Chapter Text
The bowl is warm in Jiang Cheng’s hands as he makes his way towards his nephew’s room-- A worried expression plastered on his face as he stops before the door. Listening carefully, he doesn’t hear any noise from inside-- So he repositions the bowl into one hand so that he can carefully knock on the door that separates the two of them.
Knock knock knock.
There isn’t a response.
“A-Ling.” Again there’s no response-- And after a few moments he reaches for the door. “I’m coming in.”
With that the door is pushed open with ease and Jinag Cheng’s eyes fall on his nephew’s bed. The worried expression on his face is able to easily shift into the smallest hint of a smile at the view in front of him.
Jin Ling is curled up beneath his blankets, sound asleep-- Four dogs surrounding him as he snores softly-- His face buried into the pillow that his head is resting on. It’s a soft moment that Jiang Cheng hates to disturb-- … And so he doesn’t.
The soup is set on the table by his nephew’s bed and Jiang Cheng is quick to attempt to make his leave without waking him. … As worried as he is for the boy that he’d raised himself, he knows that he needs the rest-- … He can’t bring himself to wake him. Not when he’s sleeping so peacefully.
It’s when he starts to pull the door closed behind him that Jin Ling stirs and Jiang Cheng stops in his tracks-- Watching as his nephew turns to face his direction, blinking the sleep from his eyes.
“... Jiujiu?”
Shit.
“... Go back to sleep, A-Ling. I didn’t mean to wake you.” He’d made an effort to make his voice softer as he spoke to the tired boy before him. “... Or, uh-- Eat something first--” he quickly added on, eyes focusing on the bowl of soup that he’d left next to his bed. “... It’s… Pork Rib and Lotus Root soup--” Like your mother used to make.
Jin Ling didn’t sit up, nor did he say much of anything to Jiang Cheng-- Instead he offered his uncle the smallest of nods before stifling a yawn.
“... Then you can go back to sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you. Your… friend told me that you wanted someone to bring it in, so… Yeah. Eat. Then get some more sleep. You… you definitely need it.”
“... Mm.”
“I’ll… see you tomorrow, A-Ling.”
“... Okay.”
After he received his response, Jiang Cheng was quick to let himself out of his nephew’s room-- Letting out a sigh as he pulled the door shut behind him. Eyes fell onto the surface of the water that could be seen from the hall that he stood in, the beautiful reds, oranges, and purples of the sunset reflecting off the visible surface of the water.
Lotus Pier’s sunsets were as beautiful as they had always been.
… They’d be just a bit nicer if his entire family could still enjoy them.
Jiang Cheng was quick to dismiss the thoughts, his boots thumping against the wood at his feet as he moved towards the lake before him.
When Jin Ling had been younger it was around this time that he would carry him out to the edge of the water to watch the sunset with him. To show him how to easily remove the seeds from their pods and to tell the small child that he so adored the stories of his own childhood.
Of friends that he would swim through the water with, of his mother who had the patience of a saint when it came to the shenanigans that they would find themselves in-- … How he would tell Jin Ling that he had his mother’s eyes and that that was a reason for him to smile-- Because he had a part of her with him, no matter what.
And on the day that Jin Ling had been given his father’s sword… Jiang Cheng had had something else to give to that crying child.
Another reminder of the parents who couldn’t be with him in person-- But were undoubtedly there in spirit.
The silver bell that hung from Jin Ling’s belt, alongside the sword that had once belonged to his father-- … The bell that his mother had worn for herself for so many years. It had been fitting for it to go to his nephew. … He was certain that it was what she would have wanted him to do.
… Staring out over the water he can’t help but miss not only her, but the family that all five of them had once been-- His sister, kindhearted and gentle. His mother, harsh as the whip she had given him that night. His father, who… tried his best. And… his brother, who he missed more than he would ever admit.
… It had been a while since he had visited his parents, hadn’t it?
--------
Jin Ling’s eyes fluttered open, slowly adjusting to the light filtering into his room. As far as he was aware, the night before had been peaceful-- Uninterrupted by nightmares or anything of the sort.
The bowl of soup that his uncle had brought in lay empty by his bed-- He had managed the finish the entire thing before falling back asleep. … While he wouldn’t admit it, it was… The most that he had managed to eat all at once since that night.
He was still so tired, even after what was more than a full-night’s sleep. … But he shifted to pull himself out of bed anyways. And that was when he noticed that something was odd about his current situation.
