The chapter in a nutshell:
[You have a new brotherhood suggestion: LAN 'WANGJI' ZHAN]
[You have sent LAN 'WANGJI' ZHAN a brotherhood request]
[LAN 'WANGJI' ZHAN accepted your brotherhood request]
[JIANG 'WANYIN' CHENG sent you a brotherhood request]
[JIANG 'WANYIN' CHENG sent you a brotherhood request!]
[JIANG 'WANYIN' CHENG sent you a brotherhood request!]
[JIANG 'WANYIN' CHENG sent you a brotherhood request!]
"When I told you to scout the borders," Jiang Cheng gritted out, once Wei Wuxian had stepped into the hall, "I didn't mean 'go marry yourself off to the Gusu Lan.'"
On any other occasion, Wei Wuxian would have found this hilarious. Now, though, Jiang Cheng stood rigid in the shadows of the ancestral hall, the plaques of his ancestors looming collectively, and Jiang Yanli was nowhere to be seen. Wei Wuxian could feel the storm on the horizon, threatening to overwhelm them both.
Wei Wuxian knew Jiang Cheng like he knew no one else; had known this was not going to be pretty the moment Jiang Cheng sent Lan Zhan to a guest room with the curtest courtesy, snapped "Meet me in the ancestral hall" at him and stalked off, a whirl of purple robes and sparkling fury in his wake.
And for what? For once, the Head Disciple of Jiang wasn't sure if he knew what was going on in Jiang Cheng's head.
Wei Wuxian sighed, grabbing himself a cushion to kneel on. If they were going to fight this out in the family hall, in front of all the ancestors, at least they could do it kneeling.
"And here I thought it's Lan Zhan marrying into our Sect!" he said in reply, his tone tentatively airy, and Jiang Cheng's eyes blazed, the way Zidian did whenever it unfurled from Jiang Cheng's grasp in a lethal arc.
"Don't mess with me, Wei Wuxian. What is the meaning of this? Is Lotus Pier not good enough for the illustrious Young Master Wei anymore?"
"Hey, hey, Jiang Cheng, hang on. Hey." Wei Wuxian made a grab for Jiang Cheng's arm, frowning as his foster brother threw him off and began prowling around the room, an angry feline on the hunt.
"What are you even on? We're just talking about an oath of brotherhood!"
"Just an oath of brotherhood, you say. So tell me. Since when have you even been on speaking terms with Lan Wangji?"
"Since Lan Zhan managed to tell me, in intelligible language, that he wanted to be friends! I thought I told you about this part!"
"What are you, three? Do I need to remind you that the last time you confronted Lan Wangji, he tried to cut Chenqing into half and I had to appeal directly to Zewu-jun for him to leave you the fuck alone or else?"
"Well…" Wu Wuxian rubbed an absent finger against his nose, because while he could see where Jiang Cheng was coming from, he may or may not have attacked Lan Zhan with Chenqing first, "it turns out he was just concerned about me. Or something."
"So Lan Wangji incidentally got drunk on one cup of wine, and told you all about how he's always looked out for you and how much he wants to be a bro. Ha. That's rich. Every clan who wants dibs to your power should've tried that stunt, if that's all it takes to win your brotherhood."
Wei Wuxian frowned at the insinuation, because while he was used to Jiang Cheng's unforgiving half-insults, Lan Zhan had done absolutely nothing to earn this slight to his character.
"That's not true, Jiang Cheng. You know Lan Zhan, you've fought beside him in the Campaign. He doesn't do things like that."
"I don't know the Second Lan. We joined forces because we had to, it isn't as if I'm his friend."
The Sect Leader of Jiang didn't quite want to remember that part of the Campaign, the months of trying to build a whole new Sect in secret with only the Second Young Master of Lan as his backup. He had refused to accept that Wei Wuxian had died because he couldn't afford to, not in the middle of the war, despite all the evidence that said otherwise.
Instead, he had carried Suibian around like a delirious fool for months on end, bearing the futile hope that Wei Wuxian would return to them alive. What would be a better example of attempting the impossible, indeed, than waiting for a dead man to rise from the Burial Mound?
It wasn't like it was Lan Wangji who'd carried two swords on his belt for those excruciating months.
"If it wasn't for him, Lotus Pier wouldn't have burned," Jiang Cheng couldn't help but say.
On better days, he could actually understand that the destruction of his Sect could not be pinned on the Second Jade. The Wens were set on destroying them all from the start, and would have come for them regardless of whether Lan Wangji or Wei Wuxian provoked Wen Chao. There was no point blaming Lan Wangji, and by extension his remaining family, for what was already past.
Except that this was not a better day. Lan Wangji had shown up at the Lotus Pier a mere month after the damn war, and had proceeded to take said remaining family away from him.
