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The love of a sister

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The battle is raging when Jiang Yanli walks into the field Suibian in hand. The sound of a flute is heard over all the screams and clashing of swords. She notices that the resentful energy is not harming any of the Jiang cultivators. She just wants to see her little brothers. And she was afraid that if she does not see them now she might never get the chance to ever again. She calls their name out knowing that they would come running to her.

She hears panicked sounds of 'Shijie' and 'A-Jie' but she is not able to find them in the commotion. She knows she is being foolish. But grief and hurt had overtaken her heart. She had left Jin Ling alone with Madam Jin and pulled out Suibian hidden in her room to fly to Nightless city.

She wants to find her A-Xian. Tell him it's not his fault-

There he is.

Her little brother.

Dressed in black and vibrant red ,looking like the incarnation of the son of King Yan(Asian god of death, derived from Sanskrit-god of death: Yama). The Jiang tassel hanging off his flute, swinging in the harsh wind

 He is agitated and she notices that he is not playing the flute but another sound of the flute is still controlling the resentful energy. But everything is happening too fast for her brain to keep track. She only sees the despair and pain in her brother's bloodshot and red-rimmed eyes as he is carelessly running around in the battlefield, thwarting swords and arrows in mid-air as he calls out for her.

Her mind stops working for a while.

Memories running across at the speed of light. She sees A-Xian as a child-frightened and obedient, as a pre-teen- free-spirited, full of smiles and spreading love and happiness to everyone around him. She sees him as a teenager- broken and crying in the middle of the night, kneeling at the ancestral hall in front of the tablet of their parents, when he thought everybody was asleep and no longer even trying to smile. 

She remembered the one day in lotus pier when she had coerced him to tell him everything. About his golden core, about his months in burial mounds, the hardships of using the seal, the pain he goes through every second. She holds him as he cries for hours and hours and she joins in horror.  Because A-Xian always tells his Shijie everything. And whatever is said between them stays in between them. Sometimes they pretend that he had never said anything.

Jiang Yanli believed that her brother was born with a smile on his face. And watching it gone and replaced with a pain she could not even comprehend was heart-wrenching and painful, to say the least.

Suddenly she is hyper-aware of everything-the grief of losing her husband, having her family broken apart and losing so so much.

And she is angry at Wei Wuxian. It is not his fault. She knows. She knows of his golden core, she knows everything. But she is angry. She is angry at him for killing their parents, for leaving them, for not being there on her wedding, for what he turned Wen Ning into, for killing her husband, for making her a widow, for making her son fatherless.

She knows none of is true. But for a minute, just a minute she tries not to believe it.

She has to be angry. If she wants to do what she is about to. She has to be angry.

The calls of her brothers are getting louder in her ears still trying to find her.


Her breaths grow labored as she walks forward silently towards his brother's direction. He is fighting off two Yao cultivators with his flute. Nobody seems to notice her as she walks calmly across the battlefield.

"A-Xian.," she calls and Wei Wuxian turns around, eyes wide as the sword of a Jin sect cultivator slices into his shoulder.

His eyes widen more, his eyes fill with more tears and his lips tremble. He opened his mouth to call out her name and suddenly, there is a sound of a sword unsheathing and it is plunged into his chest. His breath catches as he looks down at her sister's hand holding Suibian into his chest. 

Jiang Yanli lets out a sob.

Wei Wuxian looks at her and gives her a beautiful smile before falling to his knees, the Stygian metal trembling above the battlefield. He does not even look betrayed as she plunges the sword into his chest. He is only smiling at her as if she was giving him a bowl of lotus and pork rib soup. 

"A-Jie NO!!!" She looks up to see Jiang Cheng running to them with horror in his eyes- thwarting anything or anyone that comes near him with Zidian. She knows her little brother will never ever forgive her for doing this.

Another voice in the distance is screaming an agonized 'Wei Ying!'

