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drama--universe · 2 years

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Untamed Reactions (Part 2)

Requested by @lelewright1234

Pairing: Untamed characters x female!African-American!reader

Warnings: like maybe one or two curse words

Word Count: 2912 words

A/N here is part two, hope its good

Lan Xichen:

You meet on the battle field

fierce corpses surrounded you as you tried to fend them off

this went on until Wuxian "died"

the second the battle was over, you fell to the ground

every bone in your body was hurting

most people disregarded you as they checked the field for people they knew

you didn't have to look around like others, you already knew

you had lost everyone

your parents, your siblings, your whole clan

but you couldn't cry for some reason

then Xichen approaches you, noticing you sitting all alone

every person alive had left the field, so you weren't hard to spot

he didn't say anything, he just sat next to you

and somehow that broke you

you just burst into tears

he's quick to hug you while trying to calm you down

he just hugs you for at least 30 minutes while patting your back softly

when you finished crying, he helped you off the field and towards the medics

you stayed at Cloud Recesses for awhile after all that

you often wandered around aimlessly, receiving looks of pity from others

but Xichen didn't pity you per se

he talked to you and let you rant to him

that's how your relationship blooms

you talk about your past, your clan and its traditions

he didn't know any of it before, your clan was very closed off usually

so hearing all the information was interesting to him

he helps you relive some of those traditions if he can

which makes you fall in love with him just a bit more

and a month later, you both have feelings for each other by then

neither of you admit it

it takes 3 more years before you confess

on accident

with the lovely help of 5 years old's Jingyi and Sizhui

but it leads to a now romantic relationship

and another 2 years you marry

it's only official, no ceremony

only Guangyao and Lan Wangji were there

just to have witnesses

you don't have children for a long time

too many things happens at once

Wangji suddenly turning up with Mo Xuanyu

then everything else

but then you do get pregnant

and then the temple thing happens

luckily, the baby was fine

your child looks like Xichen the most

she had his face and such, only your hair and a slight tan skin

she's sooo spoiled

Xichen spoils her too much

and if Xichen doesn't spoil her once

Sizhui and Jingyi will

because they're basically your kids as well....

she's their princess

she knows this and she'll use it

you have one more child after that

another girl

she looks like you, completely

she, too, gets spoiled

both kids love when you and Xichen braid their hair

because it means that you spend time together

after all, Xichen is very busy at times

so that time they get with their father is precious times

otherwise they're found with your two unofficial children (Sizhui and Jingyi)

because they get to learn about weapons

they love learning swordfighting

beside that they also learned different stuff

your eldest learned twin swords

your youngest chose the long spear

Xichen watches them like a hawk when they practice

afraid like they'd kill each other while sparring

he's the worry kind of father

you just trust the kids to be safe

they're kids, they'll learn

and if they take enough after their father, they'll be fine

Jin Guangyao:

This man...

swears to not fall in love

and then you walk into the room

you're there to bring a message

nothing more nothing less

yet when you enter the room, you just glow

he gets caught staring by Huaisang

who just nudges him softly

he snaps out of his trance, giving you one last glance before focusing back on his task

you stay there for a week, discussing with the sect leader

he quickly figures out who you are

the future sect leader of your clan

and any hope of speaking to you get thrown out of the window

after all, he's still considered a bastard now

but you are kind to everyone, even him

and he knows that you know what he is

yet you genuinely give him a smile when you pass him and you always smile when you talk to each other

he sees you again a few years later

after he moves to the Lanling Jin Clan

you were invited by his father

he doesn't think you'd remember him

you do

you approach him with a bright smile

asking if he was around when you visited the Nie clan

you are super happy when he replies with a yes

he has no clue why

you're honestly just happy meeting someone you somewhat know

and trust

you don't trust the Jin's

even when he's technically one, he's more a Nie in your eyes

he stayed there for a long time after all

so you hang around him mostly during your stay

he doesn't mind too much

he asks about your culture under the pretense of politics

he will hurt anyone who hurts or disrespects you

without you knowing

but you connect the dots after awhile

he knows that you know

surprised when you don't confront him about it

but somehow that makes him like you more

he even forgets about everything he planned when he's with you

but nothing can stray him from his plans

until he's told to marry Qin Su

because apparently she likes him

he doesn't marry her

especially not after finding out the truth (they're half-siblings)

instead he asks if he can marry you

with your permission first though

he's psycho, not a douche

you agree

your parents don't really agree at first

they do later when they see how much you like him

of course it's a big wedding

apparently Qin Su was there as well

neither of you saw her

he was too focused on you

that moment made him feel normal

he couldn't not care about his plans at that point

you looked too beautiful to him at that point, no matter what other whispered

you looked like a goddess in your wedding dress

your hair done to match the headpiece with beautiful braids

when you have your first child, he wants to give up his plans completely

a son who looks like you

especially the hair and face

a year later, his daughter is born

a beautiful girl with his eyes and face, but a slightly tanner skin like you

and right there, Guangyao gives up his whole life purpose

his family is worth too much to risk

(don't know how the story goes on without his participation)

most protective one parent of the bunch, I think

will still kill if you threaten anyone in his family

and you know this

but he's also so caring

will spend so much time with the kids

even if it means neglecting his duties

don't talk to him about that

he will cuss you out

family is more important to him

will do anything for the kids

his daughter wants to braid his hair

because he's the only one without braids in the family

he has bald spots now

does not care

you just laugh every time someone mentions it

because he glares at them like an angry cat

or when other people laugh at the few braids in his hair

they don't look that good (she's 4, so logical)

because their from his daughter

and it is the most precious thing he has

so they can just fuck off

Xue Yang:

you meet when you're children (after the finger incident)

both of you live on the street

you cling to him instantly

he gave you a piece of bread, who wouldn't love that

he is annoyed, but says nothing about it

he thinks you look weird at first

he isn't used to see someone of different race

but he says nothing, of course

you gain him more food for some reason

that's enough for him

but of course, he starts stealing after awhile

you don't agree with it but say nothing

you need to eat after all

as you grow older, you get a bit closer

both of you change a lot

you are the smarts, he's the action at this point

it's a good dynamic

you usually go around as a couple

because saying your friends wasn't received well

so pretending to be a couple is the way to go

and sharing rooms when you stay somewhere isn't that weird since you've been doing that since young age

but even when you were used to it, it felt a bit weird at age 16

you blame it on hormones

but everything just makes you blush

like when he buys a necklace you were eyeing

not steal, but buy

or when he gives you candy from his stash

you should be normal, he always did it before

but it still feels different now

and he stopped thinking you're weird

over the years he learned a lot about you

maybe a bit too much...

it takes both of you awhile to figure it out that you like each other

about 3 months

then you confess on accident

and he's just accepting it

because he feels the same

why else would he do the things he does

friends don't get candy or necklaces from him

you never really marry

he makes you a ring though

one of wood that he had been carving for awhile now

it's very pretty

you don't have kids

he doesn't want to raise kids when he doesn't even have a house

but he does want them in the future

you move and he looks for a place to earn money

you do the same

you work at a small shop

his job is unknown to you

but it brings money in because he comes back and is able to afford a place

you don't know how he paid for anything, but it's a fun place

out of town, but it's a place of your own

you have a child after two years of living in the house

twins

two girls

look identical to you except for their eyes

they have his eyes

(and his glare)

also his personality

little troublemakers

they love spending time with him

when he leaves for his job, they're sad

he makes it up when he comes back

sits with the kids for hours while he's braiding your hair for you

listens to their stories intently

your kids will reenact the whole story

he enjoys watching them

it makes him feel like he does the right thing

because for his family happiness, he will do anything

Xiao Xingchen:

you are a lone cultivator

you travel here and there

just taking every job you can get

people don't really trust you because you look different

but you get the job eventually

but to your "luck", they send others as well

so you're not alone

2 men stand in front of the house you're supposed to be at

one in white, the other in black

the one in white notices you first

you can't help but feel annoyed though

because he was send by the same person you were sent by

they offer to work together with you so you don't return with nothing

you agree

during the fighting, you get injured

some ghouls attacked you while you were distracted

Xingchen is the one who notices first once again

he pulls you from the ghouls and places you in a safe place

you're even more annoyed

because you barely get hurt

yet the one time you work with others, your arm almost gets ripped off

Xingchen is the one to make sure that you're okay after everything

also the one who heals your arm to the best of his abilities

he introduces himself quickly while he wraps your arm with a cloth

you only later realize that said cloth was a piece of his robe

you stay in town for the next to weeks to heal from the wound and the poison

they stay in town as well

Xingchen visits you once or twice every day

you just talk to each other

eventually, he asks if you want to join him

you decline the offer

but your next job comes around

and he's there again

this time without Song Lan though

Song Lan was apparently sick

you didn't ask more

the job ends quickly

you're not injured

he is...

he insists he's fine

he does seem fine later when he yells at the person who hired both of you

and all because of you, in a way

because you were suddenly not paid

because you weren't hurt, how could you have done your job?

you never had someone standing up for you before

your heart beats a bit faster now, everytime you think or see him

you decide to hang around him after the third or fourth coincidental meeting

he doesn't mind the company, he even likes it

it's a bit lonely with Song Lan being sick

and he likes being around you

you have good humor

unlike Son Lang

but of course, he also has a crush on you

which causes you both to be a bit awkward around each other

you work around it eventually

aka you get drunk after a job

and he has to take care of you

you don't remember anything the next day

you don't know how much you drank

nor did you know how you ended up next to Xingchen in the bed

but it does end up in confessions and dating after

you had luck on your side that day

when you finally marry him years later, you are so exited

you don't do an official wedding

and really, your only guest is Song Lan

perks of being a lone group of cultivators

although you loved roaming around, both of you agree to settle down somewhere nonetheless

just so you had a place to return to every time

which became even better when you were suddenly told you were pregnant

specifically a doctor who found you passed out in your hotel room

and apparently you had two kids in your stomach that were causing all the nausea and dizziness

and the rest of the job you're stressed out

because how can you tell your husband???

you tell Song Lan when you return home

because Xingchen isn't back yet

Song Lan straight up tells Xingchen, congratulating the man

Xingchen is a a bit confused, but he has the spirit

when your twins are born, you have one girl and one boy

the girl looks a bit more like him, her skin a bit paler than her brother's

both have full heads of your hair

you've never seen a man so in love

you're kinda envious

but seeing him smiling at his daughter in his arms while you held your boy, made you feel some kind of way

it's the sweetest thing ever

and it makes you fall in love with him once again

he returns that feeling when he sees you with your son

they grow up quickly, something Xingchen doesn't like

it goes too fast for his liking

his son doesn't accept affection anymore and his daughter suddenly likes you more

but she lets him braid her hair

while talking loudly about something she did that day

his kids have him wrapped around their fingers

and your daughter uses this

even when knowing this, Xingchen still complies with her every request

he's a protective father

he knows what's out there and does not want them to see any of it

but deep down he knows he can't stop it

but he'll prevent it for as long as he can

Song Lan:

(this one was the most difficult, sorry if it isn't that good)

you met quite cliché like

he saved your life

of course, you're forever grateful

so you ask for any way to return the favor

he doesn't say anything

which is a bit annoying

so you just make him a lucky charm

it doesn't too good, but it's something

and you're honestly really proud of it

but when you go back to give it to him, he's gone

so you keep it, secretly hoping you'd see him again someday

you do a few days later

and you just shove it in his hands and run off

you're busy

but he definitely remembers you from before

which is the only reason he keeps the charm

meeting the third time, you were walking around the market

he noticed you from afar

he noticed your hair was tied up into a large braid and your clothes were a bit neater than before

he couldn't move his eyes away from you

which ended up in him tripping and almost face planting

this didn't go unnoticed by his friend

Xingchen was quick to see what he had been staring at and could only smile

it was rare for Song Lan to take interest in others

hence why Xingchen decided that you two should talk

he pulled Song Lan along until the two of them stood in front of you

you, of course, recognize them and smile brightly as you ask how they are

Song Lan doesn't talk at first

until Xingchen suddenly walks off

leaving him stranded with you

and he was horrible with directions

so he has to ask you again

you don't mind showing him the way

so you talk on the way back, not telling him that you took a slight detour

you wanted more time with him, no other reason

you two have similar interests

which is why he asks to be friends

you agree

you don't see him for a few weeks

but when he returns, he comes to find you

this routine continues for awhile

you'd see him once every month or so and he'd spent that time with you

somewhere along the way, feelings grow from both sides

and you get together

neither of you really talked about it

it just felt natural, so it happened

this goes on for 3 years

then you somewhat ask for marriage yourself

he wants too and he's thought about it since year one

but he's afraid with his job and all

so he never went there

until you ask

and he feels a bit bad after that

so he proposes

with a ring he had already bought before

he found it pretty and wanted to keep it just in case

guess it came in handy now

small wedding

only your family and Xingchen

your family honestly doesn't like him much

but they're glad that you're happy

and he'll do anything to make them like him

your first and only child is a boy

he looks like Song Lan the most, only a darker tinted skin like you

Song Lan adores his kid so much

although your son somewhat looks emotionless to others, you can see all the emotions in his eyes

he's much like his father in that way

luckily, he got his social cues from you

and he probably has more friends than his father

then again, that's not that difficult

after all, he had two and married one of them

so you are a bit glad that your son's personality is more like you

but your son loves you both a lot

he looks up to Song Lan a lot

because he has a sword, so he's cool

yeah, the standards are pretty low

you weren't cool, cause you had a musical weapon

he quickly learns that this isn't true

Song Lan still teases you when his son chooses him over you for cuddles or such

he also likes the attention it gets him

he shows affection to your son, but in his own way

aka actions over words

he's a dad who brings back stuff from travels to show love

very loving dad

114 notes · View notes

animanganerd · 1 year

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Everything Annoys Me And I’m (Too) Hot - Chapter 7

The Untamed / Mo Dao Zu Shi Fanfic

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47881336/chapters/122868166

Special Thanks to @a-force-dyad-in-space for beta reading ✨

All chapters: here x

Chapter 7 ❖ At Gusu Lan

The next morning, Lan Sizhui accompanied Lan Xiaoli to class. However, when Lan Xiaoli was about to step into the room, his brother didn’t move. Instead, Lan Sizhui smiled, wished him lots of fun and took his leave.

Lan Xiaoli watched his brother’s retreating figure in dismay. “You… you are not staying?”

Lan Sizhui halted in his steps and turned back, a little stumped. Being a good ten years older than Lan Xiaoli, he was long past the age of participating in class.

“...I am sorry, but I have other duties to attend to,” he replied.

A little disappointed, Lan Xiaoli quickly moved to his seat in the classroom. He kept his head bowed low, only moving his eyes as he nervously assessed the situation.

Most of his classmates were around his age, yet, their conduct reminded him a lot of his father. Every action and movement of the students seemed confident and deliberate. They neither played around nor spoke up, strictly adhering to the family rules.

Their demeanour was almost intimidating. Just seeing them walk into the room was enough for Lan Xiaoli to feel incredibly out of place. The worst part was that the rumour of all Lan members being handsome was true! The way Lan Xiaoli sat, all hunched up with suspicious eyes, he thought he must’ve looked like an awkward mountain troll compared to them.

Since Lan Xiaoli didn’t know what kind of lesson awaited him, his whole body was tense. The sheer thought of getting called out during class and embarrassing himself in front of everyone made his stomach turn. To avoid any attention, he didn’t dare move, his gaze firmly fixed on the ground.

As soon as Lan Qiren started class, however, Lan Xiaoli quickly realised there was no need to worry.

Even though the teaching methods of Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji were pretty similar, as they both went rigorously by the book, Lan Xiaoli did notice a difference in their structure and strictness.

With Lan Wangji, it was more of a dialogue – hard to believe with someone who barely spoke, but it didn’t need many words. While teaching the contents of the textbooks, Lan Wangji would occasionally pepper in some questions every now and then to test Lan Xiaoli’s knowledge. If Lan Xiaoli failed to give the correct answer, or if something was still unclear, Lan Wangji would patiently explain it until Lan Xiaoli comprehended even the most complicated parts.

In Lan Qiren’s lectures, on the other hand, it was only him talking to the class, reciting the family precepts and teachings, with no interruptions allowed. It was unspeakably dry, but since Lan Xiaoli wouldn’t have to answer any spontaneous questions, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief and his body relaxed.

While Lan Xiaoli was glad he wouldn’t make a fool of himself in front of everyone else, listening to Lan Qiren’s monotone voice for hours on end tired him out so much he could hardly keep his eyes open. Adjusting to the all-day classes would take some time for him, especially since he was used to classes to his morning-only lessons.

Lan Qiren tested the knowledge of the students with essays on the topics they had studied during class. Lan Xiaoli was used to writing essays for his father, but this was the first time he had to compare himself with others.

Thanks to Lan Wangji’s lessons, Lan Xiaoli wasn’t too far behind in his studies, but they hadn’t gone as deep into the matter as the disciples that were taught by Lan Qiren, which was reflected in Lan Xiaoli’s grades.

Not only did he scrape bottom when it came to theory, his practical skills also left much to be desired. Without spiritual powers, Lan Xiaoli couldn’t participate in the regular sword practice sessions. Instead, he had separate training with Lan Sizhui, who practised the clan’s sword techniques with him.

They were practising not too far away from the other disciples. Lan Xiaoli caught glimpses of them through the bushes that separated them. After observing them for a while, Lan Xiaoli clutched his sword in frustration. He couldn’t help but feel disheartened by the fact that the boys his age were far ahead of him in skill, even though they seemed to invest fewer hours in training.

With a heavy heart, he wondered, with nothing to show for in looks and skill, was he even worthy of being called a Lan?

Disappointed in himself, the hand around his sword slackened as he sighed deeply. In the end, he preferred the dry lectures as they proved to be the lesser disgrace. For one, the students didn’t have to perform their skills in front of each other, and for another, their difference in theoretical knowledge wasn’t that blatant. Although it wasn’t evident from his grades, theory was Lan Xiaoli’s strong suit after all.

Of course, attending Lan Qiren’s classes wasn’t the only reason why Lan Xiaoli’s dads had abandoned him at the Cloud Recesses. The main and much more important reason was to punish him for his recent misconduct.

Lan Qiren’s enforced punishment for disobedience towards his parents consisted of two parts. The first part was to transcribe the Collection of Righteousness – the book of the Lan clan’s teachings, which included the family precepts. The second part was to catch up on the material of their main classes: cultivators’ etiquette, cultivation theory and clan history.

To make sure Lan Xiaoli properly served his sentence, his big brother Lan Sizhui had been instructed to supervise him.

The two of them met up every day after Lan Xiaoli’s class in the Library Pavilion, where they sat at a table with straight backs, both focused on their tasks. While Lan Xiaoli copied all that was required, Lan Sizhui read different kinds of books, mostly on cultivation. Just like his little brother, he was always eager to improve.

Already used to it, copying the rules was a piece of cake for Lan Xiaoli. As he wrote them down from muscle memory, he used the opportunity to bombard Lan Sizhui with questions about his dads, which the other gladly answered.

“You have known father and dad longer than me, how did they raise you?”

“Separately. They were not a couple back then,” Lan Sizhui replied, the usual warm smile on his lips.

Lan Xiaoli’s eyes lit up with curiosity, excited to hear more. “How was it?”

Lan Sizhui thought about it for a moment, before he slowly answered, “Senior Wei buried me with turnips and Hanguang-jun buried me in bunnies.”

Lan Xiaoli’s jaw dropped. “Buried with... turnips and bunnies?”

“Yes. Senior Wei told me that with watering and sunbathing, I would grow faster. And Hanguang-jun was already used to raising bunnies, so he raised me alongside them. He gave me the same food he gave them, too,” Lan Sizhui couldn’t help but smile to himself on his short trip down memory lane. “They were a bit clumsy, but they treated me very well.”

Lan Xiaoli pouted. “Your experiences sound like fun. I only get buried in assignments…”

Lan Sizhui chuckled softly. “Everybody starts small. They have more experience now and they are doing a very good job in raising you. You turned out great.”

Lan Xiaoli’s face pulled into a grimace. “Haha, I am not so sure about that, otherwise I would not be here. You certainly turned out better than me.”

With a light shake of his head, Lan Sizhui said, “We have been raised under different circumstances that cannot be compared. You are developing a unique personality which is amiable in itself. Do not worry too much.”

These kind words spoken by his brother sparked a comforting warmth inside Lan Xiaoli. It suddenly didn’t feel so bad to be here anymore. Unable to express this feeling, he averted his eyes and meekly rubbed his nose with a shy smile.

Driven by curiosity, Lan Xiaoli quickly regained his composure and continued to drill his brother with questions. However, Lan Sizhui wanted to avoid digressing too much; this was supposed to be punishment after all. Yet he didn’t have the heart to outright refuse Lan Xiaoli, so he proposed a compromise instead: As a reward for properly serving his punishment, he promised Lan Xiaoli to share an anecdote from his childhood every day.

So did he in the following days tell Lan Xiaoli about the different things each of their dads had taught him while growing up, and Lan Xiaoli absorbed all the stories like a sponge, eyes and ears wide open, always keen to hear more.

Apart from the stories Lan Sizhui told him, Lan Xiaoli also overheard some gossip about his dads through rumours that were floating around.

His classmates never spoke to him directly, but Lan Xiaoli had heard them when they’d whispered about him and his dads – mostly Wei Wuxian – behind his back. Especially Wei Wuxian’s “wicked methods” were a recurring theme in their hushed conversations. Lan Xiaoli couldn’t tell what it meant, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask them either.

Already taking the customary restraint into consideration, he couldn’t help but feel that there was avoidance mingled into the reserved behaviour of his fellow disciples. Even after weeks, whenever the other boys passed him, they would politely greet him, then hurry on to wherever they were headed. No one was ever curious enough about the new boy to approach him – on the contrary, the others seemed rather… scared?

This really baffled Lan Xiaoli. Now that he had dyed his hair, he couldn’t think of why anyone would be afraid of him. He tried to ignore it as best he could; he wasn’t here to make friends. Or rather, he didn’t have the time, as he was too preoccupied with his punishment anyway.

Or at least that’s what he kept telling himself.

After mulling over the odd behaviour and the strange gossip of the other disciples for a few nights, he couldn’t help but ask Lan Sizhui during one of the punishment sessions after all.

Without looking up from his paper, Lan Xiaoli broke their usual silence, “The others seem to avoid me.”

Lan Sizhui looked up from his book, caught off-guard by the sudden conjecture. He blinked a couple of times, then put down his book to focus all his attention on the boy in front of him. “How so?”

Lan Xiaoli put down his writing brush to face his brother as well. “They look scared and run away whenever they come across me.”

“Have you tried talking to them?”

Lan Xiaoli pursed his lips, before he slowly shook his head. “No…”

Lan Sizhui gave him a gentle smile. “I do not think they are scared. They might just... see it as an extension of the rule that prohibits the interaction with Senior Wei.”

