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Nie Mingjue grows up alone, raised by his mother’s indifferent gaze and his father’s harsh speeches and harsher training. The bruises and sprains hurt, but Nie Mingjue knows it’s all to make him stronger, to make him a better Sect Leader, so he doesn’t complain, just tightens the grip on his sword and attacks again and again and again, until his arms tremble with exertion and his legs can’t support him anymore.
He’s twelve when he hears about a brother for the first time, twelve and listening in to his parents by accident, twelve and faced for the first time with the fact that his father might not be the best, might not be right, like Nie Mingjue had thought he was. Why else cheat on the wife he has a duty to, why else have a child with someone who’s not Nie Mingjue’s mother?
Mother is calm in the face of such an admission, as if it doesn’t hurt her at all that father has thrown away his duties, as if she doesn’t care about it. Her only question is whether that other child will have a claim to the position of Sect Leader. Father says that Nie Mingjue is his firstborn, and that will not change. Mother hums, as if she’s content, and then walks away.
Nie Mingjue doesn’t understand. He’s been taught that taking something as yours – be it a wife or a Sect or a child – means always being responsible for it, always doing your duty to protect it and raise it to be great. Father has taught him that, and yet now he’s doing the complete opposite of what he’s told him, abandoning both his wife and his child.
Nie Mingjue doesn’t understand. Is it that Mother and the other child are faulty? But no, even a faulty thing can be started on the right track with some work. Father has a duty to his wife, to his child, and yet he hasn’t fulfilled it – or maybe refuses to fulfill it? Father leads by example – maybe there are things Nie Mingjue isn’t aware of yet that are influencing his decision.
There’s only one way to find out what’s making Father so contradictory – Nie Mingjue has to check this ‘child’ by himself. He’s a strong cultivator and his swordplay is excellent – a little trip to… Yunmeng, was it? A little trip to Yunmeng won’t hurt anybody. Nie Mingjue is doing it for the good of his Sect, after all – it’ll be unacceptable if a child of the Nie Clan brings shame to them.
Two days riding on Baxia, and Nie Mingjue has finally arrived in Yunmeng. Truly, it might have been wiser to fly slower so he’s not as tired, but this is an urgent matter that can’t wait. The moment his feet touch the ground, Nie Mingjue starts asking people about the ‘Lotus Garden’. In the beginning he’d thought it was a restaurant or something like that, but after the fifth scandalized stare he gets after asking, Nie Mingjue starts thinking it might be something else entirely.
In the end he finds it, an enormous building decorated with red lanterns and a few women standing on the stairs, watching him with amused eyes. Nie Mingjue remembers Father forbidding him to ever enter buildings with red lanterns hanging from them because it would bring their Sect shame, but if this is the place where Father’s other child is then he has no choice but to do so.
He steps forward as proudly as he can, and asks one of the women on the stairs, “Is this where Liu Yifei works?” The woman raises her eyebrows at him in the distinct way the QingheNie Sect’s main cook does when he’s particularly brash and impolite. Nie Mingjue’s face is burning as he ducks his head and mumbles, “Excuse me,” but the woman waves the apology away.
“This is indeed where she works, but why is such a young one like you searching for her? Her services are not for you.”
Nie Mingjue purses his lips like Mother does when she’s unhappy with him. “I must speak to her.” He’s not nearly hare-brained enough to mention Father’s child to random people – it’ll bring shame to his Sect if it gets out Father isn’t caring for his child, after all.
The woman tucks her hands in her red sleeves with a flourish. “And your name, Young Master?”
Nie Mingjue knows Father would be furious if he finds out about it, but it’s the only way he can think of to get inside. “Nie Mingjue.” He pauses for a moment, remembering that it’s probably too rude not to ask the woman what her own name is, and continues, “And you are?”
The woman smiles at him in a way that makes him feel more like a prey than a person. “This one is Liu Rushi, Young Master Nie. Please, follow me.”
