Chapter Text
Head spinning, you blinked rapidly, trying to clear the stars from your vision. Fucking low blood pressure was going to kill you one day, goddammit. You finally lost the battle with your wobbly legs that were currently doing their best impression of a baby deer and you felt your knees give out, hitting the hard ground under you. Instinctively you put your hands in front of you in an attempt to steady yourself, pain shooting up your arms as small, sharp rocks dug into your palms. Wait. Rocks? ...Weren’t you just on the sidewalk moments ago?
At last, your vision cleared and you took a look around. The first thing you saw was trees. A lot of them. A whole forest, actually. What the fuck, your brain supplied helpfully.
Mentally, you tried to go through the past few minutes, retrace your steps. You could have sworn you had just been in the city, surrounded by buildings, not a plant in sight. And now? This didn’t even look like anywhere in your area, although the whole scene was giving off vaguely familiar vibes that you couldn’t place.
What the fuck. You dusted off your palms and rubbed your eyes hard enough for colors to start dancing around your eyelids again. Then, hesitantly, you opened your eyes again. Nothing changed.
Alright, two options. Either you were dreaming or you were going crazy. You quickly tried to recall what you had heard about doing reality checks in dreams. You looked down at your hands – they were shaking but otherwise seemed as normal as the usually did. Pushing a finger against your palm also bore no unexpected results. Okay, what next, what next? Frantically you wracked your brain for more ideas.
Oh right, time! You pushed your sleeves up, relieved to find your wristwatch still in place. The watch looked normal enough, all the little details sharp as ever, but – why did it say that it was early in the morning? It had been just after lunch. You would know, you just ate it. You always remembered lunch. Maybe it was malfunctioning?
Finally, you pinched your nose and tried to breathe through. Your ears popped painfully at the force of it. Not this either, then. So, it was probably not a dream. You had never had a dream this realistic anyway, much less a lucid one. Everything about your surroundings felt crystal clear, the air refreshingly crisp as if you were high up in the mountains. It didn’t feel like a dream. It didn’t feel like anything you’ve ever experienced.
Just as you were about to try and come up a way to check if you were losing your marbles, you noticed something glowing high up above your head. Scooting backwards on the hard pebbled ground, you looked up and froze.
Right there in the fucking sky, a huge sign was floating, emanating a light greenish glow. It reminded you of those information boxes in older video games you used to play.
Welcome.
Please choose a sect:
Right below, there was a list of names. Very familiar names. Jury’s still out on the insanity case, you thought, somewhat hysterically.
Suddenly, a thought flashed in your mind. Wasn’t this... wasn’t this awfully reminiscent of the System from the Scum Villain novel? Well, not exactly the same, but the resemblance was there. Nothing even remotely similar has ever happened to you, after all.
You looked back at the options. Okay, you thought. Let’s say that this is actually happening.
(Because what other options did you even have? What else could you do than play along for now?)
What sect would you want to belong to? You automatically eliminated the smaller and unfamiliar sect names. If anything, you should be in a great sect if you could, right? If all of them were an option.
The Wen sect was out, too. It just sounded needlessly impractical, setting yourself up for struggle right from the start. And the Nies. They were too much about raw force and strength – and the ever present danger of possible qi deviation was another unwanted obstacle, too.
The Jin sect was an actual den of vipers that you would like to avoid at all cost, your mental health would thank you...
(Probably also your physical one as well.)
Which left the Jiangs and Lans.
Now, the Jiang sect was not a bad option at all. They actually seemed reasonable about most things, not too much of any extreme–as long as you didn’t get on their bad side. But... assuming this was the start of the story, would you be able to attend the lectures in Cloud Recesses? Unless you were someone really important, probably not. And there was also the whole Lotus Pier situation, what would that mean for you? Would choosing them mean signing up to die?
Reluctantly you reached up and selected the Lan sect. It would mean placing yourself in the epicenter of the events to come and being able to meet the characters during the lectures, maybe even having more opportunity to influence what was about to happen.
You sighed. Farewell, personal freedom and self expression, you will be missed.
The moment your fingers made contact with the sign, you felt dizziness overtake you again, a tingling sensation spreading through your whole body, your vision swimming. After a moment, the feeling subsided and new words had appeared in place of the old ones.
Welcome to the cultivation world, Lan Daiyu.
Please be mindful of the fact that you are not permitted to inform anyone of your knowledge of coming events. Best of luck.
Looking down, you saw that your clothes had been replaced by traditional white Lan robes, including everything you had been carrying with you. Checking your wrist confirmed the watch was gone too. Everything that you had been, gone – every proof of a life lived, everything tying you to your life, washed away in a blink of an eye as if it had never existed.
Either you had somehow got into contact with some powerful drugs, or this was, somehow, very real. That still made no sense to you, but what other options were there?
Suddenly, you remembered a quote you had once heard, a long time ago, back in your old life. (Old life?) ‘Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.’
But... was this improbable? Or impossible? You didn’t know. You could not be sure of anything anymore. You still felt kind of dizzy.
You touched the sign again to see if new information would appear, like clicking on the boxes in videogames. Nothing happened.
“Can I ever go home?” you asked out loud, feeling a bit foolish. “What happens if I die here?”
No response.
You tried a bit louder, frustration creeping into your voice. “And what happens if I break your rules? Tell someone what’s going to happen? Then what?”
The sky was silent, and the air was still, your only response the distant chipper of birds.
Oh well. Guess this is your life now. Fuck.
***
Ever since the "System"–(yes, you were calling it that, sue you)–assigned you a life here a few minutes ago,
(or has it been minutes? not like you would be able to know, not without a watch)
you had been trying to deal with the onslaught of memories constantly threatening to overwhelm you. Your head felt like it was going to split, brain working overtime trying to categorize the new memories alongside the old existing ones. It felt like your brain was being forcibly reprogrammed, or like you had just awoken from an amnesia and suddenly all of your life came rushing back to you. It felt like waking up after the deepest nap, remembering who you are while still keeping the dream freshly and vividly in mind, both experiences clashing and trying to align in the mind. Rediscovering. It felt like uncovering an ancient secret, the pieces falling into place one by one to create something you somehow knew was true.
Somehow. Truly the word of the day.
At least you were still essentially the same person you had been in your old life, your personality not changing whatsoever – it felt like you just got transmigrated as yourself into the universe, so luckily you didn’t need to worry about acting like someone else or being out of character. All the life you’d already had in here and choices you had made resembled ones you would have made if you had been here since birth (technically, you had been here since birth, what a mindfuck). Thank god for small mercies, you would not last a day if you had to pull a Shen Yuan. You had never been great at acting, much less if it were to take this much concentrated energy to worry about keeping up the role at all times.
Then again, maybe if it had been the System, it would have told you more about the fucking rules.
In your head, you were going through all the newly acquired memories. You saw the first time you held your sword – Uncle reluctantly allowing you to get a black one, not able to say no to his little girl. (Nepotism at its finest. But besides, it matched your name anyway – really, they should not have named you black jade if they didn’t want you to embrace the aesthetic.)
You saw yourself practicing your sword forms and sparring with your brothers, trying to convince them to stop going easy on you. You saw yourself playing your erhu, enjoying the music but frustrated with the speed of your progress.
You saw yourself and your little twin brother waiting in front of Mom’s door, hoping that this time it would finally open and you would be able to see her again. Ah. So innocent.
You were so deep in your memories that you hadn’t noticed you had already walked all the way to the center of Cloud Recesses until you realized someone was trying to get your attention. They were still speaking when you turned to them. Who knows how long they had been already, you had been so distracted trying to take everything in that your attention span was all over the place.
“...thought maybe you would want to go with me?” the guy finished, hovering awkwardly. He wasn’t anyone you immediately recognized, your memories still too fresh to be reliable here. Too many faces, too many things.
“Not now please, sorry,” you replied in a rush, trying to make a quick escape from the conversation, already picking up your pace.
“But I just-“
“I said I’m busy!” You heard your voice take on a sharp note, harsher than you intended. Your breath shook as you attempted to ground yourself. Fuck. That was really uncalled for, what the hell is wrong with you? Immediately feeling horrible, you tried to backtrack, “Wait I’m sorry I-“
...but he was already gone. Mentally kicking yourself, you vowed to try to get through the day without any further incidents. Just keep a low profile today and it would all be fine. Just because you were stressed out didn’t mean you had a right to take it out on other people that had done nothing to you. You’d already caused enough of a scene.
