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Jiang Cheng, courtesy name Wanyin, heir of the YunmengJiang sect, fifth best-ranked young master in the cultivation world, stands before the mirror in his room, carefully pulling out his waist-length hair from it’s usual updo. He looks at himself for a few moments, in the purple and black colours of his sect, the bell still tied at his hip. He slowly unsheathes Sandu, and feels his eyes sting as he remembers what his father had said to him just a few minutes ago.
Ungrateful. Unworthy. You clearly do not yet understand the motto of YunmengJiang.
Fine, then.
He hears footsteps, and before the door opens, he knows who it is, of course. His father hadn’t come to his room personally in years, and his mother was too busy being disappointed in him to see him. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli pushed open the door just in time to see a mess of black hair fall to the ground, and the first tear fall from his eyes. His hair was now just below shoulder length, long enough to pull into an adequate bun.
“A-Cheng…” Jiang Yanli whispered, sounding horrified and heartbroken, as she stared at the hair on the floor. “What have you done?”
Jiang Cheng looked at his sister, and the tears fell even harder, and he heard a small voice in his head asking, what have you done? Again and again and again, but it was overpowered by the knowledge that he had done it. And there was no going back. He would not yield, and he would not go back.
“A-jie,” he said, taking her hands into his, trying to convey all his emotions to her without saying anything, trying to make her understand why he was doing this. “I’m sorry.”
She looked at him, searching his face for something. He did not know if she found it, but she cried silently as she cupped his face with her hands softly. “You don’t have to apologize to me, A-Cheng. Never to me.” she pulled him into a hug, and he could feel her giving him permission to go. He was grateful. He wanted nothing more than to stay there, in her arms, but he knew he couldn’t. He’d made a choice.
His brother placed a hand on his arm as he pulled away from his sister. “Jiang Cheng,” he pleaded, looking weak and tired from his time in the Xuanwu Cave. “please, don’t do this. This isn’t the time to throw a tantrum-” he stopped himself, but Jiang Cheng looked at him through the blur of his tears. “Go on. Say it.”
“I didn’t mean that,” his brother corrected, pulling at his arm. “Please, don’t do this. Don’t listen to Jiang-shushu, none of that is true, okay? Please, we can fix this-”
“Fix what?” he asked, smiling sadly. “There isn’t anything to fix. Wei Wuxian, you make me a promise, you hear me? Take care of a-jie. Take care of Lotus Pier. don’t do anything stupid.”
Wei Wuxian had tears in his eyes, but he nodded. “I-i promise.”
“Jiang Cheng . Think before you do this,” his mother said to him coldly, her hand firmly gripping his wrist. Jiang Cheng would not let his emotions get the best of him. “With the Wens knocking at our doors, ready to attack, think for your sect, your family. Think about everything you have been working for your entire life. Stop this insanity at once.”
He glared back at his mother. “Don’t worry, a-niang. I’m sure da-shixiong can fulfill my duties far better than I ever could. I’m sorry, but i really should be going now.” he wrenched his arm from her grip, trying to convey his apologies to her before turning away. He nodded to Wei Wuxian, who nodded back, looking back at him with sadness in his eyes. Jiang Yanli stood next to him, her eyes red, her hands trembling as she reached out to him as he passed, and he let her hold his arm for a few moments before he turned to her and bowed.
“Jiang-guniang.” He looked away before he had to see her cry. He bowed to Wei Wuxian. “Wei-gongzi.” his brother bowed back, looking him straight in the eye, with an expression Jiang Cheng could only assume was understanding. Finally, he bowed to his mother. “Yu-furen. Please, give Jiang-zongzhu my regards. Goodbye.”
His father wasn’t there. Jiang Cheng didn’t particularly care. He didn’t need to be. What was done was done.
