qingxinling | bang! crash! the lightning flashed!! -- that's another story, nevermind, anyway!

Bichen jerks hard under Zidian's pull; at first, Lan Wangji has time only to catch Wei Ying before he stumbles and then to leap back to the ground with his arm back around Wei Ying's waist. He is distantly aware that Wei Ying is saying his name, and Jiang Wanyin's birth name, but more than anything, he is aware that Jiang Wanyin has gone too far.

Lan Wangji puts out a hand for Bichen, which is too heavy for anyone but him to go far under Zidian's pull, and then stalks forward to block Wei Ying from view as he finally unleashes all the qi built up in Wangji's strings in one single low, cutting chord.

Finally. Jiang Wanyin yanks Zidian free and then uses it to counter Lan Wangji's stupid chord, qi and lightning shooting out to meet the attack. He's glad that Sandu is naked in his hand; he brings the sword into his favorite of the Jiang forms. Lan Wangji is boring and stuffy and obnoxious and part of the most annoying sect in the world, and Wei Wuxian still chooses to live in his ascetic shithole of a home instead making a nuisance of himself at Lotus Pier despite Jiang Wanyin's strict orders to the contrary????? If this truly is an unescapable hellhole like others have been saying, at least Jiang Wanyin can unleash on this fucker the way that he's wanted to for years.

Lan Wangji wishes dearly that Crowley's absurd so-called folk tale had been real and that Jiang Wanyin had truly encountered a thousand years of bad luck the moment the demon set those books alight. He would have enjoyed seeing Jiang Wanyin tripping over his own garish whip at a moment such as this, for instance.

At least he doesn't need the workings of luck to best Jiang Wanyin in a fight. Bichen gleams blue in his hand. Lan Wangji stays where he is, determined to keep Wei Ying safe and entirely out of reach, but he is otherwise focused solely on releasing sword qi and yet another slicing chord at the same time.

Edited 2023-12-15 11:19 (UTC)

Jiang Wanyin is torn. He wants to hurt Lan Wangji -- does he ever want to hurt Lan Wangji. He wants to smear his smarmy little face through the streets until his outsides look as bitchy and dumb as his insides.

Realistically, it's not the smartest political play. Sure, Gusu Lan is no longer as strongly positioned as it was before their sect leader went into seclusion, but Jiang Wanyin is a sect leader, and Lan Wangji is merely a second son.

The thing that's pissing Jiang Wanyin off more than anything else is the way Lan Wangji is clearly shielding Wei Wuxian from him. Sure, Jiang Wanyin has whipped Wei Wuxian. Sure, he hunted him for years. Sure, he's never going to forgive him for every stupid fucking choice he's made, starting with his fucking behavior in their childhood, continuing on to his fucking bullshit martyr complex and subsequent rejection of ~~Jiang Wanyin~~ the Yunmeng Jiang sect, and culminating in his stupid cut-sleeve cultivation partnership with the biggest drip in the world after years of his personal responsibility in leaving Jiang Wanyin without any family in the stupid shitty world (besides Jin Ling, who Jiang Wanyin ~~loves~~ regards more than anything left in aforementioned stupid shitty world). But he's not going to hurt the asshole! That would be descending to his level. And maybe Jiang Wanyin could tell that motherfucker that he's not going to descend to his level, if his stupid little yappy lapdog of a partner would go the fuck away for half a moment!

Jiang Wanyin focuses all of his anger and confusion and aims Zidian's next attack directly at Lan Wangji.

Almost before Lan Wangji can think, he is blocking Zidian's attack with Bichen, twisting the sword so that the whip wraps around it rather than striking Lan Wangji himself or, worse, striking Wei Ying. Its touch renders Bichen's qi inert, the glow draining from its usually-bright blade, but Lan Wangji's strength is untouched, and he holds on with his fingers tight around the hilt. Jiang Wanyin will not take this from him. Jiang Wanyin will not take anything from either of them. He has taken Wei Ying's golden core, because Wei Ying loves him too much for his own good; he has taken Wei Ying's peace from him on too many nights to count. He could have saved him, and he cast his shixiong aside instead.

He knows that Wei Ying hates this. If he had his way, Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji would get along -- or, at the least, they would not loathe each other so intractably. But Wei Ying gives away parts of himself as though they are worth nothing. He is quick to anger when injustice is done to others and not quick enough to it when he is hurt. He is the bravest, cleverest, most infuriating, and best person Lan Wangji has ever known, and if it remains Lan Wangji's duty to carry the anger he deserves for him, then he will shoulder that burden willingly.

With Bichen so occupied, it falls to Wangji to retaliate. Lan Wangji calls up spiritual power from within himself, pure qi and intent that feels equally pure, and sets his fingers to the strings to unleash a fresh chord assassination in Jiang Wanyin's direction.

