#wei wuxian teaching habits series

[stiltonbasket]

"feel free to send in asks about them any time" i hope you understand the floodgates you've opened heheh.

honestly, i'm just very curious. what do you think the major character traits of the latter gen young disciples are, jiang and otherwise? your characterisation is one of the best i've seen in the fandom so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i'm interested in your thoughts, dear author.

I can't really speak for canon because most of my work ends up drawing from the TMAAF universe (even for other verses, like the Yiling Wei and Emperor WWX AUs), but I'd say the "shared" character traits of the various disciples are largely a result of a) the culture of the clan they were raised in and b) the specific cultivation demands of the region.

(Note: this is going to be a 4-part series, because I just had too much to say about each sect).

As I've said before, Yunmeng Jiang is guaranteed a constant stream of hauntings because it's always dealing with the fierce ghosts and corpses of drowning victims, most commonly in the winter after the yearly monsoons; and due to this, Jiang disciples are raised with the expectation that one day, they'll strike out on their own, settle down in a currently underprotected village, and become "rogue" cultivators whose living expenses are paid by the sect. Because of this, they're not as distanced from civilian life as most other cultivators are.

The Jiang disciples receive a strictly practical education after they learn the basics of literature, math, and history, which means practice hunts, daily archery sessions, and classes in household management (especially accounting + cooking/sewing) to prepare the adult disciples to live by themselves.

As a result, the Jiang sect is more gender-neutral than most. Since the boys have to be ready to run their own homes by the age of 21, they share all of their classes and duties with the girls and help their seniors raise the younger disciples. (Insert cute montage of Jiang Fengmian teaching Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng how to take care of baby disciples and mend their own torn clothes here.) Hence, the disciples are also huge romantics - there's no huge mystery about the opposite gender, for either boys or girls, so they tend to find spouses very easily and settle into extremely happy marriages.

The Jiang sect also has a somewhat paradoxical custom of spoiling children rotten but not sheltering them, which I hinted at in TMAAF when Hongshuai + the Yunmeng brothers openly discuss serious sect business in front of Xiao-Yu and the Yu babies. Jiang disciples know a lot more about how to deal with the outside world than, say, Lan disciples; but they never really lose the habit of being Baby™️ with any of their teachers/older disciple siblings.

[peerless-soshi]

Title: Lost & Found Series: Mo Dao Zu Shi Relationship: Wei WuXian & Jiang Cheng (side Wei WuXian/Lan WangJi) Setting: Canon/future Rating: G Genre: Family; hurt/comfort Link: AO3 Word count: 4893 Summary: "I mourned you, Wei WuXian!" His voice broke. "I cried too many times, I'm too tired to do this again. But you left me. Although you promised.”

[Future Fic] Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng talk about Jiang YanLi's death, fight like children and for the first time in forever feel like brothers. All may not be lost.

A/N: Is writing a concluding story before finishing the novel a good idea? No. Can it be contrary to canon facts? Yes. Is it going to stop me? No. Enjoy.  Also it's my first MDZS fic so be understanding and enjoy! I'll love you forever for a comment.

"The Cloud Recesses intends to accept new students? Seriously?" Wei WuXian asked, surprise ringing in his voice.

"Yes," Lan WangJi muttered under his breath, still eyeing the scrolls spread across the table, their edges frayed by fingers of time.

The afternoon sun was peeking into the library pavilion through a huge, round window, painting on the paper some bright flower-shaped stains with asymmetrical petals, which made the scrolls look even more golden and, in Wei WuXian's eyes, even older. Dust flickered in the air, soaring like on butterfly wings. So even here they can't clean everything, Wei WuXian thought with satisfaction. He expected the Lan Clan to polish paper.

"We do not accept new disciples," Lan WangJi added, "They are only sons of the important sects who will stay here for several months, learning and using our book collection. Nothing remarkable."

Wei WuXian put his elbows on the table and shifted towards his partner, smiling brightly. "How unpleasant of you, Lan Zhan! You call the sons of the most important sects unremarkable? Are you whispering behind their backs? Or maybe I should punish you for pride?"

He chuckled and waved his palm in front of Lan WangJi's face, brushing a few long hairs flowing down from between the white forehead ribbon like black ink on a white sheet. It wasn't a surprise that the second master of the Lan Sect didn't move. His eyes waved from one side of the scroll to the other; up, down, right, left, down.

"Any of them."

"How boring," Wei WuXian sighed with exaggerated indignation before lying down on the table. He glanced up. Still no reaction. Now Wei WuXian sighed honestly, but he was used to his husband's behavior and didn't expect more; the mere fact that Lan WangJi uttered five sentences, including the complex one, was quite a change. Who else could hope for such a privileged conversation?

And yet, Wei WuXien couldn't fight with boredom. Lan WangJi has been bending over the old texts for several hours now, studying carefully every sign. He had stopped once, but only to reach for the brush and make notes, then gone back to work. The scrolls were gathered on both sides of the table, arranged in even towers with paper foundations that Wei WuXian wanted to demolish. What was Lan Zhan trying to find if he knew all these texts by heart? Wei WuXian didn't understand. Somehow, he didn't want to go deeper into it.