Lan Xiaoli lowered his eyes. He already knew that Lan Qiren wasn’t too fond of his dad. According to the hearsay, losing Lan Wangji to Wei Wuxian had carved a great hole into Lan Qiren’s heart. As a consequence, he had established the rule that anyone who dared talk to Wei Wuxian had to copy the rules from top to bottom. “...I’ve heard Sir does not approve of dad, does he really hate him this much?”

After a long pause, Lan Sizhui sighed with a heavy heart. “Senior Wei suffers the tragic fate of being disliked by many.”

Lan Xiaoli frowned. “Is it connected to his... methods?” He only glanced at his brother to conceal his curiosity and lack of knowledge – without success.

Lan Sizhui looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. “Have they not told you?”

Lan Xiaoli shook his head. “No.”

“Have you asked them?”

Lan Xiaoli pondered for a moment and indeed recalled that he did ask when he was little.

On the travels with his dads, his white hair wasn’t the only centre of attention. Sometimes, people on the streets would recognise Hanguang-jun, and when their gaze fell upon his partner, Wei Wuxian, their faces would lose all colour and turn into terrified expressions.

Lan Xiaoli had tugged on Wei Wuxian’s hand. “Daddy, why are the people so scared?”

Wei Wuxian had only smiled at him and had raised him into his arms. “They’re intimidated by how incredibly handsome I am,” he’d explained with a laugh.

Even though it was utter bullshit, Lan Xiaoli believed it to be true. When the people weren’t scared, they’d swoon, men and women alike. Over both of his dads! People never reacted that way when they saw him.

Always receiving such nonsensical answers, Lan Xiaoli stopped bothering to ask at some point. He’d still been too young to notice the subtle pain that would resonate within his dad’s smile.

“Yes, but I do not know any details,” Lan Xiaoli finally answered.

Lan Sizhui smiled at him again. “I am sure they have their reasons as to why they did not tell you. It is up to them whether they want you to know this. Maybe you should try to ask them again,” he suggested. “This is as much as I can tell you. Talking behind other people’s backs is prohibited.”

Lan Xiaoli nodded obediently and continued to write down the rules, while the question of what exactly his classmates meant by “wicked methods” kept running circles in his mind. With no one else to turn to, he had no choice but to wait until he could ask his dads.

After his pool of questions was exhausted and his curiosity regarding his dads was quenched, Lan Xiaoli’s attention shifted towards his uncle Lan Xichen.

Many weeks had passed since his stay at the Cloud Recesses, yet he’d never had the chance to meet or spend time with Lan Xichen. Ever since the day he’d been dropped off by his dads, Lan Xiaoli had only ever seen his uncle from afar.

Lan Xichen’s rare appearance combined with his rather distant and melancholic demeanour had fuelled Lan Xiaoli’s immense curiosity.

As always, he made use of his punishment sessions to ask the important questions.

“Where is Uncle Xichen?”

“He is practising secluded meditation,” Lan Sizhui replied, his tone one of endless patience.

Lan Xiaoli raised his eyebrows. “Why?”

Lan Sizhui smiled at him. “I do not have all the information. I am not qualified to tell you anything.”

“Hmm…,” Lan Xiaoli rubbed his chin with his hand, then giggled. “He looks a lot like father. Whenever I see him smile, it feels a little uncanny.” He sighed before he continued, “Does he have a partner?”

Taken aback by this seemingly random question, Lan Sizhui couldn’t help but cough a little. “Sorry?”

“A spouse? Or cultivation partner?”

“Uh… no,” Lan Sizhui replied, his expression bemused.

Lan Xiaoli slowly nodded, a smirk forming on his face. His eyes were narrowed as if he was scheming something in his head. “Good.”

Lan Sizhui had a bad feeling about this. “Why do you want to know?” he carefully probed.

Lan Xiaoli straightened his back in confidence. “I want to sleep with him.”

This statement caused Lan Sizhui to choke on his own spit. “You can’t!!”

Lan Xiaoli blinked innocently at his brother, genuinely not seeing the problem. “Why not?”

“Because you are family!” Lan Sizhui exclaimed, greatly distressed. This was a matter of serious concern – something about Lan Xichen being out of reach must’ve had an alluring effect on the boy. Still, this was wildly inappropriate in many ways; not only were they family, the age gap was way too big!

Lan Xiaoli stared at Lan Sizhui with a blank expression until the misunderstanding finally dawned on him. While he did want to share a bed with Lan Xichen, he was in no way attracted to his uncle. All he wanted was a good snuggle, like the ones he used to get from his dads.

However, his friends from the sex education squad had shown and explained many lewd things to him, which eternally defiled Lan Xiaoli’s mind. In order to tease his big brother, he didn’t bother to rectify it, and instead said with a smug grin, “Well, it is not like we are related by blood…”

This only deepened Lan Sizhui’s concern. Little did he know that this was just meant as a very bad joke.

In the days that followed, Lan Sizhui kept a particularly close eye on Lan Xiaoli to make sure he wouldn’t approach Lan Xichen for fear his little brother might ask insensitive questions.

At some point, Lan Xiaoli could no longer stand Lan Sizhui’s incessant “not allowed this” and “not appropriate that.” Tired of his brother’s gatekeeping, Lan Xiaoli decided to approach his uncle in secret. Once he’d made up his mind, he didn’t hesitate any further and snuck into Lan Xichen’s room that very night.

It was shortly after hai time when Lan Xiaoli put his plan into action. Though he was tired, his heart was pounding with excitement. He stuck his head out of his room to check if anyone else was still around.

Even though it was past bedtime for the people of Gusu Lan, there were always one or two guards patrolling the premises at night as a safety precaution, and to ensure the curfew was observed.

Certain the coast was clear, Lan Xiaoli walked over to his uncle’s room at a fast pace, making sure his steps were muffled so he wouldn’t get caught.

The paper windows of the rooms at the Cloud Recesses weren’t see-through, obscuring whatever was happening inside. But once Lan Xiaoli reached the Wintry Room, he could discern his uncle’s silhouette thanks to the light that was still burning in one half of the room. For some reason, Lan Xichen hadn’t gone to sleep yet, and instead knelt unmoving on the ground – probably meditating.

Lan Xiaoli crept to the other part of the Wintry Room that wasn’t illuminated. There was a small side-window which he slowly pushed open to avoid making a sound. His heart was pumping frantically, as if trying to jump out of his chest. As if it’d rather escape than be caught red-handed.

He took a deep breath before he carefully took a peek through the window. Apart from the weak light of a few candles, the room was shrouded in darkness. The unlit side happened to be where Lan Xichen’s bed stood, separated from the rest of the room by a simple, white screenfold.

Perfect, Lan Xiaoli thought. This way, his uncle wouldn’t be able to see him when he climbed in.

After Lan Xiaoli had firmly placed his hands on the window board, it only required a light jump to heave himself through the opening. It was smaller than the front windows, but still big enough to fit his body.

Though he made sure to be extremely careful while letting himself into the room, his foot brushed a Bonsai tree that stood on a small table below the window. When it toppled over, Lan Xiaoli inhaled a sharp breath. He barely caught the small tree before it could hit the ground.

Catching the plant with both his hands stretched out, he had instinctively extended a leg as well to balance himself out. Now standing on one leg only, he swayed a little. Beads of sweat formed on his brow as he tried not to fall over.

The operation had gone smoothly so far, but of course something had to go wrong!

Afraid to make a sound, Lan Xiaoli held his breath and didn’t dare to move. His heart had skipped so many beats, it almost felt like it had forgotten how to beat.

The only thing he couldn’t control was the sweat which now dripped down his chin.

Lan Xiaoli quickly lifted his eyes to see if Lan Xichen had noticed him, but the silhouette behind the screen remained still. Only then was the teen able to let out a shaky breath of relief.

Lan Xiaoli noiselessly placed the Bonsai back on the table and swiftly yet silently snuck into Lan Xichen’s bed, hiding beneath the covers.

As soon as his head touched the pillow, he instantly fell into a deep slumber. The separation from his dads, each day packed with lectures, and the stealth mission just now had exhausted him much more than expected.

Of course Lan Xichen had long noticed Lan Xiaoli’s presence, right the moment he'd set foot outside the room, but Lan Xichen pretended to be unaware. He knew this had to be a hard time for the boy and, good-hearted as he was, let him stay.

In fact, he couldn’t help but smile at how clumsy Lan Xiaoli was.

Lan Sizhui on the other hand couldn’t stop worrying about Lan Xiaoli’s offhand remarks. After twisting and turning in his bed for about an hour, he eventually decided to check on his little brother.

There was no response to his knocks on the boy’s door, so he reluctantly allowed himself in, hoping his brother was already asleep. Much to his despair, his worst fear came true. Lan Xiaoli was nowhere to be found. Terrified out of his wits, Lan Sizhui’s heart plummeted.

Lan Xichen was just about to go to sleep himself when there was a frantic yet gentle knock on his door. He opened it, and, with the screenfold removed, allowed Lan Sizhui a clear view of Lan Xiaoli laying in his bed.

Lan Sizhui’s heart almost stopped, cold sweat drenching his back. As the boy’s mentor, he might get punished for Lan Xiaoli’s misconduct as well. Barely able to contain the panic on his face, he looked up at the older man.

“Zewu-jun, I am so sorry. Did he bother you?”

Lan Xichen shook his head with a soft smile. “Not at all.”

“Did he try anything… funny?” Lan Sizhui probed, not sure how to best express his concerns.

Lan Xichen raised his eyebrows. “I am sorry, I do not think I comprehend.”

“I mean… did he… he seemed…,” Lan Sizhui struggled to organise his words into a full sentence, but his incoherent stammering soon subsided as a realisation slowly came to his mind. His eyes were now focused on Lan Xiaoli, who was sound asleep.

When Lan Xiaoli said he wanted to sleep with his uncle, Lan Sizhui had greatly misunderstood him. All his little brother wanted was an innocent cuddle with no hidden intentions in the first place. Lan Xiaoli’s desire to be close to his uncle most likely stemmed from the astounding resemblance the latter had to his father. All things considered, it made sense for the boy to instinctively want to sneak into his uncle’s bed.

Now that he had figured it out, Lan Sizhui breathed a soundless sigh of relief, internally wiping the sweat off his forehead. At the same time, he blushed a little out of embarrassment. Maybe the time he’d spent with Wei Wuxian had somewhat tainted his imagination after all.

“I've noticed him watching me for quite some time,” Lan Xichen chuckled in a low voice after following Lan Sizhui’s gaze. “It seems he really misses his parents. Who are we to hold it against him?”

Freed from his worries, Lan Sizhui agreed with a bright smile.

The remaining days at the Cloud Recesses went by without any further incidents. Lan Xiaoli diligently attended class in the mornings and served his punishment in the evenings.

After the misunderstanding had been cleared up, Lan Sizhui was more at ease as well. However, that didn’t stop him from patiently explaining to Lan Xiaoli why it was still inappropriate to sneak into Lan Xichen’s bed and how it disturbed his secluded meditation.

Lan Xiaoli was amazed at how calm his big brother remained, not slipping into a scolding tone once, so he complied and swore to never do it again.

Much to Lan Sizhui’s relief, his little brother kept his promise until the end.

When Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji came to check on their son a few months later, Lan Xiaoli flitted into Wei Wuxian’s arms and squeezed him tight.

“I was wrong! I did not mean to be an asshole! Please forgive me!” he said, shedding crocodile tears.

Wei Wuxian threw Lan Wangji a deeply astounded look. Lan Qiren had once again lived up to his reputation of reforming unruly children.

“Alright, alright.” Wei Wuxian patted Lan Xiaoli’s head and tried to gently push him away, but the boy didn’t move. When Wei Wuxian tried to pry his arms open, they wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard he pulled. With barely any air left in his lungs, he arduously said, “Come now, give your father a hug too.”

Without looking up, Lan Xiaoli let go of him and wordlessly wrapped his arms around Lan Wangji.

Leaving Lan Wangji to his own devices, Wei Wuxian walked over to Lan Sizhui to hear his report on Lan Xiaoli’s progress. Fortunately for Lan Xiaoli, it was positive enough for his dads to allow him to rejoin their journey.

#mo dao zu shi #mdzs #mdzs fanfic #mdzs fanfiction #the untamed #fanfiction #everything annoys me and i'm too hot #eamaith #wwx/lwj #wei wuxian/lan wangji #adoption #found family #original characters

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threejadesoflan · 22 days

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“ i figured you’d be here. “ jiang-furen smiled as she settled on the bench built into the pavilion wall, looking out at the view of a field of lotus blossoms and pods on the water. the sounds of lotus pier were fainter here, leaving mainly the sounds of the lake. she shifted her gaze to lan xichen beside her, not so subtly studying his features to gauge his current state of mind.

for the past day, zewu-jun has been staying in lotus pier to recover after his seclusion. maybe the time from gusu in the relative peace of yunmeng would do him good. she hoped so, at least. lan xichen had been her mentor, her guardian, her dear friend - he stood in for her parents at her wedding ceremony alongside chifeng-zun, as there was no one else who could. he was the first to arrive for her daughters’ one month celebration, and only smiled as they grew up calling him “er-shushu”. he broke the rules of the cloud recesses so she could have the opportunity to study, allowing her to befriend the man who would become her husband years later.

because of lan xichen, she has always known support. she was at ease in his company, and always welcomed him to lotus pier with open arms. after his recent visit, where he fell apart in her arms, almost swallowed by the guilt of what happened to chifeng-zun and whatever horrible truth impacted sizhui (a matter still unknown to her, and she worried), she stubbornly refused to let him leave until he had composed himself and taken more time to recover.

she only hoped it would help.

“ good choice, zewu-jun, this is also one of my favorite places in lotus pier. “ zhao xiang filled the serene air with her talking, a gentler more mature tone that had manifested over the past decade but contained no less of her spirit. “ since i got married, i come here every day to meditate or just clear my head - especially when a-yu and a-zhu were younger. it’s one of the few places you’re unlikely to be disturbed in, you know. only jiang cheng or our little lotuses tend to come by unless there’s an emergency. “

she hummed thoughtfully for a moment, keeping her easy smile, “ would you like to join me in meditation? sometimes around now you can just hear a-zhu practicing her singing. “

Do not grieve in excess.

The rule has echoed in his mind for months, the seal script from the Wall of Discipline and the characters from Conduct burnt into his retinas when he shuts his eyes. He's always known it would be one he would struggle with- no matter how Mingjue had helped him prepare for the inevitability, his love for his da-ge had been, and still is, such that he cannot forget. He misses him every day.

But just as he had thought he could give Mingjue's death a place in his heart, the horrible truth came out: not only had Mingjue been cruelly murdered, his qi poisoned and the corrosive influence of Baxia hastened to its fatal conclusion, but his murderer had been Jin Guangyao. Meng Yao. A-Yao. And it had been Xichen who had taught Jin Guangyao the musical score he had used to do it. He handed him the murder weapon.

He may as well have murdered Mingjue himself.

And then, spurred by Nie Huaisang's hysterical mistake, he killed A-Yao.

Was it a mistake? Was Nie Huaisang hysterical? Had he really thought he saw what he said he did?

Months of seclusion have not given him the answer, nor brought him to terms with his role in both deaths.

He had... given up. He supposes that is the word for it. He had all but stopped eating, relying on his Golden Core to sustain his body. When he turned to spend most of his days in bed (It's not rising after 5AM if he never rises) instead of cultivating, it too had started to struggle. Now, he weighs two thirds of what he once did. His thoughts are sluggish and his movement feels the same. Flying from Gusu to Yunmeng on Shuoyue had been more of a trial than it should have been, more than he can stand to let his former ward understand.

It is forbidden to snuff out the candle of a life within the boundaries of the Cloud Recesses. But a fire that is not fed will burn itself out eventually. Perhaps that is what Lan Xichen had hoped would happen to his own, without needing him to break yet another rule.

And then Wangji had appeared at the Hanshi. That wasn't unusual in and of itself, as his didi visited him weekly- as Xichen had once done for him, he recalls. But Wangji had had a letter with him. A letter of well-wishes from Jiang-Furen, the mistress of Lotus Pier.

From Zhao Xiang.

His ward. Mingjue's ward and disciple.

He had dragged himself out of bed, into a bath, into his robes, and onto Shuoyue. Even now, sitting in the balmy shade of Lotus Pier in his six layers of silk, his hair almost painfully tightly pulled through his guan, he does not know what moved him to do so. He has no place here. After the evils he has committed and permitted, his guan should be dashed on the stone floors of Cloud Recesses and he, exiled or executed. Not comfortably and hospitably put up by the woman he had helped raise.

He had given Wangji thirty-three lashes with the discipline whip for loving Wei Wuxian and staying true to himself and that love when faced with the rigidness of the cultivation world. How many lashes would be appropriate for his own crimes?

Zhao Xiang had noticed. Of course she had. She'd seen how much weight he had lost, how his eyes had lost their shine and even his smile, well-practiced even on the rare occassion it didn't used to come to him naturally, was strained. She'd forbidden him from returning to his seclusion until his condition improved, worried about what would happen to him if she did not interfere.

Not knowing, and never to know, that perhaps the end she feared was the one Lan Xichen may have craved.

Still, he listens to her as she talks about Lotus Pier, the home she loves so much. Sometimes she talks about her husband, painting an image of Sandu Shengshou that only she ever gets to see. Often, she talks about their daughters. The twin lotuses, perhaps a little uninspired but not inaccurate. The children she loves more than anything. When she does, even Xichen cannot help but smile the slightest bit. He's glad that through Jiang Lizhu and Jiang Liangyu, Zhao Xiang has grasped the same love and pride that he and Mingjue have always felt towards her despite their lack of blood bond.

When she invites him to meditate with her -a thinly veiled attempt to motivate him to strengthen his Golden Core once more- he only nods, eyes peacefully shut. She is no burden to have around him, in his space. In his entire life, she is the only person he has not failed horribly- or at least, not as horribly as he has everyone else.

If it's just Zhao Xiang, he may be able to still his thoughts.

Do not grieve in excess.

But how much grief is appropriate and how much grief is excess for one such as him?

#[Oh holy fuck this became a novel]#[And he doesn't even interact with zx I AM SO SORRY FOR WASTING YOUR TIME]#[Real sadchen hours apparently]#tw suicidal ideation #tw depression #First Jade of Lan | Lan Xichen #In Character #[Ya'll when I say postcanon Xichen is NOT okay....]

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cuckoo-among-beasts · 4 months

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He knew that his baba Nie would want to be pampered and loved on so Nie Sizhui had been preparing under the guise of taking the disciples out for a night hunt. If anything that required Sect Leader's attention they were to come to him on the road.

Period. Do not bother Huaisang he had made his request clear. Anyone who pestered Huaisang would be dismissed and not given an audience at all until next season. When Sizhui said no, he meant it. As Sect Leader Yao was often discovering much to his chagrin.

The training exercise had been more to craft the area that he and many of the more able bodied of the sect had put together. It was a hatchery for his precious birds. The entrances were secure from predators that would steal eggs, there were spaces where birds could fly into the building and out. There was a small warm pond, there were numerous small contained areas for birds to craft nests, and there were the warming stones, and small areas to help with hatching.

This was the biggest gift for Nie Huaisang.

The Sect itself was gearing up for the celebration , ribbons in various shades of green. All of Huaisang's favorite foods had been prepared. There was wine and music and Sizhui had invited the artistic community to share his baba's special day. Beautiful people, wonderful food, and wine. Sizhui's gifts were already wrapped and prepared for his baba. Various things that would be luxurious but the main gift was the hatchery.

Later he would give his baba a chance to slip off from the party to have time to himself. All the people would be tiring he was sure. Another reason for the Hatchery gift.

"Happy Birthday, Baba." he called as he slipped into the room with a tray of covered food. Breakfast delights and a wide box under his other arm. It contained the first of his gifts. The set of robes within the box were in Nie colors the green rich, he had commissioned Mulan's baby sister to craft the intricate beauty of these robes, the feathers spanned both sleeves, and the hem of the robe. The under robes were delicate and crafted of light protective material, that would not stain. "The first of quiet a few." he said fondly. "I personally fixed you this breakfast."

@battleguqin || ezra answering birthday asks late

Of course he knew Sizhui was up to something and that it had to do with his birthday, but he didn't want to know, so he pretended to not notice a thing. If there's something he loves, it's to be spoiled and cared for, even when that person is his adoptive son. Many frown upon this, but Huaisang doesn't care, not does Sizhui, at least that's what he says and he has never made any indications that those words would be untrue. He knows about the banquet, of course he does, but not about any details, since Sizhui handled the planning of that one as well. He even told Huaisang not to get involved and he had happily agreed. Thanks to this, he has been more Nie Huaisang than Nie-zongzhu, which is great. It almost feels like back in the days, except da-ge is not around to yell at him. If he had known back then that one day he'd miss the yelling, he would've savoured it, but he hadn't. Quickly, Huaisang shoves those thoughts away, not wanting to dwell on the past when his birthday is just around the corner.

On the day of his birthday, Huaisang gets to sleep in and he's awoken by his beloved adoptive son. A young man he has come to love just as dearly as his da-ge. He worries sometimes that he has put too much pressure on the boy, that he hasn't been a good enough father-figure, but each time he has even hinted about such thoughts, Nie Sizhui has quickly shot down, giving him a look that almost reminds of Mingjue. If Sizhui thinks he'd been enough, Huaisang trusts that. For a moment, all he does is smile and looking at his boy who is now a grown man, his chest almost bursting with love for his adoptive son.

"Thank you, A-Yuan, this looks delicious," he replies and since it's made by Sizhui himself, it will also taste delicious, the boy can cook, that's for sure. Before he starts to eat, he takes the box, making sure to place it at a safe distance from the food. "Is it not me who should spoil you?" he questions, a slightly mischievous smile on his lips, both of them fully aware that he loves being spoiled and that he also spoils Sizhui as often as he can, which means as often as Sizhui allows it.

Opening the box, Huaisang gasps. For a moment, he is speechless, taking in the absolutely amazing creation. The craftsmanship of the robes are excellent, the details meticulous. It's the most beautiful creation he has ever seen. "This is.... thank you..." he eventually says, voice barely more than a whisper. Once he has collected himself a bit further, he looks at Sizhui and smiles lovingly. "I will truly look like a bird now. This will be perfect for the banquet." Huaisang sets the robes aside, before he starts to eat. "Have you eaten? If not, please share with me, if yes, at least have some tea with your old baba." He's not old yet, but as they both know, he likes saying that he is. Strictly speaking, he isn't his baba either, a word reserved to a father by blood, but none of them care and anyone who has ever commented about it quickly changed their mind.

#battleguqin #birthday stuff #v: nie sizhui

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sneakingpasta · 3 years

Text

Wei Wuxian BECOMES Wei Wuxian

So basically wwx starts to look a bit different

Not a big change at first but he starts to grow a bit taller

Everyone just blames it on a late growth spurt or something

A lot of the Lan disciples don’t really notice a lot changing since Wei Ying visits often (except for the juniors lol, they’re always checking to see when they’ll be taller than wwx)

But then some start noticing his facial features changing a little bit

They become more defined and more clear cut

Wwx doesn’t quite notice this until one day Lan Qiren spots him out of the corner of his eye and immediately enters a defensive fight posture

Odd, but not a lot to worry about. Wwx figures Lan Qiren read too many rules and was now hallucinating

Anyway, one day Wwx decides to begin training his body more, to make sure he stays fit because all of the juniors are very close to leaving him in the dust

So he begins lifting more weights, doing more headstands, practices a tiny bit with his sword

This becomes a small hobby and he soon begins to see the fruits of his labor

In fact, he finally notices how much mxy’s body has changed

It’s taller, stronger, and, dare he say, even more handsome than before

Some other odd occurrences are that sometimes when he meets up with lwj, his husband pauses for a second before refocusing on wwx (wwx blames these mini heart attacks as his husband being so in love with him lmao)

But it isn’t until after about a year of these changes that a very weird thing happened

When he and the Lan juniors were saying goodbye to Jin Ling after a night hunt, JC had shown up to collect his nephew (He’d heard the prey was particularly strong and wanted to make sure A-Ling was okay but he would rather break his own legs than admit that)

But the moment he sees Wwx, he completely freezes

Because, no matter how he sees it, that is no longer Wwx in mxy’s body

That’s Wei Wuxian, the Yiling Patriarch, the one who promised him to be the Twin Prides of Yunmeng, his brother

That’s the exact face of the brother he killed

Wei Wuxian’s body is exactly the same, whether it be height, strength, facial features, or that stupid smile

Poor Jin Ling is basically dragged by his collar at the speed of light so that JC doesn’t have to look at that face anymore

Now, lwj is very surprised by this turn of events but has somehow fallen even more in love? Like, his hot crush from when he was 16 is back and absolutely jacked? His poor little gay heart might explode lol

Wei Wuxian also realizes that teasing Lan Wangji is the SMALLEST bit easier

For example, one night Wei Wuxian says a flirty line and Lan Wangji just…. needs a moment- to compose himself…. Because…. Holy fuck, you know? (Unfortunately for lwj, he can try all he wants but he’ll never be able to counter against wwx during these moments)

Lan Zhan with pink cheeks and ears when he gets flustered

And when the juniors finally find out this is what the YILING PATRIARCH looked like, they can’t help but think that the cultivation world’s fear might’ve been based on less nonsense than they originally thought

This man looks like he could snap your neck like a fucking cracker

Whenever Sizhui sees him now he can’t help but feel the urge to run towards him at top speeds (Obviously he represses this urge but he can’t stop giving wwx the biggest hugs he can)

Wwx’s wen scar also begins to morph on his skin so he and Lwj have the world’s weirdest matching married couple scars anyone has seen

Wwx loves going out to drink liquor in his past most frequented shops because a shit ton of the shop owners knew him from way back (cue the “you’re really back????? I thought you were dead for good?????” And wwx’s just like “GIVE ME 10 JUGS OF WINE AND I’LL PROVE TO YOU IT’S ME”)

His golden core has also returned to how it was before, which gives him the chance to cultivate the “proper way” and he’s got the opportunity to reach lwj’s level, if not higher

But the juniors are hardly intimidated by this because they know wwx

He might look different, but he’s the same guy who helped them with homework, hunting, and cooking (eh, cooking is debatable. He improved their tolerance for sure tho. Before, they couldn’t even walk into the kitchen if he was making spicy cuisine. Now, they can cut onions while he’s destroying the kitchen so that’s improvement) (still can’t eat it though, unless you want sobbing juniors with red faces while wwx consoles them with glasses of milk)

But if some random person has the audacity to humiliate the ducklings?

Hohohohohohoho, Wei Wuxian shows up right behind them (where did he even come from? No one knows) and can just go, “Say that again.” It FEELS like there is NOTHING stopping him from ripping their tongue out. He could shame the person into never wanting to come out of a cave again……… but mainly he spooks them away and then takes the kids to get chicken wings

Basically, Wei Wuxian BECOMES Wei Wuxian again (still a dork though)

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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years

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I'm absolutely delighted your prompts are open! Your writing is amazing and always makes me smile, it's the best way to start the day along with a cup of coffee!

Lan Zhan and Wei Ying are given another chance at raising a child after a family is killed leaving only a young child behind. Lan Sizhui is delighted to have a baby sibling. Though everyone is more or less nervous about it (mostly be Wei Ying is a gremlin) but also there isn't any other options.

ao3

“It’ll be fine,” Jiang Cheng said, rolling his eyes. “Hanguang-jun raised Lan Sizhui, didn’t he? And he turned out fine.”

“I did,” Lan Sizhui said agreeably, then frowned. “I think I did, anyway.”

“Not to be a spoilsport, but, realistically speaking, how much raising did Hanguang-jun actually do with you?” Jin Ling asked, and held up his hands when Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi both glared at him. “I don’t mean any offense or anything! I’m serious. We know he was in seclusion those first few years, right? Who raised you then?”

Lan Sizhui thought about it. “Back in the beginning? Well…that was mostly Teacher Lan, I guess.”

“Teacher Lan’s the best,” Lan Jingyi said loyally, then added, “Well, other than that fondness he has for surprise quizzes. But that’s not applicable to parenting, is it?”

Lan Sizhui made a face that suggested that maybe it was, in some weird way, shape, or form.

“Teacher Lan, really?” Jiang Cheng asked, clearly getting drawn in despite his best intentions – as was often the case. There was a reason their little group swung by the Lotus Pier nearly as often as they did the Cloud Recesses and Jinlin Tower, despite Jin Ling not living there part of the year any longer. “Wasn’t he mostly in recovery for those injuries he got during the war? I would’ve figured Zewu-jun would’ve been more involved, wouldn’t he?”

“He was around sometimes, but no, it was mostly Teacher Lan,” Lan Sizhui said. “Zewu-jun was often busy – he was rebuilding the Lan sect –”

“I was rebuilding the Jiang sect! So what? I still raised Jin Ling, and he wasn’t even supposed to be here – I had to fight the Jin sect for months just to get the opportunity – ”

“Yes, jiujiu, we know!” Jin Ling said hastily. “You don’t have to tell that story again! You didn’t have to tell everyone that story in the first place!”

Jiang Cheng huffed. He was probably going to tell the story again whether they liked it or not.

“I think I see what you’re saying, Jin Ling,” Ouyang Zizhen put in, always a good fellow for throwing himself on a conversational sacrificial sword. “If Lan Sizhui was already a few years old when he was adopted, and then Teacher Lan raised him for the next three years, then he would’ve been old enough to be entered into the Cloud Recesses’ official junior classes by the time Hanguang-jun took charge of his education, right?”

“Yes, that’s what I meant, that’s it exactly!”

“What does it matter?” Lan Sizhui asked.

“Yeah! Hanguang-jun still raised him the rest of the way,” Lan Jingyi put in, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring. “Gave him lessons and tips and all that!”

“Isn’t that something he does as a sect senior anyway?”

“Well, yes, but it’s different for Sizhui, okay?”

“I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with that. After all, the person who teaches the most is the same as the parent, and being the person raising them is what matters no matter when they’re adopted,” Jin Ling said, with an eye on Jiang Cheng, who looked begrudgingly pleased. He looked begrudging all the time, though, so it was probably just pleased. “But my point is – once you were part of the lessons, even if he was raising you the rest of the time, you still already mostly had your personality down by then, right? We’ve never seen what someone raised entirely by Hanguang-jun from birth would be like.”

They all stopped to consider that.

“More than that,” Jin Ling continued. “This kid’ll be raised not just by Hanguang-jun, but by Hanguang-jun as he is now – after he and Senior Wei got together. You know?”

They did know.

“And of course, that’s all putting aside that the kid will be raised by Senior Wei himself, too…”

“Maybe we should start investing in defense talismans,” Jiang Cheng mused. “Because everything is going to explode. Everything.”

“Everything will not explode,” Lan Wangji said calmly.

“Are you sure?” Wei Wuxian asked. “Because I’m not sure, and I’m more likely to be involved in these hypothetical explosions than you are.”

“Mm. I’m certain.”

“But…”

“Wei Ying will be an excellent father,” Lan Wangji said, and his voice left no room for doubt.

“It’s easy for you to say,” Wei Wuxian whined, though he was smiling now. “You already have the experience of it! They say that it’s easier the second time, when you know what to expect…”

“Do not tell lies,” Lan Qiren said mildly. He was looking over some of Wei Wuxian’s notes – he’d insisted on any new inventions passing through a sanctioned approval process before they were put into practice and had volunteered himself to review them, a matter that had caused Wei Wuxian no end of stress until he realized that Lan Qiren really did intend to approve anything that met his standards and, moreover, understood musical cultivation enough to understand what he was driving at with most of them, even the esoteric ones, at which point Wei Wuxian gotten extremely enthusiastic about the whole thing.

This didn’t mean that they were friends or anything, but they’d at least formed some sort of tentative truce.

Most of the time, anyway.

Wei Wuxian squinted at his old teacher suspiciously. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying that it’s not easier the second time?”

“I am only saying that I have experience in raising a child not my own,” Lan Qiren pointed out, and Wei Wuxian nodded, slightly abashed; he knew that the old man had basically raised Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen, of course, although sometimes he forgot. “The first child I raised was Xichen and his personality as a child was much as it was as an adult: gentle, amiable, friendly, obedient.”

That made sense. Wei Wuxian nodded.

“The second child I raised was Wangji,” Lan Qiren said. “He bit people.”

Wei Wuxian burst out laughing.

Lan Wangj virtuously ignored them both, continuing to write a letter without the slightest hint of embarrassment – even his ears hadn’t turned red. What a shame!

“I can testify to that myself,” Wei Wuxian giggled, leering at his husband in the hopes of getting a rise out of him. “He’s still a biter – for certain lucky people.”

“He was a lot less discriminating when he was younger,” Lan Qiren said, and Wei Wuxian winced, abruptly remembering that Lan Wangji’s uncle was, in fact, still in the room. Luckily it was pretty easy to flirt around Lan Qiren, who didn’t seem to notice most of the time, but it was still a bit awkward. “And I once succumbed to temptation and gave him mixed messages, which I believe made it worse.”

That sounded like a story.

“He gave me a candy after I bit Sect Leader Jin,” Lan Wangji clarified, which made Wei Wuxian start laughing again. “He did not expect me to remember. I remembered. Nor did I allow him to forget about it.”

“It is easy to make mistakes while raising a child,” Lan Qiren said, ignoring Wei Wuxian’s cackling. “But if one means well, and tries hard to do the right thing, children are very forgiving – usually.”

Despite his best efforts to remain neutral, Lan Wangji’s eyes curved slightly in a smile. Wei Wuxian felt his heart go all warm and melty all over again.

“This is true regardless of whether it is the first or second child,” Lan Qiren added. “I have confidence that you will both do fine.”

“We will,” Wei Wuxian proclaimed. “With parents like me and Lan Zhan, how could the kid go wrong? And we’ll even try to avoid too many explosions!”

“Please do. One Lan Jingyi is enough for the Cloud Recesses.”

“You know, I was wondering – how did you end up with him being quite so…hmm…”

“Oh?” Lan Qiren said, and Wei Wuxian noted to his amusement that Lan Wangji straightened in back in sudden alarm despite Lan Qiren’s extremely nonchalant tone. “Have you not met Lan Yueheng yet? I must introduce you when he returns –”

“Perhaps not,” Lan Wangji said, sounding a little worried.

Worried, in this case, meant fun.

“No, I think I definitely need to meet this person – Lan Zhan, stop batting at me! I know exactly what I’m doing…”

Wen Ning looked down at the baby with which he had been entrusted.

“I don’t have any idea what I’m doing,” he confessed.

The baby gurgled.

“I think Wei-gongzi may have been thinking more about ‘babysitter that doesn’t need to sleep and has inexhaustible energy’ and less about ‘is this person qualified to take care of a baby’.”

More gurgling.

“I just wanted to apologize in advance.”

The baby yawned.

“…right then.” Wen Ning straightened up. Someone was going to have to raise this child, and based on how distractable Wei Wuxian was when he was around Lan Wangji and visa versa, it looked like it was going to have to be him. “Let’s do this.”

#mdzs #lan wangji #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #jin ling #lan sizhui #lan jingyi #ouyang zizhen #lan qiren #wen ning #my fic #my fics

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demoniqt · 3 years

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WWX November Mayhem Day 6!!

Title: Paint Me A Family

Rating: General

Status: One shot (Complete)

Relationship: Wangxian

Prompt: Artist

Summary: When Sizhui was young and was still known only as A-Yuan, he found a painting of Hanguang-jun in the Jingshi.

When Sizhui was young and was still known only as A-Yuan, he found a painting of Hanguang-jun in the Jingshi.

Until A-Yuan received his courtesy name and was old enough to stay in the dormitory, he lived with his A-Die in the Jingshi. And like all children, he was highly curious, so it wasn't a surprise that he got into things/trouble quite frequently.

At least, it didn't seem to surprise Hanguang-jun whenever he inevitably got into trouble (even if he tried not to) and had to be bailed out by his A-Die.

His A-Die would just take it all in stride with a hint of exasperated fondness as he untangled A-Yuan from the ball of yarn that he'd found somewhere or when he had to retrieve A-Yuan from up a tree that he'd found himself stuck in after climbing up to return a fallen baby bird back into its nest.

"Sorry, Die Die," A-Yuan whispered to Hanguang-jun as he carried him home to the Jingshi, worried about inconveniencing his father figure with his antics.

"No apology needed," his A-Die replied. "A-Yuan is kind and did the right thing."

A-Yuan happily cuddled into his shoulder as Lan Wangji thought of the person who Lan Yuan reminded him of.

Wei Ying, if only you could see our son now...

***

A-Yuan found the painting wedged between a copy of the rules of the Cloud Recesses.

It was very pretty, drawn with confident lines and great alikeness to his A-Die.

A-Yuan had giggled a little, seeing the flower on his painted father's hair.

"Die Die, who drew this?" the child asked, showing his father the painting he found.

His father's face grew sad and A-Yuan wondered if he'd made a mistake somehow. But before he could apologise or ask what was wrong, his A-Die took the painting gently from him and straightened it.

"Your A-Niang painted it," his father said wistfully.

"Oh," A-Yuan replied, glancing at the painting again. He didn't remember much about his mother, except for long dark hair, a bright laugh and warm hugs. He wished the painting was that of a self-portrait so that he could, at least, have a glimpse of her left behind for him to remember his mother by.

Looking up at his father's sorrowful features, he honestly wished that it really was that of his A-Niang.

***

Sixteen years after Wei Wuxian died, his A-Niang finally comes home to the Jingshi with them.

It took a while for them to arrange it and for Wei Ying to finish it, but on Lan Sizhui's eighteenth birthday, he finally receives a full family portrait of himself and his parents.

When Wei Ying presented the scroll to him, Sizhui eager opened it and was grinning ear to ear.

"What do you think?" Wei Ying asked.

"I think it's perfect, A-Niang."

Fin

Notes:

I loved the episode of MDZS-Q where lil A-Yuan announced imperiously that his Xian-gege is now his A-Niang. lol. Now, it's canon for me that WY is A-Yuan's mama. hahahaha.

#wwx november mayhem #pocketfulofrecs #mdzs wwx #lan wangji/wei wuxian #lan wangji #lan sizhui #lan yuan #demoniqt fics

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with-my-murder-flute · 3 years

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Sometimes you just have a really intense week and can’t stop thinking about how much trauma Lan Sizhui experienced by the time he was 5 and how being the Very Best Boy isn’t always healthy and then you need to write Lan Wangji the child psychologist and his incredibly anxious foster-son, y’know?

---

Bunny is on time-out again.

"You have to behave,” A-Yuan says in the voice of the potato-head, packing accessories into its body and shoving it into the bed of a soft plastic truck. “You get in the car now.” The Barbie van is already full, with a dinosaur and a fingerpuppet and one of the new larger Lego figures, and all their carefully packed luggage. A-Yuan does that. Over and over again, for each of his toys, he methodically packs and unpacks luggage. It’s his most common form of play, but not the most enjoyable.

A-Yuan’s breathing is rapid and shallow, so much so that he takes little gasps when he talks to himself. Routinely, predictably, he’s calmer when he turns away from the dollhouse. He’s most collected when selecting items to put into luggage, deciding on pieces of felt and Barbie shoes, but even with the vehicles he can lose himself enjoying the movement and progress of the cars. But underneath it all, there’s a jerkiness to his movements and a certain disconnected quality in his speech and body language that tells Lan Wangji that he’s pretty distressed.

It’s a step forward that Bunny is out at all, Lan Wangji knows. A behaviour therapist at A-Yuan’s last preschool made it a point to extinguish comfort-seeking behaviour towards the toy, which was becoming both careworn and grubby. A-Yuan’s had it at least since he was fourteen months old; it was with him when he came into care. Maybe his birth mother gave it to him. A-Yuan has obediently derogated the toy; if it’s left lying out, he can usually be trusted to throw it into a corner to prove what a big, grown-up boy he is.

Lan Wangji has very carefully gauged his son’s limits of tolerance for some things. When the car ride begins, he waves slightly and says, “Have a nice trip,” which makes A-Yuan glance back at him nervously, but it’s just mild enough, just unemotional enough, just tolerable enough, that it doesn’t provoke too much emotion. A-Yuan can keep pushing his vehicles around, and feel safe enough to drive one into Lan Wangji’s foot. He doesn’t persevere at that point, though; the trip has culminated and he gets up and walks to where he can see down the hallway to the front door, then wanders over to the slide.

A hundred million years ago, Lan Wangji thought he’d be a genetics researcher, like his uncle. Then he thought he’d be a neuroscientist, like his undergraduate thesis advisor. Then he thought he’d be a psychologist like his brother, who focuses entirely on assessment and the development of psychometric tools. For a little bit in grad school, he thought he’d counsel adults, like Wei Wuxian, until a classmate told Wei Wuxian that Dialectical Behavioural Therapy was “objectively badass” and he developed a fixation Lan Wangji could not follow. In retrospect his career path is absolutely obvious, resonating clearly through every bone of him, but it took him a very long time to realize he ought to work with children. It’s a little shocking that he, who was so bad at being a child, feels so prepared to be a father.

He smiles when A-Yuan looks at him anxiously from the slide, the moment of uncertainty as he lets go and begins sliding down triggering the need for reassurance. Lan Wangji is always waiting for that glance, waiting to return it. At A-Yuan’s last placement he’d been assessed as having an avoidant/dismissing attachment style, and despite its uncharitable and parent-shaming nature Lan Wangji can’t help but agree with what his husband had muttered over that one: “Were the parents even trying?”

The most vital task, and the hardest, is being present in the moment with a child. Not worrying about the future, not concerned with the past, not preoccupied with an external standard. He’s surprisingly bad at performing objective assessments with children, because he can see how unfair they all are. His greatest facility is something he built for himself, brick by painstaking brick: the willingness to sit with discomfort, and have faith that the chaos will not remain chaos. All his years of meditation have cultivated a still eye to see the world from, and the faith that patience and compassion will see him through.

Still smiling, still watching A-Yuan, Lan Wangji moves closer to the dollhouse. He carefully stars arranging its contents, righting knocked-over furniture and returning blankets to little wooden beds. He takes out a shark figurine, a couple of doll clothes, then puts Bunny on the floor near his shin. When A-Yuan comes close, magnetically drawn away from the slide, Lan Wangji reaches behind himself for the tea set they were using earlier, arranging cups and plates in front of him as though they’re going to have another tea party. He leaves the placement of the cups ambiguous; it’s not like Bunny is specifically invited, but there is a suggestive proximity, the way the other cup is in proximity to the shark. A-Yuan takes the teapot, and Lan Wangji solemnly holds his cup out while A-Yuan pours. For the sake of the ritual he accepts milk and refuses sugar and mimes stirring his invisible ingredients before taking a sip.

When A-Yuan is done drinking, Lan Wangji turns to Bunny, lifting a cup, and asks, “Would you like some tea?” A-Yuan noticed the moment that Lan Wangji’s hand moves, but as he addresses the rabbit A-Yuan seems to lose interest, which is to say, he slightly dissociates; blink and you missed it, but his eyes go a little glassy, he looks away, and then he acts on the adrenaline and gets up and wanders away.

The current theory about Bunny is like the theory of gravity, which is to say, it’s definitely pretty certain but it never hurts to be humble when it comes to knowledge. It’s honestly a little more speculative and psychodynamic than Lan Wangji is truly comfortable with, and A-Yuan’s case manager, possibly a little defensive over the last preschool placement, absolutely refuses to consider the possibility. But it still feels as essential and true as which way is up that Bunny performs the vital task of holding all the parts of A-Yuan that he blames for making the adults he cares about disappear. Bunny holds both the neediness and the hope for comfort that were so painful, his son shut them down in order to survive. Bunny was how A-Yuan mediated that desire, the source of his comfort, until he was three and a half, and the behaviour therapist.

A-Yuan knew his foster parents didn’t like him being disorganized and distressed and clingy, that they’d rather he behaved more like a six-year-old than four. Which he could, sometimes, because he had a ferocious intelligence which put him cognitively ahead of his emotional development. But he, well... adapted a little too quickly, one might say. Learned his lesson a little too well. Now they’re trying to reignite the behaviours that were extinguished.

Lan Wangji takes a risk, while A-Yuan is pulling picture books off the lower shelf, and lifts Bunny to his shoulder like a colicky infant. He doesn’t do anything else, aside from stroking the rabbit’s fur. He leaves it in place, with a little guiding help from his hand, when A-Yuan brings a Franklin book over and climbs into his lap, demanding to be read to. With interest he notes, halfway through the story, that Lan Wangji holding and petting Bunny doesn’t distress A-Yuan; as the story arc gets as exciting as Franklin books ever do (which is not, to be clear, a criticism) A-Yuan turns in his arms long enough to distractedly reach up and pet Bunny too, before turning back and trying to grab the book for himself.

Wondering how far he can push this, he keeps Bunny in place on his shoulder when they leave the room to check the clock, and A-Yuan goes to the living-room window to watch the street for Wei Wuxian. He looks curiously when Lan Wangji leans down to dig the remote out between the couch cushions, but easily redirects when Lan Wangji turns on the TV and goes to prepare dinner. Having the show on limits his anxious glances out the window to three or four a minute only, instead of sustained attention followed by a meltdown if he had to wait more than five minutes.

Lan Wangji thinks it would be easier to keep Bunny in place, on his shoulder like a dishtowel, if he had weighted plastic beads in his extremities, or if he was velcroed. He’s wary of changing anything about such a strong comfort object, though, so he just learns to move and stand differently to keep the rabbit from constantly falling off.

A-Yuan greets Wei Wuxian with the kind of terrified delight that looks like general indifference if you don’t know better; he runs over, stands uncertainly within arm’s reach of Wei Wuxian’s legs, and then dodges away before Wei Wuxian can reach down to him. Lan Wangji helpfully muted the show when he heard the door open--it gives A-Yuan the space to sit with his back to the room and self-regulate while the adults say hello.

“New friend?” his husband asks finally, an eyebrow raised.

