Chapter Text
It was just supposed to be a fun project, something for them to do to feel close, like sworn siblings, but without creating more ammunition for rumors of Uncle Jiang being unfaithful. Now they were stuck. They were stuck as cubs, tiger cubs, staring blankly at each other with huge limpid, amber eyes and thick, puffy fur. Jiang Cheng, Shijie, and Wei Wuxian himself were white, orange, and black, respectively. Graceful black markings --- white instead on Wei Wuxian ---, like strokes of an inked brush could be distinguished among the fur, if blurred by the baby down texture. Wei Wuxian watched as Jiang Cheng took a few wobbling steps up and over to Shijie, clearly trying to make sure the slightly older-looking cub was alright, though what he could do about their situation was questionable. Wei Wuxian did his best to scamper over to her too, though he took a small tumble, headfirst, that left Jiang Cheng’s feline face twisted too much along the lines of smug for him to let go. So, he bit his shidi’s ear. More a playful tug than anything that could draw blood, but it did the trick, and Jiang Cheng stumbled after Wei Wuxian as he darted away as well as his clumsy limbs would allow. They ended up collapsing in a tumble of growls straight onto the familiar shoes of Madame Yu.
The cubs stared at the Violet Spider and she back at them, silence reigning before Yanli’s hackles stood straight up and she too wobbled over and hovered protectively around her siblings. She didn’t mewl or growl or make any sound. Just stared at her mother defiantly while her mother stared blankly back.
“Yanli?” she guessed tentatively, not quite sure it was her daughter among the ball of tri-colored fur at her feet. It certainly hadn't been what she had expected to find when she heard the servants whispering about her children and ward darting off to this mostly unused guest room overlooking the river. It had once been for her mother-in-law, Min Yeli, before she passed quietly in her sleep about a year into Madame Yu’s marriage to Fengmian. The woman was kind, soft spoken, but with spine and tongue as hardened as any spiritual sword when her loved ones were threatened, so much like her own daughter. She silently mourned her never getting to meet her first grandchild, the same child turned cub now at her feet. The young tigress, still protectively hovering over her frozen charges, finally blinked and squeakily yowled to her mother in confirmation. With that, Yu Ziyuan cussed, shocking the trio beneath her, and making their eyes go impossibly wider.
She stepped out the room briefly, calling over a passing servant down the hall to bring her husband over, along with a large basket and some blankets, before rejoining the children --- cubs --- and sitting herself tiredly upon the bed.
“Are you able to turn back?” she asked with barely conceal trepidation, to which she received a disheartening triple head shake in the negative. She sighed and moved to kneel before the three, plucking up her son after some thought, and depositing him into her lap, her fingers carding through his fur in a soothing manner, more for reassuring herself than her still-shocked progeny. Wei Wuxian meanwhile peeked meekly out from his hiding spot beneath his Shijie’s legs. Yanli promptly scooped him back beneath her, going as far as to pin him beneath her weight by laying upon him, very obviously staking her claim of protection upon him. Yu Ziyuan was more than sure that, while it might have been her ward’s idea originally, it was most likely her daughter who encouraged it with the goal to bring the boy further into their family unit. The fact that all three ended up having the exact same form, save for the coloration differences, attests rather blatantly towards their commitment towards each other, something only seen among close children of the same bloodline or childhood sworn siblings --- sworn siblings like her and her friend Zhuyuan, now Madame Jin, matriarch of the Jin sect and wife of the Jin Sect Leader.
She could hear the fast-paced footsteps of her husband quickly approaching before he yanked open the door, basket and blankets in hand and a harried look in his eyes, probably assuming all sorts of odd and dire scenarios. All except for the one before him. Four pairs of eyes turned to him while he took in the scene of his wife with three tigers cubs, each with different coats, one of which, the white, was in her lap and looking spooked and desperate to be saved if his widened eyes, as large as lotus seedpods, were anything to go by. The orange tigress remained hovering over the black one, giving him a rather human-like defiant look, so reminiscent of his mother in the past that it quickly occurred to him as to why the cub looked so familiar.