With a jolt of panic you realized that if you didn’t hurry up, you were going to be late for the starting ceremony. You had been right before, the lectures were just about to start – and you were not there yet. Uncle was probably already wondering where you got caught up. You turned and speed walked in the direction of the class, as close to running as you could get without actually breaking the rules.
(Not like you hadn’t already broken a decent amount of them just this morning. There were too many damn rules.)
You got there just in time, taking a seat at the side quickly and doing your best to blend in with your surroundings. You were a part of this table actually, nothing to see here! You noticed Uncle shooting you a mildly disapproving look and you smiled at him apologetically. His eyes softened and he shook his head minutely, before turning his attention elsewhere.
The ceremony started exactly as you had remembered it from the show. You weren’t completely sure if the story was going to follow the show or the book yet – everyone’s appearance suggested show, but you would have to wait to confirm it. (Honestly, you couldn’t be sure of anything at the moment, everything happening so fast. It’d definitely been a day so far–it had begun so ordinarily and now you were here. And apparently had always been here. It really hurt your brain to think about, the two separate timelines merging into one inside you, weaving together, memories of both lives finding a place alongside each other. You had no idea what was happening, what force could have the power to make this happen, if this was even real – it certainly felt real, terrifyingly real, but you know what they say, crazy people never know they’re crazy. You could be rocking back and forth in a padded cell at this very moment and have no idea. But did it even matter? You were in this situation right now, might as well do your best with what you had.)
You cut off your spiraling train of thought and tried to direct your attention back to the ceremony. You hadn’t missed much; they were still reciting the rules. God, this is boring.
You looked around the room, just in time to catch Huaisang showing Wei Wuxian his bird. You smiled to yourself before turning away, pretending you did not see.
***
It was just after the Nie sect’s introductions when the two idiots started whispering. No, whispering was way too generous, they might as well have been yelling with how loud it was. Everyone’s heads were turning towards them and they still did not stop. Poor Meng Yao was looking so uncomfortable, gripping the box in his hands, trying to keep a forced smile on his face. He didn’t fucking deserve this.
Why were they being so loud? Didn’t they know how sound carried in a silent room? Did they not realize that everyone could hear? Or did they just not care?
They got to the part about him being kicked down the stairs and before you even knew it, you were already speaking.
“And we just went over the rules...” you gave an exaggerated sigh, prolonging the words uncomfortably. “Well, congratulations, you just broke like twenty of them,” you informed them cheerfully.
Silence.
After a few seconds, one of them recovered. “Excuse me?”
“Which part of what I just said do you find confusing?” you asked back, keeping your tone light. Casual.
He sneered. “Alright Miss Know-It-All, what rules did we break then?”
For half a second, you felt a hot flash of panic shoot through you at the thought that you didn’t actually know all the rules–
...but then you were already listing them, almost automatically.
“- do not gossip, talking behind other people's back is prohibited, appreciate the good people, sneering for no reason is prohibited, be careful with your words, be respectful and humble, discipline your own words and behavior...-“ you continued reciting, mentioning every and any rule that could even remotely apply to the situation.
Finally, Uncle stepped in. “Daiyu, that is quite enough.”
You lowered your head slightly in acknowledgement. “Yes, Uncle.”
You knew he wasn’t really angry, or he wouldn’t have let you speak so long in the first place.
You turned your eyes to Meng Yao and found him looking at you like you had just grown two heads. The polite smile was gone and replaced by a look of pure astonishment, staring at you as if you had dropped down on the ground and started spinning on your head across the room. You felt your heart break a little. Was he really so unused to anyone treating him with basic human decency that this was so surprising to him? You gave him a smile that you hoped looked reassuring.
Then, Xichen stepped down and also smiled at him comfortingly. “I have heard that Sect leader Nie has a capable servant under his wings. Upon meeting you today, I can tell you have a graceful speech. You are extraordinary indeed.”
At hearing that Meng Yao seemed to light up, positively glowing. It was a good look on him. Thank you Xichen, you literal angel. Your brother really was too good for this world. With a pang you suddenly remembered everything he was going to go through later on.
No. Not this time. You were going to do everything in your power to make sure things happened differently this time around. You were the only one who could.
When the Wens arrived a few minutes later, you finally verified that this really was the storyline of the show.
(Which made no sense, because didn’t Meng Yao coming here already do that? You had been so distracted, you didn’t even realize.)
You decided to let your family members deal with the situation this time. You knew it would be just fine without your input and it has been more than enough drama from you today. (Remember, you wanted to keep a low profile haha, great job... As you might have said in your old life: “Lol.” “Lmao, even.”). In fact, who knew if by intervening you wouldn't somehow fuck it up more... Still, it took all of your self-restraint to keep yourself from saying something to Wen Chao's smug face. Somehow, he looked even more punchable in real life. A real feat.
Then you felt bad for the actor. Then you realized this was not and had nothing to do with the actor. What a mindfuck.
Unfortunately, after hearing him speak you couldn't help the low snort that escaped you without permission. You saw his head snap in your direction and quickly schooled your expression into something neutral, looking everywhere but at him, the very picture of innocence. (Maybe if this was a cartoon.)
But thankfully, after a few seconds he let it go and continued his valiant attempt at being the most unlikeable person in the room. You thought he did a great job. Overall, a success for everyone, you'd say.
***
Finally, you were free. You could not get out of the room quickly enough. You had only been in this world (well, not technically but yes) for barely a day and you were already so exhausted. Luckily, you had an idea what might just cheer you up.
You located Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng and Huaisang right as they were leaving and made a beeline for them.
You bowed to them in greeting, introducing yourself to the brothers and listening to their own (unnecessary) introduction, before turning on Huaisang, a determined expression on your face, stating as solemnly as you could manage: “I would like to see the bird.”
He laughed nervously, shifting around and looking anywhere but at you. Beautiful walls, weren’t they. Such color. Much decor. “Aha ha..heyy, long time no see... Nice to see you too! Which... bird might you be referring to?”
You stared at him, unimpressed. Raised an eyebrow for good measure. Come on Huaisang, that wasn’t even the slightest bit believable–aren’t you normally a better actor than this?
(Not now, a little voice in your head supplied. Not yet.)
Still, it was fun messing around with him. At last, an opportunity to relax and de-stress.
Eventually he cracked, sighing in defeat. “Fine, fine, but pleease don’t tell anyone. We won’t cause trouble, promise!” he whined theatrically. Finally a worthy opponent.
You put on a frown. “I don’t know if I will be able to do that. Pets are not permitted in Cloud Recesses.”
His face fell. “Ah.”
Huh. You laughed, shaking your head incredulously, “I’m kidding, obviously! Come on, who do you take me for, Huaisang? You really think I’d report you for sneaking in a little harmless birdie? Should I go snitch to Uncle?”
“Well... is it not against the rules?”
Just then, you remembered the other two guys standing next to you, who were now looking between you and Huaisang like they were watching a particularly intense tennis match. Well, Wei Wuxian was. Jiang Cheng looked mildly annoyed. At least something is predictable. Please, never change.
“It is. And so is smiling and laughing for no valid reason. Or sitting improperly. Or standing improperly. Or moving arbitrarily altogether.”
Wei Wuxian turned to you, a twinkle in his eye. “Wait, so.. you don’t really care about all these Gusu Lan rules?” Then he seemed to remember something and he furrowed his brows, “But–“, his eyes briefly flickering in the direction where you all came from.
Oh. That.
You sighed, collecting your thoughts and choosing your words wisely. (For once. Uncle would be proud.)
“Well, you know, when the rules tell you that being yourself and doing basically anything that would make you happy is wrong... if the rules and being who you are are incompatible, you either have to adapt yourself, or your relationship with the rules.. So that’s what I did. I don’t hate the rules, I just prefer to use them more like... guidelines of sort. Some are good reminders of what to aspire to be like, while some are unnecessarily restrictive – even if it can be to maintain order. And so I just, follow and enforce them when they make sense to me? And try not to get caught ignoring the rest,” you grinned. “And, well, they can be good instruments to use when people are being idiots – so many of them are worded so vaguely that you can apply them on almost anything.”
By the time you finished, Wei Wuxian was grinning. Then, with feigned innocence, “What about the no alcohol rule?”
You shrugged.
He looked like you had just told him it was his birthday. You couldn’t help the burst of affection for this young, carefree version of him, untainted by war and the horrors of society–for all of them, just three friends on the first day of classes with no real worries yet.
(You needed to find a way to fix things. You could not bear the idea of seeing the youthful innocence leave their eyes, seeing them get hurt... seeing them die. You had to find a way.)
