#Lan Wangji what have you been smoking? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

gentil-minou · 8 months

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Has anyone done a Secretary Kim wangxian au but with wwx as the genius but clueless CEO and lwj as the extremely competent secretary with a crush he's resigned to never getting anywhere so he quits leading to wwx realizing his feelings and trying to win him back?

Stygian Tech's CEO Wei Wuxian is acclaimed for his innovative work in clean energy especially since he was forced to drop out of college early due to poor funds.

What most don't know is that his BFF from uni, Lan Wangji dropped out with him and took on the role of his secretary

Thanks to lwj's unsurprising talent for organization and his surprising knack for creating space to network, ST was able to get the funding it needed and wwx was able to put his focus on his projects.

He really couldn't have done any of it without lwj, and now at ST's 10 year celebration he means to commemorate lwj for all his help with a plaque in his honor, to go with all the other ones lwj keeps on the wall behind his desk.

They all proclaim him as LAN ZHAN THE BESTEST FRIEND EVER.

Lan Wangji loves them almost as much as he hates them.

Because you see lwj has harbored a crush on wwx since their very first meeting during a heated debate in their entry level environment sci class.

A crush is putting it lightly. He's known he's been in love with wwx for the past decade. Why else would he drop out of his prestigious university against his family's expectations to work as Wei Ying's secretary? For Wei Ying, of course.

Wei Ying's ideas from the very start were unfounded and actually realistic, able to settle debates about clean energy from all sides in ways that made both happy while still being good for the environment. It wasn't fair that his ideas would have to be shoved away because of a lack of money. Lwj couldn't do that to him, to the world.

So, the day after Wei Ying dropped out, so did Lan Wangji

He's spent the last ten years taking care of the tasks Wei Ying could not, so that he could focus on his inventions and marketing them. They made the perfect team, with LWJ happily working behind the scenes to keep the operation organized and running smoothly, and Wei Ying at the the front charming investors and launching his business off the ground.

Lan Wangji doesn't mind his secretarial duties, he used to find solace in them, in fact. Knowing he could take care of the small things so that Wei Ying could put his brilliant mind to use, it was all the satsifaction he needed.

Until now, that is.

He's put his life and career on hold for so long. He has his own dream of creating his own start up, and he can't keep playing the secretary role forever.

And more importantly he can't handle his heart breaking with another plague about their undying friendship, and just their friendship, again.

So, on the night of ST's 10th anniversary, as he drives wwx home (he only trusts himself to get wy home safely; he will need to work on that) he tells him is quitting, putting in his 2 weeks notice.

Wwx thinks he's joking. Is Lan Zhan quitting some secret smoking habit? A prank?

He laughs and laughs, but lwj doesn't laugh with him. His grip tightens on the steering wheel and he looks straight ahead at the road in front of them.

Oh, Wei Wuxian realizes. He's serious.

The rest of the drive is uncharacteristically silent though the tension cuts.

Lan Wangji stops in front of Wei Wuxian's home, providing details about his plan for offloading his duties in the coming weeks in short clipped sentences. He's already scouted the secretarial department and selected a promising woman named Luo Qingyang who will take his place nicely and he thinks will fit wwx's rather eclectic style of running his business.

But wwx doesn't want anyone to take lwj's place. Lwj had been his partner for so long through all the devastating hurdles and endless nights working. How can he possibly go on without him?

But he will, he has to. Because Lan Zhan wants to leave. So he swallows his tears and smiles, as wide as he can make it stretch.

He says good, and he thanks Lan Zhan.

He holds that smile in pretty plastic place, all through his goodbyes, even as he chokes up when he says his usual farewell, "See you tomorrow Lan Zhan"

Then he goes inside his home, and and collapses into choked sobs right there in the entrance as he hears Lan Zhan drive away.

(threadfic here where i'll probs continue this or i'll make an actual oneshot idk anymore)

#what is is about wangxian and fitting all the kdrama tropes perfectly #but anyways cue shenanigans as wwx tries to win lwj back #and lwj misunderstands thinking wwx just wants him for his secretarial skills #no you buffoon he's been in love with you too hes just also a buffoon #and then they kiss yeah #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #the untamed #mdzs fanfiction #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #secretary kim au #bushy writing #i feel like i've seen this the other way around but if you as me this seems more likely #wwx could never be a secretary he lives his life in haphazard post it notes #lwj has bought him a planner every year for the last 13 and every year wwx fills it with doodles and little anecdotes abt how amazing lz is #this is somewhat ooc because lwj would absolutely torture himself by staying on forever just to work by wwx's side #but well plot reasons you know

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gravitywonagain · 2 years

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i am not a vessel for your good intent

the sunshot alliance requests the aid of the feared immortal, yiling laozu, in taking down wen ruohan and qishan wen. it does not go the way they expect it to.

happy birthday, wwx! you get to yell at sect leaders and be an immortal with wings!

[G? for now?, 3k, 1/1?, Pre-Wangxian]

(look, i have no idea where this came from or where it might go or if it will go anywhere. let me know if you want to see more or not and we'll figure it out from there?)

CW: suggestion of implied cannibalism

It begins as expected.

Yiling Laozu sweeps into the banquet hall trailing smoke and shadow that folds itself into the shape of long, feathered wings. His eyes burn like cinders, or steel fresh from the forge. He is uncommonly beautiful, with long lashes, high cheekbones, a mole beneath petal-plush lips. But that too must be expected of an immortal, even one whose life force is fed by what he steals from others. If evil wasn't seductive it would be easy to ignore. Yiling Laozu is not easy to ignore.

Lan Wangji swallows food he can no longer taste. Flattens his palms against the silk of his skirts.

The prattle of the hall dies quickly; chopsticks are set to rest and porcelain cups and bowls clack down against lacquered wood tables. Silence bulges in throats.

Yiling Laozu speaks and though his voice is smooth and pleasant, he is angry. Anyone can tell. None should be surprised.

"Honored cultivation clans," he says, grinning sharp as shale, "I see you've set no place for me at your banquet."

Jin Guangshan rises to answer but Yiling Laozu stops him with a wave of his hand.

"A banquet for your gentry, it seems, while your soldiers eat millet and vinegar. Tell me, nobles, will you wait until they begin scouring battlefields for meat before you throw them the scraps of your pork?"

The implication is clear -- insulting, an outrage. Many stand, fury and pique poised on tongues, yet few speak. Those that do find less help from the mob than they'd anticipated and quiet themselves quickly. None so much as reach for their swords.

Yiling Laozu sucks his teeth like a disapproving parent: a soft sound that somehow echoes throughout the hall. “A poor way to treat those you wish to fight your battles for you.”

Lan Wangji can’t help but agree with him. He had said as much to his brother earlier that night, but Lan Xichen isn’t the one throwing this banquet, and it would have been discourteous not to attend.

“Ah, Yiling Laozu!” Jin Guangshan is already standing at the head of the banquet hall, having sat himself there like the commander of the campaign despite his belated entry into the war. “Welcome to Jiangling, and to the Sunshot Campaign.”

Nie Mingjue, the true commander of this front, doesn’t quite manage to hide his glare at Jin Guangshan. He and the rest of the sect leaders in the hall stand and bow to the dread immortal in greeting.

He inclines his head in return, but his red eyes are sharp on each of the sect leaders before him.

“I have received your invitation. What is it you want from me?”

The leaders of the four largest sects represented, the four men who wrote the letter that was sent to Luanzang Gang, move to stand directly before Yiling Laozu. Three of them are too poised to fidget, but Jiang Wanyin is only sixteen. Still he holds himself well, to Lan Wangji’s eye, and stands strong enough to represent his sect well.

"You know our request. We seek your aid in our war against Qishan Wen."

Jin Guangshan’s words are honeyed thorns. His tone is demure, but he speaks as if to a spoiled child. Placating, superior.

The hall chokes with anticipation, cultivators holding their breath against hope. There has been no question asked, not really, but sect leaders and disciples alike await Yiling Laozu’s next words like his voice alone will save them.

