The Boy and his thoughts

First day, was orientation on what to expect in Cloud Recesses.

The Head Teacher, was Lan Qiren, the fuddy-duddy of ALL fuddy-duddies. No wonder guy's still single.

Come to think of it, Lans have TROUBLE marrying unlike most sects. Maybe their dedication to that Wall of Discipline made potential wives squirm and back off than live a very restricting life. Oh, and shitty food, too. In portions where you're only half-full at that! Since the Lans ate this amount all their lives, they must have the stomach size of kittens, things Guest Disciples are NOT.

Yeah, two major turn-offs.

However, many parents hope for their child to learn under said King Fuddy-Duddy.

Because all kids under him, always turn out well.

Well, the two stains on his pristine records, is Huaisang, followed by Wuxian.

Huaisang was in Cloud Recesses for three years now in hopes to motivate him into cultivating by his brother.

Wuxian can guess accurately that the motivation was the stifling lifestyle and shitty food as well as Lan Qiren's rigid strictness. Due to this lifestyle, its natural slackers will do ANYTHING that they WON'T come back a SECOND time! By coming home with Jia Grades!

But dang was the guy resilient!

Him? He got expelled for punching Zixuan in the face, and all-out violence.

So despite how he feels, he must absolutely hold back this time as this time when Zixuan badmouths her three months from now, he has no connection to his shijie.

None at all, he choked.

He ensured he has no ties to the Jiangs and indeed, when he used Paper Metamorphosis around age ten, things were...slightly better. Slightly.

By this time he already has a golden core thus strong enough for this technique now.

Jiang Cheng kept his puppies and has a much happier childhood with Shijie, but its clear Uncle Jiang still looks for him judging by the paperwork in his office. Maps with an X mark where 'he wasn't there'. He at least pays his son more attention now, though 'gentle' strict on him as he was family heir.

Upon seeing those maps, he hid by the Burial Mounds on purpose to his horror when he took a peek.

It was a cycle he cannot repeat. Because Auntie is a bitter and spiteful, abusive woman.

When he recalled all his memories of his past with the Jiangs, there's so many things WRONG ever since he was taken in when he re-evaluated his past.

Uncle Jiang has...poor communication skills that he was sometimes unwittingly insensitive. He lets his wife know when he's losing his patience with her haranguing, but instead of properly confronting her, he would say no more than along the lines of a firm 'That's enough,' and walk away instead of addressing the issue. And in the moments when she would berate any of her children, he doesn't make much effort to stop her even when he's displeased. Either he lacks a spine, or he knows it's pointless to try and speak up and decides to not waste his breath. Then again, he has been with Yu Ziyuan for more than a decade, so it's possible that he wasn't always like this and only gave up trying to reason with her around halfway through their marriage.

After he takes him in, uncle was never able to be rid of the rumors that Wei Wuxian was actually his child through the boy's mother Cangse Sanren, who he was said to have been in love with. This ends up damaging his already thin relationship with his wife and his children. This is instead twisted into an ugly rumor that he was unfaithful to Yu Ziyuan and that he was in love with Cangse Sanren, Wuxian's mother. This causes Yu Ziyuan to resent Wuxian and her husband, even trying to pit her own children against the two. However, his gentler treatment of Wuxian compared to that of his actual children doesn't help diffuse the rumors as he never properly addresses the claims.

Much of these problems, idealistically, could have been addressed had he said anything, but given the true nature of society, he decided its pointless. That everyone suffered the storm named Yu Ziyuan.

And Wuxian had buried his feelings out of respect for uncle, but dang, how he actually hates his wife when he thought about it. Due to the rumors, she finds any excuse she can to abuse him. Going as far as somebody else's fault, is HIS simply because he's Wei Wuxian. She even uses him as fuel to argue with her husband about his rumored infidelity, and even drags her other family members into those arguments. Wei Wuxian knows he can never win her approval no matter what he does and how his mere presence is deemed as a slight to her.

When it comes to teaching cultivation, she's strict on everyone, including her own son. However, her animosity towards him drives her to keep on pitting Jiang Cheng against him and pushing her son to surpass him, which only served to worsen her son's Inferiority Superiority Complex. One of her worst traits is forcing her beliefs and views onto others and making them view themselves the way she views them.

Yu Ziyuan often went on rants about the following: how Jiang Cheng's cultivation is supposedly weak and inferior simply because he's not on Wuxian's level or even leagues above him, how Jiang Fengmian never loved him because he was supposedly in love with Wuxian's mother, and how Wuxian is a bane on the Jiang family and that he should serve his life to being their scapegoat and punching bag.

When she starts an argument, there's no winning with her or calming her down because she'll always find fault no matter what. Even if the other side does manage to win the debate somehow, she'll just start arguing about another issue.

