Reborn!
'Twin daughters Madam Yu!' the midwife cooed over twin girls after a looooong laborious night for Yu Ziyuan as while everyone knew she was pregnant, who'd have thought she'd have twin girls in one sitting?
She bore Yanli who was already cleaned up and wrapped in a swaddling cloth in her husband Jiang Fengmian's arms, while the other is still being pushed out that another eight hours later, the second girl is named Yanran just to match the girls.
Yanli was written as 'to dislike separation' while Yanran was written as 'to develop luxuriant growth'.
To tell the twins apart as babies until they grow their own features, everything they own must be distinct.
Yanli the elder must wear the purple of Yunmeng Jiang, while Yanran is to wear pink. Their mother was particularly strict and meticulous for the first three years as there was no way to tell the twins apart until then!
Parenting three children that Fengmian was mostly hands-off of further angered Ziyuan towards her husband who only held his children one time each, and that was when they're born! Oh, and naming them by the way. Their only son and sect heir who was born two years later is called Cheng, courtesy name Wanyin. Names that meant 'clear' and 'to chant at night'.
Everyone with a brain knows what's going on that everyone in the sect was witness to the turbulence.
They dare not say a word as between their masters, Ziyuan was the scary one.
Thus the children grew...unaware that one of the kids, are too different from the siblings.
At age three, a personality gained consciousness.
"Gasp!" she found herself in a chinese setting. Everything screamed chinese as she found herself in a bedroom with two other kids. One girl and one boy.
"I remember killing myself than marry that jerk." she scowled. "Xanxus, Byakuran, Yuni and Dino-nii were right. The power of the family trait skipped Nono and Iemitsu that they can't tell what I can, thinking I just don't like the arrangement." she thought with a scowl. She hated the word Famiglia already and everything associated with that word. So out of spite, she gently disharmonized with her guardians while writing a letter with her sky flames mixed into ink, gave it to the Cervello to carry out her will and a copy to Vendicare, before plunging the knife in her throat.
Next thing she knew, she woke up here.
She then had memory flashes of being called 'Yanran' by a beautiful woman with purple make-up.
"Yanran...that's my name now." she thought.
Question is...what are the names of the other two kids...?
xxx
Her new home is called Lotus Pier, the Headquarters of Yunmeng Jiang Sect. It's next to a large lake that's understandably, full of lotuses. Was it any wonder that the flower is Jiang Sect's symbol?
The Family Motto is 'to attempt the impossible'. And disciples are encouraged to be very honest with themselves and when it comes to what they believe is right, 'act without restraint'.
Due to being near a lake, swimming became a hobby, especially in hot summers that there's a designated area for boys and girls to avoid seeing each other's too much skin. But as a girl's fairness is valued, they can only swim at early hours in the morning after breakfast, and an hour before sundown. But in sunless days, they can enjoy a whole day!
Unlike the other clans' residences, shutting their doors and refusing to let commoners come within a boundary miles away, the docks in front of Lotus Pier's entrance often bustle with vendors selling seed pods, water chestnuts and all kinds of pastries. Runny-nosed children from households nearby could also sneak into Lotus Pier's fields to watch the cultivators practice their swords. They wouldn't be scolded even if they got caught, either. They could sometimes even play around with the Jiang Sect's disciples.
Its known that the Jiangs have twin daughters, so they were called the 'Twin Flowers of Jiang', while Gusu Lan's sons were called 'Twin Jades of Lan' even though they weren't twins, but looked too similar enough. Yanli being eldest daughter reportedly dresses in purple, while Yanran the younger twin, dresses in pink, like the lotuses on Lotus Pier's lake.
While to the public the Jiang Sect is friendly to commoners compared to the 'holier-than-thou' other sects, the reality is not easy inside the sect.
Growing up in this fantasy setting was not easy.
But she gotta admit that this was preferable to being in a mafia family, thank you very much.
Just that at an early age, Yanran was witness to the crazy called a Strained Marriage.
This is one of the good examples why marriages should NOT be arranged. Second example was her own where she'd be married to a sleazeball who'll cause her and her family problems.
As she grew up knowing the ways of the Jiang Sect, mannerisms and skills a lady cultivator should have, their father rarely spoke to his wife and kids that caused Cheng quite the complex that his sisters took to spending time with him as their mother was haranguing their father for being distant to their son...and it was at age seven and five that the children learned that Yanli was to be engaged to Lanling Jin's Jin Zixuan, the only son of the Jin Clan's Master and Madam.