You tried to reroute your thoughts from the direction they had taken before any of them started to worry.
Oh, right. What you originally came for. Once again you faced Huaisang, and you held out your hand expectantly. “Bird. Now.”
Wei Wuxian snickered. Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, but you could see amusement coloring it despite himself.
You smiled to yourself. You had a feeling you would all get along just fine.
Chapter 2
Notes:
HOLY SHIT it has been so long since the last update, I sincerely apologize!! Life and other hyperfixations got in the way and I just didn’t get to it until now, but I’m happy to be working on this again!
For obvious reasons this is kind of a slow chapter, if you’re still here you’re the MVP! Once we get out of the lectures arc, things should (hopefully) pick up the pace a bit! Also, warning for generally handwaving the mechanisms of everything (it has been so long since I was in the trenches of this fandom and I might forget some important details about how stuff works) but if anything seems off or you find any mistakes please let me know!! Thank you :)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Small, eager little steps echoed through the hallway. “Zongzhu!”
“Meng-gongzi,” Lan Xichen replied warmly.
“The ceremony has ended,” he continued. “Why aren’t you resting?”
“I came to bid you farewell,” the other replied, expression unreadable but polite.
“Farewell?”
Meng Yao nodded.
“Meng-gongzi, why not stay for a few more days?”
In an even tone, he replied, “I am just a guest of Nie Clan, not a disciple. I’d better not stay for too long.”
“If that is the case, I can’t urge you to stay,” Xichen acquiesced. “Meng-gongzi, Nie-zongzhu is frank and forthright. He justly rewards and punishes people. As long as it’s someone with merit, he will treat them fairly.”
The other man seemed to brighten up at that. “I’ll remember that.” Then he continued, “A moment ago at the ceremony, it was all thanks to your and Lan-guniang’s help, that I was saved from embarrassment. Your sister was very kind, if you could possibly relay my gratitude to her?”
Lan Xichen just shook his head. “There is no need for thanks; she was simply stating the facts.”
Meng Yao appeared to be debating whether to voice something. Finally, with hesitation in his voice that betrayed his uncertainty, he spoke. “Lan-guniang… I hope she will not get in trouble for this?”
Lan Xichen didn’t bother to hide his surprise. “For this?” He let out a huff of air that might’ve, with some imagination, constituted a chuckle. “No need to worry, she will be just fine. If Daiyu were to get punished for transgressions as small as this one, she would spend every waking moment in punishment. No, believe me, this is quite normal for her.” Zewu-jun’s voice was full of fondness as he spoke of his little sister, Meng Yao noted. It was nice to see family care for each other so clearly.
“In fact,” he smiled, eyes twinkling with a rare display of mischief, “between me and you, I suspect had she not arrived late, she would have caused even more of a ruckus. She likely did not want to test Uncle too much at a time. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had requested the troublemakers to meet her outside.”
Had you stayed around a little longer, instead of immediately taking off with the chaos trio, you might have been able to witness the conversation, as well as Meng Yao’s baffled expression.
***
You went fishing with them. Of course you did. One did not simply get the option to be part of canon events and refuse it. Also, it was the perfect opportunity to get closer to the characters you knew and cared about. Spending the afternoon fucking around in the river wasn’t the most productive task, for sure, but you reasoned that involving yourself more with the key players of the events to come was a valuable endeavor in its own right.
It was also really fun, watching the two idiots mess around. How they hadn’t scared all the fish in a five mile radius was beyond you.
You let out an audible (and very undignified for a young lady of an esteemed clan!) snort when Wei Wuxian pushed poor Huaisang into the water, making him freak out in a typical Nie Huaisang fashion.
Then, following the events of the show as far as you remembered it, he proceeded to abandon him mid-fish to go investigate the sound he heard.
Wen Qing.
“Wei-xiong! Wei Wuxian! Where did you go?”
“He abandoned us,” you nodded sagely. “After betraying you like that, no less. Wanna come make him regret it?”
Huaisang’s eyes lit up. “What did you have in mind?”
The two of you made your way up the hill as carefully as you could – which was not that careful in your partner-in-crime’s case. By some miracle, though, you managed to go unnoticed by your target, focused as he was on Wen Qing. Unfortunately, only by him.
Wei Ying’s shoulder, your gaze met Wen Qing’s.
You saw her eyes widen a tiny fraction, but other than that, she maintained her composure perfectly. You would not have expected any less. Slowly, you pressed your finger against your lips in the universal shh gesture.
Not wasting any more time, before your plan could be foiled, you took the bucket in your hands (the one you all had brought with you for the fish, still glaringly devoid of fish – thanks to the efforts of your companions) and dumped the entire content of it over your unsuspecting target’s head.
He squawked like a bird as the cold water hit. The doctor’s lips pressed together like it was taking her a lot of effort to suppress a laugh.
“What the– you! You..”
You grinned gleefully. “Us!”
“You haven’t forgotten about us, have you, Wei-xiong?”
Your satisfaction hadn’t lasted long. Drunk on the feeling of giddiness, you failed to consider the water below your feet, still bare from the fishing.
Wei Wuxian shoved at your shoulder playfully. What happened next did so almost in slow motion.
What had ensured your success before, making your steps light for sneaking, now spelled your demise as you slipped on the wet walkway. You slid downhill with an undignified sound of your own, ass first.
After a frankly embarrassingly long tumble, you got up to find all three of your companions staring at you in shock.
“Oh shit, I’m so sorry!”
“Are you okay??”
Wen Qing stayed silent, her furrowed eyebrows the only sign displaying her concern. She looked like she was assessing whether her medical skills would be needed.
You looked down at the long streak of mud covering half of your robes. “Oh, Uncle is going to kill me.”
Wei Wuxian actually looked contrite. “I didn’t mean to, I swear!!”
Oh, well. In for a penny… “Oh, you little fucker, it’s on.” Holding your dirt-covered hands in front of you like a weapon, you charged straight up at the still panicking Wei Ying, tackling him to the ground. The two of you rolled around like amateur wrestlers for a good few minutes, until there was barely a clean spot on either of you.
Nie Huaisang looked like he was having a time of his life watching it unfold.
Wen Qing looked like you were a mildly interesting species of bug. When it was clear everyone was fine, she bid you all goodbye and went on her way. You had honestly been surprised she’d even stayed this long.
“What happened??” Jiang Yanli rushed over when she saw your drenched forms, practically dripping water where you stood, leaving a snail trail behind you three. Huaisang wet from his earlier impromptu dip, you and Wei Wuxian from when you tried (and largely failed) to get the stains out of your clothing.
“We were catching fish!” Wei Wuxian explained, grinning.
“Looks more like the other way around,” grumbled Jiang Cheng, so quiet you almost didn’t hear. You chuckled, and saw him aim a surprised look at you.
“Well, no matter, you should stay for dinner at least!” their sister insisted. “Some warm soup would do you good.” Then she frowned. “Although I’m not sure I made enough for so many people, I was not expecting…”
“That’s okay! Thank you for the offer, that is so nice of you!” you rushed to reassure her. “I have other food waiting for me anyway. But I would love to try your soup some other time, if the offer still stands!”
“Of course!”
“Great! Well, I should get going. I’ll leave you guys to it. Thanks for feeding this drowned rat over here,” you motioned towards Wei Wuxian, “as he did not actually end up catching any fish.”
With that, you turned to go. “Come on, Huaisang, let me show you what a real lack of flavor looks like!”
***
After that day, the four of you became fast friends. (It would’ve been hard not to, seeing as after your stunt in the mountains, Wei Wuxian had latched onto you like a puppy smelling a kindred spirit.) Yes, even Jiang Cheng, albeit begrudgingly. You knew the hesitation was mostly for show, anyway. It was just his default approach to social situations, and a defense mechanism. You made sure to try and include him in everything you guys got up to, and he usually went along with it.
It was quite a struggle to restrain yourself from spending all of your free time with your friends. Still, you had to. This precious time during the year of the lectures was a blessing, and needed to be used wisely. In a way, you were living on borrowed time.
You were the only person that knew what was soon coming, and you could not even warn anyone.
One of the first things you’d done after getting enough time alone was write down everything you remembered from watching the show, and also other versions, just in case. You had written it down in English for extra safety – you hadn’t been sure what would happen if someone came across it, would it be counted as breach of the rules you were given? – and hidden it under the floorboards of your living quarters, for lack of better spot at the moment.
