Chapter Text
It was a commonly known and generally unspoken truth that Wen Xu didn’t get along with the heirs of the other major sects.
The Jin and Jang boys were much younger, so they weren’t considered. But he, Nie Mingjue, and Lan Xichen were the same age. While they were showing off their great friendship, Wen Xu couldn’t stand any of them. Of course, he didn’t feel left out. He was the heir of Wen RuoHan, the Chief Cultivator who was one step away from immortality and towered above the other weaker leaders; Wen Xu, as his son, would never have been so pathetic as to be offended if Nie Mingjue had deliberately monopolized Lan Xichen’s attention at a clan meeting, forcing him out of their precious conversation.
However, there was much about the two of them that irritated him.
Wen Xu hated that Nie Mingjue was stronger than him in battle, and that Lan Xichen was better than him in study. He hated that they were future leaders with great prospects, while he was seen as someone who, at his best, wouldn’t embarrass his father too much - which was understandable since they were the sons of mediocre men, while Wen Xu's father was the best of the best.
Finally, it had always bothered him that they had younger brothers to brag about. Lan Xichen easily won the first place: his little brother was said to be the embodiment of the perfect cultivator - excellent in everything, with a golden core among the most powerful of his generation, handsome, mature beyond his years, fair, serious, and responsible. Men like Jin Guangshan would never stop talking about such a son, claiming that the gods had blessed them with such an exceptional offspring. At least the Lans were more discreet.
Nie Mingjue, while complaining about Huaisang and criticizing his stubborn refusal to train, never failed to point out that his brother was exquisitely gifted in all the arts that made a young noble worthy of such a title. Among the Nie, who tended to use brute force, this boy stood out like a peony in a field of hardy weeds.
While Wen Xu had never had anyone but Wen Chao.
Wen Chao was lazy, cruel, weak, and stupid. Even if he wanted to be kinder, Wen Xu couldn’t find any merit in his brother.
Wen Xu would always remember Nie Minjie’s scornful expression after Wen Chao’s elimination in the Jiangs’ Bow Tournament, an event in which he had failed to hit any of his targets. Afterwards, in a show of self-conscious embarrassment, Wen Chao had stomped on his bow in a manner reminiscent of a petulant child, expressing his dissatisfaction with the supposed defect in his weapon.
But that was when Wei Wuxian came into his life.
Before determining the kid’s identity, Wen Xu had felt a sense of irritation when he saw Wen Wuxian flaunt his abilities by successfully hitting all the targets while blindfolded; later, when his father had claimed him, Wen Xu had felt moderately excited: Wei Wuxian’s aptitude was obvious, and a cursory glance was enough to see his potential. Like Lan Xichen’s boastful declaration about his impeccable and obnoxious little brother, the opportunity to showcase his talents now lay before Wen Xu.
As he had told Wen Chao, if he had to be the brother of a mediocre boy, at least he could at least be the uncle of a promising kid.
Wen Xu soon realized that Wei Wuxian wasn’t just good. Wei Wuxian was brilliant. He was a thousand leagues ahead of Nie Huaisang, and he probably could have even surpassed Lan Wangji. And he was Wen Xu’s. According to their family tree, Wei Ying was his nephew, but in terms of age, he was the younger brother Wen Xu had always wanted.
Within a few months of Wei Wuxian’s arrival at the Nightless City Palace, Wen Xue’s mood had become lighter and lighter. Yes, the boy was also damned strange, he talked too much, could hardly stay calm, and had bizarre habits like learning servants’ names, but he was brilliant in everything he did, almost as if he was some kind of self-propelled golden core, strong and throbbing. And maybe it was pleasant for Wen Xu to hear a sincerely cheerful and happy voice calling him “gege”
So, yes, Wen Xu had been happy with Wen Wuxian’s presence in his life.
Therefore, at this moment, he felt… betrayed. Disappointed, annoyed, and irritated; because it seemed that all the thoughts he had had about this boy, about the new, curious perspective he seemed to represent, had been a waste of time. By behaving like this, Wei Wuxian showed that he wasn’t so different from Wen Chao: a stubborn, petty, immature boy. Of course, he was still strong and intelligent. That should have been enough – that should have been all that mattered, and yet… Wen Xu was ashamed to admit that Wei Wuxian had awakened something more in him. He wasn’t even sure what it was, but it certainly clashed with the shameful scene Wei Wuxian had just performed.