“Modelling it as appropriate,” Lan Wangji says. “I thought perhaps he could tolerate us demonstrating that it is not discouraged.”

“Nice rabbit, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian says seamlessly, in a voice meant to be heard from the couch. “I like it. Makes me wish I had a rabbit.”

“They are very good friends,” Lan Wangji agrees. “This one is not mine, but he is keeping me company.”

“Nice,” Wei Wuxian agrees. “Maybe whoever you borrowed him from will let him hang out with me sometime.”

Their audience does not comment on this, but they didn’t need him to. Wei Wuxian sets the table while Lan Wangji cooks. A-Yuan’s palate is still pretty limited, so he’s used to making three separate elements of one meal, and can live with cutting up cooked hot dog into little coins so long as he doesn’t have to eat them himself. They just supplement their kid’s diet with a multivitamin.

A-Yuan looks askance enough, when dinner is ready, that Lan Wangji takes Bunny off his shoulder and asks, “Where should he sit while we eat?”

There is a fourth chair, albeit completely out of proportion, but he doesn’t dare try it. Instead A-Yuan thinks for a minute, and points to the kitchen counter behind the table. Lan Wangji props Bunny up against the wall, observing dinner if not participating, and after a second to think, A-Yuan accepts this as normal and climbs into his chair. He is meticulously well-behaved.

Lan Wangji aches for his son, and hopes one day he’ll feel confident enough in their love to break the rules around them.

They eat.

#the untamed #my stuff #lan wangji #lan sizhui #AU where everybody's a therapist #the colleague from grad school lan wangji consults most with is nie huisang the family therapist #never saw that coming

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veliseraptor · 4 years

Text

CQL Characters Rated by Their Stress Levels

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being “Lan Wangji smiling at Wei Wuxian” and 10 being “Lan Xichen at Guanyin Temple.”

Lan Wangji: Varies wildly over the course of the series; see @howpeacefulislwj for detailed rundown. The roundup post averages his peacefulness at 4.2/10. Generally speaking, stress levels middling, between 3/10 and 5/10 with some extreme highs, pretty much all Wei Wuxian related.

Wei Wuxian: One of those people where you’re like “god I hate him, everything’s so easy for him and he can do everything better than me, it’s the worst, how the fuck does he do it” and then years later you find out that he had an epic burnout and dropped off the face of the earth for sixteen years because actually it wasn’t that easy he just made it look that way.

I mean, he starts the series at about a 5/10 general state (he’s managing a lot but handling it okay) and basically escalates to a relatively consistent 9 or 10/10 for most of the stretch from the Burial Mounds through to his dying. Someone should make a @howpeacefuliswwx chart, I’d be curious to see his average.

Jiang Cheng: Has been existing in a constant low-level state of stress since late childhood and only grows over time. The calmest I think we ever see him is when he’s holding a bunny and other than that it’s mostly downhill. I worry about him getting ulcers sometimes. 8/10.

Jiang Yanli: Jiang Yanli is so used to being stressed that she barely even registers it any more. What do you mean, most people don’t raise two other children when they are also a child? What do you mean, most people take breaks from supporting others to help themselves? Weird. If she was thinking about it she’d be at a 8 or 9/10 but since she’s so accustomed to this way of life that it just feels totally normal she’s more like a 4 or a 5.

Jiang Fengmian: Avoids being more stressed by generally avoiding his problems, which is one way to deal with it but doesn’t really end up working out most of the time. 3/10.

Yu Ziyuan: Resides somewhere in the vicinity of 5/10 stress levels, 11/10 rage levels, and when the stress levels get above 5 then everyone else’s stress levels better be hitting the roof.

Lan Xichen: Lan Xichen would probably be relatively unstressed if life didn’t consistently come crashing through his relatively chill vibes. Lan Xichen on a good day is, like, 3/10, handling pretty well, but when things start going wrong around him then he pretty quickly hits critical stress levels and will do drastic things to resolve that, such as convincing Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao to set aside their near-murder differences and swear brotherhood, which will definitely work out absolutely fine. Ends up averaging closer to 8/10 because things keep going wrong around him.

Lan Qiren: He’d be fine if his entire family didn’t insist on causing him problems, constantly. Handling it surprisingly well, all things considered. Still 6/10 though.

Nie Mingjue: I mean, does spend a large chunk of time steadily inching toward a qi deviation? That on its own is pretty stressful and also he just seems like generally a high blood pressure sort of person. But the qi deviation inducing saber is definitely not, like, helping. Putting him at a roughly 6 or 7/10 with a median level that just keeps inching slowly upward.

Nie Huaisang: Actually less stressed than you’d expect given how flighty he seems to be! Even when plotting revenge is less “stressed” than “determined.” Pretty good at keeping himself calm most of the time. Generally sits at a stress level of 4/10 or so with a few significant exceptions.

Jin Guangyao: Very stressed all of the time. He has a lot to be stressed about! Between the various complexes and the tendency toward paranoia, Jin Guangyao is definitely among the most stressed in a room at any given time, while doing his best to convey otherwise. But seriously, look at this smile. Does that look like the smile of a serene man to you? 10/10.

Jin Zixuan: You know those high-strung racehorses that sometimes get spooked by, like, a shadow on the ground? That’s Jin Zixuan. Mostly manages to mask his constant low-level “AHHHHH” with a layer of arrogance and/or social awkwardness that looks like arrogance, but it’s there, in the background. 7/10.

Jin Zixun: Shielded from the general Jin neuroses by being an asshole. It’s not fair, but there you are. 3/10 because he does seem to have some inferiority complex issues going on, but that’s not the same thing as stress.

Jin Guangshan: Deserves to be a lot more stressed than he is. Alas, is confident enough to not be terribly stressed. 2/10.

Mianmian: So you know how cheetahs are very panicky animals and so they often in zoos get paired with dogs who will help them figure out that this situation is safe and they don’t need to panic? I feel like Mianmian is Jin Zixuan’s stress meter in their friendship. She will let him know when to be stressed! Because she is not going to spook at her own shadow. Has a sense of reasonable responses to stressors and knows how to remove herself from a bad situation when necessary. Generally a 5/10 because the inherent stress of existing in the Jin Sect is a real thing.

Wen Qing: It’s hard to be the most competent person in the room most of the time who spends most of her time in very politically precarious positions and with her or her brother’s life at least sort of in danger! Pretty up there for “most stressed” candidates. She’s really having a time of it. Generally hovers around an 8/10.

Wen Ning: Generally not stressed, at least not in the traditional way. Is distressed a lot, but not so much stressed. Ends up at roughly 4/10.

Wen Chao: Like Jin Zixun, gets somewhat shielded from stress by being an unrepentant asshole, though his end of life 11/10 stress via Wei Wuxian kind of makes up for the rest. Averages more of a 2/10 most of the time, though? I don’t think we can let that relatively brief period skew the scale too much.

Wen Ruohan: Does “magic induced losing your mind” count as stress? I mean, he has a pretty stressful job even before that, but he doesn’t project “stress” so much as “incipient madness” during the period where we actually see him doing things. Not sure what rating to give here. It seems like he’s kind of on a different scale.

Wang Lingjao: For the most part seems to manage to get by relatively stress-free, up until things start going completely to shit and she gets haunted to death. Generally closer to a 2 or 3/10, because life as a servant ascended to mistress in a strictly hierarchical society is inherently a wee bit stressful.

Wen Zhuliu: Too sick of this shit and not getting paid enough to really stress out about it. 1/10.

Lan Sizhui: One of those people who manages to appear serene and calm all the time but mostly has just gotten used to functioning at a higher level of stress and therefore can pass for calm even when he is having an Experience of it, which makes his stress levels kind of hard to gauge. But I’d put him at a relatively consistent 6/10.

Lan Jingyi: Wouldn’t call him stressed exactly but he’s definitely very high energy. Kind of gives off the vibes of a very energetic dog who would be stressed if you didn’t keep him busy, but mostly (because I feel like Gusu Lan Sect is pretty good at keeping him busy) hovers around a 2 or 3/10.

Jin Ling: I feel like Jin Ling isn’t stressed most of the time up until the actual events of CQL itself, where he is both very stressed and very confused almost constantly from the time he first runs into Wei Xuanyu, and it only goes downhill from there. So covering the events of the show I’m going to put him at a 7/10, because he does manage to deal with some wild things with some equanamity and makes it all the way to episode forty-five without breaking down sobbing.

Ouyang Zizhen: Seems like a sensitive soul but doesn’t give off the impression of carrying around a lot of stress, at least not from what we see of him. Probably the chillest of the junior quartet, tbh. Gonna give him a 2/10.

Xiao Xingchen: For most of his life Xiao Xingchen manages his stress very well! He’s actually surprisingly chill. Gets significantly more stressed, understandably, after Xue Yang engineers his no good very bad breakup (the first one) with Song Lan. But in general not that stressed! It is actually part of why he doesn’t handle the stress when it comes very well. He’s not used to it and he only had one pair of eyes to sacrifice. In general a 3/10.

Song Lan: Makes up for Xiao Xingchen’s relatively low stress levels by picking up on the stress for both of them. Still chiller than a lot of people on this list, though, but there’s a lot of very stressed people in this show, so. 5/10.

Xue Yang: Manages his stress by making everyone else very stressed, on purpose. If he’s having a bad day he’ll go and make someone else have a worse day and it helps. At least until there’s a dead Xiao Xingchen and then nothing helps! But as a rule exists at a general 2/10 and honestly he deserves it.

A-Qing: Her life is inherently stressful because she is a street kid trying to make it in a world that is not very friendly to people with no structure supporting them, but she manages to bear it pretty well on the whole. Still, it’s hard being a-Qing. She just makes it look easy. Probably a 4 or 5/10.

Sect Leader Yao: He’s not stressed, but he’s very good at making everyone around him stressed every time he opens his mouth. His presence is a +2 to stress for everyone in his vicinity with the exception of Sect Leader Ouyang, who is for some reason immune. 0/10.

#the untamed #cql #i'm not going to tag every character on this list that is TOO MUCH WORK #lise does meta #(um. ish)#i should just have an 'untamed shitposts' tag at this point #the sad queer cultivators show

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the-untamed-obsession · 4 years

Note

Hi! Sizhuyu shared me your blog and I loved the contents so if you can can you do the juniors but seperate stories if they inhaled aphrosadraic ( or whatever its called ) insense? But it’s a Husband AU :’) . Imagine them being all romantic haha!

I hope you like it!! I don’t do overly nsfw, only heated stuff + alluding to nsfw so I hope this suffices! It’s a husband AU thingie, so they’re all obvi aged up. But for future reference, all the characters I write for will be aged up regardless of the content.

Incense of Desire

“This is… what?” You asked the woman with black hair. She huffed and rolled her emerald eyes before looking at you.

“For the third time, it’s an incense that’ll make your husband swoon over you. All you need to do is light it thirty minutes before he gets home and it’ll work wonders!” You don’t even remember how you’d gotten here, but this seemed pretty interesting. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with your relationship, but to see a side like that seemed exciting nonetheless. It wasn’t costly either. You finally made up your mind and looked at the woman.

“Ok, I’ll buy some.”

Lan Sizhui:

You waited rather impatiently for Sizhui to get home. It had been thirty minutes since you’d lit the incense and it smelled great. It reminded you of roses… but also winter. It didn’t take long for you to hear the door open.

“I’m home!” A voice called out. Your nerves spiked, but you ignored them and put a smile on your face, running to the living room.

“Welcome home!” You gave your husband a hug and a kiss, letting him place his sword down. Recently, he and a few of his friends had been hearing of demonic activity not too far from where you lived. He’d usually be gone at least all day, but always returned at night, even though night was the best time to hunt demons.

“Dinner’s ready! I hope you didn’t eat this time.” He smiled and shook his head.

“No, I remembered. I love your cooking so I didn’t want to miss out on it again.” He sniffed around for a second, which made you a little nervous.

“It smells good. Really good!” He walked past you and you sighed in relief. What were you going to tell him anyway?

He quickly changed out of his clothes and into some clean ones, but when he returned he stopped and stared at you as you got the food ready. You looked back at him and smiled.

“Ah! Just in time, food’s ready.” He didn’t move or speak though, just silently watching your figure move throughout the kitchen. You looked back once more and titled your head. “Everything ok?”

He blinked and nodded before moving. However, instead of moving towards the food, he stopped directly in front of you. Before you could say anything, he’d trapped you against the wall.

“I… I’m sorry… I can’t help myself.” His lips quickly captured yours and you both forgot the food rather immediately.

Lan Jinyi:

“I’m home!” About time! You’d been waiting for well over thirty minutes and you were worried the incense would’ve started affecting you. However, the lady at the shop insisted and promised that it would only affect our husband. How she was so sure, you didn’t know. But you didn’t question it too much… until you were waiting for your husband to come home.

How were you so sure it wasn’t poisoned? The incense could’ve easily killed you and your husband would’ve come home to your corpse. Wasn’t that a bit reckless of you?

“Hey, there you are.” You jumped when you saw your husband’s face inches away from your own. “You ok? Normally, you always greet me when I come home.” You pushed a smile onto your face and nodded.

“I’m ok! I promise! Um… maybe we should go out for a walk!” You suggested, nervously giggling as you stood up. If the incense was indeed poisoned, it would be best to get away now. You’d already inhaled quite a bit of it but you were fine, for now. You’d get checked by a doctor later.

“Why? It’s late, besides didn’t you have a long day? Shouldn’t we just rest?” He asked as he tugged your arm, causing you to fall into his lap.

“Yeah, but I feel like going for a walk! Come on! Pleaseeee!” You said, giving him your best puppy dog eyes. Unable to say no to you, Jingyi nodded.

“Alright, sure.” However, when you tried to stand up, you couldn’t. There was something in his eyes, something you didn’t see often. You settled back in feeling that happy-go-lucky atmosphere melting away as a more intimate one set in. Jingyi leaned in, pulling you closer too. Your lips melded together perfectly and any need to leave the house was immediately quelled.

Jin Ling:

You were excited to see a new side to Jin Ling. The woman had promised there would be no negative side effects to the incense, so you had that assurance. Jin Ling was rather… difficult when it came to romance. Sure, he let you know he loved you on many occasions, but he would always be really shy about it. Sometimes he’d roll his eyes when he told you he loved you.

None of these hurt your feelings, he’d never let that happen. But to see him SWOON over you… that was something that excited you. The incense had been burning for about thirty minutes now and you were just waiting for Jin Ling to get home.

You heard the door open and perked up, trying to hide the mischievous smile on your face. You ran out of your bedroom to greet your husband, giving him a welcoming smile.

“Welcome home!” You giggled, jumping in his arms and giving him a kiss on the cheek. He caught you rather easily and moved to the side, placing the sword on it’s holder.

“Thank you, how were you today?”

“Good! I really missed you!” You pouted, making him huff as he set you down gently.

“Yeah well… I am pretty amazing so it makes sense.” You giggled and shook your head as he walked into the house. He smelled the air, stopping for a second as he felt his head spin. It smelled pretty good, but he’d never expected the incense to give him a headache.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah… yeah, I’m ok.” He responded as you quickly poured him a cup of water. He took slow and steady sips before looking up at you as you took the cup from him.

“Don’t tell me you overworked yourself today. I told you not to.” He shook his head as his eyes trailed down your form.

“No… you just look really beautiful today.” You paused, feeling your cheeks heat up a little.

“O-oh, thank you.” Before you could even suggest anything, he reached out and gently let his finger brush against your cheek.

“Soft too, did you know your cheeks are soft? Sometimes, I just want to hold them. But then when we make eye contact, it makes my heart beat so fast I get dizzy.” Ok this was definitely the incense working, because Jin Ling wouldn’t just say that out of nowhere.

“I- well thank you. That’s very sweet of you.” You smiled, making him smile as well.

“Oh, now they’re warm. Are you blushing? Because it looks good on you.”

“The blush?” He nodded, leaning in before gently kissing your lips. It was almost tantalizing. Without much of a warning, Jin Ling pushed you down onto the sofa.

“I’m sorry-” He captured your lips once more and you’d never been more grateful for that new incense you bought.

Ouyang Zizhen:

Now why did you buy this incense exactly? There wasn’t anything lacking in your relationship. You’d asked the woman even more questions after you bought it and it was obvious she got annoyed. She still answered all of your questions thoroughly, which is why you were sitting here right now.

The incense had been burning for almost 45 minutes now and you kept thinking about why you’d bought it. Zizhen never hid his emotions from you, he was always rather lovey-dovey. He complimented you whenever he could, told you he loved you, and just showed his emotions often in general.

While you were thinking about opening the windows to get the smell out, the door opened and you heard your husband’s voice come through.

“I’m home!” Well… too late now. You fixed your hair and stood up, going to greet him.

“Welcome home! I missed you!” He smiled brightly as he gave you a hug, placing a kiss on your lips.

“It smells really good in here. Did you buy new incense?” You nodded immediately.

“I did! I thought it might’ve been too much so I was thinking about opening the windows up!” Zizhen shook his head at your words.

“No! It smells great! Wow, you look different. Did you… no your hair is the same, you’re just glowing today.” You blushed at his words, shaking your head.

“That’s sweet of you.”

“I mean it! You look really good today and-” His excitable mood stopped abruptly and you looked up at him, tilting your head.

“Yes?” He was silently staring at your lips, making no effort to move at all. “Are you o-” He interrupted your words with a deep, intense kiss. You couldn’t complain as he easily picked you up, letting you wrap your legs around his waist.

“I… sorry… I just can’t stop.”

#mdzs x reader #mdzs #mdzs reader insert #mdzs imagine #mdzs sizhui #mdzs sizhui x reader #lan sizhui #sizhui x reader #jingyi x reader #lan jingyi x reader #mdzs lan jingyi x reader #lan jingyi #jin ling #mdzs jin ling x reader #jin ling x reader #ouyang zizhen #mdzs ouyang zizhen #ouyang zizhen x reader

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twistedappletree · 1 year

Text

TYPE: One-shot

JURISDICTION: It’s fluffy with a dash of light angst, your honor.

PAIRING: Jin Ling/Lan Sizhui (+ implied SangCheng)

SIDE CHARACTERS: Lan Jingyi, Ouyang Zizhen, Lan Wangji, Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng, Nie Huaisang, Fairy

ELEMENTS: Hurt/comfort, drunken shenanigans, Lanling setting, canon universe, crush/light romance, gift-giving, tiny homage to wangxian at the end, Jin Ling being a worried little cutie who just wants to see Lan Sizhui smile~

{ Title inspired by ‘Love You (When You’re a Mess)’ by Jadudah }

•

Jin Ling wanted to go to him more than anything but the Lan brothers were too potent of a deterrent, even for his fiery, confrontational nature.

All he could do was watch Lan Sizhui listlessly trail behind his seniors like a ghost among the living. Seeing him this way was jarring compared to his usual bright, warm and present self—the Lan Sizhui with a smile made of light, the Lan Sizhui with every color of the world in his eyes.

•

In which Lan Sizhui is sad, Jin Ling drunkenly climbs a wall to make him feel better and both are left with a sweet reminder of each other’s affection.

{ AO3 }

🍁

The vibrant red maples of Jinlintai set fire to a spacious courtyard lined with modest archery targets, their vermillion bullseyes glowing in the morning light.

A single arrow pierced the quiet air, pinning a fluttering maple leaf at one of the target’s centers. Jin Ling lowered his bow as a blur of grey and white fur excitedly circled around his feet. He stared down at his spiritual dog, Fairy, and rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm.

“Really?” he asked, raising a disapproving brow. “Your standards are way too low. Just wait until I land a triple.”

Before he could ready his bow again, the peace of his morning training was interrupted by the soft voice of a timid servant.

“Young Master Jin,” the servant politely addressed, her head bowed and eyes downcast. “The boats have arrived.”

Jin Ling straightened and quickly secured his bow over his chest. He didn’t bother to recollect his arrows and zipped out of the courtyard like lightning, Fairy happily bounding after him and clearly under the impression that they were playing chase.

The Jin clan was hosting a sect meeting at Jinlintai today. It was the first time in weeks that Jin Ling would be seeing his friends again, and though he often found these meetings to be excruciatingly boring, the presence of his fellow disciples was enough to make them endurable.

He winded through halls and rushed past more servants before finally arriving in the main hall. His uncle, Sect Leader Jiang Cheng, was already seated and conversing with Nie Huaisang of the Nie clan.

They didn’t seem to notice him as he stealthily slipped closer to the entrance and found exactly what he was looking for.

Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen had already discovered each other among the crowd and were laughing playfully at each other’s jokes. Not wanting to appear eager, Jin Ling calmly approached them with a feigned apathetic look. “Already messing around, huh?”

Ouyang Zizhen turned towards him with a wide grin and Lan Jingyi flashed an impish smile. “Young Mistress Jin!” he exclaimed, purposefully loud enough for everyone to hear.

“A-Ling!” Ouyang Zizhen countered, his tone far less teasing.

“Too busy to meet us at the docks or what?” Lan Jingyi chided, sounding mildly offended.

Jin Ling crossed his arms over his chest and nodded towards his bow. “I was training. Unlike some people, I’m always getting a head start.”

Lan Jingyi sneered. “Oh yeah? How about my foot gets a head start up your a—“

Ouyang Zizhen slapped a hand over the Lan disciple’s mouth before he could finish his threat and nervously gestured towards the entrance. Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi turned to see two tall, slender figures entering the main hall side by side.

The Twin Jades of Lan moved gracefully like living statues, their heads held high—one maintaining a gentle smile and the other preserving a tranquil emotionless stare, cold as ice.

Following behind them was Lan Sizhui and Jin Ling’s stomach fluttered so involuntarily that he almost punched himself in the gut. The sensation didn’t last long, however, because the more he observed the handsome Lan boy, the more he could tell that something about him was horribly off.

Lan Sizhui was visibly trembling in what seemed like pain, as though it took every ounce of his strength and focus to maintain his posture. He hadn’t noticed anyone or anything around him because his eyes refused to leave the floor.

Jin Ling’s heart dropped. “What’s wrong with Sizhui?” he asked, turning to Lan Jingyi for answers.

Lan Jingyi frowned, staring solemnly at his best friend across the room. “He’s under some sort of constant surveillance after getting punished for breaking the rules.”

Jin Ling was at a complete loss for words. Punished? Breaking rules? Lan Sizhui? “…What?”

“My reaction exactly,” said Lan Jingyi. “One day, everything was fine. The next, I found Sizhui in the courtyard kneeling in front of the Old Man while getting lashed with the whip. All I know is that he climbed over the wall at night but that’s it. He’s been banned from talking to anyone.”

All the blood seemed to drain from Jin Ling’s body at the thought of Lan Sizhui getting whipped. “Is he okay?”

“Why are you even concerned?” Lan Jingyi questioned. “If it were me who got lashed, you’d be holding a banquet right now.”

Jin Ling smirked approvingly and pointed his chin. “Finally, we agree on something.”

Lan Jingyi blew his bangs out of his face and crossed his arms. “Anyway, the cold springs in the Cloud Recesses can speed up the healing process of injuries,” he revealed, “but Sizhui never went.”