After a moment, he lay down on the mat and yawned loudly, so that even the younger students, who were studying in the room next door, must have heard him. Lan WangJi finally looked up and sent him a berating gaze, like a rough sea. Wei WuXian has become a good swimmer in the depths of these eyes, so instead of humbling, he answered with a wide smile and waved. To his delight, the corners of Lan WangJi's mouth twitched.

Wei WuXian rose to his knees and moved closer. He glanced over his husband’s shoulder, brushing his lips against Lan WangJi's ear, and whistled.

"Behave yourself, Wei Ying."

"Do you really want to memorize everything?" Wei WuXian asked, deaf to the reprimand.

Lan WangJi nodded. "Using such important texts during lessons would make a bad impression."

"During lessons?"

Texts. Lesson. And Lan Zhan was preparing... Understanding washed through him like waves crashing against a cliff’s edge. Wei WuXian flinched in surprise, his fingers clutching his husband's collar and leaving, horrible, a delicate fold on the perfect white fabric. He felt as if he could dive into the new possibilities. Lan WangJi reluctantly turned his head, smoothing the collar.

"You are going to teach them, Lan Zhan? Really?"

Lan WangJi let out a soft murmur that Wei WuXian had learned to interpret as a variation of yes.

"I remember our punishment."

"Your punishment."

"You will be a great teacher, Lan Zhan," Wei WuXian said, tapping him on the shoulder. "Just talk to your students, you know? If you explain the sacred texts, not just tell them to read for two hours in silence, it's possible that they’ll learn something."

Lan WangJi's mouth narrowed as he pushed Wei WuXian's hand. The feeling of resentment reflected on his impassive face, just like a pebble leaving circles on water. "Do not lecture me. I know what to do."

"Are you sure?" Wei WuXian laughed, too loud as for the Lan Sect library. "Is the rule of silence, or coping three thousand principles of this place, really the best possible teaching method?"

"What would you suggest, Wei Ying?" LanWangJi asked. Belatedly he realized that he just committed one of the most shameful neglects in his life.

Wei WuXian grinned. "I have many ideas," he said and began to count on his fingers, thoughtfulness on his face, "First of all, I would give them more fighting lessons because your clan neglects them. You are a genius, Lan Zhan, but children? They won't learn how to fight fierce spirits by sitting in the classroom! It is irresponsible to let them go unprepared. And practical knowledge about spirits? If you want to teach them the theory then make sure they really need it."

He didn't intend to brag, but his classifications were still used by most cultivation schools. And which of them was better at sorting knowledge and creating tables?

His face must have glowed, lit from the inside, as Lan WangJi grimaced slightly.

"No."

"What? I didn't say anything! That's not fair, Lan Zhan, now you want to add clairvoyance to your endless list of talents." Wei WuXian winked at him.

"It is not difficult to guess your thoughts. And I repeat: no."

Wei WuXian pushed the table aside, so that Lan WangJi's hand hung limply in the air. His eyes widened in shock. What a victory. After that, Wei WuXian put his head on his partner’s lap, smoothing the white robes like a pillow.

"Tell me, Lan Zhan, what am I thinking about?"

"No."

"You are never fun! Say, or later I’ll be boring too and go to sleep early," Wei WuXian threatened and nudged him.

The window bell played when gentle wind slipped into the room and danced with Lan WangJi's forehead ribbon. Ting, ting... Like a cat, Wei WuXian reached out and touched the ribbon. The snow white shone between his fingers, marked by fights and work, reminding him of all he could do now, and everything he had. Then Lan WangJi grabbed his wrist. Wei WuXian expected his husband to feel offended by such frivolous behavior, but Lan WangJi drew the hand closer to his face. His eyes softened.

"No way. Even if children like you."

"So you admit that I'm popular with children!" Wei WuXian exclaimed triumphantly. "I would be more popular than you! Are you jealous?"

Lan WangJi nodded with seriousness disproportionate for this situation. "Yes. But you're proud for the wrong reasons. Do not bring any more trouble to the Lan Clan."

"Me?" Wei WuXian put his palm on the chest, his free hand brushing Lan WangJi's cheek. "If my memory is correct, you brought me, your trouble, to the Cloud Recesses! It's also your fault. You're on the wrong path."

A normal person would probably smile. The second master of the Lan Sect only cleared his throat with impenetrable expression, what sounded more like an elegant combination of a hidden snort and a sudden sneeze. Wei WuXian was getting better and better!

"Besides ..." Lan WangJi continued, "The cultivation world may not be ready to accept you as a teacher of their heirs. Even if you are going to teach only approved techniques, many still do not trust you. That may affect our reputation, and if the clan leaders decide to take their children out of fear... "

"Good observation, HanGuang-Jun." The voice came from the door. "As always infallible – to think that despite your decisions, you still didn't lose the ability of apt judgment. If you let him teach in the Cloud Recesses, your reputation will fall like a stone thrown from the top of this mountain."