However, Wen Xu had no chance to get angry because Wei Wuxian, realizing his outburst, had already blinked and started to apologize, truly humiliated. “I’m sorry! It’s just… I know it’s your job and I’m sure you’re great at it, okay? But really, really: I can wash myself.”
At this point, Wen Xu was simply confused.
He had been drawn to his nephew's rooms by the sound of objects being thrown on the floor. He had seen Wei Wuxian chase away a servant and throw several toiletries out of the room: a soft-bristled brush, hair oil, a comb, a few bottles of perfume.
It didn't take him long to connect the dots with the known fact that Wei Wuxian had refused excessive luxuries like being helped to bathe since his arrival. Until now, Wen Xu's father had been lenient with him, but on this day, he must have asserted himself and ordered the servant to ignore the boy's protests.
As a result, the servant was almost in tears, upset that the ever so gentle Gongzi had shouted at him as he pushed him out of his room; Wei Wuxian was even more upset, with actual tears in his eyes.
“What’s going on?”
Perhaps for the first time in his life, Wen Xu wasn’t happy to hear his father’s voice.
“Wen-zongzhu!”
The servant's anxiety had skyrocketed, and Wei Wuxian was frantically looking around like a hunted animal looking for an escape route. Wen Xu knew that his father wouldn't allow him to escape. One look and Wen RuoHan understood what had happened. Then he looked at Wei Wuxian and arched his eyebrows. “Wei Ying,” he called to him.
“Well, at least it’s not a “Wei Wuxian” level of annoyance,” the boy said with a forced smile. Although it was true that only he could criticize Wen RuoHan for his alleged “unstable mood” and stay alive to tell the tale.
Grandpa, honestly: I can’t believe you don’t realize that your emotional balance is more unstable than a drunken Nie. Okay, let’s do this: I dare you to call me different names depending on how you feel, so let’s see how many times in a day you can switch from “A-Ying” to “Wei Wuxian”. The first is for the lighter mood, the last for the more serious one. With “A-Xian” and “Wei Ying” in the intermediate levels.
On that day in the Nightless City, everyone had thought they were burying the body of an impertinent kid. But Wen RuoHan had laughed. Wen Xu knew that his father had a dark sense of humor that not everyone appreciated, so he hadn't been surprised when the man not only indulged Wei Wuxian, but also deliberately called him Baobei in front of other sect leaders. In theory, to prove to his grandson that he was capable of absolute self-control and inner peace even while listening to the plaintive demands of the small sects; in practice, just to enjoy the bewildered expressions on their faces. In fact, this was the beginning of the rumors that accused Wen RuoHan of being an unexpectedly loving and indulgent grandfather.
But at this moment, he was neither. He looked at Wei Wuxian with a stern expression, clearly unhappy with his behavior.
“You will allow this man to bathe you,” he ordered.
Wei Wuxian’s stubborn look anticipated his words. “I can wash myself,” he replied.
His father liked that Wei Wuxian wasn't afraid of him, Wen Xu was fully aware of that; he was fascinated by his bold, brash, and always sincere nature. After a lifetime spent among the weak who held their breath in his presence, and the fake ones who flattered him, it was understandable that he appreciated his grandson’s candidness.
However, this didn’t mean that Wen RuoHan was the kind of man who would accept being challenged. Especially when it was the childish stubbornness of a young boy that opposed his will. Wei Wuxian didn’t even try to counter more convincingly: The crux of his whim was that he wanted to take a bath alone, that was all.
Wen Xu saw his father’s eyes narrow. This was the first time Wei Wuxian had upset him.
“I will not repeat myself a second time,” Wen RuoHan warned him. His tone was all the more threatening because it was calm.
At that point, it was natural to think that Wei Wuxian would give in. It would have been foolish to think otherwise. Therefore, Wen Xu looked at him in disbelief as he took a step back, his expression slightly hurt and worried, but still determined, and then hid in his room, closing the door behind him. The sound of the lock clicking made Wen Xu shudder, for he knew the effect it would have on his father.
