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eleanorfenyxwrites · 2 years

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Tales from Jianghu Shopping Center

@lansplaining made this post a few days ago reimagining all the Great Sects as shops in a weird roadside strip mall, and weird strip malls are, unironically, one of my favorite things in this world so I had to do this. I had no choice. For Vibe Purposes, I want y'all to know that this is set in the late 90's, early 00's, it barely matters except I think it really gives it a fun nostalgic ~flavor~. (Also I very much have a very specific strip mall that I like in mind for this because I'm normal 😂)

This is currently only a one-shot but I'm in love with this concept and would be happy to do more little one-shot vignettes/headcanons if anyone has anything in mind that they'd like to see! Ask box is always open ♥

[Masterpost] [AO3]

-/-

Lan Wangji stands behind the counter, hands resting lightly on the ever-so-slightly sticky vinyl as he listens to the thrum of the air conditioner lumbering to keep up with the latest midsummer heatwave. Through the windows - beyond the clustered rows of antique bric-a-brac and the glimmering crystal display winking in the blocks of light creeping slowly across the first few feet of the shop - the sun beats down unhindered to bake the blacktop tarmac and the handful of cars parked neatly between the cracking white lines. As he watches, a family of five steps out of a silver-gray van into the shimmering heat and heads across the lot, children’s hands tucked neatly into their parents’ likely-sweaty palms as they head for the corner restaurant a few doors down.

It’s lunch time, and though the strip mall doesn’t see a ton of business during the week, most days there’s always a bit of a bump right around noon, families and dating couples out for a wander passing through to enjoy the Jiangs’ cooking.

Lan Wangji lights a fresh stick of his favorite sandalwood incense and watches the smoke curl lazily up towards the half-length bead curtain clicking gently overhead, swaying a little in the breeze from the AC over the hallway through to the back just behind him.

“Wangji, do you want to take your break?” Lan Xichen asks from the back office, head poked around the door frame. He’s been doing the books and inventory this morning and Lan Wangji doesn’t envy him the job even if it is cooler back there, tucked well away from the sun-drenched front windows as it is.

“No need,” he says simply, the tip of an index finger tapping just once against the vinyl under his hand. “It has been quiet, I am fine.”

“Alright. I’m going to take mine and eat something, take yours when I get back alright? Shufu packed us cold noodles today, they’re perfect for this weather.”

“Mn.”

The smoke continues to curl lazily up towards the ceiling as Lan Wangji watches life go on outside the cool peace of the Cloud Recesses Antiques and Spiritual Supply Depot that’s belonged to his family for a few generations now, through several iterations spanning multiple decades. The air conditioner sputters but Lan Wangji doesn’t spare it a glance. Another family passes their front windows to head for the restaurant, and it’s only a matter of time now before he gets to appreciate his favorite sight of the day.

-/-

“I’m going!!” Wei Wuxian shouts over his shoulder and Madam Yu waves him off impatiently with her usual thunderous frown.

“Go, go!”

“Be careful A-Xian,” Jiang Yanli calls from where she’s standing over her favorite wok, hair pulled back tightly though the heat and humidity of the day - and the busy kitchen - have already coaxed little baby hairs around her ears and at her temples to hang loose around her sweetheart face. “It’s hot today, and people may not be paying as much attention as they should be.”

He gives both his sister and his aunt a salute and his usual wide grin before he hustles out the creaking back door of the restaurant, the storm door slamming shut with a clatter just behind him. The kickstand on his bike is a bit rusty but he knows just how much force to use to get it out of the way once he’s stuffed the crinkling plastic takeout bag into the insulated delivery pouch behind the seat. Not that he really needs the carrying pouch in this weather, he thinks with a sigh, but ah well. That’s the part of the setup that’s got the purple lotus logo, so he’s got to use it either way.

He kicks off from the pavement of the alleyway that burns his feet even through the soles of his sneakers and he’s off like a shot, pedaling furiously to an address he’s delivered to enough times that he hadn’t even needed to check the map back at the restaurant. At the speed he’s going the heat isn’t so bad, the artificial wind of his passing ruffling through his hair and through the gaping, cut-off arm holes of his t-shirt. The red of it is so sun-bleached it’s nearly pink these days and he really only keeps it because it’s the thinnest and therefore the coolest thing he owns for summer day deliveries (and because Madam Yu hates it with a passion).

“That’ll be 13.95,” Wei Wuxian says when he’s reached his destination a few minutes later, and he offers the guy a wide grin when he hands him a ten and a five and tells him to keep the change. “Thanks man, enjoy your meal!”

He hops down the stairs back down to the front walk and gets back on his bike to pedal back to the restaurant, a little less eagerly now that he doesn’t have to worry about delivery time but still more than fast enough to get a good breeze going in an attempt to dry some of the sweat turning his skin powdery with salt.

“Wei Wuxian!” Jiang Cheng shouts for him when he’s just about to turn into the parking lot of the strip mall again and he grins at his brother frowning at him in a perfect imitation of Madam Yu.

“Hi A-Cheng - good delivery?”

“Got stiffed on the tip for no damn reason,” Jiang Cheng grumbles as they both pull to a stop in the parking lot and hop off to walk their bikes the rest of the way to the restaurant.

Wei Wuxian pauses as he always does after his first run of the day in front of the window of Cloud Recesses to squint into the welcoming dimness of it and spot Lan Wangji standing primly behind the counter, right where he always is unless on the rare occasion he’s helping a customer. He’s standing there alone today as usual though, so Wei Wuxian cups a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun as he waves eagerly with the other, bike resting against his hip.

“Would you quit bothering Lan Wangji for one single day of your miserable life?!” Jiang Cheng demands with a shove at his shoulder, but Wei Wuxian ignores him in favor of watching Lan Wangji lift his hand to wave back at him in the cute, shy way he always does. Fingers still pressed tightly together. A tiny left, right, left, and then he puts his hand back down on the counter. It’s so little, but it’s also everything.

“Don’t be jealous just because I got a tip and Lan Zhan likes saying hi to me and nobody else,” he says smugly once they’re on their way back to the restaurant. They cut around the corner of the building to stick their bikes back in the alley before they head inside; Madam Yu’s glare at the both of them where she’s helping Jiang Yanli finish up the next round of dishes is the only thing that saves him from being shoved into a stack of produce crates in retaliation for his needling.

He steps up to the till and punches in the order he’d just delivered, slots the bills into the proper little plastic trays and snags a single from under its clip with a snap of the spring, though he doesn’t bother with the nickel. Jiang Cheng steps up behind him to punch in his own delivery, grumbling as he drops the exact change he’d been given into the proper spots with a rhythmless clatter.

The lunch rush continues just like that, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng running deliveries as the others run the restaurant. Madam Yu is seating and serving with her usual stern glare - no one dares complain about Jiang Yanli’s perfect cooking with her staring them down. Uncle Jiang, having helped with the prep in the kitchen during the morning, is holed up in the office as per usual. He always says he’s in there doing the books and ordering, but Wei Wuxian wonders how much time he spends in there actually doing nothing but avoiding the sticky bustle of the restaurant in favor of kicking back in front of their ancient window-unit and ducking away from his wife’s glares while she’s otherwise occupied.

Ah well. Lotus Pier Asian Cuisine runs just fine either way, a well-oiled machine full of the smells of home, and when the lunch rush is over he’s happy enough to sit down at one of the tables near the kitchen doorway and roll silverware while Jiang Cheng does the dishes in the back, clanking and splashing and swearing when he thinks Madam Yu can’t hear him where she’s balancing the till with ruthless precision.

-/-

“Huaisang!” Nie Mingjue huffs when Nie Huaisang comes slinking out of the backroom - Nie Huaisang has been ‘reorganizing’ for the last two hour-long classes lest he be dragooned into service. A very strategic move on his part, he thinks, since the backroom is where they keep the box fan that’s at least better than nothing in the middle of the heatwave currently turning everything – him included - into soup.

“What is it, da-ge?” he asks and fans himself with the silk folding fan he’d picked up in Cloud Recesses and started carrying around a few days ago. It smells like it used to be in an old lady’s house but he doesn’t care if it still smells like mothballs and incense - it gets the air in front of his face moving so it’s an automatic win.

Nie Mingjue stops in the middle of the wrestling mats, bare feet sticking audibly to the vinyl when he lifts them and Nie Huaisang can’t help but wrinkle his nose. Their AC went out three days ago (hence the desperate search for a fan at Cloud Recesses), and while any sane person would see that as a sign to close up shop until it can get repaired, his brother doesn’t apparently see the wisdom in taking a rest. He’s drenched in sweat from the mid-afternoon boxing class and apparently unfazed by that fact, so very unlike Nie Huaisang’s wilting exhaustion that kicks in the moment the temperature creeps above a nice comfy 75. Considering the weather guy on the local community radio station said it’s ‘a sizzling 98 today!’ - in the shade - he’s far over his threshold for any work to be done. A tragedy, really, but one he’s powerless to stop. Oh well.

“Can you go over to Xichen’s and see if they’ve got any water in their fridge? We’re all out.”

“They’ve always got a whole tower of 24-count packs in the back,” Nie Huaisang huffs. “Can’t you just call him and ask him to bring a flat over?”

“I said in their fridge, A-Sang, come on,” Nie Mingjue growls and goes back to picking up the scattered body-pads off the floor, each step on the black mats still sounding like someone starting a fresh roll of masking tape. “I’ve been sweating my ass off out here, just go get me some cold water!”

Nie Huaisang feels the tiniest pang of guilt at that, and despite his hatred for the sun burning so hot it’s white outside he sighs and nods. Nie Mingjue goes back to clearing up with some more grumbling, and when Nie Huaisang finally manages to force himself to step outside with a jingle of the bell over their door he leaves Nie Mingjue furiously wiping down sweat-drenched exercise equipment with the strong smelling anti-bac spray that always makes Nie Huaisang’s throat tickle.