“Yanli?” he questioned, an echo of his wife’s earlier inquiry. The tigress huffed in confirmation and the sect leader sank slowly to the floor, the ridiculousness of the situation only now registering and startling a somewhat relieved laugh out of him, which garnered a scolding look from his wife that only made the situation seem even more hilarious in comparison. Pride bloomed in his heart as he took in the forms of his children, none of whom could be taken as anything less than seriously anymore by both their peers and elders. He gathered the remaining cubs into his arms and sat down next to his wife, staring proudly down at all three, reaching over occasionally to pet the soft fur of each in a hazy sense of awe. So young and already these three had achieved the impossible, living well up to the motto of their home. So young, and yet they were already aware enough of their strengths and flaws and hearts to clutch and make real such forms, such sacred and powerful ones at that, much as the cloud-like cubs belied --- for now.
Cubs, my children, my ward even, so dedicated in each other too, that they all gained such a gift, Fengmian mused dazedly He truly was blessed. And for the moment, he let himself and his wife bask in this happy, if astonishing, stretch of time. Soon, they would bundle the children into the basket and take them to the rarely-used practice array, the one specifically built to help reverse the transformation for much older youths --- all exceptional disciples in their own right for belonging to the selective handful of their generation to obtain a Shouhua form --- who got stuck in as their animals. Soon, they would celebrate. Soon, he and his wife would whisper in the night as they lay in bed and plan, hopefully, for a bright future.
Life after that for the trio is hectic, filled to the brim with a formal sworn sibling ceremony, new additional lessons on controlling their forms, and further even more about all the known information on tigers and their behavior. In time, they will have an official reveal of their animal forms, especially now that the gossip had made its full rounds all over Yunmeng. This is, in part, due to the continued incidents of the brothers chasing each other into full-on tussles that inevitably end in their shifting, and perhaps also that one dog incident that had Wei Wuxian throw himself bodily into the river to escape it before Jiang Yanli decided to transform and attack the persistent canine and force it to leave. The locals have even proudly given the three an official-unofficial title of the Yunmeng Sanhu, quite literally “The Three Tigers of Yunmeng.” The Violet Spider is said to be especially proud of not only how early her three charges have mastered a skill most fail to accomplish within a lifetime but also how powerful they have all grown to be, and can be often seen subtly bragging about their progress.
Not all is well of course. Not even a few weeks after the dog incident, Madame Yu received her sworn sister, Madame Jin, accompanied by her son Jin Zixuan, as a guest. The servants don’t know much, only that when they go to clean up after Madame Jin’s abrupt departure, several tea cups are broken and Madame Yu can be seen been training by herself for several hours nonstop with Zidian until her husband comes to collect her, murmuring in her ear soothingly as he escorts her back to the family wing. An awkward hush falls over Lotus Pier until sometime later when a letter arrives with an invitation to visit Madame Jin. Upon her return from the visit, Madame Yu seems far more relaxed and the two continue their friendly correspondence once more. That afternoon, however, she surprised Yanli with the information that her betrothal to Jin Zixuan is still intact; thankfully, she also mentioned that should he or his mother say anything disparaging about her tiger form that she should inform her mother at once. Yanli agreed, seeming to understand why, even though neither brother quite recognized what the Madame meant by it.
Meanwhile, despite only being around 12 himself, letters of inquiry towards a betrothal start arriving for the young sect heir once word of his form make their rounds, triggering a round of teasing from his shixiong before he, too, is informed he has been getting a few tentative offers himself, especially since after the sworn siblinghood ceremony. His bright blush and stuttering confusion set off another round of teasing, this time from Jiang Cheng, which eventually, and inevitably, devolves into yet more wrestling in their feline forms, forms that are rapidly gaining in size and coordination, slowly but surely over taking their sister’s own. This particular time leads to the pair tumbling clear off the pier, and they needed to be fished back up and dried off before yet another visit by a much too curious minor sect leader. Gifts presented to the trio now seem to be all tiger and lotus themed as well, some gaudy but a few are received favorably by each of them.
Madame Yu commissions a painting of the three, in their future adult animal forms, swimming among lotus blooms and accompanied, quite strangely, by a black-winged kite, perched on a bloom, and a single male mandarin duck in the background. It is placed in the Entrance Hall for all to see. Jiang Fengmian gifts each a jade pendant in their corresponding fur colors to hang on the cord of their bells. It features a tiger curled protectively around a lotus blossom. Madame Jin even sends Yanli a shawl with a beautifully embroidered depiction of her feline form, posed in recline, and surrounded by lotus blooms and peonies. Wei Wuxian comments she should have just put a peacock on it, which has his Shijie scolding him and reminding him that Jin Zixuan does not yet have a Shouhua form. Meishan Yu Sect even seems to get in on the gifting by sending each of the three a dagger, an emblem of three tigers twining around each other in a circle on the sheathes, an obvious gift to congratulate them on their new official sibling relationship. As if all that wasn’t enough, Wei Wuxian starts to notice that any new clothes from the seamstress seem to have acquired subtle tiger stripes in the fabric for each of them. Nothing too obvious as they don’t seem to be visible except by texture or in a certain light. They are the same color as whatever the robe is, but they make Wei Wuxian’s face color slightly when he notices before he brushes it off and points it out to Jiang Cheng, who had yet to make the connection. Their transformations have certainly changed many aspects of their lives to various degrees.