They turned their heads at the same moment, though Wei WuXian knew exactly who would wait for them. The voice as sharp as a whip, destroying any obstacle in its path, and sarcasm thrown on HanGuang-Jun. Only few would dare to do that. A drop of bitterness, hidden at the end of the tongue.

Wei WuXian got up from his partner's knees and checked the clothes. He turned to Jiang Cheng, who was standing at the door of the pavilion, his hand decorated with Zidian on his hip. Wei WuXian sat up straight and forced a smile, as real as if painted with Lan WangJi’s brush.

"Jiang Cheng. Good to see you!"

His greeting had the opposite effect because Jiang Cheng grimaced even more and avoided his eyes, talking to Lan WangJi.

"I come to discuss the sect matters," he said.

Lan WangJi’s eyes narrowed. "What matter could bring you to me, Sandu Shengshou? It is not in my power to conduct diplomatic talks."

"It's not about diplomacy," Jiang Cheng corrected him, sitting on the mat. "It's rather a good thing since I wanted to talk with you, HanGuang-Jun. Like a clan leader with a clan leader," he added, and it didn't take much trying to see who those words were aimed at.

Crumpled by the weight of paper smiles and caustic tone, Wei WuXian wanted to leave, but Lan WangJi held his hand.

"The Lan Clan leader is away," he said officially, "If you want to talk with the representative, you have me as well as Wei WuXian, who plays this role on par with me."

Jiang Cheng clenched his teeth. Something was in his eyes, a flash of rage, then a flicker of envy. The ring began to spin on his finger.

"There's no need to annoy the sect leader, Lan Zhan," Wei WuXian said, a long silence announcing the words he wasn't ready to hear. He pulled away before Lan WangJi could grab him, and walked toward the door, his footsteps quicker than intended.

Passing Jiang Cheng, Wei WuXian risked one quick glance. But as expected, Jiang Cheng didn't even look at him.

*

Some games were eternal.

For example: spreading wings like a swallow and pretending you can leave the ground and worries far behind you... Maybe not literally – Wei WuXian became convinced that even ghosts can't observe everything – but such thoughts flashed through his mind as he was sitting on a stone bridge near the Orchid Hall. He was swaying his legs in the air, resting his chin on his hands and enjoying the warm wind that carried the scent of the evening, the familiar aroma of magnolia trees and river. Everything was covered in silence, like in the clouds.

Only the bell was ringing at his sash.

Similar to silks thrown carelessly on the floor, the water under his feet wrinkled and folded. The koi fishes, orange flecks of sunset, flitted near the surface. How strange, Wei WuXian thought, that in such a quiet place the water was not calm. When he had first come here, in his previous life, everything had seemed to stop in time, as if in a different dimension, on the other side of a mirror. Now, living with Lan WangJi, he has learned the Cloud Recesses’ slow and arranged rhythm. But how could he have seen it back then, with Jiang Cheng trying his best to obey the rule of silence in spite of fiery nature?

Wei WuXian blinked. He raised his head and stared into the distance, but it was too late; the water reflection blurred the face of the second master's spouse, and showed the fifteen-year-old heir of the YunmengJiang Sect, together with his faithful companion, passing the same bridge. Hand in hand. Distant memories flickered on the river, showing lost moments. Drops of their steps as they ran to the class, their innocuous fights the most clear. Wei WuXian remembered the wrinkle between Jiang Cheng’s eyebrows and the way he had given him a tongue-lashing for oversleeping, more out of habit than actual anger. His own laughter, Nie HuaiSang's moaning at the thought of entering the classroom late. Years have passed, but the memory of Jiang Cheng’s facade breaking when he had burst into laughter was still as clear as the fishes swimming in the river.

Then, somewhere to the right, Wei WuXian heard a splash; a pebble fell into the water, ringing like a drowning bell.

He turned his head and smiled. This time it came naturally.

"You always find the perfect moment, Jiang Cheng," he said.

Jiang Cheng stood on the other side of the bridge, his hands crossed on his chest. He looked surprised.

"I have no idea what you're raving about," he stated, passing him, and added, "Goodbye."

Wei WuXuian folded his hands and bowed. That was the right thing, he knew. He would obey all rules – at least those reasonable – and let his new home live in peace. He wouldn't bring any problems. It was just surprising that something as unnatural as bowing to Jiang Cheng quickly became his first reaction.

The purple robes fluttered in the breeze, the bell playing the melody of home. The home. Wei WuXian watched Jiang Cheng's silhouette, a cherry blossom against the whiten hill. It grew smaller and smaller until the gate almost swallowed it.

Wei WuXian stood up. Just a moment ago, he thought that he wouldn't cause problems... right?

"Jiang Cheng!" he exclaimed, running down the stone steps.

Jiang Cheng didn't slow down, though he must have heard him. Nevertheless, Wei WuXian was fast, so he caught up with him. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down and use this moment to decide what to say.

"Jin Ling will come to the Cloud Recesses, right?" he finally said.

Jiang Cheng frowned but still didn't look at him. "Where does this come from?"