They expect a price to be listed, a negotiation, possibly. There have been rumors and wagers made on what the immortal lord of the dead might ask in return. Gold, land, slaves. A virgin bride -- a harem of them. The throne of the Sun Palace. Lan Wangji has not participated in such idle reverie, but he too is a soldier at war and he does not begrudge people their entertainment.

His own fingertips turn a bloodless white where they are pressed into the meat of his thighs, blue silk dimpled around them. He breathes to calm his nerves.

Yiling Laozu allows the silence to drag out. His ember-bright eyes flick around the hall from one person to the next. His head cocks to the side, as if he is considering them. At last, he returns his gaze to the four sect leaders who stand expectant in the center of the hall.

"No."

"No?" The question is voiced by many. Different volumes and different tones, but all asking spin a thread of surprise.

It was an answer that was left undiscussed, the fear of it too strong to invite such an outcome into reality by speaking it. And, truly, it was unthinkable. They are on the right side of this war. An immortal would see that, would agree. Would help them destroy a madman.

So nobody truly expected Yiling Laozu to say--

"No," Yiling Laozu confirms.

Murmurs begin to roll across the floor like distant thunder. Lan Wangji doesn’t need to hear them to know what they’re all saying: we’re doomed.

A void carves itself into Lan Wangji’s chest as the refusal sets in. Ice follows quickly to fill it.

If Yiling Laozu does not help them, they are dead. They have no other recourse -- they would not have turned to such a creature if they had -- and they are losing this war. Badly. It will be months, at most, that they will be able to hold out. But how many must die during that time? How many will they lose to Wen Ruohan’s mad grab for power?

It is Nie Mingjue who demands, "Why would you come all this way only to refuse?"

Lan Wangji has known Nie Mingjue all his life and he has always been quick to anger. Now, however, he is not angry so much as incredulous. Lan Wangji understands that, too.

But Yiling Loazu simply shrugs, a huge gesture for all of its casual impertinence, as the massive smoky wings heave in tandem with his shoulders.

"I get bored in Yiling,” he drawls. A lazy smirk. Lan Wangji wants to tear it off his face.

"Surely,” says -- Nie Huaisang, surprisingly, from behind his fluttering fan, still seated at the table that was to his brother’s right, “there are less wearisome ways of entertaining yourself."

"You'd think that, Nie-gongzi. But nothing quite entertains me like sect leaders lying to my face."

"Lying?" Again, the question echoes through the hall like hail in a canyon.

"Indeed. Lying.” He says it coolly, assuredly. “Now, tell me sect leaders: Why do you seek my aid in your war?"

There is a pause, uncertainty swirling in the air.

Lan Xichen asks, hesitantly, "Do you wish us to lie to you, then?"

"I do not. But that won't stop you. And neither will my imputation. That's what makes it so entertaining.” That shale-sharp grin again. “So. Go on. Why do you want my help?"

Jin Guangshan begins, "Qishan Wen has grown too hungry--"

"Nope. Next."

Jin Guangshan falters, shocked, the way powerful men are often shocked any time their power is undermined. Certainly he had expected Yiling Laozu to let him at least finish whatever speech he’d rehearsed. "Excuse me?"

"I will not,” says Yiling Laozu. “Really, Jin Guangshan, were you even trying? You, Nie-zongzhu. Your turn."

Nie Mingjue’s brow furrows. He glances sideways toward his brother, though Lan Wangji doesn’t follow his gaze to see what encouragement or confidence Nie Huaisang might offer, and the exchange, whatever it was, is over in a blink. Yet Nie Mingjue seems to have drawn something from it.

He meets Yiling Laozu’s bored gaze and says, "Wen Ruohan has pressed the borders of Qinghe for years.” He pauses, seemingly expecting to be cut off as Jin Guangshan was before him.

Yiling Laozu says nothing, blinking his fire-bright eyes -- dowsing the flame in shadow and then sparking it back to life, the dark fan of his lashes catching at the ends the way treetops do at sunset.

So Nie Mingjue continues, “He is a threat to my people and to my family and I want him destroyed."

"Oh, much closer.” Yiling Laozu’s grin goes lopsided, losing its edge and rounding with amusement. “Well done, Nie-zongzhu. But, you're still lying to me. Next."

"Revenge."

Jiang Wanyin is, as ever, blunt and irascible. But Yiling Laozu doesn’t seem to mind.

The immortal looks at the teenager like Lan Wangji might look at the youngest of his juniors: indulgent but with guiding censure.

"Yes, well, that is obvious,” he says, a pale hand emerging from the shrouding darkness to gesture vaguely at Jiang Wanyin’s person. “You're sixteen and wearing a white sash over robes made for a sect heir. Your shiny new guan might as well still have your father's blood on it. But why my help, young Jiang-zongzhu?"

"Because you have a power that he does not."

There might be a tremor in Jiang Wanyin’s voice. Yiling Laozu might hear it, too. If he does, he doesn’t mention it, doesn’t poke at it. He is not here to injure, it seems. Certainly not to step on those who are already brought low. But why, then?

"Flattery,” he grins again, as if it is his mouth’s natural state to be smiling in some way, “you might think will get you anywhere. But I prefer honesty. Next."

Lan Xichen is the only major sect leader left standing and Lan Wangji feels the ice in his chest crystalize into sharp, jagged points. They cut through his lungs, his spine, his belly.

"Is this a game to you, Yiling Laozu?" Lan Xichen asks.

Yiling Laozu’s head cocks to the side like a bird with wings like his. "Have I not already answered that question, Lan-zongzhu?” His other hand, just as pale and fine-fingered as the first, and he opens his palms to the sky. “Yes. Yes, it is a game.”

He spins, exhorting each cultivator in the room. Lan Wangji thinks he catches an ink-slick glimmer of black robes inside the shadow. “You all claim to want my help, yet you will not tell me why. Why, then, should I help you? You waste my time, I waste yours.” The amusement has drained from him leaving frustration and ire to darken the handsome features of his face as he returns to face Lan Wangji’s brother.

“Lan-zongzhu, I would remind the rest of this grand assembly that your sect has rules against falsehood. So, please, why do you want my help?"

"I don't."

The collective gasp shocks through the room like a discordant note. It holds, waiting for something, anything, to harmonize, to take away this sick feeling in Lan Wangji’s chest. The one that keeps his eyes glued to his brother’s face.

Lan Xichen does not waver. He does not demure. He holds Yiling Laozu’s gaze, shoulders square, jaw set.

And Yiling Laozu’s lips begin to curl once more.

"Yes,” the word sizzles out of him. “Good.” He laughs, dark and delighted, “Now we're getting somewhere! Would you care to elaborate for the assembled gentry?" His arms sweep wide, gesturing around himself, but his eyes do not leave Lan Xichen.

Lan Xichen’s do not leave Yiling Laozu, either.

"You are greedy and vain,” he says, tone much colder than the diplomatic voice Lan Wangji is so used to hearing from him, “your cultivation is abhorrent, you play games with people's lives, and you are here only to mock us while our lands are overrun and our people slaughtered.”

Lan Wangji barely suppresses a flinch as Yiling Laozu’s eyes flicker brighter, but Lan Xichen does not pause his speech.

“I do not want your help,” he reiterates, “but I do believe that we need it to stop someone even worse than you."

There is a strain in his posture that only Lan Wangji would be able to identify as fear. Lan Wangji holds the same fear within himself. His brother has openly insulted the Dread Immortal. It could very well be the last thing he does, and Lan Wangji would be entirely incapable of protecting him.

But Yiling Laozu surprises him once again by bowing. A low and perfectly executed salute, as if he were but a servant among sect leaders.

"Thank you, Lan-zongzhu, for your candor."

"Mn," Lan Xichen nods. Lan Wangji can see how tightly his teeth are clenched together.