In short, she was doggone abusive. Physically(on him), Verbally, Emotionally and Psychologically(on everyone else AND him too). This resulted in Shijie taking on being his and her brother's MOTHER given how kind, gentle, and supportive she was and yet...who's the mother figure FOR her when her mother's an example of bad parenting so poor, Shijie did her best to become what she was NOT?

There's also a difference now that he was no longer there with Jiang Yanli.

While she doesn't care much for martial arts and still keeps her preferences, she actually cultivates her qi and has a Golden Core herself. This was because her mother would tell her the benefits of having strong cultivation in marriage.

Perhaps, given auntie's nature, that shijie gave up on being something MORE, as what Ziyuan wants, she'll nag and berate till you cave in and give her what she wants. Leading to the ultimate question...what does shijie ACTUALLY want in life...that she was forced to give it up, as Ziyuan mapped her future without her input in it hours after birth? Through his technique, he can see that shijie would just sigh and do it, and gave up like uncle did, that she copes by doting on her little brother, and playing with the dogs on her spare time. That two siblings have a closer relationship, while doing their best to avoid their mother and distant from their father who was distant from the beginning.

That in the end, shijie and Jiang Cheng only have each other even if Wuxian was in or not in the picture. While they have money and wanting for nothing, there was still something wrong in the picture, that they were all alone but this was the best ending they could get. All because of their mother, mostly.

In a way, this was a somewhat better ending? Hell no, but with Yu Ziyuan around, there's no happy ending as far as Wuxian was concerned, for uncle and his son. Shijie at least, earns it with Zixuan after some time.

It led to Wuxian thinking that the one who destroyed the Jiangs was NOT him as he was made to believe due to years of abuse...it was Ziyuan herself.

The Jiang Cheng of this time, was no frowner this time and somewhat relaxed compared to the stiff, hurt boy he was before. Because he has all of Shijie this time.

He was glad.

For now, he was easy friends with Huaisang...who roped in Jiang Cheng that Huaisang unwittingly, returned to him a friendship he lost when shijie died as when she did, Jiang Cheng began to hate him. That he has good times back.

But he wasn't the mischievous kid he was before. Time at the mounds made him mature. While he DID indulge his friends, he hold them back when they're about to get caught AND the voice of reason.

But one class their trio doesn't share, is sword classes.

Huaisang has politics, and Wuxian has music classes.

But one day while walking back from the city after buying stuff?

'GWAAAAAAAAAAAAA!'

'Whoa, what happened?' Huaisang wondered as they heard that scream, having just gotten back to the recesses after the entrance guards checked their shopping bags, carrying their purchases.

'Ah, someone decided to be an idiot.' said Wuxian coolly. 'Someone tried to get into my room!'

'Eh?! Someone tried to get into your dorm room?!' they rushed to the dorms to see everyone gathered around a 'fried and smoking' Jin disciple and Jin Zixuan angrily berating said guy because he was also magically-chained in front of Wei Wuxian's door.

'Oh, they're here!' Su She exclaimed, seeing Wuxian and Huaisang who were back from shopping. 'Where have you two been? Jin Dongli was found this way by your door!'

'Ah that?' Wuxian smiled darkly. 'I fortified my dorm room to prevent theft as the admission letter says we're responsible for our own belongings. I did just that as you can see...so the question is, why is a guy from a rich sect trying to get into my room?' he spoke in a really low pitch tone indicating he wasn't happy about this. The current Jin Sect under Jin Guangshan SUCKS that his disciples are no better than crooks. It wasn't like Guangshan was a stellar example, was he? 'I'm not even rich nor have fancy knick-knacks worth stealing.'

'That's what I want to know!' Zixuan growled before glowering at his relative. 'And you, start talking! What're you thinking getting into someone else's room all along?! No wonder you got blasted by magic!'

'What's going on here? One of the patrols heard a scream.' said Lan Qiren, flanked by his nephews as Jin Zixuan quickly stepped up, still furious and explained what's going on, and Wuxian explained his 'fortress' of a dorm room that definitely had security meant to painfully teach how getting into his room is a BAD idea.

'So far I only allowed Sang-Sang and Cheng-Cheng in my room so they won't suffer the same fate...anyone else I didn't key in, is branded.' Wuxian chuckled with a sweet smile while half his face was in shadow, indicating he was taking sadistic delight. His expression now made the men present wary of him.

'Sooo how does the Lan Sect and Jin Sect intend to address thievery since I already got my own brand of justice while out shopping?' he asked, holding up his shopping bags. 'No stealing in the rules, and a clansmen tried stealing while wearing the clan uniform...' implications, were not lost on anyone present. By doing so, it shows how the Jin Sect condones such actions!

