I associate you with Sect Leader Wen Qing with a ton of kids and some self-love through fluffy/angsty Chengqing
Ah yess, I do love my post-btsf au chenqqing and their illegitimate gaggle of hooligans. But before all that, they were just one fearless little spy and one vengeful grandmaster of demonic cultivation
《before the sun falls》 snippet 23
AO3, other posts/snippets of this au
Three days before the siege, Wen Qing made up her mind.
"It's time for you to go."
Jiang Wanyin opened his eyes slowly from where he sat cross-legged meditating on her bed. She had returned to her chambers that night and found him there as though his mere presence wasn't a threat to both his life and hers. He wanted to kill Wen Ruohan, and she had to remind him that doing so would ruin all of their plans.
"Go?" His red eyes flicked up to stare at her. Always so blunt, so unrelenting.
"Back to your clan. Your sister's troops are camped some 50 miles southeast of Nevernight along with Gusu Lan's forces. Wei Wuxian is with her too."
With a wave of her hand, Wen Ning's fire message disintegrated into nothingness mid air and she finally turned to face him properly. Jiang Cheng merely stared at her, as though waiting for further explanation on his orders.
He didn't want to leave. Stubborn fool.
"We've done what is needed here. Wen Ruohan grows more paranoid by day. The Yin Irons are locked away where neither you nor I can get to it. The siege is inevitable. You're a Jiang. When the war ends, you need to be on the right side."
Jiang Cheng unfolded his legs and rose to his feet in one smooth motion. "And why," he asked as he sauntered over, not stopping until they stood toe to toe and his height towered over her smaller frame. "- Would I do that?"
He was getting cocky with his new found powers, Wen Qing realized, but she wasn't cowed. No, not her. She was his keeper - nay - she was his maker.
"Because you owe me. Because I need you on the right side to convince your sister and your brother and all those self righteous hypocrites that Qishan Wen is not their enemy."
"But you're not safe." He snapped, his true fear showing through the smoke. "Not here, not while Wen Ruohan is lost to madness. His trust in you wanes, he could kill you -"
"- Wen Qing!" He seized her by the arms, his grip just a fraction too rough but only for a second. Just as quickly, his touch gentled, and one wide palm found her cheek. "Come with me."
"I cannot. I am Wen Qing of Qishan Wen. Nevernight is my ancestral home, my birthright. Here, no one can frighten me."
Knowing there was no convincing her, Jiang Cheng did the only thing he could. He kissed her. And she let him.
Since the beginning of their partnership - their alliance - they had dual cultivated about a dozen times, and each time they told themselves that it was for power, for necessity, for the stability of Jiang Cheng's erratic new form of cultivation. But this time, they accepted it for it was, or rather, for what it had become. This was a kiss, and they didn't pretend it was anything else.
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