"But, if I may,” says Yiling Laozu with a similar courtesy to his overly polite bow, “I do have some counterpoints that may illuminate further why I have decided to crash your garish banquet.”

The darkness of his wings begins to unfurl, spilling feathery shadows across the floor. As if anyone would refuse him his piece. As if anyone could stop him if they tried.

“To your first point: I live in a very small province on a mountain that nobody else wants, not in marble palaces draped in gold and snow-white silks." He does not need to draw attention to Jin Guangshan -- the man splutters enough to do it himself. But even if he hadn't, nobody in the hall missed the suggestion in the imagery.

Yiling Laozu continues, "Second: you know less about my cultivation than you know about the Nie clan's." He turns to face Nie Mingjue, something complicated in the red tinged set of his brow, "Less than Nie-zongzhu knows about it, himself, I think. I would help you with that, should you wish it."

Nie Mingjue is clearly affected by the offer, though Lan Wangji cannot tell how, exactly. But Yiling Laozu moves on before he has the chance or obligation to respond to it. A mercy, of a kind.

"As for the rest of your accusation, you are entirely correct.” He looks back to Lan Xichen, “I am playing games and I am mocking you. But who in this room has even thought through the consequences of asking one monster to slay another? Anyone?”

Nobody speaks. Nobody breathes louder than they have to.

Yiling Laozu’s rage is beautiful and terrible to behold. It is a surprisingly quiet thing, his voice low, almost a growl. Sharp teeth bared in moonlight, bathed swiftly in blood.

“I shall put it bluntly. What happens when the monster who helped you is exhausted and weak and suddenly there is no other monster to fight? Will you let him live peacefully on his mountain where he has been for centuries? Or will you, having defeated the evil to the west, turn your armies southward and descend on my town. On my people."

"We could offer you a treaty," says Nie Mingjue.

"And who would keep you to it?"

"A marriage, then. An alliance,” suggests Jin Guangshan, surely without any intention of giving up his own son to secure it.

"A hostage or a spy. Even if I could stomach keeping such a person prisoner in my house, they would only ever be someone you could bear to lose. Not overly effective as a deterrent for war."

"You wish us to give you someone dear?" Lan Xichen asks.

"No.” Yiling Laozu spits the word. “You are missing the point. You have nothing I want and no possible way to guarantee the safety of my people, my land, or myself at the end of this war.”

Lan Wangji does not miss the way he orders that list.

Yiling Laozu shakes his head, his rage tempered by weariness. “Nobody in this banquet hall is without ulterior goals, and I do not begrudge you them. But I will not help you only to have you turn on me and mine as soon as you have enough room to breathe. Your self-righteousness and your fear and your hunger is all too thick."

The room is, if possible, more shocked than it was after his first refusal. There was still some small hope in that surprise. A chance for bargaining, maybe. Now there is none. Yiling Laozu has made sure of it.

He looks sad.

"See, Nie-gongzi. Wasn't that entertaining?"

Yiling Laozu turns to leave. The tips of his wings drag against the floor like physical things. In the stunned silence, his footsteps echo, strident, purposeful, as he makes his way toward the mouth of the hall.

Lan Wangji stands. He is not sure what drives him to do it. He has never been skilled with words or diplomacy. But neither, he supposes, have helped here, tonight.

And there’s something about him -- about Yiling Laozu. Some kind of pull that Lan Wangji feels. A connection, an understanding. He tugs on it and Yiling Laozu halts.

"You prefer to let Wen Ruohan slaughter us, then?" asks Lan Wangji.

He is surprised by the even timbre of his own voice. He feels himself shaking apart with something more than anger, more than fear, yet held together by something else entirely. Harmonics finally beginning to resolve the frozen discord in his lungs.

Red eyes flick to his and Lan Wangji finds himself paralyzed under the weight of them. These eyes, he understands, have watched centuries pass.

"What do you think this is, young Lan? Do you think you are the first people to conquer and be conquered? I have seen more of you fall to each other than to the ghosts and beasts and demons you all destroy in your contests for glory. You are in a war. There is no winning in a war, only death. Only suffering."

Lan Wangji did not notice Yiling Laozu moving; he did not notice himself moving. But now they stand an arm’s length apart in the center of the hall, gazes locked on each other.

"There would be less death if one of the armies was yours."

He wonders what would happen if he reached out, if his fingers touched the shadows. Would they feel like the feathers they emulate?

"True. But that is not your goal. Your goal is victory. Should I choose to support your side because you are righteous? Look around you, young Lan. Look at the men who lead your armies. Tell me, are they more deserving of their people? Their land?"

Lan Wangji doesn’t look, but he does understand. He does not, entirely, disagree. But there is no room for nuance in Yiling Laozu’s judgment. No room for hope.

"You do not know them."

"You do not know them. And you do not know me." Yiling Laozu’s voice quivers over the last word. Only barely. A string that breaks upon stilling the final note.

Lan Wangji narrows his eyes. "You came here tonight, not to mock us, but to weigh us. And we almost changed your mind. We defied your expectations as you defied ours."

"What is it you think you know, young Lan?"

He bristles. That’s the third time Yiling Laozu has called him “young” and he hates it. He hates it viscerally even as he recognizes the disparity between them. He is likely painfully young to Yiling Laozu. But he is not a child to be dismissed as such. To be lied to. You do not know me.

"You want to help us. You want Wen Ruohan gone, just as we do."

"No.”

Lan Wangji almost staggers at the certainty in the word. He blinks. But he is sure. He is not misreading this. So he sets his jaw and raises an eyebrow, challenging the Dread Immortal.

The immortal who returns Lan Wangji’s challenge with an eyebrow raise of his own. “I want him gone, sure, but not to assume his place,” his chin juts toward Jin Guangshan. Then toward Nie Mingjue and Jiang Wanyin, “Not to kill the terror from the north. Not for revenge. And not, young Lan, because it is right."

Young Lan.

They are standing even closer now. Lan Wangji thinks he might be able to feel Yiling Laozu’s breath on his face. He might be beneath the arch of his towering, black wings.

"If you do nothing, he will come for Yiling just as you believe we will."

"If I do nothing, that is likely true."

"So you will do something?"

Something softens around Yiling Laozu’s eyes. The red of them dims just enough that Lan Wangji can see the hint of an iris inside, likely only because they are standing so close. The corner of Yiling Laozu’s mouth ticks up -- a tiny smile, different from all the others he’s worn tonight. Lan Wangji’s breath catches in his throat.

"Yes,” Yiling Laozu whispers, and it sounds like it’s a concession to even say it. “But not for you."

There is a sound like a thousand wings flapping inside of a cave and the world goes black.

When Lan Wangji opens his eyes again, Yiling Laozu is gone.

#the war ends like 3 days later and whenever lwj meets the new zongzhu of qishan wen she says to him 'yllz sends his regards'#wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian #fanfiction #mdzs #yiling laozu #immortal!wwx #sunshot campaign #my writing #title from 'tongues & teeth' by the crane wives #i honestly don't know where this goes #lwj probably goes to yiling at some point and meets farmer!wwx in the town? they chat for a bit. maybe a'yuan is there?#wwx doesn't think lwj recognizes him but lwj has the shape of his face burned into his mind #i mean it probably ends with lwj marrying an immortal and working toward immortality himself #but like... i have no idea how we get there from here #send me ideas if you feel like it! crowd sourced fic writing? why not!#happy birthday wwx!#i am not a vessel for your good intent

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digitalstowaway · 4 months

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Because it's a 90s sitcom, there needs to be some good psa episodes

The Smoking Episode: Wei Wuxian starts smoking. Lan Wangji tries telling him about the dangers of smoking. Wei Wuxian doesn't listen. When they both get caught in the school bathroom fighting over the pack of cigarettes, Wei Wuxian takes all the blame and gets suspended. It's never acknowledged again.