Three of his dogs were missing. The only one that remained by his side, snuggled warmly under the blanket with him, was Fairy.
Pixie, Prince, and Princess were nowhere to be seen. An alarming realization that forced Jin Ling out of bed quicker than he otherwise would have. This wasn’t normal. Every morning all four of them would be waiting patiently for him, snuggled up to him under the blankets. An extra source of warmth that meant he only needed one, maybe two blankets at most.
Sensing the alarm from his master, Fairy was quick to nose his way from under the blankets and watch Jin Ling throw his clothes on. Nowhere near as slow as he had been the morning before, before Lan Jingyi had arrived-- But rushed and hurried. Fueled purely by concern for the fact that his dogs were nowhere to be found.
Even if his uncle had let them out in the early morning… He always brought them back to Jin Ling before he woke up. He never actually missed them. They were either always by his side or he knew exactly where they were.
He didn’t like this element of surprise. Of not knowing where three of his beloved companions were.
Almost as soon as he had tied his hair into a very messy ponytail he was out the door, Fairy at his heels. The only thing that was at least somewhat normal about this morning so far--
Of course, it wasn’t long until Jin Ling found the three of them. Only a few steps out the door and his eyes fell on not only his three missing dogs-- But on the person that they had piled on top of. The frown on his brow thickened as he watched the scene before finally speaking. “ What the hell are you doing? ”
It wasn’t that he minded that Jingyi was spending time with them-- In a way? He was amused by the scene. But that amusement had been completely overshadowed by the worry that he had felt when they were nowhere to be seen. When he hadn’t been able to find them-- … Like how he had worried himself sick as a young child when his uncle was nowhere to be found, out on a nighthunt. Away from home into the early hours of the morning. A time where he refused to sleep until he knew that his Jiujiu was home safe.
“Oh! Young Mistress!” There was laughter in the Lan boy’s voice as he spoke, gently shoving Pixie’s head away from his face. It took everything that Jin Ling had to keep the serious, concerned expression on his face. “I was up much earlier than you, and as I was passing your room I heard them whining at the door-- So I figured that I would let them out, since-- Well, they probably had to go to the bathroom-- And they’ve just been following me around all morning--” As he spoke his hands were moving from head to head, scratching under chins and behind ears.
He was surprisingly good with the three dogs that had piled on him-- And they seemed to enjoy him just as much as he was enjoying them.
… Jin Ling couldn’t help himself as he allowed the tiniest hint of a smile to form as he walks over, plopping down on the floor next to Jingyi-- Almost instantly the mass of dogs shifts to cover the both of them. It’s in that same instant that Jin Ling starts petting them, too.
“... They seem to like you.”
The statement caught Jingyi by surprise and it takes him a few moments to come up with a response. “... Yeah, it looks like it-- … We aren’t allowed to have pets in the Cloud Recesses. Though HanGuang-Jun’s rabbits are sort of an exception-- So this is sort of my first time being around this many dogs like this--”
Jin Ling didn’t know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t something like that. … The very idea of not having any of his dogs was completely ridiculous. “... I don’t think I could study there,” he states bluntly. “There’s too many rules, and that one is just really fucking stupid.”
Jin Ling can’t help but smile again as Jingyi laughs. “Now, now, Young Mistress--”
“What?! It’s true! It’s fucking stupid! What sort of reasoning is there for banning something that can only bring happiness to someone?!”
“That’s just how things are, Young Mistress. … But on a topic other than the ‘stupidity of the Gusu Lan Sect’s ridiculous amount of rules,’ shouldn’t you show me around?~ You didn’t yesterday, and I don’t really know what’s here, Young Mistress! And since I’m your guest-- ”
“You invited yourself.”
“ Still your guest. Are you going to be a good host or not?~”
Jin Ling let out a tired sigh, using both hands to scratch Princess behind the ears-- “ Fine, since you’re being so fucking insistent I’ll show you around. We can get something to eat from one of the vendors.” He didn’t wait for a further response from Jingyi, carefully pushing Princess off of him and rising to his feet.
“We’re going. Now.” Jin Ling crossed his arms, forcing himself to look away as he heard Jingyi laugh behind him, followed by the sound of the Lan disciple rising to his feet.
Giving him only a few seconds, Jin Ling was finally on his way to start walking around the pier. He only glanced back once to see that Lan Jingyi was, in fact, following him-- As well as the four dogs that made up their little entourage around the pier.
