#xiao: continues insulting him and basically trying to scare him

[howthesleeplesswander]

@tenacquity continued from here!

Sharp eyes ignored the human as they walked. The call of his karma would alert Xiao to any nearby monsters long before they appeared within eyesight, yet his gaze still searched the elongated shadows cast by towering peaks and jagged slopes. Ever vigilant. Ever prepared to exterminate evil the moment it appeared.

Which meant that Xiao missed the human's bewildered scrutiny of their surroundings, but no matter—his tone spoke to being lost in more ways than one before his question made it obvious. Tch—no wonder he'd been wandering through Jueyun Karst so carelessly. Liyue's citizens knew better than to set foot in the realm of the adepti. Shouldn't they also teach outsiders where it was too dangerous for their own kind to tread? That responsibility should fall to the mortals themselves, not to those who were the danger that was best avoided.

"The adepti are illuminated beasts who were tasked with protecting Liyue by Rex Lapis eons ago," Xiao concurred. "Most keep their distance from humans and make their abodes here in these peaks. Mortals only dare set foot here out of greed or desperation." A pause, then a pointed look skewered the human sidelong. "The pointlessness of your presence here is the most foolish 'reason' of all."

Though the human kept pace, Xiao held his spear in the hand nearest to him: forcibly keeping distance between them. "Despite their vows of protection, the others do not hesitate to punish mortals who enter their domains. Had you stumbled upon Mountain Shaper's peak, for instance, you'd find yourself encased in amber for the rest of your pathetically short lifespan."

#wanderer: xiao #tenacquity #AWW well Ryuu is forever too kind and forgiving #8'DDD #bUT YEAH YOU RIGHT THO #HE DO HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH PEOPLE LIKE THIS SO #at least he's well-equipped 8') #ryuu: asks an innocent question #xiao: continues insulting him and basically trying to scare him #aslkfdslf xIAO PLZ #listen #he MEANS well #he's just trying to make sure ryuu knows the dangers of wandering around like he was so he won't do it again #but still jfc cOULD YOU BE A BIT MORE POLITE ABOUT IT AT LEAST??? #plz stop being rude to ryuu bby I promise he is the goodest boy and has never done anything wrong in his life ever #but alas #ALSO I figured I'd just move this into a new post to be safe #hopefully now that I used the beta editor the formatting shouldn't get wonky 👍

[songofclarity]

Something that is so rarely talked about but is actually very good is that Xiao XingChen and Nie MingJue are basically cut from the same cloth. They were allies! At one point they stood side-by-side and sealed their tragic fates over the same cause.

Xiao XingChen, not Nie MingJue, was the first person to press the Jin Sect to severely punish Xue Yang for what happened to the Chang Clan. No one at the time knew that Xue Yang, a guest cultivator of the Jin Sect, was their secret Demonic Cultivation mastermind and Stygian Tiger Seal repairman. Wei WuXian was dead and the Jin Sect were still trying to rise up to be as the Wen Sect once were, but now this famous young cultivator who is still nonetheless an outsider is trying to make them cut off their own right hand.

Please just imagine Xiao XingChen standing in the main hall at Jinling Tower. He has receipts in his hands of all of Xue Yang’s crimes. Xue Yang, as Xiao XingChen’s prisoner, is probably sitting there wrapped in ropes and chains, but looks like he hasn’t a care in the world. It’s a Discussion Conference so all the powerful and prestigious people are there--except one. Everyone is nodding in agreement that yes, Xiao XingChen has brought excellent evidence! They have no objection to Xue Yang being executed.

But while no one objects to executing Xue Yang, no one else present is supporting execution, either, because Jin GuangShan isn’t supporting it. So Xiao XingChen can talk everyone’s ears off but it’s not going to change anything. The Jin Sect don’t care about justice. Xiao XingChen might be famous but he’s still an outsider. He’s powerless here. But he still doesn’t back down! A stalemate ensues and he still doesn’t back down!

And then the doors bust open and the light shines through and--Nie MingJue has arrived! Nie MingJue who was chilling at home until he got news of the complete and utter fuckery going on. He is the one and only person to give Xiao XingChen actual support because you know what? Xiao XingChen is right! The receipts are right there! And Nie MingJue doesn’t have the patience of Xiao XingChen to let the Jin Sect hem and haw over what to do to a now red-handed mass murderer.

Neither Xiao XingChen nor Nie MingJue have anything to gain from causing this scene, but it’s the right thing to do, so they do it.

"Taking advantage of the Discussion Conference that was happening at the Jinling Tower of the Lanling Jin Sect's residence, when the most prominent sects met up and discussed cultivation methods, Xiao XingChen brought [Xue Yang] over, explained the situation, and demanded severe punishment.

"With his straightforward list of evidence, most sects didn't have any objections, except for one--the Lanling Jin Sect. (ch. 30, ERS)

...

Although the Lanling Jin Sect was determined on protecting Xue Yang, Xiao XingChen didn't waver either. As the stalemate continued, they finally startled ChiFeng-Zun, Nie MingJue, who didn't intend on participating in the Discussion Conference. He hurried over to Jinling Tower from far away." (ch. 30, ERS)

Nie MingJue, who was minding his own business, is the one who breaks the stalemate. On a side note, it’s interesting how Nie MingJue didn’t even attend this Discussion Conference, which are usually sizeable affairs with many leaders present. We know that Nie MingJue does not usually stick his nose in where it doesn’t belong. Although he once called for the punishment of the Wen remnants after the Sunshot Campaign, he never followed through until Wen Ning killed Nie cultivators at Jinling Tower (wow, that must have been really convenient for the Jin Sect who wanted all the other sects to rally with them again Wei WuXian! Not suspicious at all. Having a secret demonic cultivator who could have taken control of Wen Ning on staff is quite a perk.) By all means, Nie MingJue has had enough of death and war, and he wants to focus on his mental health and home.