Edited 2023-12-16 04:21 (UTC)

Frankly, this could go on for a while. Jiang Wanyin settles into the inevitability of it, because he doesn't know any other way to handle this. He hates Lan Wangji. He likes that, when he fights Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian is forced to see him.

He ducks the blast of qi from Lan Wangji, and sends another surge of lightning along Zidian, and reaches with his spiritual energy for Sandu.

For a split second, Magnus thinks that someone has found fireworks and thought it a good idea to set them off in the middle of the day.

Then he sees some dude in purple and Lan Wangji in what looks like a really intense, pitched battle. He forgets, in that moment, that Lan Wangji has promised him he'll never have to fight again -- that Lan Wangji can handle it. All he sees is a spike of lightning more intense than anything he's seen coming off of Mjolnir, and it's aimed straight for someone that he loves.

He runs without really even realizing that he's running, as fast as his einherji abilities allow, Jack unleashed and flying at his side. He's not thinking about wanting to put down the sword, just that he has to do something to protect this man who means so much to him. He doesn't care who the other guy is: he's attacking, and Lan Wangji is clearly defending himself and his husband, and Magnus Chase hates bullies.

He has to do something. He has to do something. He has to do something. The need -- the urgent need to stop this situation before it can escalate further -- courses through him. He's been using alf seidr left and right here: warmth and light and healing as needed. This is more than that. He hasn't used the Peace of Frey since the first time he fought Galahad. The shockwave rolls through him, thoughtless and strong, swelling from the desperation seizing up his chest and then shooting through his entire body. It's strong enough that the water in the lake is pushed back from shore several feet, waves surging in its wake.

More importantly, even though Lan Wangji is disarmed, so is the guy menacing them. Jack has been blown back, too; Magnus hadn't had time to warn him. He'll deal with that fallout later. A bracelet clatters to the ground behind him; he kicks it away and wipes off the blood pooling from his nose with the back of his hand. This Peace was strong enough that the shockwave has dislodged a tooth; as he spits it out, he looks anxiously at the three men in front of him.

"Uh," he says, with an awkward, shaky wave. "Sorry. What the fuck?"

Edited 2023-12-16 05:05 (UTC)

Wei Wuxian has been sitting in the grass, watching, once he realized that his shouts for them to stop were useless. He is exhausted enough emotionally that it shows, in the slump of his shoulders and the expression on his face as he looks up. "Don't worry, Magnus. They're just trying to kill each other."

He pauses, realizing how that sounds to someone who doesn't know the long history between these two men, the one who once finished ripping Wei Wuxian's heart to shreds and the one who carefully sewed it back together and repairs it anew each day. "Neither of them would actually do it. Jiang Cheng has that much propriety and Lan Zhan cares for me too much."

This feeling, the wrenching of his weapons from his grasp and the blooming warmth of Magnus' aura -- at least it is known to Lan Wangji, and he knows to brace himself and that his spiritual items will begin obeying him again shortly. He looks first toward Wei Ying, to ensure he is unharmed, and then he draws up a surge of qi to call Wangji back to him before it can crash to the ground. Bichen is sturdy, almost indestructible, and will be fine wherever it lands, but the most he can do for Wangji here is restring it. To honor what Magnus has done, once it has returned to his control, he slings it into its place on his back rather than continuing to wield it.

"Magnus," he says, tight and urgent, with a tiny spike of horror: that Magnus has seen this, at the blood on his face, at the despondent sprawl of Wei Ying's body on the grass. He strides toward Magnus and catches his hand, passing him a flare of spiritual energy, and offers the other to Wei Ying to pull him to his feet. By this time, Bichen is flying back as well, having dislodged itself from a far-flung tree. It slides into its sheath. If Jiang Wanyin will only give them a moment, this can all be over.

There's an abrasion on Jiang Wanyin's wrist where Zidian was ripped free. Neither of these things should be possible: Zidian only responds to her masters, and does not harm them.

It's a small matter in the face of the strength of Jiang Wanyin's core¹, but the implications are horrifying. He stares at the child -- no, not a child; he seems to be about Jin Ling's age -- who caused this to happen, without so much as a talisman, shocked into stillness for barely the blink of an eye. It's enough time for him to hear what Wei Wuxian mutters about him, and he twists to stare at the man, aghast. Too much propriety! That's obviously not the only reason --!

...Jin Ling would be upset!!

Sandu leaps back to Jiang Wanyin's hand after an irritated jerk of his qi, but Zidian is harder to locate. Jiang Wanyin glowers at Lan Wangji, at Wei Wuxian, at this intervening adolescent -- and turns to locate his spiritual weapon, instead of pressing forward with Sandu alone. Lan Wangji will probably do something stupid and infuriating, like try to squirrel Wei Wuxian away yet again.