Really, the only thing that was out of the ordinary about their venture was the fact that Jin Ling had someone else with him-- Aside from his dogs, of course.
--------
Jin Ling hadn’t even asked if Jingyi had eaten yet-- And, to be honest, he didn’t really care as he approached the vendor that was always set up in this part of the pier. So far the tour hadn’t been anything exciting-- Mostly showing Jingyi where the important places within Lotus Pier were.
It would be after the two of them, or at least Jin Ling, had something to eat before he would go on to the more ‘exciting’ parts of the tour.
Without missing a beat Jin Ling placed money on the table that the vendor sat behind, quickly crossing his arms as he looked the man over. “Two meat buns- Pork- and then four Dumplings. What I gave you should cover it.” He was blunt as ever but the vendor didn’t seem to mind at all.
He was more than used to it and quickly handed over the items that the boy had requested-- The four dumplings noticeably cooler than the full buns that he had given him-- Saved back and allowed to cool for the four dogs that always followed Jin Ling.
And, as the vendor expected, the four of them were quickly given to the dogs-- And the second meat bun was handed over to Jingyi as Jin Ling began to walk away.
“Dig in. It’s good food. His wife makes ‘em.” Almost as soon as he had made the statement Jin Ling did just that-- He took a bite of the steaming meat bun without a care in the world-- Stopping in his tracks and watching Jingyi expectantly. The money that he had spent on the bun wasn’t an issue, of course.
He just wanted to see the Lan boy’s reaction.
It took a few moments, but Jingyi finally heeded Jin Ling’s orders-- Taking a bite out of the meat bun with a grin- Though he quickly froze, eyes going wide as the spiciness of the meat hit him--
Almost instantly Jingyi was coughing, his nose starting to run slightly.
Jin Ling couldn’t help but to laugh at the other boy’s reaction. “Aw, Jingyi! It’s not even that spicy!”
Jingyi was quick to clear his throat, looking up at Jin Ling with watering eyes. “Y- you say that, Young Mistress! But it’s still plenty spicy! How can you stand to eat this?! It’s not as hot as Master Wei’s rice congee, but--”
“Every other sect’s food is bland. You all should learn to use more spices in your cooking!” Without even waiting for a response Jin Ling turned away from Jingyi, still grinning. He had expected the other to react in that way-- But that didn’t make it any less entertaining.
“At least the food in Gusu doesn’t burn your tongue the moment you take a bite out of it!”
“Well you’re just a baby who can’t handle a little kick!”
“That’s more than a little kick!”
“Well then maybe you should cook me something else that actually tastes decent!”
“ Well maybe I will! ”
Jin Ling grinned, taking another bite out of his own bun. “Tonight, then, Jingyi. Let’s see what you can do. ”
“You know what? Fine. I’ll be sure to impress you, Young Mistress~” Jingyi fell silent for a short moment, eyes on the warm, spicy bun in his hands-- “... But-- You should take the rest of this! I can’t finish it, and it shouldn’t go to waste while you show me around more--”
“Coward.”
“I just don’t want to burn my mouth!”
“ Coward. ”
Jingyi’s eyes narrowed, staring down at the bun that he held in his hands before looking back up at Jin Ling. And then back down to the bun-- Before taking yet another large bite out of it.
Jin Ling couldn’t help but grin as Jingyi’s eyes went wide once more. “W- what was that about me being a coward, Young Mistress…?”
Jin LIng was laughing once again, easily able to finish his own meat bun without a second thought. “Fine, I guess you aren’t a coward.” There was a moment of silence before JIn Ling finally added one last statement on-- “... For now.”
Without missing a beat he was quick to take the rest of the meat bun out of Jingyi’s hands. “You sure you don’t want the rest of this?” He watched Jingyi nodded and in that short moment, the rest of the bun was broken into pieces and tossed to the four dogs.
“In that case, let’s get moving then. You ever had lotus seeds?” Jin Ling asked, not waiting for a response ashe started moving towards the docks.
“... No. I haven’t--”
“Well you’re going to. And I promise that they aren’t going to burn your poor little mouth~” Jin Ling had no intention of dropping this for a long while. He’d take any opportunity to get the upper hand-- And it wasn’t like he intended to be harmful. It was nothing more than playful teasing.
While he didn’t look back, Jin Ling could have sworn that he heard Jingyi laughing behind him.
