Jingshi - Lan Wangji's bedroom, transliterated as 'quiet room'
Nevernight - where Wei Wuxian initiated the bloodbath following the death of Jiang Yanli, also known as Nightless City
zongzhu - Sect Leader
Zidian - Jiang Cheng's whip, transliterated as 'purple lightning'
Wei Wuxian yawned as he walked through the streets of Yunmeng.
He usually ignored the ridiculous GusuLan practice of waking at five, staying in bed until eleven while Lan Zhan read scriptures and taught morning classes. Missing breakfast wasn't an issue when Lan Zhan always made sure a box of food sat on the table waiting for him when he woke up.
Today, he had to grudgingly drag himself out of bed at the blasphemous hour and make himself presentable for a sect breakfast. After munching down the bitter fare and listening to Lan Xichen announce sect business, Wei Wuxian couldn't catch Lan Zhan for as much as a kiss before he disappeared to teach classes.
He loved his life in Cloud Recesses, falling asleep each night curled up against his favourite person in the world. Jingshi was his home. But Cloud Recesses never quite felt like home. The four thousand rules were each a chain binding his mischievous spirit, chains he couldn't shake off now that he lived here as Hanguang-Jun's partner. Music was forbidden at night, and during the day he hid his flute in his sleeve away from eyes that might narrow in memory of what it'd once done. There was a polite distance between him and the GusuLan seniors – some who had lost loved ones at Nevernight, some who simply didn't think a demonic cultivator had a place among them.
He ventured out of Cloud Recesses into town to buy a jar of Empire's Smile before heading into Yunmeng, where he would be meeting Jin Ling and Master Hu later today. He was looking forward to seeing Jin Ling after a few weeks of being stuck with Sect Leader work.
Yunmeng used to be the liveliest place in the world, every street bustling with vendors selling seed pods, water chestnuts and all sorts of pastries. Though the main streets were still lined by vendors, some side roads were utterly quiet. Wei Wuxian guessed many vendors took their business elsewhere, after Jiang Cheng descended into madness and whispers of victims to his whip spread through town.
He took a turn into an alley that looked truly abandoned.
The walls were covered with indecipherable layers of graffiti. Any passer-by would regard the wall as ugly. To Wei Wuxian however, the wall told a story.
When he was twelve, the group of YunmengJiang boys would run around the city making mischief. They'd eat someone's watermelon, catch someone's chicken, break into someone's house and graffiti someone's wall. If he looked carefully enough, he could still recognise some of his own works of art. Wei Ying the hero killed the headless monster, saving the world! Behind the silhouette of young Wei Ying were four headless monsters, all shot through with the same arrow. Next to them was the silhouette of a boy, holding a bow. Jiang Cheng the hero saved Wei Ying the idiot from the headless monsters advancing upon him! On top of Jiang Cheng's head were eight hastily-drawn headless monsters, crashing into a net-or-a-ceiling-or-something above him. Wei Ying the hero saved Jiang Cheng the idiot from monsters raining out of the sky by throwing out an Anti-Headless-Monster Umbrella Talisman!
Wei Wuxian smiled sadly. The wall told a story only two men were alive to remember, two men who would never be the brothers they once were.
As he walked out of the alley, he felt a shove to his chest.
Staggering back, he saw a hand leave his chest with his money pouch.
'Pretty rich, huh? Thank you, thank you.' It was the group of YunmengJiang boys that'd followed Master Hu to the clearing the other day.
'What are you going to do now? Your pet cultivator isn't here to defend you.' The one who spoke was the boy Wei Wuxian considered the group's Boss, the one Master Hu had fought.
'You stalked me to find me alone because the six of you fear my one 'pet cultivator'?' Wei Wuxian was incredulous.
Boss' face contorted. 'We came to find you because you need to be taught a lesson.'
Boss unsheathed his sword and lunged towards Wei Wuxian. With a swift move, Wei Wuxian grabbed the sword with one hand and a handful of his collar with another. Holding the sword against Boss' neck, Wei Wuxian laughed, 'Who's teaching who a lesson?'
He shoved Boss to the ground, gave him a kick and threw down his sword. He held out his hand. 'Little brat, give my money pouch back.'
Instead of giving back the money pouch, the kids unsheathed their swords and charged.
He did not think the kids would attack him in broad daylight. Forced to take out his sword, he blocked Second in Command's sword and dodged Boss'. For a moment, the boys were surprised to see Wei Wuxian with a sword at all, but they quickly continued their attack. Without a core, he couldn't win a one-on-six sword fight, but he could back away, put some distance between them, and use his talismans to teach those idiots a lesson. As much as it'd be funny to scare them, he wouldn't unleash ghosts in Yunmeng. Jiang Cheng would be beyond angry.