Around the time they are finally granted their sword, another gift is bestowed upon each: a sword tassel with two carved beads, this time not in their own colorations but of each other's. It had been Yanli’s idea: “To honor our bond,” she had said. Their gaining of their Shouhua forms had begun, or at least visibly solidified, how they had felt, after all. Shouldn’t they have a symbol that even far apart, they would be together and family?
Jiang Cheng, who had been so happy at first at the notion had soured at that thought, complaining but mostly asking if they had planned to leave Lotus Pier, a tinge of insecurity in his tone. Yanli had taken his hands in hers.
“One day I will marry, A-Cheng, whether it is to Jin Zixuan or not, this is irrefutable. I will not remain in Lotus Pier though it will always be my home. Perhaps A-Xian will stay but,” She had moved to pull Wei Wuxian’s hand into hers as well, “It may not be possible. At the very least, others may question his staying based off his form alone.” Both made a sound of protest at this before she shushed them. “This may or may not come to be, but it is best to remember. A-Xian will always be welcome, I genuinely believe that. Let them say what they will but we cannot deny the possibility. A-Xian has been asked after for marriage propositions already. Many are already telling mother and father that two tigers in our sect will only bring conflict.” Both boys felt a little helpless after their sister’s explanation and subconsciously remained side by side the entire rest of the day, not quite clinging to each other but needing the reassuring presence of one another. Yanli made them soup that night and the boys had shared a bed again, even though it had been years since they had been provided separate rooms.
About a month later they had been tasked by Madame Yu to retrieve a gift in town she had commissioned on behalf of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect to the Gusu Lan Sect. The Twin Jades had both acquired their Shouhua forms, both of which had formally been announced to be cranes. The younger of the two was even rumored to be a strong candidate for ascension due to his fully white plumage. She had decided it only right that Fengmian take the three with him to not only bestow the gift but to “offer their insight as seniors of the Art.” Secretly, Wei Wuxian thought she was only trying to goad the aged elders of the Lan Clan, as very few had obtained their own Shouhua forms. Of the recent generations before the Twin Jades, only Lan Qiren and his brother, the Sect Leader, were known to have obtained an animal shape, and even they had only achieved theirs after they became official adults. As per usual, however, wherever the Yunmeng Sanhu go, chaos is sure to follow. This time though, it was Yanli’s fault.
Yanli hadn't meant to cause trouble but it seemed today she would have to let it come to her. Before her, spitting mad, and growing redder with it every second, was a Gusu Elder, of whom she didn’t care to remember the name, who had had the audacity to start commenting on her sworn siblinghood, and not in any positive manner. It had only devolved from there.
Behind her, and hiding behind his fan, was the second-in-line heir of the Nie Sect, Nie Huaisang. He clung to the back of her robes, his grip tightly clenched in the fabric, hands trembling, while his eyes, peeking over the edge of the oiled paper, were so impossibly wide that they looked seconds away from popping straight out of his head. She had yet to conclude if it was due to anger towards the elder or genuine fear, though. She had only been meaning to take a small walk --- her brothers were busy chatting adamantly with the elder Nie heir over the differences between sword forms and saber forms --- in order to escape the banquet crowd. She had happened upon a turned-around Nie Huaisang, who was more than happy to have someone with a better sense of direction with him. She had been leading him back to the Banquet Hall when she had come across a group of Elders chatting disparagingly about: first, her mother’s gift, next, her father bringing A-Xian, and then, the “scandalous” and “inappropriate” nature of her own bond with the boy. That had been the point at which she could no longer simply stand by passively. Rude as it was, she could not help but impulsively butt in.
“Jiang Yanli of Yunmeng Jiang greets esteemed Elders,” she interjected impeccably politely, if slightly on the stiff side, during a momentary lull in their conversation. Although she gave them a bow befitting of both her and their stations, she certainly made no effort to hold it for longer than a brief instant, just shy of being discourteous. After barely giving them the time to give a perfunctory response, she calmly but firmly stated, “Yanli believes she might have broken one of the rules of the Cloud Recesses and would like to ask esteemed elders for guidance.”
