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Chapter Text

      The Champion of Demonic Cultivation  is a web-novel that Wei Ying finds interesting. The protagonist, Wei Wuxian—just like his name—was a morally dubious character who dies in the end. Well, not the end of the book. The point of view suddenly switches to third-person omniscient, Wei Ying never being redeemed for his actions. If Wei Ying was there, with knowledge of the future, he would do things differently. 

     Alas, he lives in the 2000s, not in some Xianxia novel with cultivation and qi. He finished the last chapter just a few minutes ago with his finished cup noodles off to the side. His opinion of the novel was average, not good, not bad. The death of Wei Ying’s character just seemed unnecessary with how much he was built up, he was the protagonist for crying out loud! Then out of nowhere he just dies off without any redemption? Even after death, he wasn’t redeemed. It was a tragedy for both Wei Wuxian and Wei Ying. 

     The story of  The Champion of Demonic Cultivation  goes on for hundreds of chapters without mentioning Wei Wuxian, as if he was never there. But if he is mentioned, if he is mentioned in the slightest,  smallest way possible , it was to mention how he was the evil Yiling Patriarch and that was that. Sometimes Wei Ying wishes he were there to fix Wei Wuxian’s problems—he felt a weird connection to him—and instead not live in his cheap apartment reading web-novels for a living.

     Wei Ying lays in his bed and wishes for easy rest. His wish was granted—although maybe not the one he wanted. 

  【Transmigrating Host. Please stand by.】A voice sounding oddly familiar to Google Translate announces.

     Excuse me?  Wei Ying says in his mind, believing he is slowly going hysterical. 

     Wei Ying listens to the voice count as the percentages go higher up.  Maybe this is some weird fever dream.  He thinks. 

     【100%. Welcome Host, to  The Champion of Demonic Cultivation!  You have entered the character, Wei Wuxian: The Protagonist.】

     Albeit confused, Wei Ying opens his eyes to see that he isn’t in his shoddy, run-down apartment, but in some ancient Chinese room. The walls are nicer than his, even though he is supposed to have insulation and made from better materials. He gets up from where he was lying down and walks out of the room. He yelps as he stubs his toe on the edge of the bed. 

      Alright then, not a dream. 

Chapter Text

     Apparently, by some weird Google Translate god, he was transmigrated into The Champion of Demonic Cultivation. He was also put into the body of Wei Wuxian if he remembers correctly. Wei Ying—no, Wei Wuxian now—realized that he probably should have read the book better, to prepare himself for... literally everything that is happening. 

     The “original” Wei Wuxian had accidentally caused the deaths of several people within the novel. Then he died a brutal death, which is exactly what Wei Wuxian needs right now, right after he just transmigrated into a world with no air conditioning. Oh, Wei Wuxian sees now. He was transmigrated because he had wished to change the story, right? Great. Now, if he wished to go back…

     【Unable to perform the request. How may this System help you?】An automated voice interrupts in Wei Wuxian’s mind. 

     He yelps in response, alerting the attention of someone in the halls. The sound of footsteps approaches the door as a boy with purple robes steps inside. 

     “Eh?” says the boy, “So you’re finally awake. What are you doing up? You’re supposed to be in bed the whole day.” His tone irritated but concerned nonetheless. He walks closer to Wei Wuxian, inspecting him. 

     The tone, the attitude, the clothes, it all makes sense. This boy in front of him is  Jiang Cheng ! Does this mean Wei Wuxian gets to meet everyone else in  The Champion of Demonic Cultivation ? Even the Wens? Despite the fact that Wei Wuxian’s social skills haven’t been put to use in several months, he’s more than excited to meet the cast. 

     He blinks a couple of times before responding to Jiang Cheng. “Why can’t I stand up if I want to? My legs seem to work just fine!” Prancing around the room, he turns back to Jiang Cheng, who narrows his eyes. Maybe Wei Wuxian’s condition was worse than he thought? Wei Wuxian might have just performed some sort of miracle, where he was suddenly able to walk after months. But that didn’t seem to be the case as Jiang Cheng responded to his antics. 

     “You idiot, just because you’re able to stand doesn’t mean you should. Recovering takes longer than you think.” Jiang Cheng huffs, clicking his tongue. “Just lie down and rest. Maybe then you’ll be allowed to come with me to the Cloud Recesses.” 

     【Congratulations! +50 points for meeting the supporting character, Jiang Cheng.】The voice rings, happy chimes playing. The voice seems to be only in his head, considering Jiang Cheng doesn’t seem to have any reaction.

      Maybe I’m just going mad.  Wei Wuxian concluded, complying with Jiang Cheng’s request as he lies down on the bed. He had basically abandoned his own life in the modern world. The modern world with advanced technology that made everything so convenient. But Wei Wuxian will cry about it later. Right now, he needs to plan on how to  not die . Maybe he should just accept it, he was wishing for death in the modern world anyway. 

     But 50 points, huh? The System might have a use for those points, maybe a prize? He wants a prize for everything he’s going through. Maybe they’re life points, like HP. 

     【Points are used to unfreeze specific functions and to skip events. They could also be used to find out in-depth knowledge about  The Champion of Demonic Cultivation . Points can be earned through the completion of objectives.】

      Interesting , like an RPG except it requires actual social skills and physical skills. Wei Wuxian sighed, he won’t be able to get anything done, he’ll be too busy getting excited over the cast than finishing objectives. He closed his eyes and let himself drift, but then a loud female voice interrupts his internal turmoil. 

     “If you’re bedridden, Jiang Cheng will have to go alone to the Cloud Recesses.” She declared as she slammed the door open. Wei Wuxian’s eyes slammed open, startled. 