He wore commoner clothes, no purple, just navy blue. His Jiang family bell was tucked into his bag, which his sister had refused to take from him. His hair in a simple bun, his sword held at his side, and a simple travelling bag slung over his shoulder, he walked out of Lotus Pier, feeling terrified, nervous, but he didn’t look back. He wouldn’t. He walked out, not as Jiang Cheng, courtesy name Wanyin, heir to the YunmengJiang sect, but as Jiang Wanyin, a boy with no direction, and a promise to himself, to never turn back, until he had succeeded in attempting the impossible.
*
Two weeks later, he found himself crouched behind the outer wall of Lotus Pier, having rushed back after hearing about the Wen soldiers marching towards it. He watched in horror as his father dueled with Wen Zhuliu, his mother, sister, and Wei Wuxian nowhere to be seen. Panicking, he moved to jump in, to save his father, to tear these Wen dogs apart. Just as he did, Jiang Fengmian fell to his knees, and his father’s eyes met his, first with confusion, then fear, then understanding. He gave the slightest of nods in Jiang Wanyin’s direction, and Jiang Wanyin wanted to say something, do something. But he was frozen.
And then all he saw was blood, splattering to the ground, and his father’s body falling into it, his blood soaking the floor of Lotus Pier, mingling with that of other disciples as they lay around him, dead.
*
Jiang Wanyin didn't know what to do, but he decided to start looking for his family immediately, trying to keep the image of his father's dead body out of his mind as he searched. Finally, he tracked them down to a small town on the border of Qinghe, and watched as Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Yanli shuffled into the most rundown tavern in town. He took a deep breath, making his way through corners and sidestepping employees of the tavern. the rain was pouring outside, so no one questioned some random stranger wanting to take shelter in the tavern for some time. he went straight to the door which he had seen them disappear behind.
He steeled his nerves, and thought idly for a moment, what will they think if they see me now? sopping wet, thinner already, looking nothing like he would have a few weeks ago. He knocked, and no one answered. his dread growing, he knocked again. still no answer.
He remembered too late who his mother was. Especially after what she had just been through, the door burst open, and Jiang Wanyin, caught off guard, was dragged into the room, Zidian tied around him so he couldn’t move, and slammed against a wall, with a sword to his throat. His mother looked insane, bleeding, and tired, but still as fierce as she ever was. Jiang Yanli stood in the corner of the room, sopping wet, and looking as though she would collapse. “A-Cheng,” she said, relief breaking through her face.
He almost yelled in joy, because they were alive, both of them were still alive, and that must mean Wei Wuxian was somewhere nearby as well. He contained himself, and nodded. “Jiang-guniang. Yu-furen.”
Yu Ziyuan dropped him, and called Zidian back, before collapsing onto the ground.
“A-niang!” the two Jiang siblings rushed to her side, trying to pick her up again. With what seemed like most of her strength, she pushed Jiang Wanyin away. “Traitor,” she snarled. “How did you find us? Why?”
He ignored her questions, instead taking her arm again, and leading her gently to the bed. He checked her pulse then her wounds. “Jiang-guniang, there are bandages and herbs in my bag. Could you get them?”
Jiang Yanli nodded, grabbing his bag and rummaging through it until she found them. “A-Cheng, why do you have this?”
“I’ve been travelling alone for weeks,” he replied, setting his mind to bandaging his mother’s wounds, which she, surprisingly, allowed him to do. She glared at him the entire time, and even snapped at him. “Answer my question, Jiang Cheng. Don’t make me whip you.”
“With all due respect, Yu-furen, you are in no shape to be doing any of that right now. Please stay still.”
“You insolent, traitorous little-”
“A-niang,” Jiang Yanli interjected, sounding tired and sad. “Please, we can’t have you collapsing. Your spiritual energy is already very low now-”
“Silence!” Yu Ziyuan growled, grabbing Jiang Cheng by the collar. “How did you find us? ”
“i went to Lotus Pier after i heard the Wen dogs had gone there,” he answered, cleaning the blood off of his hands. “I...i was too late. When i got there..” he couldn’t say it. He wouldn’t.
He harbored resentment for his father. He had left his sect because of him. But he knew his father cared for him. His father had given him his sword, had taught him how to shoot a bow and arrow. He had taught him how to be a future sect leader. And he had died thinking his son hated him so much that he would abandon him.