"I can't think of another reason why you came to Lan Zhan," Wei WuXian answered and shrugged. "We talked about it today. The sons of the more important clans are going to be sent here for teachings. I think Lan Zhan intends to replace master Lan QiRen and hold the classes. It's a great opportunity for Jin Ling to learn... and make friends," he added cautiously.

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. "Even if you're right, it's not your concern."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"What are you trying to say?" Jiang Cheng grunted, clenching his fist. Zidian gleamed in the setting sun, a drop of violet reflecting the rays of red.

"The situation in the Jin Clan is extremely tense, and Jin Ling is their only heir," Wei WuXian said, eyeing Jiang Cheng, "Is it wise to keep Jin Ling away from the Carp Tower now, when the succession begins?”

Jiang Cheng grinned. He looked as if he didn't want to answer, and did so only because of old habits.

"That's why A-Ling should stay here for a while. You may be right, the situation of the Jin Clan is extremely... difficult. And unstable. It would be unreasonable to let the only rightful heir stay in the heart of conflict. Do you have any objections?"

Wei WuXian shook his head. "There are few safer places than the GusuLan Sect. You can get here only through one, always guarded, gate, and leave with a special token. All known charms have been put on the walls. And we have the strongest cultivators of our age." He didn't need to add that he was one of them. "There is no safer place for Jin Ling."

Yes, he agreed; Jiang Cheng was right. And yet deep in his heart, Wei WuXian couldn't help but wonder if Jiang Cheng was harming his nephew. Of course, he understood – better than anyone else. Jin Ling meant the whole world to his uncle, so Jiang Cheng tried to shield him from this world. But pretending that politic was less cruel than the young master could see would do nothing good. At his age, Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng had experienced unimaginable things. Maybe that's why Jiang Cheng wanted Jin Ling to be a child for a one day longer.

Jiang Cheng broke into his thoughts. "Even if Jin Ling will be here, it has nothing to do with you. Stay away from him."

"Do you think I would deliberately draw him back from studying? You know how much I loved it. Of course I won't disturb him!"

Jiang Cheng didn't appreciate this brilliant joke. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to Wei WuXian, who almost expected Jiang Cheng to jump at him.

"I'm serious, Wei WuXian!" he growled, looking him in the eyes, "I don't want you to follow A-Ling. I don't want you to talk to him. I don't want him to be in the same room as you. I want him to be safe."

“Safe?" Wei WuXian repeated, his voice louder than necessary. "What is this supposed to mean?! Do you think I would hurt him? I would give," he hesitated, and almost spat out his last words, "I would give up my life for shijie's child!"

"Maybe that's the problem? Maybe just being around you brings misfortune?!" Jiang Cheng said. Wei WuXian would rather be hit. "Leave A-Ling alone... please."

Someone who hadn't spent half of their life with Jiang Cheng wouldn't know how much it cost him to say this word. That person wouldn't notice that despite the commanding tone, his knees were shaking. But Wei WuXian wasn't that person; he took a step back and nodded.

"Very well," he said slowly, "I understand, Jiang Cheng. If that's what you want, Jin Ling will have nothing to do with the Yiling Patriarch. I will not even speak with him without the need."

The sunset doused Jiang Cheng’s face in the intense glow, making his features even sharper. "No, Wei WuXian. There's no need for it. Never."

He turned his back to Wei WuXian, heading for the gate. Wei WuXian considered following him, but his feet grew into the ground.

"I saved him. Earlier. I've saved his life. Don't pretend that I bathe my hands in blood," he said, more to himself, to the fate awaiting him than to Jiang Cheng.

However, Jiang Cheng hissed through his teeth, "Great. You saved him, huh? A-Ling doesn't own you anything. What would have happened if you’d made a mistake?!" He spun on his heel, his shadow lengthened by the sleeping sun like brush strokes. It almost seemed to overwhelm Wei WuXian. "If you’d made a mistake, you could kill him. Aren't you experienced in this? In both killing and making mistakes?"

There was irony in his voice, although Wei WuXian wasn't sure if Jiang Cheng wanted to laugh or cry. This uncertainty just made his hands hung limply on both sides. He bowed down his head; weak, tired, like something dead that was supposed be alive. Like one of the fierce corpses.

"I'm sorry," he finally confessed, the red sky his witness. The blood of that day had darker shade of red. "I'm sorry," Wei WuXian repeated. "Shijie... it was my fault. And I will never forget about it."

Looking back, Wei WuXian had apologized a lot in his life. There had been different kinds of apologies, often such as those given to Lan WangJi in the library or on the river of the water ghouls: pretending that nothing happened to avoid punishment rather than regretting mistakes. Sometimes he would say them with a smile, sometimes with seriousness. And with pain, suffocating him like a lump in a throat.

Jiang Cheng's eyes widened. He touched the ring and spun it, one way and the other.

"Stop it," he ordered, "I don't want to hear it."

"I know. This may not be the best moment, but you must know that what happened to shijie was an accident and I regret it every day. And I will never redeem for this sin, even if I pull Jin Ling out of the mouth of death a hundred more times."

It wasn't how he had intended to say those words, in the middle of the stone path, in a shaking voice, with talks of some students coming from a distance and furious Jiang Cheng in front of him, but life had no respect for plans. He had to say it now or be buried under the weight of grief. Like Jiang Cheng.