--------
Gathering the lotus seeds hadn’t been difficult-- A few pods each had been all that they had gathered and Jin Ling was now leading the way towards the training fields. “We can watch Jiujiu with the disciples while I show you how to get the seeds,” he explained, grinning as he glanced behind him to make sure that Jingyi was still following him.
Which, of course, the Lan Disciple most definitely was. Why wouldn’t he? Even if Jin Ling were to try, which he hadn’t, he was sure that it would be impossible to shake him off-- Yesterday had proven as much, for the most part. And the fact that he was supposed to be showing him around today made the chance for him to escape een less likely.
… But it wasn’t like he wanted to. Not right now, at least.
Just like yesterday, the training field was full of disciples-- And Jiang Cheng was standing in the shade before them all. Watching every movement that each disciple made like a hawk waiting for the proper moment to swoop in for the kill.
… It was times like this that Jin Ling could kind of see why people feared his uncle.
Though his temper was an even bigger part of that fear. That was something that not even Jin Ling could deny-- And it was something that he refused to deny. He knew how terrifying his uncle’s temper could be at times.
… But that didn’t mean that he feared the man. It was quite the opposite, considering the fact that he had never laid a hand on him.
“Over here.” Jin Ling’s tone was firm as he spoke up, leading Jingyi to a bit of shade beneath one of the trees that sat at the edge of the field-- Giving both of them a decent view of the disciples but also keeping them from sitting directly under Jiang Cheng.
What sort of junior would want to sit at his uncle’s feet? At his age? He already had a hard of enough time due to the way that everyone around him saw him!
It was when they were both sitting that all of Jin Ling’s attention was focussed on to helping Jingyi with the seed pods. “It’s simple,” he explained, taking one of his own into his hand-- Using the nails of his free hand to puncture the plant and retrieve one of the seeds. “You just pull ‘em out and eat ‘em. They’re pretty sweet, too. I think you’ll like them.” He couldn’t help but continue to grin, thinking back on the fiasco with the meat buns earlier in the day.
… And it was almost like Jingyi could read his mind, considering the way that the disciple’s eyes narrowed. “Should I really take your word for it, Young Mistress?~” His tone did not match his expression in the slightest-- The way that the words were almost sung, and the fact that he was obviously teasing--
Jin Ling couldn’t help but snort, leaning over and roughly shoving his shoulder. “Shut up! I don’t have any reason to lie about the damned seeds!”
“I can think of at least one.”
“ I’m not fucking lying! ”
The exclamation had gathered the attention of a few of the nearer disciples-- And the crack of electricity as Zidian whipped into the air was enough to make Jingyi almost jump to his feet as Jiang Cheng pulled their attention back to the important task of their training.
Jin Ling was, of course, completely unphased-- “Hey, you don’t have to be such a coward. It’s not like you’re going to get hit with it. He’s just getting their attention so they stop getting distracted.” As he spoke, Jin Ling leaned against the trunk of the tree-- Digging into his seed pod without a second thought.
“Though I guess I’m used to it, since I’ve been seeing how he directs them since I was real little.”
“... Oh?” It was clear that Jin Ling had managed to get Jingyi’s attention-- Who was now trying to get his own seeds from the seed pods that he had picked for himself-- Jin Ling’s response was delayed as he watched the other finally place one of the seeds in his mouth. The hesitance that he held towards the seed was, in all honesty, one of the most hilarious things that he had ever seen.
But he was more than content with the pleased expression that came over Jingyi’s face-- And that would be the first that that he would address in all of this. “I told you they weren’t spicy!” he jabs, a bit of that old sparkle in his eyes before he continued with the previous thread of conversation.
“... As for what I was saying-- Yeah. When I was younger Jiujiu would let me sit on his shoulders while he directed the disciples in their training,” he explained before popping a handful of the sweet seeds into his mouth. “And I want you to look over there. Far side from us, back corner of the field. See how he’s loosening between movements, while everyone else is keeping a decent posture? The moment Jiujiu notices that, he’ll be all over the poor guy’s ass for slacking off. He doesn’t tolerate shortcuts. Not when it comes to training, at least.”
Silence hung between the two for a good few moments before Jin Ling decided on a topic that would allow the conversation to continue-- He didn’t like that his mind was starting to wander back in the direction of his deceased uncle. Not now, when things were… Starting to look up, for the most part.
“... What’s training like in Gusu?”
Jingyi was silent, thinking over how he would go about his explanation-- And effectively leaing Jin Ling on the edge of his seat as he did so.