'Who even is this guy and how come we only know he exists today?!' Cheng, the only son croaked out. 'Is sister gonna marry a ghost?!'
'Nonsense!' Ziyuan snorted. 'He is the only son of my best friend Madam Jin. You will meet him someday.'
'Hopefully he's worth it.' Yanran sighed. 'Sure the Jins are rich...but like parent like child and isn't Jin Guangshan a womanizer?' awkward silence ensued.
Is that something a seven year old should ask about?
'What's a wo-ma-ni-zer?' Yanli wondered, noting the awkward atmosphere at the dining table.
'They say he hurts his wife by openly spending time with women who wasn't her.' said Yanran, making Fengmian pinch his nose hard with a pained look on his face. Who's talking about such topics around his daughter?! Someone's gotta pay for that...
'E-ehh?!'
'What?! Mom!' Cheng protested in anxious dismay. 'Is that Zixuan gonna be like that?! Sister can't!' due to what he heard, he was against the marriage.
'W-well, given what I know of Madam Jin, imitating that useless wretch will die an early death and be like her more A-ran, A-li will be alright.' Ziyuan reassured her kids while wearing a strained smile, swearing to edict a mandate that nobody is to gossip in the sect until her children are sixteen!
She'll have to ask her dear friend to defy that trope if they are to make their promise work out...
xxx
It was at age ten that cultivation training begins, and at the earliest a child can begin cultivation, that much of childhood was spent on education and physical training from six to ten, spanning five years.
Their mother has the curriculum down pat.
Language and Calligraphy. Manners. Law. Mathematics. Literature and Poetry. Music. Dance. Sewing and Embroidery. And lastly, Physical Training up to age ten.
Something Yanran took seriously. She went as far as secretly watching training on her free hours just to know how its done.
She is the daughter of the Main Family and that means political hullaballoo that comes with it!
Her older twin Yanli wasn't interested in cultivation, deciding that she'll do just enough as she'll be a married wife one day anyway. Her future was set in stone and she must obey the decisions of her elders.
If there are things that annoyed Yanran with this culture, this was one of those.
'A-Li that's wrong.' Yanran would tell her twin. 'We are trueborn daughters of the Clan Master and Lady. We have political presences just by existing.' she said. 'And we children are like our parents, the main faces of our clan and our clan's disciples. If we of all people are weak, outsiders who know nothing and roll by mob mentality will look down on us, that we are the so-called family stains. That disciples will even get uppity to us and afford to be rude to us.' she said sternly. 'More pressure on us as we are girls moreso than boys.'
'What makes you say that, A-Ran?'
'Society's expectations are so unfair, unrealistic and cruel.' Yanran told her. 'The most we can do is do what's within our reach, so they'll shut up.' she said. 'I know you're not the fighter-type, but at least make an effort with cultivation and martial arts as you don't even want to own a sword? A-Li should become a rose with thorns. Beautiful to good people, but can smack down naysayers and enemies with fists. And a strong body will make motherhood easier too...they say childbirth hurts a lot...more importantly, we girls are hostage targets.'
Yanli gulped. So she took physical training seriously. During 'vacations', they would visit their maternal relatives in Meishan Yu Sect, headed by their grandmother, Yu Zijing. They also met their aunts and maternal cousins at a young age to forge better relationships between two clans.
When cultivation training began at age ten? Yanli didn't want to own a sword, and would rather do martial arts and study the whip, while Yanran who was OK with having a sword, asked what type she wants as a future investment as spirit swords, ARE EXPENSIVE.
'Humm...something like this...' Yanran took out a drawing she painted. The sword has a pink and white handle and guard with an ornate circular stone with a rather slender blade ideal for agile swords and light enough for a woman to carry. And on the paper was a request that it can shrink into a dagger size when not in use for easy concealment carry, usable only by owner and those owner gave permission to as to non-owners and without permission, it'll be as heavy as 2000 jin(1 jin = 0.5kg so 2000 jin is 1 TON), and easy channeling of lingchi into the blade for strong attacks and a smoother sword flying ride.
'Wow...very girly!' Yanli stared at the colored drawing using a brush and two types of ink. On the bottom right of the paper was the name Zhutian, written as 'to soar the sky'.
'Hehe, being underestimated is a girl's thing.' Yanran chimed. 'We girls are underestimated, but they'll learn the hard way we can break bones, too! Preferably theirs!'