Somewhat taken aback at the sudden request, but seemingly pleased at how proactive and reasonable the young lady of Jiang Clan appeared despite the tales of her recent activities, the target Elder imperiously patronized, “Of course Maiden Jiang may! Such deference and consideration should be encouraged in refined young ladies; and less desirable qualities should be eliminated before they take root.”
Pasting on a hollow smile --- not that the old men cared to see the disingenuity --- Yanli then confessed seemingly earnestly, “I accidentally eavesdropped on a group of people who were gossiping about someone behind their backs. They were speaking extremely unpleasant things, and I tried my best not to listen. However, they were so loud and the surroundings so quiet, I could not help but overhear.”
Hearing her explanation, all the elders gave condescending smirks but attempted to maintain a reassuring air. The same Elder who replied before waved his hand as if to dissipate her claim and loftily declared, “Maiden Jiang need not fret. The ones at fault would be the group she had the misfortune to pass by that time.” While saying so, he displayed an exaggerated frown, as if he believed children couldn’t interpret subtle facial expressions, and proceeded to huff, “Those miscreants actually had the gall to break not one but three rules at once!”
Yanli gave a dramatic gasp, excessively widening her eyes both to convey false horror and seem more vulnerable. An inflated reaction for your inflated ego, old man, she thought sardonically, not that you seem smart enough to understand the insult. Outwardly, she prompted in an incredulous tone, “Three rules?!”
Nodding self-importantly, the Elder listed, “Gossiping is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses; excess noise is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses; and speaking ill of others behind their backs is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses.” Then, he snorted and pompously proclaimed, “Why, if they were Gusu disciples, then they’d deserve 300 strikes with the Discipline Ruler each at the minimum. However, if they were guests, we would need to let it go because of the rules of hospitality.”
“Oh! Then we must report this incident immediately!” exclaimed Yanli. Suddenly, she dropped her cordial façade, her voice becoming frigid and pointed as she articulated, “Esteemed Elders broke three rules ridiculing and making a mockery of the relationships within my family, which they had no right to do even beyond the bounds of the Cloud Recesses. Esteemed Elders have admitted themselves that such a breach in conduct deserves at least 300 strikes from the Discipline Ruler each at the very least. Therefore, we must go report your violations so you may take your due punishments and set proper examples for future generations like the true Gusu Lan Elders you are supposed to be.” Countenance grim, she never once let her steadfast and defiant gaze waver from that of the dumbfounded Elders.
At first, they couldn’t seem to do more than gape at her. Yanli could feel little Huaisang move closer to her back, using her slightly taller build to hide himself, his hand clutching her dress unwaveringly, though it was not quite visible from the Elders’ perspectives. Then, the leader of the group abruptly turned a glowing red, face twisting in fury and swung at her, hand clenched in a fist. Nie Huaisang yelped and tripped backwards, his hand on the back of her robe tightening and pulling her down along with him and out of the range of the blow. They both collapsed on the walk with an astonishingly reverberant thud.
From inside the Banquet Hall she could hear a questioning tone filter out and several figures start making their way hurriedly in their direction as she picked both herself and the younger Nie up off the ground, dusting off some of the dirt that had collected on the boy’s sleeves and handing him his dropped fan. She then turned back towards the infuriated group of Gusu Elders, straightening her posture and staring them all down silently, Nie Huaisang once more at her back, fan open and covering his expression.
The first of those from the banquet to arrive are, of course, her brothers, followed closely by Nie Mingjue and her father. A few others, including a man in Jin sect robes, not the sect leader but obviously from the same generation, hovered just beyond their immediate vicinity, as they had purposely slowed and hung back. The Twin Jades and their Uncle start parting the crowd to make their way to the front, no doubt delayed by being so far into the Hall. They now have a crowd of onlookers which pin the Elders in place, unable to simply walk away without being more suspicious for it.
“Jiejie?!” her brothers chorus, reaching her first and checking her over for themselves.
“A-Li, are you alright? We heard a noise.” Her father worriedly asks as he catches up. Nie Mingjue hangs back, not quite ready to pull his brother off his protector but surveying him for damage from a distance.
