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three's company

Summary:

There was a huff of suppressed laughter, and he looked up to see Wen Qionglin covering his mouth.

“Please laugh, Young Master Wen. Anything other than the sound of rustling papers is like music to my ears.”

“Sect Leader Lan is unexpectedly dramatic,” Jiang Yanli said in a teasing voice. “What other secrets we shall uncover, I wonder.”

OR
Three vastly different people slowly become friends.

Notes:

for keela_1221!! thank you for the prompt and your patience! i took a little (a lot of) creative liberty with it and i hope you like it!!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Wen Ruohan was dead. There was no bloodshed, no war but a quiet rumour that floated out of Nightless City three days after Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were rescued. The cultivation sects treated the rumour with caution and suspicion, until an official missive from the Wen Sect was sent.

Due to a mysterious ailment, Sect Leader Wen Ruohan, Sect Heir Wen Xu, Young Master Wen Chao and Core-melting Hand Wen Zhuliu have perished. For the next ten days, the doors to Nightless City will remain close to isolate and destroy the illness. After which, a new sect leader will be chosen and the four great sects will be informed.

-By order of Wen Qing, Sect Physician

With the Qishan Wen Sect effectively leaderless, an emergency gathering was called at Lanling.

“How do we know this isn’t their plan all along? Lie to the sects and ambush them when their guards are lowered. I say we wait.”

“What Sect Leader Yao says is right,” acknowledged Jin Guangshan. “However, isn’t this the right time to lay siege to Nightless City? A fitting response to the way Wen Ruohan has treated the cultivation world.”

“No.”

Everyone turned to Nie Mingjue, who had remained silent until then. The Qinghe Nie Sect along with the Gusu Lan Sect had been the ones most harmed by Wen Ruohan’s tyranny. Lan Xichen was still missing.

“Wen Ruohan is many things,” he continued. “But a coward isn’t one of them. He would never allow the gates of Nightless City to be closed, or release the usurped villages as rumours indicate. He had the strength to meet the sects in war head on. There is a power shift in Qishan Wen, and if we are lucky, they choose to protect their people instead of instigating a needless war.”

He then turned to Jin Guangshan.

“I understand Sect Leader Jin is eager to attack now that there is no threat. But let me remind him of his earlier hesitation. If Lanling Jin had confirmed their stance earlier, there would not have been so much destruction already. I will not let a new Wen Ruohan rise in place of the old one.”

“You!”

“Peace, brothers. Let us not focus on the past, we have more pressing matters to attend,” said Jiang Fengmian. “Sect Leader Nie, what do you propose we do?”

“Strengthen your defences, prepare for all possibilities and wait for Wen Qing to confirm things officially.”

Jiang Fengmian nodded. “Then this is what we shall do, if anyone has other suggestions, please speak.”

The hall remained silent.

“Very well. We will proceed with caution for now.”

 

They didn’t have to wait long. As soon as the ten days were up, another letter came from the Qishan Wen Sect, declaring Wen Qing the new sect leader and asking for a meeting of sect leaders in a neutral location. They chose an inn near Yunping.

Wen Qing came unarmed, with only her brother as guard and company. She was dressed in the white and red of the Qishan Wen Sect and the only indication of her status was her elaborate hair crown. Her face indicated nothing as she stepped into the room with the other sect leaders.

“Sect Leaders, I am here to apologise on behalf of my predecessor and offer a truce, if you are willing.”

“Apologise? Whatever for, Sect Leader Wen,” asked Jin Guangshan.

“For the death of Qinghe Nie’s Sect Leader Nie Zhenyang, for the attack on the Cloud Recesses, for the mistreatment of your wards under the hands of Wen Chao, for many other crimes that went unnoticed or unaccounted for. The Qishan Wen Sect has been responsible for many wrongdoings in the cultivation world and for years the great sects have looked away in fear for their people. With the death of Wen Ruohan and his children, we hope to bring peace once again.”

“Mighty claims from someone of the same family. How do we know you’re not lying to us?”