The inside of the building is even more decorated than the outside, all lacquered wood and jade. It makes him uneasy, as if he’s being watched and judged, even if he hasn’t met even a soul while following Liu Rushi. Her amused behavior is both suspicious and kind of irritating, so he’s taken to loosely holding Baxia, both to calm down his nerves and to be prepared should an ambush occur.
Liu Rushi leads him to a room with another woman in it, pale and thin. She looks delicate in Nie Mingjue’s eyes, so she’s definitely not someone worth fighting, and she isn’t similar to Mother at all so there’s no way Father could have gotten the both of them confused.
Liu Yifei stands up and bows deep. “Sister Liu Rushi, Young Master Nie, it’s an honor. Please, sit.” Her voice is gentle and soft, nothing like Mother’s clipped, formal speech. Nie Mingjue doesn’t know what to do with himself other than bow back and sit down for the tea Liu Yifei’s preparing.
Liu Rushi situates herself next to him in a swirl of colorful fabric that makes him want to look away. Liu Yifei’s expression becomes chiding as she hands the other woman a cup. Nie Mingjue is sure he’s missing a few things, but he doesn’t know how to react to it, so he just sips on his own cup and tries to memorize the woman’s expression.
“So, Young Master Nie,” Liu Yifei smiles at him, a weak and fragile thing that confuses Nie Mingjue – does Father not like strength? Is Mother not strong? Why has he also made a child with such a weak person? “What has brought you to the Lotus Garden?”
Yes. This is finally something Nie Mingjue understands. “You have Father’s child. I wanted to see it, to make sure it’s not bringing the QingheNie Sect shame.”
At his words Liu Yifei’s already pale face becomes even whiter, and Liu Rushi shifts in a way Nie Mingjue immediately registers as threatening. “Young Master Nie,” Liu Yifei begins, her voice trembling – is she scared? What is there to be scared about? – “What makes you think my child is bringing the esteemed QingheNie Sect any shame?”
Nie Mingjue straightens up, speaking with as much conviction as he can, because this is important, “It’s not the child that is bringing shame to the QIngheNie Sect. However, Father has a duty to all his children to raise them to utmost excellency, and he can hardly do that all they way from Qinghe. I was concerned something has happened with either the child or you to make him abandon his duties.”
Liu Yifei sits in silence for a while, hooded eyes staring at him with intensity that makes Nie Mingjue uncomfortable, like his soul is being read and judged. Then she smiles at him, a warm thing that makes his chest tingle like Mother’s pleased nods do. “I see. Young Master Nie is indeed very noble, this one is flattered by your concern for us.” She takes a sip of her tea, and then: “Would you like to meet the child?”
That’s… something Nie Mingjue hasn’t prepared himself for. He has no idea what to do with babies, after all. But he’s a cultivator and the next Sect Leader of his Sect, so he steels himself and nods firmly. Next to him Liu Rushi hides a cough in her sleeve, but her eyes are strangely curled up.
Liu Yifei has gone outside only for a second, but Nie Mingjue can hear her cooing in the hallway. When she reenters with the child, Nie Mingjue is stumped again, because he’d expected a baby, something tiny, sniveling and crying, and the boy hiding in Liu Yifei’s skirts is… well, he’s also tiny, sniveling and crying, but he’s definitely not a baby because he’s tall enough to reach Nie Mingjue’s waist.
Liu Yifei gently pushes the boy forward with a, “Come on, A-Sang, don’t be shy now,” but he only glances at Nie Mingjue once before hiding again with a squeak.
“He’s scaryyyyyyy,” he wails – well, it would have been a wail if it wasn’t such a quiet noise – and sniffles. Liu Yifei starts gently coaxing and placating her son, but Nie Mingjue doesn’t pay that much attention to it.
He thought he’d be looking at a baby – he thought he’d check it over, make sure the mother has enough funds to take care of the child, maybe train it in the art of the saber later, if Father would let him. But this – this is no baby, and to know that Father has not only admitted to wronging his wife by cheating but also has done so only years later, it chafes at him and leaves an unpleasant bitterness on his tongue and rage in his heart.