The YunmengJiang Sect leader glanced at his ring, mother's heritage burning memories in his head, then on Wei WuXian. An angry grimace appeared on his face.

"Do not say her name, Wei WuXian," he rasped. "You don't have the right."

He could be serious or carried away by anger and words he didn't mean. This time, Wei WuXian couldn't judge it. He regretted that he didn't have his flute, though he remembered that on the mountain there was no burial area suitable for his abilities. It was just a simple reaction to seeing the rage thundering in Jiang Cheng's eyes, and his whip, unexpectedly unfolded. And yet, Wei WuXian came closer. Once he would probably retreat and let Jiang Cheng face his sadness in loneliness, thinking that he deserved this cruelty. But it was long time ago.

"You are unjust, Jiang Cheng," he said, his words calm, reasonable. "I loved her too."

Then a crack could be heard. Did this place make Wei WuXian's reactions slower? Probably; he was still hunting for evil spirits, but a bunny bite was the only threat behind the walls of Gusu. Maybe that was why he didn't dodge in time when Zidian left a hole in the ground, as well as a deep wound in his hand.

"Shut up!"Jiang Cheng shouted, his scream thunderous among the silence of Gusu. "You loved her? You?! What do you know? Did you go to her funeral, Wei WuXian? Did you hold her baby when her body was wrapped in flames? Did you answer Jin Ling's question when he wanted to know why his parents are not with him? Tell me! Did you lose your sister?!"

"Yes!"

The words were faster than the thoughts.

Jiang Cheng looked as if someone slapped him. He staggered on his feet, about to fall, then rushed at Wei WuXian. His hands clenched on the black collar in an iron grip, taking them both to the ground. Wei WuXian let out a moan as his back hit the path.

"Wei WuXian! You have no shame!"Jiang Cheng hissed, straddling him, red on his face. "You don't have the right to say that. Not after everything you've earned! You insult her memory!"

"How?" Wei WuXian said brazenly, allowing emotion to take control. He grabbed Jiang Cheng by the wrist. "I loved shijie like a sister! She raised me. She was always good to me."

"And how did you repay?!"

"If there was a way to trade my soul for hers, I would do it without hesitation. She deserves a second life much more than me! I loved her like no one else. You know about it!"

But did he really know?

Wei WuXian wanted to believe in it; to believe that both Jiang Cheng and Jiang YanLi were aware he loved them with every word and every thought. Every decision. Every mistake. Every drop – of tears and blood. And he sold his soul to the hell for all kinds of reasons. To take revenge for them. To ensure their safety. To build a future for them. To pay off the debt. But never for himself; Wei WuXian loved them more than himself, and that's why he had never said the most important words – because who was he to say it? A stray at the great court? He was nothing. They were everything. However, it was all before, when no one would wait for thirteen years, convincing him that love was something he deserved by being himself; before he had found home in a place he considered ashes. That had been before Lan WangJi.

Love has built a new life.

"I loved her," he said again, calmer, a shimmer of sadness washing through him. "And I loved you, Jiang Cheng. And uncle. The entire Lotus Pier. I loved you all. I still love."

He always thought so.

He spoke these words for the first time in his life.

Jiang Cheng's grip melted. He looked at him, more a child than a warrior, questions on his lips and confusion in his eyes. Wei WuXian found out that his features weren’t as sharp as he thought.

His lip thinned. "Why, Wei WuXian?"

Wei WuXian was silent, letting the meaning of his words to find Jiang Cheng. The shadow of understanding finally reflected on his face. Before Wei WuXian noticed, Jiang Cheng raised his hand and hit him with all his strength. A wave of rusty taste flooded Wei WuXian's mouth.

This scene evoked many memories.

"I don't understand what you want to achieve, Wei WuXian!" Jiang Cheng shouted, hitting him again. Wei WuXian didn't resist. His head was spinning. "You're coming back after all these years thinking that explains everything? That your help, and petting you by the Lan Clan, can make me forget?"

"No," Wei WuXian replied. He felt blood on his lips. "There is nothing worse than forgetting."

"Don't talk like you understand me!" Jiang Cheng interrupted him, but this time didn't move. "I know that I have to remember. Do you think I have anything except of memories? No, I have nothing. My sister is gone... But you've come back. You've got a reward. I don't want to look at you. You love me? I don't care! I hate you!"

Wei WuXian pretended it didn't hurt more than the punch.

Jiang Cheng did not move. He was still, sitting on Wei WuXian, his hands on the black collar, his head lowered. "I'm sick of you," he said. "Go and die. I got used to. Do you know how many times I've buried you? After Xuanwu. After those rascals from the Wen Clan threw you into the Burial Mounds. After the siege. Again and again."

Thirteen years have passed, but some moments were immortal. Like his soul digging out of the grave and returning to the living, a long-forgotten memory appeared before his eyes. Wei WuXian saw it again: he on the ground, Jiang Cheng on him, hot tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I mourned you, Wei WuXian!" His voice broke. "I cried too many times, I'm too tired to do this again. You left me. Although you promised."