The fresh air when he steps outside is actually kind of nice, even if it feels like it singes his nose hairs off on its way down to his lungs. At least the air out here is moving a little, faint gasps of a breeze ruffling his sweat-stringy bangs against his forehead as he tries to keep to the shade under the awning even though it’s a losing battle this time of day. He waves at the Jiang siblings rolling silverware before the dinner crowd shows up on his way past the front windows of Lotus Pier, and studiously avoids looking into the front window of Golden Carp when he passes it next - no one wants to see Jin Guangshan if they don’t have to, and it’s not like Jin Zixuan’s stupid frown is much better.

“Oh sweet god, air conditioning!” Nie Huaisang sighs in heavenly relief the moment he steps into Cloud Recesses, dim and cool after the glaring brightness of the parking lot.

“Hello Huaisang,” Lan Xichen says warmly from where he’s sitting on the stool behind the counter flipping through what looks like an order catalog for at-home gym equipment. Why he would bother when their gym is right there, he has no idea, but whatever, not his place to judge.

“Hi er-ge,” he sighs with a particularly pathetic flutter of his fan that earns him a smile that’s equal parts amused and sympathetic.

“Still no luck with your air conditioning?”

“No one’s even been out to look at it yet, but da-ge swears he called somebody. I don’t know why he doesn’t just close until it gets fixed - I mean I know hot yoga is a thing but who wants to run around doing dumb exercises or boxing class with da-ge in a sauna?!”

Lan Xichen tuts at him and smiles again as he flicks his catalog closed. “A-Sang, you know Mingjue can’t just close down, especially not if he’s going to have to pay up front for the unit to be repaired,” he chides. “Though I do recognize that it must be very draining to be without cool air right now and closing is an attractive alternative in that respect. Would you like some water?”

“Yes, thank you er-ge!” Nie Huaisang huffs as pathetically as he can. “And can I have some to take back to da-ge too? He said we’re out-”

“I can take it,” Lan Xichen says too quickly to be totally casual, but far be it from Nie Huaisang to interfere in whatever that is. “You sit here in the cool and drink this - slowly! Don’t make yourself sick, just take your time.”

Nie Huaisang hops up on the newly-vacated stool with a pleased smile and a little kick of his feet as Lan Xichen sets a bottle of water in front of him next to their ancient – antique, they always correct him- cash register.

“Thanks er-ge.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll take Mingjue some water and stock up your fridge with more. When you’re finished with yours stay here until you’ve finished cooling off, no need to rush. I can help him until you’re ready to head back over.”

Nie Huaisang hides the urge to laugh behind his mothball fan and waves Lan Xichen out of the store with his armload of water bottles. He watches the man cross the parking lot to the Unclean Realm Fitness Center, sitting in lone, separate splendor caddy-corner to the Jiangs’ restaurant at the short end of the parking lot, and he wonders how in the world he doesn’t seem fazed at all by the heat turning the foot or two of air above the pavement into a shimmering mirage.

“Huaisang.”

“Wangji! Fuck!” Nie Huaisang yelps, heart hammering as Lan Wangji slips out of the back office and shuts the door quietly behind himself. “You need to start wearing a bell or something!”

“No need.”

Nie Huaisang grumbles around the mouth of his water bottle and fans himself as Lan Wangji steps up next to him to stand at the counter, hands resting lightly on the marble-patterned vinyl covering the battered wood top. A corner of it is peeling up near the register and Nie Huaisang wonders how Lan Wangji can stand here all day long and not pick at it.

“Er-ge just went over to the gym,” he says when the silence goes on too long. “Da-ge needed water.”

“Mn.”

They lapse back into silence then and Nie Huaisang pouts a little as he sighs, looks around the familiar interior of Cloud Recesses. There doesn’t seem to be anything new since he was in to buy the fan. The same crystals are displayed in the windows and in the glass case that makes up the body of the checkout counter. The same type of incense they usually put on is burning in the little dish beside the register, more scents displayed in a rack full of tidily stacked little boxes on the other side of it. The shelves in the middle of the floor and along the two side walls are laden with the usual selection of antiques : rusting tableware, random bits of kitschy crockery that look like they were last used in the 70’s, stained and/or creepy dolls, old photos of people who are probably long gone in poorly-fitting frames, small art or craft pieces from local independent makers scattered throughout the junk like pearls to be sold on consignment. The side-room behind its gauzy blue curtain is stuffed to bursting with meditation books and floor cushions, more crystals with little price tag stickers scattered on every flat surface.

He’s distracted from his lazy study of the shop by a flash of purple and red on the other side of the windows and he and Lan Wangji watch together in reverence as the Jiang brothers walk past, Wei Wuxian gesturing expansively and Jiang Cheng’s brows down like he wants to be pissed even though he’s smiling just a little at whatever it is his brother is saying.

They sigh in tandem - Lan Wangji nearly inaudible and Nie Huaisang dramatic enough for both of them - and turn their heads to watch the pair of them walk across the length of the storefront.

“Well. I should probably get back to da-ge,” Nie Huaisang says once they’re gone again, probably headed for the convenience store on the other side of the strip mall for some ice cream like usual this time of day.

“They will come back,” Lan Wangji retorts, and to anyone else he’d probably sound like he doesn’t care. Nie Huaisang, who’s known him (somewhat unwillingly) since they were toddlers can hear how anxiously he’s looking forward to it.

“You make an incredible point, Wangji-xiong, and we have to make sure we see them from both directions. The left side might be Wei-xiong’s best, but A-Cheng’s is his right.”

Lan Wangji’s jaw is set mulishly as he glares daggers out at the parking lot. “Wei Ying is beautiful from both sides.”

Nie Huaisang just smirks behind his fan and settles in more comfortably on the stool again - with both Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji encouraging him to stay in the shop (and away from the gym) in their own ways, Nie Mingjue can’t possibly get mad at his extended break, can he?

They lapse back into silence, nothing to break it but the straining AC and the quiet clicking of the bead curtain that hides it. They both perk up - Lan Wangji’s posture straightening even further and Nie Huaisang sitting straight up out of his heat-melted slump - when the Jiang boys jostle back into view a couple minutes later, laughing about something together this time. Jiang Cheng is always more cheerful when he’s had some sugar, Nie Huaisang has noticed over the years.

The gentle electronic chime over the door rings when Wei Wuxian pushes it open and Lan Wangji feels like he was practically carved out of marble beside him.

“Hey Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian chirps, totally at odds with the quietly peaceful aura of Cloud Recesses. “I brought you a present!”

“It’s just ice cream, dumbass, not a new tape of that weird music you both like or something,” Jiang Cheng snorts as he shoulders in behind his brother and Nie Huaisang smiles over his fan as they lock eyes.

“Hi A-Cheng.”

“Huaisang,” he says gruffly, cheeks bright red from the heat and the sun as he ducks his head and runs a hand through his hair, a little sweat-damp from the day.

“Shut up, it’s still a present, I bought it for him with my tips and everything!” Wei Wuxian retorts, undeterred as he bounds up to the counter and holds out a plastic-wrapped popsicle to Lan Wangji, the package covered in condensation just from the short walk back from the gas station. “Go on Lan Zhan, it’s an orange creamsicle! Your favorite.”

“Thank you, Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji says with all the gravity of a man whose life has just been saved as he reaches out and takes the popsicle with a quiet crinkling of the wrapper. Nie Huaisang very bravely, very valiantly, does not laugh at his childhood friend as he delicately peels the plastic apart and withdraws the popsicle like it’s fucking Excalibur, reverent and awed.

“No problem! Eat it quick, I think it probably already started melting just on the way here. We’ve got to get back to the restaurant but I’ll at least swing by again when you lock up okay? And don’t forget I can walk you home if you want, too!”

Nie Huaisang raises his eyebrows at that. Cloud Recesses closes right in the middle of the dinner rush and the Jiang brothers can usually only come hang out in the store for a few stolen minutes with the rest of them in the evenings, but he supposes Wei Wuxian could probably slip away during a delivery for the amount of time it would take to walk Lan Wangji home. He’d very much like to see what that entails, honestly. These two are the best source of gossip in their social circle, as per usual, and Nie Huaisang loves using his position as Lan Wangji’s only close friend to get all the juiciest bits before everyone else.

“Mn.”

“NIE HUAISANG!” Nie Huaisang jumps right off the stool at the sound of Nie Mingjue’s thundering shout from across the parking lot, perfectly audible through the door Jiang Cheng is still holding open with his shoulder.

“Busted,” Lan Wangji mutters out of the corner of his mouth because he’s secretly a bitch, which is good because Nie Huaisang wouldn’t be able to tolerate his taciturn company otherwise. He swats his friend’s back with his fan as he crosses behind him and then purposely brushes up against Jiang Cheng on his way out the door to slink back across the parking lot to the gym where Nie Mingjue is standing, arms crossed over his chest so he blocks the entire doorway with his bulk. Nie Huaisang laughs uncomfortably and darts a frantic glance at Lan Xichen over his brother’s shoulder but all he finds there is a sympathetic smile - not nearly as helpful as Lan Xichen seems to think.

“What were you doing in the back room while I was running classes?” Nie Mingjue demands the second he’s in earshot.

“I was organizing..”

“Is that why there’s a stack of dirty magazines and a half-eaten bag of potato chips stashed under dad’s old office chair?”

Busted indeed. Nie Huaisang squeaks and turns to run away, but his brother isn’t the best personal trainer this side of town for nothing and he catches him easily, hauling him up under his arm to carry him dangling back into the sweltering heat of the gym, ignoring all his whining protests.

“Sorry A-Sang,” Lan Xichen says as he heads out the door. “Good luck!”