Speaking of the rules, you really wondered exactly how to interpret them. Obviously you couldn’t just come up to someone and tell them what was going to happen, that was clear enough. But what if you accidentally said something you technically shouldn’t know? Or even acted in a way that someone in your position might not have, without the information you had? Also it specified ‘future events’, what if you unexplainably knew something from the past? And what even counted as an ‘event’? So many questions, and no answers.
You guessed it would be your best option to play it safe. Even if the System didn’t smite you from the face of the earth for your audacity, it might at the very least make people suspicious of you, start asking questions you would not be able (allowed) to answer. Then, if it didn’t turn out your way, they would think you were a little coocoo. If you did succeed, they might think you were somehow involved and had insider information, which was even worse.
No, you had to be careful and gather as much information naturally as you possibly could. If you were somehow at the right place at the right time or asked the right questions to solicit it, that wasn’t that strange. Then, you could act on it to your heart’s content.
(It wouldn’t even be that difficult, you were already naturally nosy as it was.)
That aside, it was up to you and you only to try and attempt some damage control.
You needed to get better. You needed to get better, at everything, and fast. If you wanted to have a chance at making any difference in this world at all, then you could not be subpar at anything this universe might feel the need to throw at you. You might’ve known the bare bones of the plot, the skeleton of what was going to happen, but if you’d heard anything about the butterfly effect, that could change at any given moment – and your presence was definitely a much more substantial change than a butterfly.
Sure, you were pretty good with your sword, but then again, who wasn’t around here?
Congratulations, girl, join the entire jianghu. You might even get into top 100!
No. You needed to plan for any eventuality, and you had to be prepared.
You also needed a tangible plan, but that would have to wait. That didn’t mean you wouldn’t think about it thoroughly – but you had to be flexible, ready to adjust your strategy at the drop of a hat.
Even if everything happened exactly as it had in the fictional counterpart of this world, you weren’t certain at which point you should start changing things. After all, the moment you chose to diverge from the plot, you would potentially be giving up the biggest advantage having foreknowledge gave you. You would still have the upper hand in a lot of ways, since you did know a lot of things about most people’s circumstances and motivations and generally the lore and facts, but you would regardless be creating unpredictable outcomes, which once again, would require improvisation.
It all came back to it. No matter what, you had to train, and you had to gather as many skills as you possibly could in this short amount of time.
So, you trained. You trained as you never had before. Every minute spent away from lectures and your family or friends was dedicated to furthering your cultivation, practicing sword-fighting forms, refining your musical abilities…
You had even started to delve into developing new talismans with Wei Wuxian. He had been ecstatic when you brought it up, and had dived into it with fervor characteristic of himself. There was one great thing about new friends – they didn’t have enough knowledge of you prior too meeting them to question your newfound interests, since they didn’t know they were newfound in the first place. You must not have been acting that suspicious as he never asked if there was a reason you were suddenly trying to get ready for the most random situations.
Unlike your talisman venture, your erhu training wasn’t going nearly as well. You loved your instrument, loved playing it, loved the sounds it created – you truly felt it was perfect for you. What it wasn’t, however, was an offensive combat tool. Generally, up until now you had mostly used it for defense, to basically create a barrier between your side and the other; or to push back, slowing down the opponent. You just wished you knew how to use it in a similar way to how Wangji used his guqin.
It would be useful to figure that out before you had to fight for your life.
***
Wen Ning was in the woods again.
That, perhaps, should not have been surprising, seeing as you remembered him training here in the show. He was doing the same thing now, completely immersed in the task, laser-focused on his target as he drew his bow and arrow.
A plan was quickly forming in your head.
A really stupid one.
Those were the best ones. No risk, no gain and all that jazz.
If you remembered correctly from the show, Wen Ning really did not do well with being startled. In some ways he was like a baby deer (and just as adorable). You would love to befriend him, as well as his sister who, unfortunately for you, was protective and suspicious in equal measure.
You waited until he looked about ready to release the arrow. “Oh, Wen-gongzi, hello!”
The next sequence of events unfolded as expected.
As a skilled cultivator, you would have been able to jump out of the way with relative ease. You would have, had it been life-threatening. Since you were standing quite uphill, however, there was no need.
That was what you told yourself as sharp pain pierced your lower thigh.
“Fuck.” That hurt like a bitch.
Wen Ning was staring at you, pale as a sheet, a startled sound of horror escaping his throat.
As if summoned by the sound of her little brother in distress, Wen Qing emerged from the trees not seconds later. “A-Ning!”
She rapidly surveyed the scene. “What happened here,” she demanded.
“A-jie! I-I didn’t mean to!” cried Wen Ning, eyes wide as saucers, shining with tears. “I had no idea anyone was here! I’m so sorry!” His voice was shaking.
You waggled your fingers at Wen Qing in greeting with your blood-stained hand.
“So… I should really learn not to startle people,” you said in lieu of explanation. “Doesn’t seem to end very well for me lately.”
Automatically taking a step towards her as you spoke, you froze, wincing as a new wave of pain shot through your leg. Idiot. “A little help here, please?”
She nodded, expression carefully blank, and got to work. Despite her calm demeanor, her face seemed a shade or few paler than you remembered. Might have been a trick of the light, though.
“Will Lan-guniang be alright??” fretted Wen Ning, hovering around, apparently torn between trying to help and not getting in the way of his sister’s work.
Wen Qing nodded again.
You let her pull the arrow out, then tore a strip of your robes to wrap the wound with. You had several, and besides, this one was likely beyond saving. Then, because why the hell not, you tore off another one to clean the arrow with. Wen Ning watched as you offered it, looking at your outstretched arm like one of you two was stupid, and you were aware it wasn’t him.
When she was done administering first aid, Wen Qing turned to you, expression uncharacteristically nervous. “Lan-guniang,” she said. “My deepest apologies for this unfortunate accident. I promise you my brother meant no harm to you nor anyone else in the Lan Clan. If you must direct your ire at someone, please let it be me.” She bowed solemnly.
“A-jie…” whispers Wen Ning.
“Oh, no, please don’t apologize! I’m not mad! It was my fault, really. And besides, this is nothing, I’ve had worse injuries. I will be up and running in no time, so don’t worry about it!” You were babbling now, so you shut your mouth and waited for a response.
Her brow furrowed. “You... do not hold this against us?” She paused, then, “Why?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Lan Sect has been nothing but polite and hospitable to us despite the Wen Clan’s… less than pleasant introduction. Yet, the patience must run out eventually. I would assume being attacked by one of the Wen entourage, in a place we are not even supposed to be, would surely do it...”
“Oh, because of the whole thing at the ceremony? You two weren't rude, though! Wen Chao was. Likely thing for him to do, honestly. Chopsticks found in the kitchens. Fortunately for you – and for me, because imagine if there was more of him – you are not Wen Chao. The rest of you seemed nice.” Then you thought about it for a moment. “Or, you and your brother at least.”
Wen Qing still appeared dubious. “I see.”
“Besides... I would not want to be judged by my family either,” you added.
Wen Ning frowned, then as if on impulse, blurted out, “Why? The Lans are...”
“Perfect?” You chuckled wryly. “Don't get me wrong, I love them. But that doesn't mean I'm exactly like them. I'm my own person, and so is everyone else. My family's no fun allowed attitude and moral rigidity doesn't define me any more than Wen Chao's stick in ass does you.” Nor Wen Ruohan's genocidal intent, you added in your head.
“What about… you really do not have an issue with us being here? Like Wei Wuxian said last time, these woods aren't open to people to wander around in.”
“Why would I? I'm here too, aren't I?” My sister in cultivation, what were you doing at the devil’s sacrament?
For a second, you missed the internet terribly.
"Yes, but... You are a member of the Lan Clan. You are family." There was an undercurrent of exasperation in her tone, as if she couldn’t believe she had to be explaining this. Fair. It wasn’t like you didn’t know these things, though. (Oh, she had no idea how much you knew.) The point was you didn’t care.
"True." Then you felt an idea hit you. You grinned mischievously. "You could be family too, you know." You paused for dramatic effect. "You just have to marry me."
She looked at you, face blank of any emotion.
You let it hang for several long, uncomfortable seconds, then finally burst out laughing. "Kidding, just kidding! I don't think we would work like that." Besides, you had someone else in mind for her. "We could be great friends, though. If you wanted. I wasn't lying when I said you seemed nice.”
She seemed to relax a bit, and her tiny smile actually seemed genuine. Maybe. "I... Might not be opposed. Thank you, Lan-guniang. You are very kind.”
“Oh, none of that! Also, call me Daiyu. If you want, that is!”
She nodded. "As you wish, Daiyu." Then, after a slight pause, "You may call me Wen Qing."