The Drugs Episode. It's finals and everyone is stressed. Someone offers Wangji caffeine pills to help him stay up and study. Xichen catches him with them and gives him a big lecture on the dangers of drugs. Wangji is just so overwhelmed trying to live up to Lan standards. Xichen gives him a brotherly hug and tells him he'll be loved no matter what. He doesn't need to resort to drug use. The entire episode caffeine is equated to, like, meth.

The Eating Disorder Episode. Xichen doesn't eat much. He's like a little bird, his friends tease. But one day Xichen nearly faints with Mingjue and Guangyao. He insists he's fine. Guangyao points out that he didn't eat lunch at school. Mingjue points out that he rushed out of the house with only an apple that morning. Xichen gets defensive and says he's fine. It escalates until finally he breaks down in front of his family and friends, and they all promise to help him.

The Wreckless Driving Episode: Wei Wuxian befriends some older boys who have a car. But the boys are known for driving wrecklessly through town. Xichen forbids Wangji from getting in the car with them ever again, going so far as to threaten to tattle to their uncle. Wangji is pretty pissed bc he's still dying from his crush on wwx and letting him be alone with older boys is painful. But that same night while Xichen is on his threeway call with Mingjue and Guangyao, there's commotion on Mingjue’s end because Huaisang was in a car accident with Wei Wuxian and the older boys. Xichen tells Wangji the news and there's a big, "That could have been you." "That could have been me." moment.

#mdzs #youre in a 90s sitcom lan wangji

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mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess · 2 years

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Paternal instincts

Content warnings: violence! A lot of it! There is torture in this and it is detailed!

It has been something like 2 hours since Wei Ying entered that room and he has yet to come out. There is the occasional scream resounding from inside, even with all the silencing talismans guarding the door, but nothing else seems to escape the stone chamber.

Lan Wangji is tired of waiting. He's had enough of staying in front of doors and hoping they will finally open.

He breaks the sigil Wei Ying has placed on the door and walks in.

The first thing he feels is the enormous amount of resentful energy. He even sees it, serpents of dark smoke climbing the walls and pooling on the floor. There is a chair in the middle of the room, and one of the suspects for their current predicament is strapped to it with deity-binding threads and thin ropes of resentment. Lan Wangji can see the man's wrists bleeding, the resentment eating at his flesh. He is halfway covered in the smoky manifestation of resentful energy that Wei Ying has conjured, like he's being swallowed by it.

Wei Ying doesn't comment on Lan Wangji's presence. Instead, he snaps his fingers once and the man screams so loud it makes Lan Wangji's ears hurt.

"I don't mind breaking even more of your bones, you know? I'm not even halfway through. And I haven't even reached the fun ones yet either."

The man doesn't say anything, wailing for a few more seconds before he seems to become used to the pain. Wei Ying looks at him with the same admiration one has for a particularly stubborn cockroach.

"I will ask you again. Where is my son?"

"I don't know." The man responds, mouth curling a sickening, bloody smile. "I didn't even know you have a son."

And he laughs.

Lan Wangji grips his sword.

Wei Ying grabs Chenqing momentarily, but settles it at his hip again.

"Wen Ning."

He emerges from a distant corner of the room. He looks... terrifying, even more so than usual. This isn't Wei Ying's doing. This is Wen Ning's own anger that Lan Wangji can feel, and Wen Ning is the only one in control of it.

"Rip his arms off. Start pulling from the shoulders."

The man pales, the smile falling off his face to be replaced with abject terror the moment he feels the Ghist General's grip on his shoulderblades.

And he pulls. Once.

There is a crack, then a maddening scream.

Wei Ying nods towards Wen Ning and he stops.

"Where is my son?"

"I told you, I know of no son of yours!"

Wei Ying sighs. "How long will you keep that up? After I have your limbs torn off, I'll torture you until you turn into a fierce corpse. The more you resist, the angrier I get."

Wen Ning pulls at the man's arms again and his bones crack again. Wei Ying waves a hand and a few tendrils of resentment lock his jaw shut.

"I'm growing really tired of you. You won't tell me anything useful, this is a waste of time."

Wei Ying signals Wen Ning to let go of the man again and the resentful energy retracts.

"Kill me then!" The man screams, followed by hysterical laughter. "Or is the Yiling Patriarch not what he is rumored to be anymore?!"

Wei Ying's eyes shine red and the energy in the room responds to it, enveloping the man up to his neck in dark smoke.

Wei Ying's voice comes out level and dark. "I am way worse than anything you could even fucking imagine. And trust me when I say I'd love to take you apart organ by organ." He takes Chenqing out of his sash, "But I don't have time for that. Tell me where my son is, or I will ask your fucking corpse."

"Your son, huh? I know of no son, except a Wen bastard I caught a few days ago."

Lan Wangji wants to slice the man's head clean off.

The resentful energy responds to the sentiment and it crushes the man's body so tightly, he almost looks like he'll explode.

"Don't fucking talk about my son like that, you worthless piece of shit. Do you really want to die that fucking badly?!"

"So what if I do?! If you kill me, you won't ever find him! That Wen dog should have been killed in the Burial Mounds like the rest of the pests! Like you!"

Lan Wangji's sword pierces through the air, landing one breath away from the man's neck. "Watch your words."

"The honorable Hanguang-Jun! Defending Wen blood! And the heretic that sided with them! You bring shame to your sect-"

The resentful energy crushes him again, several sickening sounds of bone crushing echoing through the room.

"Lan Zhan, this idiot's not saying anything."

"I can see."

"I guess he's just some worthless pawn. I should kill him."

"Let Wen Ning do it. We will find A-Yuan ourselves."

At the mention of the Ghost General, some of the man's cockiness disappears. "Why not kill me yourselves?!"

"You aren't worth getting our hands dirty for." Lan Wangji answers, bored, turning towards the door. "Wei Ying, let's go."

But as the man feels Wen Ning's cold grip around his throat, watching as the other two turn their backs, all resolve in him melts away.

"I will tell you! I will tell you everything! Don't leave me with this monster! I'll really talk, I promise!"

Wei Ying bursts out laughing. "Weren't you so brave just a minute ago? Saying how both me and all the Wens should have died? Wen Ning is one of them too, or have you forgotten?"

"No, no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, let me tell you where the child is! I will take you there myself!"

"How so? You have no legs anymore." Wei Ying laughs, again.

"I will crawl! Please hear me out, don't let the Ghost General kill me!"

Wen Ning's hands loosen from the man's neck but do not disappear completely. They stay a constant reminder of what could happen to him if he lies or if he insults anyone again.

He tells them everything: how a small clan affiliated with the scattered Moling Su sect found out about Lan Sizhui's identity and how they ordered him to have the boy killed in exchange for a large sum of money and a place as a cultivator. How he agreed and took the boy to a secret cave in the woods and was going to kill him but he had wanted to drink something first because he could never kill sober. And how that was the way the Lan search party led by Lan Jingyi spotted him and brought him there for interrogation.

"Took you long enough." Wei Ying finally exclaims, satisfied, spinning Chengqing in one of his hands. "If A-Yuan isn't where you said he should be, you know what will happen to you."

"He is, I swear on my life!"

"Your life is worthless." Lan Wangji replies as he and Wei Ying left the torture room and lock the door behind them.

"I will still kill him." Wei Ying says, as he steps onto Bichen alongside Lan Wangji. He receives a nod as a reply before they take off.

A-Yuan was exactly where the assassin had indicated, asleep as he'd been given a strong narcotic potion. It was a bit adorable, finding him snoring softly inside the little cave, largely intact save from a few cuts and bruises.

He had to sleep off the drug, so all his two parents could do was carry him to his room in the Cloud Recesses and have Lan Jingyi (who had become a mess of tears and thankfulness upon seeing his friend was alive) play him calming melodies until he woke up.

---

"Let me do it." Lan Wangji tells Wei Ying as they return to the torture chamber.

Wei Ying lifts a curious eyebrow. "Since when do you kill people?"

"This is an exception. A-Yuan could have died."

