In my head I am constantly thinking about a canon divergence AU where Wei Wuxian writes a letter about some talisman related questions to Lan Qiren a year before the classes at Cloud Recesses. Even if Lan Qiren is reluctant at first and immediately sends WWX all the Lan Clan rules they form a sort of mentorship/friendship via letters.
When WWX is climbing over the walls and Lan Wangji finds him it is actually because him and LQR are testing the Lan wards. If WWX manages to break in and find more flaws in the wards LQR said he gets to keep the emperor's smile. That's why WWX first words to LWJ are "You're not supposed to be here"
Because this unexpectedly got so popular I will now infodump all the thoughts I had about this:
(If you plan to write a fic with the original prompt you can but don't have to include any of these)
Wwx originally writes to Lan Qiren because he has questions about talisman study that no one in the Jiang sect can answer and LQR is a famous teacher
Lan qiren was actually friends with wwx parents . He was annoyed as fuck by cangse sanren but she was still his friend which many people forgot.
Lan qiren is sceptical about wwx but he responds to the first letter and also includes the Lan sect rules so wwx can learn them ahead of time and also consider them while writing letters.
They start to discuss many scholarly things via letters. They also argue about the Lan rules immediately.
LQR grows begrudgingly fond of wwx.
He invites wwx to come 2 weeks before the actual lectures start so he can asses all his skills and make an individual schedule for this bright student (he also tests all students at the beginning and if someone is noticeably ahead of the others they can do self study or learn with other teachers sometimes but wwx is extra special)
Wwx charmes the Lan scholars
They end up having to house him in extra quarters so he has space to experiment and work (also because he is a night owl)
The first two weeks go well and Lqr includes wwx in some of his projects
That's how wwx meets Lan Wangji going over the wall with alcohol because he was challenged to try and break the wards in different ways. (LQR and wwx are writing a summary on all the flaws) LQR said if he is successful he gets to keep the alcohol. That is why wwx says to LWJ "you're not supposed to be here" because he knew the patrol schedule.
He convinces Wangji to go to "uncle lan" and Wangji is flabbergasted by his uncles interaction with wwx.
Wwxs weekly schedule:
Etiquet training with the others
Sparing with the others
Tea and discussion with "uncle lan"
Go to extra lessons with lwj
Study time with different Lan scholars mostly the talisman one(s)
He is also assigned to tutor nie huaisang
The lan start helping wwx with his insomnia (and other ADHD symptoms)
Wwx originally started researching talisman because they work for weaker cultivators and he wants Yanli to be able to protect herself.
Lwj finds this out by finding wwx and yanli during their talisman training or something and he is fully gone for wwx
Lan qiren has a secret extra project working on revising the Lan rules which he starts asking wwxs input on (because he originally wanted wwxs parents input but they died too soon)
Obviously Lqr and wwx bond over talking about his parents
LQR ships wangxian
I'd love to see Lan qiren being super excited about a research project he is doing with wwx and his nephew's are so confused about this side of him.
He also knows punishment will not work on wwx so he pranks him back lol
I started writing something for this because so many people liked the prompt.
Idk why in the end it became so focused on JYL but I am not complaining. I might start posting this on ao3 once I have more.
Dear acting sect leader Lan Qiren
Please feel free to disregard this letter. I don't want to burden you unnecessarily but my curiosity has won out so I decided to write.
My name is Wei Ying courtesy name Wuxian, son of the late Cangse Sanren and Wei Cangze and disciple of the Yunmeng Jiang sect. My sect leader has informed me and my age mates in our sect that we are to attend the 6 month long lecture period in the cloud recesses in approximately two years time.
In this regard I was hoping to seek out teacher Lans guidance and wisdom in advance if at all possible. In addition to my regular sect duties I have been self studying talisman and arrays. I will admit that initially my interest was peaked because I learned that talismans can be used to create such things like fireworks and other fun. I promise I have only used them with permission during festivals or to entertain children (we haven't been on many night hunts but it so happens that on our very first we were able to rescue a group of children who had gone to the woods and gotten lost because the ran in fright of the creature we hunted one of my butterfly talisman was able to lighten their mood and made it easier to calm them and lead them back to the village). Since then I have developed a more academic interest in these topics and must have read most of the books in the Jiang library. I heard from an older disciple that the Lan library is very vast and I truly look forward to it.
Over this time there have been some questions I can't seem to find the answers to. I have just been wondering if teacher Lan might indulge me and could provide answers to some of my questions ahead of time.
I will list them below for your convenience:
Is there a widely accepted official rule to differentiate arrays, talisman, spells like with yao imps and demons?
Is there a historical reason why using talisman for night hunting is seen as inferior to using a sword?
Are there differences that should be accounted for when using a talisman depending on ones gender?
I have atteached two of the talisman I have invented to the letter so teacher Lan might review them if you are interested. We wrote the instructions on how to activate them and what will happen in non reactive ink on the back of the talisman. One is the butterfly talisman I mentioned above, the other is a one person shield I developed for one of my sect sisters who travels frequently to her home village through a long forest route because her grandmother has recently fallen ill. It is how I came to wonder about the difference in using a talisman depending on gender and personal energy. The shield protects from low level creatures and other humans for about a shichen. I am currently trying to adapt it for common people to be used without a core.
I would be grateful for any response.
Best regards,
Wei wuxian
After he had finished his first draft of the letter he surreptitiously gives it to his sister just like they had planned. She then gave back a corrected more appropriate version (her words) which she made him write out again himself in his best calligraphy. They then put it in an envelope and she stuck it in her sleeves. Yanli then asked her father if her brother's could accompany her to the market which he of course agreed to.
That is where while Wei Wuxian distracts Jiang Cheng with looking for a new gift for Yanli, she managed to send the letter via the official towns post office which is operated independently from the Jiang sect and mostly used by merchants and other more wealthy inhabitants of the area not directly affiliated with the sect.
They had left instructions to address any future answer directly to this post office instead of the sect.
Jiang Cheng of course knew that his siblings were again up to something but he had long ago adopted an air of ignorance about it making his life much more peaceful. If they deemed it necessary or needed his input they would let him in and it was not like they actually made him feel excluded in any way.
It had actually proven quite useful and led to him spending time together with his father observing or helping his work. He was never sure if this was also intentionally orchestrated by at least his sister.
Ever since they had realized what a genius he was Yanli and Jiang Cheng had taken measures to protect Wei Wuxian in the Jiang sect and appease mostly their mother. But for Yanli it was not only that, looking at Wei Ying she had seen a new way for herself. A way that would allow her to be strong using the body she was given and without having to compromise anything. So ever since while she still spent some time in the kitchen just as often she used the good relationship she had cultivated with not only the kitchen staff but everyone in the sect and living nearby. So now just as often as she was actually in the kitchen she was not someone was covering for her.
It was Yanli first who realised how deep the love Wei Wuxian had for his siblings ran (and she made Jiang Cheng see through the fog of jealously). It was Wei Wuxian who had seen her struggle with sword cultivation and had overheard people talk about her when they thought no one was listening and he had worried. He had worried for her safety mostly because he knew that she had a strong character but that would not shield her if malicious looks turned into malicious actions. If something happened during her travels. And so in truth the first version of the personal shield Wei Wuxian developed for her. He had expanded it further and built in a protection against someone with a golden core after his first visit to golden carp tower. And because he was a caring person( who must be protected from anyone seeking to take advantage of him) he had developed versions for all the female disciples and had thrown himself further into developing talismans and arrays for protections for the younger or weaker disciples for those not so inclined towards sword cultivation.
Of course that wasn’t where his inventions stopped. She had taken to recording all of them even just the ones he missed about aloud in a book (well three by now) and was by now often working with him and helping to direct his genius during their time together.
She had grown significantly ever since Wei Wuxian then still just little A Ying had joined the sect. Not just her of course. Jiang Cheng had better relationships with his sect siblings and was a better cultivator overall having someone who would challenge him during training and who would have his back during hunts.
He had also found a better balance for his emotions mostly by trial and error that had in the end made them even closer.
Of course all of this was done while keeping their parents oblivious to it. At least her mother had taken to night hunting more frequently and her father was usually in his office. Wei Wuxian had also become head disciple a bit over a year after he had cultivated his golden core and received his courtesy name. It had not been planned that way and was more due to an injury the previous head disciple had sustained which lead him to give up his role much earlier than expected. And while he was certainly very young (too young under normal circumstances in her opinion) his need role had taken him out of her mother's sphere of influence more and had also reduced any punishment. So she had encouraged him to take on the role.
It was also her who had encouraged him to take up his brush and actually write to Lan Qiren ahead of the lectures when he had lamented about the lack of information he needed to further develop some of his Inventions. While in his first draft he had written over ten questions they had for now agreed to keep it to a reasonable three carefully selected. It was a bit of a gamble since Lan Qiren was also the acting Lan sect leader and could certainly address his answer to Jiang Fengmian and put them into trouble.
She was almost certain from all the information she had gathered about him that Lan Qiren would not spurn a student seeking to learn in such a way.
