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Chapter Text

His name was Jiang Cheng, courtesy name Wanyin.

He was the Sect Leader of Yunmeng Jiang, and also known as the Sandu Shengshou, Master of the Three Poisons, Wielder of Zidian.

He was the son of Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan, the Purple Spider. Everyone said that he resembled his mother not only in looks, but also in temperament.

He was Jiang Yanli’s younger brother.

He was once Wei Wuxian’s younger brother shidi.

He was the strict and fearsome uncle of the current Jin Sect Leader, Jin Ling.

He was not the most hated man in the Jianghu, because that dubious honor would be reserved for a certain recently deceased Jin Guangyao and his schemes, but an argument could be made that he was the most disliked.

Outside of Yunmeng, he was known as a man who had nothing but anger with him. A man blacklisted by three separate matchmakers for his incompatibility for marriage. A man who had killed his own shixiong, the Yiling Partriarch who had only been a victim of Jin Guangyao’s plots. Sure, the people had used to be terrified of the infamous Wei Wuxian, but if he was wed to the just and impeccable Chief Cultivator Hanguang-Jun, surely he wasn’t evil anymore.

Jiang Cheng was tired.

He had spent all his life, concerned about things like appearances and politics and other useless things like trying to be better, to attempt the impossible goal of catching up with an impossibly amazing prodigy, but he was not enough. He was never enough for anyone. Not enough for them to like him, and even for those who did happen to like him, not enough for them to stay.

A-niang, A-die, Jiejie, and Wei Wuxian…

Cultivating to immortality was unlikely and unrealistic, so Jiang Cheng had never expected forever. But neither had he expected to find himself all alone in his mid-thirties, surrounded by a Lotus Pier made out of the ashes of the one from his childhood, and mere echoes of what had been his family.

At least there was one thing he did right.

Jin Ling.

Sure, the boy was a bit spoilt, but that was inevitable given that half of him came from a certain Peacock, but he was just the sweetest boy sometimes and that half definitely came from his sister.

But even though half of his nephew was Jiang, his surname was still Jin, and he was now the Jin Sect Leader, meaning that the days where Jin Ling could stay at Lotus Pier for prolonged periods of time had come to an end. He now had many responsibilities, after all, and it would look bad if the Jin Sect Leader spent too much time with his maternal uncle- people might accuse the Yunmeng Jiang of trying to influence the larger (and wealthier) Jin Sect.

In addition, it was rather unfortunate that Jin Ling had a stubborn streak in him, inherited from who-knows-where, and that was why the newly minted Jin Sect Leader had decided to run off on a night hunt all on his own, when he clearly wasn’t ready.

He had not been ready to deal with the pack of wolf demons waiting in the forests near Lanling.

Jiang Cheng had made haste to Lanling the moment one of his spies Jin Ling’s former nannies informed him of Jin Ling’s intention to go out on a night hunt on his own.

He had to cut through a few wolf demons to get to Jin Ling, and by the time he found his nephew, Jin Ling had the situation barely under control, slicing approaching wolf demons with Suihua left and right.

But Jin Ling had not been ready to fight off the leader of the wolf pack that was now springing towards him from his blind spot, its fangs bared to kill.

But Jiang Cheng was ready.

The moment he understood what was happening before him, he immediately knew what to do.

He flung himself between the leaping wolf demon and his precious nephew, and felt the venomous fangs sink deeply into him.

There was pain.

Excruciating pain.

He could hear Jin Ling screaming in horror, and he tried to open his mouth to reassure him, but his strength faltered.

“JIUJIU!” Jin Ling screamed, though the words sounded more like a plea, as he stabbed Suihua through the heart of the wolf demon.

Jiang Cheng struggled to breathe through the pain.

“Why would you- Why did you- No, please,” Jin Ling begged, driving his sword through the last of the wolf demons and rushing to Jiang Cheng’s side.

Foolish kid, Jiang Cheng wanted to say. Of course I’d save you. You’re my kid. I raised you since you were a little boy. How could I let any harm come to you?

“Jiujiu, don’t close your eyes- I’ll go find a healer,” Jin Ling said, his face white.

Jiang Cheng used all of his strength to shake his head. There was no point. The pain was starting to lessen, somehow. Was this what happened before one died? A relief and respite from the pain?

“Jin Ling,” he whispered, as he focused his energies on a spot on his finger.

Obeying his last command, Zidian slithered off his hand, sliding around Jin Ling’s finger and reforming itself as a ring.

“No-“ Jin Ling breathed.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes felt very, very heavy. It felt so hard to fight off the weariness that was suddenly creeping up on him. Was it the venom? It was funny, that the Master of Three Poisons would meet his end at venom.

But why was he fighting the weariness?

There was nothing left for him in this world.

The Jiang Sect was prospering, he had a succession plan in place, Wei Wuxian was off living a fairytale life with his precious Lan Zhan, and Jin Ling was now old enough to have his own Sect to handle.

It seemed fitting, really, that his last act would be protecting Jin Ling. Just like how A-jie had died protecting Wei Wuxian, Wei Wuxian had first died trying to destroy the Stygian Tiger Amulet, and how their parents had died protecting them. It must run in the family. Jiang Cheng hoped that Jin Ling did not inherit this particular trait from anyone.

“Jiujiu, please, no,” Jin Ling wailed, “Don’t leave me alone- please- I can’t- No-“

You’re not alone. You have your friends, your advisors in your sect- it’s now their turn to protect you.

And even though Jiang Cheng continued to fight the sluggishness and those heavy eyelids, the weariness triumphed and oblivion claimed him. 

—

But then Jiang Cheng opened his eyes.

He was in an unfamiliar room, barely lit, and the air was heavy with the scent of blood.

He felt a chill run down his spine.

He could have sworn that he had been dead. But here he was, impossibly, alive.

There was no way that he could be alive right now- there was no way to bring anyone back from the dead, not unless-

Jiang Cheng froze, as he looked down at a pair of slender hands that did not belong to him. And right behind those unfamiliar hands, there lay an array painted with blood.

Shit.

Chapter Text

Sandu Shengshou,

Do you remember me? I am Kun Beixun, brother of Kun Beishuang you tortured and killed more than ten years ago.

I’ve waited so many years for my chance at revenge, but you died too fast and easily before I’ve had my chance. You do not deserve to go so easily, honored by the world as a hero.

You spent your years despising us demonic cultivators, making our lives living hells. Not everyone has it so easy like you cultivators, some of us have no other options . But how could a man who had everything from the moment he was born ever understand? How hard we have to work just to achieve a fraction of what you do easily?

So this is my gift to you.

You will live as a demonic cultivator, and die as one. My wishes are simple.

You cannot reveal to anyone who you are.

You cannot harm yourself. If you are to meet your end, it will be at the hands of another.

I’m sure you are more familiar than I am of the consequences should you fail to adhere to any of these wishes.Your soul will be splintered, torn from the cycle of reincarnation.

Or perhaps you would find that outcome more tasteful than living as one you so hated. In which case, be my guest.

Either way, I win.

Kun Beixun

“Shit,” Jiang Cheng muttered, setting down the letter, two slashes leaking blood shining on his arm, “Fuck.”

He stared at the array- years of seeking down rogue cultivators, and having studied all the notes of Wei Wuxian’s that he could find before he burnt them finally paid off, as he , he realised that it had been modified- slightly different from the one Mo Xuanyu must have used.

Kun Beixun had somehow tweaked it to allow for the wishes to be things that Jiang Cheng was not to do, instead of instructions to be carried out. And Kun Beixun had even added a time limit of three years for the instructions to bind him, to prevent the wishes from being immediately fulfilled since Jiang Cheng wasn’t currently doing anything. Those changes had taken the place of two other potential wishes.

Three years, in which one misstep would doom his soul for eternity.

His borrowed stomach swirled, and he struggled to fight the urge to puke.

Kun Beixun.

How could he ever forget that name? Of course he remembered. He remembered the twelve-year-old child cowering in the corner as Jiang Cheng fought to subdue the rampaging Kun Beishuang. It had been a particularly hard fight. Kun Beishuang had been very strong, but he had attempted to control too much resentful energy at one go. Not everyone was Wei Wuxian, and even Wei Wuxian had lost control multiple times. Midway through their fight, resentful energy had completely taken over the older Kun brother, and he had become a ticking time bomb. Jiang Cheng had no choice, he had to take him down before he exploded, taking down half the village with him.

For all that the rumors had spoken of Jiang Cheng torturing and killing demonic cultivators on sight, after checking that they were not in fact Wei Wuxian, he usually offered them a chance at reformation, and only took the most nuclear option when absolutely necessary. Regretfully, it had become necessary at multiple occasions, as many of them chose to attack him in response. Still, the fate of one Kun Beishuang was not something that Jiang Cheng had hoped for.

He had tried, after that, to take in Kun Beixun. The child had been so frightened, so grieved by the death of his only caretaker, so Jiang Cheng had promised him a home in lotus pier, where he could be a proper cultivator.

Kun Beixun had initially agreed, but disappeared in the night.

Jiang Cheng had not managed to find him, despite setting multiple disciples on the issue. It was like the boy had completely vanished.

Jiang Cheng had wondered, at times, what came of the younger Kun brother, one whom he had not managed to save.

So this is what happened.

Throwing away his life for revenge.

Did he understand what had happened that night? That his older brother was no longer his brother, but instead an entity controlled by resentful energy, no better than a fierce corpse?

Did he think that Jiang Cheng’s defense against him was torturing him? Had he not realised that death had been a sweet release for his brother, for his soul and body to rest at peace?

Perhaps he did understand better than most on how death could be a release, given the contents of the note.

That Jiang Cheng had no escape, could not take the easy way out.

He wanted to force Jiang Cheng to live out his life of bitterness and sorrow, or get his soul irreparably shattered forever.

Jiang Cheng had already been living a life of bitterness and sorrow. This was not new to him.

But the other conditions…

Even at his lowest moments, the time he had lost his golden core, lost his home, his parents, his siblings, he had always been Jiang Wanyin of the Yunmeng Jiang, the son of Jiang Fengmian and the Purple Spider, brother to Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli. That was just who he was. There was barely any question of it.

For all of the fact that the body Wei Wuxian currently inhibited was Mo Xuanyu’s, it was still undeniably Wei Wuxian. The way his lips curved as he smiled, the way his eyes lit up when he talked, like he was so happy to see you, and the way he just shamelessly broke every rule, spoken or unspoken, effortlessly and unconsciously warping the world around him to his will. Sometimes when Jiang Cheng caught a glance of him at discussion conferences, he could barely tell that the face wasn’t Wei Wuxian’s. It was just him. It could only be him, and no one else. So recognizable, so magnetic, and just… Wei Wuxian.

But Jiang Cheng was different. Strip away his titles, his power, and there was nothing left. There was a reason why Wei Wuxian had believed that Jiang Cheng could not live without his golden core, but knew that he could. Because he knew that Jiang Cheng was nothing without those things. Nothing special.

And now here he was. When he should have been done with everything, having set down his worldly burdens, he now instead found himself in a body more than a decade younger than his own.

You will live as a demonic cultivator, and die as one.

Kun Beixun believed that the greatest punishment was for Jiang Cheng to have to live while hating himself.

Little did he know that it was already the story of his life.

No matter how much people believed he hated demonic cultivators, or hated Wei Wuxian, those could barely compare to how much he hated himself. How he hated himself for not being good enough to compete with his shixiong. How he hated himself for not being strong enough to save his parents, his sister. How he hated himself for always being not enough to anyone who ever looked at him.

But no matter how far Jiang Cheng tried to run, the one thing he could never run from was himself.

His anger that had become more of a habit, an easy mask to obfuscate all his other emotions with. It was what came easiest to him and what was expected of him, so why would he change it? Could he even change it, if he wanted to? Sometimes, he got tired too. He didn't want to be angry all the time. No one wanted to be angry all the time. But somehow, the only emotion that ever answered him was rage.

Wei Wuxian had wanted to leave the cultivation world and everyone he had known behind when he had first woken up in Mo Xuanyu’s body. But he had not succeeded, because there were too many people who needed him, and too many people looking for him.

Jiang Cheng could do better.

Because there was no one who needed him anymore. No one who would look for him.

They never really did need him in the first place, anyway.

—

The first thing Jiang Cheng did was to start cleaning up the small run-down hut in the middle of the woods. No matter what he decided to do with this new lease of life cursed upon him, it would not be good to be found in the middle of an array of demonic cultivation. And Kun Beixun had carved the runes deep into the ground. After burning away the letter, Jiang Cheng found himself a knife and started hacking away at the array.

Kun Beixun had a very weak golden core, so his movements were a lot more difficult and sluggish than they usually were. Was this how his existence would have been, if Wei Wuxian had not given him his golden core? Was this how Wei Wuxian lived, after giving away his precious golden core?

Jiang Cheng pinched his eyes shut. Whatever it was, the golden core from Wei Wuxian’s original body was now extinguished, gone together and buried with Jiang Cheng’s body. It was now a thing of the past, something that didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that Wei Wuxian had willingly given his core away, and Jiang Cheng had been forced to receive it without his knowledge. It didn’t matter that Jiang Cheng had berated Wei Wuxian for not using Suibian when he no longer could possibly use it. It didn’t matter that Jiang Cheng’s core was lost in the first place because he was trying to save Wei Wuxian. Nothing mattered. It was all so long ago. Another life ago. It shouldn’t matter. But why did it still feel so important, like it mattered? Why did even the mere thought of it make his blood boil, and make his borrowed heart squeeze with a vice-like hold ver him?

Jiang Cheng was not Wei Wuxian.

It was not easy for him to just pretend that nothing had happened. He could not just casually say ‘suibian!’ with a wide smile like he wasn’t bothered because Jiang Cheng was just so bothered about everything all the time, because nothing ever worked the way he hoped for it to and everytime he dared to get his hopes up, he would always be disappointed.

Jiang Cheng tried not to hurl as he caught a glance of himself at a mirror on the table.

The man in the mirror did not look like him at all.

Where in life Jiang Cheng had been all sharp edges that became further refined as he aged, the person in the mirror was a lot softer. He had a round, small, youthful face with wider set brows, and instead of pale blue eyes, a pair of large brown doe eyes blinked back at him. Jiang Cheng kept expecting the figure in the mirror to do or say something, but all it did was mimic his own actions- every blink, and every breath. It was entirely disorientating.

“Kun Beixun, why did you do this?” Jiang Cheng asked, and his voice was soft, a timbre lower than his own, “Why did you throw your life away?”

But the face in the mirror did not respond- because Kun Beixun was gone, his soul departed from this plane, having forced Jiang Cheng to take his place, being forced to take something that wasn’t his once more-

Jiang cheng really did throw up this time, but thankfully he was able to stick his head out of the window before he started retching out his guts, food that Kun Beixun must have eaten before he had decided to do this unthinkable deed.

What would people think, if anyone ever knew that the Sandu Shengshou was now trapped in the weak body of a demonic cultivator, retching his heart out in the middle of nowhere?

How far I have fallen, Jiang Cheng thought distantly. On this, at least, Kun Beixun had succeeded.

Jiang Cheng lifted his head and sucked in a deep breath, when he froze.

In the distance, slowly walking towards the direction of the hut, was the person that he least wanted to see right now.

Wei Wuxian.

Chapter Text

“Lan Zhan, there’s so much resentful energy in the area! The letter you received was quite accurate.”

“Mn. There is indeed a demonic cultivator here.”

The voices grew louder, as Jiang Cheng ducked his head back into the hut and made a mad dash for the door. If he could run out from the other side, before he got spotted, perhaps he could get away-

Jiang Cheng had barely taken few steps from the hut when Wei Wuxian, the ever-present bane of his existence across all lifetimes for both of them, yelled, "Someone's running!"

"Shit," Jiang Cheng muttered under his breath, as he continued to sprint as hard as he could.

As he ran, he dared to steal a glance behind at his former brother.

Wei Wuxian looked better than he did the last time Jiang Cheng had seen him at a discussion conference, healthy and hale. Gusu (and Lan Wangji) must have been treating him well.

Good for him.

But Jiang Cheng did not have time to waste any more time on musing upon the well-being of the doing-well Wei Wuxian, because if he was caught here, his life would become a living hell.

