

Here's what most fans as well as the teams behind several adpatations think is happening: Jin Guangyao leads Xichen to nmj's coffin to die with him, Xichen accepts, because of this acceptance, proof xichen still cares for him, Jin Guangyao pushes him out of harm's way. Wei Wuxian just doesn't get that gay people who aren't him or Lan Wangji exist.

Here's what ALSO MIGHT BE HAPPENING: Jin guangyao wants to die in a different way than he is currently dying. Maybe he's afraid of what'll happen to his body after his death like he was scared for his mother's, maybe he wants to confront nmj one last time now that there's nothing more for him to lose, maybe - if he can't take her body with him- he'd at least like his final resting place to be where he buried his mother. Lan Xichen thinks he's trying to get away and follows but Jin Guangyao, who despite everything doesn't want him to die, pushes him away. Xichen doesn't know what happened until it's already happened. What he would've wanted if he had known remains up in the air.

Or, alternatively: Jin Guangyao's reasons are as above, but unbeknowst to Wei Wuxian, Xichen DOES know what jgy is about to do and either misinterprets this as an invitation to all die together, or inidividually decides he, too, is done, and wants to join his sworn brothers in the grave. To Jin Guangyao this has nothing to do with Lan Xichen, and he still doesn't want him to die, so he pushes him away against Lan Xichen's wishes.

Every single one of these interpretations is unhinged and they are all supported by the original text. It's like a choose your own adventure of tragic gay endings.

[the-gayest-potato]

Bro the sect leaders in mdzs are so weird like, by the end of the story the four major sect leaders are:

•A depressed man who just lost his boyfriend

•A traumatized grape with anger issues

•A secret genius who played the entire cultivation world

•And a literal child