At first, Wen RuoHan just looked astonished. Then his look became dangerous. He stretched out a hand and unleashed a burst of spiritual energy, shattering the door; splinters rained down everywhere, even on his head, but he didn't care; furious, he burst into Wei Wuxian’s room, grabbed his arm and pulled him violently. “Get undressed and take a bath: now!” he growled.
Wen Chao would have been reduced to a whimpering, terrified mess. Even Wen Xu could admit that his legs would be shaking. Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian continued to face Wen RuoHan without lowering his head. “This is stupid!” he snapped, “Why can’t I do it myself? Does being powerful mean becoming an idiot who can’t hold a sponge?”
The sound of torn robes made Wen Xu stiffen. It could have ended badly. He thought this when his father tried to undress Wei Wuxian and he fought back with such vehemence that the robes ended up in the middle of their battle of wills; Wei Wuxian protested, kicked, and now fed up, Wen RuoHan deliberately tore his robe. The shreds of cloth fell silently to the ground. But in the sudden silence that enveloped the room, it almost seemed as if they could hear them.
Pale, his expression almost panicked, Wen Wuxian couldn't hide his naked body. It would have been the normal body of a well-trained twelve year old if not for the whip scars on his back. Some were old enough to look faded, others were just healing. But there was one, long and deep, still a bit swollen and red. Only a particularly violent whipping could have left such a mark.
Wei Wuxian had been in Qishan for three months. There, no one would have dared to harm a hair on his head. This meant that he had been injured by the Jiang sect.
Finally, Wen Xu understood. No, actually, he didn’t understand at all, because it was far beyond his understanding why the hell his nephew wanted to protect a sect that had wounded him. But at least he understood his stupid intentions.
Judging by the narrowed expression on his face, his father must have had the same thoughts.
Wen RuoHan was a man who knew how to be powerful. And since power was the only true law of this world, that put him above others. His will, his choices, his beliefs: they were all superior to those of other people. Therefore, his father had never felt anything like remorse, and why should he? He was a higher being whose actions were considered right by the natural law of power.
But at that moment, Wen Xu saw his father falter and regret his actions. As strange, even surreal as it was, Wen RuoHan clearly wished he could go back in time and stop himself from lashing out at Wei Wuxian. After a moment of stalemate where no one said anything, Wen RuoHan did what was easiest for him: he focused on the problems outside their family.
“Who hurt you?” he asked Wei Wuxian. His tone was dark as thunder.
His nephew had a strange way of being, smart by nature and childish by choice. It was the first time Wen Xu remembered that Wei Wuxian was a child.
He was staring at his grandfather with fear. “I can be better!” he shouted. Even his voice sounded too young. “I’ve been punished a lot, I know; I’m undisciplined, lazy, and right now I’m still more of a problem than I’m worth. But I can improve.” His gaze became determined again. “I know that I can become a powerful cultivator and truly serve your sect.”
Oh well, it turns out that Wen Xu hadn't understood anything after all. Even worse, the kid had hidden his scars because he was afraid Wen Xu’s father would think he was a scoundrel and kick him out if he found out about them. How could he have gotten such an idea? Father hadn’t disowned Wen Chao; that had to mean something.
“Wei Wuxian, who hurt you?”
Anyone else would have been annihilated by the stormy anger in Wen RuoHan’s voice, but Wei Wuxian was either smart enough or stupid enough, maybe both, to read it as a clue that his fears might be unfounded.
"You don't seem angry with me," he remarked in amazement. Then, "Why aren't you angry with me?"
Wei Xu started to get a headache. "Because even if you had committed who knows what monstrosity, you would have done it to the detriment of another sect, so who cares?" he said scornfully. "Besides, no child could really deserve to be beaten with a powerful disciplinary weapon. Aren't you supposed to be smart? How can you not understand that?"
His father's sidelong glance was enough to make him realize that he had said too much - or at least that Father now wanted to talk to Wei Wuxian alone. Wen Xu quickly obeyed and left the room. He had to stifle a gust of irritation when he found Wen Chao just outside the broken door, eavesdropping without shame.
"Our father would be angry if he found you here," he admonished him harshly.
Wen Chao clicked his tongue. "He's too busy with his little bastard to notice me."