"I know. But you don't need to do this. It wasn't your fault."

"It's not self-punishment. It is revenge."

Wei Ying is too stunned to reply. The darkness in his husband's eyes is almost terrifying - and coming from him, the Yiling Patriarch, that has to mean something.

"Are you coming?"

Lan Wangji disappears behind the room's doors before he receives an answer.

Wei Ying places a powerful silencing talisman to the door and follows suit.

By the time Lan Wangji is done, heaving with the effort and obviously satisfied with his work, there is nothing left of the man that dared hurt their son. Only a puddle of blood and the odd fragment of bone. Bichen has done a fantastic job, the blade shining red as it rests against the now empty wooden chair.

At least the cleanup will be minimal.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #writing attempts

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mdzs-fics · 3 months

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More short fiction

I've been saving a few of these for a while, and hope you find something that suits your interests among this list of ten stories.

江湖 | jianghu by dragongirlG

Explicit AU - Chinese Mythology & Folklore 7 chapters (complete) 25k words

Author dragongirlG shows us how the term 江湖 | jianghu can be defined through the lives (and deaths) of Wei Wuxian through time. Different eras in Chinese history are explored through short chapters, each complete in itself. Most of these stories do not end happily (well, Wei Wuxian dies, of course …) The diaspora story was extremely interesting.

Rainbow-Faceted Heart by DrPanda99

AU - Chinese Mythology & Folklore 5 chapters (complete) 18k words

Wei Ying approached it carefully. The snake was so still that he thought it dead until it flickered one of its long whiskers. Wait, whiskers?

He held his hand out carefully, hoping it would not bite. It flicked its tail sluggishly as he reached under it, but made no further movements. Wei Ying picked it up carefully, but when his hand went to support its head, it stiffened. He shifted his hands lower down its body and the tense muscles relaxed.

“Hey, little guy,” said Wei Ying. The snake’s strangeness was even more apparent up close—the shape of its head was not quite right. Before he could examine it further, he gasped.

There was a long, jagged gash under its neck and chest. The wound wasn’t bleeding, but its edges were bright red—still fresh.

“What kind of bird got you?” asked Wei Ying.

The snake didn’t reply.

A snake is found and rescued. A martial brother arrives and discovers Wei Ying was disabled during the last war. A scholar arrives asking for shelter from the rain. And there is war in the heavens.

Step by step by apathyinreverie

Modern AU 1 chapter, complete 12K word [Must have an account with Archive of Our Own in order to read. An invitation is readily provided on the website.]

Maybe some of the people present had been hoping Lan Zhan might have misspoken or maybe that they themselves might have misheard what he said.

Either way, with the confirmation of his objection to a deal they have apparently been working on for months now, everyone seems at an impasse of how to proceed. Especially since it is no secret in their circles that, as much as Xichen might be the actual heir to their family’s medical empire, the one who makes the decisions regarding their company, his brother would never do something he knows Lan Zhan disapproves of where their family is concerned. It’s a fact.

His brother always puts family first.

This Time With Lanterns by ChaoticAndrogynous

6k words

In which there is a wedding.

"He’s reminded of a mother hen, if it was made of black smoke and the desire for vengeance. So, a mother goose, maybe."

What Do You Want To Be Now? by KayCeeBabe

2k words

In which there is a confession.

“Wei Ying, what do you want to be now?”

I Wanna be Fluent in Your Love Language by KayCeeBabe

1k words

In which Words are Spoken.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji says. “I will always love you. No matter what.”

You in me, you are mine, my everything by BriaPia

24k words

In which Hanguan-Jun is a member of the Baixue Temple sect when the events start at Mo Manor

“Do you trust him?”

“With my life,” he replied instantly, he knew Song Zichen would accept his request, but he needed to make clear the amount of trust he deposited on Wei Ying. To either his own sect leader or the rest of the world, Lan Wangji didn’t care, but he would make sure no doubt about that particular topic ever arose.

【为梦想而战】for this dream, i'll fight by paradisetrain [restricted]

27K words

In which Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian play Cultivation Arena professionally. Jin Guangyao is evil.

Lan Wangji thinks about it. He opens his mouth, then closes it. He wonders, why has no one thought of this before?

It's fear, he decides. Fear of deviating from the norm, fear of venturing into something never done before. Fear of being the first. All the current CultArena pros are too scared of failure. Of the mockery that awaits them when their leap of faith turns into freefall.

Wei Wuxian had never hesitated to take that leap.

Seasons of Falling Flowers by merakily

40K words

In which Lan Qiren changes his opinion of Wei Wuxian. It is not a simple thing. [Post-Guanyin Temple.]

“Will you rejoin your sect?” As soon as the words leave his mouth, Lan Qiren regrets his wording.

He is not surprised when Wangji’s eyes narrow, flashing with offence. “There is no need to rejoin what one has never left. I did not turn my back on my sect. My sect turned their backs on me.”

into the dark by xxshigurexx (Shunou)

Alternate AU 32k words

This is a series of 9 short tales, each continuing along the same theme: Wen Ying grows up as the Third Young Master of the Wen.

Each story may be read separately. Highly recommended for another view of life among the Wen and the other cultivation sects. The stories cover the time from Wen Ying's discovery in Yiling through the aftermath of the burning of Lotus Pier.

It starts with what haunts the dark

The furrow in Wen Ruohan’s brow grows deeper, until the tiny thing speaks with its unmistakably childish, pitiful voice, “You should not be here, Mister. It is not safe.”

Wen Ruohan laughs, confusing the rest of his entourage who are standing stiff with dread. “Who told you that, boy?”

The boy, his robes tattered and caked with a thick layer of dirt, walks closer and stops in front of Wen Ruohan. Such bravery, or perhaps it is born out of fearlessness, out of having nothing more to lose. “The shadows,” the boy answers dutifully.

#mdzs fic recs #lan zhan #wei ying #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #the untamed

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youhideastar · 3 months

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WujiWatch: CQL Rewatch Episode 13

This is the first Xuanwu Cave episode, and you would think after writing five whole fics set entirely in that damn cave, plus at least two others that have scenes set there, I’d have no more to say about it… but you’d be wrong! 😂

Blowing smoke: Why does Wei Wuxian use that talisman to clear away the fog and reveal the cave on Muxi Mountain? It’s a puzzling decision, because by doing so, he’s helping Wen Chao and the Wen Sect overall, and also forcing Lan Wangji to walk farther on his broken leg. If he were doing it to show off, he’d look at Lan Wangji to see whether he’s impressed, but he doesn’t. You could say that he’s motivated by general altruism: he wants to kill the dangerous monster, like a good cultivator should. I think that may be part of it, but the false Xuanwu has been sealed in that pond, so it’s clearly not going on rampages or whatever. It’s not messing with anybody who’s not messing with it.

No, I think the major motivating factor is what happens right before he pulls out that talisman: Wen Chao orders the Wen soldiers and Wen Qing to go looking for the cave, and when Wen Qing returns to report that they couldn’t find it, Wang Lingjiao calls her “useless trash.” Wen Qing takes this abuse—from a person who is her inferior in every way—silently. And it’s at this moment that Wei Wuxian uses his genius to find the cave: not, I think, to save the common people from danger, but to spare his friend from further humiliation.

Where’s Wangji? I am intensely confused about where Lan Wangji’s guqin is during this whole arc. Clearly, if he had it, he would use it to help defeat the false Xuanwu—so he doesn’t have it. But then where is it? Did the Wens confiscate it? (But then how does he get it back later?) Did he stash it somewhere to keep it out of their hands? (But when did he have time for that? He’s taken prisoner immediately after attacking the Wen soldiers—with Wangji—at Cloud Recesses.) I have nothing on this one, folks.