“Because she is not.”

A familiar face stepped into the hall, looking dishevelled but alive.

“Lan Huan.”

Lan Xichen smiled at Nie Mingjue.

“It’s good to see you, da-ge.”

Lan Xichen’s entrance sparked another round of discussions, where he explained his disappearance and Wen Qing’s intentions. He had been travelling to the lesser known sects to gather support for their alliance against the Qishan Wen Sect.

“As soon as I heard of Wen Ruohan’s death, I made my way to Nightless City. Fortunately, Young Master Wen found me and took me to Sect Leader Wen before she began cleaning up the city.”

Wen Qing had imprisoned most of Wen Ruohan’s advisors and begun undoing his policies. The first order of business, was to rebuild their relationship with the other sects. She suggested a treaty, written in a neutral location with one representative from each side, to ensure that all interests were met and the possibility of war was avoided for the foreseeable future.

“My brother, Wen Qionglin will be representing our sect.”

The other sects did not need much time to consider. Nie Mingjue was a great warrior and tactician, but had been harmed personally by the Wens. Jin Guangshan could not be trusted and Jiang Fengmian was easily swayed. Lan Xichen was the obvious choice.

They left a little bit after that, fine-tuning some of the conditions required to ensure neutrality. The representatives would converge in Lotus Pier and would interact only with Jiang Yanli, who was a non-cultivator. They would remain for a week, at the end of which the rest of the sect leaders would arrive in Lotus Pier to discuss and approve of the treaty.

“Then,” said Wen Qing. “I hope we meet under better circumstances.”


 

Lan Xichen arrived at Lotus Pier first. Whether it was a precautionary measure, or an excuse to speak to Jiang Fengmian without Wen Qionglin, he didn’t say. However, he did make a request.

“As Sect Leader Jiang knows, the Cloud Recess is in the process of rebuilding. If it is not too much, and if Young Master Wei has recovered, I had hoped that you would be amenable to sending a few disciples to help with the efforts.”

“A-Xian has recovered significantly,” said Jiang Fengmian. “Though, I would like to give him and Jiang Cheng a few more days of rest. But Sect Leader Lan has come up with an excellent suggestion. I am sure they are also eager to meet with your brother and see how he is faring.”

It was decided that they would leave after Wen Qionglin arrived, as a show of good faith.

(And because Wei Wuxian insisted on greeting his friend.)

“He’s not allowed to talk to you.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t wave at him when he comes. Be more creative, Jiang Cheng.”

Irritated at the tone, Jiang Cheng put him into a headlock and tugged viciously at his ponytail, while Wei Wuxian tried to bite the arm that was holding him.

“I have to say, it’s quite refreshing seeing Young Master Jiang behave so freely here,” said Lan Xichen. “During their time of study, he was more focused on keeping Young Master Wei out of trouble.”

They were having tea when a wandering Lan Xichen happened upon them. Jiang Yanli invited him to join them and poured him a cup as well. 

“If Sect Leader Lan can stay a little longer than what is required, he can see the real chaos of having two brothers running around.”

“That sounds quite nice. Perhaps we can call Wangji as well. It would be a good change for him to simply relax without his responsibilities for a while.”

The boys in front of them stopped struggling and exchanged a calculated look.

“If Zewu-Jun agrees, then Jiang Cheng and I will bring Lan Zhan with us once your week of negotiations is done! I did invite him to come to Lotus Pier earlier.”

Lan Xichen smiled at him over his tea cup.

“I’m sure Wangji will be amenable to anything Young Master Wei says, even if he doesn’t show it outwardly.”

Jiang Yanli shot him a curious look at that statement, but kept it to herself. There would be plenty of opportunity for them to talk about this without eavesdropping little brothers around.

**

 

By the time that Wen Qionglin arrived, Lan Xichen and Jiang Yanli had settled into a comfortable companionship. They would take tea together once a day and he would even assist with the Yunmeng disciples’ training. Yu Ziyuan was inordinately pleased at the development and encouraged him to correct the disciples without holding back.