In a way, it was true. Wen Xu wasted no time telling his brother for the umpteenth time not to talk about Wei Wuxian like that. Wen Chao's dislike for their nephew was probably the most passionate feeling the boy had ever expressed, even though he was a naturally irritable guy who always overreacted and exaggerated in his reactions.
Now his expression lit up with malicious glee. "I would have paid to see him get whipped," he sneered.
Wen Xu had no doubt that this was true. If Wen Chao didn’t have any sense and knew that their father might as well have killed him for this, he would have beaten Wei Wuxian personally and happily.
“Wen Chao, go away.”
“This is my house; I can stay wherever I want!” he shouted angrily.
Wen Xu covered Wen Chao's mouth with one hand before his brother could get them both into trouble. “Lower your voice,” he hissed.
Wen Chao was angry, but since their childhood he had learned to be quiet with him. Wen Xu wanted to force him to leave before their father came out, but it was too late – Wen RuoHan appeared first, startling both him and Wen Chao.
The man didn’t dignify either of them with a glance: he looked straight ahead; his eyes were those of a hawk, scanning its prey. As far as Wen Xu could remember, no one who had been watched by his father like that had ever lived long enough to escape.
Wei Wuxian’s alarmed voice immediately followed.
“Grandpa, wait! What do you mean, will they pay for this? There is nothing for anyone to pay! Do you hear me, Grandpa? Hey, don’t ignore me!”
As Wei Wuxian nearly bumped into him while rushing to catch up with the man who had just left the room, Wen Xu thought he wasn't wrong. Things had come to this, after all. For some reason, Wei Wuxian wanted to prevent the Jiangs from facing the consequences of their actions.
While they talked alone in the room, he had put on a new robe, black like the previous one. One of his idiosyncrasies was his reluctance to wear the red and white robes of the Wen sect. So far, Father hadn’t forced him to.
"Laoyé, please!"
This time, Wen RuoHan stopped. Wei Wuxian took the opportunity to stand beside him. Neither of them seemed to notice Wen Chao’s presence or his own; instead of resenting it, Wen Xu was actually fascinated to hear a 12-year-old tell Wen RuoHan what he couldn’t do.
"You cannot cause trouble between two major sects over such nonsense!"
Wei Wuxian’s most obvious mistake had been to compare the importance of the Jangs with that of the Wens, as if they were on the same level. Surprisingly, however, Wen RuoHan focused on the rest.
"I will not allow you to think it's nonsense that you have been whipped often enough to leave scars," he rebuked him in a sharp voice.
Wei Wuxian looked annoyed. "But I'm fine!" he objected, certainly not for the first time. "Even the Wen punish their disciples, don't they? And I know for a fact that the Lan even cane guest disciples."
Wen RuoHan rubbed his temple as if he was about to get a migraine. As inappropriate as it was, Wen Xu was glad that he and his father had the same reaction.
"You're twelve years old," the man said. His voice exuded anger and self-imposed patience.
Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows. "Yes, so what? I was beaten for the first time when I was nine."
Wen Xu began to reconsider his supposed intelligence. If he wasn’t stupid, then his brain was seriously screwed up, more so than anyone would have thought just by looking at his bubbly and charismatic personality.
Wen Xu chose the second option because Wen Chao was thoughtful enough to remind him what it meant to be a real idiot.
He had stepped forward with a scornful grin on his face. “Fuqin, you shouldn’t be surprised; the Jiang sect wasn’t so much training a disciple as punishing a servant. It’s understandable; personally, I would have beaten a worthless brat like him to death. If you don’t want him to disgrace our sect sooner or later, you should take a lesson from them and put him in his place.”
Wei Wuxian’s expression turned grim. The main problem, Wen Xu knew, wasn’t the words, but the person who said them. Wei Wuxian was an overly sociable and kind child who always smiled at everyone, but he had a deep dislike for Wen Chao.
These two were practically enemies once they first locked eyes.
It certainly didn’t help that on Wei Wuxian’s first day in the Nightless City, Wen Chao had immediately drawn attention to himself by scolding a young girl for serving the wrong wine. When he slapped her, Wei Wuxian had intervened. Wen Chao had taunted him. Wei Wuxian had raised his voice. Snide and defiant, Wen Chao had kicked the girl. Wei Wuxian had punched him in the face.