     “My lady,” a soft male voice conversed, “Wei Ying cannot go in his condition. Jiang Cheng will be fine alone.” 

     【New Event: Cloud Recesses. Failure is imminent if the Host does not accept. 1,000 points will be deducted from the account.】

     Despite not knowing what happens if his points go under zero, Wei Wuxian decides he doesn’t want to know. He interrupts the conversation, shooting up in bed. 

     “Ah! I can go! I can go!” He yells, swinging his legs to the side of the bed and standing up. “I’m fine, see?” Standing proudly, he silently hopes they accept. 

     The woman gave him an irritated look, similar to that of Jiang Cheng. On the other hand, the man looks amused at his antics, only smiling kindly. Wei Wuxian realizes who they are. They’re Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian! The Jiang couple with issues! He contains his surprise and slight heart attack. 

     “Well, if Wei Ying can go, he should go.” Jiang Fengmian concludes, still smiling. His wife, however, still scowls at him, but maybe that’s just her general reaction to him. She nods before walking off, Jiang Fengmian in tow. 

     Wei Wuxian gives a loud sigh of relief, flopping back onto the bed. He doesn’t know how to use a sword! Isn’t that required in Xianxia? Wait, isn’t demonic cultivation the original Wei Wuxian’s shtick? Does he have to go down that path? As much as Wei Wuxian believes it’s an incredibly useful power, with its multiple benefits, it was constantly described as extremely  painful . Can’t he just skip that whole plot point? 

     【Wei Wuxian’s learning of demonic cultivation is imminent. Points will be deducted. 10 points have already been deducted for OOC. OOC Function can be unfrozen once Host has reached 100 points.】The System oh-so-helpfully chimes, only confirming Wei Wuxian’s nightmares. 

     This time, he mentally sighs. Nothing can be easy. Instead, maybe if Wei Wuxian got started on demonic cultivation early, he might have a slight chance of survival. It seems there was an OOC function included with the System from hell. His personality was already way too similar to the original Wei Wuxian, maybe he should play it safe until he got enough points to unfreeze the dang thing. He just prays that the original’s ghost can guide him through winging it with a sword. 

     Maybe once it was nighttime, he could practice demonic cultivation. Starting with baby steps, of course. He has been already deducted OOC points for opposing demonic cultivation, maybe accepting it will give him points instead of taking them away? Wei Wuxian hopes so. 

     The dim light shining through the window was a dead giveaway that night was approaching. Since this body of his was asleep for a while—despite his conscious being tired—he should be ready to go outside and practice demonic cultivation. Wei Wuxian was never more glad than when he stayed up reading about the original's methods of learning demonic cultivation. 

     Sneaking out the window, he walked to a random place walking corpses probably roam.  I probably should have carried a sword.  He berated himself, still walking around. 

     Demonic cultivation also had to do with a golden core. Not in a positive way. Wei Wuxian could feel the slight energy of the golden cores of people the moment he woke up. It was probably normal to feel it though, considering all the times' characters in the novel mention "energy" and other stuff. 

     Soon enough, he encountered a walking corpse. The corpse was walking slower than Wei Wuxian expected. He could feel the resentful energy flowing out of the corpse. Maybe that's how the original learned demonic cultivation. Maybe he grasped that energy and manipulated it instead of eradicating it. 

     Breathing out, he reached a hand toward the slowly approaching corpse. Tendrils of resentful energy shot towards him. He flinched, making the resentful energy halt. Slowly, he regained his solidity and watched as the energy make contact with his body. 

     Pain crawled through him, starting from a slight itch to body tensing pain. He could feel the cool air on his skin as his veins bulge, small sounds of affliction were all he could make as he felt the air get knocked out of him. 

     But despite all the pain, he could feel his golden core struggle with the energy, pulsing as it fought with the resentful energy. Yet he felt powerful in the worst way, power that he can’t grab and use. Wei Wuxian had no way of stopping what was currently happening. Tears started gathering in his eyes, making his vision blurry. Quickly, he willed the energy away, straining his body. 

     The pain left him in an instant, his body slowly relaxing. His breath left him quickly in an exhale of relief. 

     Undeterred by Wei Wuxian’s respite, the corpse gradually advanced towards him. However, it was even slower than before, most of its resentful energy haven been taken by Wei Wuxian. Quickly—while stumbling—he ran back to Lotus Pier. 

     Once he was back in the safety of a room, he sat on the bed, unguarded. He groans, heart still racing. That was the most exercise he’s done emotionally and physically in a long time. Fear is something he would not like to feel again. 

     【10 points for learning about and consuming resentful energy! Please be more careful.】The System still managed to surprise him, but he’s still too tired. 

     He lets himself rest ‘till morning. 

     When he hears voices in a couple of doors down, he wakes. Rolling out of bed, he makes his way down the hall. The voices had more clarity to them now. Wei Wuxian can hear the conversation. 

     “If he isn’t here within a few more minutes, just leave him behind.” Yu Ziyuan conveys to Jiang Cheng, who has his bag full of his belongings slung over his shoulder. 

     Wei Wuxian quickly turns the corner, jumping in the middle of their conversation. “I’m here! I’m here!” He shouts, dashing towards them. 

      Madam Yu stares at him with impatience. “Where is your bag? The one with your belongings?” She eyes him up and down with no actual objective of finding his bag, knowing he doesn’t have one. 

     “Ah, well—” Wei Wuxian begins, scratching the back of his head.

     “—no worries,” Jiang Cheng cuts in, “I already packed his things in this bag here.” Gesturing to the bag slung over his shoulder. “The bag was big enough.” He defended as if doing something good for Wei Wuxian was a felony. 

