Chapter Text
It was a hot summer in Yunmeng, probably the hottest since before Wei Ying came to live with them in the Lotus Pier, which had been so long ago that Jiang Cheng occasionally forgot that he hadn't always been here, by his side. Melting under the sun, he got a feeling that if it went on like this for any longer, they could easily cook soup in the boiling water of the lakes. The steam would cover the entire dock, and they'd have enough food to feed everyone from here to Qishan and back.
On the other hand, it'd spoil too quickly. Besides, who would want to eat soup with water ghouls? Eugh.
They were slacking off, as usual. Well, according to Wei Ying, they were conserving energy and making sure they wouldn't end up with a sun-stroke from all the action, but it was a flimsy excuse if you asked Jiang Cheng. Still, practicing sword forms in the searing heat wasn't exactly his idea of fun, so here they were.
“Jiang Cheng,” Wei Ying whined next to him, dramatically flopping down on the hard wooden planks of the pavilion. “Jiang Cheng, I'm bored.”
“I'm not moving,” he said before Wei Ying had a chance to suggest anything. “How do you even have the energy to talk?”
“Talking requires no energy,” Wei Ying claimed boldly as if it'd somehow make it factually correct, “besides, I have an idea.”
“No.”
“What?”
“You have that annoying smile on your face,” Jiang Cheng grumbled, “and I do not want to know what you're thinking about.”
“Okay,” Wei Ying agreed easily and fell completely silent. Bastard.
Jiang Cheng stared resolutely at the softly swaying reeds and tried to get lost in the sounds of buzzing insects and muffled voices. It'd be so easy to doze off and wake up to a-jie's laughter and a plate of watermelon slices. It'd be perfect.
He didn't even last two fēn*.
“Fine, what is it?”
Wei Ying beamed at him.
So now Jiang Cheng was standing in a secluded alleyway in Yunmeng, panting and bearing more similarities with a beggar than with an heir to one of the biggest sects. Next to him, Wei Ying was clutching his stomach, trying not to fall to the ground from the force of his uncontrollable laughter.
“Have you... Haha... Have you seen that guy's face?” he asked, wiping tears from his eyes. “He was so spooked, Jiang Cheng! I thought he'd piss himself! We should do this more often.”
“Idiot, that man was so angry he threatened to feed us to dogs.”
Wei Ying shuddered at the mention of his sworn nemeses, but his mood stayed as cheerful as ever. “Yeah, but before that! It was hilarious, admit it.”
There was only so much Jiang Cheng could do to stop a stupid Wei-Ying-like laugh from bubbling out of him, and it was simply a matter of moments before he was grinning too. His heart was beating fast with excitement and gleefulness.
“Yes,” he replied, biting his bottom lip, but the smile was already too big to contain it. “Yes, I thought he'd jump out of his skin.”
“Exactly!” Wei Ying exclaimed excitedly and bumped his shoulder against Jiang Cheng's. “Now you see why this is our best idea.”
He nodded in confirmation.
The idea was simple, really, but worked surprisingly well all things considered. Wei Ying, inspired by their first successful night hunt they were actually allowed to participate in instead of just watching it unfold from a safe distance, had suggested that they dress up as fierce corpses and scare some town folk. He'd smeared soot all over their faces and arms, drawn dark veins with ink, and even lent Jiang Cheng one of his plain black robes, saying that it hadn't fit him right for quite some time anyway. That had momentarily ignited a jealous spark in Jiang Cheng's stomach at the reminder of Wei Ying's age and height superiority. Although the feeling had quickly subsided, replaced by anticipation of their upcoming adventure.
When Jiang Cheng had looked in the mirror, he'd had to admit, Wey Ying had done a pretty decent job. Under the right lighting they could definitely be mistaken for reanimated corpses.
“Jiang Cheng,” Wei Ying yelled and jabbed him in the ribs, startling him out of his reverie.
“What?” he snapped, turning to face the source of his misery.
“Nothing. You just looked so thoughtful.” Wei Ying paused, drew closer, and then whispered conspiratorially, as if sharing a secret, “I was afraid your head might explode from all the hard thinking. Since you're unused to it.”
“You!” Jiang Cheng sputtered as Wei Ying took off in the direction of the Lotus Pier and hurried after him. He was going to break that bastard's legs!
When he caught up with him, they were nearing the main gates. The sun was hanging low in the sky, and this close to water the afternoon heat was beginning to give way to the pleasant cool of the evening. Even the black of Wei Ying's robes looked closer to purple in this light. He wondered if a-jie was waiting for them with another home-cooked dish she wanted her brothers to try.
“Ah, Jiang Cheng, finally,” Wei Ying said with a smile that promised even more trouble, “I thought I'd have to wait for hours before you closed the distance. You have such short le–”
He didn't get to finish the sentence before Jiang Cheng promptly pushed him off the pier. For a moment, the lake's surface was still, but then something pulled at his robes from behind, and he stumbled backwards as tan hands dragged him into the water.
The soot and ink on Wei Ying's face got smudged even further, but didn't come off entirely, stubbornly clinging to his skin. He himself probably looked no better.
“Revenge!” Wei Ying exclaimed and splashed him in the face. Jiang Cheng wondered if there ever was or would be a more annoying person than the one in front of him, then came to a conclusion that it was unlikely. A fight broke out as quickly as it had many times before. Let it be known that Jiang Cheng never backed down from a challenge.