Was this what Kun Beixun had intended? To force him before the Chief Cultivator, the pure and incorruptible Hanguang-jun, as a demonic cultivator, unable to reveal who he really was? Did he hope that Hanguang-jun would torture and kill him? Did he not know that Hanguang-jun was literally married to the most notorious demonic cultivator of all time there was?

Jiang Cheng continued to run as fast as Kun Beixun's shorter legs would allow him, but really, the race was never really fair from the beginning.

With the strength of Mo Xuanyu’s golden core and typical Wei Wuxian athleticism, Wei Wuxian soon caught up, Lan Wangji following right behind him.

In a panic, Jiang Cheng tried to reach for his spiritual energy, only to grasp at nothing, but nevertheless, he just pulled, and something answered.

Resentful energy pooled around him, being drawn towards a dizi strapped to Kun Beixun's belt.

Bloody hell, Jiang Cheng thought.

He tried to stuff the power back, frantically, willing it to be contained, but it was like repeatedly trying to punch smoke into a box, it continued to overflow, spilling around, awaiting orders.

Kun Beixun had not just been a demonic cultivator- he had been a good demonic cultivator. No wonder he was able to power the sacrificial array to get it to last for three whole years.

But as good as Jiang Cheng was at theoretical demonic cultivation, he had never actually been a demonic cultivator, so he had no idea how to control the dark mass of energy surging around him, awaiting Kun Beixun's next command. But Kun Beixun was no longer here, and all there was left was Jiang Cheng, and he did not know how to control it.

As Jiang Cheng’s mind and vision started clouding up with the swirls of resentful dark smoke, swallowing him whole, he stumbled, and a shrill note cut through the thickness like a dagger ripping through paper.

Chenqing.

Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Cheng blinked, staggering forward, and he tumbled headfirst to the ground as the resentful energy was yanked away from him and sealed away somewhere. He tried to get up, to continue to run, because he could not be seen like this, least of all by Wei Wuxian, but the man himself was too fast and grabbed Jiang Cheng’s arm in a vice-like grip.

“Stop running, will you?” Wei Wuxian asked, his eyes a bright red.

However, the redness subsided as Lan Wangji set a gentle hand on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. The two exchanged a glance, and Wei Wuxian’s expression softened, some sort of understanding passing through them wordlessly.

It was sickeningly sweet.

Good for them.

“Let me go,” Jiang Cheng hissed darkly, trying to rip his arm away. “I haven’t done anything!”

“That was quite a show of demonic cultivation, what do you mean nothing?” Wei Wuxian asked, using his other free hand to carelessly twirl Chenqing before he set it back at his waist, his grip held on Jiang Cheng never loosening.

“Didn’t you just use demonic cultivation yourself?” Jiang Cheng snapped, jutting his chin towards Chenqing.

“I mean, that’s different,” Wei Wuxian said, lightly swatting his hand in the air, “I was trying to seal whatever you were trying to do, which completely sucked by the way- how are you so powerful but have so little control? That’s dangerous!”

“I bloody well know it’s dangerous!” Jiang Cheng growled, once again unsuccessful in wrestling his hand away. This weak body!

“Then why did you do it?”

“It wasn’t on purpose! You’re the one who started chasing me! Let- Me- Go!”

“Lan Zhan, what do you think of this one? We’ve certainly found the demonic cultivator, but he’s just incompetent and annoying,” Wei Wuxian said brightly, turning to Lan Wangji and completely ignoring Jiang Cheng.

“Still powerful,” Lan Wangji pointed out with a thoughtful hum. After a pause, he continued, "But letter only mentioned there was a cultivator. Hasn't caused any harm yet."

"He does seem mostly harmless," Wei Wuxian agreed, leaning forward to peer at Jiang Cheng more closely. "He has no idea how to channel the resentful energy. But having a lack of control could possibly hurt innocents."

Jiang Cheng bristled at the 'harmless' comment, but held his tongue on that because it only helped his own case. "I have no intention of hurting anyone. Can't you let a man live in his hut in the middle of nowhere?"

"What do you mean, middle of nowhere? You're barely a few li from Lotus Pier."

Lotus Pier?

"Wait, really?" Jiang Cheng asked, forgetting to continue to struggle out of Wei Wuxian's grip.

How long has Kun Beixun been right under my nose, plotting?

"Did you not know?" Wei Wuxian asked incredulously, his eyes wide, "What kind of rock are you living under?"

"Suspicious," Lan Wangji said with a hum.

Jiang Cheng glared at him. "I am not suspicious," he hissed, but then he remembered that he was no longer the Jiang Sect Leader Jiang Wanyin, but was instead a random demonic cultivator living in the middle of the woods very close to Lotus Pier, and that did make him seem quite suspicious. 
But he would never concede that point to Lan Wangji, because as a principle he would never concede anything to Lan Wangji. He tried for a more neutral, pleasant expression. "I'm afraid I have been living here for a very long time, and I've lost track of the outside world."

"You seem well-fed for a hermit, though," Wei Wuxian commented thoughtfully, "So you must go into town quite often."

Damn Wei Wuxian and his observation skills!

"I just have a very poor metabolism rate," Jiang Cheng gritted out through his teeth.

"Lying is forbidden," Lan Wangji said.

"Indeed it is, Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian said cheerily, resting his free hand on Lan Wangji's arm now. "Well, lucky for you, the cultivation world doesn't detain demonic cultivators without reason anymore, but as much as I'd like to just let you go, we still do have to investigate the resentful energy in the air."

"I thought you sealed it already," Jiang Cheng pointed out.

"Oh, that little bit? That was nothing. I'm talking about the one that was here before. The one that's currently still hanging around us. It's not a small amount," Wei Wuxian said, making a face.

"The hut," Lan Wangji suggested.

Oh god.

Shit.

No.

That would be bad.

That would be really, really bad.

Jiang Cheng had only barely managed to clean off half of the array- if they saw it now and recognized him, Jiang Cheng’s soul would-

“It was an accident!” Jiang Cheng blurted, “I was practicing expelling resentful energy when I let out too much, that’s why there’s so much resentful energy-“

The both of them stared at him, clearly unconvinced.

“Let’s check the hut, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian said.

“Mn.”

The two of them dragged him towards the hut, preventing him from making a break for it.

Not that running could help anything. He was in such deep trouble now.

Wei Wuxian pushed the door open easily and the mostly-destroyed remains of the array lay on the ground, blood still glistening on a few spots.

Jiang Cheng heaved an internal sigh of relief as he realised that he had already removed most of the recognizable features of the soul-summoning array. So distracted by his own relief, he had not noticed the sudden tensing of Wei Wuxian’s shoulders.

So he did not expect it when Wei Wuxian abruptly whipped around, his eyes wild, resentful energy rippling out of him as he growled, “What did you do to Jiang Cheng?"

Chapter Text

Jiang Cheng could hardly breathe, as in a blink of an eye, Wei Wuxian unsheathed Suibian and pressed it against his neck.

Once, Jiang Cheng could have sworn that Wei Wuxian would never have wanted to hurt him. Involuntarily hurt him? Certainly. He had done that plenty. But definitely not deliberately, and not like this. But now, with the sheer venom coming out of Wei Wuxian’s dark red eyes, all the resentful energy flaring up and billowing around him, Jiang Cheng was not so sure anymore.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said, and Jiang Cheng had never been this relieved to hear the Second Jade speak before.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian said, taking a step to the side as explanation. He kept Suibian still pressed against Jiang Cheng’s neck so tightly Jiang Cheng could feel it pinch.

That’s when Jiang Cheng noticed what was still visible on the array.

Oh.

This was worse.

This was so much worse.

The soul sacrificing ritual might not have been recognizable, but the faint imprints of the name ‘Jiang Wanyin’ could still be seen, carved onto the wooden ground.

“What did you do?” Wei Wuxian repeated, his eyes flashing bright red, and the air around them quivered, “Last chance. I won’t ask again.”

Oh, Wei Wuxian.

Was this the only time he bothered to think about his former shidi, when he realised that his immortal soul had possibly been cursed?

Where was this so called brotherly love when Jiang Cheng was still alive, and Wei Wuxian barely acknowledged his existence?

“I did not do anything,” Jiang Cheng insisted truthfully, “This must be some sort of misunderstanding.”

Wei Wuxian’s blade inched closer. Jiang Cheng twitched.

Perhaps this might not be that bad, after all. The curse refused to allow him to cause his own death, but if Wei Wuxian insisted on killing him, despite his best efforts…

A splitting pain shot through his soul.

Fine. You want better efforts? I’ll give it to you, Jiang Cheng thought furiously.

“Please don’t kill me,” Jiang Cheng spat.

This only served to further infuriate Wei Wuxian. A bead of blood trickled down from where Suibian was in contact with his throat.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said, placing a hand on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder, “Only he knows what happened to Jiang Wanyin.”

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian said, his words coming out almost as a shout and a plea, “But he- But Jiang Cheng-“

"Why does it even matter to you?" Jiang Cheng bit out, feeling his body starting to tremble. But it was not out of fear. It was anger. Even in this foreign body, anger still thrummed within him, coursing through his veins like lifeblood. "Yunmeng Jiang and Jiang Wanyin have nothing to do with you. You've made that clear."

Suibian pressed even closer, choking Jiang Cheng. It hurt.

"Don't you dare presume how I feel about my shidi."

"What shidi? Did you ever bother to visit?" Jiang Cheng asked, coughing through the pain. This was nothing, he had been tortured, bloodied and beaten way worse at the hands of Wen Zhuliu and Wen Chao before. For Wei Wuxian's sake. At the time, he had thought it meant something. That Wei Wuxian would be safe, and that he had finally managed to live up to his Sect motto. But then Wei Wuxian had to go and throw it all away with his self-sacrificial tendencies, because he always had to play the hero. How could his small sacrifice even compare with the magnanimity of Wei Wuxian's sacrifice of his golden core?

I loved you, Jiang Cheng thought bitterly. He clenched his fists. I hate you.

"There are worse fates than death in this world," Wei Wuxian hissed, "And if you don't confess what you did to Jiang Cheng right now, I promise you that-"

"We can bring him to Cloud Recesses,” Lan Wangji pointed out, “Question him there.”

Jiang Cheng froze.

That was not good.

He refused to be dragged in like some common criminal to Cloud Recesses, where they could potentially use their musical cultivation to force him to speak. And if he were to be forced to reveal his true identity, his immortal soul would tear apart.

No. Just no.

He couldn’t do that.

He had to think of something, and fast.

But he had nothing on him but a demonic spiritual flute and Suibian at his throat.

Even without his own golden core and Mo Xuanyu’s weak one, Wei Wuxian had been able to unsheathe Suibian back at Carp Tower, Suibian still recognizing the soul of its master of many years.

Suibian, Jiang Cheng thought desperately, reaching out with some of Kun Beixun's low-level spiritual energy towards the sword, Do you still remember me? The only other person who could unsheathe you?

He felt a faint answering hum, a hesitant presence at the back of his mind. It was a thin connection, nothing like the bond between a spiritual weapon and its wielder's soul or its golden core, but it was enough.

He just needed to do enough to distract Wei Wuxian, and not alert him to Suibian’s conflicted loyalties.

"Lan Zhan-" Wei Wuxian was saying something.

Do you not recognise me, Suibian? Are you going to hurt me? Put my blood on Wei Wuxian’s hands?

With a violent shudder, Suibian jerked back, away from him, and Wei Wuxian was too startled to react in time as Jiang Cheng reached for the dizi at his own belt, and blew.

He had no technique, no finesse in harnessing resentful energy (or playing a dizi), but what he lacked in precision he made up for in power. A horrible shrill note screamed through the air, instantly swarming Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji with resentful energy, and in the ensuing chaos, as Wei Wuxian brought Chenqing to his lips to push back the surge of resentful energy, Jiang Cheng leapt for the teleportation talisman he knew Wei Wuxian had strapped to his belt, slammed it into the ground, pushed all the feeble remnants of Kun Beixun's spiritual power into it, and then the world started to fade away.

—

Outtake:

"I can't believe he got away," Wei Wuxian breathed, as he knelt down in front of the array, desperately trying to decipher the words that had been mostly hacked away.

Kun Beixun had done a thorough job- other than Jiang Cheng's name, the only other legible words were 'soul', 'three' and 'harm', none of which boded well for Jiang Cheng.

"Teleportation cultivation is high-level and rare," Lan Zhan said, in an attempt to console him. "Wei Ying was not at fault."

But still, even so, Wei Wuxian should have been more careful. He did not know exactly what had happened, but Kun Beixun had somehow managed to push back Suibian, and managed to escape in the chaos using Wei Wuxian's own transportation talisman.

Kun Beixun, who Wei Wuxian had initially joked of being harmless.

He was truly a formidable opponent.

Jiang Cheng, please, you have to be alright , Wei Wuxian thought, begged, as he brushed his fingers over the carved 'Jiang Wanyin' on the ground.

There were many ways to hurt a soul. When Jiang Cheng had passed, four months ago, selfishly, Wei Wuxian had begged Lan Zhan to play Inquiry. But Jiang Cheng had resisted the summons, a stubborn man to the bitter end. But as Wei Wuxian knew better than most people, there were certain rituals and curses that souls could not evade.

It was possible that Kun Beixun had captured Jiang Cheng's soul somewhere, and had hidden him away to torture. That would explain the high level of resentful energy in the air. He suddenly found it hard to breathe- because he had failed, he had let Kun Beixun steal his teleportation talisman and get away, and now he had no idea what was happening to poor Jiang Cheng-

"Wei Ying. We will find him," Lan Zhan promised solemnly, rubbing his thumb over Wei Wuxian's wrist gently.

Wei Wuxian closed his eyes. "I know you've had your differences-"

"Wei Ying cares about Jiang Wanyin," Lan Zhan said quietly, "So I will help you."

"Thanks, Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian murmured as a tear slowly trickled down his cheek.

"Between us, there is no need for 'thank you' and 'sorry'," Lan Zhan reminded softly.

Chapter Text

Jiang Cheng opened his eyes, his body aching all over.

When he had activated the transportation talisman, all he had thought was of safety. It seemed as though the talisman had interpreted this wish to refer to his own bedroom in Lotus Pier.

With a soft groan, Jiang Cheng pushed himself up into a seated position, leaning against the side of his bed.

Everything in his room had been just as he had left it.

Jin Ling's watercolor paintings were still framed on the wall, and his side table remained undisturbed, his personal effects sitting on the table. The only new addition was Sandu, carefully positioned on its stand next to the bed.

Why had Jiang Xiu, his chosen successor, not taken over this room? Why had the room not been cleared? Why had it been sealed, and preserved, as though its owner could ever return one day?

At the back of Jiang Cheng's mind, the image of another sealed room in Lotus Pier crossed his mind, but he brushed that thought aside.

Those had been sentiments from another lifetime, the wistful thinking of a man now dead.

He could not stay.

As much as being in this room felt comforting, and he felt more real, more like himself, Jiang Wanyin of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, the truth was that it wasn't who he was anymore. A simple look at the slender fingers would prove that. He was now Kun Beixun, a very wanted demonic cultivator. For apparently cursing Jiang Wanyin. Himself.

How ironic.

Damn you, Kun Beixun , Jiang Cheng thought darkly.

At least, this room would remain undisturbed for an indefinite amount of time. So he could stay and rest a little, and perhaps allow himself the luxury of pretending that everything was normal, until he figured out a way to leave without being seen. He would need to find some sustenance for this body at some point, as Kun Beixun's body did not seem able to achieve inedia.

But for now, Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh and sweet air of Lotus Pier, the distinct scent of home .

---

When Jiang Cheng next woke up, he felt a lot better.

Using the teleportation talisman had required all of Kun Beixun's spiritual energy, and due to the weak golden core, it would still take awhile more for the energy to be fully replenished. But still, the rest had helped quite substantially, and Jiang Cheng felt strong enough to haul himself up onto his bed to lie in it.

He closed his eyes once more as he nestled comfortably within his blankets, trying to pretend that none of this was happening.

He was home. He was lying in his own bed. He was not in fact shoved into a very much less handsome body of a demonic cultivator out to torture him, unable to tell anyone who he really was.