     Madam Yu directed her eyes from Jiang Cheng to Wei Wuxian and back again. She eventually caved and waved a hand. “Get going, the boat will leave without you two.” 

     “Yes, Ma’am!” Wei Wuxian bowed, then ran out. Jiang Cheng followed him slowly.

     The trip to the Cloud Recesses was slow but went way too fast for Wei Wuxian. For a story composed with only words, the view was beautiful the whole way through. He was buzzing with nerves the entire time. At least he’ll get the OOC Function out of the way, despite it not getting in his way. 

     His body lurched slightly as the boat hits the pier. 

     They’ve arrived at the Cloud Recesses. 

Chapter Text

     The outside of the Cloud Recesses is more beautiful than the scenery Wei Wuxian saw to get here. 

     Jiang Cheng nudged him out of the boat while he slung the bag over his shoulder again. “Quit dawdling. We’re here for learning, not daydreaming.” 

     Wei Wuxian exhaled a sigh, I’m here for a mission. He’ll probably be forced to confront Lan Wangji on the wall, holding Emperor's Smile. The original Wei Wuxian provoked Lan Wangji teasingly, almost getting sliced in half by Lan Wangji. He hopes he can complete the mission without conflict.

     While being dragged by Jiang Cheng into the Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian started to converse with the System. 

      Is it really necessary to kill Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao in such a brutal manner? Sure, they did some bad things but I don’t want to be the one to off them! He begged the System to reconsider.

     【“Hejian Front” event is mandatory, Host cannot skip or 10,000 points will be deducted from the account.】The System responds mercilessly. 

      10,000 points?! System, that’s way too much. I barely have 100! He slumps onto Jiang Cheng, who shoves him off. 

     He mourns about him becoming a future murder until he hears a calm voice greet them. 

     “Ah, welcome to the Cloud Recesses, you’re both from the Cloud Recesses, I presume?” 

     Wei Wuxian turns to see a smiling man with a white ribbon around his forehead. His mannerisms make Wei Wuxian feel as if he should remember him. On his side, Jiang Cheng immediately bows. 

     “Greetings, ZeWu-Jun.” Jiang Cheng formally addresses him, eyeing Wei Wuxian from where his head is bowed. 

     Oh. This man is Lan Xichen! That’s why Wei Wuxian feels as if he should know him. Didn’t Lan Xichen have a grudge against the original Wei Wuxian after Lan Wangji broke the rules for him? That’s not good, especially when he’s a man of power. Wei Wuxian needs fewer people to hate him.

     “Haha,” Wei Wuxian slowly bows to Lan Xichen, “greetings ZeWu-Jun.” He looks back up to see Lan Xichen’s amused face. It doesn’t look angry, Wei Wuxian hopes he succeeded. 

     【Objective: Cloud Recesses had been completed! 1,000 points have been added to your account. The OOC Function is now unfrozen.】The System announces, chimes going off in his head. 

     Despite getting so many points, Wei Wuxian sighed knowing that he’ll lose all of them in due time. Sure, the OOC Function may be gone, but it’s not like it inconvenienced him much, unlike the System. He follows Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng as they go deeper into the Cloud Recesses. 

     Lan Xichen directs a servant to guide them to where they’d be sleeping. Once they’ve settled into their sleeping quarters, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng unwind, or well, Jiang Cheng unwinds. Wei Wuxian, on the other hand, is still debating whether or not he should kill Wen Chao or let the System kill him. Before he can get relaxed, the System intrudes on him again. 

     【New Objective: Meet Lan Zhan. Failure is imminent, 1,000 points will be deducted.】The System informs him of his impending doom. 

       1,000 points?! System, why so many points? Wei Wuxian interrogated the System. It was unfair! Why does he have to suffer for meeting Lan Zhan a little later? Is Lan Zhan even the proper way to address him? Wei Wuxian thinks probably not, but considering how his points are at stake he’d rather not dwell on it. He leaves the room at night when Jiang Cheng is sleeping. 

      Where did the original Wei Wuxian even meet Lan Zhan? Wei Wuxian wonders as he wanders the outskirts of Cloud Recesses. Now that he’s outside, he can see the small shops that are held nearby. He sees a specific Emperor’s Smile jar displayed on the shelf of one of the shops and he knows he has to go down there. 

      Emperor’s Smile was a praised drink in The Champion of Demonic Cultivation. The original Wei Wuxian was obsessed with it. Now, Wei Wuxian anticipates, maybe he can see just how good this drink is. Maybe he’ll get obsessed too. 

     Approaching the vendor, he bought two jars of Emperor’s Smile. Luckily, Jiang Cheng had sneakily shoved money in his pockets when he wasn’t looking. It was surprising to Wei Wuxian to find Jiang Cheng caring about him. In the book, Wei Wuxian never saw how much he cared for the original. Maybe it was all the chances were destroyed before it surfaced. 

     He made his way back to the Cloud Recesses with two jars in each arm. Then, he stopped and cursed himself. He forgot about meeting Lan Zhan. Sighing, he continued his trek, already accepting his fate. 

     When he was climbing the “Wall of Rules,” a flash of white stopped him from crossing. Looking up, he saw a person who looked almost exactly like Lan Xichen, except solemn. 

     【Completed “Meet Lan Zhan!” 1,000 points have been added to your account!】

      Ah. So this is Lan Zhan. He met the eyes of Lan Zhan. 

     Truly a sight! So this is the power of words! He’s met many beautiful and handsome faces on the way, but this takes the cake. Not only that, but Wei Wuxian thinks he doesn’t look so bad himself. Yet, faces like Lan Zhan’s exist. How amazing that book finally did something right! 

     His admiration was cut short by Lan Zhan. 

