Chapter Text
True to fashion, Jiujiu wasn't inclined to let them lie about.
'Go get the food you're going to eat.'
There was too much to do and not enough people; any extra pair of hands was surely needed. But the way Jiujiu said it made Jin Ling feel as if he were imposing on their welcome.
Jin Ling took them to an area closer to the gates, hoping it was a popular spot for carp. Stupidly, he realized they hadn't brought any fishing gear. But he wasn't about to go all the way back and face Jiujiu to ask for some. It was fine. All Jiang disciples knew how to fish without using any equipment.
The two Lans stood waiting for instruction. He sighed, rolled up his sleeves, took off his shoes, and jumped into the water. "Just wait for the fish to come back, aim up and deeper than you think."
It wasn't cultivation theory. Most of it was just getting over the idea that you were about to have your hands full of a wriggling creature. Sizhui followed first, the white Lan robes revealing as water soaked into them. He looked away quickly, ignoring the splash that meant Jingyi had joined them.
Jin Ling tried to focus on the fish. Reaching forward, not thinking about how much muscle popped through the transparent robes, he…missed. Staring down at the rippling water, he hadn't done that since Jiujiu first taught him. Worse, Sizhui tossed his own into the basket.
"Wei-qianbei showed me once." Sizhui offered up as a way of explanation. "It's important to be able to feed yourself."
"What! Wei-qianbei never showed me!"
"You're too loud, we'll all starve if it was up to you!" Jin Ling looked mournfully at the scattering fish. It almost would have been better if he had just come alone. At least then he could focus on just the fish. Moving slightly further from the two Lan, he caught sight of a large catfish lounging beneath the dock. The lazy bastard didn't even flinch as Jin Ling approached.
It was stupidly easy to just reach down and grab it. With a quick blow, Jin Ling killed it and slung the fish over his shoulder, into the basket tied on his back. Idly, he wondered what the thing had been eating to get so fat. It would be enough to feed a whole table of disciples. He was just about to turn back, spotting another one, when he heard a familiar sharp laugh.
Wei Wuxian snuck past a bottle in hand, chatting animatedly to what seemed like empty space beside him. However, he'd been around his uncle long enough to know that wasn't likely the case. Jin Ling turned away, shaking out the chill that rose on his arms. There were ghosts that roamed the halls of Lotus Pier. The thousands of disciples and civilians who were executed on the night of the Wen invasion, stuck on the night their blood painted the lakes red.
They never bothered the other disciples, their presences so faint that cultivators weren't obligated to act. Personally, Jin Ling tried not to think about it too hard. Too busy watching from the corner of his eye, Da-jiu seemed so much more animated talking to his invisible guest than he had been with anyone since they got here.
He followed Wei Wuxian's journey, edging close to where Jingyi and Sizhui were still bent over the water. It just wasn't too odd for Da-jiu to be talking to the dead. But the fact he did it so openly… in their time, he had the common sense to do it away from watching eyes, and quickly stopped when anyone approached.
"Oh shi—"
Wack.
A wet slap hit Jin Ling in the face as the fish that had been in Jingyi's hands slipped back into the water. That's it, banned. They were banned from Jinlintai after this. He ran a hand down his face, flicking out the water. "Thanks."
"Forgive this lowly disciple, Little Mistress; he only wished to give the fair lady a fish."
That was it. He thrust the basket of fish into Sizhui's waiting arms and launched himself at Jingyi, dunking his head in the lake. A strong arm pulled his leg out from under him, sending Jin Ling flailing back. Joke on Jingyi. This was not Jin Ling's first tussle in the waters of Lotus Pier. Twisting like the fish they had been catching, he slipped out of Jingyi's hold and splashed up a storm.
"Stop! Stop! I yield, I yield!"
Soaking wet, they looked at each other before twin laughter rang out. This was stupid. They were better than this. But Jingyi stood with a dangling strand of waterweed hanging from his guan; he couldn't help but have another round of gasping laughter. Jin Ling wasn't much better, based on the sound Sizhui was making behind them.
But it came to a crashing stop when a cold voice cut their smiles short.
"Lotus Pier is not accepting visitors."
Wei Wuxian stood at the gate, arms crossed, face frozen in a sneer as he faced two Jin disciples.