“Five laps around the gym to start with, get going,” Nie Mingjue barks when he drops him rather rudely down onto the mats and Nie Huaisang knows when his efforts will just go to waste. He groans and hauls himself up to get started on the laps, protesting the injustice the whole way even as he starts wondering just why in the hell Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen were tucked so far into the back room that they’d found not only his favorite hiding spot amongst all the old equipment and boxes of exercise tapes, but his entertainment stash too.

Questions for another day, when he’s not about to die of heat stroke and the effort of exercising under his brother’s watchful glare.

-/-

Jin Zixuan rests his elbow on top of a glass case full of diamond engagement rings and doesn’t bother caring about the smudge he’s going to leave on the flawlessly polished surface. There’s no one in the store this afternoon anyway, nothing to keep him company but the humming AC units running full blast and the tinkly canned piano music crackling through the speakers overhead to break up the monotony. For as quiet as the strip mall usually is, during most of the year there’s decent foot traffic through Golden Carp Fine Jewelry - people buying engagement rings, wedding bands, high-end watches for their fathers or their husbands, glittering trinkets for their wives. The cases around the store are stuffed to the gills with tennis bracelets, earrings of all kinds, gold-chained solitaire diamond necklaces, brooches in all sorts of interesting geometric shapes crusted with diamonds and gems of all colors, anything anyone could possibly want.

Jin Zixuan looks out at all of it and sighs again, bored out of his mind. Jin Guangshan is around somewhere and could conceivably come out and catch him slacking off at any moment. That being said, the likelihood of his father stirring himself from his office is hilariously low at the best of times, but especially when the store is empty and there’s no one around to impress. He’s pretty sure if he focused he’d be able to hear him through the closed door of his office, but it’s probably better not to know whatever his father’s getting up to in there.

He watches through the front windows as Lan Xichen makes his way across the parking lot to the Nie gym, and then almost ten minutes later he sees the obnoxious Jiang boys come out of the restaurant next door to go across the mall in the direction of the gas station at the corner like they do most days. He sits up straight for a minute or two just in case Jiang Yanli comes out after them, but when she doesn’t appear he slumps down again, chin in his hand and a bored pout on his lips. If his mother was here she’d scold him for the unbecoming posture, but she’s not so he’s free to look as lazy as he wants as the minutes tick by.

“NIE HUAISANG!”

Nie Mingjue’s roar is loud enough even through the windows and over the ambient noise of the shop to make Jin Zixuan jump and sit up straight again, and he watches with some amusement as the boy in question - the youngest of all of them - goes slinking across the parking lot to Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen, who look like nothing so much as parents about to play good cop bad cop as they discipline their wayward son. The mental image of that amuses him so much that he’s too distracted to notice the Jiang boys coming back before they’re banging hard enough on the window to make him jump all over again. He glares at them as hard as he can manage, but of course Wei Wuxian just laughs and Jiang Cheng flips him off on their way back to the restaurant, popsicles in hand and dripping on the pavement in their wake.

Jin Zixuan settles in again with a huff to glare absently at the red splatters on the bone-white sidewalk from Wei Wuxian’s rocket pop, stark in the late-afternoon sunshine. The light creeps slowly across the cream-colored carpet, blinding and too hot even with both AC’s running full blast; it’s the kind of sunlight that he doesn’t have to even be standing in to feel, the weight of it pressing at the other side of the windows a red-hot collar around his neck, the heat shivers out in the parking lot both beckoning and oppressive at the same time.

He sits up straight again as a young couple wanders past the front of the store hand in hand. They stop in front of the left-hand window to look over the display he’d spent the whole morning adjusting out of lack of anything better to do, their fingertips leaving little smudges on the glass he’d polished as they point and gesture, their conversation inaudible. They move on without stepping inside and Jin Zixuan slumps down again, free hand tapping out a senseless rhythm on the glass with drumming fingertips as the summer slips by one bland, royalty-free song at a time.

-/-

Fifteen minutes before Cloud Recesses closes for the day, Wen Qing slips out of her uncle’s crowded sports bar with no one the wiser to walk quickly through the short alleyway between their back doors. She knocks on it politely, wary as ever that Lan Qiren usually puts in an appearance at the end of the day to check over the sales figures - and sure enough the man himself opens the door with a frown that softens ever so slightly when he sees her (being one of his best students for the entirety of her high school career had gone a long way towards earning his forgiveness for her surname, but she’s not a miracle worker).

“Wen Qing,” he greets in his usual gruff way as he steps aside to let her in. “Don’t distract the boys, they’re doing closing checks.”

“Yes Teacher Lan,” she says and slips into the backroom. He steps around her to return to his desk in the little office, and she continues past him into the shop proper to hop up on the stool behind the counter. There’s a catalog for at-home exercise equipment - the kind of stuff she’d expect to see peddled in the middle of the night on the QVC or something - sitting next to their clunky old brass register so she pulls it closer to flick through it lazily as she waits. She’s usually the first to show up for their nightly meetings so her presence goes unremarked upon by Lan Wangji, who just nods at her on his way to straighten up his already obsessively neat crystal display in the window, everything burnished orange by the slowly westering sun.

“Ah - hello Wen Qing. Are you also here for the air conditioning?” Lan Xichen teases when he spots her through the aisles and Wen Qing smiles just a little - she can imagine everyone’s stopped in at some point today for just that purpose except maybe Jin Zixuan, considering his dad is more than wealthy enough to run their AC into an early grave.

“Just here to supervise the usual loser check-in.”

“Ah yes, of course. I believe the rest will arrive soon.”

As if on cue, the electronic bell over the door chimes its muted three-toned song and Nie Huaisang leans heavily on the handle, panting for breath and so red in the face Wen Qing is actually concerned this time rather than irritated by his over-the-top nature.

“Da-ge is a monster,” he huffs as he shlumps his way into the shop proper to lay himself across the counter. She twitches the catalog away from his sweaty forehead and continues flicking through it, now reasonably assured that he isn’t about to die considering he’s still capable of dramatics. “Qing-jie, please. Please. Tell him I’ll die if he makes me exercise anymore.”

“Not a doctor yet, Huaisang. I can’t offer anyone any kind of medical advice or recommendation,” she says without looking up from her perusal of assorted pilates machines and the rainbow of neon lycra-clad models gesturing to them in all their airbrushed, hairsprayed glory. She flicks to the next page and Nie Huaisang turns his face towards the small breeze of it pathetically.

“Is the old dragon here?”

“Watch your words, Nie Huaisang,” Lan Qiren calls icily, “Or I will show you a dragon.”

“Sorry, Teacher Lan!”

“Before you ask, no I won’t hide you from him-” she jerks a thumb over her shoulder towards Lan Qiren’s draconian presence in the back - “Though I will happily help Teacher Lan hide your body.”

“I do not require assistance murdering Nie Huaisang, Wen Qing, and your willingness to commit a major crime has been noted.”

“Sorry, Teacher Lan,” she turns her head to call, though judging by his unimpressed grunt she knows he can tell she’s not sorry at all.

Wen Qing smirks again as Nie Huaisang whines pitifully into the countertop. Things lapse back into quiet then, likely because Nie Huaisang is too tired to continue his complaining and Wen Qing is uninterested in coaxing him into sharing more of his woes. She’s really only here tonight with news that feels pertinent for everyone to hear, so there’s no use saying anything until they’re all present.

“Hiiii,” Wei Wuxian sings as he sails into the shop a few minutes later, Jiang Cheng hot on his heels. The pair of them are thrumming with their usual keyed up energy, so Wen Qing can only assume it’s a hectic night at the restaurant - either because of a crowd or because of another argument between Madam Yu and Uncle Jiang, the reason hardly matters when the result is the same. “We can’t stay long, jie’s working on orders for both of us to take in the next ten minutes or so and Madam Yu’s on a tear. We still waiting on the peacock?”

“Fuck you Wei Wuxian, I’m right here,” Jin Zixuan says from behind them on the sidewalk just outside the open door, expression sour, and Wen Qing rolls her eyes as they all pile into the shop. The antique cuckoo clock on the wall beside the register sings 7 o’clock, and Lan Xichen smiles indulgently as he turns the lock and flips the sign on the door to ‘Closed’.

“I’ll just head to the back with Uncle,” Lan Xichen tells Lan Wangji - both a statement and a warning to the newcomers that they’re not alone and therefore not free to swear as much as they might otherwise.

“Any news worth sharing?” Wei Wuxian asks as he props an elbow up on the counter on Nie Huaisang’s other side so he can lean in and pat at his sweat-drenched back in rough sympathy.

“New record shop opening Friday,” Lan Wangji says first and Wei Wuxian’s eyes light up - clearly Lan Wangji’s goal judging by his self-satisfied little smirk. Wen Qing barely refrains from rolling her eyes at their blatant flirting that’s only getting worse and worse by the day.

“Yeah?? Lan Zhan we have to go this weekend, okay? Promise!”

“Mn. We can go.”

“Does anyone have anything relevant to everyone?” Jin Zixuan asks a bit sourly, and though usually Wen Qing would find some way to subtly needle him for his attitude, tonight it’s actually helpful.

“I’ve got something,” she says to the room at large and all eyes turn to her, even Nie Huaisang still slumped over the counter. “I overheard Uncle talking to the landlord earlier today. Something about the Changs’ old nail studio next to us, and ah…you guys. Cloud Recesses.”

Lan Wangji blinks at her a few times and then his brows pucker into a frown.

“What about here?” Jiang Cheng asks for him, frowning far more thunderously than Lan Wangji’s perpetually minimal expressions. “What’s Cloud Recesses got to do with the nail salon? Or Uncle Wen for that matter?”