     “Wandering around past curfew is forbidden.” He states, staring at Wei Wuxian impassively. 

     “Well, if it’s forbidden, then why are you here?” Wei Wuxian retorts, already knowing the answer. He’s just stalling to plot his escape, but he knows, in the end, he’ll just wing it. 

     The exchange between them goes on for a while before Wei Wuxian decides to pull out his “trump card.” 

     “Here!” Exclaiming as he lifted his jars of Emperor’s Smile , “It’s Emperor’s Smile! I’ll give you some if you stay quiet about this.” He hopes that this will work. 

     “Alcohol is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses.” 

      Ah. Well, dang. 

     Wei Wuxian stays silent for a moment, shocked. “Well, is there anything that isn’t forbidden in the Cloud Recesses?” He tries to reason with the man in front of him. When Lan Zhan stays silent, staring at Wei Wuxian, Wei Wuxian gives up. “Ah, I’ll get back to my forbidden activities. See you, Lan Zhan!” Ignoring Lan Zhan’s shocked look, he disappears into the Cloud Recesses. 

     When Wei Wuxian wakes up— When did I fall asleep?— he sees Jiang Cheng staring down at him. Rubbing his eyes, he grins cheekily back at him. 

     “Finally,” says Jiang Cheng, “you’re awake. I thought I’d have to wait until graduation.” 

     “Ah, Jiang Cheng, don’t think so highly of me. I’d never reach graduation regardless.” Wei Wuxian watches the corner of Jiang Cheng’s lips curl into a small smile, but doesn’t say anything about it. 

     They walk down the path to where they would have their first classes. On their way, they see a primarily wearing green wave at them. 

     “Ah, hello Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian!” He greets, fan in his other hand. 

     Jiang Cheng greets him back, “Hello, Nie Huaisang.” 

     The System dings in his head. 

     【Meeting supporting character: Nie Huaisang! 50 points have been added to your account!】

     Nie Huaisang, an interesting character, to say the least. He was rumored to be the mastermind of Jin Guangyao’s fall. It was never confirmed but Wei Wuxian could see his potential. He’s excited to see how he’ll grow. 

     Wei Wuxian quickly adds in his greeting, bowing his head as Jiang Cheng did. Together, they all walk into the classroom. Almost immediately, Wei Wuxian spots Lan Zhan. His stare goes unnoticed by Lan Zhan, but not to Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng tells him not to bother him, or he’ll be in huge trouble. Wei Wuxian makes a note to ignore him. 

     The only available seat for him in the classroom is right behind Lan Zhan. When he sits down, he feels a weird sense of familiarity. The moment Lan Qiren enters the room, scrolls in hand, he realizes that he’s in another scene of the book. A scene that he could complete correctly. 

     When Wei Wuxian was first reading The Champion of Demonic Cultivation, the classroom scene was one he always remembered. The questions Lan Qiren asked was useful info dump for him to remember the background information. It helped his confusion by a smidge. But it was still a creative way to present an info dump for the readers. 

     Lan Qiren was droning on and on about the sect rules. Wei Wuxian tried hard to pay attention, he swears. It’s just that—there are so many rules! This gives him flashbacks to learning the Periodic Table in high school, just so many things to remember. 

     By the time Lan Qiren cleared his throat to pause, Wei Wuxian was almost fully asleep. They weren’t even a quarter into the rules. He was so deep in sleep that all sounds were muffled to him, his body going numb. 

     “WEI YING!” 

     He scrambles up on his desk with a yelp as Lan Qiren glares at him. He’s done for, destroyed, absolutely obliterated. Standing up, he bows to Lan Qiren, addressing him properly. He’s already off script, but he’s been off script ever since he was dropped here by the System.

     Lan Qiren starts pouring out his questions to Wei Wuxian. “Are demons, ghosts, yao, and monsters the same things?” 

     Wei Wuxian shakes his head in return. “No.” Taking a breath, he continued, “Demons are formed from living humans, ghosts are from dead humans, yao are from live non-human beings, while monsters are from dead non-human beings.” He adds the last part before Lan Qiren can ask him to elaborate. It makes him feel like he’s back in school, which technically he is. 

     Lan Qiren stands strong, questioning him again. “What was the profession of the progenitor of the QingheNie Sect?” 

    Wei Wuxian sighs. This is going to take a while, isn’t it? He answers again. “A butcher.” 

     The exchange goes on for longer than Wei Wuxian wanted. He answers every question in a bored voice with ease. Lan Qiren doesn’t look extremely angry, but he doesn’t look very pleased either. Instead, he looks slightly inquisitive. When he answers that one question that the original stumped over, and he didn’t add that whole ‘Well, how about Demonic Cultivation?’ part, the look on Lan Qiren’s face got more intense. 

     After that, he sat back down. The tension left his body. They continued class like normal, Wei Wuxian staring at Lan Zhan the whole time. He didn’t get kicked out of class, unlike the original. That was a plus, probably a sign he’s doing something right. 

     Despite him doing things rights, he still needs to learn demonic cultivation. Although, Wei Wuxian doesn’t necessarily think demonic cultivation is wrong , per se. Just a little morally dubious. But to learn it, he needs a flute to level up his skills. 

     Caiyi Town, was it? The place with shops—where he can definitely get a flute. Music might not be necessary for demonic cultivation but Wei Wuxian is damned if he tried to learn demonic cultivation on hard mode. 

     He’s learned how to play the flute ever since he was little. It was quite strange to see the original Wei Wuxian so close to himself. Alas, he’s taken over, so now there isn’t someone as close to him anymore. 