Whatever². All reports from Jiang Wanyin's disciples at lectures in Cloud Recesses this year have been that Hanguang-jun and his cultivation partner are nowhere to be seen for months; that it's unclear if they're in seclusion or traveling or worse. It seems Jiang Wanyin has forgotten, in this brief peace their disappearance has allowed him, that his former shixiong, like a cockroach, is impossible to destroy. He hasn't been looking for him, and now that he knows that he's tucked away in some weird stupid array with his stupid fucking canker sore of a partner, he can make extra sure to keep not looking for him.

¹Ah.
²The least-heartfelt 'whatever' in the world!

Jiang Wanyin is distracted, very briefly. That is all Lan Wangji needs. He makes quick and purposeful eye contact with Wei Ying and then with Magnus, but doesn't waste time speaking.

Bichen flies back into the air, the flat of the blade hovering parallel to the ground. With one hand in Magnus' and the other in Wei Ying's, Lan Wangji jumps onto it, pulling them with him, einherji tight against one side and husband tight against the other. He thinks for a dizzying and unpleasant moment of the dream that must have come from Luo Binghe, and then banishes the memory in favor of directing Bichen toward the mansion at the height of its speed.

"Um," says Magnus, who is kind of totally out of it, now, between the panic and the shockwave and the nosebleed and the being yanked through the air by Hanguang-jun. He peeks around Lan Wangji's chest to catch Wei Wuxian's eye. "You knew that guy? Who was that?"

"We were raised together. For a time, we were inseparable." Even Lan Zhan's love for Magnus cannot get Wei Wuxian to tell the whole of the story, especially not in this moment. "I caused him to be hurt very badly."

It may not have been his fault, it certainly wasn't his intention, but he still bears the wounds of it -- and so does Jiang Cheng. "Thank you for stopping them, Magnus."

Lan Wangji would object to the framing of this story, but he has more important things on his mind. Namely, drawing up to the nearest mansion entrance, leaping back to the ground with both of them in tow, and kicking open the door as a result of his reluctance to let either Magnus or Wei Ying out of his grasp. Bichen slides home again, and Lan Wangji carries them both inside. Only then, ostensibly safe and with the door swung shut behind them, does he release them.

Ooooh, Magnus was not prepared to go inside today. He's with Hanguang-jun though, so it's okay. "So, like, family stuff?" he guesses, directed mostly at Wei Wuxian. "I get that." He's pretty sure that if Alex ran into Uncle Randolph again anytime soon, there might be a similar outcome.

Wei Wuxian nods, slumped against Lan Zhan. Family stuff except that calling it that is what had gotten them all into trouble this time. "You don't need to worry about it if you see them like that again. They really won't do anything permanent to each other."

(His faith in them is perhaps a bit more than they deserve, but it's mostly faith in Lan Zhan, who he is certain can survive whatever Jiang Cheng throws at him and who he is equally certain will not hurt Jiang Cheng beyond repair.)

Edited 2023-12-17 22:42 (UTC)

Lan Wangji curls his arm into its customary position around Wei Ying's waist, awash with pure relief to have taken him away from that. He knows he needs to let Magnus return to the outdoors, but for that moment of flight, he could think of nothing but sheltering the two of them against any possible dangers.

He takes a breath and seizes Magnus' wrist, transferring another measure of qi to him. When he can catch Magnus' gaze, he looks meaningfully toward Wei Ying, not quite able to speak but asking for Magnus' understanding. Wei Ying needs him; Lan Wangji needs to take care of him. He will find Magnus as soon as he can.

Edited 2023-12-18 00:12 (UTC)

Magnus doesn't really need whatever healing Lan Wangji is trying to push at him -- his own innate healing has already stopped the nosebleed, and he'll have a new tooth by the morning. But he has things of his own to get to, now that the shakiness of the panic and the Peace have faded, so he nods at Hanguang-jun.

"Good to see you again, Wei Wuxian," he says, politely, pulling away from Lan Wangji and stretching. "More cooking lessons soon? When you're feeling better?"

Edited 2023-12-18 02:43 (UTC)

"Absolutely." Wei Wuxian manages a quick, genuine smile for Magnus. "Don't you worry about me! I just need to speak with Lan Zhan."

That's all the permission Lan Wangji needs. With one final assessing glance at Magnus, to satisfy himself that he is well, he bundles Wei Ying into his arms and makes for their bedchamber with haste.

Meanwhile, still on the banks of the lake, Jiang Wanyin glowers. Stupid fucking Wei Wuxian is always running away. He doesn't know why he expected anything different.

He gathers his consequence tightly around him and, glaring in the direction of the weird fucking building Hanguang-jun flew Wei Wuxian and the strange boy to, stalks off to find his way back to Yunmeng.

Edited 2024-12-30 23:18 (UTC)

bang! crash! the lightning flashed!! -- that's another story, nevermind, anyway!

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