JC Superstar: This is the episode where Jiang Cheng really gets to show his badassery, which I love. During the lengthy and very confusingly edited Wen-vs-hostages battle sequence, Jiang Cheng and Wen Zhuliu duel, and despite the aforementioned confusing editing, it’s clear that Jiang Cheng is able to hold his own against the Core-Melting Hand. He’s not winning, but he’s hanging in there. Hey, you know who else was able to hold her own, but not win, against Wen Zhuliu? The Violet Spider herself, Yu Ziyuan. The implication that Jiang Chang’s skills are at least in the same tier as his mom’s is super impressive, since the drama sets her up as a very powerful fighter. This is also the episode where Jiang Cheng sneaks into the water to find the cave exit with his mad swimming skills, then guides the other hostages to safety. With his martial skills on the one hand, and his Jiang daring on the other, Jiang Cheng in this episode combines the best of both of his parents. Too bad neither of them will ever give him credit for it.

#the untamed #meta #wujiwatch #cql

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theuntamedaus · 1 year

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School for Good and Evil AU (finally)

So, a little premise is due: I have only seen the movie, but the book is in my to-read list, so don't crucify me.

Also, I have seen the poll results and we really are a hivemind fandom lol

Love y'all who voted, I am sending hearts to you all!

So, AU under the cut!

As said, JC and WWX live in LP a quiet, boring life. Yanli is there as well as their elder sister and it's okay, except it's not. Somehow NHS, the local librarian (?), mentions the existence of the School for Good and Evil, because WWX spots one of the books marked with the school's logo and he is like "WHAT IS THAT?"

And NHS is more than happy to explain.

Now, because I want to keep the wuxia/xianxia elements, I will say that the School for Good is where all of the classic heroes/heroines in wuxia/xianxia are trained, with good cultivation and righteous paths and all, and the School for Evil is where the wuxia/xianxia villains, with like demonic cultivation, crooked path and all, are trained.

So, WWX is hellbent on going to this School for Good and Evil out of curiosity, boredom and all - "you mean, I will be able to invent stuff, fight villains, be someone everyone can be proud of, and also, ChengCheng, Aunt Yu will not be scolding me all the time! It's a win"

"Yeah, sure, but how do you think I-, I mean, a-jie will take it? Also, did you not promise me we'd be together as sworn brothers?"

"... Yeah, I did... You know, forget I said it, I'll go wherever you will go!"

And then WWX breaks his promise and JC goes to find him, just to discover that he is going to the School for Good and Evil leaving everyone behind and JC in particular behind and JC is not thrilled.

Their conversation is cut short by the humongous bird coming down and grabbing them both and then flying all the way to the school.

Now, WWX is really a tad too much arrogant, which is usually toned down by his massive caring heart, but it's there nonetheless and he is so sure he will be in the Good school.

JC, on the other side, really just wants to go back home dragging back WWX and wants to have nothing to do with any school.

And WWX sees the Good school, high in the sky, full of nice trees and all like

And then he sees the Evil School, all shrouded in darkness and smoke like

and WWX smiles until the aforementioned bird drops him off in the Evil school, much to WWX's disappointment and JC's distress.

JC gets dropped off at the Good School.

And both WWX and JC hate it.

They both raise hell, but it is useless. WWX gets draped in wuxia villain red and black robes and given the Red Eyeliner of Evilness, whilst JC gets draped in the fanciest wuxia hero robes and given the Righteous Sword to Smite Evilness.

Neither of them are thrilled.

Cue WWX angry-pouting and JC sarcastically frowning.

There is the whole parade thing and here we meet the Perfect Hero Lan Wangji, all draped in white and light blue, sword in one hand and guqin floating in front of him.

WWX sees him and he is smitten, completely fallen in love.

On the other hand, LWJ and JC immediately hate each other's guts.

Soon after we meet Rector LQR, followed by Good School's professor LXC and Evil School's professor WC.

Once again WWX and JC try to present their case, that there has been a mistake, but it seems that "the School has not made any mistakes".

End of part 1 - I will elaborate more in other posts.

#the untamed #the untamed au #school for good and evil #school for good and evil au #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #mo dao zu shi #mo dao zu shi au #chen qing ling #chen qing ling au #mdzs #mdzs au #cql #cql au

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rosethornewrites · 1 year

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Fic: and sings the tune without the words, ch. 9

Additional Tags: Epistolary, Food, Music, Secrets, Resentful Energy, Cultivation Sect Politics, Character Death

Summary: Jiang Yanli and Lan Xichen exchange letters in the aftermath of Wen Ruohan’s disastrous visit.

Notes: See end.

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

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

AO3 link

———

Dear Lan-gongzi,

I know you’ve probably been worried, and I don’t know whether your didi’s letter had a lot of information, so I thought I would update you.

I was with A-Xian for moral support when Wen Qing came to examine him, and Wen-zongzhu hurt my didi by trying to force the curse from his head, and there was some sort of backlash before anyone could try to intervene. A-Xian screamed so loudly and his eyes glowed deep red and he was floating and surrounded by black smoke, which your brother tells me is how resentful energy looks. Then it all blasted out and the next thing I knew, A-Xian was on the ground and the healing pavilion had exploded out, and Wen-zongzhu was dead in the most awful ways, almost like he was mummified. Aside from him, his sons were a bit addled from the incident and had minor injuries, but all others were unharmed even though the healing pavilion was largely destroyed.

The Wen tried to take A-Xian into custody while he was unconscious, which none of us allowed, and then they resorted to an attempt on his life, which A-Niang foiled, so they were all forced to leave except Wen Qing, who defected with her branch for some reason. Her family is being moved here, and she has the sweetest little didi, A-Ning—he and A-Lian play and take naps together, though he’s a few years older than her. Thankfully, A-Lian didn’t witness what occurred in the healing pavilion, but she’s been so worried about her erge.

But I digress; your brother is well, though sticking to A-Xian like glue in the days he was unconscious and even after he regained consciousness. A-Xian doesn’t remember anything about what happened, which is probably for the better. When he woke, he was frightened and confused, but as soon as your brother called his name he calmed. Apparently when he woke up it was a little like after he was first cursed and his memory was blank, but it all came back when Lan Wangji called his name. They are inseparable and I do not envy your uncle when it comes time for him to return to Gusu with your brother.

A-Xian felt terribly about the damage to the healing pavilion, and apologized to Kang-daifu when he learned of it, but Kang-daifu said better the place took the damage and not the people, and said he must have tried his best to protect everyone in such circumstances. That helped a lot, though A-Xian is still quite distressed that anyone died at all, which was certainly not his fault, not since Wen-zongzhu caused the backlash.

A-Die called for a discussion conference, and so Lotus Pier has so many visitors from the different clans, and so many of them are making these terrible assumptions about A-Xian that it’s hard to want to leave the family area. A-Lian has already kicked a sect leader in the shin for speaking badly about her gege, though I daresay I wished I could do the same, as Yao-zongzhu has a different terrible lie every time I have the misfortune of being near him. His latest is that A-Xian has enthralled us through dark magic and crafty tricks, as though his adoption is some sort of plot.

I know this isn’t befitting of a young lady of the gentry, but it’s so hard to listen to my didi be called a criminal when he doesn’t even remember what happened and Wen-zongzhu hurt him. A-Niang has taken to loudly telling anyone who says anything negative that someone who tries to harm a child like that deserves what they get, which is having some impact as the different sect leaders meet A-Xian and learn of his condition and the curse that has taken his memories.

That Xiansheng is firmly on A-Xian’s side has also helped matters, as he also witnessed everything and his virtuous reputation commands respect, but I worry terribly about what could befall my didi. It’s not his fault he was cursed, or that he was attacked.

Several Wen emissaries have arrived, only they all seem to be against each other, with conflicting ideas of who should be the next Wen-zongzhu. I’ve been keeping my ear open, and there are rumors that Wen Ruohan’s sons are imprisoned—but there are also those terrible rumors about A-Xian, so I don’t know what’s reliable. So I’m sneaking to listen to the discussion in a bit. I’ll continue this letter after.