“I’m sorry,” he sobbed, falling to his knees. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I should have saved him. I should have been there.”
his sister knelt next to him. “A-Cheng,” she said, her voice cracking. “A-die?”
He shook his head, not wanting to say it.
She clutched arms, and let out a sob that seemed to wrack through her entire body. They stayed like that for a while, two siblings, torn apart, brought together again, with their mother looking at them helplessly, as the news of her husband’s death sank in.
Through his tears, he looked at his sister. “A-jie, where is Wei Wuxian?” She looked up at him slowly, crying harder. “A-jie? A-jie! Where is he? Is he hurt?”
“Wei Wuxian was taken hostage by Wen Chao while we were escaping,” Yu Ziyuan said, sounding as though she had a head-cold. “We don’t know where he is, except that when we were in town, we heard the guards who were patrolling talking about him. They said they were ‘sending him to the graves’.”
*
Lan Wangji, Jiang Wanyin had found, was indeed a force to be reckoned with when he was angry. And he was furious.
He had rushed to Qinghe in less than a few hours when he had gotten Jiang Wanyin’s plea for help. Having successfully convinced his mother and sister to stay in the Unclean Realm, recover, then with the help of the Nie sect, they could take back Lotus Pier.
“Kneel.”
the Wen dogs, drunk and scared, knelt immediately.
Lan Wangji’s furious expression did not change. “Where is Wei Ying?”
“Please, please, give us mercy, please-”
Jiang Cheng felt Zidian unfurling, crackling with purple sparks and coursing with energy. He had tried to give it back to his mother when she had slid the ring onto his finger. It is yours now. It will protect you, as I cannot anymore.
“Answer the question,” he said, with all the authority he had once seen in his father and the full force of the anger inherited from his mother.
“We- we threw Wei Wuxian into the Burial Mounds! We never saw or heard from him again! By this time, there is probably nothing left but his skeleton! Please, have mercy on us, please-”
His heart dropped as this information set in. He and Lan Wangji exchanged a dark look. Sending him to the graves, indeed. There might be no soul left, nor even a skeleton.
*
Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji watches in horrified fascination as Wei Wuxian raises a slender black flute to his lips, and starts a frenzied, chaotic tune, making Wen Chao cower and scream louder, and Wen Zhuliu, the Core Crusher himself, somehow couldn’t catch him-
Just as it seemed that Wen Zhuliu had snagged his hand on Wei Wuxian, Jiang Wanyin crashed down to the room, Zidian wrapping itself around Wen Zhuliu’s throat, and with a sharp tug, Wen Zhuliu was raised to the rafters, gasping and kicking. Soon enough, the mighty Cores Crusher stopped moving completely. Jiang Wanyin imagined what his father would say about his murderer getting justice in such a way from his wayward son. He could only hope he was at peace.
Wei Wuxian stared at him, looking nothing like the young genius disciple Jiang Wanyin had left in Lotus Pier. He looked older, thinner, and not like himself. “Jiang Cheng? What are you doing here?”
Jiang Wanyin glared at him, hitting him lightly on the shoulder. “Looking for you, obviously. Where have you been these last few months?”
Wei Wuxian grinned, but the smile did not quite reach his eyes. “So you’re back. Have you been reinstated?” he asked, deflecting the question.
“No,” he replied. “And i’m not back. I’m leaving when all of this is over.”
“Out on the open roads, all alone, once again?” his brother asked, still giving him that odd grin.
“Not as if i need anyone to protect me anymore,” Jiang Wanyin replied.
Wei Wuxian shook his head, and they embraced for a few moments. It felt nice, even if Wei Wuxian was not exactly the same as he was before, his brother was back, and for now, that was enough. “Jiang Cheng, you really have grown up, haven’t you?”
*
Jiang Cheng held his mother in his arms, sobbing, as she bled on his clothes. “A-niang-”
“A-Cheng,” she whispered, her breathing uneven, her hand shaking as she cupped his face, gently wiping away a tear. “My son, my son…” she smiled, and it looked gruesome with the blood pouring out of her mouth. “You must help your sister. She must be the sect leader now. She must be strong. You all must be strong. A-Cheng, promise me, you will rebuild Lotus Pier. You will stay together, and you will prosper. You must.”
He nodded, his tears falling, mixing with his mother’s blood. “A-niang-”
“Hush now,” she said, her eyes fluttering. “I am proud of you, my son. I am sorry, for not saying it before. And thank you, for coming back to me.”
Yu Ziyuan died in her son’s arms, having fought off a hundred Wen soldiers almost single-handedly. She had freed her home. She had rallied her forces, and she had died a hero.
She died, Jiang Wanyin would later realise, in the same spot her husband had.
*
Jiang Yanli had changed into her new, incredibly fancy sect leader clothes, and Wei Wuxian was still dressed in shades of black and red, his flute at his side. Jiang Wanyin sat with them, still not in full Jiang colours, but with slight hints of purple in the midst of his navy blue robes, Zidian rested on his hand, ready to unfurl and attack at a moment's notice.
Jiang Yanli was now the sect leader, and though she still maintained her kind, soft spoken-ness, she was far more serious now, and both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin were surprised as to how well she recruited and organized her troops, and despite her cultivation not being very strong, she still managed to skillfully lead them into battle time and time again, her eyes serious, tired, but now seeming more and more like that of her late mother’s: fiery, and passionate.
The war was over. Wen Ruohan was dead, the YunmengJiang sect was getting back on its feet and Jin Guangshan was staring at Lan Xichen with a look of horror and disgust. “A wedding alliance between your brother and who?"
Jiang Wanyin grimaced, looking at his brother, who was looking at Lan Wangji, who was looking at the floor.
Lan Xichen somehow kept his head held high, as he looked at Jiang Yanli. “If Jiang-zongzhu is willing to agree, with the consent of Wei-gongzi, of course, then we from GusuLan would like to offer a marriage alliance, so that we may be further united, and brought closer.”
Jiang Yanli and Jiang Wanyin looked at their brother, who seemed nonchalant, drinking as though it were any other normal day. “If Zewu-jun and Lan-xiansheng are willing to put up with me, then by all means, I accept,” he said, grinning at Lan Wangji. Jiang Yanli stood, bowing to Lan Xichen. “We, of course, are honoured by your generous offer, and accept your proposition, as long as Lan-er gongzi has consented.”
Lan Wangji gave the slightest of nods, his expression unchanging. Jin Guangshan, once again, decided to interject. “This is preposterous,” he said, glaring at the two sect leaders before him. “To put these two young men together, as though they were cutsleeves, not from two of the Great Sects-”
Jiang Yanli bowed to him, interrupting smoothly. “With all due respect, Jin-zongzhu, this is a matter between the GusuLan sect and YunmengJiang sect. As long as Wei Wuxian and Lan-er gongzi are willing, we will, of course, accept this alliance. Thank you for your concern.”
Sect Leader Yao, ever the meddler, tried to interject. “But what of Lotus Pier? Surely you cannot let go of your head disciple when your home is in shambles, Jiang-zongzhu.”
Lan Xichen was still smiling. “We will, of course, let the two have an engagement period, long enough for the YunmengJiang sect to get back on its feet. We will do our best to aid them in this.” he bowed to Jiang Yanli, before both of them sat down.
“But-”
Zidian crackled to life, curling around Jiang Wanyin’s hand of its own accord. He looked at Sect Leader Yao, his face illuminated by the purple glow from his whip. “Jiang-zongzhu and Zewu-jun have made it clear that this is a family matter. As long as no one from either family has a problem, then why should anyone else?”
Sect Leader Yao spluttered. “You insolent little-”
But Jiang Wanyin didn’t hear what he was, because he was already walking out.
*
“Jiang-zongzhu! Do not cross your limits!” Jin Guangshan yelled, spittle flying everywhere.
