inside.

Jiang Cheng tried to distract the soldiers so WWX could escape. He didn’t think about the consequences, and he never offered his core.

Wei Wuxian did.

WWX walked to the forest knowing exactly what he was going to do. He lay there for hours while his core was removed with no pain relief, knowing he would never be whole again. He endured years of scrutiny from the cultivation world, letting them paint him as a villain to protect Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng made a split-second decision hoping he could escape. He couldn’t, and he lost his core.

Wei Wuxian willingly gave his up. He arranged the extraction himself. And immediately after, he was thrown into the Burial Mounds, where he had to learn to live without a core in the darkest pits of hell.

I… Look, i do loooove moment when we aknew why JC lost his golden core.

I adore that moment, the fact he kinda didn't even think. For me it was an act of love and fear.

But in my opinion the most what JC expected was death. And for him, i believe, it was better option that losing golden core.

He was crashed by that because he is, uh, kinda typical cultivator? In a meaning he does thinks that living without golden core is worse than death.

JC did save WWX from being capture at that moment. He did.

But he didn't sacrificed his core, it was his life at most.

And it's kinda thing that I'm disagree with op, because I'm not sure he was hoping to distract soldiers AND return safely.

I think he didn't even think at all at this moment, not about death or returning. And then he get caught and thought he will die, imho.

At the behest of @rozemynelovebot, I am subjecting y'all to this.

Now, I know a lot of people are Squicked by FerdiMyne. I get it! They're guardian and charge, teacher and student, there's a 14 year physical age gap (she's older than him but only on a literally outlandish technicality), adoptive-uncle and adoptive-niece.

But hear me out for a second.

Ferdinand is a bitch.

heh

>:3

This is also kind of to celebrate the next season of the anime coming out (I started it like, 2 weeks ago, just didn't finish it till today)

being disrespectful to jiang yanli behind her back is what makes wei wuxian confront jin zixuan, the richest most important young master in the jianghu, but what makes him lose his temper entirely is jzx stabbing at jiang cheng's tenderest emotional vulnerability

moments like these make it clear to me wwx sees jyl and jc as more than just his superiors. you don't get this pissed when someone insults a mere boss, especially while snapping in such a way that would make trouble for them, politically and in that capacity as a subordinate. we've seen so far that wwx is a genial person, extremely hard to ruffle even when being brushed off and yelled at by a variety of people; i think it's significant this is the first time in the entire novel we see wwx truly angry, and that it's on a loved one's behalf is important to understanding him and his dynamic with jc.

After all, who can forget the words that have seemingly defined our beloved Xianxian’s entire life ? “Remember the things others do for you, not the things you do for others”

Now, am I saying that Jiang Cheng has become selfless and pure and had a whole-ass redemption arc off-screen ? No, that’s bullshit.

What I AM saying is that, metaphorically, this is his first step towards “letting go” of all the thousands of burdens and heart-demons that have hounded him his entire life. This scene, again, METAPHORICALLY, represents Sandu Shengshou, Lord of the Three Poisons, relinquishing them for the first time.

Is this true peace ? No. But it’s the first step towards true peace. And that’s more progress than he’s ever made before.

Now, aside from its narrative purpose, how else can this be said to be Jiang Cheng’s redemption ? Well, simply put - this is him giving up the idea of “debt” and of Wei Wuxian “owing” him his companionship.

I think more people don’t understand this - Wei Wuxian might be “free” by the end of MDZS, but he’s still very much bound, mentally. It takes more than a few years to erase an entire childhood’s worth of debt accumulation. If Jiang Cheng had revealed the truth, I fully believe that Wei Wuxian would have returned with him to the Pier, whatever his true feelings about the situation.

But he didn’t. Why ? Because that would have turned him and Wei Wuxian into another Madame Yu and Jiang Fengmian - two people, bound together because of debt and obligation, who may have once liked each other, but have found that like obviated by a mountain of resentments. Because it perpetuates the cycles of debts that have tormented BOTH of them for so long.

But also, let’s be honest - because it pricks Jiang Cheng’s pride and would force him to openly admit to emotions I’m not sure he even fully UNDERSTANDS, himself.

Just to be clear - both of these people are extremely fragile during this scene. Like I said, while bringing up Fengmian’s “debt” likely wouldn’t have brought Wei Wuxian back, invoking this new one would have.

But Jiang Cheng has matured enough, however grudgingly, kicking and screaming, to realise that’s just more torture for the both of them. Maybe one day Wei Wuxian WILL reconcile with the man he once saw as a brother - but it won’t be THAT day, and it won’t be THIS way.

It’s not him being a “good” person - he’s not a good person, and I love him for that. It’s him starting to let go of the poison that has defined him for many, many, years

Honestly, he's a really tough guy to deal with.

And at the same time, i think, if we'd spent more time in his POV, a lot of people would have empathized with his story more.

(The other day, I explained the situation at the end of wwx's life from jc's pov to my best friend and was a little shocked myself.)

Imagine your sworn brother leaving your family to protect other people. These people once helped you. But your entire family and clan were wiped out. Your home was burned down (i read post that it burned only in donghua version, so here i mb a liiiiitle dramatic, but stil! after what happend your home at least robbed). God knows what happened to your civilians (enslaved, driven out, maybe worse, if we're talking about the women).

Night hunts were banned before the attack on your home, so it's likely that literally your entire clan was killed. At best, most of it, not every single one, but that's hardly much consolation.

And you still managed to find people, train them during the war, and reclaim your territory.

You even brought that sworn brother home! And he returns to you with this amazing "weapon" (a.k.a demonic cultivation) in his hands, and you and your allies won the war!