“... It’s a lot different from what I’ve seen here,” he explained, quickly straightening his posture the moment he noticed he had started to slouch. “The daily schedule is much more strict. We rise at five, and sleep by nine. By six the younger disciples, such as myself, are in class-- Learning what we can about our sect’s past, as well as answering scenarios and stuff! It’s… boring. Having to sit there for so many hours-- And Lan Qiren is so strict about the rules! If you so much as start to slouch or answer a question too loudly he’ll say something about it!”
“... So it’s like I said earlier,” Jin Ling commented, nodding sagely. “Too many fucking rules, most of which don’t add to much of anything?”
“Hey! No! That’s not necessarily the case, young mistress-- A- as much as I complain about them, they’re still very important to our sect! Even if I end up breaking some of them a lot, I still try my hardest to follow all of them-- And not just because I want to avoid HanGuang-Jun’s punishments in the library pavillion!”
“... What does he do?”
“... He just watches over everything-- When we get in trouble we have to copy the rules that we’ve broken so many times--”
“... That doesn’t sound too bad,” Jin Ling scoffed, trying his best to hold back any sort of actual laughter.
“You didn’t let me finish! We have to copy the rules we’ve broken while doing a handstand, young mistress! A handstand! ”
It was only a moment later that Jin Ling’s eyes went wide, registering what exactly Jingyi had just described to him. The idea of copying a rule, or multiple rules, multiple times was bad enough-- He could just feel his poor wrist cramping just thinking about that part of it.
… But to add a handstand to it was just ridiculous.
“... No wonder you’re so goddamn strong--”
Jingyi couldn’t help but laugh, easily pushing himself to his feet-- And then leaning down and into a handstand-- Before easily shifting his weight so that he could balance on one hand. “It gets tiring after a while, so I try not to-- … And I think that HanGuang-Jun realized that I wasn’t trying to break the rules, y’know?” As he finishes speaking, about to move on to his point, Jingyi brings himself back into a standing position before sitting back onthe ground next to Jin Ling.
“... He wouldn’t make me do stuff as often. At least before he left with Master Wei.”
“... Right.” Hearing the second name in that sentence brought a frown to Jin Ling’s features, his brow knitting in… frustration? Anger? Sadness? He didn’t really know what he was feeling in this particular moment. … He wanted to change the subject again. But he didn’t know what to.
… It was then that Jingyi spoke up once more. “... Y’know, Young Mistress. Maybe you and I should go on a hunt tonight? Just to see what we can find? You haven’t done much recently, right? Maybe it’d be a good idea for you t--”
“... No.” In an instant Jin Ling was on his feet, though he still supported himself against the trunk of the three. “I don’t feel like it. Don’t mention it again. ” His voice came across harsher than he had ever intended it to-- As much was clear from the way that Jingyi’s shoulders stiffened.
Silence hung in the air for a few short moment, but Jingyi finally responded after giving himself a moment to relax-- “... Alright. I’m… I’m sorry, Young Mistress. … Maybe I can talk your uncle into letting me cook for you tonight, then…?”
“... Sure. Whatever. I’m not going to stop you.”
“... Yeah. I know, Young Mistress.”
Jin Ling gave no further response, instead choosing to focus his attention on the disciples that they had come to see in the first place. … Maybe he shouldn’t have snapped at Jingyi like that.
He had just been trying to help, right…? But even now, now that things were so different, he couldn’t help but feel his blood boil at the mere mention of his bastard of an uncle.
Maybe he had forgiven Wen Ning for the death of his father-- … No. It wasn’t forgiveness. Not yet. It was more like… He didn’t have the energy to be angry over it anymore.
But Wei Wuxian. The uncle that had, ultimately, been responsible for both of those deaths-- … No matter how hard he tried to reach the same sort of feeling towards him as he held towards Wen Ning…
He couldn’t find the same peace. Not quite yet.
… Just like he couldn’t find peace with the death of his other uncle.
… And who knew how long it would take for that wound to even begin to heal.
“... Maybe just a walk outside of the pier, then?” The fact that Jingyi had still spoken up with another suggestion had caught Jin Ling by surprise. He had snapped at him. Most people would have backed off and let him be-- … He didn’t understand the other disciple sometimes, if he were to be completely honest with himself.
Why didn’t he react to his behaior like most people? … Like he had when they had first met back on Dafan Mountain?
“... Fine.”