“How old are you?” He asks the boy, tone harsher than he’d intended it to be. The child’s eyes fill with tears once again, and Nie Mingjue doesn’t know what to do, how to placate him or even if he should.
Liu Yifei smiles down at her son and answers for him. “Huaisang turned seven this May.” She catches his pudgy hand with hers and gestures forward. “A-Sang, come meet this young man.”
Liu Rushi titters from where she’s still seated at the table. “A-Fei, don’t be like that, say what should be said instead! A-Sang, come meet your big brother – you’ve always wanted a big brother, no?” She nudges Nie Mingjue with her closed fan and hisses a, ‘Crouch down!’ in his ear, ignoring Liu Yifei’s feeble protests.
Huaisang peeks at Nie Mingjue’s crouched form and cautiously steps closer, still holding onto his mother’s skirts. “Are you really my older brother?” He asks, voice wobbly.
Nie Mingjue has never been so far out of his depth, not even when he was getting taught how to cook and do the laundry. “I am,” he replies, because it’s the truth. Huaisang’s brows furrow.
“Really? You promise?”
“What use do I have lying,” Nie Mingjue answers, because he’s not sure what else to say.
Huaisang doesn’t seem pleased with his answer. “Well, you could–” he glances at his mother, not as if he’s unsure what to say but as if he’s continuing the sentence without words.
So young, and yet he already knows filial duty. Truly, Nie Mingjue has no idea why Father decided to abandon such a child – but then again, these past days he has no idea what Father has been doing at all, so that’s not surprising.
“I’m not going to hurt your mother,” Nie Mingjue says with as much seriousness as he can muster. Huaisang stares at him for a nerve-wrecking minute – truly, someone so small already has such an unsettling gaze, even if he wasn’t Nie Mingjue’s brother he’d still want him around – and then the boy jumps into his arms and almost topples him.
Nie Mingjue has never held a small child in his arms and that must show on his face because Liu Yifei giggles and says, “Just hugging him back is enough, Young Master Nie.”
Nie Mingjue has never hugged someone before, but he’s also never had a brother before, so what does he know – it might just be a day for new, stressful experiences. His brother is thin but warm in his arms, and for the first time he started cultivation, something in Nie Mingjue’s chest settles.
After Nie Mingjue returns from his first visit, no one asks him where he has been – well, they ask him, but he just answers ‘training’ like always, and everyone leaves him alone. For the first few days there’s something remarkably like anxiety buzzing in him, worrying what if someone finds out where he went, what if they take Huaisang away. The notion is ridiculous, of course – the QingheNie Sect is proud and led by duty and justice, they’d never harm a child.
But, as much as Nie Mingjue doesn’t want to admit it, Father’s infidelity has shaken his belief in him. When Father was teaching him how the world was, what was black and what was white, was he also lying like he’d been when talking about duty to the family? Nie Mingjue doesn’t want to believe that, but what he’s heard and seen speaks for itself.
Nie Mingjue’s mood plummets with every passing day, and his training becomes more and more violent with every hour, until he’s destroyed all the dummies and targets in the main training grounds – and yet, still, the unpleasant buzzing under his skin persists, grows even louder the more he tries to mute it.
He can’t stand to be in this place, to question everything he knows every time he sees Father and Mother, to look anyone in the eye before he figures out why – why the lies, why did he do this, is Nie Mingjue missing something–
Nie Mingjue wants his head to quiet down, and he wants to see his new little brother and make sure that he’s fine, that he isn’t going to die, that Father hadn’t actually broken his vows, that–
He doesn’t know what he wants. But seeing Huaisang is a good starting point, and Nie Mingjue could do with a bit of a scenery change, so he jumps onto Baxia and heads to Yunmeng – it’s not like anyone will search for him if he doesn’t show up for dinner, not after he’d told everyone he’d be practicing tonight.
.