You were aware at least part of the reason she was receptive might have been that it could be potentially convenient to have an ‘in’ inside the Lan Clan. That, and also…
She doesn’t take you seriously, not even a little bit.
That’s fine.
It was exactly what you’d been aiming for, after all. What better way to initiate friendship than to show the other side you’re not a threat? Especially in regards to her beloved brother.
Speaking of Wen Ning…
“I meant both of you, by the way,” you turned to him, smiling – hopefully – encouragingly, “I would like to be friends. Maybe you could teach me some of that archery, you’re pretty good from what I’ve seen!”
“O-Oh! Sure! I’d love to, Lan-guniang.”
“Daiyu.”
“—Daiyu!”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what were you doing out on the back hills?” Wen Qing questioned later.
“Same thing as Wen Ning, really! Practice. Just knives instead of bow and arrow.”
“Oh?”
“Mmh, it’s remote enough that I can train in peace and not have to worry about hurting anyone accidentally– don’t laugh,” you warned in advance.
She hummed thoughtfully. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but… this doesn’t seem like a typical Lan combat technique.”
“You’re not wrong. It’s mine.” One of them, anyway. Good to be versatile.
You’d picked it up relatively recently. You had considered just going the classic route and focusing your energy on archery, instead, of course – but it was slower and less practical in application if it ever came to it in a fight. Bow and arrows were more of a hassle to carry around and get out before using. Knives were also a lot more subtle, they were small and easily hidden, and the enemy wouldn’t see you from a mile away adjusting your aim.
“Look!” You pulled out an almost brand new throwing knife. They were a hassle to procure and you kind of wanted to show them off. “See that weirdly shaped tree over there?” You double checked there was truly no one around, then let it fly.
It hit a little off to the side, but still into the trunk of the tree. You grinned.
“Good job.”
“Thanks! Tell you what. I could teach you some, and you could teach me the basics of how not to bleed out in an emergency?”
You were pretty sure she only agreed to humor you, and possibly to spend time with you for whatever reasons, but you’d take it.
Overall, you considered the day a success.
…You did feel kind of bad for giving Wen Ning a heart attack, though.
Notes:
Grabbing the Wen siblings by the shoulders: you’re my friends now, we’re having soft tacos later (vegan because this is Cloud Recesses)
Thank you so much for reading!! By the way, for those of you still reading, I have a question! Should I explicitly, in the text, give the narrator an occupation/field of knowledge? They are going to know things from it regardless, as it’s kind of vital to the plot at times, and it will show in their thought process and how they deal with certain things, but I don’t have to explicitly state anything, it could just be played off as knowledge they happen to have for whatever reason, so I was just wondering – I hope this question makes sense! Let me know in the comments if you have any opinions on this!
Also, sorry for terrorizing Wen Ning here! It hurt to write, but I couldn’t resist showing a glimpse of how, despite having genuinely good intentions, Daiyu might be compatible with A-Yao lmao, feel free to yell at me for it tho!
But yeah I kinda wanted him to have someone who’s kinda like Xichen, kinda like Wei Ying, but also can be a bit calculating and pragmatic about things and less morally uncompromising – if at any point in the story that’s coming across not great, let me know!
(..However, if you ever find her annoying or not making the most ideal of decisions, that is a feature not a bug LMAO)
Chapter Text
“Jiang-guniang!” You jogged across the grass, ignoring the proper paths in your haste. Eh, nobody seemed to be around to mind. What Uncle didn’t know…
Jiang Yanli turned around, lowering herself into a bow when she noticed you. “Lan-guniang,” she replied, warm smile on her face. Once again, you wondered how Jin Zixuan hadn’t been immediately smitten the moment he’d met her. You bowed in return.
“Jiang-guniang, so sorry to bother you, but have you by any chance seen your brothers anywhere? I’ve been looking for ages.”
“Oh…” She frowned. “I’m afraid you just missed them… They said something about catching up with Zewu-jun as he goes to deal with a water ghost problem in town?”
Right. You’d almost forgotten about that plotline.
Oh, well. While the idea of joining was certainly tempting, it was probably for the best to not insert yourself into every canon event, especially those you hadn’t planned on altering. Better not butt in too much, lest you accidentally changed the plot for the worse. Besides, it was only good that your brother and Wei Wuxian got all the time together they could. If you had been there, you’d only get in the way. Wei Wuxian, after Wangji’s seeming rebuffs, would surely turn his attention to you, definitely not in an attempt to elicit jealousy (not that he’d realize that at this point in time). Wangji, in turn, might’ve used you as a shield of sorts, a comfort zone, something familiar in the uncharted territory that came with catching feelings for the first time. Alternatively, depending on how thick Wei Wuxian decided to lay it on, he might’ve withdrawn completely, assuming his presence to be unwanted and intrusive.
You had already been on somewhat unsure footing with them as it was. Unlike with some others, possibly, you really didn’t want to meddle with these two; they had been perfect originally and the last thing you wanted was to somehow fuck it up and derail their relationship. (Although you were pretty sure nothing could prevent them from falling in love, one way or another.) That being said, you were close to both of them and couldn’t just avoid them. You had to tread carefully. If only to avoid making Wangji think you liked his Wei Yimg.
(Despite all this, your presence in the story alone already had influenced things a little bit – one could not simply spend every day since birth with Lan Daiyu as their twin sister and not grow somewhat accustomed to shenanigans. And similarly, since befriending you that first day, Wei Wuxian’s teasing of Wangji had appeared to have slightly less of an antagonistic edge, as he was aware you would skin him alive were he to ever go too far and actually hurt your brother.)
Unlike the two of them, Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing would need a much bigger push, if it was even doable at all.
Speaking of…
“I see,” you replied to Jiang Yanli. “Well, that explains it. Thank you for informing me! Is it just the two of them and Xichen-ge who went, or…?”
Smooth.
“I think Wen-guniang might’ve also joined. She was with me when A-Xian and A-Cheng came and told us about it, and –“
You gasped, clutching your chest. “You were hanging out with Wen Qing without me?” Your lips pressed together in a pout.
Yanli let out a surprised chuckle. Then, “Wen-guniang lets you call her by name?”
You grinned. “Oh, yeah, we’re buddies. She’s honestly really nice under that whole scary doctor façade.”
“That’s nice.” Yanli was still smiling, but something about it seemed almost… off. Almost melancholy, although that didn’t make sense. “Wen-guniang was really kind to me, helping me as she did when she didn’t have to.”
“Helping? Are you okay?”
“Oh! I’m fine now, Lan-guniang is kind for asking! Just got a little dizzy this morning, but the medicine helped a lot,” she explained. You’d known this, but of course you weren’t supposed to.
“Daiyu.”
“Hm?”
“Call me Daiyu. What are we, strangers?”
“Haha, I guess you’re right. Thank you, Daiyu. You can call me Yanli, of course,” she replied, giving a little encouraging nod. “Or, anything else you wish to call me. I really don’t mind.”
“Alright!”
There was a brief moment of silence.
“Well, I’m sure you are busy so I will not hold you up any longer,” Yanli started.
Wait! “Do you have any plans for today?” you blurted out. “It’s just, there are no lectures for the day and the guys are busy, so I was wondering if you wanted to do something? Maybe? If not, that’s totally fine, no worries, you probably already have things to do, I just thought…“
“You want to spend the time with me?”
“Yeah? If you were up for it? Whatever you want to do, just pick!”
“Of course, I’d love to.” This time, her smile reached her eyes fully.
***
"Uncle keeps losing it with Wei Wuxian for every little thing... Could you maybe try talking to him?"
Xichen sighed.
"I tried already, but you know Uncle." Oh, boy, didn’t you know Uncle.
"That's the thing, I do know Uncle. It makes me think, sometimes," you mused, "if I hadn't been his niece..."
You had always related a decent amount to Wei Wuxian while consuming the story’s source material. Not completely, you definitely would have done some things differently—but there was enough resemblance (especially in contrast with the rest of the cultivation world) that even the little shit in question had noticed, and you two had been nigh inseparable since. Well, as much as your rigorous schedule and his bothering-Wangji-hours allowed.
(Hell, even Jiang Cheng, the first time he'd seen you be obnoxious together, pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering under his breath, "Fuck's sake, there's two of them.")
"Daiyu, no..." Xichen sounded impossibly sad.
Before you could reply, another voice cut through the courtyard.
"Lan Zhan!" Speak of the devil...
You didn't know which of you was more grateful for the interruption. The conversation had turned surprisingly heavy. Couldn't have that.