Unfortunately, the denial of reality could only go so far, as even with his eyes closed, Jiang Cheng could feel the weakness of this body, its less toned muscles and its shorter limbs. With a sigh, he climbed out of bed, reaching for the sword on the stand.

Wei Wuxian had been able to unsheathe Suibian as Mo Xuanyu, even if initially his core had not been strong enough to properly wield the spiritual weapon. Out of idle curiosity, Jiang Cheng wondered if he could do the same with Sandu. Suibian had recognised him in the end, after all.

As it turned out, Sandu needed a lot less convincing than Suibian. Jiang Cheng had barely lifted up his hand with the intention of picking up Sandu, when Sandu shot into his hand instantly, hilt-first.

Jiang Cheng could not help but let out a chuckle.

"So you still remember me too," he said, fighting a smile as he reached to remove Sandu’s sheathe with his other hand.

The sheathe came out easily, smoothly.

Sandu felt a little heavier than usual, thanks to Kun Beixun's lack of strength, but the main point was that Jiang Cheng could still hold Sandu. Perhaps Sandu had now become an expert at recognising Jiang Cheng's soul, having had to go through both Jiang Cheng's golden core, then Wei Wuxian's golden core, and now finally Kun Beixun's excuse for a golden core, but whatever it was, Jiang Cheng let go of a breath he had not realised he had been holding.

Sandu trembled in his hand with nervous energy.

"I've missed you too," Jiang Cheng murmured. He ran his fingers down the flat of the blade gingerly. After the burning of Lotus Pier, then the death of everyone he had once known, the only relics from his youth were Sandu and Zidian. And now Zidian rested on Jin Ling’s finger, and as much as Jiang Cheng wanted to take Sandu with him, he just couldn’t. "I can't bring you with me,” he said regretfully, “You're too conspicuous."

Sandu was, for one, extremely purple, a colour not really used by most people outside the Jiang Sect, and the snake motif on its sheathe was an even more obvious hint to which sword it contained. Besides, it was very possible that Jiang Xiu might periodically check in on the room, and it would be very apparent if Sandu had gone missing.

Sandu's trembling subsided to a more dull tremor, disappointed.

"If I'm still alive at the end of the three years, I'll come back to you. I promise," Jiang Cheng whispered.

The sword continued to shake weakly.

---

Jiang Cheng could not in good faith continue to walk around in Kun Beixun's rags, so he found a non-purple travelling outfit deep within the wardrobe and changed into it. Unfortunately, the robes were too large for him, given that his own former body had been extremely tall and well-built, while this current one was just... not , so Jiang Cheng had to alter it slightly to fit his current build.

A-jie had taught him how to sew, a lifetime ago.

A-niang could never. She did not have the requisite patience for it.

Satisfied with the blue robes he was now wearing, Jiang Cheng turned his attention to the dizi that Kun Beixun had owned.

It was no Chenqing- it was clearly a weaker spiritual tool, but still a spiritual tool nonetheless. And it had come in handy when Jiang Cheng had needed to escape Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, it would be a waste not to bring it along with him.

After all, as Kun Beixun wished, he would now need to lead the life of a demonic cultivator, and if that meant he had to use demonic cultivation to save his life, he would do it.

Initially, Jiang Cheng had been thinking of ways around Kun Beixun's second requirement- a way for him to return to the blissful unknowingness of death, but as each moment passed that he continued to breathe he found himself wanting to live .

He wanted to see Jin Ling again. He wanted to know whether it was possible to lead a simple life, unbothered by the world passing around him. Where he was not crippled by the weight of his responsibilities. Where he did not need to be angry all the time.

He wanted to see if the Jiang Sect would survive beyond him. Jiang Cheng had worked so hard to rebuild Lotus Pier, to uphold the legacy of all his forefathers that came before him- would that be enough? Would the Jiang legacy continue?

And if that meant that he would need to live in the shadows for the next three years, and resort to demonic cultivation, he would do it.

If he survived that long, after that, well, perhaps he could decide whether to reveal who he was.

Would Jin Ling accept him like this? He had accepted Wei Wuxian in Mo Xuanyu's body, but that had been the only Wei Wuxian he had known. He had not known the laugh lines that adorned Wei Wuxian's old face, nor the scars that littered Wei Wuxian's old body.

But Jin Ling had known Jiang Cheng, and had loved him as he had been.

If his Jiujiu was no longer the powerful, towering man he had once been, would he still want that Jiujiu?

If Jiang Cheng was no longer a righteous spiritual cultivator, but instead a demonic cultivator that Jiang Cheng had raised Jin Ling to hate, could Jin Ling accept this? Could Jin Ling accept him?

Would he still love him the same?

Jiang Cheng wiped a tear falling down his cheek.

Damn it, Kun Beixun.

This body shed tears just as easily as his old one had.

Chapter Text

Jiang Cheng rested in his room for two days, before the growling of Kun Beixun's stomach became too incessant to ignore.

With great reluctance, Jiang Cheng gathered his things and climbed out of the window, casting his room a lingering parting look. Someone would come for the room eventually, Jiang Cheng suspected, and he had been careful to make sure that everything was left exactly the way he had found it.

He dropped down on the glass lightly at the back of the family quarters, and surreptiously made his way towards one of the hidden exits nearby.

When they had been rebuilding Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng made sure that they had secret passageways installed to ensure that if anyone ever attacked again, they would be able to get the younger disciples out first without being noticed.

Thankfully, he did not run into anyone, but nonetheless he could hear the sounds of disciples training, of idle chatter amidst the constant pattering of waves from the lotus ponds. It was peaceful. Normal.

I did it, a-die, a-niang , Jiang Cheng thought. I’ve rebuilt Lotus Pier, and it continues to stand beyond my death .

Are you proud of me?

He had once believed that after so many years (and now even one death), he outgrow this childish desire for his parents’ approval, but perhaps this, like his propensity towards anger, was baked into him, like a shadow he would never shake.

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes, and let out a deep breath.

Even though he did want to live, what was left of his place in the world?

He did not know how much time had passed, but the Jiang Sect seemed to be settled, and he had no intention (not that he even could, given the curse limitations) to storm up to Jiang Xiu and demand the position of Sect leader.

What he did have now was time, though- three years to keep a low profile and slowly think about what to do with this new life thrusted at him.

—

Jiang Cheng’s first planned destination was Carp Tower, because no matter in what life, Jin Ling would always be his first priority.

It would be a long journey without a sword, however, so using the gold that he had unceremoniously stolen from his own room, he stopped by his favourite restaurant in Yunping for dinner.

“I’ll have the hot-dry noodles, one sour vegetable steamed fish, mianyang three steams, and one pot of lotus root soup,” Jiang Cheng said, considering the menu on the wall. “Actually, give me the Pearl meatballs too.”

The owner, Shen Xing, gave him a strange look.

“I can finish it,” Jiang Cheng said exasperatedly, “Don’t worry about that.”

Boss Shen blinked once. “Are you sure, gongzi? It’s a lot for one person, especially if you’re not a cultivator.”

“I’m starving,” Jiang Cheng said honestly, because he had not eaten since he had thrown up Kun Beixun’s guts yesterday, “And are you seriously turning down free money, Boss Shen?”

“If you say so, gongzi,” Boss Shen said, shaking his head as he disappeared back into the kitchen.

When his dishes were served, Jiang Cheng immediately tucked into them eagerly, while Boss Shen continued to linger in his periphery.

“Is there anything I can help you with, Boss Shen?” Jiang Cheng asked, still chewing on some fish. It was extremely improper of him to speak with food in his mouth, but he was just really hungry and Shen Xing was the one being improper first by staring at him while he was eating.

“No, no,” Shen Xing said, looking away, “My apologies, gongzi. It’s just… Your order is exactly the same as Jiang Zongzhu’s. The former Zongzhu. You just reminded me of him a little.”

“Oh,” Jiang Cheng said, suddenly at a loss for words. “I didn’t think you’d remember his order so well.”

“How could I not? He would come here quite frequently, and even when he does not come personally, I know what to prepare the moment I see some Jiang disciples here to pick up his order,” Shen Xing said, a nostalgic smile forming on his face.

“He did always think that your lotus soup was the closest in taste to his A-jie’s,” Jiang Cheng said softly.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had to make that order,” Shen Xing replied wistfully.

“How long has it been, since Sect Leader Jiang passed?”

“Four months, gongzi,” Shen Xing said heavily, as he took a step back and bowed. “My apologies for interrupting your dinner, gongzi, I will take my leave.”

With Shen Xing gone, Jiang Cheng turned his attention back to the delectable array of food in front of him.

Four months.

Though he could remember coming to this restaurant not too long before his death, his soul still seemed to remember the missing four months, because it felt like an eternity since he had last eaten.

Had that been how it was for Wei Wuxian too? Was that why he was the one who could walk away from everything, walk away from Jiang Cheng despite how wronged he must have felt- was it because even though Wei Wuxian was the one who remembered everything as though it had been yesterday, his soul had come to terms with it across the thirteen years?

Or maybe it was just because Wei Wuxian- and Jiang Cheng, no matter how long it took, would never be able to set things aside so lightly like Wei Wuxian could.

All Wei Wuxian wanted was to lead a happy, simple life. But the world clung onto him, unwilling to let him go. But Jiang Cheng was different. He clung to everything he had desperately, with everything he had, knowing that he would still lose everything in the end.

“Those were Jiang Zongzhu’s favourite dishes,” a familiar voice piped up unexpectedly.

Jiang Cheng looked up, to meet the eyes of his former second-in-command, Jiang Xiu. The current Jiang Zongzhu.

“Jiang Zongzhu,” Jiang Cheng greeted, with a slight incline of his head.

How have you been, Jiang Xiu? How is the clan? You seem to have done a brilliant job, without me.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Jiang Xiu asked politely. “It doesn’t seem like you’ll be able to finish all your dishes, so it would be quite a waste for me to order the same things and waste them too.”

Jiang Cheng wanted to point out that he could always bring the leftovers back to Lotus Pier, and what was with everyone assuming he could not finish his dinner , but nonetheless he kept his mouth shut and nodded nicely because he did want to talk to Jiang Xiu and this was the perfect opportunity.

“What brings the Clan Leader of Yunmeng Jiang to Yunping on this fine day?” Jiang Cheng asked primly.

“Zongzhu made me come here to pick up his food all the time, so I’m just here to reminisce,” Jiang Xiu said with a soft smile.

“Are you not the current Zongzhu of Yunmeng Jiang? It’s not proper to refer to your predecessor in such a way,” Jiang Cheng said with a frown. “It might undermine your authority in the minds of others. And as the head disciple and sect heir, how did you end up picking up the food yourself? You could assign some juniors to do it.”

“Coming to town is a good break,” Jiang Xiu said, “And I don’t mind. Zongzhu always took good care of us, I wanted to do something personally for him since I could.”

Jiang Cheng looked away. “You’ve done a good job. Yunmeng is bustling under your guidance.”

“Bustling?” Jiang Xiu repeated, and Jiang Cheng could hear the frown in his voice that it made him turn back to face his head disciple. “Yunmeng is in mourning .”

It was then that Jiang Cheng noticed the white ribbon tied onto Jiang Xiu’s clarity bell. Now that he knew what to look out for, he lifted his head to peer at the rooftops of the buildings- flags were being flown at half mast.

Jiang Cheng blinked, disbelieving his own eyes. “It’s been four months,” he said, “The customary grieving period is-“

“49 days, I know,” Jiang Xiu said solemnly. “The official customary grieving period has passed, but people are allowed to continue the traditions as long as they wish to.”

“And how long will you continue to wear that ribbon on your bell?”

“When it doesn't hurt to think about him anymore,” Jiang Xiu said, a sad smile resting on his lips, "So perhaps forever."

Chapter Text

"Sect Leader Jin is currently out on a night hunt. He should be back by tomorrow," the Jin disciple standing guard at the entrance of Carp Tower said.

All that work to slowly walk to Lanling, taking him so many days, only for Jin Ling not to be here. He was probably with those Lan brats that he liked spending time with (and Jiang Cheng would bet the last loaf of bread he had left in his bag that Ouyang Zizhen was with them too).

With a sigh, Jiang Cheng turned away, ready to find an inn to stay the night, when he heard another disciple mutter, "That's if he even makes it back..."

Jiang Cheng's blood turned to ice.

"What did you say?" he hissed, whipping around with a glare. "Are you cursing your own Sect Leader?"


Alas, Kun Beixun did not have the formidable reputation of the Sandu Shengshou, neither did he have Jiang Cheng's looming height and stature, because the disciples just stared at him incredulously. "Are you trying to intimidate us?" the disciple who had made the remark laughed, tossing his head back.

Jiang Cheng could feel the resentful energy swirling within him itching to be released.

"We apologise," the more rational disciple interrupted, "My fellow disciple meant no harm. We were just concerned for our Sect Leader."

"What do you mean?" Jiang Cheng barked, levelling a sharper glare, one that had made many disciples cry. "Explain clearly."

Perhaps stature was not necessary for intimidation after all, because the rude disciple ducked his head, and quickly said, "Zongzhu has been injured on every night hunt he's been on, and-"

" Where is he ."

---

When Jiang Cheng found him, it was barely in time to see Jin Ling barreling towards some sort of tiger beast, Suihua in his hand.

With a roar, the tiger beast leapt back and sliced towards Jin Ling, but Jin Ling took a quick sidestep, barely avoiding getting clawed to death by a hair’s breadth.

Jiang Cheng let go of a breath he had not realised that he had been holding, as his eyes darted around to look for the Lan brats, or the Ouyang heir, only to see no one else.

Seriously ? Jiang Cheng wanted to scream. Did his idiot nephew not learn his lesson since last time?

The tiger growled as it pawed to ground, anticipating Jin Ling’s next attack. Jin Ling just stood, panting, clutching Suihua tightly as he quickly entered a Jiang defensive sword form.

Jiang Cheng wanted to come out, to do something, but he was currently powerless as Kun Beixun, and he was literally Kun Beixun, a stranger, someone Jin Ling did not know, so he could only helplessly stand in the darkness under the covers of the trees as Jin Ling fought the tiger beast in the clearing.

With a grunt, Jin Ling charged at the tiger beast again, swinging Suihua wildly in a sword form that Jiang Cheng was very certain did not exist, and was just reckless cleaving.

This was bad, this was very bad- Jiang Cheng moved quickly, as the tiger beast leapt towards him in answer, ignoring Jin Ling’s wild swings and sinking its teeth in Jin Ling’s leg. With a cry, Jin Ling dropped Suihua, the sword clattering uselessly onto the ground.

“A-Ling!” Jiang Cheng cried out, bursting forward and catching Jin Ling in his arms.

Jin Ling whimpered in pain as he stared up at him, no recognition in his eyes. Jiang Cheng’s heart shattered.

It hurt. It hurt even more than Wei Wuxian’s sword against his neck.

But he had no time to dwell on it, because the tiger beast was still there, pawing the ground once more.

Jiang Cheng gently settled Jin Ling onto the ground, turning his attention to the tiger beast and trying to ignore the cries of pain behind him.

The beast looked smug, Jin Ling’s blood trickling down its incisors.

How dare you hurt my nephew.

Perhaps the long journey from Yunmeng to Lanling had some sort of value, because Jiang Cheng had taken the opportunity to put his theoretical demonic cultivation to practice, testing out harnessing the resentful energy from corpses of small animals in directed blasts.

Kun Beixun had a lot of muscle memory when it came to controlling resentful energy, as it turned out. And Jiang Cheng had spent an eternity at Wei Wuxian’s side, watching him, so he knew the limits of what he could do better than Kun Beixun ever would.

He did not even need the dizi right now, to subdue this tiger beast.

He whistled.

Whistling was not technically part of the Six Arts that every respectable young master needed to learn, but Jiang Cheng was decent at it, good enough to hold a tune.

The resentful energy around him gathered and pooled around him, and then as Jiang Cheng hit a shrill note, it pelted itself at the beast, enveloping it.

The tiger beast let out a cry as it got swarmed, the resentful energy swirling around it, suffocating it -

But not good enough.

Jiang Cheng whistled harder, and the dark cloud around the beast responded, starting to claw at it, just like it had clawed Jin Ling-

That was right, as long as Jiang Cheng was around, he would destroy everything that was a threat to Jin Ling, until it could never hurt him again-

“Stop!”