Wen Qing clears her throat delicately, aware of the audience likely (hopefully) listening in from the back, and straightens her shoulders. “I think Uncle wants to buy it out and expand the bar. He definitely wants to knock down the wall to the nail salon to extend the smoker’s lounge, and I think he’d like to buy out Cloud Recesses too.”

Wen Qing shrugs in response to the general cries of outrage around the room at that, plenty loud enough on Lan Wangji’s behalf that he doesn’t even bother opening his mouth.

“Why the f- heck would he want to buy Cloud Recesses? It’s been here forever,” Nie Huaisang asks, finally straightening up from hogging the entire counter to look at her directly. “People love it!”

Wen Qing shrugs again and presses her hands between her thighs to hide how they’re shaking.

“I think he thinks that it’s not a profitable enough business and would be better handled by him.”

She doesn’t have to turn around to know that Lan Qiren has appeared - all of her friends suddenly standing at near-military attention is enough of a hint.

“Wen Qing.”

“Yes, Teacher Lan?” She turns her head to look at him over her shoulder and she’s…relieved to see that he’s frowning, as per usual, but thankfully not like he’s angry at her personally for spreading what technically counts as gossip.

“You heard Wen Ruohan discussing this yourself?” She nods. “Did anyone else hear?”

“A-Ning did. He couldn’t come out with me tonight, but he definitely heard it too. We were doing chores outside Uncle’s office while he was on the phone.”

“Hm.” The room falls silent again as they all watch Lan Qiren think this revelation over, stroking his goatee in a gesture they’re all familiar with as his current (and former, in her case) students. “Bah! Meddlesome fool. I’ll take care of it,” he finally says with an impatient wave. “Go back to lighter topics, children shouldn’t worry about such things. Wangji.”

“Yes, Uncle?”

“Man the store on Saturday until lunch, you may take Wei Wuxian to the record store after you’ve done your duty. Your brother needs the morning off.”

Lan Wangji nods before Lan Qiren turns to retreat back into the dim recesses of the back half of the shop, every inch the wizened dragon returning to his lair, and there’s a beat before Nie Huaisang taps his chin with his closed fan, looking pensively up at the ceiling.

“Huh. Da-ge said just a bit ago that he’s taking Saturday morning off from the gym, too,” he muses. “Weird.”

Wen Qing - who is well aware of which way the wind blows there considering Lan Xichen had been in her class in high school and had been painfully infatuated with Nie Mingjue (two grades their senior) even back then - just keeps her mouth shut and watches her friends try to piece it together over the next couple of minutes until Lan Xichen himself comes out of the back room, red as a tomato, and shoos them all out to head home - or back to work, for her and the Jiang boys.

She can’t quite resist shooting Lan Xichen a knowing Look on her way out onto the sidewalk, and she has to hide a laugh in her hand as she turns away from the sight of him winking and holding a finger to his lips to tell her to keep quiet and not spoil the joke. One thing she can always rely on around these idiots is gossip that’s ridiculous enough to keep her entertained, at least, and she’s already looking forward to the day they all realize what’s going on right under their noses.

And when Lan Qiren quietly takes her aside a few weeks later to reassure her that she doesn’t have to worry about getting into trouble for having told him Wen Ruohan’s plans - nor worry that said plans will come to pass at all - she’s relieved to realize that she can also count on her weird little extended family looking out for her just as much as she tries to look out for them.

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rhymaes · 5 months

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The Untamed (2019) // “You’re Not a Girl in a Movie,” Hala Allan

#IT'S JUST--that he was dead at the beginning!! he was dead at the end!!! he's always been in a state of loss born from a second chance that #wasnt so kind--to be taken in by a family but with the unspoken agreement between your guardians #that you will not always be second to your siblings but that you are expected to give them anything you are---and he would have done #it anyway. is the thing. he didnt need madam yu's anger or sect leader's guilt. he would have done what he did #for jiang chang even if they had all lived. because what does life mean to you when you've always existed in an in-between state of having #ost it / owing it to someone else? it's that he should have died the first time as a child #and in his mind everything was---borrowed time. what the wens said to him as a thank you #being the process he's always existed within even without realizing #to do as much good as possible--to be a hero even one that no one but tens of people no one will listen to #believe you to be. because its never been about fame or acclaim but about what doing what no one #had done for him: protect / sheild/ help someone who cant help themselves because that's what you trained for; thats why youre alive #his siblings / their lives & careers & reputuations / lan zhan's reputation / his #old sect's reputation / the wen's existence / innocent lives that didnt bring anyone back #they just made the walls even more red #its that he died and died again & there's always going to be somewhere darker for you to go #when you never even expected to make it there #JUST. FUCK. rewatching this four years later & making me realize how much it was all the first time its. its.#his life was never his!! it was never his until an abused kid gave him life to not only bring wei wuxian back #but to give him. his own existence--absent of anything he didnt choose to incorporate. no more #loved ones means no more expectations which means more time to find. what you want. what you need.#and that he never expected lan zhan to be waiting for him---trying to 'spare' him from wei wuxian's presence even then #oh god. oh god.#im not making any sense but WHATEVER ITS MY POST I& im having . a time.#the untamed #mdzs #wei wuxian #wei ying #lan zhan #wen qing #wen ning

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heterophobiclanwangji · 1 year

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today i am thinking about werewolf lan wangi

#actually it's werewolf lan clan in general & how that ties into their strong belief in personal restraint #+ maybe something about the vegetarianism and law against killing #rules upon rules built to prove that the lans are above animal drives #maybe some of qingheng jun's disgrace was allowing himself to be pulled toward madam lan on instinct and against reason #some new and juicy potential motives for madam lan killing that one elder #lan wangji feeling the same pull towards wei wuxian & feeling scared and resentful about what that might mean about him #older lan wangji deciding that wolfy instincts aren't inherently bad #and learning to live in the balance between learned reason and his inner wolf #also just...him (lan wangji gazing at the moon)#mdzs #the untamed #cql #lan wangji #gusu lan #My posts

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mingjue · 1 year

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Lxc and qhj looking like mirrors of each other is smth that is sooo intricate to me like it has sooo many things that drive me insane about it like My lxc resents qhj for what he did to his mother so the fact that he takes after his father in so many ways is smth that messes with him pretty badly.

#also it is projection #i hve a madam lan lives au from forever ago and ths ws like a minor plot tht i focused on

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wangxianficrecs · 1 month

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there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears by ghostberry (xmoyashiii)

there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears

by ghostberry (xmoyashiii)

G, 3k, Wangxian

Part of the Wangxian White Day Exchange 2021

Summary: Even from seclusion, a mother's eyes see much, and her heart understands even more. And she can only sit back and watch for so long. The story of Lan Wangji's devotion, heartbreak, and joy through the eyes of the person who knows him best in the world. Kay's comments: Chanting MAMA LAN, MAMA LAN, MAMA LAN I just love fics so much where she lives and gets so see her sons grow up and especially fics where she gets to meet Wei Wuxian! I just know that the two of them would get along so well! This story is The Untamed canon, so she's witness to all the pining and the mess at the end where Wei Wuxian is left to wander alone, but she's not taking it! Really loved her characterization in this story too. Excerpt: "Hello? Is anyone here?" Curiosity wins, a trait she's never quite been able to stamp out with all her years of solitude and meditation. Not, she supposes, that she's tried particularly hard. She goes to the door and opens it, and finds herself face to face with a teenager in guest disciples' robes, gazing up at her with surprise in his wide grey eyes. "Hello," she says, and the sound of her own voice surprises her in return. It's been so long since she's spoken to anyone but Wangji and Xichen; there's an irrational instant where she half expects Lan Qiren to jump out of the bushes and start shouting accusations at her, just for this one simple greeting. But of course he isn't here — no one is here but herself and the boy. His smile is wide and infectious; she finds herself smiling back without quite knowing why either of them are doing so. “I knew a place like this must have someone living in it! I'm guessing I probably shouldn't be here, huh? I was exploring and I saw the path, and I just had to know, you know?" Belatedly, he seems to remember himself and bows. His form is perfect, but she can tell he's just going through the motions, eager to get back to talking. "I'm Wei Ying, courtesy name Wuxian." Of course. Sheng Lin can't hold back her laughter; it rings through the clearing, loud and bright and unfamiliar to her own ears. "Your reputation precedes you, A-Ying," she says gently, still chuckling.

pov madam lan, madam lan lives, madam lan deserves better, lan family feels, pov outsider on lan wangji/wei wuxian, canon compliant, cloud recesses study arc, thirteen years of wei wuxian's death, hurt/comfort, imprisonment, canon divergence, the untamed compliant

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(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

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khattikeri · 3 months

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one of my favorite things about mdzs is that for how heavily its plot involves politics of classism and misogyny... even the characters most directly impacted by it can't and don't free themselves from it. literally the closest exception is mianmian.

meng yao being the "son of a whore" wasn't some sort of commie awakening for him that led him to wanting everyone to be socially equal. he played the political game, climbed the ladders, sucked up to and backstabbed and murdered people, including other prostitutes who actually had nothing to do with how he and his mother were treated at the brothel he grew up in.

he put in so much extra excessive effort for even a fraction of the same respect that members of gentry cultivation clans got. and he did deserve to be treated more humanely! but he feeds into the exact same system that created him, leading to his own undoing.

his efforts were for a fragile upward mobility that was never going to hold up. he never surpassed his origins nor did he empower others in similar stations, because the society he lives in is not one that would accept that.

the second he got caught and all those crimes exposed, he was scapegoated to hell and back, replacing wei wuxian as society's terrible one-sidedly evil boogeyman overnight.

speaking of not-quite male gentry, i think it's interesting that wei wuxian explicitly doesn't try to climb the ladders in BOTH lives, knowing full well that anything he does will be punished just for the sheer fact that he is wei wuxian.

