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

[qingxinling]

Jiang Wanyin sweeps along the shores of the lake, glowering. This is not his beloved Lotus Pier. These waters are cold, foreign, uninviting. Clearly there's been some trap: he's been distracted by duty in this hunt, and when he followed the slight tug in his chest, he ended up getting pulled into unfamiliar territory.

No matter. He draws himself to full height, letting cool arrogance slip down his shoulders and suffuse him. Sandu is naked in one hand; Zidian crackles in the other. He can handle whatever monsters may arrive.

Comments

[protagonisthalo]

Luo Binghe scoffs, though not at the new cultivator—simply thinking about Lan Wangji irritates him. "He puts on airs, and styles himself as a high judge, as though all must earn his approval to be deemed worthy. Too many others are fooled by his act, and think him quite the authority."

[qingxinling]

Oh! This guy gets it! Perhaps all is not wrong in this array, if at least one other person can see Lan Wangji as he truly is! Jiang Wanyin bows politely for what must be the first time all day. "He's judgy and dull," he agrees.

[protagonisthalo]

"Too true," Luo Binghe says fervently. "It is good to meet a man of such discernment. What has Lan Wangji done to you?"

[qingxinling]

"What hasn't Lan Wangji done to me," Jiang Wanyin grumbles. "He's an asshole who doesn't give a single shit about the proper way of doing things, but he has everyone around him fooled, so they're always saying things like Ooooooh, Hanguang-jun, going where the chaos is! Ooooooh, Hanguang-jun, so formal and proper! Oooooh, Hanguang-jun, a peerless jade! even though he's, at best, a lump of shitty glass."

[protagonisthalo]

"Shitty glass," Luo Binghe says in agreement, "because if he were of higher quality, everyone would be able to see through him."

[qingxinling]

"Fucking worthless in multiple ways," agrees Jiang Wanyin, warming up to the conversation.

[protagonisthalo]

"And arrogant—as if he's proud of being so!"

[qingxinling]

"He's always acted like he's better than anyone else in the universe," Jiang Wanyin nods. "For all of the twenty-five years I've known him."

[protagonisthalo]

"What a hardship to have known him for twenty-five years," Luo Binghe says. "You have my sympathies. I am Luo Binghe—I feel sure that we can be allies."

[qingxinling]

"Jiang Wanyin," he says, and give Luo Binghe a second, more formal bow. "Sect leader of Yunmeng Jiang."

[protagonisthalo]

Luo Binghe bows too, out of respect for this man's good judgment and opinions. Not that low, though—he is still Emperor. "Emperor of the Three Realms," he adds.

[qingxinling]

Jiang Wanyin supposes that there is an emperor, but he's never spared the guy much thought before. "Good for you," he says; his tone is even borderline respectful.

[protagonisthalo]

What an agreeable man. Luo Binghe is looking forward to becoming close friends with Jiang Wanyin over the course of what will surely be his long stay at the mansion.

"How do you know Lan Wangji to begin with?" Luo Binghe hates the man, but admittedly the basis of his hatred is mostly that Lan Wangji hates him. Luo Binghe can easily hold a grudge forever based solely on that, but he'd love to have more reasons.

[qingxinling]

Jiang Wanyin considers telling Emperor Luo about the lectures at Cloud Recesses; the ensuing conferences and competitions; those months trying to find Wei Wuxian at the start of the Sunshot Campaign. He considers telling of their... differences of opinion... about the Yiling Laozu and his death. About thirteen years of disciples at loggerheads surpassed only by their own mutual acrimony.

"He's fucking my former shixiong," he says.

[protagonisthalo]

Luo Binghe thinks back to the talent show. "The man who wears black and red?" His taste in lovers might be abhorrent, but his taste in fashion is unimpeachable.

[qingxinling]

"Messy ponytail? Yeah. That's Wei Wuxian."

[protagonisthalo]

"Ha! He's nothing compared to my boyfriend."

[qingxinling]

A cutsleeve emperor?! Jiang Wanyin decides not to unpick his feelings about all that, or the implication that Wei Wuxian might be -- whatever, he's not thinking about it.

"Who's your boyfriend?" Grumpy, grumpy.

[protagonisthalo]

This is Luo Binghe's favorite subject. He radiates pride. "Shen Yuan. He is a very powerful cultivator, and exceedingly beautiful.¹ Have you met him? His smile is like the first touch of the sun's rays after a tempest."

¹Yes, Luo Binghe is now aware that Shen Yuan originally looked different², and was not a cultivator. This will not stop him from bragging about his boyfriend.
²Still exceedingly beautiful. Even moreso!

[qingxinling]

That guy is also a cutsleeve? What, is it in the water here or something? Is there some kind of pollen that encourages men to lay with men? "The immortal cultivator?" he asks, to make sure.

[protagonisthalo]

"Yes, the immortal cultivator. He's a Peak Lord of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect." Obviously, since Jiang Wanyin is from the same world as Lan Wangji, and Lan Wangji is from the same world as Luo Binghe, he will have heard of Cang Qiong. Somehow, in the past three months, no one has given Luo Binghe any reason to believe otherwise.

[qingxinling]

"Never heard of it," Jiang Wanyin says, glibly. "Is it anywhere near Baoshan Sanren's mountain?"

[protagonisthalo]

He must come from the same remote region as Lan Wangji, where the news of Luo Binghe's rule has yet to reach. That's irritating, but Luo Binghe likes Jiang Wanyin enough that he'll generously forgive him for the slight. After all, Cang Qiong doesn't even exist anymore, and Shen Yuan doesn't need its prestige to impress. "No. What's that?"

[qingxinling]

"She's the only confirmed immortal I've ever heard of, until today," Jiang Wanyin says. If there's an odd tone to his voice, well. That's understandable and surely doesn't need to be explained to anyone here.

[protagonisthalo]

This strikes Luo Binghe as very odd. Immortality among cultivators is simply not that uncommon.¹ Cang Qiong Mountain has a number of immortals among its Peak Lords, and it is (was) only one of the three major sects. "I find that hard to believe. I myself could reach immortality easily, and likely will. Heavenly Demons can already live hundreds of years without cultivating at all."

¹Genre differences!