Jin Ling’s voice cut across his thoughts, along with a clear ringing of a bell.

Jiang Cheng whipped his head around to see Jin Ling clutching his wounded leg with one hand, and frantically ringing his clarity bell with the other. His face was pale, as he cried out, “It’s already dead!”

Jiang Cheng let out a breath, all the resentful energy dissipating in an instance.

Oh god .

He looked at the remains of the tiger beast, a barely recognizable brutalized carcass.

What have I done.

The last time he had lost control like that, taken pleasure in torturing, killing, it was against Wen Zhuliu. It had been an eternity, a lifetime ago.

He knew that demonic cultivation had effects on the mind, but… oh god. That was very unnecessarily violent.

Jiang Cheng bit his lip as he turned back to face Jin Ling. Jin Ling whose face was still white, fearful not of the beast that had hurt him, but of-

“Are you okay?” Jiang Cheng asked, taking a step forward. He hated how Kun Beixun’s soft voice made his words come out gentler, unrecognizable. Thankfully, Jin Ling did not flinch back. Taking that as a positive sign, Jiang Cheng crouched down at Jin Ling’s side and pushed his robes aside, revealing the gnarly wound on his thigh.

“Who are you?” Jin Ling asked. His voice was careful and guarded. Jiang Cheng hid his flinch. He could not blame Jin Ling. He was, after all, a random demonic cultivator of unknown origins.

“I’m no one of note,” Jiang Cheng answered. “Do you have any ointment?”

Jin Ling nodded, producing one from his qiankun pouch. Jiang Cheng frowned, noticing that the amount left was way less than it had been the last time he had seen it. How many times had Jin Ling gotten injured across the past few months? Jiang Cheng tore off the hem of his own robes, drizzled it in ointment and gently dabbed at the open wound.

“Ah!” Jin Ling exclaimed with a wince.

“So why did you come out night hunting yourself? Don’t you know how dangerous it is?”

“I don’t see how it’s any of your business,” Jin Ling gritted out, in between winces. “Who are you, really?”

Jiang Cheng sighed. He ripped off another inch of his robes, and used it to bandage around Jin Ling’s wound. “Like I said, I’m no one.” He took a step back and admired his work. With the wound sterilized and the bleeding contained, Jin Ling’s golden core should be able to take care of the injury within the next two days.

“Why are you helping me?” Jin Ling continued, sounding extremely distrustful.

Jiang Cheng shot him a sharp glare. “How about I answer your question if you answer mine first? What were you thinking, coming out alone without any help?”

Jin Ling narrowed his eyes. “I had it under control.”

“Bullshit,” Jiang Cheng said, staring pointedly at his leg.

“I would have had it under control,” Jin Ling amended, crossing his arms. Given that he was sitting on the forest floor, this action did not make him look any less like the petulant child he was.

“What were you going to do, hobble at him?” Jiang Cheng demanded. “And I can see that you’re running low on ointment- though I suppose at this point I should be grateful enough that you even remembered to bring it up-“

“Shut up,” Jin Ling hissed, his cheeks burning red, a trait that he most certainly inherited from Jin Zixuan. Jiang Cheng gaped, because his A-Ling would never be this rude to his Jiujiu, but he had to bite his words back because he was, in fact, no longer Jin Ling’s Jiujiu. Jin Ling continued, haughtily, “And now you have to answer me. Who do you think you are?”

“Is that how you thank your savior?” Jiang Cheng muttered under his breath. He did not remember raising such an impertinent child! Aloud, he said, “This one is Kun Beixun, a rogue cultivator. Where are your guards? Disciples? Or even your Lan friends? Why do they let you run off alone?”

“ Let me?” Jin Ling repeated, sounding extremely offended. He stumbled to his feet, wincing as he put weight on his injured foot. Jiang Cheng reached out a hand to help, only for his hand to be lightly swatted away. “I’m the Jin Sect Leader, I don’t need anyone to let me do anything. If I want to go on a night hunt on my own, I can.”

Jiang Cheng gaped. The audacity of this child, Jin Ling had always been stubborn, and might have been mildly spoilt (though that was definitely 100% on Jin Guangyao and not his fault whatsoever), but this arrogance and rudeness was getting out of hand. If Zidian were still in his hand, it would be prickling right now, flashing lightning-

Wait.

Where was Zidian?

"Did you only bring Suihua?" Jiang Cheng demanded, eyeing the sword that still lay on the ground.

Jin Ling hobbled over to his sword, sheathing it away quickly. "You ask a lot of questions, Kun Beixun."

The name was like a blow to Jiang Cheng's chest.

Remember your place , he told himself.

He had to remember who he was. And who he wasn't. He was supposed to be passing rogue demonic cultivator, Kun Beixun, not Jin Ling's Jiujiu.

But still, he swallowed down the hurt, and continued to ask, "Did Sect Leader Jiang not give you Zidian?"

Jin Ling stiffened at the mention of his name. "So what if he did?"

" You -" Jiang Cheng bit back the harsh words that formed at his throat. He could remember the time Jin Ling had clutched desperately to Suihua, crying that it had been his father's sword, a heartbreaking sight-

Did Zidian not matter?

Did Jiang Cheng not matter?

Of course, he supposed that a maternal uncle could hardly compare to one's father, even if said uncle had watched him grow up- besides, he had not been the only uncle- Jin Guangyao had Jin Ling for half of the time too, and Jin Guangyao was the nicer one, the one who spoke softly and sweetly to Jin Ling, and even brought him Fairy, while Jiang Cheng was always the one who said no ; it was always 'no, Jin Ling, you can't go play in the water', 'no, Fairy cannot come to Lotus Pier' and 'no, go practice your sword'. Even if Jin Guangyao had turned out to be a sociopathic murderous madman, Jiang Cheng had still always known that between the two of them, Jin Guangyao had always been the better uncle-

Jiang Cheng shut his eyes, clenched his fists as let a wave of melancholy wash over him, and he sucked in a deep breath. Very evenly, he opened his eyes and said, "Zidian is a first-class spiritual weapon, even if you don't want to learn how to use it, you should still keep it with you. It would still protect you."

Jin Ling's face twitched. "No," he said. "And it's none of your business."

"If you had Zidian, I wouldn't have needed to save your sorry ass-"

Jin Ling snorted. "Then maybe you shouldn't have saved me."

“Do you have a death wish?” Jiang Cheng snapped.

“And what if I do?”

Jiang Cheng stilled, his eyes flying wide open.

Jin Ling, as if just realizing what he had just said, averted his eyes.

A tense silence hung over them, only to be broken by Jiang Cheng’s next words.

“ARE YOU STUPID?” Jiang Cheng all but screamed, “WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?”

Jin Ling snapped back defensively, “What does it mean to you? Isn’t it good that the Jin Sect Leader is contributing to society by going to night hunts? Less work for rogue cultivators like yourself!”

“Why would you- why would you even-“ Jiang Cheng did not know what to say at this point. Where had his parenting gone so wrong? Since when had Jin Ling lost his mind? A-jie, I'm sorry, I have failed you. “Do you know how many people care about you? How could you just gamble with your life, throw it away like it doesn't matter-“

“It’s not like it matters that much anyway, if I’m gone, at most they’ll be sad for awhile-“

“JIN RULAN!” Jiang Cheng growled.

Jin Ling froze, suddenly cowed.

“I don’t know what IDIOTIC thoughts you’ve got into your head suddenly, but how DARE you say such a thing? How could you just treat your life so lightly like that? Did you not think about everyone who cares for you?”

Jin Ling stared at him, his jaw agape. Jiang Cheng was now (unfortunately) the shorter of the two, but even so, it was almost like old times, Jiang Cheng losing his temper over something dangerous Jin Ling had done, and Jin Ling tucking his head nervously, unable to meet his eyes.

“There’s no one who cares for me,” Jin Ling muttered.

Jiang Cheng hissed, “Wei Wuxian! Lan Jingyi! Lan Sizhui! Ouyang Zizhen! Lan Xichen! Do I need to keep going on or have you understood, foolish child?”

“Wei Wuxian has Hanguang-jun. And I’m friends with the rest, but they’ll get over it, it’s not like we’ve been close for that long. And Zewu-jun only knew me because of Xiao-shushu, and Xiao-shushu never even cared for me anyway. I’m no one’s priority, just an afterthought, so will you just LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Jiang Cheng paused. Slowly, as he watched Jin Ling, with his clenched fists and bitter words, tears rolling down his cheek silently, Jiang Cheng was suddenly reminded of himself, all alone after A-jie and Wei Wuxian's deaths, left to bring up his Sect from scratch. He had been bitter, resigned to an existence where everyone who loved him was dead, but he had Jin Ling. Jin Ling, who had always said to be so much like him. Cursed to be too much like him. Jiang Cheng would not wish his temperament on anyone else, but somehow he had failed his nephew, and now all he could do was stand and watch as Jin Ling was hurting right in front of him.

"Didn't your Jiujiu care for you?" Jiang Cheng asked quietly, fighting the urge to reach forward to wipe away Jin Ling's tears. "Was that not enough?"

"Everyone who cares for me gets hurt," Jin Ling whispered, tears still rolling down his cheek, "It is my fault. If not for me, Jiujiu would still be alive. It should’ve been me, not him."

Jiang Cheng could feel his heart breaking.

“Foolish child, which uncle would want to see his nephew hurt?” he asked, giving up as he reached forward to wipe Jin Ling’s cheek with his sleeve. “Accidents happen. Your uncle would never blame you. He would rather die before he sees you hurt."

"It's my fault, I was foolish, I-"

"Is that why you're being reckless? To punish yourself? To throw your Jiujiu's sacrifice away?" Jiang Cheng asked. "Is that why you refuse to wield Zidian?"


"You're the first person who's scolded me ever since Jiujiu died," Jin Ling breathed, tears continuing to well up in his eyes, "Everyone just treats me like I'm a fragile glass waiting to break. And it's always Sect Leader Jin this, Sect Leader Jin that-"

"You have to move on," Jiang Cheng said, his voice hollow and distant, "The living have to keep living."

"Now that he's gone, nothing matters anymore. He was the only one who truly loved me. I was too blind to appreciate him when he was around. Now he's gone forever, and there's no one left in this world who loves me. And he'll never know how much I loved him. And I miss him. Every day."

Oh, A-Ling.

Jiujiu is so sorry.

Jiujiu is right here.

"I'm sure he already knows," Jiang Cheng said, closing his eyes once more as a solitary tear slid down his own cheek.

Chapter Text

Jin Ling was still slightly wary of him, but nonetheless relented and let Jiang Cheng carry him back to Carp Tower.

It had been years since Jiang Cheng had carried Jin Ling on his back like this.

Jin Ling’s leg made it dangerous for him to take Suihua back. Usually, he would have transported an injured Jin Ling via Sandu, but that was not an option here.

And so here they were, Jin Ling on Jiang Cheng’s back as he slowly trekked back to Carp Tower.

“I don’t understand why you’re helping me so much,” Jin Ling said quietly. “And you’re…”

“And I’m what?”

“A demonic cultivator.”

Jiang Cheng sighed. “Isn’t Wei Wuxian also a demonic cultivator? I don’t see you having a problem with that.”

“Wei Wuxian is Wei Wuxian,” Jin Ling said simply, nonsensically, as if that sentence made sense, but it actually did make sense, because how else could one describe the enigma that was Wei Wuxian? “Besides,” Jin Ling continued, “My Jiujiu doesn’t like demonic cultivators.”

Jiang Cheng snorted. ‘Doesn’t like’ would probably be the understatement of the century. “You can say that again.”

“But seriously, why are you being so nice to me? And even carrying me back-“

“Jin Ling, has no one taught you not to look a gift horse in the mouth?” Jiang Cheng asked, hefting Jin Ling up a little higher. His nephew was heavy. A lot heavier than he had been when Jiang Cheng last carried him. And Jiang Cheng was a lot weaker now, without spiritual energy to supplement his strength.

“You’re been very presumptuous, calling my name like that,” Jin Ling answered, an odd note in his voice, “I’m the Jin Sect Leader.”

You should be happy enough that I’m not calling you A-Ling, Jiang Cheng thought.

“Understood, Sect Leader Jin,” Jiang Cheng said drily, rolling his eyes. Jin Ling, unable to see his face, remained blissfully unaware.

They continued in silence for awhile.

The journey to Carp Tower was not that long, but with the added weight (not that Jin Ling would ever be a burden) that Jin Ling was, the journey took a lot longer than it took for Jiang Cheng to get to the forest. And the sun was setting, so Jiang Cheng had to be more cautious in watching where he was stepping.

Still, after the past few days of wandering alone, it was nice to have Jin Ling close to him again. If Jiang Cheng closed his eyes, he could almost imagine that everything was normal and he was just carrying a small Jin Ling home after a night hunt.

But the illusion was nonetheless shattered.

“Kun Beixun,” Jin Ling said suddenly, almost hesitantly, “Do I know you?”

Yes.

“No,” Jiang Cheng said, swallowing, “You have never met Kun Beixun.”

“I see,” Jin Ling said quietly. After a pause, he continued, “You seem… to know a lot about me.”

Jiang Cheng did not reply to this, letting the sound of his footsteps crunching over dead leaves and fallen branches be his answer.

“Kun Beixun,” Jin Ling said again, and god, could he please stop calling out that name that wasn’t his- “I keep thinking over what you said just now, and I… you just feel very… familiar.”

Jiang Cheng let out a hollow laugh. “I don’t think that you would be familiar with a demonic cultivator, Sect Leader Jin.”

“I wouldn’t,” Jin Ling said. “It’s just… Jiujiu.”

Jiang Cheng’s feet stalled, and he tripped, barely catching his balance at the last moment.

Jiang Cheng’s heart started beating faster. Shit. Had he been found out? Was he going to die?

If his soul was going to be splintered in a gruesome way, he hoped that Jin Ling had the sense to look away, because that would be extremely traumatizing-

“You remind me of my Jiujiu,” Jin Ling continued.

Oh. 

“You’re projecting,” Jiang Cheng said, setting Jin Ling down. He turned around to face his nephew, gesturing vaguely at himself, “Does this look anything like the Sect Leader of Yunmeng Jiang?”

“The first few weeks, I kept seeing him in everyone. Hoping that he would come back like Wei Wuxian did. Like how the Yiling Partriach did.”

A-Ling.

Jin Ling’s eyes were screwed shut, as he fought back tears. “But I’d always be wrong. He’s dead, he’s gone, he’s not coming back. Wei Wuxian says he’s at peace.”

Jin Ling had barely been out of his arms but Jiang Cheng once again had to fight the urge to encircle his nephew in a hug, to protect him from whatever was hurting him and promise him that everything would be alright, but how could he do that when Jin Ling was hurting because of him?

“I know I sound crazy, but still, I have to ask…” Jin Ling sucked in a breath, drawing himself to as much height he could gather with an injured leg, “Are you… Are you my Jiujiu?”

Jiang Cheng bit down on his gum so hard he could have sworn that he drew blood.

A-Ling, you’re asking me of the one thing I cannot give you.

Jiang Cheng looked away.

“Answer me!” Jin Ling demanded, his voice a little shrilly.

Very slowly, Jiang Cheng turned back to his nephew.

He didn’t want to do this.

He couldn’t do this.

Jin Ling’s brown eyes bore so much hope and so much pain.

But he had to do this. He had no choice. The rules of the curse were clear. For the next three years, he was not allowed to tell anyone who he was.

I’m sorry, A-Ling, Jiang Cheng thought desperately. Perhaps this had been a mistake, coming to find Jin Ling. It was akin reopening a wound, then pouring a vat of salt over it. But if he had not been here, who would have been able to protect Jin Ling from the tiger beast-

“I’m not,” Jiang Cheng said, swallowing, “I’m not your Jiujiu.”

Jin Ling’s face crumpled. “I see, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding,” Jin Ling said politely, the manners drilled into him since youth suddenly making their appearance, but large tears rolled down his puffy cheeks even as he said those words.

“Jin Ling- I mean, Sect Leader Jin,” Jiang Cheng said. He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I-“ But Jiang Cheng could not know what Jin Ling was going to say, because his voice choked up with a sob, and Jiang Cheng had to turn away.