She pulls the sword back and stabs him once more before either of them manage to save him. She does not think it is possible but hopes. He is losing too much blood.

Her heart clenches as her brother chokes, as he offers no resistance and just lets her kill him.

She let the sword fall to the ground, feeling numb to the deepest layer of her soul.

"WEI WUXIAN! WEI WUXIAN!!!" Jiang Cheng catches his body before he falls to the ground. 
"Chengcheng..."Wei Wuxian smiles sweetly at him while Jiang Cheng is cradling his limp form in his arms, sobbing.

"Wei Wuxian! You idiot! Don't you dare die on me! Don't you dare!" he cries out giving some of his horrorstricken and frozen to the ground, soldiers instructions to get a healer. He is swearing and cursing. Wei Wuxian is reaching out a hand to her, with a smile.

Jiang Yanli cried, taking a step forward to take his arms.

Jiang Cheng turned around with bloodshot eyes and pushed her away.
"" Wei Wuxian protested weakly as she fell to the ground not letting go of his arms. Jiang Yanli's vision is blurry with continuous never-ending tears.

"A-Jie! Why? Why?! How could you?! " Jiang Cheng is screaming at her. But all she see's is her brother's calm and angelic smile. She had not seen it ever since the fall of lotus pier.

"Wei...Ying..." she looks at Lan Wangji who had approached them and is staring at her brother with scared and horror-filled light golden eyes and visibly trembling with shock and hurt.

"Lan Zhan..." he rasped out trying to reach to him. Lan Wangji fell to his knees near him and cradled his limp body. He urgently takes hold of his wrist and when he tries to supply spiritual energy with Jiang Wanyin, the two of them do not have time to get the absence of 'golden core' sink in.

Lan Wangji quickly checks his pulse. It is weak and he is fussing over him trying some way to supply him spiritual energy.

Jiang Yanli notices that the Yunmeng Jiang and some Nie and Lan clan disciples had formed a circle around them fighting off others who were trying to attack.

She sits there holding his hand watching Jiang Cheng sob and Lan Wangji's tears slip down his cheeks as both of them keep pressing down on his wound.

"Lan Zhan...stop..."Wei Wuxian rasps out painfully and manages a smile.

"No. No Wei Ying." Lan Wangji chokes out a cry 
"It's okay...shh...don't cry..."Wei Wuxian whispers, smiling more when Lan Wangji wraps his arms around him and leans their foreheads together
"Please don't die...please...You can't..." Lan Wangji is shaking.

"A-Xian...please...I'm sorry...please don't give up" Jiang Cheng pulled him closer. His body is getting colder every passing second.

"A-Xian..." the reality slowly started to hit Jiang Yanli. She killed her little brother. She just killed a soulmate, a brother, a parent- she remembers Jiang Cheng telling her about A-Yuan. The three year old child who only had her little brother for a parent.

The hand in her arm is clutching at her desperately. Jiang Cheng is glaring at her. Lan Wangji was sobbing into his bloodied clothes.

"It's okay's did what you had to's okay..." he croaks as if he had read her thoughts. Tears are flowing down his eyes. There is so much pain in his eyes. There is so much he wants to say to her and A-Cheng and his Lan Zhan.  "I'm sorry Shijie...I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to...I never meant to...never wanted to...not even once... to kill that peacock...too bad I didn't get to see A-Ling huh? I- I made a charm for him...and Jin Zixun destroyed it." he cries and let out a hiss of pain.

"Don't talk! Stop talking!" Jiang Cheng screamed scrambling to take his hands out of Jiang Yanli's hold and brought it to the cocoon he and Lan Wangji built around him to keep every part of him safe. She realizes that his brother is trying to keep him safe from HER and her heart shattered completely.

"Ah've grown so much" Wei Wuxian lifts his hand to caress the tears on his face away then proceeds to do the same for Lan Wangji who is letting out heartbroken silent sobs.