On the other side, Wei Wuxian breezed past in a manner that violated at least three Lan sect rules — before him, Wangji was attempting to escape at a pace that stayed within the parameters of the rules just so, a furious look on his face, ears burning bright red.
"Come on, Lan Zhan, don't be like that," Wei Wuxian whined breathlessly, still running.
When you turned to Xichen, he was smiling in clear amusement.
You knew your face was making a similar expression.
"Wangji has a crushhh," you drawled, quietly, leaning towards your older brother conspiratorially.
Xichen's eyes twinkled with curiosity. "What about you? Any 'crushes'?"
The crushing weight of responsibility, maybe. "I don't think so."
"I'm sure Wangji doesn't think so, either."
You put on your best Wangji impression, relaxing your face into a neutral yet unimpressed scowl. "Ridiculous."
The sound Xichen made just barely missed being classified as a snort. That would've been undignified of the great Zewu-jun.
"Sometimes I almost forget that you and Wangji are in fact twins, and then you do something like this to remind me."
(You thought about turning the question back on him, too, but... Well. You knew.)
***
The sight of you in the Library Pavilion was becoming more and more common to witness as you pored over all the books around you frantically–not unlike the frenzied cramming the night before an important exam back in your old world.
While you were grateful for the opportunity to spend this time with all these people you cared about, the war still loomed overhead, and the anticipation was slowly driving you insane. There was no way to truly prepare, and there was every way. There would always be more to be done.
You wished you could do something already.
Actually, you… could do something. In a way. Not really to prevent the war, but…
Looking around to make sure you were alone in the building, you tidied up after yourself and stood. Then, perfectly casually just in case someone were to walk in that very moment, you made your way to the hidden door on the other side of the room.
After one last privacy check, you quickly slipped through the entrance, immediately closing it behind yourself.
The Forbidden Chamber.
Uncle would murder you if he found you here, but Uncle also had no idea about all the things to come. Not like you could tell him. Not like he would believe you, even if you had been allowed.
With every passing moment, the chances of this somehow backfiring on you increased, so you had to be fast. Thankfully, you seemed to have remembered the general location of what you were looking for.
Was it… around the middle, left side, not on top of the stack?
There!
Checking the contents to make sure this really was your target, you slipped the book inside your qiankun pouch and quickly tiptoed back upstairs.
Only when you were back in your own living quarters did you truly let yourself relax.
But… More importantly, what to do with it now?
Only removing the one page that would become relevant in the future probably wasn’t enough – the Collection of Turmoil had a lot of songs in it, and who says one couldn’t simply use another? Even as just a baseline and inspiration. When dealing with someone so clever and talented, you couldn’t half-ass things.
You could burn the whole book, you supposed. It would be easy, and for your intents and purposes, basically irreversible. If you hadn’t been fundamentally opposed to such action, you might’ve seriously considered it. Horrible associations aside, though, the idea of any knowledge lost broke your inquisitive little heart.
Maybe you could just… hang onto it. That’s right. If it stayed safe in your qiankun pouch, along with all your essentials that you always carried, then no one else could come across it and use it for any undesirable purposes. If you could store your notes with the entirety of the plot written out (albeit in a different language, but that would open a whole other can of worms if discovered), along with every weapon imaginable in that bag, as well as various supplies that could come in handy, what was this one more thing? That damn pouch was basically a war bunker, already.
Well, that was decided then. You would keep it safe, and no harm done.
You wished you could grab every other book in the library for safeguarding, too, just in case, knowing what you did, but obviously that would be suspicious. Still, a girl could dream.
***
“This is so good!” you gushed excitedly over a bowl of Jiang Yanli’s famous lotus root soup. “The boys were not exaggerating in the slightest!”
Yanli was beaming. “Thank you so much, I am so happy you like it.”
“It is very good,” Wen Qing chimed in from the other side. “Thank Jiang-guniang for inviting us.”
“The pleasure is all mine, you two are wonderful company.”
“Seriously, your cooking is truly impressive. To me, especially, I can’t cook for shit–that is, what I mean to say is, I’m hopeless in the kitchen...”
Yanli giggled. “No one is, you just need a little practice,” she assured you. “I could show you how, if you wanted?”
“You might regret making that offer,” you laughed. You had not been a great cook in your previous life, and growing up a spoiled young lady of one of the Great Sects had done no favors to you in this area. Let’s see if I’m better or worse than Xie Lian. “But I might take you up on that, if you really mean it. Careful there, Yanli, you might make me marriageable yet!”
“I’m certain you are perfectly marriageable as you are! Anyone would be lucky to have you,” Yanli said kindly. You shrugged. The ‘eh’ was implied.
“What about you, Wen Qing, how are you with cooking?”
She made a face.
You stifled a laugh. “Noted.”
For a second, all you could think about was how content you were, here in this very moment. It had been a great idea to hang out with both of them at the same time – a fact that had only been confirmed when you saw Yanli’s face light up at the prospect. Even Wen Qing, unreadable as she could be, didn’t seem disagreeable.
Maybe you all had this in common, to an extent. In your first life, you’d had female friends. In this one, sadly, not so much.
There had always been this… distance. Nothing about your situation was usual, and you weren’t even counting the actual-isekai-what-the-fuck part of your background. You weren’t blind enough to fail to realize how lucky your circumstances were, how many allowances you seemed to be given on account of your family. Being Lan Qiren’s favorite little niece as well as Zewu-jun’s baby sister gave you more free reign of the Cloud Recesses than almost anyone else got. You could focus on the things you enjoyed, improving your cultivation, practicing your combat abilities – no one hounded you about learning the usual household skills and you had yet to be threatened with marriage.
However, that also meant you were completely useless in that area. With your mother dying when you were so young – and the topic of her death being such a touchy subject – you’d never really had a mother figure nor anyone to fill that role. (The first time you’d bled, you nearly had a heart attack, thinking you were dying; Uncle, likewise, looked about ready to qi deviate at having to explain the situation to you. In hindsight, it was pretty hilarious. Not in the moment, though.)
Neither were you close with the other girls in the sect, with your position being what it was… and also your personality, so at odds with the clan you hailed from.
Maybe you could all be good to each other. If you thought about it, if someone combined you three, they might get a well-rounded young lady out of you, varied as your skill sets were. You could learn from each other, and fill a space in your life you hadn’t even realized how much you had been missing. Despite the short time you’d known each other (well, not Huaisang, but even him you hadn’t interacted with that much before) – in real life, watching them as characters in a show didn’t count – you loved the three idiots you spent most of your time with these days, and you wouldn’t change them for the world… but there was just something about having female friends, too, that hit different. It was like something finally settled, and a pissing piece had clicked into place.
Somehow, eventually, the conversation veered back to relationships.
Somehow, she says, as if it wasn’t her intention. You did have a reason for this brutal assassination of the Bechdel test, however. It wasn’t your priority, but you did have a mission.
“So… the peacock, huh?” you teased Yanli.
She huffed, but seemed amused. “I should’ve expected they would have you saying it, too.”
“Hey, I mean, from what I’ve heard of him, he sounds like kind of a knob – no offense! No accounting for taste.”
“It’s… he isn’t so bad.” She was blushing a little, looking thoughtful.
“For his sake, I hope not,” you replied ominously. Grinning, you continued, “Anyway, he ever gives you trouble, just say the word, I’ll kick his ass.”
“I thought there was no fighting in the Cloud Recesses,” Wen Qing noted.
“Just an honest sparring session, nothing underhanded. He can refuse, of course, and then enjoy your brothers undoubtedly taking full advantage of him seemingly being afraid to fight a girl. Or he can accept…” you trailed off, still grinning.
“Has anyone ever told you you can be kind of scary?”
“Thanks, Wen Qing! From you, that’s a huge compliment!”
She exhaled sharply, like she didn’t want to give you the satisfaction of a laugh.
“What about you, then? Any romantic prospects?”
“No.”
“Is there anything you particularly like in a person? What qualities should your potential partner have?”
Help, at this point she’s going to think I’m hitting on her. Oh, well. The things we do for friends…
She shrugged. Thankfully, she decided to humor you. She hummed. “If I were to ever consider a relationship, he would have to get along well with A-Ning. Understand that my brother always comes first and not be resentful of that. Be loyal. Dependable. Family oriented.”
Hmm.. That wasn’t so bad. You could work with that.
***
Wei Wuxian glanced around to check there was no one else in the hearing range. Then he leaned down, whispering conspiratorially, “Want to come have some Emperor’s Smile with us tonight?”