Each tear felt like a dagger being driven into his own heart, and each sob was a knife twisted within him.

When he had raised the boy, he had promised himself that he wouldn’t let A-Ling grow up like him. He never wanted Jin Ling to feel lesser, never wanted Jin Ling to feel alone. Never wanted his precious nephew to get hurt (notwithstanding all the threats to Jin Ling’s legs). But he had failed, because Jin Ling grew up exactly like him, from the scowls plastered on his face, to being forced to take over his Sect at a young age. And on his part, no matter how hard he tried to be loving and nice, his only role model being his A-Niang who expressed her love through harsh criticism made it… difficult, for him to be a nurturing presence.

How he had failed, hearing Jin Ling’s continue to cry out, unable to do anything to help and being the cause of it.

A-jie’s proud boy had been reduced to a crying mess in front of a stranger. And it was all his fault.

Finally, as Jin Ling’s cries subsided to whimpers, he looked up and met Jiang Cheng’s eyes, and all Jiang Cheng could see was the little boy he raised, not the Sect Leader in front of him.

Jiang Cheng hesitated. Very carefully, he said quietly, “I’m sure all your uncle would want is for you to be happy.”

“And now I know for sure you aren’t him,” Jin Ling said, a broken smile on his face as another tear fell, “He never talked to me this nicely.”

—

Interlude:

It had been a long day. Jin Ling was tired, and completely emotionally wrung out. It was a huge relief to finally see the tall Carp Tower in the distance.

But when they arrived at Carp Tower, there was a pleasant surprise waiting for them.

“Fairy!” Jin Ling exclaimed joyfully, as he clambered off the aggressively helpful demonic cultivator Kun Beixun and hobbled his way over to the spiritual dog.

Fairy was waiting for them a short distance from the entrance, wagging her tail excitedly.

But to Jin Ling’s utter surprise, Fairy darted past him, letting out an energetic yelp as she licked at Kun Beixun’s foot instead.

What ? Jin Ling thought. Fairy usually doesn’t do very well with strangers-

A smile broke on Kun Beixun’s face, as he bent down to pet Fairy.

Suddenly, Fairy leapt at Kun Beixun, tackling him down to the ground and as she continued to happily wag her tail.

The betrayal , Jin Ling thought angrily, Fairy has found a new favourite person-

Kun Beixun could easily get back to his feet, but he let Fairy continue to pin him down as she eagerly licked at his cheeks in between happy barks.

“Fairy, what are you doing?” Jin Ling asked, finally rushing over, his cheeks burning. This was mortifying. Fairy was always very well-behaved, and was never this rambunctious, even with Jiujiu, her favourite person who wasn’t Jin Ling- “Fairy usually isn’t like that. She’s a spiritual dog, and is very well-trained-“

“Woof!” Fairy called out happily, interrupting Jin Ling.

Kun Beixun continued ruffling Fairy’s fur even from his position lying on the ground. “It’s fine,” he said with a grin, “You’re a good girl, Fairy.” He let Fairy continue to pin him down for a few more moments. Then very gently, he dislodged himself from Fairy and tried to get back to his feet.

But then Fairy suddenly let out a whimper, and started to cry.

“Oh shit,” Kun Beixun cursed, flustered, as he picked Fairy up and put her on his lap instead.

Thankfully, that seemed to work as her cries returned to being joyous barks.

Jin Ling could only watch in utter shock.

He knew that this demonic cultivator wasn’t Jiujiu, and couldn’t be Jiujiu, but…

Oh, he hadn’t known it was possible to miss Jiujiu harder than he already had.

Chapter Text

After escorting Jin Ling back, Jin Ling had insisted on hosting him at Carp Tower ‘as thanks for his help’, and so Jiang Cheng stayed.

He stayed for quite awhile.

For some reason, Jin Ling had started coming to him for advice .

“A-Ling,” Jiang Cheng wanted to say, “You shouldn’t be looking to random demonic cultivators you don’t know for advice. You never know if they’re secretly trying to kill you.”

But lucky for his nephew, Jiang Cheng did not in fact intend to kill him, and happened to have relevant and vast experience in relation to Sect matters, and so he shared his knowledge with Jin Ling over the teas that they shared every few days.

Jiang Cheng’s temporary room already had three different kinds of tea flavours, all gifted by Jin Ling in the past few weeks. The brat had chosen his own favourite flavours to gift him, so that he could enjoy the tea everytime he came to visit Jiang Cheng, thinking that it escaped his notice.

The teas they shared were nice. Jin Ling had also started wearing Zidian, which Jiang Cheng was secretly pleased about.

Life in Lanling was very different than that in Yunmeng. For one, he was not swamped with piles of work. That was not to say that he spent his time idly- when he was not holding audience with Jin Ling, he spent his time in his small guest room trying to cultivate with Kun Beixun’s miserable golden core, and tried to drill some muscle memory into this sloppy body by practicing with a common sword he had bought in a nearby town.

Other than the unexplainable advice sessions, Jin Ling had also invited him to dinner on multiple occasions.

Some of those dinners were... interesting, though.

Jin Ling would host him with the strangest of foods.

Jiang Cheng's favourite persimmons. His most hated kelp soup. Or a plate of extremely spicy mala pork.

Those were not dishes that one would usually host dinner guests with- they felt more like tests, if anything.

But for better or for worse, he would constantly fail the tests.

Persimmons were still thankfully very enjoyable, though they tasted slightly sweeter than they did in his old body.

When Jiang Cheng first attempted to put a spoonful of kelp soup into his mouth, he was expecting its bitter and nauseating taste, but instead found it surprisingly... tolerable now. The strong disagreeable flavour had morphed into something light pleasurable to Kun Beixun's tastebuds.

As for the plate of pork... He had not thought much when he first tucked into it, after all he had eaten spicy food as Kun Beixun back in his favourite restaurant in Yunping, but this was not just spicy. This was crazy spicy. Ungodly spicy. The old him (trained in the fires of Wei Wuxian, but the student had never surpassed the master) would have enjoyed it, but the burning of his tongue, nose, throat, entire being was something he had never experienced before. He started coughing, choking, and no matter how much ice cubes Jin Ling had tried to give him none of them could ease his suffering.

Very much later on, Jin Ling came to his room, apologising (and lying) that one of the cooks' hands had slipped, accidentally putting in too much spice.

Jiang Cheng, still wondering if he was going to die from chili peppers, had been too out of it to scold him.

But whatever it was, despite having intentionally and unintentionally proved that he was not in fact Jiang Cheng, the tests still continued occasionally and Jin Ling would still come to him for advice.

Sometimes, when he lay awake at night, he would become all too aware of the differences between this body and his own. He would stare up at the hands that were not his. Feel the heart beating that was not his. Hear the anxious breaths that were not his.

Did Wei Wuxian feel this way too, when he came back as Mo Xuanyu?

How could he possibly adapt so quickly, fall into step with Lan Wangji so easily, when wearing a body so different to his own?

Jiang Cheng hated the sound of Kun Beixun's voice, not because it was bad, but because it was just not his.

He could feel the differences so strongly when he had to reach up to grab something from a taller shelf, only to realise he could not reach it. When he practiced a sword form, only to trip and fall to the ground. Or when he generously poured chili paste into his food, only to choke on the spice. Thankfully Kun Beixun was at least Yunmeng born and Yunmeng raised, because he still had a decent degree of spice tolerance- if Jiang Cheng had ended up as one of the Lans , perhaps he would take his chances with soul-destruction-

“That’s a Yunmeng Sword Form,” Jin Ling remarked, not even blinking as he slid the door open to find the tip of a faintly spiritually-charged sword pointed at his throat.

Jiang Cheng scowled at him, pulling the sword back immediately. “Do you not know how to knock?” he asked, setting the sword down on the side table as he reached for one of the cans of tea in the drawer.

“I didn’t know you were a cultivator,” Jin Ling said. At Jiang Cheng’s raised eyebrow, he clarified, “Other than the demonic kind, I mean.”

“I’ve picked up things here and there in my travels,” Jiang Cheng answered, pouring the tea leaves into one of Jin Ling’s spare teapots that had been loaned to him one day and just never taken back.

“I don’t remember seeing you in Lotus Pier. I know Jiujiu took in some reformed Demonic Cultivators, but I’ve never seen your face before,” Jin Ling said with a frown, shutting the door behind him.

“I doubt you’ve seen every face in Lotus Pier before,” Jiang Cheng snipped back.

“I'm pretty sure I have."

"And you were only in Lotus Pier for half a year each time. You wouldn't have known guest disciples who came and left in your absence," Jiang Cheng pointed out.

Jin Ling pouted. "Fine. But seriously, why do you insist on practicing in your room? I've already offered for you to join the disciples in training. It would be easier to practice with guidance.”

I don't need guidance, I just need this uncooperative body to listen to me, Jiang Cheng thought bitterly.

“Don’t worry about me, Sect Leader Jin. Why are you here?” Jiang Cheng he said aloud, setting the filled teapot over a small fire. “Do you want to ask me about tariffs again?”

“No, the tariffs are fine,” Jin Ling said, sitting down on the ground opposite Jiang Cheng. Trust the Jins to have their guest rooms have sitting areas for hosting. Though this small room could hardly compare to the Sect Leader chambers Jin Ling now resided in. And though Jiang Cheng had seen it before, Kun Beixun had never been invited into that room, and so Jiang Cheng held his tongue on making such a comment.

“Then what’s the matter?”

Jin Ling fidgeted slightly, which was never a good sign. "I have some... slightly unwelcome visitors, so I wanted to tell you I'd be busy and wouldn't come visit you."

"Why bother with them if they aren't welcome? Just ask your Head Disciple to deal with them," Jiang Cheng said.

"They are welcome! They're just... It's complicated."

Jiang Cheng frowned. "A-Li- I mean, Sect Leader Jin, stop beating around the bush. It's unbecoming."

Jin Ling glared at him. "Rude," he said, but nonetheless did not leave. "It's just... it's family."

"What do you mean 'it's family'? Practically everyone in Carp Tower is your family. Let's not get started on the number of uncles you have."

"It's family on my mother's side."

Oh.

Wei Wuxian.

Wait.

Jiang Cheng paused.

Wei Wuxian?

Shit.

He knew Kun Beixun's face, it would be a complete disaster if Wei Wuxian were to come here-

"You know, Sect Leader Jin, it has come to this one's attention that I have stayed at Carp Tower for a long time, and have overstayed my welcome," Jiang Cheng said. "So I'm afraid that I'll have to go."

"Oh," Jin Ling said, his face falling. He pursed his lips. "So suddenly? It's only been a few months..."

"I would hate to intrude upon your hospitality any further-"

"Is it about the Yiling Partriarch? You don't have to see him."

Jiang Cheng shook his head. "It's not about him. I just... really should go."

Jin Ling looked down at the table. "I see," he said. And then he rose, and made to go.

"Wait," Jiang Cheng said, blinking, "Why are you leaving right now?"

"You're the one who wants to go," Jin Ling said, not meeting his eyes. "I get it."

Jiang Cheng sighed. "Sit down," he said. Jin Ling did not listen. Jiang Cheng really detested how unthreatening Kun Beixun's voice was. "Sit down," he repeated sharply, "Or I will break your legs."

Somehow, this worked. Jin Ling very reluctantly sat back down, still avoiding his gaze.

"You haven't drank the tea that I most painstakingly prepared for you. Where are your manners?" Jiang Cheng asked, his voice lightly chiding as he poured out the tea into the teacups.

Jin Ling picked one cup up immediately, only to have to set it down because it was still hot.

It was sometimes easy to forget that Jin Ling was of age when he kept doing dumb things like that.

"I may come visit again after I finish with my... whatever it is," Jiang Cheng said slowly.

This seemed to do the trick, as Jin Ling relaxed at his words, his eyes no longer quivering. "Well, I guess I'll tell the attendants not to clean out this room first, or else it would be a waste of effort to prepare it again," Jin Ling said, reaching for the tea once more, more carefully.

Jiang Cheng scoffed. "Right, we wouldn't want to waste their efforts," he said, seeing through Jin Ling's words immediately.

With a lot more finesse, Jiang Cheng reached for his cup and sipped at it, before setting it down again.

However, just then, the door burst open.

"A-Ling! I was wondering where you'd gone-"

"Who the hell has no manners-"

Jiang Cheng's words trailed off as he looked up to meet the eyes of the intruder.

Shit.

Shit shit shit shit shit.

"A-Ling," Wei Wuxian said, his face hardening, "Step away from that person."

Chapter Text

“Wei Wuxian, what do you think you are doing?” Jin Ling demanded haughtily as he rose to his feet.

“Jin Ling, that man is dangerous. Listen to me,” Wei Wuxian insisted, his face unnaturally serious.

“I know he’s a demonic cultivator, but isn’t that a bit hypocritical for you of all people to say that?” Jin Ling asked. "He's a good person. He saved me."

Jiang Cheng recovered from his shock and stood up as well, only to see Wei Wuxian’s fingers close on Suibian’s hilt.

“Don’t move,” Wei Wuxian hissed. Chenqing, which was buckled at his waist, started to gather a small cloud of resentful energy.

“Wei Wuxian, how dare you come here and be crazy?”Jin Ling said.

Jiang Cheng’s fingers itched for the sword he had left on the table behind him, but there was no telling what Wei Wuxian would do if he tried to reach for it. And so he pressed his lips together, and said instead, “There seems to be some sort of misunderstanding-“

“Misunderstanding?” Wei Wuxian repeated, chuckling darkly, “Tell me, what did I misunderstand? Did I misunderstand when I found your array to curse Jiang Cheng’s soul? Did I misunderstand when you attacked me and then fled? I’ve been spending ages hunting for you, and to think that you have been here; plotting against Jin Ling-“

“You what?” Jin Ling said, aghast, turning back to face Jiang Cheng, extremely pale. He took a step back, away from Jiang Cheng and towards Wei Wuxian. "You..."

Oh, fuck this.

Why did Wei Wuxian always have to come and ruin his well-laid plans?

Unfortunately, he had no teleportation talismans at his disposal this time, and he was certain that the same plan would not work a second time anyways.

Jiang Cheng considered escaping through the window, but before he could properly form plans in that direction, Wei Wuxian released a burst of resentful energy, slamming the windows and the door shut.

"You are only still alive because you have information that I want," Wei Wuxian said, taking a step forward in front of Jin Ling. "If you play nice, I might let you go."

Oh, rubbish. Jiang Cheng knew Wei Wuxian would have no qualms killing him once said information was given. Besides, what was Jiang Cheng supposed to say? The curse forbade him from revealing who he was, so it wasn't like he could actually say 'Yes, Kun Beixun cursed Jiang Cheng back into existence, happy now?'

It had been nice to regain some semblance of a relationship with Jin Ling, even if it was in a diminished capacity. And it had been nice to see Lotus Pier again, and talk to Jiang Xiu. It had been good while it lasted.

But the truth was, he was already a dead man.

He could tell the truth of who he was, absolutely traumatise Jin Ling and Wei Wuxian by having them watch his soul dissipate in front of them; or he could try and lie about what the curse was and probably die to Wei Wuxian right after, which might trigger the 'do not cause yourself harm' clause, splintering his soul, but at least they would not know it was his soul ripped apart in front of them.

He knew what choice he would make.

"I cursed Jiang Wanyin's soul to break his arm in the afterlife," Jiang Cheng said.

Unfortunately, it could not be said that Jiang Cheng was any good at improvisational creativity.

Creativity had always been Wei Wuxian's department, after all.

Jin Ling's brow furrowed, while Wei Wuxian stared at him, his jaw wide incredulously.

"Bullshit," Wei Wuxian announced, "Did you think I would believe that? Souls don't have arms , and the array would not have succeeded and released so much resentful energy."

"I already told you the truth, I don't know what else you want from me," Jiang Cheng hissed. "And how does any of this matter? Even if souls don't have arms, or bodies, whatever, what does anything that happens to m-Jiang Wanyin have to do with you ?"

"He's my brother!"