Jin Ling glanced at Lan Sizhui again, smirk fading as the dejected Lan boy stood behind Hanguang-Jun and Zewu-Jun who acted as both his cage and shield from the bustling surroundings. Jin Ling knew how much the Twin Jades of Lan cared for their core disciple and he wondered if his ‘punishment’ to stay under their supervision was actually a means to comfort him.

Lan Sizhui never looked so small before, with his gentle eyes downcast and his right hand bashfully holding his left forearm. Traces of pain from his injuries came in occasional shivers and squints and the way he squeezed his arm to ground himself.

Jin Ling wanted to go to him more than anything but the Lan brothers were too potent of a deterrent, even for his fiery, confrontational nature.

“You might have a chance to talk to him later, A-Ling.”

Jin Ling looked back at Ouyang Zizhen and frowned but appreciated his optimism.

A playful arm slung around his shoulders as Lan Jingyi started tugging him to their seats. “Come on, Young Mistress. Believe it or not, Sizhui’s in good hands and tougher than he looks. Less moping, more sneaking liquor in the meeting!”

Jin Ling rolled his eyes, shrugging off Lan Jingyi’s arm. “Whatever, lightweight.”

“Psh! I’m just not a boring drunk like you.”

“W-wait, are we really gonna drink alcohol?” Ouyang Zizhen asked innocently, genuine worry in his voice.

Lan Jingyi shot him a mischievous grin as they took their seats and waited for the meeting to start. “You’ll live.”

•

The meeting droned on for hours, the only saving grace from boredom being the food, drink and playful jests of the disciples.

Only sect heirs and core disciples were allowed to attend these meetings, and as Jin Ling watched Lan Jingyi slam his fourth cup of ‘<i>water</i>’ with half-lidded eyes and a shameless grin wide as a crescent moon, he genuinely wondered how the seniors of the GusuLan sect decided he belonged among their cream of the crop.

Ouyang Zizhen held his liquor surprisingly well, showing no signs of drunkenness beyond a pleasant buzz. He remained fairly quiet with a content expression and had zero issues expressing himself coherently.

Jin Ling was definitely drunk but his tolerance was far higher than Lan Jingyi’s. He hadn’t listened to a word in the meeting, instead focusing on Lan Sizhui who sat behind the Twin Jades with his head bowed and his hands limply folded in his lap. Though he was obviously awake, his eyes had been closed since the meeting started.

Anger flashed across Jin Ling’s face. He wanted to pluck a plum from the bowl at his table and chuck it at Lan Sizhui’s head, scream at him to snap out of it but his genuine worry for the other stopped him from doing anything rash and ridiculous.

He thought if he stared at the Lan boy long enough, he might feel it and look back. He tried repeating his name in his mind as if they could telepathically communicate. He fidgeted, made weird movements, occasionally cleared his throat a little too loud—nothing worked.

Jin Ling slumped back and sighed, bangs falling like a curtain over his defeated eyes. Are you banned from looking at people too? Jin Ling thought. What happened, Sizhui? Just tell me…

As quickly as Jin Ling lost himself in thought, the meeting finally came to an end and everyone began heading to their rooms for the night. His head shot up and scanned the shuffling hall but Hanguang-Jun, Zewu-Jun and Lan Sizhui had already disappeared.

Even Fairy trotted off sometime during the meeting, cleverly saving herself from the monotony.

Jin Ling spotted his uncle hurrying away somewhere with Nie Huaisang, which he found odd, but he didn’t complain. One less pair of watchful eyes was a blessing in his current state. He could feel gravity fail him as he struggled to his feet, not realizing just how much he’d drank while staring at Lan Sizhui.

Lan Jingyi draped one arm around Jin Ling’s shoulders and the other around Ouyang Zizhen’s. “C’mon, Mistress Jin, the night’s still young. Let’s hang out in Zizhen’s room.”

Not in the mood to fight him, Jin Ling wordlessly allowed himself to be dragged out of the hall with Lan Jingyi happily sandwiched between him and Ouyang Zizhen.

•

“They’ve got him locked in a room now?!”

Jin Ling angrily paced back and forth in front of a soused Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen.

Ouyang Zizhen was on cloud nine, fiddling with an orchid he’d snatched from the sect meeting and Lan Jingyi was impishly egging Jin Ling on by agreeing with his frustrations.

“It’s tyranny,” Lan Jingyi claimed. “They won’t even let us talk to him! I can’t imagine Sizhui of all people doing something so bad that he’s even banned from what… talking?!”

Jin Ling glowered. He still believed there was more to it, that the esteemed Twin Jades of Lan were secluding him for a different reason—possibly even at Lan Sizhui’s own request. He just wanted to know why.

“I’m gonna go talk to him,” he said, courage burning like a wildfire in his amber eyes.

Ouyang Zizhen looked up from his orchid and Lan Jingyi buzzed with inebriated excitement. “Oh, this is gonna be good,” he chimed, leaning forward with growing interest. “What’s the plan, then? Breaking in? Kidnapping?”

Jin Ling glared down at him, unamused by his childish imagination. “I said I’m gonna talk to him, not commit a crime. And why would I have to break into a room in my own sect?”

Ouyang Zizhen shook his head and frowned. “If you go to his room, you might get caught by Hanguang-Jun or Zewu-Jun. I swear they can see through walls.”

Lan Jingyi snorted. “No kidding.”

“Then do you have any better ideas or are you just gonna tell me what not to do?” Jin Ling bit back, the impatience in his voice cutting the air like a knife.

Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen shared a knowing glance before staring back up at him with ominous smiles. Jin Ling could tell whatever scheme they’d conjured was likely the worst plan on earth but he was desperate.

The Lan clan would be heading back to Gusu first thing in the morning and Lan Sizhui hadn’t even acknowledged his existence. Something was terribly wrong and Jin Ling needed to know what it was before he went mad from overthinking.

“I’ve got an idea alright,” Lan Jingyi slurred. He staggered to his feet and confidently placed his hands on his hips. “Follow me.”

•

The three woozy disciples stood in one of Jinlintai’s many courtyards and stared up at a window glowing with lantern light. Though it wasn’t the highest room in the sect, it was elevated enough that one would certainly break bones if they fell from such a distance.

“You can’t be serious,” Jin Ling murmured through gritted teeth as he flatly stared up the wall, exasperation plastered across his face.

“We can always go back to your dumb idea of knocking on his door,” Lan Jingyi retorted. “Now that I think about it, seeing you get humiliated by Hanguang-Jun and ratted out to your uncle might actually be more entertaining than this.”

Ouyang Zizhen tried not to laugh while Jin Ling shot daggers at the annoyingly smug Lan disciple. He turned up his nose and straightened his posture before approaching the wall. He’d always been fairly decent at climbing and the wall seemed to have enough grooves to serve as hand and footholds.

Climbing while drunk was a new experience but if there was anything Jin Ling wasn’t afraid of, it was a challenge. “I’m going up,” he called behind him. “Keep watch.”

Ouyang Zizhen’s eyes sparkled with awe. Even Lan Jingyi seemed impressed by Jin Ling’s fearless initiative.

Jin Ling quickly made decent progress but the higher he got, the more he slowed down. The change in pace didn’t go unnoticed by his small audience.

“This is so romantic,” Ouyang Zizhen swooned as he watched Jin Ling awkwardly climb the wall below Lan Sizhui’s window.

Lan Jingyi snorted. “You have a weird sense of romance.”

Ouyang Zizhen lifted his brows and smiled. “Haven’t you ever heard of tales like this? The brave prince climbing the tower to rescue his beloved from their life of imprisonment!” He clasped his hands together as he spoke, eyes glistening like a lovelorn mistress.

“If Jin Ling is Lan Sizhui’s rescuer, he might want to hold his breath,” Lan Jingyi suggested, nudging Ouyang Zizhen’s arm with his elbow and pointing his chin up at the struggling Jin disciple. “His prince is about to fall on his ass.”

Ouyang Zizhen looked up at Jin Ling and frowned when he saw his feet repeatedly slipping against the wall’s surface. “A-Ling, be careful!”

His voice was way too loud and earned him a disapproving shove from Lan Jingyi. “Shhhh! Don’t you know Hanguang-Jun can hear a pin drop? You’re gonna get us all lashed too!”

“S-sorry,” Ouyang Zizhen pouted, shoulders dropping like a scolded child.

Lan Jingyi rolled his eyes and sighed. “Forget it. Just try to keep it down.”

Ouyang Zizhen nodded and didn’t repeat his mistake.

Jin Ling could hear the two disciples below him whispering but couldn’t make out what they were saying. He ignored them and continued his feat, the image of Lan Sizhui’s pained and deflated spirit at the sect meeting consuming his thoughts and encouraging his endurance.

He tried to picture Lan Sizhui breaking the Lan sect’s rules—perfectly poised, hopelessly respectful, model disciple Lan Sizhui.

You climbed that wall for something important, didn’t you? Jin Ling thought. The alcohol filled his head with light but the warmth in his chest wasn’t from drinking. I’m climbing this wall for something important, too.

Feeling unusually sentimental, Jin Ling smiled triumphantly as his hand finally reached the windowsill. Right when he was about to pull himself up and climb inside, every nerve in his body buzzed. His skin paled brighter than the moon as a familiar voice filled his ears.

“It meant a lot to you,” said Lan Wangji.

A brief pause, then another familiar voice.

“Yes,” Lan Sizhui replied softly. Jin Ling could swear his voice cracked.

“Sometimes things that mean a lot to us,” Lan Wangji began, “must be let go.”

He was obviously speaking from experience.

Lan Sizhui sniffed and a dull ache filled Jin Ling’s chest. Ache because Sizhui was upset. Ache because it sounded like he loved someone. Ache because Jin Ling’s limbs were on fire as he clung to the windowsill with his hands while his feet were braced against the wall. If he didn’t get into Lan Sizhui’s room quick, his muscles would give out and he’d fall.

He forced his eyes shut and focused as he listened to more of the conversation.

“It is almost nine,” Lan Wangji said. “Rest.”

“Yes, Hanguang-Jun. Thank you.”

Jin Ling’s eyes shot open at the sound of Sizhui’s bedroom door opening and closing. Not missing any chances, he barely lifted himself up before his arms started failing him. “Lan… Sizhui…” he called, voice strained.

Almost immediately, Lan Sizhui’s shocked and worried face popped out above him. For a split second, he didn’t care about his burning limbs because Lan Sizhui was finally looking at him. Sizhui, Jin Ling thought.

“Young Master Jin?!” Lan Sizhui exclaimed as quietly as his bewildered voice would allow. “What on earth—!”

Jin Ling frowned. “I’m gonna fall.”

Lan Sizhui’s panicked eyes went wide as saucers. He grabbed Jin Ling under his arms and yanked him over the windowsill with an almost inhuman strength before releasing the other disciple and stumbling back in pain.

The injuries on his back were obviously acting up from the exertion, which sent Jin Ling into a guilty frenzy. He scrambled over to where Lan Sizhui was sitting on the floor. “I-I’m sorry…! I’m sorry, this was stupid and I shouldn’t have come and—“

“Are you drunk?” Lan Sizhui asked, brows knitting at the smell of alcohol on Jin Ling’s breath.

“A little? So what? I can hold my liquor,” Jin Ling defended, his voice laced with offense. “I climbed all the way up here, Sizhui, I—“ He paused before lowering his voice. “I heard Hanguang-Jun.”

Lan Sizhui’s face drained of all color. “You… what did you hear?”

Jin Ling pondered for a moment, his thoughts fuzzy from intoxication. “Something about letting go?” He furrowed his brows and looked at the floor, trying not to think about the possibility of Lan Sizhui going through heartbreak. They were friends, after all. He would’ve told him if he liked someone… right?

“Sizhui,” Jin Ling said, looking the other boy directly in the eyes. “Are you okay?”

Warm light from the lanterns illuminating Lan Sizhui’s guest room cast the two boys in a soft, intimate glow. Gentle shadows danced between them as Lan Sizhui withdrew his hands into his lap and gave a weak smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ll be fine, Young Master Jin.”

“That’s not what I asked,” Jin Ling retorted. He leaned forward, scrunched his brows and blew air into his cheeks while searching Lan Sizhui’s expression for a different answer.

Lan Sizhui stared back at him with curiosity. He looked like a disgruntled pufferfish and it took everything in the Lan boy’s power not to laugh. Jin Ling, however, didn’t miss the slight upward curve of Lan Sizhui’s lips. His face softened at the sight.

“Young Master Jin, I know you want to ask about my punishment. You don’t need to pretend it’s about me.”

Jin Ling felt the ghost of a knife pierce through his chest and shrank back. The alcohol heightening his emotions really wasn’t helping. “Who says I’m pretending?”

He’d be lying if he said Lan Sizhui’s assumption didn’t hurt but he realized that whatever happened to him must have seriously tanked his confidence. Jin Ling couldn’t let his emotions ruin what he almost drunkenly fell off a wall for.

“Tell me if you’re okay or I won’t breathe.” Jin Ling put on another pufferfish face and actually held his breath, pinching his nose closed so he couldn’t cheat.

The second his face turned a hint of red, Lan Sizhui lunged forward and tore Jin Ling’s hand away from his nose. “Okay! I’ll tell you, but… you’ll laugh at me.”

Now it was getting interesting. Laugh? Why would he laugh? Was it really that funny? Then why did Lan Sizhui look like he was drowning in the pits of despair all evening? Jin Ling inhaled with relief. “I’ll try not to laugh, but if it’s actually funny…”

Lan Sizhui smiled nervously. “It’s just… a little embarrassing, is all.”

“Try me,” Jin Ling challenged.

Lan Sizhui fiddled with the tassel on his belt and nodded. “When I was a child and Senior Wei took care of my family and I in the Burial Mounds, I had a toy—a little tiger toy made by my grandmother.”

Warmth spread in Jin Ling’s chest while picturing a baby Lan Sizhui playing with his toys.

“It was left behind when our home was no longer safe but…” He paused and gave Jin Ling a sympathetic look before continuing. “My uncle, Wen Ning—he found it and gave it back to me.”

A small twitch tugged down the corners of Jin Ling’s mouth at the mention of The Ghost General but he stayed quiet and allowed Lan Sizhui to go on without interruption.

“I’ve kept it with me ever since, taken it everywhere… until a few nights ago when I accidentally dropped it over the wall of the Cloud Recesses during a perimeter check. I panicked and barely thought of the consequences before leaping after it.”

“After breaking one rule, I figured it didn’t matter much. I could probably find it and slip back in before curfew but I’d never been so wrong. I looked everywhere for it. Ripped through bushes, dug in the dirt, scoured the stream—it’s as if it never existed to begin with.”

Lan Sizhui winced in pain as he adjusted his position. His robes were loose enough at the neck that Jin Ling could see bandages. His hand almost reached to touch them but he quickly shook himself out of the sudden compulsion.

“Since it was too late for me to re-enter the Cloud Recesses, I searched and searched until I passed out from exhaustion. Oddly enough, I woke up in my own bed. I thought I might’ve dreamt everything but the toy was still gone and my clothes were stained with grass and dirt.”

“I barely had time to wake up and process anything before I was called to the courtyard and, well…” He gently touched the bandages beneath his clothes. “The rest tells itself.”

Jin Ling frowned at the bandages. “So… when Hanguang-Jun mentioned letting go…”

Lan Sizhui smiled and nodded, cheek’s slightly flushed with embarrassment. “He meant the tiger toy, yes.”

Clarity hit Jin Ling like a wave and he suddenly felt ridiculous for thinking Lan Sizhui and Hanguang-Jun had been talking about romance. He also felt relieved but he couldn’t pinpoint why—or, he just refused to admit the reason.

“They really lashed you for that?! That can’t be the worst thing a disciple’s ever done in the Cloud Recesses.” His thoughts immediately fixated on Wei Wuxian, having heard tales of his unbridled chaos during his studies in Gusu.

“It was only three lashes,” Lan Sizhui assured, acting as though just one lash was perfectly tolerable. The painful punishment of the GusuLan sect was widely known, even by those who’d never endured it. “One lash for venturing out at night, one lash for missing curfew and one lash for rising after five in the morning.”

Jin Ling was ready to rip his own hair out. “Rising after five?! You were exhausted!”

Noticing that Jin Ling seemed far more upset about his punishment than he was, Lan Sizhui passively waved his hands and smiled. “Young Master Jin, it really is no trouble. The embarrassment is far worse than the pain. Some things must be let go, after all.”

An unconvinced pout shadowed Jin Ling’s face but he was grateful Lan Sizhui trusted him enough to open up. Even more, he was smiling again—and this time, it reached his eyes. Jin Ling lost himself in the vision of Lan Sizhui’s soft skin in the lantern’s glow, his raven hair haloed in embers.

“Sizhui,” Jin Ling called quietly. “Jingyi told me the cold springs in Gusu have healing properties but you refused to use them?”

Lan Sizhui nodded and stared down at his hands. “I… felt like I deserved the punishment, so I chose to endure the results. It’s such a silly thing to break so many rules over, after all.”

He tried to laugh it off as a joke but Jin Ling wasn’t having it. “It’s not silly!”

“That’s nice of you to say, but—“

Jin Ling propelled forward and executed another pufferfish face, now fully aware that he could use it as a manipulation tactic to amuse Lan Sizhui.

And again, it worked flawlessly. Lan Sizhui’s face couldn’t help but brighten at the adorable sight of the young Jin disciple’s air-filled cheeks and Jin Ling’s eyes lit up as he basked in the satisfaction of being the Lan boy’s reason to smile. They sat together in comfortable silence for a minute before Lan Sizhui gave him an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry to say this,” he started, “but you should probably leave soon, Young Master Jin. I don’t want you to get in trouble for being here and I’m sure you’re tired.”

Broken out of his trance, Jin Ling suddenly remembered everything he’d done tonight. Got drunk at a sect meeting right under his senior’s noses. Climbed the walls of his own sect to break into Lan Sizhui’s guest room. Almost fell off in the process. Finally talked to Lan Sizhui. He yawned just thinking about it and Lan Sizhui flashed a fond and gentle grin, his suspicion confirmed.

Jin Ling awkwardly scrambled to his feet, the heaviness in his head making the room sway around him. Lan Sizhui took his time standing up to avoid any stress on his injuries. His mouth fell open when he saw Jin Ling walking back towards the window. “Young Master Jin?”

The other disciple turned to look at him with tired eyes. “Huh?”

“What are you doing?”

Jin Ling crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, sending his blunt bangs fluttering outward. “You told me to leave, so I’m leaving. What else would I be doing?”

A worried frown washed away Lan Sizhui’s sunny expression like rain. “You can’t climb back down, you’ll get hurt.” He invitingly held out his hand and curled his slender fingers towards himself. “Come. You can use the door, it’s fine.”

Like a dizzied moth to a flame, Jin Ling gravitated towards the pretty Lan boy in front of him. Lan Sizhui laughed in harmony with the flickering lanterns, melodic and sweet. “You’re much calmer when you’re drunk, Young Master Jin. Normally, you would’ve called me names or pushed me away by now.”

I can’t do that, I won’t do that, Jin Ling thought. He knit his brows and jerked his head to the side, refusing to show Lan Sizhui the unstoppable blush invading his cheeks. “Maybe you just haven’t annoyed me enough yet.”

Lan Sizhui chuckled as they walked to his bedroom door. “Ah, there he is. I was worried for a minute.”

Jin Ling’s cheeks burned even brighter. Lan Sizhui opened the door and peered into the hall. Once he was certain it was empty, he turned back to Jin Ling and frowned when the young disciple stumbled against the doorframe.

“Young Master Jin, I really should walk you back to your room—“

Jin Ling straightened immediately. “NO!”

Lan Sizhui paled at the volume of his voice and Jin Ling slapped his hands over his mouth. They stood in silence for a minute as they listened for any sign of stirring from the surrounding rooms. Luckily, no one seemed to have heard them.

Jin Ling didn’t mean his sudden shout as rejection. He just didn’t want Lan Sizhui to get into more trouble, especially on his behalf.

“Sorry,” Jin Ling whispered, his voice muffled by his hands.

Lan Sizhui sighed. Without warning, he reached up and gingerly plucked Jin Ling’s hands from his mouth causing the other boy to freeze. Jin Ling could hear his own heart pounding in his chest, his head, his stomach. It echoed throughout his body as Lan Sizhui’s gentle hands on his made his flushed face tingle.

“Psssst!”

Lan Sizhui whipped his head around and Jin Ling stood on the tips of his toes to peek over the taller boy’s shoulder. Hiding in a dark corner of the hall was Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen.

“Are you guys done yet?” Lan Jingyi whispered across the hall, somehow managing to make such a quiet voice sound irritated.

“D-done with what?!” Jin Ling stuttered, painfully misunderstanding his question as an accusation.

“Talking, what else?” Lan Jingyi hissed.

Ouyang Zizhen awkwardly waved at Lan Sizhui, giving him a friendly and comforting smile. Lan Sizhui smiled back while Jin Ling glared at the two juniors stuffed in the shadows.

“What are you even doing up here?” Jin Ling snapped.

“We thought you might’ve gotten caught by Hanguang-Jun or Zewu-Jun, so we came to check on you,” Ouyang Zizhen explained.

“Jingyi, Zizhen,” Lan Sizhui spoke. “Can you two make sure Young Master Jin gets to his room safely?”

Mortification shadowed Jin Ling’s face as he shrank back against the doorframe.

Before Ouyang Zizhen could politely reply, Lan Jingyi snorted wildly into his palm. “The Young Mistress needs an escort?”

“Jingyi,” Lan Sizhui repeated, his eyes narrowed and his voice unnervingly stern.

Jin Ling blinked up at him, not used to seeing Lan Sizhui’s assertive and protective side. The authority in his tone caused Lan Jingyi’s amusement to fade.

“Alright, alright,” Lan Jingyi mumbled. “We’ll take him back.”

“Thank you,” Lan Sizhui replied with genuine gratitude, his smile returning as though the unusual dominance that possessed him before had been exorcised from his body.

Jin Ling started walking towards the other two disciplines when Lan Sizhui stopped him. “Wait—before you go…” He pulled out a small perfume sachet from his sleeves and handed it to him. The sachet was white and embroidered with sky-blue clouds, just like the Lan sect’s forehead ribbon.

Jin Ling looked visibly confused. He took the sachet and studied it as though it were a curious artifact.

“It’ll help with any side effects of the liquor. Just keep it near you when you sleep or else it won’t work.”

Jin Ling’s lips parted to speak but his arm was unceremoniously grabbed by Lan Jingyi. “Young Mistress Jin, it’s almost nine and I’m not getting in trouble for you. Let’s go already.”

He ripped his arm out of Lan Jingyi’s grasp as he was forcefully pulled away from Lan Sizhui. He gave the other Lan boy one last glance before he, Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen clumsily stumbled down the hall, bantering as they went.

Lan Sizhui watched them leave and smiled. “Thank you, A-Ling.”