But you're still essentially a teenager. (Your home was attacked when you were ~17? And even if you fought for several years, you're 21-22 at best, but most likely 19-20)

And your brother later abandons you.

You tell him that if he continues down this path, you won't be able to protect him. (Because your political situation isn't so good. Because you're both young, your clan is still recovering from absolute destruction. Because you're afraid it could cost you your home again. Your people will die if other clans turn against you. They will die again—people you're responsible for. People you recruited against the war against the same clan from which the people your brother is abandoning you.)

And yet your brother tells you not to protect him. To expel him from your clan (he says he's leaving your life). He chooses these strangers. Instead of you. (Because you're not anyone's first choice. Your parents preferred your brother (that's not true, but they always compared you to your brother in one way or another, and you always lost in that comparison). Your sister will marry and start her own family. You're left alone. Alone at the head of your clan, which must be restored, including its wealth, prestige, and the people's trust.)

So. Now you're separated from this brother.

But maybe you can do something for him. For example, let him see your sister in her wedding dress. Let your brother choose your nephew's name.

And now your nephew is a month old. And your brother was supposed to come. And you would have seen him and shared this small, joyful moment. With your older siblings and nephew.

But your brother kills your brother-in-law. He kills your sister's husband. Your nephew's father.

Your sister loses the person she loves again. Your nephew is half-orphaned. And all because of the man who already chose not to be with you once.

And then. Then a terrible nightmare begins: a hunt is declared for your brother. The people your brother saved give their lives for him.

And your brother comes to avenge. For these people.

There's a battle all around. All around are corpses, raised by your brother.

And suddenly—your sister appears on the battlefield too. You and your brother are trying to get to her.

And then. One of his corpses wounds your sister.

Your sister. A recently born, recently widowed sister. Wounded by your brother's power, over which he swore he had complete control.

And your sister is wounded, bleeding. And she can barely speak.

And then she dies. For this sworn brother of yours.

Frankly, I would be furious with WWX too.

And that's not to mention bunch of omissions and lies and shirking of his duties before he left the clan for Wen. (I know he coudn't, but JC didn't).

These are some lowkey underrated tips I’ve seen floating around writing communities — the kind that don’t get flashy attention but seriously changed how I write.

1. Put “he/she/they” at the start of the sentence less often.

Try switching up your sentence rhythm. Instead of

“She walked to the window,”

try

“The window creaked open under her touch.”

Keeps it fresh and stops the paragraph from sounding like a checklist.

2. Don’t describe everything — describe what matters.

Instead of listing every detail in a room, pick 2–3 objects that say something.

“A half-drunk mug of tea and a knife on the table”

sets a way stronger tone than

“There was a wooden table, two chairs, and a shelf.”

3. Use beats instead of dialogue tags sometimes.

Instead of:

"I'm fine," she said.

Try:

"I'm fine." She wiped her hands on her skirt.

It helps shows emotion, and movement.

4. Write your first draft like no one will ever read it.

No pressure. No perfection. Just vibes. The point of draft one is to exist. Let it be messy and weird — future you will thank you for at least something to edit.

5. When stuck, ask: “What’s the most fun thing that could happen next?”

Not logical. Not realistic. FUN. It doesn’t have to stay — but chasing excitement can blast through writer’s block and give you ideas you actually want to write.

All that being said…

Personally, I understood perfectly well what he meant and why he acted the way he did, but ONLY BECAUSE HE'S A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK I READ.

My dude used to constantly grumble and glare at WWX, disapproving of his every action. At the archery competition, his behavior, along with that of his clanmates and his older brother, suggested that WWX had greatly insulted LWJ (and everyone thought so, except the Lan brothers).

And during the war, LWJ only said, "Go with me to Gusu." And when Wei Wuxian angrily shouted that he wouldn't allow himself to be punished (or something like that. I confess, it's been a while since I read it, but I think Wei Wuxian immediately took offense and asked if LWJ was going to take him to Gusu for punishment).

And yes, LWJ visits him in Yiling, but although he's kind to A-Yuan and pays for dinner, and acts reasonably friendly by their standards, he, as far as I remember, doesn't express any support. Well, yes, he does it by his own standards. He's a good guy and he tries hard.

But he never verbally expresses this. That he just wanted to help WWX (and loves him).

And Wei Wuxian thinks the meeting is a chance encounter, and that Lan Wangji, even though he acts relatively friendly, despises Wei Wuxian for his methods.

And we know that Lan Wangji eventually helps him in Nightless City. But… not Wei Wuxian. (Technically, so do we, since we learn about it along with him, but you get my point, I think.)

So from WWX's perspective, it's VERY LOGICAL for LWJ to not understand why the hell he's acting this way.

For me as a reader, it's pretty obvious that in the "Mine" scene, Lan Zhan is talking about Wei Ying.

For Wei Ying, at the same time, it's perfectly logical for him not to understand why. He's so confused about his own feelings for Lan Zhan that he can't even hope it's about him, like any normal person in love. No, my dude immediately went "oh, OBVIOUSLY, it's not about me, but what… oh yeah, I'm holding his sword!" So while I find Wei Wuxian's oblivious jokes amusing, I occasionally cry foul because…

Honestly, it depends on how you interpret it. For Jiang Cheng, whose parents both compared him and deemed him lesser to Wei Wuxian, it would be confirmation that he can't take care of himself and needs to rely on his brother. For Wei Wuxian, it would be confirmation that despite Jiang Fengmian favouring him, he was never family in the first place.

amazing art

you kinda stabbed me right into my heart, but did it beautiful