Chapter Text
For all that Uncle Jiang Cheng half-heartedly threatened to break Jin Ling’s leg or forbade him to come back from night hunting unless he killed the most monsters, there was no place in the whole wide world where Jin Ling felt safer than in his Uncle’s arms. For all his angry posturing, Uncle had thrown himself—disarmed and wounded—between Jin Ling and an angry pixiu. Even with Sandu in a ravine and bleeding all over the place, he didn’t hesitate to shield Jin Ling with his own body. Jin Ling knew with absolute certainty that if he actually didn’t come back from a night hunt, half the Jiang sect would come looking for him. As for leg breaking, well, if anyone even looked like they might want to break Jin Ling’s leg, Uncle would rip them to shreds.
When Jin Ling’s world collapsed in the wake of Uncle Guangyao’s schemes coming to light, the only reason why Jin Ling and his entire sect didn’t get crushed under the rubble were Uncle Jiang Cheng’s broad shoulders holding the falling sky up.
Jin Ling was woefully unprepared to become a sect leader. Uncle Guangyao had always encouraged him to go have fun with his friends and leave the boring stuff to him. Naturally, Jin Ling had been happy to listen. What little he knew about leading a sect, he learned from Uncle Jiang Cheng, who let—and sometimes outright ordered—Jin Ling to sit-in on his meetings. Occasionally he would ask Jin Ling to read the correspondence addressed to ‘Sect Leader Jiang’ and ask what Jin Ling would do, offering grudging praise or better alternatives depending on his answer. Still, it didn’t change the fact that Jin Ling was out of his depth.
Jin clan’s trustworthiness had already been undermined by his grandfather’s cowardly actions during the Sunshot campaign. Jin Guangyao had done his best to fix their reputation but... But then Guanyin temple happened, and things got much, much worse.
Minor sects were well aware that the Jin sect had no sly advisor to replace Jin Guangyao and that the new leader was an inexperienced child.
(Most minor sects seemed to have forgotten that the inexperienced child also had a temperamental, very protective, downright terrifying maternal uncle.)
Jin Ling rubbed his temples to stave off the headache threatening to overtake his concentration. Yet another minor sect leader had conveniently forgotten to inform Jin Ling about an important matter. Yet another sect had failed to ask for Jin Ling’s permission. Yet another meeting had been held without him. Jin Ling tried to imagine what Uncle Jiang Cheng would do in his place, but it was no use. No one in their right mind would dare disrespect Sandu Shengshou. A hint of Zidian sparking, echoing its wielder’s displeasure, and sect leaders would scramble to appease him. But no matter how hard he tried to emulate him, Jin Ling lacked Uncle Jiang Cheng’s intimidating self-assuredness and the natural confidence he exuded.
Trying to ignore the persistent throbbing above his eyes, he let the missive fall on the table with a defeated sigh. Enough of this. Ordering Jin Lei to make sure he wouldn’t be disturbed, he took Fairy for a stroll through the gardens. He needed to forget about his responsibilities for a moment, stop being Sect Leader Jin, and simply be. (At times like this he missed Lotus Pier and swimming in the river and playing with Jiang Tao and he desperately missed his Uncle. Both of them.)
Jin Lei found him after what felt like minutes.
“What now?” he growled, headache returning with vengeance. He knew Jin Lei wouldn’t disturb him if it wasn’t important.
“Sect Leader Jiang is here,” she said with a bow. “He’s waiting for you in the Azure Hall.”
What is Uncle doing here?
Jin Ling sprinted across the Koi Tower, Fairy at his heels.
“Uncle!” he burst into the Azure Hall and barely remembered to bow respectfully. “What brings you here?”
Uncle Jiang Cheng scoffed at his manners but returned the greeting without commenting. “Just stopping by on my way to Cloud Recesses.”
Jin Ling suspected that vast majority of things that brought Uncle to Gusu could have been handled by a simple letter but Uncle chose to settle them in person just so he could check on Jin Ling. (His supervision should probably feel oppressive but given the circumstances, Jin Ling was grateful.)
An attentive servant brought them tea. They seated themselves at the low table and Fairy settled down by Uncle’s cushion, unashamedly asking for belly rubs, which he was happy to give her. He took a perfunctory sip before setting the cup down.
“Care to tell me why the servants looked relieved to see me?”
Jin Ling considered telling him that everything was fine. After all, he couldn’t and shouldn’t always hide behind Uncle’s robes. He was almost adult; he should be able to handle his own problems. Even if he had no idea how.
“A-Ling?”
It was the gentleness and concern in Uncle’s voice that broke him. He opened his mouth—to say what, he didn’t really know—but instead, a sob escaped from his chest, unguarded. Jin Ling suddenly felt crushed under all the stress of the recent weeks, exhausted from lack of sleep and his never-ending headache.
Uncle Jiang Cheng was on his feet in an instant, and in a blink of an eye Jin Ling was drawn against his firm chest. Uncle’s robes smelled like home and safety and Jin Ling allowed himself to have this moment of weakness. He cried.
Uncle held him until he ran out of tears. Jin Ling reluctantly pulled back, feeling drained, fragile and utterly miserable. He noticed a wet patch on his Uncle’s robes.
“Sorry about that,” he mumbled, motioning to the dark stain on the otherwise pristine purple cloth.
Uncle handed him a handkerchief to wipe his face. “I didn’t complain when you soiled my robes with drool, vomit, food, ink, blood or dirt. Or on that one memorable occasion when you peed on me as a baby.” Jin Ling let out a mortified squeak. “A few tears and snot are nothing I can’t handle.” He refilled Jin Ling’s cup. “Drink and tell me what’s wrong.”
“Some minor sect leaders are being disrespectful,” he admitted, too ashamed of himself to look Uncle in the eye.
“Details, Rulan.” It wasn’t Uncle Jiang Cheng who asked, it was Sect Leader Jiang Wanyin.
Jin Ling told him everything. The more he spoke, the more Uncle’s face clouded with anger. Not anger directed at Jin Ling but wrath at anyone who dared make his nephew’s life miserable.
When Jin Ling finished, Uncle took a deep breath and unclenched his fists.
“I’ll take care of it,” he promised darkly. “Go wash your face, eat something, and take a nap. You look like shit. I’ll kick you into the lake if you don’t start taking better care of yourself.”
Uncle rose, giving Fairy one last affectionate ear scritch, and left, his cloak trailing after him like an angry dragon’s tail.
Jin Ling did as Uncle suggested. He washed, forced himself to eat, and fell asleep the moment he closed his eyes, only waking up the following mid-morning.
He had no idea what Uncle Jiang Cheng did but over the next few days Jin Ling received several very expensive apology gifts, accompanied by letters dripping with respect. No one dared disregard Jin Ling after that.
The next time he saw his Uncle, Jin Ling ran through Cloud Recesses to hug him, proper manners and disapproving stares of Lan Elders be damned. And for all that Uncle scolded him and threatened to take Suihua away and send him on a night hunt without it, the fact that he had hugged Jin Ling back belied his words.