Nie Huaisang made a distressed noise. “Wei-xiong, why are you telling on us??” When he was done frantically shaking his friend’s shoulder, he turned to you, looking apprehensive.
You frowned, genuinely taken aback. You didn’t think your track record warranted this kind of reaction. Hadn’t you been a good friend? Hell, they had seen you break the rules yourself before. …Did people truly just see a Lan when they looked at you? “Wow. Huaisang, Huaisang... You wound me. You really think I’d snitch on you, after all this time?”
He fidgeted, throwing you an apologetic look. “Sorry.”
Oh, how you'd have loved to participate. You'd always loved the drinking scene, and being there in person... But you couldn't. Too much was at stake. If your presence changed something, which it very well could, you being present when Wangji arrived sounded like a recipe for chaos... No. It had to happen exactly as originally, with your brother and Wei Wuxian ending up in the cave together and meeting Lan Yi, setting things in motion.
Besides, you couldn't afford to get punished with them, not now. Not when you had work to do.
“I appreciate the offer, really, but sadly I'm going to have to decline. I'm not great with alcohol,”—you’d actually never tried drinking in this body before, but Wangji’s famous alcohol tolerance didn’t exactly inspire confidence—“and I'd probably just ruin your vibe... But if you need to hide from Uncle you can come to my place, anytime!”
To your surprise, they did.
Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you quickly let them in before anyone could see them. “Where did you leave the third musketeer?”
“What?”
Uh. “Eh, nothing, don’t mind me, I’m still asleep. Have a seat anywhere.”
You yourself lied back down again, watching them where they sat down at the table. “So, what happened? Did you get caught?”
Jiang Cheng scowled. “It was all Wei Wuxian’s fault.”
“Obviously.”
They recounted pretty much what you already knew. Good. On the right track so far.
“What is so outrageous about your preferences that you had to silence your brother at any cost?”
“You know we aren’t actually related,” Jiang Cheng grumbled.
“I’m aware, but you consider him family so that’s what he is, now stop changing the subject. You two knuckleheads woke me up, the least you can do is amuse me.”
“It’s just a dumb list I made ages ago… It doesn’t matter.”
You hummed. “I guess you’re right, since you already have someone you fancy.”
The poor boy sputtered, turning red. “What.”
“Oh come on, who are you fooling? No one, you’re not fooling anyone, probably not even her.” You smiled benevolently, closing your eyes and burrowing further under your blanket. “Lucky for you, I am a wonderful friend and have already scouted the situation for you. I think you might actually have a chance, if you don’t mess it up. You do have most of the qualities she seems to be looking for. So, here’s what you’re going to do. You will be an absolute saint to her little brother, the absolute embodiment of kindness and virtue and patience. Actually, you will do that regardless of your feelings for Wen Qing, because Wen Ning is the sweetest person I have ever met and that’s coming from someone whose brother is Zewu-jun.” You frowned, before adding, “Don’t make it too obvious, though. No one likes a kiss-ass.”
There was no answer, so you opened one eye to survey the situation. Jiang Cheng seemed to be too shell-shocked to muster a reply. You imagined a blue screen in front of his vision.
“… And don’t push her,” you warned. “Give her space, let it happen naturally.”
“What about you, Daiyu?” Huaisang piped up. “It’s only fair you tell us your own preferences.”
You hadn’t really thought about that, busy as you had been with more important things. You considered his question. “I guess I'd like it if they were intelligent... not necessarily in an academic way or anything; just, more like, to be able to hold a conversation, so that I could talk to them about a variety of topics, you know? And if they wouldn’t get annoyed with me like ‘this is irrelevant why are we discussing this instead of doing more important things, go bother someone else and stop wasting time’,” you grunted exaggeratedly.
Huaisang laughed. “It’s like Da-ge is here with us.”
“Oh, hmm, what else... Oh! It'd be nice if they were open-minded, I guess? I mean, not like a traditionalist would want me anyway," you gestured to yourself vaguely with a snort. "If they wanted me to follow all the little social etiquette rules and be quiet and obedient, cook and take care of the household and whatnot, they'd quite literally have better luck with anyone else from the clan. But, yeah, some ability to think outside the box is always appreciated.”
“So... Your requirements are that they should talk to you and not hate you on sight? Wow... Look, Jiang-xiong! You should follow her example!"
“Shut up, Nie-xiong.”
“Is that really all?”
“… Fine, they shouldn't be an asshole either, then.”
You shushed them as they laughed, not wanting to wake anyone. “Okay, you just disqualified most of the jianghu!”
“Hmm… Not necessarily? There are different types of asshole… Jiang Cheng’s fine, for example.” How to explain — they could be a Starscream, but not a Sentinel, if that made sense? Not horrible on a systemic level? You wished you were back in your old world, then people would at least understand your references. “Like, I don’t know, when someone treats others like shit because they think themselves above them, that makes my blood boil.”
You also wished you were actually fully awake. You were getting sleepier with every passing moment.
You yawned. “Not like the peacock, or his father,” you finished, already falling back asleep. “No rich douchebags allowed.”
Notes:
The next day:
“Wei Wuxian sneaked in some liquor, got drunk with a couple of students and got caught… Er-gongzi was with them.”
“WANGJI???”
Chapter Text
They hadn't invited you to the meeting. They actually hadn't.
When your brother and Wei Wuxian had vanished as scheduled, you'd breathed out a sigh of relief. Everything was on track. A vital piece had fallen into place. Everyone into position, the play has begun.
Of course, you should have expected something else would go awry instead. Things had been going almost suspiciously well up until this point.
As you watched them discuss the newly discovered state of affairs in hushed voices, you felt the sharp pang of betrayal spread through your limbs, leaving you cold. Somehow, in all your plans, you hadn't anticipated this turn of events.
You'd waited for someone to come fetch you after the crowd had dispersed and the buzz had died down... And you kept waiting.
Finally your patience had run out and you'd stealthily made your way where you knew they would be, having a briefing about how to proceed onward. Without you.
(You hadn't caught the whole thing, but what you were present for seemed to be going the way it had originally; at least from what you remembered. All of them in the room, together, just the four of them. Just like it happened in the live action. Like you didn't even exist, as if you never had arrived in this blasted world in the first place. Obsolete.)
That was how Lan Xichen had found you on his way out, furiously scrubbing tears from your face that just wouldn't stop leaking. God fucking dammit.
Despite your distraught state, you knew better than to cause a scene right then and there, out in the broad daylight, alerting everyone not only that something was wrong but also what exactly. Holding onto that thought like a crutch you turned on your heel and speedwalked directly to your place, all the while practically daring—begging—anyone to get in your way, or to try and argue you were breaking the rules by running. Maybe bowling over an idiot might make you feel a tad better.
You felt simultaneously relieved and the opposite of it when you heard the doors slide open behind you, the familiar footsteps of your older sibling echoing through the otherwise empty house.
You didn't turn around.
"Are you here to select a punishment for my invasion of privacy transgression, zongzhu?"
You knew you were acting unhinged, unreasonable, borderline hysterical, but you couldn't stop. It was as if your body was being operated like a puppet. Something else pulling the strings.
You heard him take in a sharp breath, as if you had slapped him, and it very nearly crumbled all your resolve into dust.
You turned to face him, but avoided his eyes.
"Do you not trust me?" you blurted out before you could think better of it. "Is that it? Is that why you didn't tell me? Why you keep sidelining me?"
He had taken Wangji to Biling with him—fine. You'd had a wonderful time with Jiang Yanli that afternoon anyway, and you'd already thought it might not have been the best idea for you to join. But was this just how things were going to be from now on?
You understood you weren't a sect leader nor the heir, nor any other position of importance, and therefore you had no right to the information, but your brothers and your uncle were pretty much all the family you had left. If they were to keep everything hush-hush amongst themselves, where would that leave you?
"Daiyu..."
"Is that it?" you repeated blankly. Look at you, a true Lan, speaking in a reserved, measured tone, not allowing emotion to slip through. Are you proud of me, brother?
There was a pregnant pause, your brother caught off-guard and unsure how to react. Eventually, hesitantly, as if afraid of spooking you, he walked slowly towards you before finally placing his hands where yours had been, wiping the wetness from your cheeks gently.
"I'm sorry, Daiyu. I promise you, trust has nothing to do with it. I simply thought..."
"You thought?" you prompted when the silence had stretched on for too long.
"You are friendly with the Wen siblings... We didn't want to put you in a position where you had to lie or hide things," Xichen explained in a gentle voice.