Wen Qionglin arrived with a singular chaperone. The person was not a guard, or even a cultivator, but his uncle that wanted to learn how to cook Yunmeng cuisine.

“My job was to drop A-Ning here and then work at an inn for the week,” he said, bowing. “I will come back to pick him up when it is time to leave. Take care of yourself, A-Ning.”

He left after that, leaving the retinue from Yunmeng Jiang and Lan Xichen thoroughly confused.

“T-thank you for having me,” said Wen Qionglin, in a soft tone. “I hope our time together will be successful.”

His unassuming tone and posture put the receiving party slightly at ease. The past leadership of the Qishan Wen Sect and the current one clearly had some major differences, but they couldn’t let their guard down.

Jiang Yanli stepped forward.

“Welcome to Lotus Pier, Young Master Wen. I hope your stay with us is comfortable. Come, let’s get you settled in.”

With that, the specifics of the negotiation set in and the rest of them stepped back. Jiang Yanli and Lan Xichen led Wen Qionglin to his rooms, but not before Wei Wuxian waved at him vigorously. The small smile on his face showed that he had noticed. Jiang Yanli leaned in to whisper at him.

“If Young Master Wen doesn’t mind, then A-Xian and A-Cheng would like to come say goodbye to you before they leave for Gusu.”

Wen Qionglin’s smile grew and he nodded. For the rest of the short walk, Jiang Yanli kept up a steady stream of conversation and Lan Xichen could see the tension physically leak out of the boy’s body. They left him at his room with a promise to fetch him for dinner.

“Maiden Jiang is quite skilled at putting people to ease.”

“Years of solving petty fights and keeping peace in stressful situations helps. But I’m sure Sect Leader Lan also relates.”

He tilted his head in agreement and they went their separate ways. He had come with no solid idea of who Jiang Yanli was, but the person he was slowly getting to know made for a wonderful friend.

 

They spent two days silently reading the books Lan Xichen had brought and exchanging stilted conversation. Here were three people that had never interacted before, forced to spend time together for the betterment of the sects. They were exceedingly polite, as was expected of them but also eager to end the ordeal.

On the third day in the midst of reading, Lan Xichen accidentally dropped his teacup, letting it shatter on the stone floor.

“Even my teacup is tired of all this reading,” he muttered.

There was a huff of suppressed laughter, and he looked up to see Wen Qionglin covering his mouth.

“Please laugh, Young Master Wen. Anything other than the sound of rustling papers is like music to my ears.”

“Sect Leader Lan is unexpectedly dramatic,” Jiang Yanli said in a teasing voice. “What other secrets we shall uncover, I wonder.”

 Encouraged by the turn the conversation had taken (and frankly, eager to avoid more reading) Lan Xichen pulled his most wounded look, the one that got his brother to bring him sweets from Caiyi Town.

“Maiden Jiang, please don’t bully me. I love reading but this is truly testing my patience. Perhaps at the end of it, I might hand over leadership to Wangji and disappear into the woods.”

Wen Qionglin was openly laughing by then.

“I don’t think Lan-er-gongzi would enjoy that very much. However I do think Sect Leader Lan is right, we should probably take a break.”

Jiang Yanli sent for some fresh tea and snacks, and cleared the table of all the books and documents.

“Then shall we all get to know each other? Without the burden of work upon us?”

They had a slow start, but Jiang Yanli was nothing if not a skilled conversationalist. She moved the topic to something they could talk about for hours; their siblings.

“Wangji used to be such a round child,” Lan Xichen said, wistfully. “Always toddling behind me and climbing onto my lap to show me things.”

“That sounds adorable. A-Cheng and A-Xian were the same, but they kept bringing me insects and other small animals. At one point, they let loose three frogs during dinner and mother forbade them from ever bringing anymore back home.”

They shared a laugh and exchanged more stories about the kind of trouble their siblings had gotten up to. Throughout it all, Wen Qionglin sat quietly, with a sad smile on his face.