"I'm not here to talk with Lotus Pier." The Jin disciple argued, and Jin Ling was only the slightest bit impressed; he didn't immediately run. He didn't think he would have the guts to stick around if the Yiling Laozu stared at him like that. "I'm only here to talk with Jiang-guniang."
"Yah, well, she doesn't want to talk to you."
The Jin disciple stepped forward, away from his companion. "You don't know that!"
A dreadful cloud of smoke rose from the water, curling around Wei Wuxian's feet. Still, the Jin disciple didn't back down.
Wistfully, Jin Ling wished he had this kind of dedication in today's disciples.
The disciple turned, a crimson dot glinting on his forehead. And Jin Ling was suddenly looking in a mirror.
"Jin Ling is that…?" Jingyi trailed off; there was no point in continuing the sentence. The answer was obvious. Before them was none other than Jin Zixuan, his father.
The hatred in Wei Wuxian's eyes suddenly made so much more sense. It was no secret that the Yiling Laozu despised his father for how he had treated his Shijie between the incident at the camp, where Jin Zixuan had humiliated Jiang Yanli in front of everyone, and the one at the Phoenix Mountain hunt. Those stories, as horrible as they were, fueled the teasing that followed him in Jinlintai. Proof that his parents didn't love each other, that any child born from their marriage was one produced only for convenience.
Jin Ling stared; the hope that perhaps those rumours had also been exaggerated quickly started collapsing.
"Get lost, Jin Zixuan. We're closed to visitors." Jiang Cheng approached with his mother holding his arm.
Jin Ling expected her to mediate, to cool the waters, but Jiang Yanli's face closed off in a blank mask. Did she really not want to see his father? He thought that was just Wei Wuxian, but now a trickle of doubt rose as Jin Ling realized there may have been some truth to the rumours.
"Jiang-zongzhu, Jiang-guniang." Jin Ling recoiled at the familiar smooth voice. It was embedded in his earliest memories, a rare constant growing up, the speaker as close to him as Jiujiu.
Jin Guangyao. His Xiao-shushu.
"Jin-gongzi only needs a moment of Jiang-gunaing's time." Jin Ling caught Xiao-shushu's glance at the talisman. Yay. There was no way he would ever consent to having his memory altered. "Surely there is no need for… such measures."
Wei Wuxian pointed a skeletal finger at the gates. "Then leave."
"Fine! I have better things to do than beg you."
He gaped at the sight of his father and uncle turning around to leave. Jin Zixuan's invitation of his mother to the Phoenix Hunt was one of the few stories Jiujiu had told him. The hunt itself was a complete disaster, but in the chaos was the first time, according to Jiujiu' the peacock got his head out of his ass and confessed.' Even Wei Wuxian agreed that, if it hadn't been for his father's outburst, the invitation had been his idea, and it was likely that Jiang Yanli would have continued to think he wanted nothing to do with her.
If they left now, would Jin Ling even exist?
"Wait!" He ripped his arm free of Jingyi's hold, struggling to free himself from the thick weeds they had been hiding in.
"Who are you? How dare you wear the vermillion mark?" The deadly, sharp blade of his own sword stared him down. Behind him, Jin Ling was vaguely aware of Jiujiu shouting at Wei Wuxian to activate the talisman; by the increase in volume, he had to guess that it wasn't happening.
Jiang Yanli stepped forward, slender fingers settling on his shoulder. "Jin-gongzi, please activate the talisman so we may explain."
"If you already have a Jin suitor, there will be no need. Let's go."
Jiang Yanli flinched ever so slightly. "That is not it. There has been an incident which we can explain further."
Her words were as smooth as honey, but had the complete opposite effect. Rage flashed across Jin Zixuan's face as his eyes flickered to her belly. "Then I have been mistaken about the kind of woman you are."
Jin Ling was going to hit him.
Everyone else seemed to have the same idea.
"Jin-gongzi is mistaken," Jiang Yanli spoke cooly, her hand resting on Wei Wuxian's to keep him from murdering Jin Zixuan. "This is my son, yes, but as I have mentioned, the incident is more complex than you realize."
"Jiang-guniang," Jin Zixuan looked mortified as it dawned on him that Jin Ling was several years older than them. This time, it was his turn to seem like he was two seconds from either running from the room or bursting into tears right in front of them. "I hope that your marriage will be filled with nothing but joy."