Jiang Wanyin snarled back at him. “Take care of how you speak, Jin-zongzhu.”
Jiang Yanli did not stand down, simply stared straight ahead and repeated herself. “I will be taking the Wen remnants to Lotus Pier. I will give them some land, a place to live, and if they have any cultivators left, they will be well watched after in Lotus Pier. Wen Qing and Wen Ning will be watched with utmost security, I assure you.”
“This is preposterous! They are war criminals! They were to be executed!”
Wei Wuxian stepped forward, one hand on Chenqing, his flute. “They are innocent people whom you were going to slaughter for no reason.”
“No reason?” Jin Zixun asked, arrogant as ever. “Is the YunmengJiang sect now standing up for those who have oppressed us for years now? Are you speaking for the lowly, pathetic dogs of QishanWen?”
“We are speaking for those who had nothing to do with the war. Wen Qing and Wen Ning helped us take over Lotus Pier, they fed us information, they took risks on their own lives to help us to the greatest extent that they could. Moreover, most of these Wen remnants are distant family, and are innocent.”
Jin Guangshan sneered. “I see Jiang-zongzhu is too softhearted to see the truth here. Perhaps we should have expected that, coming from a young woman; she is too taken in by her emotions and the words of those around her.”
Wei Wuxian stepped forward, looking furious, one hand on his flute, the resentful energy already unfurling like black smoke around him, but in a second Lan Wangji was next to him, whispering, his hand on the Wei Wuxian's arm. “Wei Ying. Control yourself.”
Lan Xichen stood. “We will stand with Jiang-zongzhu. These people are innocent, and if Wen Qing and Wen Ning really have helped them during the wartime, then that is a debt that the YunmengJiang sect can repay by giving them somewhere to stay, learn, and live.”
Nie Mingjue also stood up, looking mildly perturbed, but Jiang Wanyin knew the man was logical, and despite his hatred for Wens, he hated injustice even more. “We too, shall stand with Jiang-zongzhu, who has shown many times that she is far more capable than we give her credit for. I have never seen her to be swayed by her emotions, nor by the words of those around her. She is an honorable woman, and if she wishes to take the Wen remnants and reform them, then we shall stand by YunmengJiang in their endeavors.”
Three great sects versus one. Jin Guangshan had no choice but to let them go, albeit after grinding his teeth about it some more. “On your own heads be it,” he growled, before dismissing them with a petulant wave of his hand.
*
Jiang Wanyin stands outside Lotus Pier, taking it all in; the new designs his sister had planned, the decorations for the wedding that were still up, the lights still flickering in many of the inner rooms. He turns to leave, when he hears someone tutting behind him. Wei Wuxian stands behind him, still in his wedding outfit, looking at him as though he had caught Jiang Wanyin sneaking out. Which he had , but that's besides the point. “Leaving so soon?”
“Does Lan-er gongzi know that you’re out here instead of in your room? I’m pretty sure that’s where you’re supposed to be when you’ve just gotten married.”
Wei Wuxian bounced over to him, slinging an arm around his shoulder. “Aiya, Jiang Cheng. You won’t at least stay until tomorrow? Everything has just barely settled down, I want to spend some time with my shidi before I'm carted off to Cloud Recesses.”
Jiang Wanyin shoved him off lightly. “You can see me whenever you want.”
“I still would even if I couldn't,” his brother replied, sighing. “Alas, Wen Ning and I will be going to Cloud Recesses next week with Lan Zhan so that we can try to save him. And hopefully me, as well.” he placed a hand on Jiang Wanyin’s shoulder. “Do you remember, before, we made a promise to each other? That you would be clan leader one day, and i would be your subordinate, just like your father and mine were? Who would have thought it would have ended up so differently?”
“Different,” Jiang Wanyin echoed, glancing around. “But better. A-jie is far better at all this than i ever could be.”