A sizzling streak of purple lightning collided with their swords, sending everyone flying back.
'Ji-Jiang zongzhu.'
'Jiang- Jiang zongzhu, he- he- he attacked us first. We- we- were only defending ourselves.' Boss stammered, ungracefully pushing himself off the ground.
Second in Command continued, 'Sect Leader Jiang, this psychopath, not even a cultivator, dared to draw a sword on us. He must have stolen it—'
'Like you stole my money pouch?' Wei Wuxian interrupted.
Second in Command looked the pouch in this hand. He quickly lied, 'It's my money pouch!'
Wei Wuxian grinned, 'read its inscription to Sect Leader Jiang.'
'Wang… Xian…' Second in Command read.
It was quite amusing watching Jiang Cheng's face twitch at the cringe phrase.
'Sect Leader Jiang, Wang Xian is a poet, we've been studying his work…' Second in Command rambled.
Wei Wuxian looked at the kids who had been silent. 'Are any of you gonna call your 'bosses' out on their bullshit? It might save you some whipping, you know?'
'Shut up!' Boss yelled before any of the kids could consider selling them out. 'Sect Leader Jiang, this man insulted our sect – he insulted you and the former Sect Leader Jiang Fengmian!'
These kids were clever, Wei Wuxian had to admit. They knew their Sect Leader's temper and whose name he could not tolerate insulted. It was unfortunate the man in front of them was Wei Wuxian. Though he would have once been the first to insult Jiang Cheng, he had been and always would be the last to insult Jiang Fengmian.
Jiang Cheng's face contorted. Seeing this as a sign their Sect Leader might direct his anger away from them and towards the man they attacked, their expressions brightened. 'Yes, Sect Leader, he—'
'Stop trying, kid.' Wei Wuxian chuckled. 'I've better things to do listen to you idiots.'
Snatching his money pouch from Second in Command, he saluted Jiang Cheng with a smirk at the corner of his lips. 'Thank you, Sect Leader Jiang, for saving my life from the headless monsters.'
He couldn't help but smile as Jiang Cheng's eyes drifted towards the graffiti on the wall. There were not one, but two men who remembered. With a nod towards Jiang Cheng, he strolled off without another glance at the juniors.
'Sect Leader Jiang, that was my money pouch.'
'He called us—' He broke off as Zidian sent him to the ground.
'Enough!' Jiang Cheng snapped. 'All of you are going to get a taste of the discipline whip.'
-x-
'Something happened this morning! All six of that group are being whipped, and Sect Leader Jiang looked like he's going to kill someone!' Master Hu reported.
Jin Ling couldn't help himself, 'Uncle always looks like he's going to kill someone.'
'He looked more like he's going to kill someone! Something definitely happened.' Master Hu insisted.
'Something indeed happened.' Wei Wuxian laughed, 'they attacked me.'
Despite his laugh, Master Hu was alarmed. 'Are you hurt, Senior? They attacked you with their swords? You're not a cultivator… How could they bully someone like that?'
'I'm here in one piece, aren't I?' Wei Wuxian reassured.
The alarm gave way to confusion. 'How did you escape?'
'Sect Leader Jiang saved me.' Wei Wuxian grinned, 'they tried to make up shit like I attacked first, the six of them were defending themselves, I insulted Sect Leader Jiang's father…'
Jin Ling grimaced. 'They were really digging their graves.' He could imagine the look on his uncle's face.
'I mean, it isn't a bad idea. If they convinced Sect Leader Jiang he insulted his father, Senior would have been turned into mince by Zidian and fed to a dog!' Master Hu reasoned.
Wei Wuxian fought to shake his worst nightmares out of his head. 'Well, convince Sect Leader Jiang they could not. Anyway, one of them stole my money pouch and tried to claim it was his, but…' Wei Wuxian grinned and held up the inscription for Jin Ling and Master Hu to see.
'Wang… Xian… Is that your name, Senior?'
Wei Wuxian laughed. 'Like that kid said, Wang Xian is the name of a famous poet.'
Jin Ling shook his head. 'You and Hanguang-Jun… Nevermind.'
'Hanguang-Jun?' Master Hu's head shot up. 'You've met the famous Hanguang-Jun? From the GusuLan Sect?'
Wei Wuxian grinned. 'Mourning clothes, solemn face? I think we did cross paths at one point.'