Xiantober Day 8 - Head Disciple!Xian
Yunmeng Jiang celebrates the promotion of their newest head disciple with festivities and merriment that last well into the night. It's a right of passage a chance for the new head disciple to shine.
Madame Yu canceled Wei Wuxian's ceremony.
She made a fair point, Wei Wuxian thinks. It was a difficult growing season and the harvest wasn't as good as last year's so it wouldn't do for them to celebrate while the villagers were suffering.
And yeah, the request for aid was also really important. It's just a shame that Uncle Jiang and Jiang Cheng both had to go for it, today of all days. Wei Wuxian had asked if he could have gone too, Jiang Cheng behind him nodding furiously as well. It would have been a great way to start his new role.
But Madam Yu said no.
Then, she took shijie off with her to visit their family. It wouldn't make sense for Wei Wuxian to go with them, he's not really their family. Shijie made him soup before she left, which will be perfect!
Wei Wuxian is okay with not having a ceremony. He sits on his favorite dock overlooking the lake, where the lotus blooms are especially big and he can see out behind the sea for miles, over to the vast landscape that awaits on the other side.
Years ago, when he first came to Yunmeng with Uncle Jiang, he couldn't even swim in the water for very long. It was the former head disciple who helped him then, teaching him to breathe between strokes so he's not holding his breath forever. They were also really kind, and never said anything about him being behind all the other kids. They gave him some extra practice after everyone left, and then some when Wei Wuxian had started to surpass the others.
He's gonna miss them now that they've moved off to marry into a new clan, but Wei Wuxian thinks he can keep their memory alive.
He didnt actually care much for the head disciple role. It was just a role and well as long as he gets to go on night hunts and save good people what does it matter what title he wears?
Still, when Uncle Jiang sat him down and told him he'd got the role, Wei Wuxian accepted it with gravity for what it would mean.
He liked helping with the younger trainees. At Yunmeng, everyone trains together, from the moment you can hold a sword properly you can join the older disciples.
Wei Wuxian had loads of experience helping the younger kids out, and it's a lot of fun!
They're a sneaky bunch and gangly and 3-shimei really needs to stop waving her sword around like it's still made of wood for crying out loud.
But they're also earnest and hardworking and adorable, and they look at Wei Wuxian like he could never do wrong, and well, he wants to prove them right.
So it doesn't matter if he doesn't get a fancy ceremony. He doesn't need it. All he needs is to help the other disciples and make Jiang Sect the best there is and ever was. Attempt the impossible, and succeed.
"Da-shixiong?"
A timid voice calls out from behind Wei Wuxian and he peers around to see a group of disciples, some around his age and some a little younger, loitering near the pavillion.
"Aiya, what are you guys doing here? Didn't Jiang-shuhu give you drills to run through?"
Technically, Wei Wuxian was supposed to help them with these drills, but okay maybe he needs a break sometimes and maaaaaybe he wanted to wallow just a little bit.
This disciples shuffle together, nudging at each other to say something. They're so funny Wei Wuxian has to bite his lips to keep from laughing at them.
Finally 6-shidi, the youngest and probably Wei Wuxian's favorite, comes over to Wei Wuxian's side. "Da-shixiong! We wanted to show you something!" he yells directly into his face, spittle flying everywhere. It's a good thing he's so cute.
Wei Wuxian raises a brow. "Okay…"
He follows the nervous group back from where they came, really hoping they haven't broken something. First day on the job and already there's something for Madame Yu to yell at him about.
Ah well, better him than the kids.
Before they turn the corner into the main training grounds, 6-shidi does an abrupt about face and stares determinedly up at Wei Wuxian, since he's still a good couple heads shorter than him.
"Da-shixiong, close your eyes!"
Wei Wuxian does so, and the little hands pull him forward. Someone covers his eyes so he can't perk but he can hear them moving around and whispering. At some point there's the sound of something dropping, a plate? Then the sound of furious whispering and Wei Wuxian has to laugh now.
Finally, the hand moves away from his eyes and he opens them, blinking as he adjusts to the bright afternoon sunlight illuminating the courtyard. When he can see, he looks around at the tables on the floor piled high with sweets from the market and freshly cooked dishes, even an extra large tureen of shijie's soup.
There's a space set up for games on the other side of the yard, simple ones like kite shooting and an archery set up with funny faces drawn on the target. A table near the center that must be the place of honor is covered with jars of liquor, and beside the table is… Jiang Cheng?
Wei Wuxian gapes at him. Jiang Cheng scowls at something unseen in a corner, arms crossed protectively over his chest. "I snuck away. Dad knows. Don't make a big deal out of it."
How can he not??? Wei Wuxian practically leaps across the courtyard to smother Jiang Cheng in a hug.
And even though Jiang Cheng complains, Wei Wuxian notices he doesn't try to shove him off.
6-shidi tugs on his sleeve to get his attention and says, "What do you think, Da-shixiong? We put this all together for you! I helped draw the faces!"
A chorus of voices sounds out around him as all his little shidi and shimei clamber over to tell him how they contributed. Wei Wuxian beams at them all, laughing and laughing and not sure if he's ever going to stop. He sniffles a little bit.
Like he said, he doesn't need ceremony when he has a sect like this one.
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I have a question for the scum villain (or possibly any xianxia story) side of tumblr:
I’ve been trying to write a fanfic and realized I’m having some troubles determining seniority between disciples.
So within a single peak, it’s pretty easy to tell who would call whom Shidi/Shimei vs Shixiong/Shijie. The same goes for people of relatively the same rank between peaks (such as 2 peak lords, 2 inner disciples, etc). The question is when both the ranks and peaks are different.
I’ve made the (hopefully correct) assumption that a normal disciple would view a head disciple from any peak as a senior, but would a brand new disciple from a higher ranking peak view a more tenured disciple from a lower ranking peak as a Shidi or Shixiong? What about an outer disciple vs inner disciple?
Are there any rules for this that anyone knows, or do I need to define my own? I realized I haven’t been completely consistent here and I want my terms of address to make sense before posting my work. Thanks!
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The mirror reflected was what was on the other side of the wall. On the other side, Yin Yu shook Quan Yizhen vigorously.
“Wake up, wake up?”
LQuan Yizhen finally came to and mumbled semi-consciously, “Shihong, who bea me uh jus now? Wha sih ye?”
...Poor Qi Ying, he was so bruised up his speech was now unclear, and Xie Lian felt sympathy in spite of himself.
“Do you think I could’ve beaten you?” Yin Yu asked.
Quan Yizhen scratched his head, and only then did he seem to recall. “Oh, ih was the emperer who bea me uh.” Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he became pumped-up again. “He snach away your shovo, do you wan me to hel snach ih back?”
“Do you think you can beat him…” Yin Yu asked.
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