“Thank you, A-Cheng,” came Jiang Yanli’s voice from behind him. She was still in her formal outfit as well, but her hair was in a simpler style than it had been for the wedding celebration. “A-Xian, it isn’t good manners to leave your fiance alone on the first night of marriage,” she chided, while Wei Wuxian scrunched up his nose.
“Lan Zhan is probably already asleep,” he said, looking bored. “And if i weren’t here, i wouldn’t have intercepted our young runaway, would i?”
Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes. “Lan-xiansheng is going to have a qi deviation the moment you set foot in Cloud Recesses, i can tell.”
Wei Wuxian gave him a light shove. “I’m a delight to have around. You’re going to miss me when I'm gone.”
Jiang Yanli laughed. She really did look very regal now, the air of a sect leader prominent in her every action, and yet, she hadn’t changed from the Jiang Yanli she had been before; kind, wise, and gentle. “A-Cheng, are you leaving now? It’s so late-”
“A-jie,” he said soothingly. “I can take care of myself.”
“Of course you can,” she said sadly. “Have you said goodbye to them?”
A-die, a-niang. I’m sorry for what I did. I’ll help a-jie as much as I can, I promise.
“Yes, yes i have.”
She nodded, hugging him gently. “Very well then. But you will visit. You have to. I will drag you back myself if you don’t.”
*
Jiang Wanyin knelt next to Xiao Xingchen, who was bleeding profusely, his white robes staining red, the ground below him turning red as well. His eyes were covered by a white cloth. “Xue Yang,” he croaked. “A-Qing…”
“Please, let me help you, i can call Song-xiong, we can take you to a healer-”
Xiao Xingchen grabbed his collar. “Y-you are Jiang Wanyin?”
“Y-yes. We’ve met before.”
“Zichen is here as well?”
Song Lan. The man had been nearly driven mad in his search for Xiao Xingchen. He had barely managed to hold on while they dueled with Xue Yang, the little upstart delinquent who had ruined their lives. And now he was gone, his only consolation being that his friend was coming to him soon enough. And this time, Xue Yang wasn't going to be in the way.
“Yes," Jiang Wanyin lied softly. “He was looking for you. I met him on the way, and offered my help.”
“Thank you.” he coughed up more blood. “A-Qing,” Xiao Xingchen repeated. “Find her, please. Take care of her. She’s a good child, she could be a cultivator soon. Please, Jiang-gongzi…” he gripped Jiang Wanyin’s collar tighter. “Please, look after her.”
“I-i will.”
Jiang Wanyin hesitated for a moment before speaking again.“Please, if I may ask you for a favour?”
Xiao Xingchen was fading but he nodded, and Jiang Wanyin had to take this chance. He would miss the opportunity if he didn’t. “Where is Baoshan Sanren?”
*
A-Qing was not at all a good child. She was irritable, prone to tantrums, and had rather sharp nails. “I want Daozhang! I want to go back to Daozhang!”
“Your daozhang told me to take care of you. And that’s what i’m going to do.” especially since Song Lan was also gone, and there was no bringing him back. There was no one else who would take A-Qing. Jiang Wanyin wasn't exactly sure how he would either, but he could figure that out later.
Jiang Wanyin had taken her to Yunmeng, back to Lotus Pier, because he had no idea how to raise a child, much less a child like this, who was poor, injured, and very aggressive. “Please sit down, A-Qing.”
She glared at him, not having been able to convince him that she was blind. “No! I want to go back to Daozhang!”
Jiang Wanyin sighed. “I’m sorry, but i cannot. He isn’t here anymore, but he did ask me to take care of you. If you don’t want to live here, that’s fine. But i will not let you go back to begging on the streets as a con-artist.”
She glared at him, but didn’t say anything. Gingerly, she sat down. “Eat the soup. A-jie is a wonderful cook. Don’t be shy to ask for more if you want to.”
He walked out of the room, outside of which Jiang Yanli and Wen Qing stood, smiles on their faces. “A-Cheng, have you really adopted her?”
He shrugged. “If she agrees to come along with me, i will have no problem with it.”
Wen Qing and Jiang Yanli exchanged a knowing look. Wen Qing sighed. “I’ll go check on her wounds.”