     Instead of going to Caiyi Town directly, he waits for Lan Xichen to mention it. He read the book, he remembers the Waterborne Abyss. Instead of joining in on the Waterborne Abyss, he can sneak off and buy a flute! It’s not like he was going to be much help anyway, unlike the original. 

    【Event: Waterborne Abyss must be completed. 100 points will be deducted if failed.】The System announces, shattering his plans. 

     Ah, just great. Not only can he not buy a flute, he has to participate in flying away from the death water too. He might be able to purchase his flute afterward if he doesn’t die. Maybe he can find a way to convince the Lans to stay a little longer in Caiyi Town, he might also bring Lan Zhan along, to boost those friendship points so Lan Zhan won’t bury him in the ground later. 

     Then, Lan Xichen walks near Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian then Wei Wuxian knows that’s his cue. 

     “Ah! ZeWu-Jun!” Wei Wuxian approaches him and bows. “Where are you headed to?” 

     Lan Xichen smiles back at him and bows his head. Wei Wuxian then sees Lan Wangji next to him. “We’re going to Caiyi Town. There is a water ghoul problem there.” 

     Wei Wuxian internally shudders at having to fight water ghouls. Instead of showing his discomfort, he smiles again. “Water ghouls? Bring us along, I know a trick with water ghouls!” He reads from the script with the best of his memory. 

     He repeats the same responses he remembers the original saying. It sounds similar to what he would say if he had natural knowledge of this world. Then Lan Xichen invites him and Jiang Cheng to Caiyi Town with them. Excited, Wei Wuxian agrees, ready to buy his flute. 

     “Before we go to the water ghouls, can we stop by the shops first? I need to buy some things.” Wei Wuxian asks Lan Xichen, who nods. 

     “Of course. Wangji needed to buy some food, didn’t you?” He turns to Lan Zhan, who blinks at him. “Yes, he does. He will come with you.” 

     Perfect! Wei Wuxian can knock down two birds with one stone. He can bond with Lan Zhan and buy his flute. Maybe he can stop for food too. 

     On their way to Caiyi Town, Wei Wuxian has a conversation with Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang. 

     “Where were you last night?” Jiang Cheng suddenly asks him, raising an eyebrow. 

     Wei Wuxian laughs nervously in return. How did he —“What do you mean, Jiang Cheng? I was sleeping, just like you. ” Did Jiang Cheng sleep with his eyes open? He made sure to check if Jiang Cheng was sleeping. Maybe he woke up and saw Wei Wuxian gone.

     “No, you left the door open.” Jiang Cheng calls him out on his lie so fast he would get a speeding ticket. 

     Nie Huaisang watched the exchange from behind his fan. “Is that why you had Emperor’s Smile under your bed?” He asks. 

     “You had what. ” 

     “Ahahah, Jiang Cheng, if you have that many wrinkles in your face you’ll become just like Lan Qiren!” 

     After a few minutes of Jiang Cheng scolding him, he waves it all off. “Geez, you’re just like Lan Zhan. He kept saying everything I did was forbidden.” 

     “The Second Jade of Lan caught you in the act? ” Jiang Cheng’s furious voice responds. 

     “Well, yeah, I was on climbing over the wall. It’s not that hard to see a person climbing over a white wall.” 

      “You did what.” 

     They reached Caiyi Town earlier than Wei Wuxian expected. The town was lively and full of bustling people. Wei Wuxian restrained himself from running off to shop. He didn’t have money anyway. 

     He saw Jiang Cheng side-eye him from where he was staring at all the vendors. Jiang Cheng sighed. “You didn’t bring money, did you?” When Wei Wuxian didn’t answer, he sighed even louder. Pulling out a small pouch, he handed it to Wei Wuxian. “Don’t spend it all in one place.” 

     Wei Wuxian gave Jiang Cheng a grateful look, but Jiang Cheng’s head was turned away. He’s embarrassed. Wei Wuxian mentally laughed as he realized. 

     When he saw Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen depart from their boat, he ran up to them. “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan!” He yelled. “I have money this time! Let’s buy things.” 

     “Mm.” Is his only response. Wei Wuxian takes his short response as a resounding yes. He grabs the sleeve of Lan Zhan’s robes and tugged him along. 

     They wandered around Caiyi Town until Wei Wuxian spotted an instrument stall. He sprinted forwards, Lan Zhan quietly following. 

     “Welcome!” The shop vendor greets. “We have several instruments that will surely be to your liking!” 

     “Do you have a dizi?” Wei Wuxian looks behind the vendor, eyeing the instruments hung on the walls. 

      The shop vendor nods enthusiastically, moving to grab one from behind him. “Of course! We have several.” The vendor displays several flutes in front of Wei Wuxian. “Which one is to your liking?” 

     There are about ten flutes Wei Wuxian can choose from. Almost all of them look nothing near what Wei Wuxian needed. Then, he saw the infamous black flute, or maybe an imposter of it. If it wasn’t the famous “Chenqing” flute, he can always just dye it black. 

     “This one.” He points at the flute. 

     He makes the transaction with the shop vendor and then returns to Lan Zhan’s side. Lan Zhan looks at him questioningly. 

     “I did not know you played the flute.” He comments, face still impassive. 

     “You don’t know a lot about me, Lan Zhan.” He teases, when Lan Zhan turns to face him, he quickly answers again. “Ah, ah. But if you talk to me more, maybe you’ll uncover many things about me!” 

     “Mm.”

      That wasn’t a no. Wei Wuxian thinks hopefully. He tugs on Lan Zhan’s arm as they’re about to pass a restaurant. 

     When they enter the restaurant, the food isn’t as bland as he thought it would be. He attempts to make conversation with Lan Zhan, which turns into a one-sided conversation. Well, he thinks it’s one-sided until he sees Lan Zhan is paying attention to every little thing he says. He feels oddly touched at that. 