Despite everything, something at Jiang Cheng's heart still twisted painfully at the words. For the longest time, he had thought that was what they were. Even though A-Niang had forbade them from calling one another siblings, Jiang Cheng used to believe that when Wei Wuxian called out 'Shijie' he meant 'Jiejie', and when he said 'Shidi' it was actually 'Didi'. They had been brothers in everything but blood. They had grown up together. They had bled together. They cried together; they laughed together. When A-jie had blocked the strike meant for Wei Wuxian, it wasn't because he was just a martial brother. It was because he was her brother . And when Jiang Cheng stepped out of his hiding spot to lure the Wen soldiers away, sealing his fate, it was out of love, not because of some stupid debt.

The back of his eyes pricked at the memory of Wei Wuxian's words. Even now, those words burned. He thought those times had meant something. He thought that his love had meant something. But it turned out that it had always been one-sided- Wei Wuxian had only seen him as the son of his benefactors, benefactors he owed a debt to. A golden core trained, and a golden core repaid- all debts had been paid, leaving nothing between them after.

"Don't make me laugh, Wei Wuxian," Jiang Cheng said darkly, "That bridge was burned long ago."

"How dare you-" Wei Wuxian cried out, and at the same moment he sliced Suibian out in an arc, aiming for Jiang Cheng's neck. Jiang Cheng reached out for the sword behind him, but he would not be fast enough, and he would not be strong enough to deflect the strike-

"STOP!"

There was the sound of steel clashing against steel, and Jiang Cheng felt no blow land on him.

Jiang Cheng blinked, as he saw Suihua in the air, clashing against Suibian, and Jin Ling gritting his teeth as he held back Wei Wuxian's strike.

Still, even though Jin Ling was now protecting him for some reason, Jiang Cheng grabbed the common sword behind him, and held it up defensively, just in case Wei Wuxian made any sudden moves. (Which, knowing Wei Wuxian, he most certainly would.)

But what Jiang Cheng did not expect was for Wei Wuxian's face to abruptly turn white and for Suibian to suddenly clatter onto the ground.

Jin Ling, surprised, lost his balance and had to pull Suihua away to prevent it from landing on Wei Wuxian, and after he regained his balance he turned around to see what Wei Wuxian was seeing, and blood began to drain from his already pale face.

Jiang Cheng followed their gazes to his right sleeve, and he realised that as he held up the sword, his sleeve had parted, revealing the two dark slashes on his arm.

"Who are you?" Wei Wuxian breathed, his voice a mixture of hope and terror.

---

Jiang Cheng froze.

Wei Wuxian and Jin Ling stared back at him, and he found himself at a loss for words.

"Are you-" Wei Wuxian said, but Jiang Cheng shook his head.

"I'm not," he said curtly, lowering his sword but keeping it in his grip, his sleeve at the same time falling back to cover the two slashes from the sacrificial ritual.

"You're not Kun Beixun," Jin Ling whispered, almost reverently.

"I am not," Jiang Cheng acknowledged. That much was obvious, at least.

"The ritual- saving Jin Ling-" Wei Wuxian muttered, almost to himself, "How could I have been so blind ?"

Fuck.

It would seem that regardless of his best efforts, the outcome would still be 'soul dissipating in front of A-Ling and Wei Wuxian'.

"I'm not Jiang Wanyin," Jiang Cheng growled, clenching his grip on the ordinary powerless sword which was not Sandu. "Tell him, Jin Ling. I know you've been testing me."

Jin Ling hesitated.

" A-Ling, " Jiang Cheng hissed.

"He drinks kelp soup," Jin Ling stammered, his gaze darting rapidly between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. "He can eat spicy, but not too spicy."

"There you go," Jiang Cheng snapped.

"He knows what my favourite tea is," Jin Ling continued unexpectedly. "He does Yunmeng sword forms. He got upset when I didn't carry Zidian with me. He saved my life, and carried me home. When we eat together, he always leaves the drumstick for me."

Jiang Cheng gaped at his nephew, completely dumbstruck.

As if he could not stop once he had started, Jin Ling continued, "Fairy loves him. When he's surprised, he does this thing when he knits his brows together before he scowls. He scolds me a lot. He... He sometimes slips up, and calls me A-Ling." A tear fell from Jin Ling's eye. "I wasn't sure. Because I asked him the same question before, and he said he wasn't Jiujiu. Because the Jiujiu I knew wouldn't hide this from me. He wouldn't leave me alone."

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng both stared at Jin Ling in shock.

"W-Why didn't you say anything?" Jiang Cheng breathed. All this time, and Jin Ling had been harbouring all these thoughts- Jiang Cheng had thought that by failing the tests, Jin Ling's suspicions would have been laid to rest.

"How did you know you were being tested if you aren't Jiang Cheng?" Wei Wuxian challenged.

"This is not the time," Jiang Cheng snapped at Wei Wuxian, and turned back to Jin Ling, "And how do you recognise these curse marks? It's not public knowledge- where and when did you learn fucking demonic cultivation from?"

"I was trying to find a way to get Jiujiu back. If Wei Wuxian could come back, there wasn't a reason he couldn't." Jin Ling said quietly. "And I never asked you again because even if it was you, I assumed it just meant you didn't want anything to do with me anymore. And I don't blame you. I wouldn't want anything to do with me either."

No, A-Ling, that's not it, Jiang Cheng thought miserably.

"You've got it completely wrong," Jiang Cheng said.

"Jiang Cheng, please, is it really you?" Wei Wuxian asked.

Why did life have to be so hard sometimes?

Oh, fuck it, the cat was completely out of the bag already.

It was just a matter of time for the soul splintering to happen. He might as well just admit it, and try and clear things up before he went up in smoke.

With a deep sigh, Jiang Cheng said, "Yes. And one of the conditions is that I'm not supposed to tell you. Or I would have told you immediately, A-Ling. You know that."

He had not known it was possible for the two of them to pale even further. "What happens now?" Jin Ling whispered, sounding small and frightened.

"What did the condition say?" Wei Wuxian asked anxiously.

" You cannot reveal to anyone who you are."

Jiang Cheng could see Wei Wuxian's mind whirring, spinning, as it thought of a million possibilities.

But then, suddenly, for some reason, Wei Wuxian smiled .

Jiang Cheng felt a familiar surge of irriation rise within him. "Wei Wuxian-"

"I think you're fine," Wei Wuxian said, crossing the distance to grab at Jiang Cheng's arm, pulling back his sleeve to reveal the cuts which lay dormant. "If you broke it I'm sure it would be bleeding by now. But technically you didn't reveal it because A-Ling already knew, and I also sort of figured it out on my own. So you're fine."

"Really?" Jiang Cheng asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Really," Wei Wuxian said, but his words were muffled by a yelp of joy as Jin Ling threw himself at Jiang Cheng.

"Oof!" Jiang Cheng gasped, dropping the sword from his hand as he caught his nephew in his grasp. Kun Beixun's body was not as strong as his had been, but there was nothing in the world which owuld ever stop him from catching Jin Ling from falling.

"Jiujiu, Jiujiu, I've missed you so, so, so, so much," Jin Ling wept, practically bawling his eyes out in between large, heaving breaths.

Jin Ling had always been a bit of a crier ever since he was a baby. Every time he did not get his way, he would cry to him, pulling at his sleeve, grabbing at his leg, until he would get his way.

When Jin Ling had been younger, Jiang Cheng would try to placate him with sweets, or just hold him until he got the tears out of his system.

However, as Jin Ling had grown older, Jiang Cheng started disciplining him instead, scolding him for not acting in a manner befitting a sect heir, warning him against showing weakness so easily.

But even as words of scolding fell from his lips, his heart had always bled for his nephew- there was nothing in the world that broke his heart more than the sound of his nephew's cries.

This time was no exception.

Jiang Cheng could feel his own tears fall, as he just continued to hold onto Jin Ling quietly.

"Jiujiu, please don't leave me again," Jin Ling begged, and Jiang Cheng felt a sour twinge in his nose as a fresh bout of tears rolled down his cheeks. "I can't do this without you. I can't. I need you. I love you. I love you so much. Please don't ever go."

"A-Ling," Jiang Cheng said, his voice shaky, "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," Jin Ling cried, "I should've listened to you. It's my fault you died. I'm sorry, and I know it will never be enough. But thank you for coming back even though I've been bad. I won't blame you if you don't love me anymore."

"You have always been enough," Jiang Cheng said, "You are the best nephew I could ever have. And how could you possibly say that? Do you think so little of my love to think that I could ever stop loving you? You are the most precious person in the world to me."

"I love you, Jiujiu. I love you," Jin Ling said, grabbing onto him so tightly Jiang Cheng could hardly breathe.

"I know," Jiang Cheng said, brushing his hand across Jin Ling's hair gently, "I love you too."

Chapter Text

Throughout Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling’s tearful reunion, Wei Wuxian had stood quietly by the door.

As Jin Ling’s cries gradually subsided to whimpers, and he closed his eyes, tired out and almost asleep, Jiang Cheng gently set Jin Ling down on the bed in the room.

Drawing a deep breath, he turned to face Wei Wuxian, who was still staring at him with an indescribable expression on his face.

Jiang Cheng said nothing and just stared back at his former martial brother.

Wei Wuxian looked a lot skinnier than when he had seen him last, his face more gaunt and a little sunken in, like he had not slept well.

Once, when Jiang Cheng had not known better, he would have assumed it was out of worry for him- but after what happened at Guanyin Temple, what happened with everything between them, he no longer allowed himself to even dare to hope.

There were too many broken promises between them, after all.

Because Wei Wuxian was Wei Wuxian, he could not help himself- he broke the silence first.

“Jiang Cheng,” he said, a bright false smile plastered on his face. Slightly stiltedly, he continued, “It’s… good to see you again.”

Jiang Cheng grunted in response. If Wei Wuxian wanted to fake pleasantries, he could do it too. In fact, he had 13 additional years of experience of pleasantries at Cultivation Conferences to deal with a bunch of pretentious asshats, including and not limited to a certain Sect Leader Yao.

“Good to see you too, Wei-Gongzi,” he said, inclining his head slightly.

A familiar look of pain briefly flickered across Mo Xuanyu’s youthful features.

“I’m sorry,” Wei Wuxian said, looking down at his feet.

“What are you sorry for?”

“It’s my fault. Demonic cultivation and all that. Getting you cursed,” he said, vaguely gesturing at Jiang Cheng, at Kun Beixun’s body.

“I suppose you would be sorry. That you’d have to deal with me again after thinking you’ve seen the last of me.”

Wei Wuxian made a face. “I mourned you,” he said, gritting his teeth.

So did I, Jiang Cheng thought. He sighed. “What do you want from me, Wei Wuxian? I know you wanted to stop this demonic cultivator from causing harm. But now that you know that he’s gone, what more do you want from me?”

Another flicker of pain flashed across Wei Wuxian’s face, that was echoed by an ache in Jiang Cheng’s heart. Then the wounded look was quickly tucked away, folded into a pocket somewhere, as Wei Wuxian smiled hollowly. “I’m just glad you’re alright. I will take my leave, then.”

And then he just turned around, reaching for the sliding door.

“So that’s it?” Jiang Cheng asked, the words leaving his mouth thoughtlessly. “You’re just going to leave?”

“You’re the one who keeps asking me to go,” Wei Wuxian said, “I’m merely respecting your wishes-“

“And when have you ever listened to a word of what I say?” Jiang Cheng demanded, taking a step forward, closer to Wei Wuxian. “And when did I ask you to leave? All I did was ask what you want from me.”

“I don’t want anything from you.”

The words were expected, but nonetheless felt like a knife lodged to his heart. With a twisted smile, Jiang Cheng looked away. He did not know what else he had been hoping for. Some sort of plea to stay? An attempt at reconciliation? Or even just an acknowledgement of everything, the good and the bad, that they had gone through together?

Jiang Cheng hated how even in this borrowed body, the familiar feelings of bitterness, loneliness and longing tasted the same.

“Forget it,” Jiang Cheng said finally. “Just- go. We have nothing to do with each other anymore anyways. We never shared blood, and now neither of us are who we used to be. So you can continue as the husband of the Chief Cultivator, and this one will continue to live in his own way. Goodbye, Wei-gongzi.”

“Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian said, an odd note in his voice. “You are so frustrating.”

Jiang Cheng snorted. “You’re one to talk, Wei Wuxian.”

“With one breath you ask me to stay, and in the next you ask me to leave.”

“Oh, you must have suffered so much in having to deal with that. What do you want, an apology?” Jiang Cheng asked icily.

Wei Wuxian let out a noise of frustration. “I know we didn’t end things well, but still, we did spend all those years together. Why do you find it so hard to believe that I want you to be alive and safe?”

“To assuage your guilt?” Jiang Cheng asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Is that how you see it then? That all there is between us is nothing but regrets? That there was nothing good?” Wei Wuxian challenged.

“No,” Jiang Cheng hissed, whipping around and glaring at Wei Wuxian. “You were the one who said so. You were the one who walked away that day at Guanyin Temple, when you said to leave the past in the past. So it’s over. We’re over.”

At his words, Wei Wuxian stiffened. “You know that’s not what I meant. I just didn’t want you to feel bad about the- you know, that- the-“

“Ah yes, the golden core,” Jiang Cheng said, deciding to help Wei Wuxian finish the sentence he was trying so hard to avoid. He felt a surge of well-practiced bitterness within him. “Your golden core. My sincerest apologies for wasting your golden core. Despite your best efforts, it’s now gone, you must be so disappointed-“

“Stop!” Wei Wuxian snapped, a rare hard edge in his voice. Behind Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling stirred slightly but did not wake. “For once in your life, Jiang Cheng, can you stop being sarcastic? I don’t care about the golden core, I just care about you!”

Jiang Cheng tossed his head back and laughed. He must seem completely deranged now, but he did not care, because his pride and reputation had been completely shattered that day in Guanyin Temple anyway. “Care about me?” Jiang Cheng repeated. “Other than that time that you and Lan Wangji trespassed into my ancestral hall, did you ever bother setting foot in Lotus Pier? No, you were off happily living your best life with Lan Wangji and if I hadn’t died, you would have never visited.”

“You hate me, you wouldn’t want me there-“

“Wei Wuxian, Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Cheng said, snorting a laugh as a tear rolled down his cheek, “When you first came back and pretended to be Mo Xuanyu, I knew it was you. Of course I did. We were brothers, closer than brothers, for so many years. I can barely remember life before I met you. We had each other’s backs through the lessons in Cloud Recesses, the Wen Indoctrination Camp, and the war. Wei Wuxian, I could know you in your fucking sleep by just hearing the way you snore.” Jiang Cheng let out a bitter laugh. “Is your love with Lan Wangji so noble? Is your romance so great that you can turn your back and pretend that we were never family? Did we mean nothing to you? Did I mean nothing to you?”

Wei Wuxian stared back at him, his eyes wide, blinking, staying quiet for the first time in his life.

“You’re right, I hate you. I hate that your actions caused A-Jie’s death. I hate that you caused A-Ling to grow up without knowing any of his parents. I hate that you thought you could just give me your golden core like that without ever asking me. I wouldn’t have wanted it. You know that.”

“That’s why I never meant for you to find out,” Wei Wuxian said quietly, looking away.

“No,” Jiang Cheng said harshly, “You should be saying that you shouldn’t have done it. That you regret it.”

“I don’t regret it,” Wei Wuxian said, turning back to meet Jiang Cheng’s eyes stubbornly. “You were going to die.”

“Then you should have let me die! Not insist on paying back on some stupid debt!”

“I couldn’t,” Wei Wuxian said, and bit his lip. “I couldn’t,” he repeated, his words almost pleading.

“I just don’t understand you,” Jiang Cheng said. “Why won’t you hate me? I hurt you, back in the Burial Mounds. You gave me your fucking core. Why don’t you hate me?”

“I could never,” Wei Wuxian said.

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes. That was something he had known from long ago. “What an insignificant person I must be, to not even be worth the hate of the Yiling Patriarch.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!”

“Do I?” Jiang Cheng asked. “Because the Wei Wuxian I thought knew would have known that no matter how hard I hated him, I would always want him around me. He would have recognized Kun Beixun just off our first conversation. He’s someone who created a whole new cultivation path off harnessing hate, resentful energy. He wouldn’t have walked away with a ‘I’m sorry, I broke my promise’.”