Suddenly a loud crackle is heard and they all look up barely in time to see the stygian metal completely melting into resentful energy and crashing straight into Wei Wuxian's body.

The three of them are thrown away by the impact as Wei Wuxian screamed in pain.

Lan Wangji scrambled up first and pulls him back into his arms. Jiang Wanyin followed right behind and continued pressing on the wound. The ground was covered by blood and so was their clothes.

"Ah!! Lan Zhan...A-Yuan...A-Yuan...k-keep him safe...please..."Wei Wuxian closed his eyes as blood started seeping out of his mouth and nose.

"Wei Ying! No!" Lan Wangji cried.

"" he says while coughing out more blood.

"I promise Wei Ying. Please...just...stay...I love you...I love you...please..." he asked kissing his fingers.

"Oh Lan Zhan...maybe...maybe in another life...we can be together...I-I'll find you..." Wei Wuxian smiled and then gasped painfully.

" good...Lan Zhan...I love you...Jiejie...thank you and.... sorry " he managed to say before the resentment energy all around the battlefield plunged into his body and a pulse of energy threw everyone around him away.

"Xianxian!" Jiang Yanli managed to say before the ball of resentful energy around her brother exploded and dust flew everywhere. She heard shouts from Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng and their Jiang shidi's and shimei's.

The dust cleared. When they looked up there was only a dark outline of where his body lay and Chenqing, Suibian and his red ribbon on the ground.

She hears Jiang Cheng scream- his scream rattling the whole battleground even in the presence of shouts. She sees Lan Wangji collapse, clutching at the red ribbon and crying out for his Wei Ying to come back. She hears Lan Xichen's shouting for his brother out of concern. 

She hears Nie Huaisang wail when they return to Qinghe and tell him the news. She looks at her brother who is still crying clutching onto another one of his crying Shixiong. Lan Wangji is nowhere to be seen.

She hears Nie Huaisang screaming his lungs out and as Nie Mingjue scolds his distressed younger brother harshly.

The last thing she see's is Nie Huaisang being knocked out unconscious as he starts bleeding and her world spins. 

"Sweet dreams my Xianxian..." she said and blacked out.


Jiang Yanli had been secluded to an area in Lotus Pier by her own choice- Wei Wuxian's room ever since his death, where she tends to Wei Wuxian's favourate flowers. She visits the ancestral hall often and apologizes to her father for killing him over and over. Most of the Jiang disciples whom they had grown up with absolutely hates her or feels pity for her. Some understand. The ones who had seen her brother's pain while he was alive understands.

 Her only visitors are her son, Nie Huaisang and occasionally Jiang Wanyin. Sometimes she sees silhouettes and a red ribbon at the corner of her image and she begs for it to not go away. She only leaves once every year to visit her mother-in-law in Carp tower. There she is often praised for knowing right from wrong and for killing her brother. She tells Jin Ling, her son, wonderful stories of his dajiu's childhood to get rid of any bad impression of him, being in the Jin sect may have given him of Wei Wuxian. 

Nie Huaisang visits to share jokes of Wei Wuxian and she always wonders why the boy does not hate her for killing the only friend he had. And he fills up the garden with more vibrant and rare plants and his beautiful little birds every time he visits.

After Wei Wuxian's death, the bond between Jiang Yanli and Jiang Wanyin never really recovered. Jiang Cheng visited her to tell her important things and Jiang Yanli understood. She stopped making Lotus and pork rib soup. Once she made it for Jin Ling so that he could understand why dajiu in the stories liked it so much and she had cried on seeing the same look of glee on her son's face.

She thinks of how much he would have loved him. 

People say everyone moves on from death. But some people in that world never moved on from Wei Wuxian's death. Even Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui who met each other only by the age of eleven and did not even remember him could not move on from the wondrous stories that had been reserved for only them.