“A-Ning,” said Jiang Yanli, breaking his melancholy mood. “Can I call you that?”

Wen Ning blinked back tears.

“O-of course. Your conversation just made me miss my sister. We haven’t been able to spend much time together since she became sect leader. It’s nice. To be around someone like her again.”

“Why don’t you tell us a little about her?”

And then, it was like a dam broke. Wen Ning talked about how Wen Qing used to teach him about medicinal plants and herbs, because he kept getting hurt. How her way of showing concern was a little different than most, but certainly more honest. How she hated her long hair and had Wen Ning tie it up for her every day.

“She tried to braid once and it ended up lopsided,” he said, laughingly. “One of the children made the mistake of pointing it out and I’ve never seen her turn so red.”

They talked late into the evening, having forgotten the reading in favour of exchanging sect-specific anecdotes and stories. When it was finally time to leave for dinner, Jiang Yanli made a proposition.

“We should walk around the markets tomorrow and see Lotus Pier.”

“I agree. Sitting and talking informally has helped us more than two days of reading.”

They both turned to Wen Ning with happy, expectant faces.

“If Sect Leader Lan and Maiden Jiang think it’s a good idea, I’d be happy to come.”

**

 

For their day out, Jiang Yanli brought them Yunmeng Jiang disciple robes.

“To help you blend into the crowd,” she explained.

Lan Xichen even good-naturedly took off his forehead ribbon, after making them promise not to tell his uncle. After they had changed, they looked like any disciples accompanying the sect leader’s daughter out for errands.

Jiang Yanli took them to all her favourite stalls in the market and fed to the point of bursting. Lotus Pier had excellent snacks and even though Lan Xichen was having trouble with the spice, he ate all of them with a smile. Wen Ning, on the other hand, was thriving under her attention, looking more alive than he had in the previous three days.

They even ran into Wen Ning’s uncle, who heaped endless praise on Yunmeng cuisine and promised to cook for them one day.

“If I’m not careful, I might end up developing a taste for spice.”

“Don’t worry, Sect Leader Lan,” said Wen Ning, cheerfully. “We promise to send you chilli oil and powder as secret gifts.”

To end their day, Jiang Yanli had cooked lunch for them and took them out on a boat on one of the Jiang family’s private lakes. The lake had a section closed off for the lotus flowers to grow indiscriminately and so that boats do not disturb their habitat. They anchored their boat next to the newly bloomed lotus flowers, enjoying the scenery and wonderful smell of the flowers.

“Thank you for bringing us here, Maiden Jiang.”

“Before the two of you reached Lotus Pier, my father told me that the key to any successful negotiation is understanding the people you are working with,” said Jiang Yanli. “Getting to know the two of you may have been a part of the process, but it was certainly a lovely experience.”

Lan Xichen had expected something like this, but it was gratifying to have her acknowledge it out loud.

“As always, Maiden Jiang never fails to impress me. I really do appreciate the efforts you have taken to get to know us, and I hope we can remain friends in the future.”

Wen Ning nodded from the side.

“The two of you have been so kind, despite my age and inexperience. I am glad to have met the two of you, even in circumstances like this.”

“It only worked because the two of you are so kind,” she said, mischievously. “If it were someone like Sect Leader Nie, I would be too terrified to utter a word.” 

“I must ask you to reconsider. Da-ge is very gentle, like a bear that sometimes gets angry but is actually quite cuddly.”

“And how does Sect Leader Lan know about Sect Leader Nie’s cuddliness?”

“A-Ning!”

Jiang Yanli and Wen Ning exchanged knowing looks as Lan Xichen tried to fight down his violent blush.

“I am now regretting being nice to you,” he grumbled.

“Don’t be like that. Next week, your brother will be visiting with A-Cheng and A-Xian.”

Lan Xichen perked up at that.

“Maiden Jiang, Young Master Wen, how do you feel about matchmaking?”

Notes:

EDIT 22/09/2020: now with a bonus drabble here!
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