wei wuxian is scolded for giving intelligent and correct answers in school. lan wangji does the same and is praised.

wei wuxian occasionally lounges around with fellow disciples and is punished. jiang cheng does the same and mostly escapes.

wei wuxian refuses to carry his sword around in public (after losing his golden core, which nobody knows) and is scorned as an arrogant upstart. nie huaisang has been doing the EXACT SAME THING for YEARS and nobody bats an eye.

unlike jin guangyao, wei wuxian knew subconsciously from the start that his acceptance was superficial and that he could be cast out any time. when he was 10 and recently taken in by the jiangs, he canonically would not eat or use "too much" food and water because he thought they'd find him a nuisance for "wasting their things" and kick him back out.

now away from just the classism, yu ziyuan is a proud and strong noblewoman in a society that belittles and derides women for everything they do. her strong cultivation doesn't matter. she's victim to the vicious rumors of her husband loving another woman who is strong like her but apparently had a more likeable personality.

it doesn't matter even if jiang fengmian didn't cheat or that wei wuxian is wei changze's son with cangse sanren; yu ziyuan can't bear with the humiliation of herself (and by extension her children) not being "good enough". she's ridiculed for "failing" in that one duty as a wife, mother, and woman.

she lashes out and takes out that anger on everyone present for years, giving her children lasting trauma and also being a key element in how the jiang family and yunmeng jiang sect are effectively wiped out at the hands of the wen clan.

madam jin doesn't even have a name outside of the fact that she's married to jin guangshan. i don't even remember reading anything that indicates if she's a strong or weak cultivator, or what, which in itself proves that to most people, it doesn't matter. she's "just" a woman.

of course she's angry at her husband's affairs and all the bastard children they bring in. but she also can't do anything about them, so she lashes out at the few people she can: servants. non-cultivators, probably. those very same bastard children.

shoutout to meng yao getting shoved down a flight of stairs at age fourteen, because if madam jin tried that move against her husband instead, it would make her lose even more face, which as a noblewoman she'd never do.

and that's not getting into how jiang yanli is consistently sidelined for being physically weak.

that's not getting into how mianmian was actually a good cultivator, but was mocked by everyone around her for trying to stand up for wei wuxian when everyone was turning on him. how everyone scoffed at luo qingyang's words as "just some lovesick woman" who "obviously wants to marry or bed him since he saved her".

luo qingyang is the only one of these characters who HASN'T died. she didn't play society's games like jin guangyao. she didn't dig her heels in confidence of her own abilities like wei wuxian.

she didn't bitterly lash out like yu ziyuan and madam jin. she didn't gently accept it like jiang yanli.

she just LEFT.

she married an ordinary merchant and cultivates separately from mainstream cultivation society, and therein found her own peace and happiness.

mxtx doesn't bother with particularly class conscious or feminist vocabulary to hand-hold readers into understanding these disparities, but that choice highlights them & the deeply entrenched politics of their society even more. i really love it.

#keri chats #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #long post #mdzs spoilers #im novel only but still tagging.#the untamed #cql #yeah yeah everyone's written meta addressing this aspect of the story BUT I THINK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIMEEEEE #maybe i just don't get to read a ton of books often; esp not ones that mirror my own culture. but it's just so. soooooo. augh #the fact that the setting itself enables so much of the tragedy in mdzs... which is true of all tragedies but STILL...#this isn't even getting into qin su and the power imbalance w her and jgy post-reveal... man.#man. so much going on here. man #THIS POST IS MESSY AND BARELY EDITED BUT IF U READ IT. ILU

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korpikorppi · 7 months

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Guys, I just now noticed one more interesting little detail in the Untamed!

You know the names of the buildings in the Cloud Recesses: the lecture room/hall Lanshi (兰室, Lánshì, "Orchid Room"); Yashi (雅室, Yǎshì, "Elegant Room") – the reception room/hall; the spirit-summoning room/hall Mingshi (冥室, Míngshì, "Underworld Room" or "Room of Darkness"); Hanshi (寒室, Hánshì, "Frost Room") - Lan Xichen's residence; and Lan Wangji's Jingshi (静室, Jìngshì, "Quiet Room"), right?

The character used to write the "shì", room, in the names is 室, here seen in the Lanshi and the Yashi (the names are read from right to left):

As a side note, the Lan seem to use the traditional rather than the simplified characters, so the "lán" in the Lanshi is written with 蘭 rather than 兰.

BUT. Not so in the Jingshi! Instead of the 室, a slightly different character is used for the "room":

My trusty dictionary did not know the character in question, so I started to look at what was different:

As such, the character 凶 (xiōng) means act of violence, murder, evil. An evildoer. A murderer. And as Lan Xichen told Wei Wuxian, we know who lived in the Jingshi before it became Lan Wangji's residence: "It is the place where our mother lived in the Cloud Recesses".

So, it seems that when the house became Madam Lan's prison, the character was changed to reflect her crime, denoting the place as the quiet room of a murderer. Accentuated by the reversed colours of the sign:

This has probably been quite self-evident to anyone who actually speaks and reads Chinese, but was quite an oooff! to me as I realised. One more killer detail in CQL 😟.

And while I was at it, I just had to check what it says above the gate (seen here when LWJ returns home with the Emperor's Smile):

As far as I can read it, the characters are 影竹堂 (yǐng zhú táng), which I freely translate as "Bamboo Shadow Court". An apt name for the place.

Hopefully it offered some solace to Madam Lan.

And oh, I just have to add! As Hanshi is the Sect Leader's residence, Lan Xichen is living in their father's house, while Lan Wangji is living in their mother's. And the two houses are more or less identical, down to the furnishings (just check the scene where Lan Xichen confronts Wen Chao and his muddy boots in ep8 vs. The Wangxian Scene in ep43). So did Qingheng-jun have the house built for his wife, identical to the house she was not allowed to live in? That is quite plausible, in universe. Out universe, they probably had only so many buildings to shoot in :).

#jingshi #madam lan #lan wangji #cloud recesses #theuntameddaily #all the details they put in #the untamed #cql #cql meta #translations and explanations #my translations #so they might be questionable #random late night thoughts #korpikorppi #mine

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wangxianficfinder · 1 month

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Fic Finder

March 23rd

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1. Hi. Looking for this fic wherein wwx tried to prank lqr and the elders by acting like a Lan. It backfired because they thought wwx was possessed by Lan An, especially when jwy visited cloud recesses (almost causes a war between jiang and lan). For it to end, wwx pretended to be Lan An and said goodbye then fake fainted (as if Lan An left wwx’s body)

please help me find it 🙏

Hi! I’m from the recent fic finder #1. Unfortunately that’s not what i’m looking for because I remember it being post canon (meaning wangxian are already married). I also remember the Lans asked lwj if lwj still do lovers stuff with wwx (as they really thought wwx was possessed by lan an)

FOUND? Wei Wuxian is Definitely Not Possessed by CursedBlessing (T, 20k, WangXian, Misunderstandings, General Dumbassery, Humor)

#1 I think was deleted. I know the fic they're asking about and I can't find it either.

Number 1 is the correct fic, it's just Chapter 3. / Yeah, 1 IS the correct fic, op's scene is the entirety of ch. 3

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2. Hey, I'm looking for a wangxianfic, in which wei ying and lan zhan are already married. Wei ying goes on a night hunt with the juniors and gets hurt. I think it was a cut on the stomach with poison. Lan zhan cares for him but wei ying is almost dying. Lan zhan is davasteted and says that he can't wait for wei ying again. It was a completed work and I think just 4 chapters. Please can you find the title? With kind regards @smarti1997

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3. I'm not sure if this is something I think happened in a fic, or it really exists, but on the off-chance someone know what I'm talking about - the Sunshot Campaign ends differently with Wen Qing/Wen Ning in charge of the Qishan Wen, and as part of reparations(? Maybe?) the family vaults are revealed. Wen Qing warns people not to touch anything but JGS is too greedy and grabs something and dissolves in dust? And then WQ opens the real vault, the first was to stop thieves. Thank you in advance! @katonahottinroof

I know which fic #3 is talking about but i cannot find it either, gonna go deep dive on ao3 tho (is it that one where the wens have a secret passage into the throne room that opens only with wen blood isnt it. unless im mixing fics too)

FOUND! ❤️ Gentians in bloom by teawater (M, 251k, WangXian, XiQing, XuanLi, Canon Divergence, Political Marriage, Dysfunctional Family, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It, LQR bashing (not really), POV Multiple, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Eventual Happy Ending, BAMF WWX, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, madam yu bashing (again not completely), MXY Deserves Better) the thing with jgs happen in chapter 34

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4. Hi writing in hopes that someone remembers this fanfiction.:

i once read a fic where LWJ and WWX were stuck in the Xuanwu cave and WWX was i think on the verge of dying but then something emerges from the waters and gives LWJ a deal that if he gives up his voices then as an exchange he can save WWX's life which LWJ obviously does so his voice goes away but by the end of the fic Wangxian go back to the cave where LWJ gets his voice back because he once again strikes a deal with that creature giving up his immortality or something that has to do with him being worshipped for gaining his voice back. was a one shot that i remember clearly and was on ao3 platform also thank you so much cause this blog has bought me my favorite Wangxian fics.