Jiang Cheng did not know who to hate. Should he hate his brother for being an idiot? Should he hate his sister for killing him? He couldn't bring himself to do that. Should he hate himself for not being able to keep his sibling safe? He could have done something different and this would not have happened. After the events at Nightless city, he had returned to lotus pier with his brother's Suibian which had sealed itself and Chenqing. He had gone straight into his room and cried for hours and hours and did not come out for a week.

He did not even have a body to bury. He did not know if his soul was in peace. And he could never bring himself to burn paper money. He made a tablet for Wei Wuxian and put it at their hall ...but it just felt...wrong. He smashed the tablet into pieces and proceeded to cry more.

He kept expecting beautiful chiming laughter that he is afraid that he will forget soon and a body being flung on him all cheerful and warm and brightening up the room with one smile. Now all the feels is cold.

A month later when the Yunmeng Jiang Sect Leader came out of his quarters he was a changed person. The first thing he did was go to Carp tower and bring his sister and nephew back. Jin Guangyao did not object and actually reasoned for him.

He took his anger out on any person who badmouthed his brother and used Demonic Cultivation or faking to be his students. He often kills them in cold blood and sends money to their family. Everyone learns to be afraid of sect leader Jiang and the business in the pier slowly deteriorates as they move somewhere else. It is no longer joyful and loud and full of life as it had been years before. 

It is almost as if Wei Wuxian's life was what kept Yunmeng thriving.

The only light in his life was Jin Ling who he loved taking care of. He could never bring himself to talk to his nephew about his brother but knew that his sister was already doing it. And then got angry for it. How dare she?

Five years later, after he heard the news of Lan Wangji finally coming out of seclusion he visited him with Jin Ling where he made Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen agree to send A-Yuan, now Sizhui to Lotus pier once every few months and do the same for Jin Ling. And of course, Sizhui and Jingyi were a package deal as was Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen.

The times when Jiang Cheng sat around with the four children bickering and screaming at each other was when he truly felt content and painful happiness spread across his chest. Hearing Sizhui call him 'Shushu' was the happiest moment in his life in thirteen years apart from Jin Ling's achievements.

It hurt to see Sizhui, who had his brother's exact same smile and eyes and ridiculously selfless behavior which should not even be possible. Certain movements and gestures of Sizhui that were exact his brother's made his heart ache. He often wondered if he was just projecting but seeing the painful look on Lan Wangji's eyes when he once saw Sizhui scratch the side of his nose while thinking during a night hunt proved him wrong.

Jiang Cheng wondered why he never could bring himself to accept that Wei Wuxian was gone. 

And hoped it was true...because if anyone was able to attempt the absolute impossible......

It was his big brother.....


When Lan Wangji got punished after Wei Wuxian's death, he did not even feel anything. It was nothing compared to the pain in his heart and the feeling of his grief take over and fray his golden core. It was taking all of his willpower to not fly off and strangle Jiang Yanli to death. He only remembered his Shifu's disappointed looks and Lan Xichen screaming and begging to stop while he was being held back and thrashed with the discipline whip 33 times by three Lan officials.

On top of his physically and emotionally painful grief, Lan Wangji could not bring himself to understand. He knew how much Wei Ying loved Jiang Yanli. And he had always seen her spoil him with love and affection.

How could she kill him? 

He tried asking his brother about it. A few after he had branded himself with the Wen hot iron. He had asked Xiongzhang if he would kill him no matter what the situation was.

His answer was Lan Xichen bursting into tears and hugging him. He said he would never be able to do it even if the entire world was against him or even if he was in pain or dying and that it made him a weak big brother.

Lan Wangji did not understand. How would that make him weak?

There were many times when he had thought of ending everything when the pain became unbearable. He gets nightmares about Wei Wuxian's bloodied lips smiling sweetly at him and the light fading out of his eyes. A ribbon is all he has left of him.

Whenever such thoughts start to overcome him A-Yuan always visits. Of course. The sweet sweet boy that made living in a world where there was no Wei Ying almost bearable.