Nie-zongzhu arrived and is on A-Xian’s side, said he’s a bright and kind boy whose curse is unfortunate and powerful. He says Wen-zongzhu shouldn’t have ignored the doctors and meddled with the curse, particularly since A-Xian is known to have confusion when meeting new people. He related how A-Xian called him by a strange title and then passed out, and that his amnesia leads him to confusion as he pieces together what comes to him from fragments of memory. He said that Wen-zongzhu’s decision to directly try to yank the resentful energy from A-Xian’s mind like he did implies he may have been experimenting with demonic cultivation.

He also chastised Yao-zongzhu for maligning A-Xian and told him only a coward spreads vile rumors about anyone, and that he’s done it against a child makes him the lowest of the low. Yao-zongzhu tried to say A-Xian must be faking and the resentful energy is being used to confuse us all and his adoption should be annulled because it was unacceptable to bring a degenerate into a gentry family, and A-Niang lost her temper. It got a bit violent, and A-Die reminded Yao-zongzhu of A-Xian’s parentage, both esteemed cultivators and one the daughter of Baoshan Sanren, and said that if he couldn’t stop maligning their son, he could find another main sect to sponsor the Yao clan.

Anyway, Yao-zongzhu tried to get other small sects to support him, calling A-Niang a barbarian for punching him, but he didn’t make for an imposing figure with a bloody face and even Ouyang-zongzhu, who’s supposed to be his close ally, wouldn’t stand with him, so he left in disgrace after Kang-daifu set his broken nose.

After that, A-Xian was made to speak even though he was still shaken by Yao-zongzhu’s words, and your brother accompanied him, bless him, saying it was only proper that he support his betrothed. A-Xian was told to relate what he remembered of what happened, which was nothing, only that he woke at Lotus Cove in the infirmary and was told he had been attacked while training, and he’s only regained bits and pieces of memory, and he passes out sometimes as a result and is a bit ill afterward. When asked about Wen-zongzhu, he said he didn’t remember even meeting him, that there was just a blank space in his mind and his head still hurts from what happened.

Then when Jin-zongzhu asked a question he said something I didn’t understand, something about hurting the civilians, and passed out. Your brother caught him before he could fall, and A-Niang carried him out and has barred access to anyone but family and approved doctors. While he was being taken out, Nie-zongzhu related what happened at the Cloud Recesses when he met A-Xian and he was similarly confused in speech and fell unconscious, so they’ve seen how it occurs, now, at least.

I’m afraid I missed the rest, as I focused on A-Xian. I have soup ready for when he wakes, and your brother remains at his side. Meng-ayi and Mo-guniang and their sons are ensconced in the family area as well and looking after him, too, since Jin-zongzhu is here and knows they’re here—he came and had a confrontation with A-Die about it back around A-Cheng’s birthday and they’re afraid he might try to force them to Lanling.

All witnesses are being called, so it will last several more days. Wen Qing intends to provide her testimony tomorrow, and says it will include things about her uncle that will not be taken well, but will hopefully shift the focus away from A-Xian and allow him some peace. No one has given him time to recover from Wen-zongzhu’s attack, even.

Wen Qing believes the Wen clan will ultimately split after an internal war, which is why her family is coming to Lotus Pier to join the Jiang sect. Her and her didi are being kept under guard in the family wing for now, but she’s been allowed to examine A-Xian with Kang-daifu’s oversight. She doesn’t believe her uncle did any lasting damage with whatever he did, thankfully, and Kang-daifu concurs.

While things are difficult, your uncle and my parents have things well in hand. Nie-zongzhu’s support is helping significantly. I think the whole of jianghu will be on shaky ground for a bit, and we’ll just have to be vigilant.

I hope this eases the worry I’m sure you’re feeling. Truly, I understand Xiansheng’s decision to keep the Lan heir safe, though I know you would prefer to be here with your didi.

Sincerely,

Jiang Yanli

———

Dear Jiang-guniang,

I thank you sincerely for the letter, which is understandably more detailed than the one Wangji sent; he was rather upset when he wrote it, as I believe your didi had only just awoken, and yours has clarified the situation a bit.

Wen-zongzhu’s attack on Jiang Wuxian is completely baffling, as it’s not clear what he was hoping to achieve in trying to forcibly remove the resentful energy. Even given what Jiang Wuxian said about Wen Qing, according to Wangji, his reaction was more like an attack, and it certainly wouldn’t give him more information. Everyone knows attempting to forcibly remove a curse can cause disastrous backlash—that’s why the Cloud Recesses keeps extensive records of known curses and how to remove them without harming the victim further! I’m relieved Jiang Wuxian was not more badly affected.

I dare not speculate on the possibility of Wen-zongzhu’s use of resentful energy, but that may be what caused Wen Qing’s defection and request for asylum from the Jiang, if true. That may be something she will be discussing during her testimony, but it’s far too serious an accusation to make idly. Resentful energy corrupts those who attempt to wield it, and has done so throughout history, which would sadly explain his disastrous decision as he would not be thinking clearly if he were corrupted thus.

I’m relieved that your didi is recovering, and that Wangji is helping him so much; I wonder if it might be prudent to keep them together, rather than trying to separate them, as they are definitely quite attached to one another and so far better together. Wangji was devastated when Muqin passed, and hadn’t come out of his shell at all until he met Jiang Wuxian, and the progress he’s been making since is wonderful to see. Part of me wishes I could have been the one to help him, since I’m his gege, but just seeing him improve is more than satisfactory for me, so I’m thankful to your didi.

From what occurred with Yao-zongzhu, it sounds rather like GusuLan will not sponsor him, either—Shufu has great respect and affection for Jiang Wuxian, and he would never be willing to aid someone willing to spread vicious gossip about him. What Yao-zongzhu was actually accusing Jiang Wuxian of was cultivating resentful energy, implying he is a demonic cultivator, and Shufu will never tolerate such an atrocious and completely false accusation. It is a serious charge and not one to make in idle supposition, as I’ve said, and it sounds as though he is trying to impress the Wen contingent for some reason, though I cannot speculate on his logic.

I am unsurprised by Yu-furen’s violent response, and glad she was the one to do it as I have no doubt Wangji would have otherwise, which would have caused far worse fallout! Wangji is very protective of Jiang Wuxian, and is incensed that anyone would accuse him of wrongdoing when he was clearly attacked.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Nie-zongzhu feels similarly about such slander, as he is a person who will not tolerate such conduct. I know this through his son, as Nie Mingjue is a good friend of mine. He has a little bit of a soft heart for my didi and insisted he could call him Dage (though Wangji refuses), and I daresay he may feel similarly about Jiang Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin when he meets them. He’s very protective of his own didi, too. I think you would enjoy meeting him if he’s at Lotus Cove for the discussion conference.

This is all to say that Yao-zongzhu will need to petition either Jin-zongzhu or whoever succeeds Wen Ruohan to sponsor his clan, and from your description it sounds like the latter may be unlikely. With Jiang Wuxian’s vocal confusion about Jin-zongzhu occurring as a public event, he may be sympathetic to Yao-zongzhu if he is offended, so that may be an area of concern in the future. That he knows the Jiang are sheltering two of his former paramours and unacknowledged sons may increase that risk, so perhaps keep watch for that.

It is concerning that the Wen heirs may have been imprisoned, but it’s equally possible some in the sect want that, while others are supporting either Wen Chao or Wen Xu and pitting them against each other. The Wen sect has grown almost too big and too quickly under Wen Ruohan, and the transition of power following his death was never going to be easy. Following his untimely death, it’s almost certainly complete chaos. Try not to take rumors to heart, as often they seem to be based on the agenda of the gossiper rather than reality—this is why the Cloud Recesses has a rule against gossip!

I hope Wen Qing’s testimony takes the focus off your didi, too. He deserves a chance to heal from what Wen-zongzhu did, and he’s just the sort of person to hide his hurt to try to help. That’s what we older siblings must look out for, and perhaps you may enlist other older siblings to help, like Wen Qing and Nie Mingjue. I will of course do the same at the Cloud Recesses when our brothers are here.