FOUND! Outside Another Yellow Moon by Vamillepudding (T, 10k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, YLLZ WWX, Fairy Tale Elements, Hurt/Comfort, LWJ Needs a Hug, Curse Breaking)

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5. help. hey i am certain the fanfics in my memories exist but they keep on eluding me so there are these 2 fics:

A) the premise of this story was time travel where modern WWX travels back in time when other WWX is living with the wens in the burial mounds when LWJ comes to the borders with his modern counterpart and when modern wangxian meet they have a sweet reunion in which they share a kiss after that they are joined by the hip much to the mortification of OG wangxian. WY's parents are dead (car accident) but madam Lan's alive and he calls her mother or mom and modern them is engaged they also have their phones by which they click a photo and after coming to modern world WY sees that as proof that it actually happened. read it on ao3 muti chaptered (completed) with either 4 or 6 chapters 6 being maximum

B) in this one the main Lan fam is captured body swap between WRH and LWJ occurs and after LWJ realizes what has happen he commands that his body's head be severed which is currently housing WRH's soul and LXC and LQR are present to see that happening and grieve over LWJ not knowing WRH was the one who died and LWJ doesn't inform them about the body swap but tells the guards to take LXC and LQR to their rooms he keeps his own body's severed head in his room also. LWJ asks guards to bring him WWX which they do but injured and WWX sees LWJ's severed head and gets angry he also practices to be more like WRH so nobody suspects this is the most clear i remember there were also i think one appearance of WQ and some from WX and WC was on ao3 ongoing atleast when i was reading think over 5 chapter but under 10 the last i had checked (i was so curios to know what happens next but i lost the fic)

thx and sorry if its too confusing

5B)

FOUND? where the sky begins by Shializaro (Not Rated, 17k, WangXian, Bodyswap, Blood and Violence, Body Dysphoria, Dissociation, Rape/Non-con Elements, Crack Treated Seriously)

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6. Hello! This is for ficfinder, I have lost track of two fics, and would very much like assistance finding them again!

A ) an Addams family style modern au. I cannot remember the title, but Lan Wangji enjoyed the taste of Hemlock tea, Wei Wuxian always dressed in gothic clothes, A-Yuan keeps getting possessed, Wen Ning would die temporarily every now and then then, and the reason Lan Wangji went to Yiling in the first place was to find his mother (madam lan is alive in this one).

B ) Young Prince Lan Wangji fled the palace to avoid an arranged marriage, and met an older Wei Wuxian and traveled with him, keeping his identity a secret. Lan Zichen catches up with them after Wangxian have spent the night together (bottom LWJ), and Lan Zhan is taken back to the palace. Wei Wuxian returns to claim his hand, revealing himself as Baoshan Sanren’s heir. Fix ends with them watching their kids play in Lan Zhan’s mother’s garden.

If you can help me find these, I would appreciate it very much!!!! ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ @cullen-blue23

6A)

NOT FOUND🔒The Altogether Ooky WangXian Family by FluffyHippogriff (T, 72k, WIP, WangXian, 3Zun, Modern AU, Addams Family AU, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, mostly because death can be overcome with the help of a little necromancy, Kid Fic, Comedy)

FOUND! lovely thorns and singing crows by isabilightwood (E, 37k WangXian, Modern AU, Addams Family Vibes, meet cute at a funeral, Madam Lán Lives, Light Horror, Curses, Possession, Fluff and Humor, Developing Relationship, Found Family, Weirdo4weirdo wangxian, Eventual Smut, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs)

NOT FOUND🔒darkness there and nothing more by wvlfqveen (M, 21k, WangXian, Addams Family Fusion, Magical Realism, Body Horror, Addams Family Levels of Violence, Identity Issues)

6B)

FOUND! Beyond These Walls, the Heart Calls by wayward_wing (E, 13k, WangXian, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Fluff and Smut, Adventure & Romance, Prince LWJ, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX, Jealous WWX, LWJ Flirts, Sleeping Together, Masturbation, Slight Voyeurism, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Oral Sex, eating ass, Older WWX, Younger LWJ, Getting Together, Naive LWJ)

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7. Hi. I've been trying to find this Untamed fanfic which I bookmarked but somehow is not in my bookmarked collection anymore! :(. I think it's post-canon but WWX (of course) is injured and LWJ is helping him recover, told from LWJ perspective totally in-character where he has to remind himself to breathe. Once,wj returned to inn room, found WWX gone from the 2nd bed and he tripped over his own feet and was "resigned to the fall". Once he tucked WWX into his bed and sat at his desk to breathe.

FOUND? Always Light My Way by cqlorphan (E, 27k, wangxian, Post-Canon, Getting Together, Friends With Benefits, to lovers, wherein dual cultivation may be counted as a benefit, Jealous WWX, a little bit, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Pining while fucking, angsty sex, Switch WangXian, Bottom LWJ, Service Top LWJ, Topping from the Bottom, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Coming Untouched, Dom/sub Undertones, the angsty sex happens in the beginning but they get past it dw, Oblivious LWJ, archer wwx, Smart WWX, Porn with Feelings, probably at least half of this fic is just that, Panic Attacks, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dual Cultivation)

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8. thank you again for this wonderful blog! loading up on fics for my next offline trip and i have one that is driving me nuts. I remember seeing the reference here awhile back but for some idiot reason didn't bookmark it. What I remember is something like this : its after canon - Wei Ying is back, its after Guanyin's temple - but Lan Zhan has a soulmate to get back to so leaves Wei Ying alone on the road. that scene in Untamed haunted me. does this ring any bells? appreciate any help!! @oldoni

FOUND! Boy Trouble, We've Got Double by saltyfeathers (E, 60k, wangxian, Post-Canon, Case Fic, betrothed to someone else, unfurling of wifexian scrolls: the fic, Pining, Unresolved Sexual Tension, (it gets resolved lol), WWX POV, Protective wwx, WWX centric, explicit stuff only happens between wangxian, (or wwx and his own hand), Masturbation, get wwx a fainting couch agenda, Alcohol, wwx has some brain problems in this one, Consensual Non-Consent, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, straight boy WWX)

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9. Hello! Please help me find this fic. I don’t remember much, but there was an OC lan elder, who is rescued or helped by Wei Wuxian. I am not sure but Wei Ying didn’t know he was a lan or something. Later on they meet again and elder favours or helps him. I am sorry for being vague, but this is what I remember. It would be great if somebody knows what this fic may be !

Hello, this is requester for number 9. I am really grateful for the person who replied but unfortunately I don’t think that it is the fic I am looking for. As far as I remember wasn’t QHJ, rather an OC lan elder. However I really love the suggestion and enjoyed the fic, so thank you for that!

NOT FOUND The Shadows of My Old Palaces, Falling Across The Moats by ChilianXianzi (T, 8k, WangXian, onesided QHJ/WWX, Canon Divergence, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, QHJ lives, Domestic, Angst, POV Outsider, Age Difference, Fix-It of Sorts)

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10. for the FF: it was a fic where wx are full time dom/sub (sub wwx), i dont rmmbr much except that theres a part where jc causes a scene fearing lwj is abusing him (bc fulltime d/s, he chooses what wwx eats, wears, etc) and jyl has to tell him to shut up and that her and jzx are in a d/s relationship too! i read it ages ago T^T its not "something so flawed and free" by verseau btw! thank u guys <33 love u all mwah

FOUND! rainfall by daltoneering (E, 37k, WangXian, Modern AU, Established Relationship, lifestyle kink, 24/7 D/s, Kink Negotiation, kink discussion, Communication, BDSM, dom lwj, Sub wwx, Top LWJ, Bottom wwx, Kink Exploration, collaring, Body Writing, Breathplay, Orgasm Denial, Bondage, Subdrop, Safewording, Panic Attacks, [Podfic of] rainfall by exmanhater)

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11. Hiii! I don't remember much except for the first few chapters, but the fic was really long. I think the plot started off as "What if the Incident in Qiongdi Path never happened?"

The first chapter or so takes place at Jin Lings one month celebration

Wei Wuxian is really damn depressed the whole time (he's really damn depressed the whole fic actually)

Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan never die. Yanli wants to spend time with Wei Wuxian and she makes some soup, but he gets spooked at some point and Wen Ning helps him run away back to the Burial Mounds???

At some point later on in the fic, Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli go to Cloud Recesses and they bring some food for Wangxian.

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12. hii :D im looking for a modern au fic where lz works as a in pharmaceutics and meets wy who is the tech guy of their apartment. he calls himself mo xuanyu and lives with ayuan and is trying to escape his past with the help of police officer nmj. i think there was an autistic lz tag in that fic too. it was so good but i think i forgot to bookmark it.. thanks for your help! @harapecowee

FOUND! Stop and Stay by Fantazy_Eyeland7 (M, 98k, wangxian, LXC/NMJ, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, LXC/JGY, SL/XXC, WIP, Blood and Violence, Hurt WWX, Kidnapping, Torture, WWX discovering weighted blankets, Pining LWJ, Modern, FBI Agent NMJ, Protective LWJ, Emotional Manipulation, Toxic JGY, not JGY friendly, LWJ learning how to communicate, WangXian have competence kinks, adopting children, Bad Parent YZY, Protective JYL, Protective JC, Protective NMJ, Past Child Abuse, Precious LSZ, Baby LJY, Warning: XY, Blind Character, slaps top of WWX: This bad boy can fit so much trauma inside, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Everyone is ending up in well-needed therapy, Child Abandonment, Genius WWX, Obsessive XY, Yunmeng Siblings Feels, Eventual Smut, Bad Parent JFM, Junior Quartet Dynamics, (As Babies!), Implied/Referenced Suicide, sort of a slow burn, but not really, because they KNOW, they just can't, Good Uncle LQR, eventually) It doesn't have the austistic!lz tag, but everything else fits.

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13. Hi! 🤗

I'm looking for two fics:

A) A fic where WQ makes a second operation with WWX and JC. The only thing I remember is that WWX is really in a bad condition and they ask JC to give the half of the golden core to WWX. He accepts.

B) I'm not sure if it's one o two fics that I'm mixing, but all I remember is that LWJ when he knows about the lost golden core of WWX, decided to make a second golden core inside him to give it to WWX.