Lan Sizhui visited him every day after his classes and learnt to play Guqin from him. He always comes with two bunnies in hand to keep them company. It's amazing how easily the child picks up his emotions and how easily he can make everything slightly better. Lan Wangji buried the child with rabbits, feeds him carrots and does not let his grief affect the child. Soon he had a new friend - Lan Jingyi who was also an orphan of one of their Lan seniors who had died during the war.

Soon Lan Jingyi also becomes a part of his life but Lan Xichen is the one who is more responsible for that naughty and loud child. 

Lan Wangji wants the two boys to be happy. He does not want A-Yuan to have the childhood he had. He offers the child hugs and love. For the part, he is not able to do his brother gladly complies. He loves his nephew more than anything. Lan Qiren takes a liking to the child who listens to him and obeys his every word and is always enthusiastic to learn from him. Meanwhile, Lan Qiren hates Lan Jingyi so Lan Xichen is his mentor and during the few times Lan Qiren teaches him, Jingyi is always crying loudly by the end of the day.

On the third month of the third year since A-Yuan arrived at Cloud Recess they conducted a soul-cleansing ceremony for the two boys and Lan Wangji ties his son's forehead ribbon while Lan Xichen did Jingyi's. They are both blessed by Lan Qiren and the rest of the Lan elders. Lan Sizhui is curious about the ribbon and always asks why he cannot touch his uncle's or A-Yi's when he can touch his father's while Lan Jingyi loses his ribbon all the time but Xichen does not let them punish the child.
Occasionally Lan Xichen reminds him about Sizhui as he buries the two kids with the rabbits...    " this is not even possible but...he is a lot like him isn't he Wangji?". At those moments he feels pain but mostly pride and happiness.

Lan Sizhui painfully reminded him of Wei Ying as he started to grow up. He was nothing like Wei Ying but also just like him. He obeyed rules, joked around less, was mature for his age and was quiet. But that was perhaps the only difference. He was a sweet sweet boy who was soft-spoken and treated everyone with the utmost respect. He was also very diplomatic- which he had learnt from Lan Xichen.

Lan Sizhui did not trust rumors or gossip. The first time he had heard of the doings of the Yiling Laozi he had immediately ran to Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji while they were having tea and asked them if it was true and why he was feeling strangely defensive of a person he did not even know.
Lan Xichen had just smiled and proceeded to tell him about Wei Wuxian's time in cloud recess and all about his antics. A few days later the two brothers told the two Lan boys about Lan Sizhui's blood. A-Yuan is frightened and upset at the beginning.

 He looks at Lan Wangji with betrayal in his teary eyes and asked "You're not my father?". Lan Wangji quickly reassured him that he was and that he was and always would be a Lan. Apart from Jingyi's slight panic in the beginning he is unfazed. Lan Jingyi assures his friend that his blood does not matter.

The two learn who Wei Wuxian was to Lan Sizhui. From then on, Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi would go to Lan Xichen every day to know more about him.

When Jiang Wanyin visited him years later, he had felt strangely happy that Jiang Cheng was also suffering. 

He went night-hunting every two months and stayed at Cloud Recess for two months and followed in such a pattern. The two boys would always greet him cheerfully whenever he came back home. Sometimes Jiang Wanyin accompanied him. They didn't talk much but silently appreciated each other's presence.

He plays inquiry every day for thirteen years with no reply and other kind souls apologizing to him for not being able to find him.
On the thirteenth year, the clawed out piece of their lives became whole again.

"Shijie! Look! Chengcheng's bullying me again!" Jiang Yanli laughed when her brother ran to hide behind her and poked out from behind her to blow a raspberry at a fuming Jiang Cheng.

"Who's your Chengcheng?! A-Jie...he let those toddlers cook and now the kitchen is on fire!" Jiang Cheng stomped his foot and rushed over to grab at him.

"Aiya Jiang Cheng. It's just a kitchen. And if you hit me again I'll tell Lan Zhan" Wei Wuxian smiled cheekily still hiding behind a giggling Jiang Yanli.