Liu Yifei is surprised to see him, but she waves away his stilted apology for dropping by without a warning so he figures they’re good. Huaisang is getting ready for bed when Nie Mingjue enters their room, but the heathen refuses to go to sleep now unless ‘his Mingjue-gege’ tells him a story. Nie Mingjue has no idea how to tell stories at all, let alone stories for little children – all he knows are Night Hunt reports and legends about the yao’s creation.
But Huaisang’s eyes are big and shiny as he tugs on his sleeve and pleads for a story, and so Nie Mingjue sits down next to him and begins weaving a tale about a great beast finding a small beast, protecting it from other animals and teaching it how to hunt.
It’s obvious Huaisang is tired, because he’s dropped his head and is making very cute snores by the time Nie Mingjue’s (already few) ideas about what happens next get exhausted. Liu Yifei’s smile is gentle when she tucks him in, and Mingjue flushes when he remembers she was listening to his meaningless babble too.
Rather than comment, Liu Yifei motions for him to sit next to her as she starts preparing tea, which suits Nie Mingjue just fine until she asks, “Has something disturbed Young Master Nie? You look a lot tenser than last time.”
Nie Mingjue should deflect, should get offended at what she’s implying, should maybe even storm away like he’s seen Father do when he’s asked questions he doesn’t like, but he hasn’t slept well at all these past few weeks, woken up by rage curling in his chest and choking him. The tea in his palms is warm and so is the look Liu Yifei sends him, so different from the atmosphere in the Unclean Realm, and when Nie Mingjue opens his mouth everything spills out.
Liu Yifei doesn’t interrupt him at all, listening without complaint until the end, and when Nie Mingjue’s finally done, she refills his cup and asks, “Might this one comment on Young Master Nie’s plight?”
Nie Mingjue wants to say no, because it’s embarrassing that he’s doubting his own father, that he’s told all of this to someone he’s only met twice, but for some reason he just ducks his head and refuses to face Liu Yifei, which she seems to take as permission.
“Duty is indeed very important, Young Master Nie, but we are all people – we’re lead by our hearts more often than we realize, whether they’re filled with love or with hate. We don’t notice that we’re straying from the right path when we’re alone, and this is why we seek others – we help see the best in each other, and we’re not alone and wandering aimlessly anymore.” Liu Yifei clasps his hands in hers, and Nie Mingjue feels her calloused and scratched skin. “If Young Master Nie is worried about straying from the right path like his father, I would suggest he finds someone he trusts and asking them to make sure he fulfills his duties.”
It’s… a good advice, as much as Nie Mingjue doesn’t want to admit it – but in the first place, what even is the right path? It’s obviously duty towards his Sect, towards his brother, towards his parents – but then if he has a duty towards his Sect, doesn’t he also have towards the people they’re protecting?
“This is not a small matter, Young Master Nie – I doubt you’d be able to come to any kind of decision in a few minutes. For now, I’d suggest you rest – the travel from Qinghe to Yunmeng has surely been tiring.” Liu Yifei squeezes his hands gently and lets go of them.
There’s only one bed in the room – the one Huaisang is using, and the one Liu Yifei insists he takes. Nie Mingjue refuses as vehemently as he can, saying he’s more comfortable sleeping on the floor anyways, which is where he ends up falling asleep but not where he wakes up, blinded by the morning sunshine. Liu Yifei must be a lot stronger than she looks like, if she’d managed to move him to the bed, but now Nie Mingjue feels like he’s kicked a lady out of her bed, and that definitely must be rectified.
….Or, well, it’ll be rectified the moment Huaisang stops drooling on his shoulder and clinging to him like an over-eager panda. Nie Mingjue has half a mind to just tug the little brat off and be done with it, but the way his cheek is mushed in Mingjue’s arm is making him look like a fish, so.
There’s a timid knock on the door, a quiet ‘Aunty Yifei, I’m coming in,’ and it slides open to reveal a skinny child with golden eyes, carrying a tray of food. The unknown boy startles when he sees Nie Mingjue, but he doesn’t drop what he’s carrying, instead sending a wary smile at his direction. “Auntie Yifei said she’d like breakfast in her room, do you possibly know where she might be?”