Fixating upon the group of three who had spoken, particularly upon Yanli’s father, the head Elder of the group pointed accusingly at the young girl and hissed with unbridled vitriol, “A fine little missy you’ve raised, Sect Leader Jiang, for her to believe slandering her elders to their faces is acceptable behavior!”
An appalled hush fell over the crowd as those further from the epicenter craned their necks to better watch the drama. Nonplussed, Jiang Fengmian bowed low and apologized, “I beg pardon for any offense esteemed Elders received from my daughter. I must also ask for great esteemed Elders’ benevolence, for my child is still young and lacks knowledge still on the ways of the world.”
Unable the stomach her honorable and respected father bowing to such hypocrites, Yanli tilted her head inquiringly and innocently enunciated for the onlookers, “If Gusu Lan, the paragon of the cultivation world, permits the slander of their guests’ families behind their backs, then I don’t understand how slander to one’s face can be considered wrong.” Shocked and agitated whispers broke out amongst the crowd, but they were quickly drowned out by the roar of outrage from the group of Gusu Elders.
While the leader of the Elders had been rendered mute and quivering from the humiliation, the rest of his entourage’s lingering composure shattered, and they began hurling abuse towards Yanli.
“How dare you speak ill of your elders!”
“You obviously lack proper parental guidance!”
“What unseemly behavior from a noble-born lady! It’s no wonder, I suppose, with your mother and your anima---!”
“Excess noise is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses,” Lan Qiren gritted out thunderously, uncaring of the aghast and mutinous glares thrown his way by his own clan’s Elders. While it was certainly frowned upon to cast the Lan Clan Silencing Spell on one’s elders, Lan Qiren was confident his ancestors can forgive him in this case. Turning to the Jiang Sect Leader and the young boys he was holding unyieldingly by the shoulders, he solemnly clasped his hands and gave a bow deeper than the one Jiang Fengmian gave before. Then, he faced the Young Maiden Jiang and gave a deeper bow still. “I apologize for my clansmen’s unsightly conduct. I hope you do not let this taint your view of Gusu Lan as a whole.”
Smiling softly and giving a much more respectful salute than what she had given the Elders, Yanli explained, “I would never hold the impropriety of a few against the many. However, I would like to clarify the situation, if Master Lan would allow.” When she received assent, she continued, “Earlier, Yanli was escorting Second Young Master Nie back to the banquet hall, since I happened upon him on my walk and he had lost his way. Partway there, we happened to overhear these esteemed Elders---” when referring to the Elders, her tone took on a momentary sarcastic lilt, and she even paused to add insult to injury “---making incredibly offensive remarks against my family. When I approached and confronted them about it, this Elder tried to physically strike me.” She singled out the Elder in question.
Jiang Fengmian’s jaw visibly tightened. Conversely, his grip on his two glowering charges loosened.
Brow furrowed, Nie Mingjue unexpectedly addressed Huaisang, growling, “Is what she said true?”
Nodding franticly, Nie Huaisang squeaked out, “It’s as she said! It’s all true! He even tried to hit her with a closed fist! It’s only good luck I ended up tripping both of us at that moment.” He winced sheepishly towards the end of his brief speech when his older brother glared at him in consternation over the “tripping” part.
Immediately following Nie Huaisang’s support, the crowd exploded anew into a frenzy of louder murmurs. It was clear no one was on the Gusu Elders’ side, now.
The only Elder who hadn’t been silenced, since he was already stunned into silence earlier, all of a sudden seemed to gather his lost wits and screeched desperately, “Lies! All lies! Is this how the Jiang and Nie Clans teach their children?! Have you all forgotten about Gusu Lan’s well-deserved credibility?! Do you all not remember that the girl is a tigress?! Tigresses are aggressive, demanding, and unreasonable! She’s clearly trying to garner favor from you all to make us look bad since we didn’t condone her earlier appalling etiquette!”
Fed up with old men attempting to accuse his beloved sister, Jiang Cheng shifted and, with a deafening roar, charged at the Elders. They shrieked, the silencing spell worn off, and sprinted away, rules about running forgotten. He took off in pursuit, shadowed quickly by Wei Wuxian who veered slightly to cut the men off further along the trail. A new series of screams could be heard when he catches up to them, most likely not having seen him until the last moment. A giggle bubbles up from Yanli when she hears their miserable shrieks before she cuts herself off and glances at her father. Sect Leader Jiang stepped forward, pulling his daughter protectively closer to himself before patting her head.
“You did well, A-Li.” She beamed up at him.