The sun finally disappeared behind the horizon, enveloping them with the red half-light. Wei WuXian closed his eyes. Droplets skittered across his cheeks. It was easier to believe they were raindrops, just like after the Lotus Pier death.

"I am sorry, Jiang Cheng."

And he was sorry.

That was right, Wei WuXian had left Jiang Cheng, again and again. Always to protect him. He would’ve never thought that maybe he'd hurt him the most.

"Uncle? What's going on... "

A panicked voice reached them. Wei WuXian looked back the moment Jin Ling stood frozen, watching the scene unfolding here.

Jiang Cheng got up and brushed off his robes. His eyes were dry, and under the cover of the evening it was almost impossible to see how red they were.

"Let's go," he said in a hoarse voice, not looking at his nephew or Wei WuXian.

Jin Ling stayed for a second, uncertain, wondering if he misunderstood or if what he just saw was not an illusion. In the end, he must have decided that following his uncle was safer because he run quickly after him, breaking one of the Cloud Recesses rules. He gave Wei WuXian a distrustful look.

Drowning in nostalgia, Wei WuXian was laying on the ground for a long time. The sky darkened over him, freeing valiant stars. The moonlight was streaming down his face. He spread his arms wide, catching it. The night sky had the smile of Jiang YanLi, and every wise word she had entrusted him.

"Are you looking at us, shijie?" Wei WuXian asked quietly.

And he prayed, with his eyes on the big moon and with even bigger heart, for the deities to let her see. Maybe he, the condemned one, had been forced to disappear in emptiness, but she has received some divine blessing and knew how much he tried for everything she had left behind. She would be happy. In the end, it was shijie who taught him that hate was simple, and never required any effort, never created anything. Love was the only thing that never died.

Wei WuXian wanted to create. It wouldn't be easy, but if he was good at something, it was aiming for impossible. And he felt that the tears shed today by Jiang Cheng could be a step on this path.

[uweiy]

Omg thank you so much for the tag @omarandjohnny ! I already had a recommendation post in my drafts about shows featuring mlm relationships so this is like, the perfect opportunity

Therefore I'm gonna start with Number 6. Your top 5 and answer the rest of them in a rb :)

To My Star

The summary did them dirty tbh. It didn't really make me want to watch it but I did anyway and boyy I don't regret it, so I'll try to make a better one.

Summary : When actor Kang Seo Joon gets involved in a scandal, he ends up living with Han Jiwoo, a young chef working in a restaurant. Jiwoo is a man of habit and does not really enjoy his daily routines being messed with, but SeoJoon with his outgoing and forthright personnality might just manage to worm his way into Jiwoo's life.

This show features cooking as a love language, has incredible acting and aesthetically pleasing shots. Engaging plot, believable characters you are 100% invested in, tension but no unnecessary drama. Did I mention amazing acting ?

Anyway cannot recommend this one enough.

Where your Eyes Linger

Summary : Han Tae Joo is the son of the chairman of a huge conglomerate, blessed with a wealthy family, good looks and popularity. Kang Gook is his bodyguard, and also his only friend. Tension erupts between them when a new female student, Hye Mi, shows interest in Kang Gook. As the two go on a date, Han Tae Joo becomes irritated, and soon after, long-suppressed emotions start surfacing. Could there be more to their platonic friendship?

©: Based on Shannon0l0 at MyDramaList

What's with Korea and great acting. More dramatic than the previous one imo but I mean, it's called drama for a reason. I'm just gonna do this ao3 style : bodyguard, high school, feelings realization, friends to lovers, angst with a happy ending.

History 2: Crossing the Line

Summary : School 'bad boy' Xia Yu Hao gets pestered to join the volleyball club, where he finds himself falling for Qiu Zi Xuan, retirer player and dedicated manager of the team.

I've talked about this one already but. It just. Makes me happy. So far it's still my favorite from the HIStory series. Pretty lighthearted, and the acting is just... So damn good.

The Untamed

I like how there's no in between in this list. It's either relatively simple mini dramas or, like this one, full blown 30+ plot-heavy-episode costume dramas. I'm not sure if I have to summarize this one but still, here goes.

Summary : Wei Wuxian goes to study at Gusu Lan, and cannot for the life of him resist bothering the renowned second jade of Lan, Lan Wanji. Life happens and 16 years later, when Wei Wuxian has become feared by the whole world as the Yiling Patriarch, Lan Wangji is the only one still standing by his side.

It's about the ✨👌pining👌✨. and the profound love, and the pretty costumes and the musics and reincarnation – basically, lots and lots of angst, and so much more than just a 'romance' drama.

Word of Honor

Another if-you've-been-following-me-this is probably-not-unknown-to-you kind of thing. Still.

Summary : Zhou Zishu, renowned assassin has all but given up on life and decides to spend his last 3 years drinking in the sun. He meets Wen Kexing, a mysterious man who keeps following him, and Cheng Ling a boy who lost his family, and somehow they teach each other the things that matter in life.