The boy is thin just like Huaisang is, but there are bags under his eyes that look strange on such a face, still round with baby fat. Nie Mingjue bows in his direction the best he can without shifting Huaisang, and introduces himself with a curt, “Nie Mingjue. She’s been away since before I woke up.”
“Ah, I see,” The boy says with the air of someone who doesn’t see, at all. “I’ll leave this–”
“Sit,” Nie Mingjue surprises himself with the outburst, but now that he’s woken up a little he can remember the discussion from the previous night. He’ll be thinking extensively about it, of course, but for now – well, it’s not like making friends is going to be all that hard, no? so he must start from there. “And tell me your name. Why are you working here?”
Nie Mingjue realizes his questions might have not been the best to start off with only when the boy’s expression twitches into a grimace, but he responds before Mingjue can do anything about it. “My name is Meng Yao, and I was born here. Meng Shi is my mother, her room are close by.” He says his mother’s name with a certain amount of pride, which sets Nie Mingjue more at ease. “And the gentleman in front of me must be–”
“I’m Huaisang’s brother,” Nie Mingjue answers without thinking, because it’s the first thing that comes to mind. Meng Yao’s brows furrow in confusion, and he looks like a chipmunk like that.
“You’ve been allowed to visit A-Sang by your family?”
Nie Mingjue scowls but doesn’t say anything, which is an answer enough.
It’s then that Huaisang starts stirring, mumbling nonsense and rubbing his drool all over Nie Mingjue’s sleeve, and they both fall silent, watching the younger boy slowly wake up.
Huaisang rubs his still sleep-heavy eyes and yawns out a “Gege?” that has both Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao jump to attention. They’re rewarded by a radiant smile once he wakes up all the way, and an excited, “Yao-gege, look, here’s my new Gege!”
Meng Yao’s look is complicated as he forces an answering smile on his face and nods along, and something in Nie Mingjue’s brain snaps into place.
“Your first lesson,” Nie Mingjue begins at the first available pause in Huaisang’s babble, “is duty towards your family.” Both Meng Yao and Huaisang’s eyes snap to him, one pair distinctly more worried than the other. “The people of the Nie Clan have a duty to the partners they choose, the parents they were raised by, the ancestors they seek guidance from. They also have a duty to the siblings and children they have, the ones that they are given and the ones that they choose for themselves.” It’s almost word for word what he was told by Father, and that stings in ways he’s not sure he’ll ever be able to explain, but this is not important now. It’s important that Huaisang gets this lesson as possible, so that he can remember and follow it later in life.
“What’s a duty?” Huaisang interrupts, a frown on his face, and Nie Mingjue has to dig deep to recall how Father explained it to him.
“Duty is something you must do, no matter what,” that was the explanation he was given, back then, but it’s not nearly enough now. It needs to be something clearer than ‘respect them’, it needs to be – it needs to be like Liu Yifei looks at Huaisang like he’s her world. “And your duty to your family is to cherish and protect them and never betray them, no matter what. Do you understand?”
Huaisang nods seriously, as if he’s just been told the secrets of the universe, and Meng Yao just stares at Nie Mingjue, something unreadable in his eyes. “I understand! I’ll protect and che-ch-cher-love, I’ll love Mom and Yao-gege and Mingjue-gege!”
“Good,” Nie Mingjue answers and sets Huaisang down on the floor from the bed, oblivious to the burning gaze focused on him. “Now get dressed and let’s find Madam Liu and have breakfast. You will, of course, be having it with us.” The last sentence is directed at Meng Yao, who blinks in surprise and bows his head.
That first encounter is the start of a legend.
Nie Mingjue is fifteen when he flies to the Lotus Garden in a hurry and is welcomed by Huaisang’s enthusiastic tackle-hug.
“Brother, you’re back!” Huaisang shifts in his arms so he can see him better and confusedly continues, “It’s a bit early for such a visit, though?”