"Should I be afraid of your stupid husband?" Jiang Cheng roared at him.

"Hey! There's no need to be salty because you don't have such an awesome love life like me. And my husband is not stupid. He's the best." Wei Wuxian puffed out his cheeks and complained like a child.

"A-Jie! He's behaving like a swooning maiden again!"Jiang Cheng growled and raced around Jiang Yanli to catch Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Yanli pulled them to a stop.

"He's not a maiden A-Cheng. Our Xianxian is just one year old. That's why. And what are you talking about A-Xian? Huaisang would feel bad if he heard that about A-Cheng " she said and petted both of their hair like her brothers were overgrown kittens. Jiang Cheng's terrifying expression melts and now he's just sulking and face completely red. 

"Yes! He's just the person for our no-fun Chengcheng And Shijie! I'm not one! I have a husband and a baby. I'm three." Wei Wuxian says and giggled. Jiang Wanyin acted like he was puking.

"I'm not a baby Xian-gege!" another voice interrupted. The four juniors walked to them followed by Lan Wangji looking like he was gathering the ducklings.

"Yes, you are. You are my baby forever" Wei Wuxian said and wraps his arms around Lan Sizhui and Ouyang Zizhen. 

"Maybe you should grow up first before rearing us dajiu..." Jin Ling said. Lan Wangji could not help but smile.

"You little brat...Lan Zhan! How can you betray me like this?" he asked. Lan Wangji walked to him and they linked their arms.

"Aw. We are not your babies?"Zizhen asked pouting at him.

Wei Wuxian pinched his cheeks. "Zizhen. You are already. I would have made it official if your father does not have aneurism" he said.

"Yeah, that's happening...He will say he bewitched you into becoming his slave or something" Jingyi commented and Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes at him. The juniors laughed.

Lan Wangji glanced at his husband's arms entwined with Jiang Yanli as the two of them laughed. Even Jiang Wanyin was laughing at something Ouyang Zizhen had said. 

Lan Wangji still did not forgive Jiang Yanli for taking his soulmate away from his for thirteen years. But as long as he was happy, he would learn to like her- only for Wei Ying.

He would do anything for his Wei Ying.


"Jiang Cheng. Are you sure this is a good idea?" His siblings had stolen him away from his Lan Zhan in the evening to doll him up? And THAT TOO IN YUNMNG JIANG CLOTHES! TO GO TO THE ANCESTRAL HALL TOGETHER! IN FRONT OF MADAM YU- IN JIANG COLOURS. 

Safe to say Wei Wuxian was freaking out.

"Shut up. You'd look good even in leaves" Jiang Cheng grumbled as he pulled the sash a little too tight.

Wei Wuxian choked. "Heheh A-Cheng...would you like to see me in leaves...?" he asked teasingly and Jiang Cheng sputtered before pulling his sash harder.

Wei Wuxian yelped then let out a boisterous laugh. 

"Jiang Cheng...are you sure?" he asked again looking at himself in the mirror and trying not to cry. He had only worn Jiang training robes before- never this. Never wore the robes meant for the main family.

It had been enough of a shock, a month ago when Lan Xichen had coaxed him into wearing Lan colors for a family gathering. It had been worth it when Lan Wangji could not keep his eyes or hands of him the whole time, Jingyi had whistled at him and Sizhui looked so happy he watched him.

And now this.

"Stop fidgeting. Mother is not here" Jiang Cheng said coolly and takes the time Wei Wuxian is sad and dumbstruck to take the tassel out of his flute and put it over his sash. He felt guilty but nobody needs to know that.

"There. Come on now. A-Jie's waiting." Jiang Cheng pulls his silent brother along and they walk to the ancestral hall. Wei Wuxian stops at the entrance of the hall and Jiang Cheng looks at him with a frustrated expression.