•

Despite Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen pestering him with questions about his time with Lan Sizhui, Jin Ling remained defiantly quiet on the trek back to his room.

Eventually, the two gave up and chatted amongst themselves while Jin Ling was lost in thought.

He mulled over every detail of Lan Sizhui’s story. He frowned at the reminder of the other boy’s lashings. He blushed at the realization that he wanted nothing more than to stay in Lan Sizhui’s room for the night. He marveled at the fact that thoughts like this would otherwise leave him irrationally flustered but the alcohol in his system sedated his temper.

Right now, his strongest feeling was perseverance as an idea sprung to life in his slowly sobering mind.

Once he was deposited safely into his room and said his goodbyes to Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen, he lit several lanterns and candles and hurried over to a trunk in the corner by his bed.

Fairy perked up from her own bed and wagged her tail after a night of patiently waiting for her master. She stuck her tongue out and observed him curiously as he rummaged through the trunk.

Jin Ling pulled out a generous stack of paper along with several ink pots and brushes and spread them out onto the floor. He worked tirelessly in the soft lantern light and flickering flames until every wick met its end and the room dimmed enough to surrender to the moonlight.

Satisfied with his work, Jin Ling sighed with exhaustion and clamored into his bed. He thought of Lan Sizhui and clutched the small perfume sachet against his chest.

Orange blossom and cedar wood permeated his dreams as he drifted off to sleep.

•

The docks of Jinlintai were bathed in the hazy glow of the rising sun where several guests of the Jin clan readied their boats to depart.

The Lan clan followed suit, Lan Sizhui still confined to the role of being Hanguang-Jun and Zewu-Jun’s shadow. Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen offered minimal help, too busy chatting with other sect disciples they’d somehow managed to befriend overnight.

Lan Sizhui placed his travel bag of belongings on their boat and turned to survey the gradually dispersing crowd as everyone said their goodbyes and boarded to set sail.

Jin Ling was nowhere to be seen.

Lan Sizhui’s eyes fell with his frown but he tried not to overthink. The young Jin disciple surely slept in after the bizarre and hectic night he’d endured before. Lan Sizhui took comfort in the fact that he was able to see and speak with him at least once before his journey back to the Cloud Recesses and did his best to push any insecurities to the back of his mind.

After seeing off Ouyang Zizhen, Lan Jingyi carelessly flopped into the boat after the contrasting grace of the Twin Jades’ perfectly postured strides. Lan Sizhui took one last look at Jinlintai before stepping onboard himself.

Right when he was about to push the boat away from the docks, he heard a familiar voice call his name. His head whipped up to see Jin Ling tearing down the steps of the docks in a wild hurricane of yellow robes and wind-swept hair.

He skidded to a stop in front of the Lan sect’s boat and panted, making his best effort to speak between heavy breaths. “Si… zhui… wait—“

Lan Jingyi stared at them with suspicion while Zewu-Jun’s brows raised in interest. Hanguang-Jun stood at Zewu-Jun’s side and simply observed the scene with his usual stoic demeanor.

Jin Ling finally caught his breath enough to look up at Lan Sizhui, who was even taller standing on the boat. The sunrise made his gentle eyes sparkle like amethyst geodes and his fair, glowing skin resembled warm starlight.

Feeling out of breath again at the angelic vision before him, Jin Ling inhaled and brought his hands up, shoving something towards Lan Sizhui.

Lan Sizhui’s eyes reluctantly left Jin Ling’s as they followed his movements and settled on the young Jin disciple’s outstretched hands.

The moment he saw what was cradled in his palms, his lips parted in pleasant surprise and his eyes glistened with emotion.

A carefully folded paper tiger stood proudly in Jin Ling’s hands. Its unevenly painted stripes and lopsided beady eyes made it obvious Jin Ling wasn’t much of a painter but the paper-folding was near perfect. Its shape was exactly like the tiger toy he’d lost. Even the design of its stripes were similar and Lan Sizhui wondered if Jin Ling had somehow seen the toy himself.

“I know it’s not the same, but…” Jin Ling didn’t know what else to say, his cheeks burning red as he furrowed his brow and looked off to the side.

Lan Sizhui carefully took the paper tiger into his own hands, handling it as though it were a baby bird. It was clear he didn’t know what to say either, both astonished and touched by the gift, but he tried to speak anyway. “Young Master Jin, I—“

Jin Ling shook his head. “Y-you don’t have to say anything. I know it’s awkward, just…” He mumbled something under his breath after a brief pause.

Lan Sizhui frowned, looking confused. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear—“

“Stay safe,” Jin Ling blurted, looking up at Lan Sizhui with a serious face that made his words seem more like a command.

Lan Sizhui raised his brows, the heat creeping into his cheeks turning them a pretty shade of rose. He gently hugged the paper tiger to his chest and nodded, his shining smile illuminating the world around him. “I’ll see you soon, A-Ling.”

Lan Sizhui immediately spun around and took a seat next to Lan Jingyi, blushing coyly from his own boldness and leaving Jin Ling stunned at the edge of the docks. On autopilot from shock, Jin Ling pushed the boat and reluctantly watched Lan Sizhui drift away from him.

Lan Jingyi peeked at the paper tiger in Lan Sizhui’s hands and scrunched his nose. “The hell is that supposed to b—“

He abruptly fell silent as the grave and turned to see Hanguang-Jun’s cold stare boring into him like a glacial spear. Lan Jingyi shrank back in his seat and dropped the subject.

Lan Sizhui was too engrossed with Jin Ling’s gift to notice the exchange beside him. He pet the paper tiger’s sides, its tail, its head, admiring how every fold and paint stroke was made for him.

At the edge of the docks, Jin Ling watched the Lan clan’s boat wade towards the horizon. Lan Sizhui’s perfume sachet hung at his waist and a gentle breeze whispered through the strands of his long, dark hair filling the air around him with orange blossom and cedar wood—the scent of his favorite person.

His features softened with a wave of bliss when he noticed Lan Sizhui looking back at him. He closed his amber eyes and smiled.

“See you soon, A-Yuan.”

{ 🖤 }

13 notes · View notes

gusu-emilu · 3 years

Link

raven sun: Ch 1/3, 4.6k

for @mdzsbingo prompts “rarepair, mission, hostile, paranoia”

Ship: Jiang Cheng / Wen Ning

Summary: Wen Ning becomes possessed by a vengeful spirit. Unfortunately, Jiang Cheng is the closest target.

Rated M, contains nonsexual but dubconny dom/sub elements in later chapters

Post-Canon

Angst and Eventual Hurt/Comfort

Antagonistic Uncles to Less Antagonistic Uncles

Dom Wen Ning

for those who saw the golden core reveal and said “needs more degradation”

Swordplay with Suibian (and all its implications)

Jiang Cheng’s plans for this night hunt did not include this much physical contact with the Ghost General.

His plans hadn't involved any physical contact with the Ghost General. Nor did they involve his right leg being immobilized by a blast of resentful energy from a tiny figurine, or limping out of a crumbling farmhouse with Wen Ning supporting him, arm around his waist. But most things don’t go the way Jiang Cheng wants them to.

As he and Wen Ning hobble out of the farmhouse, each step sending a jolt of pain up Jiang Cheng’s leg, the figurine releases a fiercer storm of resentful energy. As if angered by their attempt to escape, it kicks up dust and shards of wood that fly around them as the house collapses.

A beam crashes to the floor.

Wen Ning grabs Jiang Cheng by the shoulders and leaps forward. His jump is so powerful that it propels them through the doorway and into the forest a few dozen paces away. Jiang Cheng lands on his stomach, the wind knocked out of him, Wen Ning on top of him. They slide across the forest floor, turning up earth, until they crash sideways into a tree trunk.

Ears ringing, Jiang Cheng draws on his spiritual energy to restore his breath. He tries to stand, impatient to check how the juniors fared the attack, but he can only push up against Wen Ning without going anywhere.

Wen Ning seems to be shielding him with his body, a gesture which is thoroughly insulting.

“Get off me!” Jiang Cheng growls.

He lets his anger grow, feeds on the frustration of being trapped. He ignores the disturbing sliver of comfort that the weight of Wen Ning's body brings.

“Get off!”

The weight lifts.

Jiang Cheng sits up. “Where’s Jin Ling?”

“I’m not sure. Jin-zongzhu and the others escaped the house before us.”

“At least they got out,” Jiang Cheng says tersely.

At least one part of this night hunt is going according to plan: Jin Ling is safe.

And, he must admit, he’s been almost as concerned with keeping the other juniors safe, too. He’d taken the blow of resentful energy for Lan Sizhui, managed to shield him just in time. He’d be injured for nothing if the Lan boy doesn’t make it out of the night hunt alive.

He would’ve thought that perfect Hanguang-Jun’s perfect little child—the “most promising disciple of his generation”—would’ve been able to hold his own on a night hunt. But if Jiang Cheng must run around saving the boy…fine. He’ll do just that.

Jiang Cheng’s right leg is still locked, completely immobile. He makes it to his feet with difficulty, but quickly enough that Wen Ning doesn’t have the chance to help him. Thankfully. A few more overly attentive, patronizing gestures from the Ghost General, and Jiang Cheng might let Zidian demonstrate why Wen Ning ought to keep an appropriate distance.

Calling for his nephew, Jiang Cheng starts to make his way back toward the farmhouse, which is likely little more than ruins by now. He wonders if he’ll ever make it there to find out. He can barely manage to limp, dragging his leg behind him.

“Jiang-zongzhu, let me help—”

“Forget it. Just go ahead of me. See how the juniors are doing.”

Wen Ning just stares at him. When he isn’t ducking his head and looking at his feet, his black eyes have a soul-searching steadiness that is both chilling and disarmingly gentle. It makes Jiang Cheng want to crawl inside of himself.

“…Thank you,” Wen Ning says. “For…A-Yuan—”

“I didn’t do anything for ‘A-Yuan,’” Jiang Cheng snaps, refusing to look at Wen Ning any longer.

Wen Ning remains in place for a few moments. Then he turns and runs away, chains clinking behind him.

Last month, Jiang Cheng had to help him put those chains back on after they got knocked out of place by a demonic boar. A lovely experience for everyone.

By now, Jiang Cheng has figured out that Wen Ning keeps those chains on not just to use a weapon, but also as some strange form of comfort. Jiang Cheng doesn’t understand it. But for some reason, he just knows it’s true.

After so many night hunts, he’s developed a disturbing level of familiarity with Wen Ning’s habits and expressions. It crept up on him slowly, a few threads woven in at a time. Yet another thing that was not part of his plans.

Unfortunately, spending time in each other’s company seems unavoidable. They are both committed to protecting their nephews. If A-Ling must be friends with the Ghost General’s only living relative, Jiang Cheng will just have to grit his teeth and endure it.

At least it’s somewhat useful to know how Wen Ning fights, as it allows them to coordinate their protection of the juniors more easily. But it’s still unnerving to know the finer details, like the exact way Wen Ning likes his chains arranged, as if Jiang Cheng ever wanted to have so much knowledge about the man.

He doesn’t even care about Wen Ning.

And if he owes a debt to Wen Ning—owes a debt to protect what remains of Wen Ning’s family, too—that doesn’t affect his feelings at all.

Doesn’t even enter his thoughts…

* * *

As willing as Wen Ning usually is to defer to others’ judgment, admitting when Jiang Wanyin is right pricks a nerve. Still, they do need to look after the juniors first, and Wen Ning can do that fastest on his own.

Wen Ning also feels a bit guilty leaving Jiang Wanyin behind while he’s wounded—especially when he’d taken that injury for A-Yuan. But there will be time to heal him later.

Maybe it's because he doesn’t have Jiejie anymore, maybe it's because he has A-Yuan to look after, but Wen Ning has become preoccupied with caretaking. Perhaps it’s for good reason. He has the ability to protect others, and he knows the lost medical techniques of the Dafan Wen. What better use for his unnatural existence than to help others? What better way to atone for the past?

He arrives back at the wreckage of the farmhouse, but it’s deserted. He returns to the forest to continue searching for the juniors.

“Wen-qianbei!” he hears from bushes in the forest near the wreckage.

“A-Yuan?”

The juniors nearly leap out of the forest.

“Wen-qianbei!” Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi excitedly call at the same time. They shoot somewhat surprised glares at each other, then hurry over along with A-Yuan and Ouyang Zizhen.

“We’ve been looking for you!” Lan Jingyi says.

“Yeah, we were really worried!” says Ouyang Zizhen.

A-Yuan puts a hand on Wen Ning’s shoulder. Fondness warms him as soon he meets A-Yuan’s gaze.

“Are you alright?” A-Yuan asks.

“Of course,” Wen Ning says, almost wanting to laugh with the relief that washes over him at seeing that everyone seems unharmed. “I’m always alright. I should be asking you.”

The juniors all seem so happy to see him. Even Jin Ling is smiling. He still isn’t quite used to affection from them, especially not from Jin Ling.

“Is everyone okay? Any injuries?” Wen Ning asks.

He’s met with a cheerful chorus of various variations of “We’re fine.”

Except from Jin Ling, whose smile is fading. “Where’s my jiujiu?”

Wen Ning nods over his shoulder. “Close behind. But he needs help getting here.”

Jin Ling flies off to find him.

After Wen Ning has checked the other three juniors for injuries, they start inspecting the ruins of the farmhouse to search for the figurine. But Wen Ning hangs back, a feeling of dread churning inside his chest, clawing at him.

He’d already felt unusually anxious for this night hunt before embarking on it. Still, he’d been able to face it.

But he hadn’t expected the figurine’s spirit to be this powerful.

The rumors about the figurine had all been similar, and had seemed typical for a mid-level vengeful spirit. Recently, a new footpath was created to connect two villages that lay a two-day traveling distance apart, with the abandoned farmhouse as the midpoint. If a lone traveler spent the night in the farmhouse, nothing happened.

But if a group of travelers slept inside, one of them would become possessed. The possessed traveler would accuse their companions of horrible deeds and attempt to murder them all in the name of retribution.

After some research, it was discovered that the family that used to live in the farmhouse had always gotten into fierce arguments—and one day, they all killed each other inside the house. The sole witness was a small figurine of an immortal. The figurine soaked up all the family’s hatred and bloodlust until it developed its own spirit.

And developed an aptitude for possession.

It’s possible that the figurine had destroyed itself when the house collapsed, but unlikely. The juniors will have to dig it up and figure out how to pacify it.

Wen Ning watches from a distance while the juniors search through the ruins. Anxiety continues to churn inside him. It’s different from the nervous excitement he usually feels about night hunts, having never gone on a proper night hunt before his death. And it’s different from his typical parentlike worry for the juniors.

The juniors should be relatively safe confronting the spirit. They have high cultivation levels for their age, and they underwent spirit-calming rituals as infants. Their risk of possession is low.

But Wen Ning is the perfect conduit for possession. To approach a spirit this strong would be like holding a metal rod in a lightning storm.

The memory of fighting against Baxia’s saber spirit still hangs heavy over him. Almost as heavy as what happened in Qiongqi Path. Despite Wei Wuxian having taught him how to maintain some autonomy while in the clutches of resentful energy and spirits, he still has so little control over himself.

He can’t get near this spirit. He could put everyone at danger if he does.

“They’re back!” Ouyang Zizhen calls. The juniors run over to the edge of the forest.

Jiang Wanyin and Jin Ling emerge from the forest. Jiang Wanyin’s leg doesn’t look any better. He’s still dragging it along behind him, with Jin Ling supporting him the way Wen Ning had a few minutes ago.

“Jiang-zongzhu,” A-Yuan says with a small bow. “Thank you for—”

“What are you talking about? I did nothing. Get back to work,” Jiang Wanyin says before he can finish. “The spirit is in that wreckage somewhere. We should deal with it fast before something else happens.”

A-Yuan glances back at Wen Ning, looking a bit disappointed. Wen Ning just shakes his head.

“That means all of you,” Jiang Wanyin says to Jin Ling when his nephew doesn’t move from his side.

With a mix of concern and displeasure, Jin Ling helps Jiang Wanyin over to a tree he can hold for support, then joins the others. The four juniors make to leave, then stop and look over expectantly at Wen Ning when he doesn’t follow.

Wen Ning should help them search for the figurine. Should help them pacify such a dangerous spirit. But anxiety freezes him in place.

A-Yuan seems to notice his discomfort. He smiles and gives Wen Ning a tiny nod, making gratitude swell inside Wen Ning for how perceptive his nephew is.

A-Yuan steps forward. “Wen-qianbei, Jiang-zongzhu, we can complete the rest of the night hunt. Facing the spirit on our own would be valuable experience.”

“We are an ideal team,” Ouyang Zizhen adds.

“Yeah, we can hold our own!” Lan Jingyi chimes in. “The four of us even escaped the spirit’s attack way faster than you guys.”

Jiang Wanyin frowns. A-Yuan shoots a chastising glance at Jingyi.

“You’re right,” Wen Ning says, feeling a bit more relaxed. “You’re all capable enough to handle this. I’ll stay behind to heal Jiang-zongzhu. The two of us will be close by if you need help.”

The juniors head back toward the wreckage.

Jiang Wanyin side-eyes Wen Ning. “Why so eager to let them run off without you? Is the Ghost General scared of a doll?”

His words wouldn’t bother Wen Ning so much if they weren’t absolutely true. “They’re all capable cultivators, and Jin Ling is a sect leader. They’ll be fine without us. But you need to be healed.”

“Worry about them first. I’ll last until the spirit is dealt with—and that’ll happen a lot faster if you put yourself to work.”

“They’ll be safer if both of us are on our feet and ready to help if they call.”

Jiang Wanyin sighs. “Fine.”

He winces as Wen Ning helps him to the ground, his back propped against the tree. Wen Ning kneels beside his injured leg. He lifts Jiang Wanyin’s violet robes and trousers up to his mid-thigh, revealing a black wound traveling from his ankle up to just below his knee.

“It’s a curse mark,” Wen Ning says in disbelief.

The skin hit by the curse is blackened and swollen, the muscle tissue immobilized. Currents of resentful energy snake along the wound’s surface like a second set of veins outside the skin.

It looks just like the curse mark Wei Wuxian transferred to himself from Jin Ling, but worse. Now both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin have received curse marks to protect a boy that the other cares about.

Wen Ning can’t decide whether he finds that surprising or not. He knows that Jiang Wanyin cares fiercely about his family, but he also knows that he isn’t the best at following through on it. And he definitely didn’t know that Jiang Wanyin might care about any member of the Dafan Wen.

He looks up at Jiang Wanyin. “This curse mark won’t disappear until—"

“I know how curse marks work,” Jiang Wanyin snaps.

Wen Ning takes a deep breath and reminds himself that Jiang Wanyin received this wound while protecting A-Yuan. “The curse won’t disappear until the spirit’s grievances are resolved, but I can apply a charmed tourniquet to keep it from spreading up your leg.

“…Alright.”

Reaching into his qiankun sleeve of medical supplies, Wen Ning pulls out the tourniquet and begins tying it around Jiang Wanyin’s leg, just below his knee.

Jiang Wanyin tenses as he continues tying. He isn’t sure if it’s because Jiang Wanyin is in pain, or if he just feels uncomfortable with Wen Ning touching him. Probably both.

“Don’t you need a windlass to tie a tourniquet?” Jiang Wanyin asks. Remarkably, it sounds like a genuine question, not criticism.

“The purpose of this tourniquet isn’t to stop blood flow, and the charm is very effective, so it doesn’t need to be so tight. It actually needs to be a little loose so your qi can flow to the wound and suppress the curse mark.”

“Hm.”

Wen Ning could explain more. Could explain how the charm was cast, how the material of the tourniquet was chosen, how it’s designed to last for hours. He enjoyed learning details like this from Jiejie when he was young, and now he enjoys teaching them to A-Yuan. He rarely has the opportunity to share his knowledge with anyone else.

But the topic of medical operations hangs between him and Jiang Wanyin with an uncomfortable weight.

He tries to fill the silence anyway. “Even if the tourniquet did need to be tight, my arm strength is probably good enough to tie it without a windlass. Not that…not that that’s good medical practice—it’s really bad medical practice, actually—so I wouldn’t do that anyway—”

Jiang Wanyin scoffs and turns away. “Just hurry up.”

Wen Ning finishes tying the tourniquet. “Done. Wait—”

Jiang Wanyin tries to stand up. Wen Ning presses down on his shoulder to keep him in place, which earns him a perplexed glare.

Wen Ning doesn’t want to return to the wreckage just yet. Not when he doesn’t know what to do about his dangerous susceptibility to possession. And Jiang Wanyin is the last person he wants to explain that to.

Thankfully, he has a good reason to stall: Jiang Wanyin still needs more treatment.

“I have some herbs that might be able to weaken the curse,” Wen Ning suggests.

“Fine. After that, you’re coming with me to go solve whatever that doll’s grievances are.”

Wen Ning pulls out a satchel of herbs that, at one time, would've smelled sweet to him. He begins rubbing them on the curse mark as delicately as his clumsy hands can manage, while Jiang Wanyin quite obviously tries not to flinch from pain.

“You aren’t here to heal me,” Jiang Wanyin says suddenly.

Wen Ning looks up, expecting to see Jiang Wanyin scowling. What he sees instead is a surprisingly calm gaze of careful scrutiny.

“You’re scared of something.” Jiang Wanyin continues. He speaks slowly, like it’s a question he isn’t sure he should ask.

Somehow, over the course of these night hunts, Jiang Wanyin has learned to read him a bit too well.

* * *

“Well?” Jiang Cheng says. “Is there some other factor in this night hunt that I don’t know about?”

Wen Ning looks unnerved by the question, but he just continues applying the herbs, swirling them in small, gentle circles—almost caresses—with his fingers. It creates a steady stream of pain that makes Jiang Cheng grind his teeth, but Wen Ning’s touch is light enough that it doesn’t hurt more than necessary.

That alone is enough to eat at Jiang Cheng. That Wen Ning is this careful not to inflict undue pain on him—that Wen Ning is helping him at all—when the man has no reason to care about him. Has no reason to be gentle with him other than out of condescension.

But Wen Ning has let down the mask before. Let his thoughts flow freely. Although Jiang Cheng hates to admit it, Wen Ning has hurt him before.

Since then, Jiang Cheng has tried to drop the mask a second time, to get Wen Ning to reveal the spite he knows lies beneath it, but he can only catch mere glimpses.

He knows he’s hurt Wen Ning, too. Knows he deserves nothing.

Knows Wen Ning despises him.

It would just be nice if Wen Ning acted like it.

“If there’s a reason for you to be scared of something,” Jiang Cheng says, “I think I should be informed of it. Unless you’re implying that I’d be of no use even if I did know.”

Wen Ning's jaw tightens. “I’m scared of being possessed,” he says coldly, without looking up. “I’ve lost control in the past, and I don’t want to lose it again.”

The honest answer catches Jiang Cheng off guard.

Visions of how the Ghost General might have looked like at Qiongqi Path flash through his mind—visions of how he might have looked as he slaughtered dozens of cultivators, as he drenched his hands in Jin Zixuan's blood.

Anger seethes through his veins. But something else rises in him, too.