     When they’re done paying for their food, they make their way back to where Wei Wuxian would have to run from water ghouls. Well, not run, but zoom away on a sword. Wei Wuxian was decent at surfing, but how would he be able to fly on a thin object? He’ll just pray to the original and hope for the best. 

     They’re all in their boats now, sailing on the water of doom. Wei Wuxian watched Lan Zhan’s boat for that specific moment. In the meantime, he hangs off the side of the boat. 

     All of a sudden, Lan Zhan’s boat drops down slightly and Wei Wuxian jumps into action. 

     “Hey! Hey, Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian uses his oar to flick water his way, which makes Lan Zhan jump to Lan Xichen’s boat. He sighs, hoping he can pull this off. 

     Scaling Lan Zhan’s boat, he jumps back to his own, landing on the roof. He uses his long oar to flip the boat over, revealing the water ghouls clinging to the bottom. When the rest of the scene plays out, Lan Xichen acknowledging his “intelligence,” Wei Wuxian answers accordingly. Then, he waits until the water ghouls come, preparing his sword.

     Water ghouls burst out from the water, scaring civilians and cultivators alike. Wei Wuxian holds his sword and hopes for the best. Water ghouls come at him one after the other. He hacks at them clumsily until he gets a better grip on his sword. 

     A feminine scream breaks his concentration, he runs after the girl who screamed. He already knows what happened. He aims his sword at the water ghoul who captured the girl’s ankle. Better now than later. Wei Wuxian comments in his head. If he can somehow manage to get his sword back he will be so happy. 

      Use the force. He mimics the pose as he summons his sword back with powerful concentration. Quietly, Wei Wuxian hopes he can learn how to summon his sword back normally so that he never has to do that again. 

     Rushing over the Nie Huaisang, he cuts down the water ghouls on his boat. He watches as Lan Zhan cuts down the rest with grace. He mentally applauds him. 

     After all that chaos, Lan Xichen excuses Nie Huaisang and the others who won’t be able to fend off water ghouls. 

     They travel farther into where the Waterborne Abyss is dwelling. Wei Wuxian waits for the right moment to start pulling back. He sees the net is in place and starts backing up the strange feeling of energy notifying him of danger. 

     When the Lan sect members pull up the empty net, Wei Wuxian starts pushing people’s boats back. “Stand back!” He yells, warning everyone. “Something is not right!” The cultivators start retreating. When Wei Wuxian sees everyone going back, his boat trembles. 

     Then the Waterborne Abyss strikes. People start mounting their swords left and right. Hesitantly, he jumps onto his sword. His balance is shaky, but so far it’s working. He swiftly flies away. But then he sees a lone Lan cultivator in the water. Su She, was it? It appears he didn’t get away in time. Making an irrational decision, he dives after him on his sword, ignoring Jiang Cheng’s shouts of protest. 

     Eventually, he reaches Su She, grabbing his hand. When they’re almost out of danger, Wei Wuxian’s balance fails. He throws Su She to some other cultivator as he falls to his doom. 

     The water is cold against him, unrelenting to his struggles of breaking free. The Waterborne Abyss keeps him in its grasp. Water starts filling his lungs and his vision starts blacking out. His body slowly stops flailing in the merciless water. He feels himself drifting lower into the water, the light becoming distorted under the water. 

     Then, he feels pressure around his neck. His body is lifted out of the water and suddenly he can breathe again. Choking and sputtering, he sees Lan Zhan with concern in his eyes. The pressure on his neck is his collar holding him up. Lan Zhan drops him off in a boat that managed to survive the Waterborne Abyss. He tries to recover in the boat as the rest of the party deals with the Waterborne Abyss.

     Jiang Cheng is on him in a second, yelling at him but Wei Wuxian can see the unwavering concern in his eyes as he checks Wei Wuxian’s body. His throat is still exhausted from water rushing through it, so he doesn’t talk the whole time they venture farther away from the Waterborne Abyss. 

     Lan Xichen drops down beside them, Lan Zhan following after him. He smiles at Wei Wuxian as he checks on his condition. “Are you feeling fine?” He asks him.

     “I’m doing just fine, ZeWu-Jun, a little water won’t stop me.” He ignores Jiang Cheng’s scoff, ‘Just a little water?’ 

     Lan Xichen lets out a little sigh then continues questioning him. “How did you know the Waterborne Abyss was about to strike?” He doesn’t look angry nor blaming, just intrigued. 

     Well, how’s he supposed to answer this? Oh, Lab Xichen, don’t mind me, I’m just from another world, that’s all. As if that would be a sane answer. 

     Instead, he answers the best he could. “Ahaha,” he laughs to fill the silence, “I felt some resentful energy, but when the net showed no water ghouls, I realized something was wrong.” It wasn’t completely false. He did feel some resentful energy. 

     When they get back to the Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian is full of anticipation. He bought his flute and he’s ready to use it. Trying to sneak past Jiang Cheng is futile, but he attempts to anyways. He’ll see in the morning if it worked. 

     He goes into a secluded part of the Cloud Recesses, where no one should be able to hear him. This is such a bad idea. He chides mentally. I can’t believe I’m doing this. Now that he thinks about it, how will he be able to get rid of the corpses once he summons them?

     After thinking about it for a while, he shrugs. If he dies, it’s just another thing off his bucket list. 

    Holding the flute to his lips, he starts playing a melody. He feels a small amount of pain where his golden core is. Must be working then. 

    Suddenly, a corpse rips through the ground. Wei Wuxian flinches back but keeps playing his flute. The corpse slowly gets up from its position of lying down, staring directly at him. Instead of displaying an aggressive nature, the corpse shows obedience, ready to follow his commands. 