"Oh my! A-Xian. You look wonderful. We should have made you wear it before. Let's talk to father and mother" she says and gently pulls him in.

Wei Wuxian is staring straight on to the tablets with scared eyes as if he is afraid Madam Yu would come out of the tablet and start whipping him with Zidian.

It's an irrational fear. But he had been whipped a lot of times in childhood when he accidentally called Jiang Cheng or Shijie as his siblings in public or referred to them as family.

The three of them knelt down, Wei Wuxian made to sit in between as they offer incense and bow two times together.

"Father. Our A-Xian looks good in Jiang robes, doesn't he?" Jiang Yanli asked. The three can immediately imagine Jiang Fengmian smiling widely and hugging the three of them.

"Father...A-Jie started making Lotus and Rib soup again. It's much tastier than before now. Can you believe it?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"You thought it could not get any better Uncle Jiang. See? Shijie's doing the impossible too" Wei Wuxian chirped in. They smiled at each other.

"Madam Yu...I hope you are not angry that I am wearing this. I always wanted to..." Wei Wuxian's voice comes off choked slightly. 
"Even if you do, we are going to force him to wear it now that he is our senior disciple, " Jiang Cheng said and Wei Wuxian choked.

"W-What?" he asked looking at Shijie if she knows anything. She just smiled and looked away.

"What?! Do you have an ear problem? I said, You. Are. Our. Head. Disciple." Jiang Cheng repeated and pinched his thighs.

"But- but..." Wei Wuxian stuttered looking at Jiang Yanli and at the memorial tablets for help.

"What? You will impart your practical knowledge only to the Lan Sect now?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"What?! Of course not. And I have been teaching the shidi's fo-" Wei Wuxian is cut off.

"So you have been teaching. Thus you are a senior disciple. Shut up now. And you are going to wear that bell everywhere" Jiang Cheng looked at Lan Wangji's forehead ribbon keeping his pony up instead of his red one for the past one year in distaste. "And for god's sake stop wearing black. It looks horrendous with Lan Wangji's stupid white ribbon"

"Jiang Cheng! The ribbon is not stupid" Wei Wuxian laughed, warmth bubbling in his chest.

The two of them continued bickering and came to a stop when they heard a sniffle.


The looked over to see that she was crying.

"Shijie! Don't cry!" Wei Wuxian panicked and got up to sit in front of her. Jiang Cheng sighed before sneaking in closer and put an arm around both of them.

"I'm so sorry A-Xian. Please forgive this Jiejie" she said and wrapped herself around a bewildered Wei Wuxian.

"Shijie...there is nothing to forgive. Not me. I was never angry. I was so agitated and in pain back then ...I remember being so calm as I died you know? Having you three around...even if it hurt- that was exactly how I wanted to die. With my loved ones around me." he said and hugged back, an arm around Jiang Cheng too.

"And you! Chengcheng you were so mean to her for all these years" Wei Wuxian pouted with tears glistening in his eyes.

Jiang Cheng was feeling too many emotions at that moment to protest. So he took a page out of Lan Wangji's book and replied with an 'Mm' before pulling both of his siblings closer. The last time he had held his brother he was cold and covered with blood. Now he was unbelievably warm and full of life. He had missed hugging his sister too. 

The three of them sat there cuddling for a long time until Jiang Yanli chimed.

"Lets' go sleep at the docks outside A-Xian's garden like we used to before," she said.

It had been their favorite thing to do in the past when Madam Yu visited Meishan. They would grab lots of pillows and blankets and sleep at the back docks where there was no one to interrupt them and only miles and miles of the river and lotuses stretched out.

"Yes! Lets' go! Lets' go!" Wei Wuxian jumped up and said excitedly. Jiang Cheng followed the two of them outside. 

Two spirits found three siblings in Jiang robes sleeping at the docks that night after many many years, content and warm as they were wrapped around each other.

And the two spirits finally rested.

~~~~~~~~~~~And they lived normally ever after~~~~~~~~~~~