Something almost like…pity.

Wen Ning lifts Jiang Cheng’s leg slightly to rub the herbs on the underside of his calf. His touch is still agonizingly gentle.

“You seemed fine on every other night hunt,” Jiang Cheng says, unsure how to respond.

“This spirit is especially skilled at possession.”

“If you’re so worried about it, what would you do if the juniors called for us right now? Ignore them and keep hiding?”

Wen Ning pauses, resting his hand on Jiang Cheng’s knee. He stares at the ground, his shoulders hunched. “…I’d go help them.”

“And if you get possessed?”

“A-Yuan knows what to do if that happens.”

“And if ‘A-Yuan’ can’t do anything?”

Wen Ning looks up at him.

“Then you can strike me with Zidian.”

A chill runs down his spine.

He’s struck Wen Ning with Zidian three times before—all in the same night, the night Wen Ning struck him with truth in the form of a sword’s blade.

He would strike Wen Ning with Zidian again if he had to. He wouldn’t hesitate. He knows he wouldn’t.

The only problem is that—

“Zidian can only exorcise spirits from the living,” he says.

The spiritual weapon can’t easily incapacitate Wen Ning either. Normal fierce corpses can be taken out in one blow, but Wei Wuxian, in his infinite brilliance, made Wen Ning several times stronger. Zidian would have to nearly destroy Wen Ning to incapacitate him.

Not that Jiang Cheng would have…hesitations about that. Not if it came to protecting A-Ling.

At least, he tells himself he wouldn’t.

Wen Ning is silent for an uncomfortably long time.

“You’re skilled enough of a cultivator to stop me,” he finally replies.

Jiang Cheng ignores how that makes the tiniest bit of heat rise to his cheeks. Silence envelops them again, and Wen Ning resumes rubbing the herbs into the curse mark.

Jiang Cheng has seen Wen Ning heal the juniors on night hunts before, but he’s never needed to be treated by Wen Ning. It feels strange to depend on him.

The thought gives him an inexplicable urge to kick something. Maybe Wen Ning. Maybe himself. He holds himself back for the sake of sparing himself another leg injury.

“What’s Lan Sizhui’s method to stop you?”

“…It’s not necessary for you to know.”

“If there’s a risk of you losing control and harming my family again, I deserve to know how to prevent it.”

Wen Ning’s expression hardens.

That came out more accusatory than he intended.

As if he cares. As if he was ever able to meet gentleness with anything but a daggered tongue.

“Unless you don’t truly believe I’m capable enough to manage it? Unless that was a lie?” Jiang Cheng continues, his tone biting.

He’s already dug himself a ditch. Might as well look like he intended it. At least dealing with an angry Ghost General is less sickening than receiving his kindness.

Jiang Cheng narrows his eyes. “Or maybe you don’t believe I’m reliable enough?”

“I do believe in your capability,” Wen Ning says sharply. It sounds like an insult. “But this has nothing to do with you, Jiang Wanyin.”

Jiang Wanyin, not Jiang-zongzhu. He’s losing Wen Ning’s respect. Good to know. As if he ever had it.

“Nothing to do with me?”

“No. This is personal, and I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Personal?” Jiang Cheng leans forward, already regretting the words he’s about to say. “Do you think the death of my sister’s husband isn’t personal for me, too?”

Wen Ning rises to his feet. At this angle, he towers over Jiang Cheng. The smallest bit of fear flares up inside Jiang Cheng’s chest, making him angry at himself for feeling any fear at all.

“I’m sorry,” Wen Ning says, raising his voice. “I’ve been sorry for sixteen years.” He gestures down at Jiang Cheng’s leg. “I’ve done all I can for your wound.”

He walks off, sinking into the forest. Rage and guilt erupt inside Jiang Cheng, biting at him like wolves.

“Wen Ning!”

Feeling every last bit of dignity leave his body, he manages to stand up and limp after him, using his sword like a cane and dragging his cursed leg behind himself. A pit grows in his stomach as he continues calling for Wen Ning.

Wen Ning—the one to apologize and walk away from an argument, something Jiang Cheng could never do. Just like how Wen Ning was the one to save Jin Ling in Guanyin Temple, the one to protect Wei Wuxian until the end. Of course Wen Ning is everything Jiang Cheng couldn’t be. Can’t be.

“The juniors are still at the wreckage!” he yells once he’s deeper in the forest. “Are you such a coward that you’re just going to abandon them?

“They’d be in more danger if I’m nearby,” says a quiet voice overhead.

Wen Ning is sitting in a tree, not bothering to look down.

Jiang Cheng sighs. He’s found Wen Ning, and now what is he going to do? Say he was wrong? Grovel at the base of the tree?

Having spent most of his life picking up broken pieces, always cleaning up Wei Wuxian’s messes, he should be better at putting back together the things he breaks himself. Instead he always cuts himself on the shards.

He thinks of how Wen Ning saved his life once. Thinks of how much A-Jie liked Wen Ning. The pit in his stomach deepens.

“Back then, maybe you weren't able to stop it from happening. I don't know,” he says, painfully aware of how much he’s stumbling through this already.

No response.

“But you need to snap out of it. You fought against Baxia’s possession in Guanyin Temple."

Still no answer. He'd rather just shake Wen Ning out of the tree at this rate. He grits his teeth, shoves down his impatience, and forces himself to keep talking.

"Look, you could’ve killed Jin Ling. But you didn’t. This figurine spirit can’t be any stronger than Baxia. You can fight it.”

Wen Ning shifts slightly.

“If you give up on this night hunt and the juniors…if you give up on Lan Sizhui—”

That gets Wen Ning to look down at him. He resists the way his body wants to shrivel up under that critical gaze.

“You’ve gotten control back before.” Jiang Cheng swallows and turns his face away. “You could do it again.”

You’ve saved A-Ling plenty of times. I trust you with him, gets stuck in his throat.

Wen Ning still doesn’t speak. The restless silence of the forest is too uncomfortable for Jiang Cheng to keep his mouth shut.

“What you can’t be doing is giving up on protecting the juniors! If you’re not an ally on these night hunts, then I’ll have to consider you a—”

“If it came to it, I would still face the spirit.” Wen Ning’s voice is quiet. Tranquil.

Jiang Cheng scoffs. "Good."

Wen Ning leaps down from the tree, landing with a loud thud. It’s a wonder his legs don’t break with the way he always throws himself around, as if he doesn’t care about looking after his body. Jiang Cheng finds himself startled that he wants to tell Wen Ning to stop doing that.

“I should still keep my distance from the wreckage if I can,” Wen Ning says. “Thank you for…I’m…I’m surprised that you—"

“Well, then don’t be so damn surprised,” Jiang Cheng hurries to interrupt before he has to hear more of Wen Ning’s deadly honesty. “We’re going back to the edge of the forest now.”

Wen Ning doesn’t try to support Jiang Cheng while they walk back. He isn’t sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but he’s grateful for the space either way.

Just before they reach the last line of trees, a loud boom comes from the direction of the wreckage, followed by shouts from the juniors.

Jiang Cheng tries not to panic.

Even if things get messy, the juniors can handle themselves.

He forces himself to limp faster—

“Wen-qianbei!”

“Jiujiu!”

Fuck!

“Jin Ling!” Jiang Cheng calls.

He tries to run toward them, but he can only limp so fast. He unsheathes Sandu to fly instead.

Can’t fly.

The damn curse wound must be distorting his spiritual power—

He turns to Wen Ning. “Come on!—”

His stomach sinks.

Wen Ning is frozen in place, staring blankly ahead.

Jiang Cheng grabs him by the arm. It trembles beneath his hand. “Wen Ning! We need to move!”

“I...I…”

“Now!”

Wen Ning sinks to his knees.

The juniors' cries grow louder.

Fuck.

#mdzsbingo #mdzsnet #theuntameddaily #chengning #jiang cheng #wen ning #ningcheng #mdzs #cql #the untamed #emilu creations #emilu fics

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stiltonbasket · 4 years

Note

A couple little prompts for the soulmate au: How does the post-resurrection reunion between Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning go? And how would the Twin Jades react to seeing him again and learning the Jins kept him prisoner for years?

the reunion between wwx/wen ning doesn’t differ significantly from canon, so take some twin jades reacting to it!

---

“Xiongzhang,” Lan Wangji entreats, as his brother sits frozen on the floor across from him. “Wen Ning was seen by over a hundred cultivators including myself. I am not mistaken.”

“I was not doubting you, Wangji,” Xichen says quietly, motioning to the open door. Lan Wangji obeys the mute instruction and slides the door shut, sinking down on the mat by the tea table while Lan Xichen stares into his white-jade cup; the ropy scar skirting his brother’s hairline is more evident than ever at this angle, starker and paler than the scar at his breast from Nie Mingjue’s dao, and the sight of it brings Lan Wangji back to Qiongqi Road all over again.

“Jin Guangshan said that Wen Ning had been slain. Burned, and his ashes scattered,” Lan Xichen murmurs. “So that too was a lie.”

Lan Wangji pours him another cup of tea. “What did Lianfang-zun say on the matter?”

“A-Yao? He was not present then, I believe. It was he who discovered Jin Zixun had taken our cultivators, and he sought Jin Zixuan out in the hopes that he could keep his cousin from attacking Young Master Wei. And after he heard that we had been wounded, he came to the Cloud Recesses.”

Though he has little reason to think in such a way, Lan Wangji is rarely sympathetic to his brother’s fondness for Jin Guangyao. If Jin Guangyao had not informed Jin Zixuan about the ambush on Qiongqi Road, Jin Zixuan would never have died, and Wei Ying would have lived; and if he had not obeyed his father’s orders and led a force of Jin cultivators upon the Burial Mounds, Lan Wangji would never have had to stand against them all to protect A-Yuan. And if his own clan elders had not been summoned to bring him back home―again, upon Jin Guangyao’s request―Lan Wangji would not have been forced to fight them off, or submit to the discipline whip to atone for his transgression.

Jin Guangyao might never have intended any of that to happen, but it had happened all the same, and Lan Wangji has never forgiven him for it. He will especially never forget the fact that Jin Guangyao was the one at his brother’s side when Jingyi was born, because Nie Mingjue was dead and buried and Lan Wangji was still too frail after the whipping to leave his bed for longer than ten minutes at a time.

“Wangji?”

“Mm?”

“Where is Wen Ning now?” his brother asks. “You said that he seemed to have lost his intelligence, but perhaps your intended could bring him back again?”

Lan Wangji winces, and the light in his xiongzhang’s eyes dims a little in concern. “A-Zhan? What’s wrong?”

“Wei Ying has not―” His lungs tighten, and he feels a single tear roll down his cheek as Lan Xichen gets up and hurries around the table to clasp his shoulder. “He has not spoken of our betrothal at all. And he has not accepted a single touch or kind word from me, even though he knows I―that I still―that I have never stopped loving―”

His brother’s hands drop back to his sides. “What?”

It takes a while for Lan Wangji to recount the events of the past two days, beginning with how Wei Ying fled from him in Mo Village and then attempted to do so again at the hunt on Dafan Mountain. He skips the part where Jingyi fought with Jin Rulan and silenced him for his rudeness towards Sizhui (the poor child already has a month’s worth of punishments waiting for him, since he should have known better than to push a fellow night-hunter into a cave without knowing what was in it) but then he tells his brother about Wangxian, and how Wei Ying had played it aloud without caring that the song was theirs, before running away and denying his identity until Lan Wangji unmasked him in the jingshi.

“He no longer wants me,” he chokes. “There is no betrothal, Xiongzhang. Not anymore.”

“Did he say so?” Lan Xichen says gently. “Wangji, you must not jump to conclusions before he has spoken. And depending on how long it has been since Mo-gongzi resurrected him, he may not yet have recovered from the time he spent believing that he had killed you.”

“He knows I do not blame him,” gasps Lan Wangji. “The last thing I asked of Wen Ning, that day―I begged him to protect Wei Ying in my stead, and they both heard!”

“Yes, and then he died, after Jin Guangshan raised an army against him in the mistaken belief that we were dead,” his brother reminds him. “Or else he lied outright, since he clearly did not burn Wen Qionglin as he said he did. The first thing we must do is find out what Wen-gongzi remembers of the last sixteen years, and where he was before Wei Wuxian summoned him.”

Slightly shamed by his outburst, Lan Wangji inclines his head. He knows a little of what his beloved must have suffered during the siege, though only through the meager pieces of gossip he heard after Wei Ying’s death; there were no Lan or Nie cultivators at Bu Ye Tian, and even Jin Guangyao could not tell Xichen much because he was tasked with protecting his father instead of pursuing Wei Ying.

“Very well,” he hears himself say. “Wei Ying and I will set out to search for Wen Qionglin after he has rested, and in the meantime I will send A-Yi to give you his report.”

Lan Xichen’s lips quirk up into a smile. “There is no need,” he laughs, before tilting his chin at the door. “A-Yi, baobei, come in. Your shufu and I have finished talking about your conduct at Mount Dafan, so there is no need to worry.”

Lan Wangji barely has time to dodge out of the way before a tall figure in white leaps up the hanshi’s porch steps and into his brother’s arms, dancing from foot to foot like a puppy going out for a walk.

“A-Die!” Lan Jingyi cries, squeezing Lan Xichen around the waist. “I can still go on the winter hunt with the Ouyang disciples, right? I don’t have to miss it?”

“Yes, you can,” Lan Xichen says fondly, giving his son a kiss on the forehead. Lan Wangji hides a small grin behind his sleeves, since he knows that his brother’s punishments never sink in with Jingyi; his xiao-shushu Nie Huaisang has been a very lively influence over these last fourteen years, and his indulgence erased any chance of Jingyi learning Lan discipline almost from the day he was born. “As long as you remember not to go running ahead of everyone else again. Promise?”

“Yuan-ge will keep me in line,” Lan Jingyi promises. “A-Die, you should have seen the way he scolded me for trying to fight that young master Mo.”

Lan Xichen closes his eyes in a silent plea for patience―though it fails to have any effect on Jingyi, because the boy is still happily clasped in his father’s arms―and begins a lecture on the virtues of mildness and thinking before speaking, while Lan Wangji slips out of the hanshi with his mood strangely uplifted by his nephew’s exuberance.

Talk to him, Lan Xichen says wordlessly, gazing at him over Jingyi’s head as he takes his leave. You have your beloved back, after all this time. Do not let this chance go by because of a misunderstanding.

A-Zhan, there will be no second chance for me.

For a moment, Lan Wangji wonders at his tactlessness. When his soulmate died, he had the good fortune to fall in love again and build a life with Wei Ying--and now Wei Ying has returned to his side, after leaving the plane of the living for over a decade and a half.

His brother will never be so lucky, and Lan Wangji refuses to squander the good fortune his xiongzhang would have traded his life for: so he marches right back to the jingshi, and resolves to speak his heart to Wei Ying the moment he opens his eyes.

But his resolve does not last the day, because scarcely two shichen and some change later, Lan Xichen discovers that the demonic arm from Mo Village belonged to Nie Mingjue.

#wangxian #nielan #mo dao zu shi #the untamed #soulmate au #my fic

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whatisalifeihaveablog · 3 years

Text

Like Real People Do

Ship: Jiang Cheng/Wen Ning Rating: T Summary: This is an expansion upon/continuation of 'Warmth', a drabble I posted in June where Wen Ning and Jiang Wanyin have begun to spend their nights together. It isn't necessary to read that to understand this but it is only 100 words, so why not?

AO3 link

If Wen Ning had any circulation to be cut off, he's quite certain his arm would be asleep right now with the way Jiang Wanyin was sleeping on it. He squeezed his hand into a fist and opened it again as if it had and he needed to get the blood flowing. If he were being honest, this was not very comfortable. Wanyin had been laying on his chest before, that was comfortable, but then he had to roll over and pin Wen Ning's arm to the bed. He wanted to move. There was no real reason to move, it's not like staying like this was going to hurt him, so he looked over at the man causing the dilemma and sighed, deciding it wasn't worth potentially waking him.

It was nearly morning anyway so he wouldn't have to wait too long, there was no way this arrangement of theirs was going to be completely comfortable for him all of the time anyway. When it first happened nearly three months ago he never expected it to become a nightly routine. The two of them often found themselves in the same places and while they made a valiant attempt to ignore each other completely, they had too many shared connections in this world and those connections were determined to bring them together. The first time they talked, really had a conversation, was the night Wei Wuxian got married. Wanyin was feeling melancholic and happened to find the same spot in the Cloud Recesses Wen Ning always went to be alone. It didn't take long to figure out he was extremely drunk. In retrospect that was probably the only reason why the conversation happened, it probably didn't even matter who he was talking to, but Wen Ning felt honored to be trusted with the feelings Wanyin voiced that night.

That was also the first night they slept together. Or, Wanyin slept and Wen Ning held him. It was nice, Sandu Shengshou wanting to be held was a surprise and Wen Ning was sure he was going to be yelled at and kicked out in the morning, but Wanyin was warm and it felt nice to be with another person and to have a physical connection. On the other hand he was also filled with anxiety, fully expecting things to turn bad. But the morning came and Jiang Wanyin opened his eyes and though it was covered quickly Wen Ning was sure he saw something like relief in them.

"You're still here." Wanyin said in a groggy, still halfway asleep kind of voice.

It wasn't angry or an accusation like Wen Ning would have expected so he just nodded, gave an awkward smile and said "I'm still here."

A month after that Wen Ning accompanied Wei Wuxian to Lotus Pier and it happened again. Only this time Jiang Wanyin wasn't drunk, and Wen Ning stayed. His excuse was that he wanted to stay with Sizhui, who was staying with Jin Ling, who was here. But then a week passed and Sizhui left and he stayed and there were no more excuses. It was odd. It was sudden. And was still odd if he thought about it for too long. They never talked about that first night after it happened and they never talked about these nights here. It almost felt as if speaking about it would break the spell. All of the progress they have made interacting peacefully, or as peacefully as possible with someone like Jiang Wanyin, would shatter and he would be hated again and he would be forced to leave Lotus Pier. These nights of warmth would end.

So Wen Ning just seemed to be living here for the last two months and no one knew why and since the clan leader said nothing, neither did anyone else. There was one exception, Wei Wuxian knew why now. It was about a week ago when Wei Wuxian showed up suddenly to Yunmeng and decided on a whim to enter Lotus Pier in the middle of the night and surprise his brother by barging into his room to announce his arrival. He was most likely treating it like some sort of prank, expecting to be yelled at in a way he found entertaining. What he was not expecting was to find Wen Ning in his brother's bed. Wei Wuxian froze and stared for a moment, giving Wanyin enough time to wake up and process what just happened, and then burst out laughing.

"Shit, I'm so sorry" Wei Wuxian choked out in between laughs, "I shouldn't laugh, I shouldn't, sorry!"

Still laughing of course.

"GET OUT!" Jiang Wanyin looked ready to kill someone and might have acted on that if Wei Wuxian hadn't nodded and left, managing to hold what was left of his laughter in

Wanyin avoided the both of them the next day and Wen Ning was scared, more scared than he had been prepared to be, that it was over now. Wei Wuxian promised not to tell, but did want to talk to Wen Ning about it. That conversation was excruciating.

"Jiang Cheng can be intense and I know you're both lonely but I just want to make sure this isn't hurting you. Either of you" Wei Wuxian said, sincerity mostly replacing his amusement

Wen Ning was mortified, talking too quickly and stuttering as a result, "Wei-gongzi, please, this isn't what you're thinking!" He managed to get out, "It's just something that happened and it's just sleeping. Nothing else! It's just-"

"Just what?" Wei Wuxian asked.

Wen Ning didn't know how to answer. It was a good question. What the hell was this?

"I don't know what. I do know I don't want it to stop. I know we've been getting along much better-"

That made Wei Wuxian suddenly laugh again, "I would hope so! He's letting you in his bed with him every night, he definitely likes you now."

"I don't know about that" Wen Ning argued, "We argue, he yells all of the time."

"Jiang Cheng yells to express his affection" Wei Wuxian smiled.

"He yells to express everything."

That got another loud laugh before Wei Wuxian leaned forward, grabbed his hands, and when their eyes met he could still see some amusement there "Ah, Wen Ning, don't be stupid like me, okay?"

Wen Ning did not have the slightest idea what he meant by that but looking over at Wanyin sleeping soundly crushing his arm, he knew he couldn't bring himself to move. And it wasn't for convenience, it was because Wanyin slept so soundly. It was because he was the only person who ever got to see Wanyin like this and he wasn't going to give up a moment of it.

What were they doing?

What the hell were they doing?

What the hell was he doing?

A groan and some shifting next to him told him this night was over. Wanyin turned back toward him and sat up slowly. This was...different? Wanyin stared at him for far longer than was comfortable with a contemplative expression.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked, direct as ever even this early.

Wen Ning blinked, "What?"

"Don't 'what' me! You look like you're about to cry. What's wrong with you?" He shouted, brows furrowing as he became more frustrated.

Wen Ning took in a sharp breath. He hadn't realized he was letting his emotions show like that. He certainly did not want to have this talk right this second. He looked at Wanyin's face and thought about how immediately his features became much harder when he woke. He looked so much older this way. He looked angry but Wen Ning was slowly learning to see behind the anger. Once upon a time Wanyin's tone in his questioning would make Wen Ning shrink back and feel attacked but now he can hear the concern in it. Jiang Wanyin was worried about him. That realization hit him in a way he couldn't have seen coming and if he could cry he might have started.

"It's nothing." Wen Ning lied, "You've slept in some, get dressed and go have breakfast."

Wanyin stared at him for another agonizing second before deciding to let it go for the moment.

"Don't tell me what to do" He barked as he got up from the bed and began to get dressed.

Wen Ning smiled softly and only let it drop when Wanyin left the room. Not now. He couldn't have that conversation now. He couldn't risk breaking this.

"Don't be stupid like me, okay?"

Wen Ning groaned and let himself fall back on the bed as he suddenly realized what Wei Wuxian was talking about. He let himself fall in love without even realizing. He was so fucked. Their conversation implied Wei Wuxian believed Wanyin loved him back but there was no way he could know for sure. He wanted to call Wanyin back in and tell him everything he realized overnight. He wanted to run and hide and never see Wanyin again. He wanted to know how Wanyin felt. He absolutely did not want to know how Wanyin felt. He hated this. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before sitting back up and deciding to meditate. There was nothing he could do right now, so why was he panicking? Wanyin would be taking care of sect business most of the day and he would have time to collect his thoughts.

Despite his attempts not to worry, it started getting dark without Wen Ning realizing how much time had passed. He'd been hiding in Wanyin's room all day, knowing he wouldn't come back until dark, but now it was getting closer to the time he wouldn't be able to avoid. Talking to Wanyin. He looked around the room and took it all in just in case. Made sure he memorized every detail he could in case he was right all along and talking about it was going to ruin things. As prepared as he could be he stepped out of the room. It took some looking but he found Wanyin in a secluded area of Lotus Pier. A beautiful spot with a view of the water where they both sometimes went to enjoy the peace.