Anyway. This one is about the married life, and standing by your partner no matter what. Enjoy the ride, but get ready for p a i n 🙃

Honorable mention : Love is science

Well. I kinda have to mention this one since it's my current obession lol.

Summary : Between clients dumping water on Ou Wen and Mark's knee jerk reaction when he finds out Ou Wen is gay, their first meetings are kinda disastrous. However through a series of encounters where they more or less begrudgingly help each other, they end up enjoying each other's presence more than each of them would have thought ?

It's definitely about the "oh shit I caught feelings". Yes it's a side couple, but honestly it's rather refreshing that they have an existence outside of their developing bond, relationship thingie. The acting is great, their chemistry is on point and hilarious, and each character has their own life. I cannot wait to see how this will develop.

[azure7539arts]

may I also request something mdzs related? that post about wwx going down lwj memory lane, may you write his reactions to lwj receiving his punishment, finding lsz, and maybe inquiry? your writing is really captivating! (and very angsty)

Thank you, anon! And, apparently, angsty is what I strive for in life lmao And yes, feel free to send in more asks. I’ll get around to them when I have the chance~

[Read part 1 (i guess?) here]

► Note:

• Bu Ye Tiancheng: Nightless City

• LuanZang Gang: Burial Mounds

• Yun Shen Buzhi Chu: Cloud Recesses in the English translation (or literally, land lost in the clouds, unable to be found)

As always, SPOILERS! SPOILER ALERT. PLEASE SCROLL AWAY IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS.

Wei WuXian didn’t think he was breathing.

He didn’t think he was breathing because the air felt leaden in his lungs as it sat like an ominous weight right in the center of his chest, just waiting to burst forth straight out of his rib cage.

He’d been trying to think, trying to piece together some sort of coherent thought or explanation or just anything at all, but all that he could come up with was a broken loop of why, why, why, why.

He understood why, but that didn’t mean he had to comprehend or accept it. He understood that Lan Zhan was a stubborn, headstrong man with a will of iron forged in the most searing of flames in the high heavens. He understood that once Lan Zhan loved, there was nothing or no one who could sway him otherwise (because, deep down, the six-year-old boy who resolutely sat on those stone steps to wait for his mother to open the doors for him was still there, still patiently waiting even then after all this time—and this was already more than enough evidence should anyone ever want to know exactly just how unwavering and unfaltering Lan Zhan could be once he’d decided that he’d give someone hold over his heart.)

Wei WuXian understood it all, but as it was, he didn’t understand why Lan Zhan just had to go to this length for him.

He had been trying in vain for what seemed like hours to stop the discipline whip from striking and cutting any more slashes into Lan Zhan’s already bloodied, torn up back, the wounds so deep Wei WuXian could see the sickening sight of white bone peeking out in some places underneath the shredded flesh. He knew there was no use to it—whatever remaining rationality screaming at him that this was just a memory of the past flashing by—but he couldn’t help it.

He had to do something when there were people were hurting the one person he loved most in the world.

-

By the end of it, Lan Zhan was bedridden for three years.

By the end of it, Wei WuXian couldn’t remember what his past counterpart had been doing during those three years up on LuanZang Gang anymore. All he could hear and see, taste and smell, were the tears and sweat and blood that shedded for him.

-

“Don’t go so fast,” Wei WuXian said into this quiet void of talking to himself, itching eyes watching as Lan Zhan, in a frantic panic, dressed himself and proceeded to ignore every unbidden wince of pain that he was pulling out of his own lips thanks to that series of hasty movements that were disturbing those barely healed wounds. The slashes had still bled sluggishly sometimes, even after three years. “Worry about yourself first.”

Those were futile words.

Lan Zhan had disappeared from Yun Shen Buzhi Chu that day and had brought himself—no matter the pain it took—to LuanZang Gang. To the one person who had directly and indirectly caused him all the hurt, beyond the physical sense, that he had been bearing for years and years on end.

But long before he had managed to drag himself there, the Wei WuXian of this bleak past had already been long gone from the world.

(Wei WuXian didn’t think he would ever forget the sheer desperation that had been on Lan Zhan’s face as he had looked around in search for any traces, any remaining traces at all, of the person whom he given everything he could to protect.

There had been none.)

And Wei WuXian wondered, numbly, what had kept Lan Zhan searching. Stubbornness? Despair?… Hope? It was hard to say, and in the meantime, Wei WuXian was trying his utmost best not to look too closely at his surroundings anyway. The broken pots on the ground, the makeshift houses razed to the ground, the just growing crops burnt and mercilessly squashed… The Wens had all died in this place along with him.

-

It wasn’t until Lan Zhan pulled a too thin, unconscious and feverish boy out of the hollow of a tree littered with all sorts warding talismans, that he could feel the coiled tension in the pit of his stomach relax incrementally.

A-Yuan had subconsciously clung onto Lan Zhan like a lifeline, and either too far gone or thinking that there had been no one around to witness it anyway, Lan Zhan had allowed a grief-stricken look to shroud over his face, and Wei WuXian could only cast his eyes out into the dark expanse of the starless night sky above, overwhelmed and exhausted yet relieved at the same time despite himself. Despite already knowing that Lan Zhan would eventually find this poor boy who had once called him Xian-gege and had now become the sole survivor of an entire family.