Thanks for the wonderful work! 🥰 @wangxiansgirl

13A)

FOUND! The Fire Lapping Up the Creek by notevenyou (E, 66k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Injury, Injury Recovery, Blood, Respiratory Illness, Major Illness, Fever, Grief/Mourning, Burial Mounds, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hunger and food scarcity, Surgery, Fix-It of Sorts)

NOT FOUND! Twelve Moons and a Fortnight by stiltonbasket (M, 290k, WangXian, Humor, Slow Burn, Post-Canon Fix-It, Long-Distance Relationship, Epistolary, Love Letters, Family Feels, a-qing lives, teenage romance, Adoption, Romantic Comedy, Happy Ending, Weddings, Case Fic, Parenthood, Politics) might also be, (around chapter 43)?

NOT FOUND! in this place where we don’t have a prayer by Cerusee, Mikkeneko (T, 42k, WangXian)

13B)

FOUND? 🧡 Discarded by teawater (E, 178k, WIP, WangXian, Lots of Angst, Hurt/Comfort, YLLZ WWX, Golden Core Reveal, Case Fic, Depression, Family Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Worth Issues, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV Multiple, BAMF WWX, dubious morals in the Lan sect, Feels, Pining, Grief, Fix-It, BAMF LWJ) If 13B is different from 13A, maybe B is Discarded Lan Zhan creates a "seed core" that Wei Ying can use to grow a new core.

FOUND? these colours fade for you only by doodlebutt (T, 36k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Everybody Lives, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, ...eventually, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, bed sharing, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Sunshot Campaign)

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14. Im trying to find a fic

It was modern setting and maybe has cultivation still? wwx is a tattoo artist and I believe lwj saw some type dark energy out side his shop. So he went in and ending up saying he wanted a tattoo, wwx was who ended up talking to him about it and making him a design. I think it had something to do with bunnies and, then finally when the day came for lwj to get the tattoo. He’s like I’m sorry I never wanted one, wwx gets upset and tells lwj to pay him money in cash for compensation. Lwj does that’s all I can remember I think wwx might have adopted or least helps take care of a -yuan. @zerokogane

FOUND! Demon Ink by Jade_Valentine (E, 189k, WIP, WangXian, Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Tattoo Artist WWX, Magic, Chaotic Bisexual WWX, Demisexual LWJ, background NieLan, Slow Burn, Angst, But substantially less angst than canon, Mutual Masturbation, Domestic Fluff, Welcome to my LWJ & NHS friendship agenda, Shower Sex, Brief mentions of past Lan Bro abuse at the hands of LQR, wangxian family feels, WWX is the Best Dad Ever, WWX's canonical abuse at the hands of Madam Yu, Blow Jobs, Slight Make-Up Kink)

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15. Fic finder request please!!

This is a short omegaverse wangxia? I think it might’ve been part of a series? where it’s Omega WWX and YZY gets him married off to LWJ where she expects him to be treated badly. Instead bc the Lana treat omegas very well, WWX is happy and content. Meanwhile JYL is jealous that WWX actually got mating bites and equal status bc Jin Zixuan didn’t even do that for her. I can’t remember anything else. 😅

FOUND!🔒Alliance AU by Ilona22 (E, 21k, WangXian, JYL/OC, Arranged Marriage, A/B/O Dynamics, PWP, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Intersex Omegas, Not JC Friendly, Matchmaking, canon Jiang family dynamics, Family time, Night Hunts, Mention of male omega pregnancy, Intrigue at Jinlintai, Mentions of Prostitution, War, Conflict between characters)

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16. Sorry to be asking this(fic finder), I really don’t remember how I got to this fic but now I cannot find it but I feel like it probably was here

It’s a fic about how when wwx comes back to life he meets lxc instead of lwj in Mo manor. he asks for lwj and that confirms to lxc that he is wwx and not Mo xuanyu and asks him to go back with him to cloud recesses where he takes care of lwj who couldn’t heal after the 33 leash punishment.

At first wwx doesn’t want lwj to know that it’s him. He brings him bunnies and helps him re learn how to play the guqin(he cannot play it due to his injuries and because he hasn’t practiced since he was punished) lan Yuan helps wwx to learn how to play it and lwj starts being more active

Lxc is happy and let’s wwx go to a small one week vacation but lwj gets worse that week, he also discovers mxy is wwx I think

Tsm for the help🙇‍♀️

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17. hi! i’m looking for two fics:

A) one where wei ying lives with ghosts and is a teacher and runs into lan zhan for the first time in years during a class field trip

B) all i can remember is that wei ying wrote a software called yiling

17A)

FOUND! won’t take the easy road by twigofwillow (T, 47k, wangxian, JC & WWX & JYL, WWX & WQ, space au, yearning, found family, complicated family feels, ghosts, food, teacher WWX)

17B)

NOT FOUND Tempo Rubato by Spodumene (E, 107k, WangXian, Modern AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, Romance, Persuasion au, Separations, Mutual Pining, Depression, Miscommunication, Emotional Roller Coaster, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Reconciliation, Eventual Smut, Jane Austen Fusion, Underage Kissing) I think no. 17 might be "Tempo Rubato" but the software is "Stygian"

NOT FOUND The Fated Fortuity by devinokaze (T, 26k, wangxian, WIP, Royalty AU, Modern, Social Media, WWX is Wen Ruohan's son, Qishan Wen Kingdom, stangers to lovers, Prince WWX) The software is called Yin Tiger Tally and Su She tries to claim he wrote it lol.

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18. Hello!! All good? I'm looking for a fic in which WWX becomes a god after his death, I think he's the god of death if I remember correctly. I remember a part where Madam Yu and her Husband (the leader of the Jiang sect) decide to reincarnate... I don't remember much, it's been a while since I read it, another thing I remember is that he communicated with Jiang Cheng through dreams. I already searched the Tag Deity Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian but I didn't find it... Thank you for your work!! @sweettiebah

FOUND! 🔒 Of Destruction and Rebirth by demoniqt (M, 88k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, major character death, rape/non-con, underage, graphic depictions of violence, Slow Burn, Canonical Character Death, God WWX, God Verse, BAMF WWX, Grieving LWJ, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergence, Gods & Goddesses au, JC & WWX Reconciliation, Rabbits, Fix-It, Attempted Sexual Assault, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Canon-Typical Violence, Blood and Gore, Castration, Lots of it, repeatedly, Punishment, Hell)

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19. heyy could u help me find a fic, I only vaguely remember the details

I read this quite a while ago, wwx is some sort of courtesan, pretty sure he works in a brothel, lwj is either a cultivator (like in canon) or he's a noble/king smth like that! he meets wwz in the brothel place and I think wwx is pretty sly, MAYBE he's wearing dresses and I'm pretty sure they get married in the end? I think someone in the lan clan is against wwx (either lxc or lqr) and I'm also pretty sure it's a pwp, they might have been conspiring too, it's all very vague! any help would be appreciated thanks!!!

FOUND! 醉 | drunk; intoxication by sweetlolixo (E, 15k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mythical Creature WWX, everyone falls in love with weiying at first sight..., Besotted LWJ, Romance, Pregnant WWX, Fluff)

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20. Hi I’m looking for a fix where sizhui and jingyi travels back to the past (maybe to the conference) and they make commentary during the entire time they were waiting to get back to their present. I think in this fix, sizhui revealed that some of the people (madam Yu and others) are listed on lan zhan’s lists. Sizhui also mentions that lan zhan has several lists for different things. Also jinyi called Jin guangshan jin guangshit throughout the whole time they’re there. Thanks

FOUND? A Room Full of Dead People by BurningBlueDiamond (T, 10k, WangXian, Time Travel, Fix-It, but not really, Canon Divergence, Conference in Qinghe but canonically they stay in Gusu, strangely fluffy, POV Outsider)

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#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic finder #wangxian fic search #the untamed #wangxianficfinder #long post

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nixster627 · 3 days

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The backstory that I want to know the most from MDZS is Madam Lan. I have so many questions about how that story went.

Why did she kill the teacher? I doubt it was just a fun little murder she committed cause if it was then they never would have let her live let alone let her children be the heirs of the sect. Plus a woman killing a man in a position of power is usually for a good reason.

If she and Qingheng-jun were in seclusion in different houses, how did Wangji and Xichen come about? Like did they have conjugal visits with each other or something? Was it only because Qingheng-jun needed and heir? If so, why was Wangji also allowed to be born?

How did she die? Was it suicide because she was confined to a home and only allowed to see her children once a month? Did she get sick?

Why were her children only allowed to see her once a month? That is a really long time to go in between visits especially for kids who were probably taken away from her right after being born.

I just think there is a lot about her that needs to be explained.