     Alright, he sighs, now to put it back. Playing a softer tune, he watches the corpse slowly drag itself back into the ground. 

     When the corpse is completely submerged into the Earth, a rustle of leaves alerts Wei Wuxian’s attention elsewhere. He thinks it’s time to go back to his room. 

     The moment he is about to reach the door of his room, Lan Zhan appears. 

     “Being outside after curfew is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses.” He states with firmness. 

     “If it’s forbidden, why are you outside, Lan Zhan? Eh, you aren’t on patrol duty, aren’t you?” He responds, teasing. His flute is hung on his belt, where Lan Zhan can see it. 

     “Heard flute music.” Lan Zhan is still looking at his flute. 

     Oh, so he went outside to see who was playing the music. “Well, if you liked that, maybe we should do a duet together? You play the guqin, don’t you?” 

     “Mm.” Then he’s gone. 

      Well, that wasn’t a no. 

Chapter Text

     It had been a while since Wei Wuxian arrived at the Cloud Recesses for the first time. It was only several weeks ago that he was dropped off in a boat. He had bonded—bothered—Lan Zhan several times during those days, but Lan Zhan didn’t seem too displeased by his presence. Not only that, but he even listened to Wei Wuxian when he went off on his never-ending stories. 

     Even though to others, he seemed as if he was focused on Lan Zhan only, he was also focused on learning demonic cultivation. He would find a secluded place far away from the buildings and practice. He would make sure he was far away, unlike the first time he tried to use his dizi. Speaking of his dizi, he still hasn’t done that duet with Lan Zhan. He’ll just wait until Lan Zhan brings it up, if he even does. 

     He’s gotten better at demonic cultivation, he doesn’t get scared when the corpse decides to sprint at him. Not scared one bit, he swears. Not only that, but he can raise more than one at a time now, at least ten or more. Now all he needs to do is make them follow his orders down to the last letter. The corpses are following his orders, they’re just sloppy, really sloppy. On the bright side, he can now feel the amount of resentful energy inside each corpse. Although it isn’t very useful, at least he knows how angry each corpse is. 

     Despite knowing all this information, he’s still running from the corpses chasing after him at full speed. There are two rabbits in his arms, both bouncing up and down as he jumps and leaps over tree roots in his way. He knows this scene, he knows eventually he’ll get caught, but he’s defied canon before and maybe he can defy canon again. He can’t get a grip on his fdizi to control the corpses, he’ll get eaten before he can even play a note. 

     He’s ducking under tree branches and running as fast as he can. When he realizes his breathing is getting faster, Wei Wuxian realizes that he’s getting tired. Then his back hits a tree, a corpse standing over him, and he realizes that it’s time to feel pain again. 

     Resentful energy starts to seep into his body, his eyes never leaving the corpse standing in front of him. He berates himself for being so foolish, trying to escape the inevitable. Before it has a chance to cause him pain, he fights to push the resentful energy away. Then he feels a rush of power surge through him and the resentful energy leaves him. The corpse in front of him suddenly explodes from its core, the sight of it gruesome. Then the approaching corpse from behind the other also explodes. Wei Wuxian’s confused, his body slumping onto the tree. 

     There are more corpses approaching him, but he’s too tired to move. 

     Before they could reach him, a slash cuts through all of them, then he hears music. When Wei Wuxian looks up, he sees Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan flying towards him. He can already hear Jiang Cheng’s angry scolding. 

     When they get to his level, Jiang Cheng jumps off his sword and goes straight to grabbing Wei Wuxian’s shoulders. 

     “You idiot!” Jiang Cheng yells, shaking Wei Wuxian, who musters a laugh. “If you were defeated by some inferior corpses you’d be slandering our sect’s name.” He scolds him even more. Wei Wuxian can see how Jiang Cheng looks distressed, he decides not to comment on it. 

     Instead, he looks at Lan Zhan, who has been in the background the entire time Jiang Cheng lectured him. Lan Zhan looks down and sees the corpse remains Wei Wuxian left behind. The remains obviously look different from slashed corpses, which Lan Zhan notices. Wei Wuxian watches as he becomes perturbed, but Lan Zhan stays silent. 

     When Jiang Cheng notices the exploded remains, his eyebrows scrunch but doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he kicks the remains and tells Wei Wuxian that they should get going. Wei Wuxian lets out a sigh of relief, then he starts chattering to Lan Zhan on their way back. He’ll find a place for these rabbits later. 

     They walk into a building where Lan Qiren is retelling the story of the Lan clan founder. Jiang Cheng is by his side. 

     “Brother Jin, who do you think is the fairest?” a Jin clan member asks, curious. 

     Jin Zixuan remains silent, already walking away from the conversation. Wei Wuxian watches Jiang Cheng’s face contort into annoyance. Oh, he remembers, this is going to be about Jiang Yanli. 

     “Leave him out of that question,” another Lanling Jin disciple cut in, “He already has a fiancee, his answer would obviously be her.” 

     “Really? Which fair lady would that be? She must be of sublime talent and beauty!” 

     Jin Zixuan slams his hand on the wall. “Don’t bring that up again.” 

     “What do you mean by that?” Wei Wuxian cuts in. Jiang Yanli was a great character in his opinion. In the end, Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan ended up together. Maybe if he shows Jin Zixuan how great Jiang Yanli can be, then they might get together sooner. He doesn’t know how that’ll end but it’s better to try than not. 

     Jin Zixuan turns his head towards where both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian are. He chuckles at them, “You should ask her which aspect of her even earns my satisfaction.”  

     Mentally scoffing, Wei Wuxian gets closer to Jin Zixuan. “And what makes you think you’ve earned her satisfaction? What makes you think she should be the one to prove herself? Have you ever tried to strengthen your relationship with her? Until you’ve had an actual conversation with her, your opinion is irrelevant. You say she’s plain and boring but that’s how everyone appears until you’ve conversed with them.” Wei Wuxian’s closer now. Pointing a finger at Jin Zixuan’s chest, making sure it digs deep for discomfort. This is better than punching him, although Wei Wuxian somewhat wants to. 

     The others in the room stared in shock at his audacity to talk in such a rude manner to Jin Zixuan. Jin Zixuan, on the other hand, looks at him in surprise. That surprise he shows slowly morphs into anger, then something else. Instead of punching Wei Wuxian, he brushes Wei Wuxian’s hand off and storms away. 

     Wei Wuxian lets out a sigh of relief, he won’t get kicked out of the Cloud Recesses today. 

     【”Avoiding physical conflict.” +40 points!】 The System informs him. 

     Now, Wei Wuxian has about 2,140 points. That might be nowhere near his goal of 10,000, but if he keeps this up maybe he’ll get there. 

     Since he wasn’t kicked out of the Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian has no idea where to go from his current situation. In the book, the original Wei Wuxian returned to Lotus Pier. Since he’s currently no where near Lotus Pier, he might as well do whatever he wants. 

     Immediately, he goes to Lan Zhan. 

     He finds Lan Zhan by himself, which only gives Wei Wuxian space to start a conversation. It wasn’t like Lan Zhan would object anyways. Almost immediately by Lan Zhan’s side, he decides to ask him something.

     “Lan Zhan!” Lan Zhan turns to look at him, only humming quietly in response. “Do you want to duet tonight? I mean, unless you’re busy?” 

     Instead of rejecting him like Wei Wuxian thought, Lan Zhan nods. “Of course.” 

     Wei Wuxian beams at him. “Good!” he exclaims. “I’ll see you later.” Then he’s gone. 

     Wei Wuxian only remembers the most important parts of The Champion of Demonic Cultivation. That’s why he precisely remembers that Lan Zhan loves rabbits. Grabbing the two rabbits from under his bed, he went out into the dark night. 

     If he remembers correctly, there’s a specific part in the back of the mountain in the Cloud Recesses where Lan Zhan and the original Wei Wuxian kept rabbits. Not only that, but it’s farther away than when Wei Wuxian played his flute. He’ll kill two birds with one stone! A place for the rabbits he found, and a place for a duet. Now all he needs to do is find Lan Zhan. 

     He finds Lan Zhan in a short amount of time. Lan Zhan appears to be on night patrol, but that won’t stop Wei Wuxian. 

     “Lan Zhan!” he yells, grabbing his attention. Wei Wuxian is standing on the highest thing he could reach, which was a tree. “Lan Zhan! I found a place we could duet!” The rabbits are held behind his back. 

     Lan Zhan stares at where he stands on the tree. “Cannot leave patrol duty.” He states curtly. 

    “Oho.” Wei Wuxian responds. “Would this—” he quickly reveals both rabbits with flamboyance, “—change your mind?” 

    He watched Lan Zhan stare intently at the rabbits. Then he watched him turn and walk away. 

     “Ah! Lan Zhan! Where are you going?” 

     “...getting my guqin.” 

     Mission accomplished! He can congratulate himself without the System, screw the System. 

     When they reached the specific part of the mountain, Wei Wuxian lets the rabbits run free. Instead of “running free,” they go straight to Lan Zhan. He really feels the love. Despite the utter betrayal of the rabbits, he finds Lan Zhan’s unadulterated enthrallment on the rabbits cute. He watched Lan Zhan carefully set his guqin down and quietly pet the rabbits. Wei Wuxian was content with just watching Lan Zhan. 

     A few minutes pass when Lan Zhan clears his throat and gets gently lifts his guqin into place. Wei Wuxian does the same with his flute. 

     For a while, they’re out of sync, doing their own thing. Then, Wei Wuxian got immersed into Lan Zhan’s music. He could hear the raw emotion in Lan Zhan’s music, something he couldn’t place. Slowly, he joins in, watching Lan Zhan divert his eyes from his guqin to him. If he looked close enough, he thought he could see a smile on Lan Zhan’s face. 

      They indulge in their music, finally playing together. Wei Wuxian’s been listening to Lan Zhan’s song for a little while, so he follows his memory and plays along. Lan Zhan seems to enjoy this, at least Wei Wuxian thinks so, he can’t really tell. The two rabbits lie on either side of Lan Zhan, listening comfortably. 

     When they finish, Wei Wuxian imitates the rabbits and collapses on Lan Zhan. He feels Lan Zhan tense and then relax. Doesn’t Lan Zhan hate physical contact? Oho, he’s already ahead! His friendship levels are through the roof! 

     “Ahh,” he sighs, leaning on Lan Zhan, “that was surprisingly good!” The only response he got from Lan Zhan was a hum. 

     After a few moments of silence, Lan Zhan speaks. “Wei Ying.” It takes Wei Wuxian aback, but then he realizes that if he calls Lan Zhan by his given name then why shouldn’t he return the favor? “Are you attending the Discussion Conference?” 

     Oh, yeah, the Discussion Conference. That’s where he meets many cool characters, and the Wens. Although Wen Ning is cool too. Since he hasn’t been kicked out of the Cloud Recesses, things will progress differently. That’s a good thing, right? 

     “Oh, yeah.” He responds to Lan Zhan after a beat. He isn’t as good at archery as the original Wei Wuxian was. Hopefully the spirit of the original can guide him through the competition, or else he’ll probably impale himself on his own arrow.