What? Jin Ling stared dumbstruck at his father.
"I know I cannot compete with A-Yao. But I hope you will allow me your friendship." He bowed, much deeper than an heir of one of the great clans should.
"Hold on!" Jin Ling took a second to process what his father just said. "Xiao-shushu isn't my dad!" Jin Guangyao blinked at the title, looking genuinely startled for once.
Here, he thought their biggest worry would be Jin Zixuan questioning why Jin Ling was using Suihua. But it seemed his dad was even bigger of an idiot than his uncle. Sizhui had to place a firm hand over Jingyi's mouth to keep the other from bursting out laughing.
"Jin Zixun?" Jin Zixuan's face turned ashen before a furious blush coloured his cheeks. "I do not want to be the reason your son does not exist. But Jiang-guniang, I know I could be a better husband if you give me the chance."
His cheeks burned with second-hand embarrassment for his father. Jin Ling should have known when it was Da-jiu who joked that Jin Zixuan was an absolute failure when it came to romance. After all, it had taken Wei Wuxian a whole death and several people literally spelling it out that Hanguang-jun loved him, before Da-jiu got it through his thick skull.
"It's you!" Jin Ling blurted out, unable to take it anymore. Beside him, Jingyi couldn't either and was bent over with laughter. Even Sizhui looked like he was struggling not to join in. "You are my dad."
Everyone's eyes were trained on him.
Jin Ling stood straight, looked at his parents, and promptly bolted out of there. Spurring his legs to move faster, trying to outrun the memories chasing after him. Rounding the dock, he jumped over the collapsed section.
A-Niang had known, believed him right away. But Jin Zixuan ran through every other possibility. Was it true? Jiujiu had scolded him once when he had asked the question. Frowned at him but only said that he had, before his expression turned pained and ended with a soft 'Don't be stupid.'
He sprinted around the corner and stopped. The pier ended. It wasn't supposed to; this was supposed to take him all the way to the village. Jin Ling collapsed at the edge, crumpled down, and buried his head in his knees.
All the old childhood hurt and embarrassment came crashing over him. Jin Zixuan never wanted to marry your mother! He would still be alive if he hadn't. Unwanted A-Ling! Your mother chose to die rather than be with you! It had been cruel. And wrong, he knew that now. Jiujiu would threaten anyone who said anything, but there was only so much he could do all the way in Lotus Pier.
It wasn't fair.
Tears rolled down his cheeks. He wanted to go home. Hated this place, where Jiujiu was mean, and Da-jiu didn't smile right. The only good part was his mom, but it would only make her absence even louder when they got back.
"So the Peacock actually got it together then?" Jin Ling wiped his eyes. There was nothing he could do about the redness, but he refused to let the Yiling Laozu see him crying.
Wei Wuxian took a good few seconds lowering himself down on the dock next to Jin Ling, and even longer to pry his boots off, dipping his feet into the cool spring water. Scars lined his legs, whole chunks missing, including, to Jin Ling's surprise, two toes of his left foot.
"Are you okay?" Sitting close to him like this, Jin Ling could hear an odd hitch to his breathing, a whining wheeze, like air escaping every time he inhaled.
Neither of his uncles spoke very much about the war or what came after. Most of what Jin Ling knew about it came from mocking jeers about his parents dying at the hands of Wei Wuxian. Rumours of the Yiling Laozu's madness had been a popular one.
After Da-jiu came back, Jin Ling discounted all of them. The idea that Wei Wuxian ate babies or sacrificed virgins to his ghost armies became ridiculous when you spent more than five minutes in his presence. That and, once you see the famed dark master of demonic cultivation scale Hanguang-jun to get away from Fairy — the fluffiest, sweetest dog in the Jianghu— it was hard to fear Wei Wuxian.
Now, though, it was impossible not to see how unwell Da-jiu was. It was more than just war fatigue, as Jiang Yanli tried to convince them. There was something seriously wrong with Wei Wuxian.
It also had to be more than just the loss of his core. Da-jiu's core was so weak in the present that he might as well not have had one at all for all the good it did.
Wei Wuxian shrugged. "Came here to ask you that."