"You mean to say that Lotus Pier wouldn't have burned if not for me," Wei Wuxian said, quietly, "is that what this is about?"
No, Jiang Cheng wanted to say, but couldn't. There was something brittle and mad in Wei Wuxian's red-tinged gaze, something that had always lurked in the depths of his foster brother's eyes throughout the war, and the Master of Jiang struggled to slam that particular Pandora's box shut before the blaming game started in earnest. This wouldn't even be the first time it happened.
"There is a reason why people forge these bonds, Wei Wuxian," Jiang Cheng said instead, halting in his relentless pacing to tower over Wei Wuxian.
There is a reason why Father married Mother, he wanted to say, but didn't.
"Did you think the Three Zuns became sworn brothers because they simply thought it would be fun to hang out together? Think again. Sect Leaders Nie and Lan are upright, not simple."
"Lan Wangji probably doesn't want your power, but he'll want your repentance. He wants to get you to swear off demonic cultivation, so that the world wouldn't succumb to evil or something. What good is the Hanguang-jun, after all, if he cannot be the beacon of light for the cultivation world?"
"Do you absolutely have to diss Lan Zhan like this?" Wei Wuxian said, brows furrowed and lips pursed. "He just wants to help because he cares."
Jiang Cheng scowled.
"Then say it. Say that Lan Wangji doesn't want you to stop using demonic cultivation. Say that he doesn't plan to lure you into Cloud Recesses, so that he could hit you with whatever cleansing rituals the Lans have down their sleeves. Say that he would be fine with just the way you are."
Wei Wuxian hesitated, and Jiang Cheng latched onto the moment, a vulture seeing blood.
"He's not like us, Wei Wuxian," He crouched to look his foster brother in the eyes, unrelenting and aggressive. Willing him to understand. Wei Wuxian simply looked lost.
"I'm never going to replace you and Shijie. You know that," Wei Wuxian protested, "I just thought if he could be another…"
"Is it because we have never been proper family to you in name?" Jiang Cheng said, abrupt, and Wei Wuxian blinked, entirely blindsided.
"I can take the oath with you, if that is what's missing. Declare you our brother to the cultivation world. Name you my successor. You know Sis would do it in a second. Is that what you are looking for?"
Madame Yu would have actually whipped him senseless with Zidian if he had ever dared to suggest that to her face. But Madame Yu was dead, her remains nowhere to be found. He was the Sect Leader of Yunmeng now, and had to do what he must to keep what's left of his family intact.
Jiang Cheng wasn't even saying it out of sarcasm, Wei Wuxian realised, and stood up, furious.
"If you even think for a second that I want your position as Sect Leader…"
"You don't. That's the problem. You don't try to think about things like this. You want to take the oath just because you think Lan Wangji looks cool. But you forget that you're the Head Elder of Yunmeng Jiang now, not some rogue cultivator."
He squeezed his brother by the shoulders, grounding him, his grip tight enough to bruise.
He knew Wei Wuxian had always tried to distance himself from Yunmeng Jiang's affairs, mostly for the Jiang family's peace of mind. As a boy, Wei Wuxian would consciously flaunt his mercurial, fun-loving nature, particularly before Madame Yu, just to show that he wasn't a threat; wasn't going to compete with Jiang Cheng for anything that wasn't rightfully his.
But this wasn't the time for these acts. Other sects were starting to see Wei Wuxian – powerful and unruly as he was - as a separate entity from the Jiangs. Jin Guangshan had sent them a conference invitation, requesting specifically for Wei Wuxian's presence as if he was not a part of Yunmeng Jiang. Lan Wangji had even tried to openly poach the demonic cultivator without notifying him. It was a matter of time before they decided they could lay their hands on Wei Wuxian without any interference from the Jiangs. This wasn't safe, either for Wei Wuxian or for his Sect.
"We're weak, Wei Wuxian. With the Wens gone, other Clans would engulf us in a moment if given half a chance. We can't let you run off to Gusu Lan indefinitely, forgo your cultivation, or whatever Lan Wangji thought would be remotely helpful."
"So you're saying you'll be my sworn brother just to ensure Yunmeng Jiang survives," Wei Wuxian said dryly, "I'm touched."
"Should I get all drunk and tell you that I've always dreamed of being a bro?" Jiang Cheng sniped, because that would have been redundant as shit.
"I don't have an heir, Wei Wuxian. We can't make Sis shoulder the Sect if anything happens to me. You're my heir if it ever comes to it. It's just as well."
Wei Wuxian shrugged. It was a moot point, because Wei Wuxian would die protecting Jiang Cheng before it ever came to that. "My surname isn't even Jiang, for starters. Just get a wife already, Jiang Cheng."
"Fuck off. Have you ever had any luck with all those girls you've flirted with?" His foster brother said, retort ready and instinctive, and Wei Wuxian couldn't help a wan smile despite the circumstances.