Mingjue decides that the best way to amuse himself would be to watch his brother flail about, so he lets him go without warning, and just as expected, Huaisang makes a spectacle out of himself.
A chuckle comes from the side, and Meng Yao steps closer, still clutching a broom. “You’re too mean to him, Dage. One day he might not be able to catch himself.”
“Then he should stop pretending I’m a tree for climbing,” is Nie Mingjue’s sullen answer, but they both know it’s more fond than anything. “I’m not here for a friendly visit,” he continues, which is enough to focus the two’s attention on him, “I’m to continue my study of cultivation in GusuLan – it will be at least a year before I’m able to visit again.”
Both of their faces fall, but it’s Huaisang who says, “If Brother is in Gusu then does that mean I won’t have to continue practicing cultivation?” he receives two chiding looks for his troubles, but Nie Mingjue doesn’t scold him like he usually would have, just pulls him closer until they’re elbow to elbow. For someone as unused to touching people as Nie Mingjue is, this is practically a hug, so Huaisang beams up at him before bouncing off to somewhere else.
By the way Meng Yao’s biting his lips, there’s something that needs to be addressed here. “Speak freely,” Nie Mingjue says, and Meng Yao nods.
“Dage – I am very grateful for the cultivation manuals you’ve given me, there past three years I’ve improved so much more.” That’s because the manuals your mother bought you were full of shit, Nie Mingjue thinks, but they’ve already talked about that so it doesn’t need to be said again. “I know Dage has said he’ll help me get into any cultivation Sect I want to be a part of, but–” Meng Yao gulps and looks away, voice getting smaller, “do you think there’s even the slightest chance I might be able to enter the LanlingJin Sect?”
Nie Mingjue, “The LanlingJin Sect? Why? Out of all the Sects, they’re the hardest to get into because you need money and influence more than you need talent.” It’s the complete opposite of what Meng Yao has, and they both know it. “You asked me the same thing three years ago, too – why are you still focused on them so much?”
“Dage, what do you think of the LanlingJin Sect’s Leader, Jin Guangshan?” the question is seemingly random, but Nie Mingjue allows the change of topic because Meng Yao always leads back to what they’ve previously been talking about.
And as for his opinion… “Obviously a man with loose morals and even looser robes,” is the first thing that comes to mind, and Nie Mingjue should thank Madam Liu Yifei for the phrase. By Meng Yao’s stricken face, this is not what he expected, but Nie Mingjue continues. “He disrespects his wife by going at it with anything that moves, and then gives them some cheap trinkets and promises to come for them later. If any actually dare to search for him after that, they’re either made a laughingstock or never heard of from again. He has more bastards than he does hairs.”
“Cheap… trinket?” Meng Yao echoes faintly, and his complexion is so startlingly white that Nie Mingjue’s heart jumps in his throat.
“Are you ill?” he asks as gently as he can (which isn’t much), but Meng Yao just shakes his head.
“Please, Dage, continue.”
Nie Mingjue frowns. “I don’t have much else to say about him other than rumors he’s assaulted some who’ve said ‘no’ to him. And as for him hugging the QishanWen Sect’s thighs as they obliterate smaller Sects, even ones under his command, you already know that.”
If anything, Meng Yao goes even whiter, and Nie Mingjue is tempted to just grab him and carry him to the physician – the only reason he doesn’t do so is because he doesn’t want to make things worse.
Meng Yao raises a hand – it’s supposed to be a placating gesture, but with how much he’s swaying it’s anything but. “I– sorry, Dage, I was just – a little surprised, that’s all.”
If that’s a little surprised Nie Mingjue will eat Baxia in one bite. “Are you going to talk about it?” he asks, because he has no idea what else to do, even after three years of knowing each other – it’s the most logical path to confront a problem the moment you see it.
Meng Yao tries to smile at him, but really it’s more of a grimace than anything else. “Well, turns out the Sect Leader who sired me is no good after all, which shouldn’t surprise me as much as it does.” Ah. That’s… Nie Mingjue has no idea what to say to his friend, and that irritates him.