'Oh dear, what a tomboy.' Fengmian sweatdropped at his younger daughter's sinister thoughts. 'Well, Zhutian it is.' he said, taking the paper. 'A-Li, we'll have to make you your own whip as A-Cheng will clearly inherit Zidian from your mother so let's get designing.'
'Yes daddy.'
'Decide what it looks like and what abilities you want it to have.' Fengmian instructed.
Yanli was more...benevolent than her twin. But with a hidden sadism.
Her whip, Nianghui(Lady's Favor) has four abilities. To a non-owner, it will electrocute them to paralysis. Shrink to just a handle when not in use, and absorb spirit energy in the atmosphere leading to its fourth ability...heal the user or those the owner wishes those to heal by wrapping the whip around the patient while owner holds the whip...lest patient gets electrocuted instead. The whip was to be pure white with silver graceful designs. And anyone of Jiang bloodline can wield it incase anything happens to Yanli. Non-owners...weeeell...SUFFER. If not used for a healing method, the absorbed spirit energy can instead, be weaponized to a deadly degree, equivalent to being flogged with a metal rod with the full force of a muscular man.
Isn't that enough to break a spine?
'YOU'RE calling ME scary?! Hi Miss Pot, I'm Kettle!' Yanran howled in laughter when Yanli designed her weapon.
'Muuu, it's security because its a whip that can heal.' Yanli pouted. It's a healing whip, so it shouldn't heal enemies!
She wouldn't tell them that because she was worried about her marriage, there's a reason for her chosen gimmick, OK?
'At least you girls know what a weapon should be.' their mother was wondering what made her girls so brutal at just ten years old even she was shuddering what her twins had in mind for their spirit weapons. What led to THEIR wishes for their spirit weapons?!
The girls thus begun their training. Studying the ways of the cultivator, and beginning their cultivation at Lianqi or Forging Energy, and they must form their Golden Core as soon as they can, as if formed at an early age, the cultivator's level of cultivation would increase at a rapid speed, and become better and better. And if formed at a later age? It's shameful as they never develop a strong cultivation.
1. Lianqi
2. Zhuji or Establishing Foundation
3. Ningmai or Congealing Channels
All three must be done to step 4: Jindan or Golden Core. Forming the Golden Core and after that, the rest is easy! Made even better if you're an active cultivator, not a passive one.
When Jiang Cheng got flexible enough in training, he learned a style from his second sister when he was eight.
However, Yanran was more suited to the art of fists as Fengmian noted. She was a natural at it as opposed to people who trained with swords all their lives. In fact, she was clumsier with the sword, only asking for one because 'everyone has a weapon'. If she was a deadly weapon with her fists and kicks, she was clumsy he had to sort her out. At least before he trains Cheng when he's of age.
Not only that, his daughters' cultivations are...unusually speedy?
His wife was pleased on the other hand, proud of her girls.
But to himself, how did they do it? That their cores are cultivating in a never-before-seen speedy state? Heck, they're not even geniuses, so how?
He, his wife and in-laws could not figure the sisters out who were just as clueless...
xxx
Yanran was secretly snickering.
By imitating the Harmonization and Assimilation Aspect of Sky Flames which she managed to recreate, she was able to know which meridian to strike during massages to enable faster and speedier cultivation for others while she can do it on her own without the need for massage...she just controls spiritually-charged needles to strike her at the right places. However, this can only be done once at their youth, and the effect will wear off by the time they are adults. Doing so, will do harm this time. But by then, their cultivation will be very powerful.
Not only that, she brought out the best their blood can give them. Yanli and Yanran are fraternal twins as they differed in looks. Yanli's beauty sembled their father's that by adulthood, she'll be an 'average beauty' that will invite disparage upon her so Yanran ensured she will be a beauty before she has her public debut. Yanran on the other hand, has the Meishan Yu features and so does Cheng. They were born naturally good-looking so Yanran only interfered with Yanli for her sake, so she'll grow up a beauty and pass on the beauty to her future Jin kids.
As children, Yanli and later Cheng won't be any wiser for sure that SHE was the cause of their formidable cultivation.
Cheng was 'also a genius' that Fengmian gave his son three puppies...but Cheng's naming senses are...well...unique? Moli(jasmine), Xiaoji(princess) and Ai(love)? Cheng loved his puppies.
But one day, Fengmian left home and hasn't returned for months...that got their mother irate and really angry the children wisely avoided their mother, and steered away Cheng.
'W-what's going on? Why is mother so angry?' Cheng asked his sisters in fear.