'Please rest assured Teacher Lan and I will address this.' Jin Zixuan apologized to him.

'I trust Jin-gongzi to do the right thing fairly with Teacher Lan's approval.' Wuxian smiled, kindly this time. Because of his looks, that smile, inflicted over-9000 damage, making a number of people blush.

'Er, can you remove the spiritual chain first before we can take Jin Dongli to uncle's office?' Lan Xichen requested. One handseal later and the chain was gone, and the Lans and Jins left. Tonight is not a good night for the Jins.

'Man, what a night.' Jiang Cheng scratched his head. 'It's half-hour away to Haishi, lucky you guys got home on time.'

'Well, Gusu is far from the recesses and the trip back was tough.' said Huaisang weakly. 'At least we can paint tomorrow after dinner!' he said, quickly cheering up.

Next day, Jin Dongli and his accomplices' punishment was known as Jin Dongli wasn't the only one in on the crime. After recovering from paralysis, he will clean the urinals for a week, and rule-copying on 1000 sheets of paper, back-to-back to make the lessons sink in as apparently, attempted thievery wasn't the only crime. His buddies got started on it so only five Jins are in the classroom now. Again, Jin Zixuan apologized to Wuxian who graciously accepted it as Lan Qiren sent a letter home to Jinlintai to Madam Jin.

'With you as gongzi, Jin Sect's future is bright when you become Sect Leader someday.' Wuxian would tell him kindly, making Zixuan sputter awkwardly at the good opinion Wuxian has of him.

'To your seats students.' said Lan Qiren, coming inside. 'Classes is in session.'

xxx

Lunch Break...

'You got that peacock sputtering.' said Jiang Cheng as after leaving the 'nasty food hall' as he dubbed it, and they settled in the gardens near the outhouses as Wuxian took out a Qiankun Bag and gave him a steamed bun to his delight. The steamed buns are dee-lish! Yum! He gets free food from his friends because really, Recesses Food sucks!

'Well, he did me good last night, I appreciated his good will.' said Wuxian while the trio ate extra with their steamed buns. 'I'll repay him someday. Good will given will be good will returned, just as ill will given is ill will returned.'

'Heee...you talk like an old man sometimes, you know that?' Jiang Cheng pointed out.

'Well, society is cruel to orphans like myself...it forces us to grow up too quick to survive.' Wuxian would tell him softly. 'I did many things you and Sang-Sang would frown on just so I can survive, let alone come here for study.' he snorted. 'I nearly qi-deviated when I got wind how much the tuition is.' he said with a cringe, taking out mugs and looking around, took out a jar of Emperor's Smile out of his sleeves much to his friends' disbelief.

Huaisang and Cheng can GUESS.

'Then how did you cultivate without guidance?' Huaisang was baffled. 'One can't get started alone!'

'Well, my parents got me started before a bad day happened that got me orphaned at seven...they were both Rogue Cultivators. We all lived on the road though we're happy together.' Wuxian told them. 'I always wondered what killed my parents while Night-Hunting to this day. All I got going, was knowing how to cultivate, form my Golden Core...and my mother's Talisman notes so I made my own style since, using my flute as a weapon to get by.' he said. 'But I lack other education which was why I came here.' he said. 'My parents fought with swords and other stuff, they hardly used talismans because they were that good. But even powerful people get a bad day that left me alone.' he said as he looked at the sky. 'But talisman magic is all I have. I won't live long with just that and a few notes off my flute, you know.'

'While studying on my own, I saw the worst of people regarding how they treat those they deem beneath them.' Wuxian continued. 'They look down on others while at the same time, resenting those above them, so like crabs, they will do their darndest to drag them down out of spite or ruin many people in their wake to look good, instead of working to improve themselves. 9/10 of society, are crabs. The rare 1% actually work to get a better life.' he told them. 'And also, half of that 1% are kind to street kids like myself. At least, that was what it was like in a town I stayed in as a child before I got strong enough to live elsewhere with good feng shui to improve my cultivation as my childhood town where I was left in has lousy feng shui, no good for cultivating at all.'

'It must be rough.' Huaisang felt sorry for his friend. He can only imagine the picture Wuxian painted to them, and guess how Wuxian got the means to be able to study here. The implications were not lost on Jiang Cheng either.

He clearly stole to have the means. And being a thief, he had to have the means to prevent getting stolen from too. He could pay for a year's class in the Recesses, and several Qiankun Bags. He has eight. He also has eight spirit-trapping pouches! And just one alone, is expensive.

Cultivation is NOT cheap! Its why people go to Sects to learn and obtain Spirit Swords there!

'Well, spend as much time as you can with your families as who knows when a bad day will come.' Wuxian advised. 'And we're cultivators so that's inevitable...'

'Ulp...'