"No. Instead I have two dudes fighting for my hand in brotherhood. I'm exhilarated."
Wei Wuxian grinned at him, playful but not, feeling Jiang Yanli's conspicuous absence in that second. Shijie would always welcome him at the docks every time he came back from wherever he was sent to. Given that he'd sent news of his return ahead of time, it was indeed very strange for Jiang Yanli not to be waiting for him at Lotus Pier, this time.
Jiang Cheng had sent her somewhere under some excuse, he realised belatedly, probably to prevent her kind-heartedness from foiling what he had wanted – needed - done.
He had truly grown into a fine Sect Leader, Wei Wuxian thought, admiring, and softened his voice.
"So what is it that you want, Jiang Cheng? What would you have me do?"
"We fill in the gaps. We do what should have been done in the beginning," said Jiang Cheng, eyes narrowed in purpose, as he moved aside to reveal the plaques of Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan in the middle of the hall. Wei Wuxian's gaze wavered, momentarily struck motionless by guilt.
Following the destruction of Lotus Pier, Wei Wuxian had stopped defying him on anything that truly mattered. Jiang Cheng knew what Wei Wuxian thought: that he was, at the end of the day, a servant of the Jiangs, that he'd singlehandedly caused the destruction of the Jiangs, and must therefore trade his life for Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli's, if it ever came down to that.
Jiang Cheng endorsed none of these notions, but hell if he could break Wei Wuxian from this masochistic line of thoughts. Jiang Cheng knew that he had his parents', his clan's lives on Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian would not refuse Jiang Cheng his oath, if that was what Jiang Cheng truly wanted.
He would use it just this once, for Wei Wuxian's own sake.
"If you see me as a brother, we're going to take the oath before my parents, before all the ancestors of the Jiang family. What else do we need for the ceremony, Wei Wuxian?"
"Young Master Wei," said Lan Xichen said behind the half-closed door of Wei Wuxian's room, "can I come in?"
"Sure, just a moment," Wei Wuxian paused in his frantic scribble and stood up, smiling, "what do you need, Zewu-jun…Brother Xichen, can I say that yet?"
Lan Xichen hadn't felt that tired in a very long while.
"…What are you working on?"
"Family letter," Wei Wuxian said; and Lan Xichen nodded; of course Wei Wuxian would be writing family letters in an illegible cursive. Back in Cloud Recesses, the Jiang disciple had copied their Sect rules in a crazy hand calculated to confound and aggravate, and did exactly that.
"I better tell Jiang Cheng and Shijie that we're getting a new brother, instead of just showing up with Lan Zhan in tow."
If anything, it was hard not to admire the alacrity with which Wei Wuxian took action. Lan Xichen settled at his side, pondering.
"Actually, Young Master Wei, there is one thing about the oath I've been meaning to speak to you about."
"There is?" Wei Wuxian looked up, surprised. As stuffy as the Lans were, there was no way they could ban even the oath of brotherhood at Cloud Recesses. At least Lan Xichen himself had taken it, hadn't he?
"Disciples who have not yet come of age do not take the oath of brotherhood," Lan Xichen explained, framing his words carefully, "the reason is that the Sect deems that they are not mature enough to make such a serious decision."
It would take another year before Lan Wangji – or Wei Wuxian – come of age officially. But they were celebrated figures of the cultivation world and war heroes; had fought and killed and took up burdens that would have been too great for any adult to shoulder. To say that they were in any way immature would have been a crude joke.
The Lan Sect didn't encourage its disciples to take oaths of brotherhood or sisterhood before they become adults, but did not actually ban it. In any case, the esteemed Hanguang-jun was not just any disciple, and no one would ever dream of challenging his decisions on the ground of immaturity.
It was far-fetched and abrupt, and he was horrible at lying, even by omission, but Lan Xichen would have to try, for his little brother's sake.
"Lan Zhan hasn't said anything about that," Wei Wuxian said slowly, remembering Lan Zhan's silent reluctance with a sudden clarity.
"Wangji would have gladly kneeled before the Elders for a month, if it is for you," Lan Xichen said, another half-truth, "It would be a lot easier if you two could delay the oath until you have come of age."
One year. Long enough for Wangji to finally get through to this oblivious man, he hoped.
It seemed a good enough excuse, but Wei Wuxian was oblivious, not stupid. He turned a slightly amused smile at Lan Xichen, ash-coloured eyes just short of challenging.
"Zewu-jun, if the Lans have a problem with the likes of me, I hope you'll just let me know directly," he said, giving his ink brush a little twirl, "I'll kneel with Lan Zhan before your elders, if that is what it would take. Just name the price, and I'll do it."
Lan Xichen sighed a long-suffering sigh. "So obstinate, both of you."