“I could never hate you,” Wei Wuxian amended. “Of course I remember growing up with you. Of course I would rather lose my golden core than lose you. Just because I don’t hate you doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. I just… There’s been too many things between us, and I don’t know how to face you. Because we always end up like that. Upset. Broken.”

“You didn’t even try,” Jiang Cheng said, his voice cracking, “It’s not like you to just give up like that. You always attempt the impossible. You tried so hard to save the Wens. You founded a whole new branch of cultivation. You’ve never let anything stop you from doing what you want. Forgive me if I can’t believe that you were afraid to face me. It sounds more like you never wanted to.”

“I was afraid of ruining things with you, more than they already had been,” Wei Wuxian said quietly. He bit his lip. “I’d thought I would have so many more years to try. But after you- after you died, I realised that was a mistake. I missed you so much, Shimei. And I’m happy that you’re back, circumstances notwithstanding. I want to try. I want to be brothers again, Jiang Cheng. I miss you. Will you give this shixiong a chance to make up for lost time?”

Jiang Cheng pursed his lips. He wanted to graciously accept Wei Wuxian’s words, and take them to be the truth, but some part of him was still afraid. “Do you really mean it?” he asked, and he hated how his words came out small and plaintive, like he was a small child once more, relying on his shixiong for reassurance. He had not been vulnerable like that in years. He couldn’t have. He had a Sect to build and a nephew to raise. He always had to be the strongest person in the room. He had to.

But in front of Wei Wuxian, he had never been the formidable Jiang Sect Leader, Sandu Shengshou.

He was just Jiang Cheng.

The youngest child in a family of five.

“I promise,” Wei Wuxian answered solemnly.

Chapter Text

Jin Ling had ordered for food to be served to his quarters, so at dinner time, a most unlikely combination of three people was seated around the small dining table within the Jin Sect Leader’s Quarters.

At the head of the table, naturally, was Jin Ling.

And at his sides sat who appeared to be Mo Xuanyu, his sort-of demonic cultivator half uncle, and Kun Beixun, a demonic cultivator from Yunmeng.

In truth, however, underneath the pretty Jin features was Jin Ling’s other sort-of uncle, Wei Wuxian, while the soft features of Kun Beixun hid Jiang Cheng, a man most certainly not of a soft temperament.

“Eat more, Jiujiu,” Jin Ling urged, placing another piece of three-layered braised pork belly into Jiang Cheng’s bowl. “This is one of your favorites.”

“And don’t forget your vegetables too, Cheng-Cheng,” Wei Wuxian said, picking up a piece of salted vegetable from the serving plate with his chopsticks, and setting it down next to the piece of pork belly.

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. “I can serve myself food, okay? This is excessive.” But inwardly, a sweet sensation bloomed in his chest at their gestures.

“It’s not excessive! Look how skinny you are, Jiujiu,” Jin Ling said, his eyes wide with concern. “Clearly you haven’t been eating much.”

“I’ve been at Carp Tower this whole time, brat, you know that I’ve been eating, other than the times you tried to poison me with spice.”

“I wasn’t trying to poison you! And it wasn’t that spicy, Jiujiu-“

Wei Wuxian chuckled loudly. “It’s alright, Jiang Cheng, give it some time. I’ve trained Mo Xuanyu’s body to take my regular amount of spice, I’m sure you can work yourself back to a respectable level of spice-“

Jiang Cheng let out a hiss. “Respectable?” he repeated, “Wei Wuxian, are you insulting me?”

Wei Wuxian cast a glance at the moderate amount of chili oil in his rice. “Shimei, we have been eating spicier than that since you were ten .”

Jiang Cheng could feel his blood pressure rising in real time- perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that Kun Beixun did not have strong spiritual energy or Wei Wuxian was going to make him Qi deviate into an early grave- “Wei Wuxian!” he growled.

“Ah, that’s the Jiang Cheng I remember,” Wei Wuxian said nostalgically, while picking up the bottle of chili oil and letting it drizzle liberally onto his already-drowning-in-chili-oil bowl of rice.

“Don’t get mad, Jiujiu,” Jin Ling said soothingly, “Have more meat.” As he spoke, he carefully balanced a braised drumstick onto Jiang Cheng’s bowl, where it barely stayed in place next to all the other food already there.

Jiang Cheng picked the drumstick back up with his chopsticks and deposited it into Jin Ling’s bowl instead. “No, you,” he said, “You look like a stick figure compared to the past! You should eat more.”

“This is unfair,” Wei Wuxian said with a pout, “You always fight with me for the drumsticks, and A-Ling just gets it like that? This is discrimination, Jiang Cheng.”

Jin Ling’s eyes lit up at Wei Wuxian’s words, as he turned to meet Jiang Cheng’s eyes expectantly.

“What, you’ve always been too skinny and picky. That’s why I had to give you the best parts of the meat. Just eat, rascal,” Jiang Cheng said, looking away.

Jin Ling snorted. “Too skinny? Everyone always says that when I come back from Lotus Pier I’m practically a pig.”

“I can believe that,” Wei Wuxian said, and two pairs of eyes swiveled round to glare at him at the same time. “Oh god, there are two Jiang Chengs here,” he said, “What? You’re the one who said it yourself!”

“Only I can say it,” Jin Ling said at the same time as Jiang Cheng said, “Only you can’t say it.”

Wei Wuxian shoveled a spoonful of rice into his mouth. “I come all the way here to visit my nephew, and I get for that is being bullied by my nephew and my martial brother. I should just go back to Cloud Recesses, where my Lan Zhan will treat me well-“

Jiang Cheng twitched. “You can’t have it both ways,” he said, gritting his teeth.

“What do you mean?” Wei Wuxian asked, obviously confused.

Jiang Cheng bit his lip. He tried to casually eat the piece of pork belly Jin Ling had served him, as he said, “Never mind.”

“No, A-Cheng, we said we were going to communicate so we are going to becoming the best communicators there are,” Wei Wuxian said forcefully, so sincerely that Jiang Cheng had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Wei Wuxian was always so freaking dramatic.

“You can’t be Jin Ling’s uncle and my martial brother at the same time,” Jiang Cheng said, refusing to elaborate further.

Jin Ling knitted his eyebrows adorably in confusion, while Wei Wuxian still continued to stare at him in confusion.

“Forget it,” Jiang Cheng said, helping himself to a spoonful of rice.

“Wait, wait, I’m sure I’ll figure it out,” Wei Wuxian said, his face now scrunched up in thought.

“Oh,” Wei Wuxian realised. He lowered his head. “Are you… Are you sure?”

“What are you talking about?” Jin Ling asked.

“I mean, you can say it if you want, no one’s forcing you or anything,” Jiang Cheng said, looking away.

“I mean, of course I’d want to, but you know, Madam Yu-“

Jiang Cheng snorted. “And since when have you listened to what my mother says?”

“Yes,” Wei Wuxian acknowledged, “But this is a big thing-“

“It’s just a word, just don’t say it if you don’t want to, it’s not like I care-“

“CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHAT’S HAPPENING,” Jin Ling burst out.

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian exchanged a glance.

“Will you explain, or shall I, didi ?” Wei Wuxian asked, stumbling on the last word.

Jiang Cheng hid his smile. “I don’t think I will… G-Wei Wuxian.”

Wei Wuxian gaped. “The betrayal! How could you insist that I call you brother yet you call me with my full name?”

“Listen, it’s hard! And awkward! I tried, trust me, but I just physically can’t! It’s too weird to call you older brother when I’ve been calling you Wei Wuxian my whole life!”

Wei Wuxian pressed his lips together, clearly displeased. “Come on, shimei, no, didi, call me Gege.”

“Hell no,” Jiang Cheng said, “Best I can do is a shixiong.”

Wei Wuxian tossed his head back and laughed. “You know what? I can live with that,” he said, shaking his head. “It was hard enough to get you to say shixiong occasionally in the past.”

“But you know, right?” Jiang Cheng said.

That no matter what I say, whether it's Wei Wuxian or shixiong, what I'm calling out is 'brother'.

Once upon a time, before they had been sundered by misunderstandings and sacrifices and death, Wei Wuxian would have understood what he was trying to say.

However, they were different now- different people (literally, and figuratively) and he did not expect Wei Wuxian to understand what he meant. It was to be a natural result of everything that happened, something he willed himself not to be too disappointed and hung up about.

But Wei Wuxian understood.

“I know, didi,” he said, a smile on his face.

—

“So what are we going to do about your situation, Jiujiu?” Jin Ling asked, as they sat around the table and watched the pot of tea slowly brew.

“I can’t tell anyone who I am, nor can I harm myself for three years from the moment Kun Beixun summoned me,” Jiang Cheng said with a shrug. “It’s a miracle that the two of you managed to find out who I am without my help-“

“-you were pretty obvious, Jiujiu-“ Jin Ling interjected.

“-without my conscious, intentional help,” Jiang Cheng amended, as he continued, “But I don’t see a safe way for me to take up my former roles. And Jiang Xiu is doing great as Sect Leader, I wouldn’t want to take that away from him-“

“Jiang Xiu would be more than happy at your return,” Jin Ling interrupted, “He is very fond of you.”

“Stop interrupting when your elders are talking, A-Ling,” Jiang Cheng said, without any ire behind his words, “As I was saying, so it seems like all I can do is slowly try and cultivate out a golden core, and keep my head down.”

“We could always go and tell everyone for you, and make sure that everyone knows,” Wei Wuxian pointed out.

“Which part of ‘safe way’ did you miss, Wei Wuxian? How are you going to guarantee that everyone knows? If I end up accidentally revealing myself to the one person who doesn’t know my soul will just explode.”

“We can’t risk Jiujiu,” Jin Ling said immediately, agreeing, “That’s too dangerous. Jiujiu can continue to live here indefinitely, I’ll make sure all your needs are perfectly taken care of-“

“But Jiang Cheng would prefer to return to Yunmeng, right? I mean, the food here is decent, but nothing compares to Yunmeng,” Wei Wuxian pointed out.

And at Wei Wuxian’s words, a pang shot through Jiang Cheng’s heart. Had Wei Wuxian felt the same, sequestered in Cloud Recesses as he was? Had he missed the food in Yunmeng, but still stayed away, afraid of Jing Cheng’s reaction?

I never kept him away , Jiang Cheng argued to himself, he’s the one who didn’t want to come home.

“We can all go to Yunmeng,” Jiang Cheng suggested. He thought about the white mourning flags, and the white ribbon tied around a clarity bell. “We can tell Jiang Xiu about it, but no one else. It would be nice if I could pick up Sandu for practice privately, instead of using this lousy practice sword

“Oh, right,” Jin Ling said, suddenly perking up. He reached for his fingers, and pulled out Zidian, placing it onto his palm and holding it out to Jiang Cheng. “Jiujiu, you should take it back.”

“I gave it to you, A-Ling, it’s yours now,” Jiang Cheng said, closing Jin Ling’s fingers around the ring gently.

But Jin Ling unfurled his fingers once more, as he said quietly, “It still fits better on you, Jiujiu.”

With a sigh, Jiang Cheng reached for the ring, and the second his fingers came into contact with its cool, metal surface, it came alive with a shower of purple sparks and leapt onto his finger.

“Aww, Zidian misses you!” Wei Wuxian said brightly.

Jiang Cheng stared at the silver ring which fitted Kun Beixun’s slender finger perfectly, as though it belonged there, and never left.

Zidian, his mother’s last gift to him.

With Zidian on his finger and Wei Wuxian and Jin Ling next to him, Jiang Cheng felt more like himself than he had in a very long time.

Chapter Text

It was a lot faster to get from Lanling back to Lotus Pier compared to the amount of time he took to get to Lanling, given that Wei Wuxian rode on Suibian and Jiang Cheng rode behind Jin Ling on Suihua.

It was extremely odd to hitch a ride on Jin Ling’s sword- all his life, it had always been the other way around, him giving Jin Ling a ride on Sandu. Jin Ling used to clutch at his waist with a death grip when he had been younger and still afraid of heights. But even when his nephew had outgrown his fear of heights and had learnt to fly on Suihua himself, he would still occasionally insist on hitching a ride with Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng had never called him out on it.

Soon, they arrived back at Yunmeng, back at Lotus Pier, this time at the main entrance.

“Yunmeng is always the best for sunsets,” Wei Wuxian said, a bright smile on his lips but a wistful look in his eyes.

“I grew up here, you don’t need to tell me about it,” Jin Ling said. “The sunset looks the best from the lotus pond next to the family pavilion.”

”I grew up here too, kid, you don’t need to tell me about that,” Wei Wuxian teased back playfully. “I’ve eaten more salt than you have eaten rice, it was my favorite spot before you were even born.”

“Shut up, both of you,” Jiang Cheng said, rolling his eyes, “I found the spot even before either of you ever ate a lotus root. So that’s my spot.”

“Gasp,” Wei Wuxian said, miming a stab to the heart, “How could you use the fact that I came to Lotus Pier late against your shixiong?”

It could be said that their relationship had somehow picked up and returned to what it had been before, with playful barbs and friendly aggression, if not for the slightly careful glance that Wei Wuxian casted back at Jiang Cheng after his joke, as though watching for his reaction.

But before Jiang Cheng could even open his mouth, he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Sect Leader Jin? What are you- Wei Wuxian?”

Jiang Cheng turned around to see Jiang Xiu walking out of the gates of Lotus Pier.

“Jiang X- I mean, Sect Leader Jiang,” Jin Ling said, “We need to talk.”

“Of course, but…” Jiang Xiu trailed off as he stared at Wei Wuxian, and then casted a glance at Jiang Cheng. “I could have sworn I’d seen you somewhere before. Did you have dinner at Yunping before, by any chance?”

Jin Ling turned to Jiang Cheng in surprise. “Did you?”

“Would it be that much of a surprise?” Jiang Cheng asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I spoke with him briefly at Zongzhu’s favourite restaurant,” Jiang Xiu explained.

“Did you, now?” Wei Wuxian asked with a grin, tugging at Jiang Cheng’s sleeve meaningfully.

“Shut up,” Jiang Cheng said, snatching his sleeve away.

“Let me guess, hot-dry noodles, sour vegetable steamed fish, mianyang three steams-“ Wei Wuxian said loudly.

“Shut up, Wei Wuxian!” Jiang Cheng growled.

Jiang Xiu blinked at them. “Why did you bring them here, Sect Leader Jin?”

“There’s something I need to tell you. In private,” Jin Ling said, “We can just leave them out here-“

“Wait, weren’t we going to all tell him together?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“Just to be safe, I think Jiu- I think he shouldn’t be there. Don’t worry, I’ll be right back!” Jin Ling called out as he all but dragged Jiang Xiu into Lotus Pier.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Jiang Cheng said, watching the yellow and purple figures disappear into the distance.

Wei Wuxian slapped a hand over Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. “You always worry too much, shidi. Trust your nephew a bit more, would you?”

“You haven’t raised kids enough to know that they always have a way of screwing up things in the most unexpected of ways,” Jiang Cheng muttered, crossing his arms. “I guess we will just have to wait now.”

They did not have to wait long, thankfully, as shortly after, Jiang Xiu came running out of the gates, Jin Ling right behind him.

“Zongzhu, is it really- could it possibly be-“

Jiang Cheng kept silent, because he did not dare to reveal it prematurely if Jiang Xiu did not truly believe it.

“Jiang Xiu, I already said that I checked, Fairy checked, and even Wei Wuxian checked, are you seriously doubting our words?”

“No, it’s just- It just sounds too good to be true-“

“It’s true, kid,” Wei Wuxian said, tugging at Jiang Cheng’s sleeve playfully once more. This time, Jiang Cheng let him. “He’s really Jiang Cheng, Jiang Wanyin, my shidi, et cetera-“

“I am not an et cetera, Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Cheng said, rolling his eyes.

To his surprise, he felt a sudden weight as Jiang Xiu threw himself into his arms for an embrace. “Zongzhu, it’s really you!”

Jiang Cheng widened his eyes, exchanging glances with Jin Ling and Wei Wuxian as he slowly patted weakly at Jiang Xiu’s back. “Why the sudden change of heart?” he asked.

“Do you still need to ask? Obviously it was your eye rolling,” Jin Ling said, rolling his eyes.

—

3 years later

Lotus Pier was bustling and chaotic as disciples rushed around to prepare for the Cultivation Conference that was about to begin.