'Beats us and frankly its got something to do with dad again.' Yanran sighed.
'When is it not?' Yanli lamented. Their parents cared for their children in their own way, but their parents DO NOT GET ALONG, period! 'For now, focus on your cultivation A-Cheng. At least by seeing us work hard she'll be a little bit happier.'
'OK...'
So to appease their mother when looking at them, they worked hard on Yanran's prodding, but Yanran swears this atmosphere is really toxic.
Well, it's not like she has a good example herself.
Emotionally-Neglectful Mother who was fine with her being a no-good as long as 'she can live happy' and a Father who's never around, and only is when Tsubasa was a donna he thinks he could boss around simply because he is her father. Well, that's what her guardians are for, to beat him up and kick him out on her request and blatantly only listens to Reborn and Fon who was a frequent visitor to Hibari's chagrin.
She was spiteful to the end, ensuring Vongola's Destruction with her death as who else can inherit the Sky Ring eh? Iemitsu fails Giotto's standards and Nono can no longer wear the Ring to to being succeeded by her. She also ensured Varia won't suffer the fallout of her actions and 'set her guardians free' to careers they like to pursue without the mafia at their shadow, or get a lifetime vacation in Vendicare. They were THAT protected.
She also no longer cared about her mother by the time she's in high school anyway. Yu Ziyuan was a better mother...as long as she's not shouting at Jiang Fengmian, that is. But at any rate, Fengmian was way better than Iemitsu by...three steps.
Soon, he came home with a young boy he carried into his arms. He was small. A runt. He clearly was from the streets by how skinny and gaunt he was from malnutrition, and cleaned up and given good clothes.
However, the fact their father carried a boy got Cheng unhappy. Because even Cheng can remember how many times their father carried him.
'Daddy, who is he?' Yanli wondered as their father set the boy down.
'He is the son of deceased friends of mine.' he said. 'His name is Wei Ying, Wei Wuxian.'
Ziyuan the Dragon snarled out, 'WHAAAAAAAAT?!'
The children cringed at her snarled outrage...and their mother's two maids quickly ushered the kids away from the explosion that'll ensue, including the newcomer because of Ziyuan's rule...'keep gossip away from the kids'.
'...I know that uncle's nice, but why is aunty so mad with him all of a sudden?' Wei Ying croaked out, terrified by the snarling.
'Beats us!' Cheng sputtered. 'Dad brought you home and now mom's angry!'
'...when is she isn't?' Yanli sighed wearily. 'Things will get a little...livelier soon.' Yanran gave her sister a look.
'Livelier? A-Li, don't you mean crazier?!'
'Anyway, what about this guy, why did dad bring you home?' Cheng asked Wei Ying.
'Dunno...my mom and dad went on a night hunt and never came back for me in Yiling, so the mean old lady at the inn they left me into threw me out.' said Ying. I lived in the streets for some time...and uncle found me, saying he knows my parents...and he said they're gone so he'll take me in. That was all I know.' that got Yanran frowning.
'That was just irresponsible.' she said. 'Your parents should have left you with relatives or trusted friends, not in some random inn!' said Yanran in disapproval. 'Anything can go wrong in a Night Hunt no matter how strong one is!'
'...never met them.' Wei Ying said glumly.
'That was still irresponsible...' Yanli agreed with her sister. 'I guess dad is their friend so at least that's one right thing done, but why is mother so angry?'
'Yinzhu, Jinzhu, start talking...' Yanran gave her mother's maids a look. 'There's clearly some history we have to know. Whatever happened, kids don't inherit their parents' messes. Mother's angry with Wei Ying's parents and we don't know why.'
'Er...' the maids exchanged looks.
'We won't tell you said anything.' Cheng piped up.
Well, the truth was complicated.
Yanran face-palmed. Wei Ying was shaking. He didn't know his parents has history with the Jiangs! And that aunty is angry at uncle because he is still in love with his mom which was why he is distant to everyone else?
'...I think for everyone's sanities, I'll take charge of Wei Ying.' Yanran decided firmly. 'I'll handle his education and training myself and keep him far away from mother. A-Li, A-Cheng, keep our mother happy by working hard. Attempt the Impossible and we're gonna pacify mother which is damn near impossible that should be our number one goal!' she swore. 'If we can't even do that, how can we call ourselves a Jiang!' the others nodded nervously.
Yanran began her parenting of Wei Ying after finding a nice room far away from Ziyuan's crosshairs. Poor kid didn't deserve being a target of their mother's wrath because of their father.