You barely suppressed the hysterical laugh threatening to break free, desperately keeping it lodged in your throat where it belonged, unheard. Oh, sweet Xichen. You have no idea how much I have to lie and conceal and pretend.
For a moment you wondered... Was this how Jin Guangyao had felt?
"Last I noticed, Wei Wuxian was friends with them just the same, and yet he knows...–"
"That's different –"
"He was there with Wangji, I get that, but if he is in the know now, why can't I be as well? You really think I can't keep my mouth shut? That I'd put my people, my own family at risk? The whole jianghu, even? Is that truly what you think of me?"
You were overreacting, somewhere in the back of your mind even you realized that. If you'd been thinking rationally, you'd wave this off. Xichen's explanation made perfect sense and it wasn't the only opportunity to find out anyway.
Something about the situation just really freaked you out. You'd known the plot, of course, and so far the events had not deviated from it. But how were you supposed to keep up and eventually change something if you were officially kept out of the loop (and could presumably only act on what you had knowledge of from your time here)? And how were you meant to remember what information you 'knew' so you wouldn't accidentally slip up?
Should you start writing it down, dreading every conversation? Or should you turn into Wangji, only giving others single word replies and little 'mn's? Should you perhaps retreat from society and live out the rest of your life in the back mountains as a hermit?
And what if I do mess up? What will happen then?
Is The System going to nuke the whole world, or just myself? Or something else entirely?
"No! Of course not," he insisted. "But it could put a strain on your relationships. You seemed—happy, and I would never begrudge you your friends. I know things... have not exactly been easy, growing up. And since it wasn't necessary for you to know, we– I thought, why force you into such a situation unnecessarily? After all, they say ignorance is bliss–"
I wonder if you would still say that if you knew everything, you thought. And immediately chastised yourself for it.
"– But my decision hurt you and for that, I apologize. Will you forgive me?"
You had never been a very touchy-feely family for a plethora of reasons, but in that moment you didn't care.
"Ge..."
Before you could lose the courage, you wrapped your arms around your brother tightly, burying your disgusting tear-soaked face in his pristine robes. He didn't seem to care. He squeezed you back just as tightly, and the two of you stayed there like that for a while. For the first time since you arrived here, you felt exactly your age.
Afterwards, before he had to return to his responsibilities, you couldn't help yourself—you had to say something. "For whatever it's worth, I do trust them... and I think they will surprise you."
He nodded. As he was turning to leave, you added, "By the way... I hope you aren't under the impression that I will let Wangji go alone."
He didn't insult your intelligence by insisting Wangji wasn't going anywhere, after Uncle had forbidden it so resolutely. Instead, he smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything else."
***
The time went on, faster than you'd like. The lanterns had gone pretty much the same way as in canon, and you only felt somewhat bad about not fulfilling your promise and not dealing with Jin Zixuan yourself after that truly unparalleled fumble. But you knew it was better this way, as the result would have been the same or worse had you stepped in.
Besides, you had more serious things to concern yourself with before you set out for the journey with the gang.
Firstly, you had briefly considered whether you should try to prevent Wen Chao from getting the yin iron piece from the florist. You would still have time to get there before him, or at least you thought so.
You didn't really have any reason for knowing where it was, aside from the actual one. It would be, at the very least, suspicious, if at all explainable—that itself might've counted as a breach of the rules the System had given you. Not only that, but even if there were no consequences for acting on your knowledge, it would still mean a potentially significant change from the original plot. What if it somehow messed everything up?
No. Not only was the whole yin iron pieces business a fickle thing, it was also a show only feature, and you knew how well The Untamed did with plot coherence, timeline of events and everything in that ballpark.
Better not interfere and hope it all happened as supposed to. So, ultimately, as much as it pained you to just hand the little weasel a win like that, you decided against it.
Then there was the matter of the upcoming Wen invasion and the subsequent atrocities they would inflict upon your home. Your blood curdled just thinking about it.
You had half the mind to booby trap the whole Cloud Recesses to all hell, give the Wens a nice little surprise when they came. A proper Kevin McCallister welcome for the esteemed Qishan Wen's visit.
You were even more tempted to stay and show the fuckers what the Lans were made of. Unfortunately, you couldn't do either. 'System' aside, there were only two possible outcomes of these scenarios. One, it would be like throwing a tomato at an attacking cane corso; it would only anger them, resulting in even crueller actions (very likely). Or two, you would be so successful as to fully defend your homeland and subsequently irreparably derail the events and, once again, effectively render all foreknowledge useless (almost completely out of the range of possibility).
(Or, three, you could die.)
You could take neither option. The last thing you wanted was for Wen Chao, vindictive little weasel he was, to go that much harder on Wangji during the indoctrination.
So, you couldn't help them, warn them, couldn't prevent it and you were leaving. What kind of monster were you?
Apparently, the rational one.
...The worst part was that it could have worked. Assuming the mysterious 'System' allowed it, there was a non-zero chance you could have snatched the yin iron from Wen Chao's grasp, leaving Wen Ruohan with only one (not counting Xue Yang's), then proceeded to go all out against the Wens, using any and every method available. Could have tried to warn your clan using not insider information but conjecture and educated guesses, offered generally helpful suggestions, tried to make it as subtle as possible. Turned this place into the damn Fort Knox in the name of general precaution and made your final stand when the time arrived. (And probably still somehow implicated yourself in the process... but apart from the System complications, was it not an acceptable price to pay for human life?)
But you chose not to gamble on it.
(In the back of your mind, you had a feeling Meng Yao would know exactly what to say and do, how to spin this to achieve the optimal outcome. You bet he wouldn't be afraid to risk it.)
***
But maybe, just maybe, you could at least do something. As soon as the idea formed in your head, you got to work. You were going to be sitting here for a while.
***
It would have been too suspicious to randomly start handing out convenient talismans to the whole sect right before an unexpected attack... Even without that, it could've changed the events too much. The little ones, however, that you could do.
You already had a rapport with them, so under the guise of 'I must leave for a while and I don't know when I will be back — don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone, here, have some talismans and use them if you're ever in hot water and need to for example hide from Uncle, as long as you don't make a sound they should make you go unnoticed, unless the person looking is focusing specifically on that spot and has great spiritual energy', your actions wouldn't be perceived as that uncharacteristic. You could get away with it with the young ones, shijie was here to enable mischief as usual.
"Guniang!" echoed collectively when they spotted you.
You sighed, faux-disappointed. "What did I tell you?"
"Shijie.."
"Yu-jie!" another voice piped up, younger than most. The others gave him disapproving and scandalized looks, but you only smiled.
"That's right, ducklings, shijie is here to bestow wisdom upon you," you inclined your head solemnly.
As you showed the younglings how to activate these, practicing for an hour or two to make sure they could do it, you prayed to every deity you didn't believe in that they would remember to use them. Prayed it would be enough.
You'd already tried to make them as simple as possible so they'd have a chance, even though you were unsure how successful that would be in such a highly stressful situation. You also gave them each several copies so they wouldn't think twice about using them if anything was wrong. Hesitation could be just as deadly as a blade.
"And remember what shijie says, no shame in running away—or, as I call it, a strategic retreat."
"Shijie... are you well? Your eyes..."
"Oh, aren't you sweet? I'm fine! I'm just going to miss you all thiiis much," you gestured widely with a watery smile. Before you could be questioned further, you took your own advice and retreated.
***
You sat on the grass at the back hill, taking in your surroundings, trying to imprint them on your mind. Remember everything as it was now, before... Before. You silently vowed to never forget the sight, not a single detail.
You scrunched your eyes tight against a fresh wave of incoming tears.
Get a hold of yourself, they can't see you cry before anything even happened, that'd be suspicious.
Okay, fine, better to get it out of your system first.
So you allowed yourself an hour or two, to really let yourself feel it, let it out... and then you would be ready to keep going. Time and horrors waited for no one.
Finally the tears dried, and in their place, exhaustion set in alongside a new bout of determination. With one last look behind you, you set off after Wangji and Wei Wuxian.
Notes:
I wonder when there will be Meng Yao in my Meng Yao fic
(I originally wanted this chapter to include a lot more but it just didn't feel right to me tonally, so alas.. Anyway, next chapter is The Journey so it will be sillier again)
And as usual, thank you so much for reading!!
ShenJiuHoe on Chapter 1 Fri 29 Sep 2023 04:20PM UTC
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Bviki on Chapter 1 Thu 19 Oct 2023 11:36AM UTC
Last Edited Thu 19 Oct 2023 11:37AM UTC
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