I completely understand missing the rest of the discussion, as your didi of course comes first. My guess is that other disciples were similarly watching the proceedings out of fear for him, and you might see if any are willing to share what you missed. Another resource might be the servants. They will be able to at least let you know if you missed anything concerning.

Thank you for the detailed letter, and I hope you will continue to keep me abreast of any developments. Reading this has eased some of my worries, now that I know that Nie-zongzhu has become a sort of ally. That added layer of protection brings me much relief.

Sincerely,

Lan Xichen

—————

There are so many little things going on here, including the fact that older!wwx is in fact a cultivator of resentful energy and they have no idea. A bit of irony, though he cultivates the ghost path rather than demonic cultivation.

For Wen Ruohan, I’m going more CQL in terms of budding demonic cultivator. He’s obviously already taken possession of one piece of Yin iron, which is now in the hands of an unstable sect on the brink of civil war, whoops! Surely this won’t become an issue in the future!

But the Dafan Wen have defected and are being evacuated into Yunmeng, the Nie are on the side of the Jiang because Nie-zongzhu met and liked Jiang Wuxian at the Cloud Recesses in what amounted to an accidental meeting. Yao-zongzhu gossiped as per usual and to avoid having to backtrack made an ill-advised power play to assuage his giant ego. And Jin Guangshan is pissed because the Jiang are sheltering his bitches and bastards, and now Jiang Wuxian has deliriously spoken of him killing Wen Qing and abusing the peasants, which certainly won’t ease his anger.

And poor Jiang Wuxian is like Wei Wuxian waking up in Mo Xuanyu’s body after 13 years and learning he’s apparently been blamed for all evil in the jianghu.

On a personal note, I’m working on dealing with issues involving my chronic conditions, mental health, and healthcare, and it might take all summer. I can only do what I can, and I have to accept that. It’s hard to accept being disabled.

Bright side is we found a sweet stray puppy and may adopt her if she’s not chipped.

This was simmering in the back of my mind while I worked on a chapter of “the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break” and was a surprisingly quick write. Thanks to adrian_kres for the beta!

Glossary:

a-die - dad (informal)

a-niang - mom (informal)

dage - eldest brother

didi - little brother

erge - second eldest brother

daifu - doctor

furen - madam

jianghu - cultivation world

muqin - mother (formal)

shufu - uncle

xiansheng - teacher

zongzhu - sect leader

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curiosity-killed · 7 months

Text

whipstitch deleted scenes: nightless city

WC: 1001

this was the original start to chapter 4 but got cut for pacing reasons

At first, Lan Xichen thinks he’s dead. The body slumped on the bloodred rock certainly doesn’t seem a living thing: gaunt, bone-white, lifeless. Fear rises steam-like through his chest, and he forces it to condense, to settle into the lake-deep calm of concentration. There is blood running down Wangji’s arm, and his brother looks only a few breaths from shattering.

“Wangji,” he starts, voice hoarse.

Wangji has to drag his gaze up from the body lying limp in his arms, little stuttering motions that draw his eyes up to Lan Xichen. The expression there makes him stop short, take in a sharp breath.

When their mother died, Wangji knelt outside of her house for hours on end with a stubborn hope straightening his back and rooting him before the door.

There is no hope in his eyes now. He looks unmoored, lost—his eyes are wide and begging.

“Xiongzhang,” he says.

Lan Xichen stumbles forward, reaching out for Wangji as if he’s still a child to be lifted up and carried on his hip.

He knows Wangji cares for Wei Wuxian, of course. His brother has never made friends easily, and Lan Xichen had encouraged this in the beginning. At the lecture in the Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian had seemed a bright spirit—clever and humorous and skilled—that might draw Wangji out of his internal seclusion and into the world.

Lan Xichen had never wanted it to be like this.

Jiang Wanyin stands beside them, blood soaked into his sleeves and skirts. It’s not his; no wounds cut through the purple and indigo silk to bleed out. Grief is a distant thing to Lan Xichen’s mind, familiar and faraway. Jiang Yanli had always seemed a kind spirit, patient and good-natured.

“Wei Wuxian has been captured! The Yiling laozu is ours!”

The cry goes up behind him, spreading like contagion among the cultivators still standing in the smoking field. He can’t track who starts it or picks it up as he stands frozen before his brother and the edge of a great and terrible cliff.

Wei Wuxian does not look captured. He is cradled in Wangji’s bloody arms, limp across his knees as if dragged there without resistance or aid. A streak of blood is painted over his cheekbone like a single stroke of scarlet ink.

“To the Burial Mounds! Let’s burn it down!”

Immediately, the cry is followed by raucous agreement.

“Burn the Wens! Take everything!”

Like a tide pulling back from the shore, Lan Xichen can feel the crowd turning and pivoting. They should be exhausted by the fight, but instead, they are galvanized and reenergized by their apparent victory. He doesn’t have to turn around to know his own disciples are waiting, eager for his command.

“Xiongzhang,” Wangji repeats, fear and doubt breaking through his gaze.

Lan Xichen swallows and shakes his head slightly. He doesn’t want this task. For the first time in his life, he wants to run away from his title and responsibilities. If he refuses to help take the Burial Mounds settlement, all of Gusu Lan will be denounced as traitors to all the cultivation world. Their rebuilding efforts, still shaky even with Jin Guangyao’s best support, will be burned down before the roofs are even raised.

If he goes, he will pierce his brother’s heart with a hundred swords.

“Wangji,” he says. He tries to make his voice placating, reasonable. It comes out hoarse, cracked, “Stay with Wei-gongzi.”

Please, he doesn’t beg. Please don’t fight.

Eyes wide, Wangji stares at him before his brow slowly furrows and he shakes his head. His arms tremble as he drags his feet underneath him. His whole body is shaking with exhaustion, spiritual and physical fatigue causing fine tremors through his hands and legs.

“Wangji,” Lan Xichen tries again.

“What are you—”

Jiang Wanyin is cut off by the sharp glare of Bichen unsheathing, letting out just enough spiritual energy to knock both of them back a step. On any other day, Bichen’s glare would be deadly. On any other day, Wangji would not turn it on his brother.

But today, Lan Xichen is exhausted and shaking with the same fatigue as his brother. He stumbles, trips back and falls to his knee. The jagged rock bites through his robes, cleaving into the skin stretched over his knee and bringing startled tears to his eyes. By the time he has pulled himself to his feet, Wangji is gone, vanishing west.

“What the hell is he doing?” Jiang Wanyin spits, knuckles white around his sword’s handle. A fresh cut bleeds down his cheek. “He’s going to kill them both. What the fuck, Lan Wangji!”

He snarls, turning and stalking back down to where his own disciples are surely waiting. Left alone on the edge of the cliff, Lan Xichen swallows ash.

They won’t win. Two cultivators, exhausted, crushed, cannot stand against three thousand. Even with the aid of the Wens still sheltered in Wei Wuxian’s encampment, they cannot win.

His brother is going to die protecting a man who has never loved him.

“Zongzhu?”

“Yiling,” he says, or someone else says with his own voice. “We go to Yiling with the other sects.”

Drawing in a breath, he forces his voice to come out steady and even. This is his task. He is the mediator, the bridge across gaping chasms. He will lay his body down if it can bring his brother to safety.

“Send a message to the Cloud Recesses,” he says. “I request the elders’ presence at the siege of the Burial Mounds.”

Wangji has always respected them. He’s always been the most devoted disciple—too much so, Lan Xichen had thought once. He holds tight to that belief now as he turns away from the cliff’s edge. Let it be enough. Let them bring him home. The sun rises slow and ashen through the grey clouds, and his shadow stretches long and wavering down the blood-streaked rock as he walks alone toward the end.

#my writing #the untamed #mdzs #lan xichen #lan wangji #the other excerpt is a rlly short jyl one #and then there are a couple unfinished ones idk about

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