"There is no guarantee what tomorrow will bring, as Zewu-jun will understand," Wei Wuxian said, uncharacteristically sage as he thought back to the war, "I'll take what I can get today. I think Lan Zhan would agree with me."
"I ask that you reconsider. I promise that no one in Gusu Lan would object to this oath, should you choose to proceed after two years."
Wei Wuxian opened his mouth for a retort, but there was another knock on the door, soft and polite, and there could be no question of who was behind it.
"Hello there my brother," Wei Wuxian sing-songed, for Lan Xichen's benefit, and the Sect Leader let out a soft huff.
"…" Wei Wuxian could feel the frown on Lan Zhan's stoic face even as he pushed on the door. "Brother. Wei Ying."
"What is it, Wangji?"
"A Conference invitation from Lanling Jin, half a month from now," Lan Zhan informed both of them, slender fingers exhibiting the folded paper with the recognisable peony insignia on it, "the Jiangs, of course, have been invited. Sect Leader Jin requests specifically for Wei Ying's presence."
This didn't look too suspicious in itself. Wei Wuxian had a penchant for skipping conferences, meetings and banquets whenever he could get away with it, unless Jiang Cheng personally forced him to appear, so it was not uncommon for other Sect Leaders to request his personal attendance, mostly out of spite.
This time, though…
"What does Jin Guangshan want, the slimeball?" asked Wei Wuxian, annoyed, as Lan Xichen pointedly pretended to not to hear the insult.
"Your Stygian Tiger Seal, perhaps," mused Lan Zhan, direct as ever, and let out a breath. "Let's make haste and return to Lotus Pier."
Lan Zhan's prediction was accurate: it wasn't even two months after the war, and the Sects were converging on Wei Ying. But he'd got Wei Ying, now. He would be Wei Ying's family and support faster than Jin Guangshan could even say Stygian Tiger Seal.
"Wangji…" Lan Xichen started, sharply, but Lan Zhan's gaze no longer brooked any argument.
"I will see you directly at the Conference, Brother."
There was nothing more Lan Xichen could say to that.
He shouldn't have suggested that they went back to Lotus Pier on horseback. Lan Zhan was instantly suspicious, amber eyes trained on his face as he regarded him silently.
"Riding takes days," said Lan Zhan, assessing, "we should fly."
"I'd like to," quipped Wei Wuxian, "but I left Suibian at Lotus Pier."
"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan said, simply, and it was Wei Wuxian who had to avert his eyes this time.
"Later, I promise," he sighed eventually, uncomfortable, and half-glared at Lan Zhan. "Why do you make me feel like your little brother already? Come to think of it, are you older or younger than me? I just know that we were born in the same year."
"Older. January," Lan Zhan affirmed, even as he summoned Bichen from its sheath.
"It's just as well, since you're always trying to discipline me anyway," said Wei Wuxian brightly as he stepped onto Bichen in front of Lan Zhan, "Say, Lan Zhan, I've been thinking."
"Mm?"
"Do I call you Da-ge like how Zewu-jun calls Sect Leader Nie, or do I just call you Er-ge, since well, Da-ge would be confusing with Zewu-jun being your family's Big Brother and all? Or maybe Zhan-ge would make it easier."
Wei Wuxian tried to turn on his sword to look at him; Lan Zhan wound an arm around his waist, steadying him. Wei Wuxian felt warm in the crook of his arm, a comforting weight at the end of a long chase.
"Don't play around," he admonished, and replied in a gentler tone, "Whatever feels right to you."
"Er-ge, then, since I'm so used to you being the Second Jade of Lan," Wei Wuxian decided, then added for good measure, just to annoy, "Er-gege!"
"Wei Ying," said Lan Zhan, in what Wei Wuxian now recognised as his kicked puppy tone, "Don't play around."
"Don't 'Wei Ying' your little brother, my esteemed Er-ge," said Wei Wuxian, "Jiang Cheng calls me Wei Wuxian. My shijie calls me A-Xian, or Xian-Xian. Choose your pick!"
He could feel Lan Zhan tense behind him at the mention of Xian-Xian. Lan Zhan was probably struck mute by his shamelessness, like Jiang Cheng was on a daily basis. Wei Wuxian chuckled.
"…A-Ying," he said, eventually, "A-Ying."
"Here here, A-Ying reporting!" said Wei Wuxian, his laugh carrying through the wind, and Lan Zhan wished this moment would go on forever.
So. Sect politics (tm) ahoy in this entire chapter.
JC has no faith in humanity, LXC tries and fails to lie, and LWJ will forever talk in double entendre. To be fair, I think LXC took the oath because he genuinely thought NMJ and JGY would be fun to hang out with. He is too good for this world.
And I love the idea of WWX copying the Lan Sect Rules in crazy cursive.
Next up: Shijie is even less amused at JC than JC is at WWX, and unrest at Lotus Pier ensues.