There were many Sect leaders to be ushered around, plates of food to be served, and other miscellaneous logistics to be managed, especially given that Jiang Xiu, the current Jiang Sect Leader had announced that he would be stepping down, back into the role of Sect Heir?

That was an unprecedented move that completely took the cultivation world by storm. After all, sect leaders generally passed on their roles when they died, or in the rare cases that they lived to an old age, retired. So it was entirely irregular for one to abdicate the position, and even stranger for one to still be the successor to the role afterwards. In that case, what was the point of appointing a new Sect Leader? All that did was just introduce more confusion and instability to the Sect.

So this Cultivation Conference was particularly important, as Jiang Xiu would be handing over to his successor at the first dinner.

Meanwhile, in the Sect Leader’s chambers, a heated conversation was taking place.

“You don’t have to do it, I had always intended to pass this role to you-“

“You’ve been the one instructing me on what to do the past three years anyways- all of Lotus Pier still follows you as Sect Leader, Zongzhu, so this is merely ceremonial. Besides, I’ve already announced my abdication-“

“It’s never too late, Jiang Xiu, you can always just play it off as a joke-“

“No one would ever joke about these sort of things, I mean, maybe Wei Wuxian would, but no one would believe me if I said it, so at this point you should just take the role-“

“I think people will find it way harder to believe what we are going to tell them tonight,” Jiang Cheng said, crossing his arms.

“Then we’ll just have to prove it to them,” Jiang Xiu answered.

—

Lan Xichen sat at his seat, sipping on some tea. Eavesdropping was forbidden, but he could not help but hear snippets of passing conversation around him.

“This Jiang Xiu is a fool, Jiang Wanyin must be rolling in his grave right now-“

“-surely this is part of some greater ploy by Yunmeng Jiang?”

“-poor Jiang Wanyin, to think of all his efforts to build his sect, only for it to be just given away to an unknown person like that-“

Suddenly, the doors were flung open violently, and all eyes were turned to the figure standing by the doorway.

The man looked extremely ordinary. He was of a slightly short stature, but nonetheless he stood straight and tall. His eyes were wide and brown, his features rounded and soft, but had a hard set to them. Lan Xichen had never seen this man in his life, but there was something about him that felt oddly familiar.

What was intriguing (other than the fact that this man had dramatically slammed the doors open and intruded into a private meeting) was what the man was wearing. It was the robes that the Sect Leader of Yunmeng Jiang would wore- what Jiang Wanyin had worn, what Jiang Xiu wore and what his successor would wear.

It did not take much to put two and two together. The precepts of his clan forbade Lan Xichen from jumping to conclusions, but he supposed that given the circumstances and the attire of clothing this man was wearing, this man must be the upcoming leader of the Jiang Sect.

At a glance, there was no crown nor lotus pin in his hair, but that was to be expected given that it would only be bestowed upon him after the official crowning.

It was extremely strange, however. Sect heirs were usually well-known, especially heirs of the great clans. Due to the untimely passing of Jiang Wanyin, Jiang Xiu himself had been young and new and had not named a successor. Nonetheless, it would be expected that the next heir should be someone known to the cultivation world at large, or Jiang Xiu’s own children should he have any. So it was extremely unorthodox that he would be naming this completely unknown stranger to be his successor, and even abdicate his position so early in advance. The cultivation world did not even know the name of this stranger.

Lan Xichen sent a side glance to Sect Leader Jin, who did not seem surprised at all. But perhaps that was to be expected- given the close ties between Jin Ling and his late mother’s maiden Sect, it was altogether possible that he had been aware of who the new Jiang Sect Leader would be.

“Who might you be?” Sect Leader Yao huffed, always reliably living up to his reputation for asking the obvious, “How dare you barge in like that?”

The unknown cultivator rolled his eyes. “Am I not allowed to attend my own crowning ceremony, Sect Leader Yao?”

Lan Xichen was absolutely certain he had never met this cultivator in his life, but even despite the unfamiliar voice there was just something in his cadence that nagged at him. It was right there, in the corner of his mind, but he just could not figure out what he was missing.

Sect Leader Yao spluttered. “You- You look so young-“

The next Jiang Sect Leader silenced him with a glare. “You haven’t changed a bit, Sect Leader Yao. Rest assured that I am old enough for the job.”

Lan Xichen found himself unexpectedly (and regretfully) agreeing with Sect Leader Yao’s assessment for once. While there were generally no age restrictions regarding Sect Leadership, usually Sect Leaders would have at least thirty years under their belt. The circumstances during the war had been exceptional, given the premature deaths of many of the major Sect Leaders, but this seemed strange still- this cultivator seemed to be even younger than his already young predecessor Jiang Xiu.

“Where is Sect Leader Jiang? I demand to see him- this is absolutely ridiculous,” Sect Leader Yao hissed, “How irresponsible to just send a no-name cultivator here as his successor, Sect Leader Jiang must be out of this mind!”

“Hear, hear,” Sect Leader Ouyang chorused.

The cultivator snorted. “I assure you, you will be very familiar with my names and titles. And Jiang Xiu will be here soon, he has some duties to tend to as host.” At this, he narrowed. “I am aware that you have been trying to strong arm my succe- I mean, my predecessor on account of his young age. I would suggest that you do not try that with me.”

Odd, Lan Xichen thought. Usually even if those within a sect were close, they would still refer to their Sect Leaders respectfully, especially in front of outside company, yet this new cultivator had just strode in and called his Sect Leader by his name as though they were peers, or as if the Sect Leader was below him in the hierarchy.

And again, there was something in the man’s tone that just bothered Lan Xichen. It was just so familiar and he could not understand why.

“Have you not learnt of respect for your elders, kid?” Sect Leader Yao demanded, his face turning a dark shade of red. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment it was hard to tell. “Insolent child, did your mother not teach you manners?”

The soon-to-be-crowned Jiang Sect Leader scowled. “If it were not for the fact that I promised Wei Wuxian that I’d wait for him to arrive before starting the show, I would have gone after you for that,” he said, and even though he had not yet displayed his skills, Lan Xichen had no doubt he could deliver on this. “Seriously, where is he? How could he be even later than me?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Wei Wuxian called out, bursting into the hall, Sect Leader Jiang Xiu following at his heels. “I got lost.”

The future Jiang Sect Leader raised an eyebrow sardonically. “You come here so often, how could you even get lost? Nice excuse.”

Lan Xichen expected for his brother to jump in and defend Wei Wuxian’s honour as he always did, but surprisingly, Wangji continued to sit quietly next to him.

Do you know what is happening? Lan Xichen thought to Lan Wangji silently.

Not my secret to tell, Wangji conveyed with a slow blink.

Well.

There must be something up.

“Alright fine, I was in the middle of crafting something. But I wouldn’t have missed your crowning for the world, didi.”

If the strange signs previously were like small nudges at Lan Xichen, this was practically ringing all his alarm bells at full blast. Since when had Wei Wuxian acquired a new brother? Lan Xichen had been aware that Wei Wuxian had travelled to Lotus Pier semi-frequently in the past few years, but he had not known that Wei Wuxian had somehow adopted another brother.

A short distance away, Huaisang had whipped out his fan and hidden the lower part of his face behind it as he slowly fanned it; no doubt the secretly intelligent Nie Sect Leader was already putting all the hints and clues together, reaching a conclusion that Lan Xichen was still struggling to find.

The odd cultivator was now fussing over Wei Wuxian’s disheveled robes, and Wei Wuxian was responding in a semi-chaotic way that was causing quite a stir.

“Since everyone is here shall we now begin the ceremony?” Jiang Xiu said mildly. However, his words had gone unheard and noticed over the arguing between Wei Wuxian and the future Sect Leader.

Poor Jiang Xiu. Lan Xichen had no doubt that the boy would have grown to become a formidable and charismatic leader in his own right, but he had really ascended to his position way too young and even all the experience in the world could do little to quell the likes of Wei Wuxian. The Violet Spider had certainly tried. The Lan Sect did. The only reasonable solution was to just let Wei Wuxian do what Wei Wuxian wanted to do.

“Can the both of you quiet down for one moment and focus for once?” Sect Leader Jin called out irritably, rolling his eyes.

Interestingly, the two men immediately quieted down.

Jin Ling was another who had ascended to his position way earlier than he should have, but thankfully (or regretfully, depending on who you asked), he had inherited Jiang Wanyin’s infamous temper and was able to mostly hold his own. The abrupt deaths of both his uncles had definitely shaken Jin Ling, but he seemed to be doing better the past few years.

“Now that everyone is here,” Jiang Xiu repeated calmly, striding over to stand next to the unknown cultivator, “I would like to present the Sect Leader of Lotus Pier, Jiang Wanyin.”

Silence ensued.

If Sect Leader Jin’s earlier rebuke had quieted the hall, this proclamation made the whole place so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

And then everything exploded at once.

“Did he just say Jiang Wanyin?”

“Is the Jiang Sect out of its mind-“

“I knew Yunmeng Jiang was going downhill, but this is preposterous-“

“Do they think we are all blind? That is not Jiang Wanyin!”

“-was there another Jiang clan member with the same courtesy name as Sandu Shengshou-“

“SILENCE!” someone roared.

Everything went quiet again.

Lan Xichen blinked, as he realised that the voice had come from the unassuming-looking cultivator who was allegedly Jiang Wanyin(?).

“I am indeed Jiang Wanyin, the former Sect Leader of Yunmeng Jiang,” the man said, and it was at this moment that Lan Xichen noticed that Zidian was resting on his finger, small sparks of violet lightning surrounding it. If there was to be any doubt to the veracity of his claim, Zidian silenced it. Impossibly, the man had to be Jiang Wanyin. Very calmly, he strode through the room and sat down elegantly on the Lotus Throne. “My heir Jiang Xiu has been doing an exemplary job as Sect Leader while I was minorly indisposed, but I am ready to reassume my duties. I will not be taking questions.”

The hall erupted once more.

“He lies, surely, Jiang Wanyin is dead, I even attended his funeral-“

“-witchcraft-“

“What a shame, Jiang Wanyin had such beautiful features inherited from the Violet Spider-“

“-all lost their minds, really-“

“Demonic cultivation, just like Wei Wuxian-“

"That can't possibly be the real Sandu Sengshou-"

Lan Xichen cast a side-glance at Wangji, who seem unfazed by the commotion around. So it had to be true.

There was a crackle and a small burst of purple lightning illuminated the room briefly. “If we may proceed to carry on with business?” Jiang Wanyin hissed, somehow making those brown doe eyes narrow threateningly.

“Jiujiu,” Jin Ling called out, and something in those eyes softened minutely, further proving that this was in fact Jiang Wanyin, “Perhaps you should give them some sort of explanation first?”

“I have returned from the dead. I did not possess this body, this was the work of the cultivator. For more details, look for Wei Wuxian, don’t ask me. Now can we proceed?” Jiang Wanyin asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You have to admit this is most irregular-“ Sect Leader Yao tried to say.

Zidian crackled to life on Jiang Wanyin’s finger once more.

“Is it?” he asked, a sharp smile that was all Sandu Shengshou gracing his features.

The other minor Sect Leaders averted their eyes uneasily, but Sect Leader Yao, being the exceptionally unique specimen he was, remained undeterred. “Do we even know for sure if he is Jiang Wanyin?”

Zidian sparked once more, but Jin Ling was faster to retort. “Are you calling me a liar, Sect Leader Yao?” he asked.

“Of course not,” Sect Leader Yao said facetiously, “Everyone knows that young Sect Leader Jin is emotionally compromised when it comes to the late Sect Leader Jiang-“

“Do you want me to break your legs?” Jiang Cheng asked, his hand gripped on Sandu’s hilt, revealing an inch of the blade.

“No, no, no, I was just trying to make sure!” Sect Leader Yao blustered, extremely flustered. “Of course you are Sect Leader Jiang, my apologies-“

“Does anyone else have anything to say?” Jiang Cheng challenged, leaning back against the Lotus Throne. Even without his own height and formidable stature, there was so much control and poise in his movements, complemented by that one-of-a-kind smirk that it was unmistakable that he was Jiang Wanyin.

“How can we possibly accept a demonic cultivator into our ranks?” the Sect Leader of Moling Su called out. “Even if you were Jiang Wanyin, you now reside in the body of a demonic cultivator. How can you be the Sect Leader of Yunmeng Jiang, one of the great Sects?”

Jiang Wanyin snorted. “The Moling Su Sect is not in the position to make such claims, given that your founding leader was involved in the hundred holes curse himself. And I don’t see anyone complaining about ‘Mo Xuanyu’ over there. Also, the succession of Yunmeng Jiang is our business, outsiders are not invited to intervene.”

At this, Jiang Wanyin rose to his feet. “Does anyone have anything else to say?” he asked again, his eyes sweeping the room, just daring someone to speak up.

Lan Xichen lifted his tea cup.

“Sect Leader Lan?” Jiang Wanyin said, watching him warily.

“The Lan Sect would like to congratulate Sect Leader Jiang Wanyin on his return. We look forward to building strong relations between our Sects as we had before once more.”

Jiang Wanyin’s lips parted slightly in mild surprise. And then he smiled.

Soon, every Sect was starting to pledge their support to the new(?) Sect Leader.

—

“That went better than expected,” Jiang Cheng said, kicking his shoes off as he entered his room.

“There was never anything to worry about,” Wei Wuxian answered brightly. “Though I do not appreciate you throwing me under the bus there. What if they hauled us both out because we are demonic cultivators?”

“Don’t group me with you, Wei Wuxian, who’s a demonic cultivator?” Jiang Cheng asked.

“If I had known that you two would be arguing all day long I wouldn’t have hoped for your reconciliation,” Jin Ling muttered, brushing past the two of them and sitting down on the most comfortable chair in Jiang Cheng’s room.

“Insolent brat,” Jiang Cheng said affectionately, going to pick up his teapot.

As the youngest, Jin Ling should have been the one brewing tea for his two uncles, but Jiang Cheng did not know who had spoilt the boy to always expect to be served. He picked his best tea leaves and set the pot over the fire. It was probably all Jin Guangyao’s doing.

“There will probably still be many who refuse to believe me,” Jiang Cheng said, shaking his head. “I can foresee some problems in the future.”

“You have the lotus crown and pin in your hair, who would dare to deny you?” Jin Ling asked curiously. “Not to mention Zidian and all that. Speaking of which, how did Wei Wuxian get accepted so easily?”

“I wouldn’t quite say easily,” Wei Wuxian answered. “There were still many people who tried to kill me.”

“Because they accepted that you were Wei Wuxian,” Jin Ling pointed out, “Otherwise no one would bother killing Mo Xuanyu.”

“It helped that they were all terrified of the big bad Yiling Laozu coming to kill them in their sleep,” Jiang Cheng answered with a shrug. He laid Sandu on his lap and started to clean his sword carefully with a cloth. “Unfortunately they are not afraid of me.”

“They should be,” Jin Ling said defensively.

“Don’t worry, shidi, you are pretty scary if you set your mind to it,” Wei Wuxian said reassuringly.

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. “Are you both insulting me or trying to comfort me? It better not be the former or I’ll break your legs.”

“See? Absolutely scary,” Wei Wuxian said with a dramatic shudder. “Jiang Cheng, maybe follow through on your threats for once if you want to be scary-“

“Wei Wuxian!” Jiang Cheng hissed, offended, “I shouldn’t have let you back here-“

“Too late, no take-backs,” Wei Wuxian said cheerily with a whistle, as Jiang Cheng leapt forward to tackle him.

Jin Ling sat in the chair, staring at his two uncles brawling like children in front of him. He carefully slid the table with the teapot to the side when they got too dangerously close, but otherwise he just sat there watching.

They had been said to be close like brothers once, before Jin Ling had been born. Jin Ling could hardly believe it- given the tension and distance between the two after Wei Wuxian’s return, it had seemed impossible to imagine them to be close. He would sooner believe that they were enemies. In fact, he could have sworn that it had been the case.

But now, staring at the two of them, neither in their original bodies but still (affectionately?) street brawling with each other, Jin Ling could see it. The invisible thread of connection, the sibling bond forged in youth that would always exist between them. Even their deaths had been unable to take it away from them.

As for Jin Ling?

He was just glad to have his Jiujiu back.