“A-Yuan ah…” Wei WuXian whispered, hand motioning in an attempt to try and stroke a hand through the child’s sweat and dirt matted hair that he could still remember to be so soft and tender. “You’re safe now. He’ll take good care of you.” Better than I could’ve ever done myself.

-

Wei WuXian thought he remembered where his soul had gone, after that sweeping raid on LuanZang Gang, but he wasn’t thinking about it. Instead, the sound of the guqin lingered with him, as much as it had done with Lan Zhan, almost everywhere, constantly, the hauntingly desolate notes wrapping around him like binding threads of gossamer. Spinning and spinning and spinning.

Lan Zhan had played Inquiry everyday (like he he had kept waiting for his mother to open the door to receive him into her arms everyday even though he had no longer come by to sit on the steps of her private quarters anymore after his schedule had gotten too irregular to keep up the habit.) He had played Inquiry every day, had gone to buy Emperor’s Smile whenever he had missed the bright boy of the past and his rich laughter too much, and had gathered every piece of Wei WuXian that he had still kept from long ago together to form what almost seemed like one last final breath of a life before had died out in a shriek of agony.

He’d held onto all of that, tucked them away for safekeeping, and continued playing that one song of Inquiry day after day without fail.

Wei WuXian looked at his husband, his hands ghosting over the too silent strings that was the hallmark of an unanswering soul, and wondered what would have become of them, of Lan Zhan, if Mo XuanYu hadn’t given him another chance at life.

(The idea of Lan Zhan, cold and alone and unable to move on from this almost terrifyingly encompassing love, love for a person—for all he had known—who was never coming back, made Wei WuXian shudder as the despair bubbled up from deep inside his chest and spilled over like spider lilies falling into the darkness.)

-

-

His limbs were cold, and Lan Zhan, just like that, was clasping Wei WuXian’s hands with his own his steady, warm ones, all the while blowing hot breaths onto the icy palms and kneading the underlying muscles for better blood circulation.

Lan Zhan allowed him his silence for a few long moments before cracking his lips open and saying, “It’s not your fault.”

“You told me that already,” Wei WuXian replied sullenly, head heavy with a pulsing pressure wedged right behind his eyes.

“It’s true.”

Wei WuXian pursed his lips and said nothing. His fingers were still stiff with cold.

“I…” Lan Zhan began again, and for a man of not many words, he was trying hard to get this point across. Because it was important. “I do not want there to be any sense of gratitude or apology between us.”

“That’s not—” Wei WuXian was in the process of shaking his head in denial when Lan Zhan levelled him a pointed look, one eyebrow slightly arching upward, and Wei WuXian clicked his mouth shut at that.

Lan Zhan sighed, the circular motion of his massaging thumbs moving steadily along Wei WuXian’s hands until they settled over inner, sensitive skin of his wrists now. And he tried again, no interruption this time: “I do not what that because everything I did, I did because they were right. No more.”

Meaning, Don’t feel grateful towards me when I was only doing the right things.

Meaning, Don’t apologize when I have no regrets.

Meaning, You were—are—right to me.

Because unlike his father before him who had had to lock both himself and his own wife, the love of his life, away because he couldn’t reconcile the conflicts he had felt over loving her so much even though it had been wrong and had gone against every teaching he had received since young, Lan Zhan knew that this love, to him, was right.

Wei WuXian was right, to him. For him.

“You told Jiang WanYin it was better not to dredge up the already bygone past, and this is the same.” Lan Zhan leant down, pressing gentle kisses over the pulse in Wei WuXian’s wrists. “We’re here now.” As in, what’s done is done.

Let’s enjoy the present.

And Wei WuXian closed his eyes, throat tight with the piercing of a thousand needles, but at the same time, he understood this. He comprehended what his husband was saying, and he agreed. The past was the past, and beyond that, it was already another lifetime for him, and if he kept living in regrets, even now that they had gotten married and had only just begun spending their lives together for the rest of their days to come… Then what was the point in all that suffering that they had gone through to be with one another? What was the point in all the pain that Lan Zhan had endured?

Gratitudes and regrets poisoned a relationship, and Wei WuXian should know this better than anyone else.

So he surged up and settled himself into his husband’s embrace, arms wrapping around him and holding him close. Never leaving. Never again.

“I love you,” Wei WuXian said, a genuine smile on his lips despite the sadness that was finally ebbing in his eyes. He was happy. Happy that Lan Zhan had gone out of his way and tried so hard to explain his thoughts to Wei WuXian, laying his heart out in the open like that, just so there wouldn’t be any misunderstanding between them.

“Mn.”

(It was an almost terrifyingly encompassing love, but at the same time, Wei WuXian didn’t mind. His love was possessive, too, with the weight of too many losses and the stigma of a madness that hadn’t quite faded away even after crossing over lifetimes. And that was just how they were… They helped balance each other out and made themselves all the more stronger for it.

In the end, this was all that they had ever wanted or needed.)