“Both you and your mother will have a place in Qinghe, should you choose to relocate.” This is the only thing he can help with, even as he knows what Meng Yao’s answer will be. Meng Shi is many things, some of them good and some of them bad, but mostly she’s as stubborn as a mule, and she’s refused to retire or go anywhere until Meng Yao’s father turns up again to collect them, like he’d told her he’d do. It’s not like anyone thought the man would actually appear, but now that Nie Mingjue knows why exactly Meng Shi is so focused on making her son a cultivator, he can’t help but think how much easier it would be if he just kidnapped them all and locked them up somewhere in a house.
As expected, Meng Yao just shakes his head. “We’re flattered, Dage, but we’ll both remain here for the foreseeable future,” until Mother either gets better or gets buried, but neither of them wants to mention Meng Shi’s rapidly declining health. “As for … for the other thing, whatever plans I had to contact those people, they’re mostly moot. I promise I’ll be careful keeping both myself and the others out of trouble.”
Nie Mingjue isn’t stupid, and he knows Meng Yao – the younger boy isn’t one to give up easily, and he probably has some sort of plan up his sleeve. He didn’t mean to make their goodbye so sour and unpleasant, but he doesn’t mean to do a lot of things.
Nie Mingjue reaches in his qiankun sleeves and throws a carefully-wrapped bundle in Meng Yao’s direction, who catches it perfectly. “For your birthday,” he clarifies. “Since I won’t be able to give it to you in person, this time around.”
The smile that curls the seam of Meng Yao’s lips is tiny but genuine, and Nie Mingjue gets both a ‘thank you’ and a peck on the cheek in gratitude.
(He maintains that the flush on his cheeks is the result of the chilly wind hitting his face as he’s riding Baxia to Gusu, even though he doesn’t have anyone to tell that to.)
Studying in the Cloud Recesses is neither boring nor particularly interesting, at least not for the first few weeks. Nie Mingjue is as diligent in his studies as he’s expected to be, and nobody can best him with a sword. The only hiccup is that his meditation is getting more and more unstable, which is typical for the QingheNie way of cultivating but not at all pleasant. It’s even making some of the other students nervous, which is ridiculous – Nie Mingjue has excellent control over himself, evenif Huaisang, Meng Yao and Madam Liu aren’t here to help ground him, and any qi deviation waiting to happen is going to remain waiting until he tears it apart.
Then he meets one of GusuLan’s famed Twin Jades, just finishing guqin practice, and the boiling rage that’s made home under his skin since he grasped Baxia for the first time simmers and dies down. Nie Mingjue is so surprised he freezes in place, and that’s more than enough for the other boy to notice him.
“Young Master Nie, I’m extremely sorry – I didn’t think there’d be anyone around to disturb with my practice.” He starts packing up with impressive speed, especially with how graceful he looks all the while.
“No.” It’s out before Nie Mingjue can stop himself, and the other boy raises his head in confusion. “You weren’t bothering me, so there’s no need to go away. I was just… surprised.”
“Surprised? By what?” The way the First Jade tilts his head in confusion like a graceful bird makes Nie Mingjue want Meng Yao to be here with him, if only so he can see the lovely sight.
“The piece you played – what’s its name?”
Lan Xichen, “Ah, it’s called Tranquility. It’s particularly helpful when calming spirits and qi deviation. Does Young Master Nie like it?”
Ah, so that’s why Nie Mingjue’s qi reacted like that. “…It helps,” is all he allows himself to say, but it seems to be enough, because Lan Xichen motions for him to sit down and starts playing it again. They don’t move until the sky is darkening and it’s becoming harder for Lan Xichen to play, so they bid their goodbyes and retreat for the night.
The next afternoon finds them in the same place, and this time Lan Xichen starts playing without any prompting.
Their friendship develops slowly, more said with sword practice and musical notes than with words, and it’s the talk of every GusuLan student, but neither of them minds when they share stories from their childhoods and fight together on night hunts like they’ve been born to be together.
(Nie Mingjue often speaks of a little brother named Huaisang who is the most terrifying little critter when he actually wants something, and someone named Meng Yao who Lan Xichen absolutely must meet. It’s almost cute how much he talks about them, though Lan Xichen doesn’t say that – but he looks forward to meeting Mingjue-xiong’s favorite people more with every talk.)
In the end it’s not until a few months after Nie Mingjue finishes his schooling in Gusu that they’re able to make the trip together, and the first thing that greets them is, rather predictably, Huaisang jumping into his brother’s arms, Meng Yao following slowly a bit behind him.
This time, Nie Mingjue doesn’t get a kiss on the cheek, but he’s going to forgive Meng Yao, because the other’s obviously busy trying to keep his mouth from falling open as Lan Xichen smiles at him. The First Jade of GusuLan is obviously an unparalleled beauty, but no matter how many times Mingjue had told Meng Yao that, it’s a different thing entirely to see it with his own eyes.
“You must be Meng Yao. My name is Lan Xichen, and it’s a pleasure to meet you – Mingjue-xiong has told me a lot about you.”
Meng Yao, dazed: “He has?” To Nie Mingjue, he mouths discreetly, ‘Mingjue-xiong’? Nie Mingjue tries to stifle his smirk, with only moderate results. Huaisang pouts in his arms and starts complaining about wanting sweets.
Lan Xichen smiles beatifically. “Of course – it was all that was coming out of his mouth, whenever we talked. Ah, and of course, he also mentioned Huaisang quite often.” That, at least, seem to placate his little brother some, but the pout is still rather prominent, so Mingjue makes a snap decision.
“We’re going to the market now. A-Sang, go tell Madam Liu you’re going out. A-Yao, stay – I’m paying.” Huaisang runs into the Lotus Garden like his life’s on the line, and Lan Xichen chuckles as he watches him go.
“He’s eleven, right?” Lan Xichen asks, “My brother is also his age, but he never runs around like that.”
“That might have something to do with the fact it’s forbidden to run in the Cloud Recesses,” is all Nie Mingjue can say on the topic, because Huaisang comes barreling out of the entrance, a wide grin on his face, and immediately starts dragging him in the direction of the market.
(He will forever deny this if ever asked, but at that Nie Mingjue’s lip curls up in something suspiciously close to adoration.)
Nie Mingjue can hear Meng Yao and Lan Xichen talking quietly behind him, and he can’t resist the temptation to look at them. Lan Xichen is leaning in Meng Yao’s space, commenting at something in his arms, and there’s an almost invisible blush high on Meng Yao’s cheeks. They look close, cute, and something squeezes Nie Mingjue’s heart in a way he doesn’t entirely hate.
Liu Yifei’s gaze is amused as she pours Nie Mingjue a cup of tea and hands it over. “Problems with Meng Yao? Or maybe with Lan Xichen?”
There are no problems at all between the three of them, and in fact they’re becoming closer with every passing day. Or, well – the problem is that there are no problems, Nie Mingjue thinks, because now he wants a lot more than what he’s allowed to have and he doesn’t know what to do about it.
Liu Yifei sighs and takes a sip of her scalding-hot tea. “A-Jue, do you remember when you were so torn up over your father’s actions?” It’s not possible he’d ever be able to forget that conversation, of course, so Mingjue nods. “Do you remember what I told you, that most people are led by their hearts?”
“I do.”
Liu Yifei, “I think you took my words back then a little too literally. A-Jue, there isn’t anything wrong with taking what your heart wants, as long as you’re not hurting anybody while doing it. You’ve known duty all your life – isn’t it high time to know a little bit of love, too?”
“I’ll… think about it.”
.
(The next day, Nie Mingjue, Meng Yao and Lan Xichen walk in together, shoulders brushing, contentment in every line of their bodies. Liu Yifei smiles, and invites them to a cup of tea.)