Not giving him a chance to turn back Wanyin looked over at him immediately, "Oh, so you're done avoiding me now?"

Wen Ning did flinch at that tone. He hadn't meant to hurt him but he remembered how it felt to be avoided the day Wei Wuxian found out and felt guilt set in.

"I'm sorry" Wen Ning started, "I've been thinking about things, we should talk"

Wanyin visibly steeled himself, "About what?"

Wen Ning took a deep breath, "Wanyin, what are we doing?"

Silence. Definitely not the worst answer he could have gotten but it did nothing to quell his anxieties. He took several steps closer so that they were standing face to face. From here he could see clearly he wasn't alone in that anxiety. He guessed Wanyin wanted to scream right now since that was how he usually dealt with things and Wen Ning felt grateful he wasn't doing that now.

"Wei Wuxian freaked you out, didn't he?" Wanyin was gritting his teeth, holding something in Wen Ning couldn't place, "No one is forcing you to be here. You can just go if you want."

"Do you want me to go?" Wen Ning said with a shaky breath, taking another step closer.

"Why would I care?"

But Wen Ning could see it. Behind the clenched jaw, and the frown, and the angry furrow of his brows, he was just as afraid as Wen Ning had been. Maybe he would never understand how this started, why Wanyin wanted him here, but he was here now and had no intention of leaving. Wanyin was fooling no one by saying he didn't care and it was time to call his bluff. Wen Ning let the silence go on as he built up his nerve and closed the distance between them, bringing their lips together softly at first to give Wanyin a chance to back out but kissing him fully when he did not. He cupped Wanyin's face in his hands and pulled him in deeper, smiling lightly when he felt Wanyin's hands flail a bit, not seeming to be able to decide where to land. He settled for holding on to Wen Ning's arms.

It was awkward and brief and the most thrilling experience Wen Ning had ever had. He had never kissed anyone before. When they pulled back his head was spinning and all he wanted was to go back for more.

"I'm staying right here."

They fell into bed that night still kissing and letting their hands explore. Wen Ning kissed from Wanyin's mouth to his jaw, and relished in the gasp Wanyin gave when he got to his neck. He was sure he could do this forever, the rest of their talk could wait. They eventually had to roll back over, Wanyin laying on his chest slowly falling asleep. Wen Ning held him firm and watched his breath even out, closing his eyes and letting his own breath sync with it and it almost felt like sleep. He could feel Wanyin's heartbeat on his chest, he could feel the ghost of Wanyins lips on his, and now more than ever, he felt warm.

#sarah writes #chengning #ningcheng #jiang cheng #wen ning #mo dao zu shi #i cannot begin to express how much anxiety posting this is giving me lmao

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ibijau · 3 years

Text

How to Woo a Lan pt 4 / Also on AO3

Jin Ling explains why he fell in love, gets some advice, and tries to give advice of his own in return

Clearly expecting that the conversation would take a while, Nie Huaisang put away his work and called for servants to bring everything needed to serve tea. Once they were alone waiting for that tea to arrive, Jin Ling started explaining how he had fallen in love with the most perfect person in the entire world, how beautiful Lan Sizhui was (this earned him an unimpressed stare from Nie Huaisang), how elegant (more staring), how nice (a roll of the eyes).

“So he is polite, and you find that impressive,” Nie Huaisang noted, hiding a yawn behind his fan. “I suppose someone living in Jinlin Tai and the Lotus Pier wouldn’t be used to it. And of course he’s handsome, he’s a Lan. I think it’s something in the water of the Cloud Recesses.” Jin Ling frowned at the dismissal of Lan Sizhui’s quality, while Nie Huaisang yawned again, this time without bothering to hide it. “Is that why you love him? He’s capable of more basic decency than most people you’ve met in your life -a very low bar, might I add-, he’s somewhat good-looking, and that’s it?”

“Of course that’s not all!” Jin Ling exploded, but he couldn’t explain the rest right away as the servants returned then.

Nie Huaisang, who could act like a good host when he felt like it, prepared tea with slow, measured movements and poured it for both of them when the servants left again. With unexpected elegance, he gave one glass of tea to Jin Ling before making a gesture to order him to resume speaking.

“He really is kind, and I won’t let you treat it like something that doesn’t matter,” Jin Ling said, before taking a sip of tea.

It was nice, if a little plain. Having accompanied both his uncles to conferences in Qinghe before, he knew this blend was considered the better sort of tea available in the Unclean Realm, which comforted him. He had no doubt Nie Huaisang wouldn’t have hesitated to serve him bad tea if he’d really been annoyed about being half blackmailed into helping.

“I know people from Gusu Lan are polite, but it’s not the same as kind,” Jin Ling pointed out, and he could have sworn Nie Huaisang’s mouth twitched in an almost-smile. “When we were in Yi City, he really was nice to everyone, checked those that had gotten poisoned, and encouraged them to eat some congee even if it tasted awful. If it had been me, I’d just have scolded them into eating it! And some of the others with us were scolding their poisoned friends, because we were all worried, but he took time to reassure others, even if he had to be worried too. I mean, his dad was out there fighting stuff, of course he was worried!”

Nie Huaisang made a face at the mention of Yi City, and quickly opened his fan to hide behind. Jin Ling only remembered then that if he and his friends had almost died in that place, it might have been because of this man sitting across from him. It was a really odd thing to think, and if Wei Wuxian in person hadn’t made the accusation, if Jiang Cheng hadn’t later told Jin Ling that the whole thing made sense… how could Nie Huaisang have had the guts to do that, when he was too much of a coward to meet Jin Ling’s eyes when he mentioned this?

“I suppose he’s been raised a little better than most boys his age,” Nie Huaisang conceded,fanning himself just a little too quickly. “An effect of growing up around Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen, both excellent role models, except for their taste in friends. So you love a beautiful young man who is kind to everyone, hm?”

“Well…”

It was Jin Ling’s turn to avert his eyes, his cheeks flushing a little in embarrassment.

“Well, it’s also that he’s not always sweet,” he muttered, before quickly emptying his tea to give himself a countenance.

“How so?” Nie Huaisang asked, sounding genuinely puzzled. He even closed his fan, as if to better focus on what Jin Ling had to say.

“Well. Well, you see, after that whole thing in Jinlin Tai, when Wei Wuxian accused my uncle of murder, and my aunt died, and then me and a bunch of juniors were kidnapped, right?” Jin Ling asked. Nie Huaisang grimaced again. Right, this too was kind of his fault, wasn’t it? “And even then Sizhui was so nice when we were held in that cave, and trying to comfort everyone! But also… Well. I have this very annoying cousin, you see? And he was acting awful, and Sizhui had been patient and patient and patient, but in the end… well, in the end he snapped, and I think if he hadn’t been tied up, he would have slapped Jin Chan in the face.”

Even after this long, the memory of Lan Sizhui’s righteous fury still made Jin Ling’s heart beat a little faster. That it had happened because his cousin had been pestering him was just a nice bonus.

“And also, he tries to hide it, but he’s a little proud,” Jin Ling added. “He really, really likes being praised. His face completely lights up when Hanguang-Jun says he’s done good, and he’s almost glowing whenever Wei Wuxian compliments him and says he’s a good boy and all that. And then when someone says something mean to him, his face does that thing…”

Jin Ling tried to scrunch his own face into an approximation of Lan Sizhui’s expression. He didn’t have a great talent for impressions, but it was still good enough for Nie Huaisang to let out a snort. He then tried to cover it by coughing a few times, but Jin Ling knew what he’d heard.

“It’s never for very long,” Jin Ling resumed, “but I noticed it and it’s just. I guess he wouldn’t like me to call it that, but it’s really cute. I just wish I didn’t keep saying the wrong thing to make him make that face, you know? I want to watch it, not cause it.”

“At least you have self awareness,” Nie Huaisang said, rolling his eyes. “That’s more than several members of your family could ever have said. You’ll just have to learn how to turn a weakness into a strength. Now, tell me, what have you tried to make Lan Sizhui aware of your interest in him?”

Jin Ling, suddenly, desperately wished he had some tea left in his glass, just so he could pretend to drink it instead of facing that question. He ended up turning the empty glass between his hands and staring down at the table, feeling Nie Huaisang’s silence get more and more judgemental the longer it took Jin Ling to answer.

“I see,” Nie Huaisang said after a while.

“You don’t see anything! I just want us to be good friends first, and then…”

Jin Ling trailed off, and toyed some more with his empty glass.

“Fine, then what have you done to become his friend then?” Nie Huaisang insisted, amusement piercing through his voice.

“Well, he hasn’t been around much those last few months,” Jin Ling muttered. “But, well, I went with him on Night Hunts twice before someone killed my uncle, so there’s that. And then he came home not too long ago, and we went on another Night Hunt with everyone! And then…” He sighed, deeply. “And then I said something wrong, and I think I accidentally insulted him, and I haven’t seen him since then and I can’t see him until I figure out how to do things right!”

Nie Huaisang hummed, but didn’t say anything right away. When Jin Ling risked a glance, he found the older man looking at him the way one might inspect a horse before buying it. Jin Ling didn’t particularly care for that. It felt so wrong for Nie Huaisang to have such an intense, calculating expression on his face, making him look miles away from the blundering fool who had bothered Jin Ling’s uncle for years and years.

When Nie Huaisang looked like that, it became too easy that he had done all those terrible things Wei Wuxian had accused him of.

“It’s true that you have a certain gift for saying exactly what people don’t want to hear,” Nie Huaisang stated, fanning himself slowly. “You’re impulsive, that’s your problem, and your uncles both failed you in that regard. It’d be hard to go against your own nature in the best of case, but they've done nothing to help you understand your own temper. I suppose we’ll have to work with it. Have you ever considered taking up a correspondence with Lan Sizhui?”

Jin Ling shook his head. “It’s… isn’t it risky? My uncles have always told me if I start liking someone, I shouldn’t leave traces. There’s always a risk of blackmail, if the other person doesn’t feel the same. Not that Sizhui would ever do that! But, well… Letters can fall into the wrong hands, and because of my grandfather I know people watch me more than other boys my age in case... well...”

“I’m not telling you to write him erotic letters,” Nie Huaisang said with a mocking sneer. “Not yet anyway, and I could teach you a trick or two about keeping those secrets. But simple, polite letters... it’s a good way to stay in touch with a friend, and it would let you think more carefully about what you’re saying, and how you’re saying it.”

“Oh.”

That did sound wise. Even Jiang Cheng was a little less abrasive when writing than in person, and Jin Ling was fairly sure he wasn’t as bad as his uncle. That might be worth trying.

“Another piece of advice,” Nie Huaisang continued, fanning himself with slow, nearly hypnotic movements. “Own up to your faults. Admit to your little friend that you’re aware your mouth goes faster than your brain, and that you often realise too late you said something bad. You could even tell him that you’d appreciate his guidance in correcting this. Gusu Lan disciples love that sort of things, they’re all raised to become teachers. Offer yourself as a student and the fight is half won already.”

“You’re sure?”

“How do you think I even got Lan Xichen to notice me? ‘Please Xichen-gege, please tutor me’,” Nie Huaisang whined in a high pitched voice, his bottom lip trembling for a moment, before his pathetic pout turned into a disgusted grimace as he closed his fan with a sharp gesture. “I think the Lan like a desperate case, so you should have your chance.”

That was a very rude thing to say, but Jin Ling could hardly disagree. Nie Huaisang was a complete mess, that much was clear. And as for Wei Wuxian, the less said, the better. Yet those two absolute disasters had, apparently, managed to seduce the two top cultivators of Gusu Lan, nay, of the entire cultivation world, who surely could have had their pick of competent and emotionally capable partners of any gender.

Jin Ling hated that it did make him feel a little more hopeful.

“Well, that’s all my advice for today,” Nie Huaisang announced, before glancing with disgust at the pile of paperwork he’d set aside earlier. “I have to do my own work these days and it takes a while, so I’d appreciate it if you left. I know etiquette dictates I should invite you to spend the night here,” he added, “but I really don’t feel like it, and I don’t suppose you’d enjoy it either. Who could say if I wouldn’t change my mind and murder you in your sleep, right?”

Nie Huaisang laughed at his own joke, earning an unimpressed stare from Jin Ling for his poor taste in humour.

It probably was a joke.

Right?

Just to be a pest, Jin Ling considered forcing the issue and demanding to be given a room. But Nie Huaisang had guessed right in suspecting that Jin Ling didn’t quite trust him enough to make himself vulnerable in his domain. Not only that, but if he stayed, poor Ouyang Zizhen might start worrying about him, and either try to storm the Unclean Realm on his own, or worse fly toward the Lotus Piers and get Jiang Cheng to storm the Unclean Realm, by far the worst possible option because then Jin Ling would have two other sect leaders furious at him.

“I’ll leave,” he conceded, which made Nie Huaisang smirk. “But can I come back tomorrow, and show you my letter? Just to make sure I’m not writing anything too awful.”

“I would say no,” Nie Huaisang sighed, “but I have a feeling you’ll just do as you please anyway, so I might as well pretend I have any control over this. Yes, come back tomorrow, why not. It’s not like I have anything better to do. Try to be here at the same hour as today, and I should be able to make time for you.”

Jin Ling promised. Nie Huaisang then called for a servant to bring Jin Ling back to the gate so he wouldn’t get lost. The distrust, apparently, was mutual.

Once out of the Unclean Realm, Jin Ling lost no time in returning to Qinghe proper, and there he headed straight for the inn where Ouyang Zizhen awaited his return with much anxiety. The poor boy nearly cried of relief when he saw Jin Ling enter the inn. In fairness though, he was just that sort of a person so Jin Ling told himself he hadn’t caused his friend any actual worry. Still, he made sure to buy the best food the inn had to offer, and some wine as well, just to thank Ouyang Zizhen for having come along.

While they had lunch in the privacy of their room, Jin Ling reported his success, and shared the advice given to him. Jin Ling had told Ouyang Zizhen that he’d gone to Nie Huaisang in particular because he used to be friends with Lan Xichen and thus knew Lan Sizhui, an explanation that seemed to be accepted without further questions.

Jin Ling couldn’t help thinking that Lan Sizhui would have asked for more details about that. He was curious and observant, surely he might have picked up on something wrong with Jin Ling’s lie. Then again, with gossip forbidden, he might not have said anything.

Someday, Jin Ling wouldn’t have to speculate. Lan Sizhui and him would be married, and happy, and they would share everything, unlike some people, so Lan Sizhui wouldn’t even have to pick up clues to know things.

With this goal in mind, Jin Ling started drafting a letter as soon as he was done eating. His first attempt was predictably awful, but to Jin Ling’s surprise, he actually realised that on his own, even before Ouyang Zizhen could check it. Maybe Nie Huaisang had been on to something about it being easier to deal with his temper and lack of social skills on paper. So Jin Ling drafted a second letter, and then a third, while Ouyang Zizhen sat by, reading over his shoulder and occasionally offering his opinion.

By the fifth draft, Jin Ling felt he was starting to get the hang of this.

“I just can’t believe you got him to agree,” Ouyang Zizhen said while glancing at his letter again. “I mean, Nie zongzhu! You’ve said that Wei Wuxian said that he’s the one who got your uncle killed, right? So… are you really sure it’s not a trap?”

Jin Ling chewed on the end of his brush, trying to remember how to write a certain character, and shrugged.

“I’m not sure it isn’t. A trap, I mean.”

“And you’re still going back tomorrow?” Ouyang Zizhen gasped. “He’s given you advice, and good one at that, isn’t it enough?”

Jin Ling shrugged again, and wrote down another sentence.

His friend wasn’t wrong to find him unwise. Nie Huaisang was dangerous, there was no denying it, and he certainly wasn’t nice, that was certain as well. But if Nie Huaisang had been as awful as he pretended to be, he wouldn’t have listened to Jin Ling at all, wouldn’t have talked so fondly about Jin Zixuan, wouldn’t have gotten so upset at the thought of Lan Xichen’s reputation being ruined any further.

Nie Huaisang wasn’t nice, but he probably wasn’t that bad either. No more than other people in Jin Ling’s life, anyway, and at least he didn't shout as much as Jiang Cheng did.

“If I don’t go back, he’ll think I’m scared,” Jin Ling claimed.

“Well, aren’t you?”

“Even if I were, I wouldn’t want him to know that. Anyway, I think I’m done, can you read it?”

Ouyang Zizhen obeyed, and agreed it was about as good as it could get without getting too awkward. It didn’t need to be perfect, anyway. Jin Ling had a feeling that Nie Huaisang would enjoy having something to criticize. So he put away his letter, and went out to explore Qinghe with Ouyang Zizhen, forgetting his love troubles for a little while. They had great fun, and Jin Ling only wished a few times that he could have been doing this with Lan Sizhui instead.

Soon, he would.

Come morning, Jin Ling dutiful returned to the gate of the Unclean Realm. Just like before the disciples guarding the entrance stared him down in disapproval, but this time they let him in almost immediately, and Jin Ling was again led by Qinghe Nie’s first disciple toward Nie Huaisang’s office. This time there was already tea waiting for him when he got there, and the pile of paperwork on Nie Huaisang’s desk looked a good deal smaller and neater. Either he had worked hard to free some time, or he had hidden away anything sensitive to make sure Jin Ling wouldn’t get too curious. Jin Ling figured he would have done the same, and decided to take no offence.

Instead, he put a small pouch of candies on the desk, by the teapot. Nie Huaisang threw him a sharp look for that but pinched his lips so he wouldn't ask any questions. Jin Ling sat down and shrugged.

“You used to bring those to Jinlin Tai when I was little, even if nobody but you would eat them. I figured you had to like them, and since you’re helping me and all…”

“I see good memory runs in the family,” Nie Huaisang noted, glaring at the candies yet making no movement to take one. As if Jin Ling would have poisoned him. It was a coward’s method of murder, Jiang Cheng always said, and Jin Ling was no coward. “Did you write a letter, Jin zongzhu?”

“I did,” Jin Ling confirmed, digging into his sleeve for the latest draft which he handed to Nie Huaisang. “I think it’s pretty good.”

In answer Nie Huaisang just rolled his eyes, and started reading. Jin Ling realised he was getting nervous, as if that odd man’s approval actually mattered in any way. To distract himself he drank some tea, and helped himself to a few candies. They were pretty much nothing but sugar, which made his teeth ache. How could anyone enjoy something like that? Maybe Nie Huaisang had just wanted to be a pest back then, bothering everyone with shitty candies.

“It’s acceptable,” Nie Huaisang said at last, returning the letter to Jin Ling. “Not great, but a clear improvement over the things you tend to say in person.”

“I can rewrite it again,” Jin Ling muttered, disappointed that all his efforts got him so little praise. “If you show me what to change…”

“No, the imperfections are necessary,” Nie Huaisang explained, opening his fan. “If it is too polished, it will be obvious that you’re not writing alone. It really isn’t so bad, anyway. Better than when your father… well, nevermind that. You’re not doing so bad. And inviting him to a Night Hunt is smart, I’m surprised you thought of it.”

“You don’t think it’s too bold?” Jin Ling asked.

“He’s a Lan, they don’t see Night Hunts as a prelude to flirtation,” Nie Huaisang said, before grimacing. “I wish I’d known that when I was young, actually. So don’t hope for anything more than a pleasant moment with a friend. Well, pleasant if you enjoy Night Hunting, which apparently some people do.”

Jin Ling huffed. Of course he liked Night Hunting. Any decent cultivator did. But of course, Nie Huaisang was hardly a decent cultivator, no matter how you looked at it, and his dislike of Night Hunts was no big secret. He only showed up if he had absolutely no choice, Jin Guangyao used to complain, and then he was such a hindrance that everyone would have been better off without him, especially poor Lan Xichen who’d had to rescue him more than once.

But still Nie Huaisang would go and try, Jin Ling remembered. He didn’t enjoy it, but he tried, at least if Lan Xichen was also present. And Lan Xichen did look happy about that, whenever it happened. Really happy, instead of just polite.

It really was too bad that these two had fallen out like that, because they’d seemed to have a good influence on each other, aside from the one murder. Not that any of this was Jin Ling’s business, of course, and he presently held little affection for either man.

And yet...

“Since we’re on the topic of letters. Have you ever thought of writing to Zewu-Jun?” Jin Ling asked, because if it were him having such a huge argument with someone he loved, maybe he would want someone to butt in and help. He wouldn’t like it, but he’d want it. “Because maybe…”

“I have written to Gusu Lan a few times on official business,” Nie Huaisang coldly cut him, closing his fan with a snap. “Aside from this, I have no reason to correspond with anyone there.”

“But maybe you could…”

“I have nothing to say to Lan Xichen,” Nie Huaisang explained, reopening his fan with an impatient flourish. “You see, I am not sorry for what I’ve done,” he said with a cruel smile. “Your uncle deserved to die. He was an awful man, who did awful things, and if I’d truly had my way, he would have died an awful death.”

Jin Ling, who’d thought that losing an arm, being stabbed by his closest friend, and then having his neck snapped by the enraged fierce corpse of one of his victims only to be trapped with said fierce corpse for a century to suffer untold torment had been a pretty awful way to die already, couldn’t help a frown.

He made a decision to never ask Nie Huaisang what he would have preferred to see happen to Jin Guangyao.

“I know what Lan Xichen wants to hear from me,” Nie Huaisang continued, fanning himself. “He most likely wants me to say that I’m sorry. And I could say it. I’m a very good liar, if I do say so myself. So I could lie to him, say exactly what he wants to hear, be exactly the man he wants me to be…” He paused and grimaced in disgust. “But in that case, I would just have turned into another Jin Guangyao.”

“And you don’t want to become like him.”

“I am like him,” Nie Huaisang snapped with such rage that Jin Ling jumped on his seat. “I can’t change that now. I am a good liar, but I’ve decided long ago I wouldn’t lie to myself, and I know what I am. As for Lan Xichen, in spite of his blindness, in spite of his errors, he deserves better than to fall prey to another liar. And that’s why I cannot…”

“You really should write to him,” Jin Ling insisted. “And tell him all that stuff. I mean, since you don’t have regrets and you know you're an asshole, then it’s no big deal telling him things as they are, right? And then at least he gets to know the full truth. You old people really should be more honest instead of making everything complicated all the time.”

Nie Huaisang glared at him, as cold and angry as he’d been the day before, but Jin Ling realised it was already starting to lose its effect on him. It wasn’t so different from when Jiang Cheng threatened to break his legs over every single little annoyance.

Well, it was a little different in that Jin Ling still wasn’t sure Nie Huaisang wouldn’t murder him if he was certain to get away with it, but it was still the same general sentiment.

Jin Ling didn’t even mind that Nie Huaisang impatiently ordered him to leave, grumbling about disrespectful children, time wasted on educating idiotic youths, and how he refused to be involved in this any further. This, too, Jin Ling had heard before from his uncle, and he’d learned to ignore it all.

If the letter and the Night Hunt didn’t work, Jin Ling knew for sure he could come and ask for Nie Huaisang’s help again.

#xisang #zhuiling #lingzhui #jin ling #nie huaisang #mdzs #operation woo a lan #jau writes

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