The two of them had gotten quite close. He would have to ask his sister about it later.
*
Nie Huaisang’s words rang in his mind as he watched the celebration of the LanlingJin sect from afar. He tried to kill da-ge. He killed his own son, and his father. I have to stop him before he tries something else. Please, give it to me, and I will ask you for nothing more.
A poison well known enough in Yunmeng that those who lived there knew to avoid it. A poison that smells faintly like lotus flowers. A poison, that if administered properly, would make it look as though the victim had had a heart attack.
Jin Guangyao died on a cool night, mid spring.
A week later, the widowed Jin-furen became the sect leader of LanlingJin, with the support of her only son, and two of his young half-siblings, the young, shy Mo Xuanyu, as well as Jin Guangyao’s widowed young wife, and later revealed half-sister, Qin Su. Jin Guangyao’s crimes were exposed for the entire cultivation world to hear.
If anyone noticed the light scent of lotuses over Jin Guangyao’s body, they made sure to keep that to themselves.
*
Jiang Yanli and Jiang Wanyin stood side by side, watching Wei Wuxian, now with a restored golden core, courtesy of a certain immortal, spar with his husband, Hanguang-jun. They moved almost too fast to be able to watch, Bichen against Suibian, Wei Wuxian calling out playful taunts every now and then, while Lan Wangji stayed stony-faced as ever, his movements swift and graceful. On the side, alongside the awed YunmengJiang disciples, the newly christened Jiang Qing stood, watching intently, Lan Yuan next to her, watching the match between his fathers with the same curiosity.
“A-jie,” Jiang Wanyin said, not taking his eyes off the match, “will Wen Qing soon become the mistress of Lotus Pier?”
Yanli smiled. “So you’ve heard.”
“From many servants, in many variations,” he replied, smiling back at her. “She has been good for you, for the sect. It was only a matter of time.”
On his way out of Lotus Pier, he and his daughter were stopped by Wen Qing. “You will not stay longer?”
He shook his head. “I’ve heard of some disturbances in the east. I’d like to get there quickly.”
She sighed. Jiang Qing was already bored, so she wandered away. “Jiang-gongzi. Your sister misses you. And A-Qing will be needing to be trained properly soon enough, among her peers. Will you not consider coming back home even now, even after you have always been family?”
“I have a home,” he replied simply. “That is enough for me. When A-Qing is old enough, I will let her do whatever she wants. She can go to each sect and learn from them. She can come here. She can be rogue, as i am.” I will not place the same burdens I had placed on me on her shoulders. “And I am only a letter or signal away. Besides, Wen-guniang, you of all people should know what it’s like to want to be free.”
Free of a sect. Free of responsibility. Free of having to worry about anything and everything to survive.
An understanding seemed to pass between them.
Jiang Qing and her father walked away from Yunmeng, not with saying goodbye, but with promises of seeing them again, because they were, as Wei Wuxian was constantly saying with that idiotic grin on his face, family.
*
Jiang Wanyin’s name was known throughout the land as a powerful cultivator, a hero of the Sunshot campaign, a rogue cultivator with the power of a Great Sect behind him if he ever so wanted it.
The common people knew him as Sandu Shengshou. Jiang Qing knew him as a-die .
He was, of course, always welcome to Yunmeng, and his sister made a point to dote on her niece as much as possible. He was also always welcome in Cloud Recesses, where he would go even if he wasn’t welcome, because buzz off, Lan Wangji, he wanted to see his brother and make sure he wasn’t doing idiotic things or driving Lan Qiren to a qi deviation.
Most of the time, he wandered. He taught his daughter how to cultivate, and when the time came, he took her to the place where he had kept the sword of Xiao Xingchen, Shuanghua, and it became hers.
And everyday, he woke up knowing he had proven his father wrong. He had subverted everyone's expectations, and he had done as he had once been told he could never do, because he didn’t understand. He had attempted the impossible. And he had succeeded.
And for now, that was enough.