"Only one of us looks like he's about to keel over." He pointed out. If Wei Wuxian ever showed up at Jinlintai in this condition, Jin Ling would ensure that a doctor was trailing him every moment of every day. Scratch that, Jin Ling would lock him in a room with several doctors.
"You spend a lot of time with Jiang Cheng; you sound just like him." Jin Ling shuffled, unfurling slightly, to look at his uncle.
"Of course I spend time with Jiujiu!" Jin Ling blurted out. "He's the best!"
A sharp laugh escaped from Wei Wuxian. "Don't let him hear that. It'll go to his head."
He kicked at the water, splashing a bit onto his uncle. As if Jin Ling needed to tell Jiujiu. Everyone in Lotus Pier already knew, and those in the Jianghu who didn't risked finding out. Da-jiu would see that if he had just stopped being so stubborn and gone back to Lotus Pier earlier.
"So when does it happen?" Wei Wuxian sank further back, staring up at the clouds with a tired smile. "When do I finally kick the bucket?"
"What?" Did everyone know? Were they that obvious? And why were they both so okay with it? If Jin Ling found out his life was coming to an imminent end, he would fight to the last moment to change it.
But Wei Wuxian just continued kicking the water, completely unbothered, as if he had just made a comment about the weather.
"This year, next year, maybe three if I'm lucky." Why were they so okay with dying? Tears prickled in his eyes again. Didn't they know some people would miss them? "Bet Jiang Cheng cried at my funeral."
There wasn't one, Wei Wuxian didn't even have a plaque in Lotus Pier, at least not that Jin Ling knew about.
He wasn't entirely sure what happened. Jiujiu steadfastly refused to discuss the siege or his role that night. He never confirmed or denied the 'honour' of being the one to kill the Yiling Laozu. Wei Wuxian did. He would correct anyone he overheard saying that.
However, he also wouldn't say what really happened. Only that it was his fault, and his choice. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Especially when the other popular rumour gleefully spread that Wei Wuxian had been ripped apart by his own creatures.
"Enough time for you to get your head out of your ass about Hanguang-jun." He muttered into his sleeve. Jin Ling didn't want to talk about Da-jiu's death, or that it didn't matter what they did here; everyone was going to die.
Wei Wuxian leaned back to lie flat on the dock, staring up at the clouds. "Me and Lan Zhan huh?" An odd expression passed across his face. "He'd be ridiculous to choose to be with someone like me." Wei Wuxian laughed at his own joke, and then harder when Jin Ling sent him a confused look.
"You're weirder now." He muttered half under his breath, rising and sticking out a hand to help his uncle up.
Wei Wuxian flinched at the gesture, staring with those wide, sunken eyes. He waited. They had nowhere else to be. Eventually, Da-jiu broke out of the little trance and took it. Hauling himself up, Jin Ling stayed still, for balance, anything else. A small part of him was afraid that if he pulled Wei Wuxian up, he would somehow injure him.
Together, they made the slow journey back to the main hall. With a sigh, Wei Wuxian placed his hands on his hips and muttered something along the lines of 'having to deal with the Peacock.' The dramatic, forlorn expression teased out a nervousness from Jin Ling.
The scent of sulphur rose as Wei Wuxian strode through the hall. Determination and a familiar effortless grace trace his steps. For a second, Jin Ling was left standing there, watching his uncle pass him, making an unwavering path to his spot next to his siblings. If he hadn't literally just watched Wei Wuxian struggle to get to his feet, he never would have suspected that there was anything off about him.
Jiang Cheng sat on the throne, his mother beside him. At least Jingyi and Sizhui weren't crammed in close anymore; no, that distinguished honour went to Jin Zixuan and Xiao-shushu. Nice and close, so if they stepped a toe out of line, Jiang Cheng could put them firmly in their place.
Jin Ling didn't look at his father as he took his seat; he kept his eyes firmly on the bowl of steamed fish Jiang Yanli slid in front of him. "Thank you, A-Niang." She squeezed his hand with a small smile before turning to fill Sizhui and Jingyi's bowls.
He could feel his father's eyes on him; it made him focus even more intently on the fish, counting the number of peppers, hell, after he'd counted the rice, if it meant he could pretend that Jin Zixuan wasn't watching him from across the hall.