#mdzs #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #cql #mxtx #lan clan #madam lan #lan wangji #lan xichen

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askew-d · 21 days

Text

mdzs midnight thoughts

lan wangji does not know that his forehead ribbon truly was askew the second time wei wuxian pointed it out, now does he

as i’ve mentioned before, lan wangji also does not know that wei wuxian had alike scars in his back as a punishment for having saved him

lan sizhui and the rest of the juniors have no idea about the story hanguang-jun and senior wei had together. if they saw the dire situation where they screamed at each other and fought, they’d be really shocked, because: seriously, these two men are so goddamn shamelessly affectionate in a daily basis, how could they ever had conflicts?

jiang yanli, jin zixuan, wei wuxian and the wens’ deaths were basically in the same couple of days. none of them actually know that besides wei wuxian. jiang yanli and the wens think they’ve died to save wei wuxian, but in the end it just spared him some more time. he died not long after anyway.

no one despite lan xichen has any idea why lan wangji was so interested in bunnies out of a sudden, right? he just one day appeared with a ton and they just thought, ‘oh yea, it’s hanguang-jun, we’ve got him covered’

if wei wuxian’s mother saw how much her boy tormented lan qiren and the lan clan in general, from what her reputation precedes, she’d possibly smile proudly

everyone still thinks wei wuxian was the preferred ‘son’ instead of jiang cheng. they think he’s got a privileged childhood for living with the jiangs being treated not as a servant, but as part of the family! they dont know everything he’s been through in that goddamn fucking environment!!

perhaps meng yao would’ve been more empathic towards wei wuxian if he actually got to know his tragic backstory in the streets and with the jiangs. maybe if he got to know him better, before the sunshot campaign events. they were treated unfairly in resembling points, weren’t they, after all?

nie huaisang and wen qing would be like brother and sister if they were to know each other. they never did. in fact, wen qing wasn’t spoken about or to enough.

mentioning the public eye again, for them it’s like wei wuxian was the dishonest and devilish son of the two most famous, righteous rogue cultivators of their age. and considering madam lan’s past actions, lan wangji is the son of a murderer. historically ironic.

wei wuxian is part of jin ling’s family three times. one as himself (martial uncle), second as being in the body of mo xuanyu (biologically an uncle) and third as being the husband of lan wangji, lan xichen’s brother, who’s sworn brother with his uncle (a very distant relative, but a relative likewise, especially since being sworn brothers is such an intimate thing there).

the lan disciples simply saw hanguang-jun, the epitome of righteousness and the king of blank expressions, pick a random gay demonic cultivator one day and let him tag along on his adventures only for them to get married later because, yeah, that’s the yiling patriarch, in fact, why nobody told me my idol had a situationship with the biggest badass villain in history??

from somewhere within, mo xuanyu is oddly satisfied for seeing wei wuxian getting a proper revenge for him and a bunch of other stuff, beyond having very gay sex with the hanguang-jun — can you imagine?! he must think that at least his body served for a good cause!!!

#wei wuxian #lan wangji #the untamed #mdzs #mdzs thoughts #mo dao zu shi #cql #mdzs wei wuxian #mdzs lwj #mdzs novel #mxtx mdzs #mxtx #jiang yanli #jiang zixuan #jiang cheng #the founder of diabolism #the grandmaster of demonic cultivation #wangxian #yiling laozu

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stiltonbasket · 8 months

Note

prompt for the fem!wwx au: what about the fallout of jyl's broken engagement?

On the morning of Wei Wuxian's first day back at Lotus Pier, she wakes to the sound of raised voices in the audience room.

Squinting against the light, she stumbles out of bed and opens the sliding door to the corridor outside, where she finds Jiang Cheng hovering on the threshold of his own doorway with his arms folded over his chest.

"What's wrong?" she yawns, rubbing her eyes. "Is it bad news?"

"Bad news for Mother," Jiang Cheng mutters. "Fuqin just told her about A-Jie's engagement."

Wei Wuxian feels as if someone had thrown cold water over her. In the midst of her private delight that Shijie's betrothal had ended, she had not thought of how Madam Yu would take the news: and now, both she and Jiang Cheng are about to find out.

"Did Jiang-shushu tell Auntie that I..."

Jiang Cheng shakes his head. "No. I don't think it would have made much of a difference, but Father didn't say a word."

They tiptoe across the narrow bridge between the family compound and the audience chamber, hardly daring to breathe; and then, like a firework bursting on a dark, still night, they hear Madam Yu's shrill voice rising over Jiang Fengmian's.

"Who will she marry now?" she shouts. "Ouyang-zongzhu has no children, and all the other men in the Jin clan take after Jin Guangshan. How can I let her go to Lanling without Yuyan's protection?"

"I thought perhaps Lan Xichen might—"

"I knew it. You've had your eye on him since the year Zixuan was born, but that boy will do no good to any woman as a husband!" shrieks Madam Yu. "He has had no one but Nie Mingjue in his eyes since he was a child. What will become of our daughter now, Jiang Fengmian? Zixuan was the only man who might have suited her, the only one—and now, just because he complained about the betrothal, you—"

She takes in a great, heaving breath, and Wei Wuxian hears the thud of her heeled boots striking the floor.

"And now, thanks to you," she chokes, "I will have to watch as Wei Ying marries Lan Wangji—" Wei Wuxian winces, "—and as she becomes mother to the next Lan-zongzhu, whilst my child must settle for the heir to some backwater clan in Changlun, or a commoner—"

Jiang-shushu sighs.

"If I had not broken Yanli's engagement," he says quietly, "then you would have had to watch A-Ying live as she ought to do, in comfort and plenty with a husband who cares for her dearly, while our daughter lived in a gilded prison with a man who has made no secret of the fact that the very mention of her name is a burden to him. You would have watched A-Ying's children growing up without a care in the world, and A-Ying adored by the whole of Gusu Lan as she deserves—and all the while, our daughter, who used to weep whenever she trod on an insect in the path, she—"

He sounds as if he might burst into tears. "Could you bear it, Ziyuan? Can you bear to think of A-Li's children, growing up in Koi Tower, and hearing some relation from the branch clan saying that their father would never have wed their mother if their nainai had not forced him to accept her? Can you bear to think of our granddaughters watching Zixuan treating A-Li unkindly, and entering their own wedded homes with the belief that that same unkindness was due to them?"

Yu Ziyuan falters for a moment. "Yuyan would never let Zixuan treat Yanli that way. I have often thought that she loves A-Li more than she loves him."

"Then you are a fool," Jiang Fengmian says wearily. "Quan Yuyan might be your sworn sister, but she is Jin Zixuan's mother before all else. She knows that A-Li will be filial to her husband, and her in-laws, and she knows no other maiden would make a better mother for her grandchildren. Do you truly think that she would let A-Li go, if the choice was left to her?"

"I—"

"What does it matter if Quan Yuyan can ensure that A-Li is treated well?" Jiang-shushu asks. "Jin Zixuan does not want her, and she knows it. For the love of heaven, the entire Jianghu knows it—so how could you even think of asking to A-Li waste her life with him?"

Madam Yu must have opened her mouth to say something, but Jiang Fengmian cuts her off before she can make a sound.

"It does not matter if A-Li likes him. In fact, that makes matters worse," he says brusquely. "If she marries him, she will not leave him, no matter how unhappy he might make her. And I would rather keep her here unmarried all her life than watch her in pain.

"And then there is Jin Guangshan," Jiang-shushu continues, now sounding faintly ill. "I will not speak of my fears regarding him, but you are a woman, Ziyuan. Ought you not to understand them better than I?"

Madam Yu is silent for a long while.

"If you had such thoughts," she hisses at last, sounding very much like Zidian usually does in the midst of strangling a particularly fierce yaoguai, "then you ought to have spoken sooner, so that we could have found a better match before Yanli came of age."

"I made my thoughts known the year Jin-zongzhu tried to lay his hands on Li Shuai," Jiang Fengmian replies. "You were convinced that I was wrong, because A-Shuai was too young to understand what he might have done to her; but I know what I saw, and you still refused to change your mind."

A moment later, he turns and walks out of the room. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng exchange panicked glances before jumping off the footbridge to keep from being noticed; and after Madam Yu stalks off in the other direction, Wei Wuxian drags herself out of the shallow water under the bridge and makes a beeline for Jiang Yanli's room.

"Wait for me!" Jiang Cheng yelps, before cursing under his breath. "Wei Wuxian, for heaven's sake—"

But she does not slow her pace until she reaches her sister's bedroom and slams the door behind her, startling Jiang Yanli out of what must have been (judging by the look on her face) a very peaceful sleep.

"I'm glad you're not going to marry that stupid peacock," Wei Wuxian blurts out, the instant Jiang Yanli opens her eyes. "You deserve better, Shijie. Your husband ought to be the most honorable man in the world, and I won't stand for less."

Her sister's mouth twitches. "I'm glad you think so," she says mirthfully, reaching out to stroke Wei Wuxian's wet hair. "Who should it be, then?"

Wei Wuxian gulps.

"What about Lan Zhan?" she asks. "You could marry him instead of me, couldn't you?"

Jiang Yanli bursts out laughing.

"A-Xian," she gasps, "when we left Gusu, didn't you say that I ought to have a husband who loved me just as much as Third Shidi loves Li Shuai?"

"Well, yes."

"Then how could you possibly imagine that I might want to marry Lan Wangji?"

"But Lan Zhan is the best junzi in the world, in all ways. I'm certain of it," Wei Wuxian insists, ignoring the sudden ache in her chest. "He loves all things that are good and true, so why wouldn't he love you? I mean, he treats me well, and I make him carry my packages at the market and chase me all over Lufeng to keep dogs away while I'm running errands. I'm sure he'd treat you a hundred times better."

Her sister leans forward and rests her brow against Wei Wuxian's.

"A-Ying?"

"Hm?"

"You're a very silly girl, and I love you very much," she says tenderly. "Now go take a warm bath, or you'll catch cold."

Puzzled, Wei Wuxian drips her way out into the corridor and back into her own bedroom, where she finds a damp Jiang Cheng lying flat on his back on the rug under her window.

"No more peacock," he sighs, propping himself up on his elbows. "You know, I almost feel sorry for him."

"What? Why?"

"Because A-Jie could have made him the happiest man in the world, if he'd only given her a chance."

"I suppose so," Wei Wuxian says reluctantly. "But, Jiang Cheng—who do you suppose Shijie will marry now?"

Jiang Cheng puts his face in his hands.

"Not Lan Wangji, definitely," he mutters. "Did you really ask A-Jie if she wanted to take your place as Madam Lan?"

"Of course I did. Didn't you hear me?"

He looks at her in disbelief. "Really?"

Wei Wuxian nods.

"Lan Wangji has the patience of a bodhisattva," Jiang Cheng groans. "When it's time for your wedding, Wei Wuxian, I am going to laugh. Just wait and see."

#wangxian #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #wei wuxian #jiang yanli #jiang cheng #fem!wwx au #my fic

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