Thread by @luuuunadiane

(mentions of abuse, reincarnation)

post-canon. wwx cultivates a golden core and lengthens his own lifespan like the twin jades do. jc dies, and wwx searches for his reincarnation for years and years, lwj following behind him dutifully.

16 years after jc's death, wwx finds him.

https://twitter.com/luuuunadiane/status/1388833335833776135

A skinny, bony youth of 16 years, identical in appearance to wwx's late shidi, dressed in plain robes fitting his status as an ordinary commoner, also called A-Cheng. wwx is overjoyed and runs up to hug him, telling him that he is the reincarnation of sdss, missing the way he

flinches. wwx knows this is jc reincarnated when he finds out that A-Cheng is the village's dog trainer and caretaker. Even though wwx is still afraid of dogs, he will endure it to have jc back.

A-Cheng is quiet and deferential, reminding wwx of a young jc, especially when he

was around his parents or older figures of authority like lqr. wwx laughs and pinches his cheek, telling him to lighten up, that he can be more carefree around his xian-gege. wwx buys him gifts and snacks, bringing him around the marketplace and getting him some of jc's favourite

and the spicy food they used to gobble down as boys. A-Cheng is very cute, with none of the barbed tongue his previous self had, and wwx wonders if this is what jc would have been like without being sect heir, without the influence of jfm and yzy, sweet and compliant.

wwx slings his arm around A-Cheng's shoulder and tells him how cute he is. A-Cheng's polite smile strains a little.

When wwx shows up the next day looking for him, the kindly landlady who employed and rented out a room to A-Cheng angrily tells wwx to leave. wwx is confused and

manages to barge his way to A-Cheng's room, asking him to come out, wwx wants to treat him again today, buy him new things, but the door doesn't budge and he's dragged downstairs. lwj rescues him, glaring at the townsfolk, and pulls at wwx's hand suggesting they leave.

wwx doesn't give up, though, and keeps trying to contact A-Cheng, sending messages to his window via paperman, buying cute little gifts and having them delivered, but A-Cheng doesn't reply, cooped up in his room without leaving for several days. wwx tries to convince the landlady

who delivers trays of food to A-Cheng's room to take a message but she scrunches up the piece of paper and tosses it away. "He's not for sale." She seethes, eyes searing into wwx, "if you want a whore, go to a brothel."

wwx is flabbergasted, he never meant that - he doesn't want to do -that- with A-Cheng, but nothing he says makes a difference, nothing lwj tries produces a different result.

"You think everyone in this town is blind?" The landlady eventually sneers. "We all saw how you pulled

A-Cheng around like he was a pet. How you bought him gifts and touched him all over like he was your property, the way you tried to drug him with that powder of yours."

"The mala sauce?!" wwx splutters, "but that's just a condiment-"

"He told me it numbed his tongue and his

cheeks, that he couldn't feel anything, don't lie, you filthy lecher! He doesn't belong to you, now scram before I get my chopping knife!"

"B-But if he felt so uncomfortable-" wwx scrambles for his words, "why didn't he just tell me?"

"You have no idea what he's been through at the hands of people like you." She hissed, looking like she wants to say more before ultimately holding herself back, as if deeming wwx unworthy of her thoughts. "Now get out. And if I see you bothering him again I'll castrate you."