"Xiao-shushu, I thought you were busy with planning." He ignored the way his friends stiffened at the familiar address. But this was the man who raised him, just as much as Jiujiu had. If he selfishly wanted to go back to the time when Jin Guangyao was nothing more than his Xiao-shushu, well… it was literally now.
"It was unexpected." He admitted graciously, nodding as he offered. "I was only to deliver invitations to Gusu and Qinghe."
Jiang Yanli put a generous portion onto Xiao-shushu's bowl, pausing before moving over to fill Jin Zixuan's for a soft "Our apologies, Jin-gongzi, for the interruption in your duties."
"It is no trouble, Jiang-guniang, this one is happy to be of service." Jin Guangyao smiled innocently, folding his hands in his lap. "Wei-gongzi, your talisman, may I ask if this is a new development?"
Wei Wuxian looked at him, eyes narrowing. Jin Ling squirmed in his seat, hoping that Da-jiu wouldn't say anything that turned Xiao-shushu against him. "You're Lianfang-Zun!"
"Yes?"
"Big fan. Sorry, I missed your debut." Wei Wuxian raised his knee, using it as a perch for his arm as he pointed with Chenqing. Debut? It took Jin Ling a second to puzzle out what Da-jiu was talking about. Da-jiu wasn't cruel enough to tease about when Xiao-shushu first arrived at Jinlintai, and his less-than-pleasant dismissal down the thousand steps. "Congrats on ending the war." Oh, that debut. "Yup, as of this morning."
Xiao-shushu nodded lightly, his smile curious and unassuming. If the mention of his time with the Wen unsettled him at all, it was impossible to tell.
"Why did you not activate it under Jiang-zongzhu's request? I am merely curious. This one does not have your experience."
"I'm not going to make a mind-altering talisman that can be activated by anyone other than the user." He rolled his eyes, as if the answer had been obvious.
Which it was, only to Wei Wuxian.
Jin Ling might not have the political schemeness of Xiao-shushu or Zufu, but even he could see the uses of one. Wei Wuxian would forget making these, and so would everyone else. Jin Guangyao would never get these memories back… Or his mother, or his father.
Stuffing his face with fish, the numbing spice was a good distraction from going down that depressing thought path. But all that food nearly choked him as Xiao-shushu spoke.
"Gongzi, forgive me," Jin Guangyao bowed from his seat, addressing Sizhui. "But have we met?"
"We have not," Sizhui spoke with a carefully controlled neutrality.
The room narrowed their attention, trained on the conversation. He coughed, loudly trying to break the rising tension. Why did they have to ask? Jin Ling didn't think anyone in their time paid so much attention to Sizhui's background. They saw the Lan headband and accepted it on the spot.
"Ah, I must be thinking of someone else."
It was a lie. Xiao-shushu's memory was impeccable. If he thought Sizhui looked familiar, it's because he was.
Jin Ling could count the number of times he had seen Sizhui and Xiao-Shushu interact on his hand. And none of them without Hanguang-jun standing guard nearby. Though in each meeting, Xiao-Shushu didn't act any differently, they even spoke more than a couple of words to Sizhui.
He didn't think that Sizhui knew his birth parents, or if he did, he hadn't mentioned it to Jin Ling. But as it turned out, Xiao-shushu didn't say anything to him. He looked over at his uncle. Jin Guangyao was barely even a Jin at this point. Only a few months ago, he was Meng Yao, hero of the Sunshot Campaign, who slew the mad tyrant. It wasn't really fair to blame this version for crimes he hadn't committed yet. Still, it didn't stop the bitter sting that rose every time he looked over and saw Xiao-shushu just sitting there, knowing that Jin Ling couldn't say anything to keep him from making the choices he would.
Thunder roared outside, as rain pleated down in thick sheets. Well, no one was going to be stupid enough to fly in that weather, so no Hanguang-jun tonight. Not that Jin Ling would miss being stuck in a room with Jiujiu and Hanguang-jun, but at the very least, he would be an ally to keep the others from turning on Sizhui.
A flash of lightning descended from the heavens, like something from Zizhen's spooky novels, and both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng perked like spiritual dogs on a hunt. Heads turned in perfect unison towards the doors that flung open less than a second later.
There, Lan Wangji stood, soaking wet at the threshold.