When they were both exhausted from all the running, swimming, and fighting, Wei Ying pulled himself up on the pier, shaking off the water like a stray dog – a comparison he'd hate if he ever heard it – and offered Jiang Cheng his hand. Right as they finished straightening their damp and irreversibly ruined robes, they spotted a tall figure exiting one of the pavilions. The one that wasn't exactly off-limits to them, but they were also discouraged from loitering around there, especially these days. Without saying a word, they exchanged mischievous looks and ran towards it.
His father was walking at a leisurely pace, looking somewhat lost in thought. A perfect victim for their last prank of the day. Making their steps as soft and light as possible, they drew near, spurred on by the promise of a funny look on his father's face. Just as they rounded the corner, ready to prance and let out their best impression of a corpse's roar, they were yanked back by the collars of their robes. The motion startled them both, but it was the realization of who exactly caught them that was more unsettling. Only a moment ago they were alone, and now his mother was towering over them, Zidian sparking menacingly on her finger. Jiang Cheng couldn't help but wince internally, bracing himself for a round of loud lecturing.
“What is the meaning of this?” his mother asked, her voice deceptively low, but Jiang Cheng knew it was not for long. Everyone born in Yunmeng would tell you the sky was always the calmest before a big storm. “Why are you running around looking like street beggars? Maybe it's second nature for him, but you, Jiang Cheng... You shouldn't shame your sect with such inappropriate behavior!"
Wei Ying didn't even flinch at the pointed jab and just lowered his head further as if in submission when Jiang Cheng dared a fleeting look at him. He was ready to look away when he caught a shadow of Wei Ying's smug smile. Then the person who, according to his father, was supposed to be his shixiong and role model… winked at him, showing no remorse at all. The action was so unexpected and out of place that it was almost impossible not to smile back at him. But Jiang Cheng was an expert who took pride in his ability to ignore Wei Ying's stunts and taunts, so he managed. Just barely, though.
“If you have no self-respect, think of your family's image, of your ancestors,” his mother continued, thankfully too focused on disciplining them to notice their silent conversation. “The impertinence! Unbelievable. You are to clean your ancestors' tablets and kneel before them until I retrieve you. Be grateful, if we were in Meishan, you'd be whipped until you saw stars. Dismissed.” Shaking her head, she left them to join her husband who was already far beyond his and Wei Ying's reach.
The punishment was surprisingly mild, but neither of them was so stupid as to ask for more. If his mother was in a good mood, there was no need to test her patience and their luck.
“We'll get Jiang-shushu next time,” Wei Ying told him as they started walking. Even after being chastised he radiated mischief and happiness. Sometimes Jiang Cheng doubted there was anything that could upset him, even though he knew it wasn't true.
“And then mother will whip us for sure,” Jiang Cheng added to bring him back to earth.
“Maybe,” Wei Ying said as he turned, walking backwards, “but I still want to try. Don't you?”
Jiang Cheng didn't reply.
They spent some time cleaning the ancestral hall and bickering over the best ways to fish and what music instrument was the most boring to listen to. And while they couldn't find any middle ground when it came to fishing — Jiang Cheng just couldn't believe that anyone would prefer to fish with nothing but their bare hands — they eventually agreed that guqin put both of them to sleep faster than anything else.
When the sun finally hid under the water, his father walked in and looked them over.
“I'm here to relieve you from your duties, boys,” he said gently, smiling and nodding in the general direction of their rooms, “you can go now.” As they thanked him and started moving, he added, "Don't stay up too long."
It was clearly meant for Wei Ying who sometimes forgot he was indeed human and needed sleep like the rest of them, so Jiang Cheng didn't bother with saying anything.
“Yes, Jiang-shushu,” Wei Ying replied, laughing. And then they were off.
As suspected, Wei Ying didn't go to sleep after washing the ink off and putting on clean under robes. Instead he barged into Jiang Cheng's room despite his loud protests — both of them knew the complaining was half-hearted at best. He didn't even manage to open his mouth, probably to tease Jiang Cheng even more, before he was promptly interrupted.
“Don't you think father is acting weird?” The question came out rushed and inarticulate, but it was too late to back off now.
Wei Ying froze in place and quirked his eyebrow in a sign of confusion and curiosity, “Weird how?”
“He keeps disappearing inside that pavilion, but we both know there's nothing of note there. So he must be hiding something.”
“Hiding something?” Wei Ying asked as he sat down in front of him and leaned closer, his eyes laughing. Jiang Cheng could've sworn he felt all his blood rush towards his cheeks and ears. “Why?”
“Well, what else would he be doing there? And he's been more affectionate with us lately. Come to think of it, mother too… Something is off, I'm telling you.” As he finished speaking, he realized that it sounded like childish mumbling, so he tried to fix it by quickly adding something in a more self-assured tone that his father used whenever a cultivator from another sect paid them an official visit, “I think there's a hidden room there, or at least a compartment. The building seems bigger from the outside, doesn't it? If you don't care about it, just say so.”
“Oh no, I'm hooked,” Wei Ying smiled wickedly and then lowered his voice as his face took on a serious expression, “let's investigate then, Cheng Cheng.”
“Ugh,” he exclaimed, pushing Wei Ying away from himself, “don't call me that ever again!”
Wei Ying laughed so hard that he started coughing. Served him right.