That their father had dismissed the incident without punishing Wei Wuxian had been the final nail in Wen Chao's Coffin of Grudge.
"Are you really talking about bringing shame to the Wen sect?" Wei Wuxian snapped now.
"What do you mean by that?" snarled Wen Chao, immediately defensive.
"Oh, I don't know. For example, that you are the main reason why people are wary when they hear that a Wen contingent is coming."
"Are we talking about what the rabble thinks?" laughed Wen Chao.
Wei Ying dropped all pretense of diplomacy. “You are an arrogant, vicious bastard!” he snapped. “Half of Qishan hates you, and the other half laughs at you. Do you know that there’s a legend about the brave battle between your bow and the rabbit that managed to defeat you?”
Wen Chao bared his teeth. "How dare you! You little shit!"
He lunged at Wei Wuxian before Wen Xu could stop him. The boy quickly kicked Wen Chao's right leg, causing him to lose his balance. Then it was Wei Wuxian who dragged him to the ground. Wen Chao angrily grabbed a lock of his hair and moaned, half cursing, half groaning, as Wei Wuxian’s elbow struck him on the nose.
Their brawl ended when Wen RuoHan grabbed Wei Wuxian by the scruff of the neck and pulled him away, separating him from Wen Chao.
“Enough!” he ordered them both. Then he looked at his son, “And you, Wen Chao, stop antagonizing your nephew every damn time you see him, especially now that it’s obvious you can’t fight him: all you do is make a fool of yourself by starting a fight and coming out the loser.”
Wen Chao’s nose was bleeding and his hair was disheveled. Wei Wuxian, on the other hand, didn’t have a single bruise. Already humiliated, he flushed with anger and humiliation at the impatience in his father’s voice.
If Wen Xu hadn’t seen Wen Chao laughing as he ordered his dog to attack and maul the washerwoman’s puppy that morning, he might have been inclined to sympathize with his brother. However, Wen Chao was Wen Chao, so Wen Xu didn’t say anything as he watched him walk away with his shoulders slumped in humiliation.
“Grandpa, please,” Wen Wuxian's tone was more serious than before. “I don’t want to cause trouble for the Jiang sect, you don’t have to ask for compensation or who knows what else on my behalf.”
Wen Xu thought Wei Wuxian was very naive for not realizing that Wen RuoHan’s intentions, if anything, would be to bring Lotus Pier to its knees.
Although it was still an abstract idea that had yet to be put into practice, his father had been talking about taking control of the Cultivation World for years, oscillating between sincere disgust at the rot that raged there and malicious glee at the thought of crushing all those mediocre and corrupt leaders under the sole of his shoe. Wei Wuxian’s might have been the perfect pretest to take a first step against the Jiangs.
But if Wei Wuxian wasn’t aware of it, Wen Xu was surprised to see that his father wasn’t thinking about it. Not now. Not in this case. Wen RuoHan was just, sincerely angry about what had happened to his grandson. For that, Wei Wuxian managed to get a reluctant nod of approval.
“We won’t do anything,” the man relented. For the time being, it remained implied: until the right opportunity presented itself.
Wei Wuxian’s smile of relief froze when Wen RuoHan told him what he would demand in exchange for this concession.
“I will find you a minder who will follow you wherever you go.”
As Wei Wuxian stammered out his indignation and Wen RuoHan ignored him, clearly adamant, Wen Xu stood by and watched them. It was strange to see his father so... normal; more human than he had ever been since he had begun to approach immortality. It was very strange. But Wen Xu couldn't say that it was bad - if anything, the opposite was true, but he would have been embarrassed to admit it. According to these feelings, Wen Xu himself would like to set a few fires here and there in Lotus Pier, not out of military necessity, but out of personal revenge.
Wen Xu put a hand on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder, interrupting his heated protest about why he didn’t need a minder. He looked at him with a groan, and Wei Xu arched his eyebrows; the message was clear: give up, you won’t win this time. Wei Wuxian let out an exaggerated groan.
“Let’s go to sword practice,” Wen Xu said to him.
He knew that Wei Wuxian had accumulated a considerable amount of stress that day, so a bit of healthy physical activity would be good for him to let off steam.
Besides, at the next meeting with Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen, Wen Xu had a younger brother competition to win.