forever&always

This conversation takes place during the time Wei Wuxian re-enters the public sphere. After spending three months in the Burial Mounds, he has just met his sister and all the other cultivators again. Gossip is already spreading about his new found craft, and we see the beginning of what will be Wei Wuxian's ostracization from society – another social death. This trajectory is apparent to everyone, especially Jiang Cheng, who, as we know, is all about public relations. So, when he and Wei Wuxian are alone, he engages him in an an awkward conversation, with the goal of assimilating Wei Wuxian back into 'normality'. First mentioning Wei Wuxian's change in attitude towards Lan WangJi and then abruptly changing the topic to Yiling when Wei Wuxian smells the bait.

The thing is, people have been talking a lot about what happened at Yiling. How horrible and mysterious the deaths were. Even Yanli didn't get an answer when she asked. So nobody knows for sure what happened in Yiling except for Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng. What all the rumors have in common though, is how difficult it was to identify Wen Cao's corpse. You know, the guy Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng asked Lan Wangji to leave to them. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian must have had an (maybe silent) agreement to not mention it to anyone, because now, when Jiang Cheng does, he triggers the following reaction.

Wei Wuxian just STARES him. This is not a surprised stare. This is his -

- you-wanna-fuckin-die-stare! Because Jiang Cheng followed the traces of corpses to Yiling, he saw the aftermath of Wei Wuxian's revenge and he went along with it. Jiang Cheng was there in Yiling WITH him for killing Wen Cao in a way that was apparently so gruesome that it is a topic of concern among people who kill other people. Now, Jiang Cheng has had his revenge, but Wei Wuxian is the one carrying the burden of it – socially and mentally. So, when Jiang Cheng mentions Yiling, Wei Wuxian stares at him like: "GO ON, WHAT ABOUT YILING BRO?!" It is basically a threat. Outwardly, Wei Wuxian will continue to be the brother who takes Jiang Cheng punches and scolding, especially when Yanli is around, but Yiling is where he draws the line.

Jiang Cheng immediately shuts up. And deflects into his role as clan leader.

It is safer for him to tell him off as a clan leader than to push the hard boundary Wei Wuxian just set. Jiang Cheng knows what Wei Wuxian is capable of and he is SCARED. It is easy to miss how fucked up this conversation actually is, because of Wei Wuxian's hilarious mocking faces. We also know that Wei Wuxian has a habit of masking pain and vulnerability.

With this, both have found a role within which they can navigate their relationship. For Jiang Cheng it's the clan leader, for Wei Wuxian it's the unruly disciple. Especially Jiang Cheng will enforce this role whenever they are alone and border the brother-zone again. (For example, when he visits Wei Wuxian in Burial Mounds.) Wei WuXian has threatened Jiang Cheng and, from that point on, it clear to both of them, that despite what they are outwardly portraying, Wei Wuxian holds more power over Jiang Cheng than the other way around. And this is not an empty threat. Look at happens immediately afterward:

Are you seeing this? Right after Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian establish their new association, Wei Wuxian's gaze goes to Jiang Cheng's 丹田 Dantian and he just LOOKS AT IT for a while. Long enough to make Jiang Cheng uncomfortable. Even though Jiang Cheng does not know that it is Wei Wuxian's Dantian, this stare should be enough to remind Jiang Cheng of another secret they promised not to tell anyone. When Jiang Cheng nervously asks him what he's looking at, Wei Wuxian shakes his head, but goes on to say: