#dreamsoffate

   IT WAS SUCH A SMALL little farming town, hardly even worth stopping through. They didn’t need help either, he had made sure, but there was a waterfall and a river that ran through the woods nearby. He was tempted to go seek it out, to sit and play Inquiry, to see if he could somehow pull Wei Wuxian’s soul to the song with the water. It was a ridiculous notion, but he’s played it in stranger places. Thirteen years of searching, he should let the understanding and realization settle that he won’t hear anything. But he refuses to give up. Stubborn to a fault. 

❝ DO YOU REQUIRE MY HELP WITH SOMETHING? ❞ a furrowed brow easily betrays his confusion at the invitation — being out in town without his disciples in tow is already an extraordinary occasion. Chu Wanning has never been the best at figuring out others' intentions, and this woman, for as long as he's known her, remained a mystery still. The inn is unusually quiet, too early in the day to indulge in drinking, so he raises a teacup to his lips and takes a sip. It makes him wonder — there must be something big in that forest Bai Qian mentioned, menacing enough to require a cultivator of his caliber, and desperate enough to call for his help in particular, with the ill reputation he must've acquired after the last incident.

" you're not getting rid of me that easily. "

A Lan Sect flare had been visible in the sky and Lan Qiren had been among those to leave to aid the night-hunt. It shouldn't have been a difficult hunt, but the walking corpses lingering in the area had come from a previous unknown burial ground and it had been accidentally disturbed, leading to the team being swarmed by walking corpses.

In the end, they had all been dealt with and the injuries to the disciples had been minimal and for that Lan Qiren was glad. However, cleansing of the area took a lot of spiritual energy and left him feeling drained. All he wants is to take a bath and go to bed, but it's nearly daytime, so he will have to preserver.

it's difficult for jiang wanyin to find a moment of peace as yunmeng jiang's sect leader- every so often he would find his hand leaving imprints on his forehead with the way it'd be pressed there, he would find the space between his brows wrinkled and creased from irritation or even exhaustion. these were times where jiang wanyin would allow his mind to drift and where he would reminisce about the past, about when times were easier and he would be training, where he'd be sitting beside his father just listening to stories of here and there.

today is one of those days, his chest pinching with emotions he had once locked away; the brush falls from his hand, the sleeve of his robe falling down, and he slumps over the table instead of sitting up straight. jiang wanyin is unfathomably tired. jin rulan has been staying at the lotus pier for quite some time now, spending time with the disciples and skirting around the edges of the pier to sit by the water with jiang wanyin himself. however, this doesn't make it any less tiresome on the sect leader's soul; along with the load of letters to sort through, meetings to attend, and general sect leader duties to attend to ... jiang wanyin finds even sitting in the ponds with jin rulan tiresome. his fingers curl into a fist on his knee at the thought- it should not be like that, jin rulan is his cherished nephew and he loves the child dearly.

chased away from his thoughts on work and jin rulan, jiang wanyin did not even realize the presence that had climbed into his lap with a toy clutched in tiny fists. it's only until he feels a shove up against his armpit that he snaps his head downwards in muted surprise, wide eyes peering at the crown of the child's head before they soften. he feels himself melt positively so with jin rulan snuggling himself up to his body, feels all his troubles and exhaustion melt away just because of his nephew. his heart swells with fondness for the boy, a gentle hand smoothing over the back of his lavender robes to ease him into a deeper state of sleep. he stares at jin rulan for a moment longer, his nose and eyes burning with a silent plea to cry; the boy will never feel and understand the warmth of his mother nor will he have the chance to learn his father's prowess.

it is up to jiang wanyin, it is up to him.

so he holds jin rulan close to his chest with both arms now, attempting to shift the boy just so he's able to breathe, aligning his head so the cheek rests on jiang wanyin's shoulder; then he sits a little away from his table, reclining onto the floor and holding the child even closer to him. for a while, his eyes are peering past the doors on the other end of his residence, wide open to allow the breeze and give him a view of yunmeng's rivers. for a while, he's laying and staring, fingers running through jin rulan's hair gently, humming a soft tune his jiě would hum to him. for a while he's awake and then when the warmth's temptations become unbearable, he falls asleep with his nephew curled in his arms.

        “ if the tea is too bitter to your tastes, please help yourself. ”  he offered while gently motioning his hand towards a small pot at the tray that had been brought over to them just moments ago.

@dreams-of-fate​ asked:  ‘☠’ (lian song is ready to hear drunk mei)

Really, it’s a sad sight. 

A-Feng— no, Shi Fei sits in a smaller palace than she had when she first ascended, bottles scattered around her as she sits on the floor, knees to her chest. When was the last time she moved? She can’t quite remember. As soon as they brought her here, she’d started drinking every bit of alcohol she could find in this new palace. Surely it’s been at least a day and she still hadn’t changed out of her beggar’s clothes.

“Ah, Lian-gege! So you finally heard? I’m back! I mean, I don’t know how or why, I don’t really think I deserve it, but here I am!” Uncurling slightly, she shifts around, looking for a bottle that still has something in it, holding it up triumphantly when she finds it. “Here, come have a drink with me!”

Of course, she pours herself a cup first, hand shaky. “I’m glad you came to see me. There are lots of unfamiliar faces here. And ones I’d rather not see. Pei-gege is out in the mortal realm somewhere, so he probably doesn’t know unless that snake has told him. She probably has by now. I hate her. Funny how Pei-gege is the best out of the three of them and I never could stand him. He deserves better than Ge and her.”

Her head makes a loud thump against the wall as she leans back. Forgoing the cup, she takes a swig from the bottle now, forgetting that she’d only just offered some to Lian Song. “Do you ever wish that you could just... forget everything? I wish I could. I want to forget everyone but you and Pei-gege, and maybe Xie-gege and start over. I don’t want to think about Ge anymore, or the nightmares. Or think about... about the person who broke my heart, even though I’d taken him back in a heartbeat if he wanted me to.”