But it’s hard for Nie MingJue to stay out of a problem when Xiao XingChen has the evidence against a mass murderer who should rightfully be severely punished.

"Ever since Xue Yang was brought to Jinling Tower by Xiao XingChen, he hadn't been scared at all. Even when Nie MingJue's saber was pressed against his neck, he still had a grin on his face."

It’s easy to be confident when Xue Yang knows he’s untouchable, and he’s untouchable because he knows the Jin will do everything in their power to protect him.

Nie MingJue ends the stalemate by 1. giving Jin GuangShan an angry lecture (FINALLY someone stands up against Jin GuangShan!) and 2. scolding Jin GuangYao into silence for trying to calm everyone down (because Jin GuangYao only cares about appearances and not content).

"In the end, the Lanling Jin Sect could only give in."

So Xiao XingChen's efforts and evidence were good, everyone agreed they were good, but everyone was going to ignore him until Nie MingJue tackled the problem from another angle. Although Jin GuangShan and Jin GuangYao are lying about giving in, at the moment, Xiao XingChen and Nie MingJue get to part as unlikely allies.

Keep in mind this is the first and only time Nie MingJue goes against the Jin Sect directly. Nie MingJue had been the only person against the establishment of the Chief Cultivator position, but that situation never got heated. The Nie Sect is, however, the one sect that has been the greatest threat to Jin Sect domination since the Sunshot Campaign ended. So by Nie MingJue finally standing his ground here and now in a very public fashion by showing that the Jin are not allowed to do whatever they selfishly want, the Jin Sect is feeling very uneasy in their world domination plans.

But the matter is now publicly settled with the confirmation of Xue Yang’s upcoming execution. Xiao XingChen goes back into the world to be the best Bright Moon and Gentle Breeze he can be. Nie MingJue goes back home to mind his own business. (Remember how he wasn't even going to attend the conference! He wasn’t even acting like a public figure, throwing his weight around, until Xiao XingChen needed a heavy hitter on his team!) So whenit’s revealed that the Jin Sect lied, only one of them hears the news.

"The Lanling Jin Sect was indeed the sect with the thickest face. Although, on Jinling Tower, it promised in front of all the sects that Xue Yang would be executed, when it left Nie MIngJue's sight, it immediately shut Xue Yang into the dungeons and changed the original decision to a life sentence."

Who is left to continue fighting this battle on Xiao XingChen's behalf but Nie MingJue, the one person who actually agreed with him?

Xiao XingChen and Nie MingJue are literally hand-in-hand when it comes to justice. Nie MingJue uses his position as a Sect Leader of equal standing to Jin GuangShan to try to hold the Jin Sect responsible--and to keep the Jin from acting like the Wen Sect before them.

"Hearing about the matter, Nie MingJue was enranged and pressed on them again. The Lanling Jin rambled about, refusing to give him Xue Yang no matter how hard he tried. All of the other sects watched them from the sidelines, but, shortly afterward, Nie MingJue passed away from a qi deviation."

A qi deviation! Wow, what a coincidence, huh?? That sure made this rock and a hard place that Xiao XingChen and Nie MingJue pushed the Jin into go away real fast! Jin GuangYao says during the stair scene that he doesn’t want to lose his status and position, and that he is willing to sacrifice the lives of everyone else in order to prioritize his own standing. Nie MingJue insulted Jin GuangYao on a personal level, but the real issue is that he was continuing to press the Jin Sect to execute Xue Yang, which would mean the whole Jin Sect would lose their upper hand.

Nie MingJue's last public act was upholding justice and holding the Jin Sect accountable. The Jin Sect wanted to be in charge of everything as the Chief Cultivator but were doing a piss poor job at it already. He only approached Jin GuangYao when he was getting nowhere with Jin GuangShan, because wasn't Jin GuangYao supposed to be a good person? Wasn’t he supposed to have spied for them because he believed in their cause and not just the glory? Wasn’t he supposed to have murdered Nie MingJue's men because he wanted to save Nie MingJue's life and not just profit off of having Nie MingJue owe him something like sworn brotherhood to make up for the debt?

And Nie MingJue was murdered to protect the life of a murderer. With Nie MingJue gone and Xiao XingChen away, no one else cared to pay attention.

The Jin Sect broke their promise and good people paid with their lives over it. The watchtowers were a mockery of justice when Jin GuangYao, finally in control as Sect Leader and Chief Cultivator, was the one who set Xue Yang free once more.

And Song Lan lost his eyes, his temple, and his closest companion to that known murderer.

And Xiao XingChen committed suicide over being manipulated by that murderer.

But at one point Xiao XingChen and Nie MingJue stood side-by-side against a blatant evil. An evil that they have receipts for! But just as Wei WuXian on his own was not enough, Xiao XingChen and Nie MingJue as two were not enough. The mystery of Nie MingJue’s decapitated fierce corpse and the horrors found in Yi City, however, are directly connected.

The tragedy of two good men.

#i actually wrote this way back on xxc's birthday #i still have a lot of feelings about this though! #i never see xxc and nmj ever talked about together #and like #their alliance says so much about them both #and it says they were both very good men who deserved better #nie mingjue #xiao xingchen #mdzs thoughts