In-laws

"I have been asked to go to Changsha for a meeting with the southern cultivators. I will be gone for three months," Lan XiChen said one day.

"Oh," Xie XiYue said, his head falling despondently onto his chest.

Lan XiChen lifted his head with his hand. "You are coming with me... Along with some other disciples. We will take cultivation cases as we travel. It will be good practise for you. My uncle Lan QiRen will manage Cloud Recesses while we are gone."

Xie XiYue shone like the rising sun. "Really? I can go with you?"

"Yes. And... we will be fairly close by to Guilin and I thought..."

"Guilin, my home town? I haven't seen my parents in such a long time. Do you think I could visit there when you have your summit? It will take me a few weeks there and back from Changsha, faster if I take a horse."

"I was thinking that I would go, too. Talk to your father, ask for his permission—"

"His permission! You mean...?" Xie XiYue could hardly believe his ears.

"Yes. I want you to be mine," Lan XiChen said, his heart in his eyes.

Xie XiYue whirled around, his hands on his face, his shoulders shaking.

"My XiYue... my joy..." Lan XiChen said, alarmed, and turned him back around. Xie XiYue's face was streaming with tears and he shook like a leaf in a gale.

"You... you want to... me? You..." Xie XiYue's face split into a blissful smile, and threw himself into Lan XiChen's arms. "Yes! Yes yes yes!"

Lan XiChen smiled, relieved, touched and a little amused. "I love you, XiYue."

"I love you! So much!" Xie XiYue lifted his head, his face shining, even though tears of joy were still falling from his eyes. Then... "Oh, no. My parents...!"

Two months later, Lan XiChen was sitting in front of Xie XiYue's parents, his hands grabbing his knees in a case of nerves. "Master Xie... I understand this will be a surprise to you, but I hope you can listen to me with an open heart."

"Surely a man as distinguished as the clan leader of clan Lan of Gusu can talk to a humble man such as myself about anything. Especially after you have taken such good care of my son. He looks healthy and happy," the older man said proudly, looking over his son who did indeed look radiant, if quite nervous.

Lan XiChen breathed in and then out, slowly. "I would like to... that is... I hope you will allow me to take care of Xie XiYue forever."

"Oh, you want to continue your cultivation career, son? You weren't sure of that before you went to Cloud Recesses."

"That is not exactly what I meant," Lan XiChen said softly. "I would like to make you an offer of marriage."

"But I only have sons?" the older man said, confused.

Lan XiChen closed his eyes for a moment. "I know. Xie XiYue is your second youngest. I meant... an offer for the hand of Xie XiYue."

Xie XiYue's father gaped and his wife gasped. "An offer... of marriage... for my son? But but...! You're both men!"

Lan XiChen bent his head. "It is rare, yes."

"Oh! Your brother! And that... the Yiling patriarch," Xie XiYue's mother said, taken aback.

Lan XiChen bent his head again. "Yes. If you give me your permission, I will take Xie XiYue as my cultivation partner and cherish him forever."

"But we would never have heirs. Neither would you," the older man argued.

"Xie XiYue is not your only son. As for me... my brother has an adopted son. I am quite content for him to inherit."

"We can also adopt," Xie XiYue said softly, and the look that Lan XiChen and Xie XiYue exchanged shook Xie XiYue's parents to their core.

"Is this what you want, son? To break with tradition so openly?"

"Yes, father. I love Lan Huan... He is the best man I know and we are very happy together. Please, father..."

The parents looked at each other, still unsure.

"If you can, we would want you to come to Cloud Recesses with us, so you can see how well Xie XiYue is treated. Everyone loves him for his kind and generous heart," Lan XiChen said softly.

"It's so far!" Xie XiYue's mother exclaimed.

"We can travel by carriage so it will not be too taxing. You will come, then?" Lan XiChen said hopefully.

Two months later later, Xie XiYue was fidgeting like he was sitting on a bed of ants. "What if your bother doesn't approve?" he finally voiced his worries.

"You forget, WangJi has a husband of his own," Lan XiChen said gently, pulling Xie XiYue into his arms.

"Yes, but I'm a nobody!"

"You are not nobody, never say that again! You are an accomplished disciple and you will be a great cultivator. And you are the man I love."

Xie XiYue blushed, and settled in Lan XiChen's lap. "Say that again," he said softly.

Lan XiChen opened his mouth to do just that, when he was interrupted by a cough. They both turned to the door.

Lan WangJi was practically smirking, and Wei WuXian pretended to scowl. "What was so urgent you had to send an urgent messenger to bring us back?" he complained. "We were in Lotus Pier, eating a really good dinner, and we had to drop it all to rush here." 

Wei WuXian pulled Lan WangJi to sit on the other side of the low table in front of Lan XiChen and Xie XiYue, and sat in his lap, adjusting his robes regally.

"We have something to tell you. But let us eat first," Lan XiChen said, not even blinking an eye at Wei WuXian claiming Lan WangJi's lap, and gestured to the table. It was laden with softly steaming dishes, and Lan XiChen uncovered the first container with a flourish.

Wei WuXian eyes widened. He reached for the dish, ladled some in his own bowl, and tasted it. "When did this happen?" he exclaimed. "The food is actually edible now! When did you discover herbs and spices? And how did you get that old gnome to agree?" He clapped happily and started to uncover the other dishes, piling his bowl with a generous helping from each.

Lan XiChen smiled faintly. "Xie XiYue cooked for me when I was suffering from a poor appetite and it didn't seem fair that I could enjoy such fare and the others couldn't. Our old head cook retired a few weeks ago, so it was time for something new."

"You're to thank for this?" Wei WuXian gestured at the fragrant food in front of them and then at Xie XiYue. "I love you!"

Both Lan XiChen and Lan Zhan glared at him and Xie XiYue turned pink. Wei WuXian chuckled weakly. "I mean I love Xie XiYue like a brother..." Then his mischievous side surfaced. "When's the wedding?"

Lan XiChen coughed. "Well, actually... I have secured the consent from Xie XiYue's parents, and we are to be wed soon."

"I was joking...!" Wei WuXian said, his jaw dropping open.

"Congratulations, brother," Lan WangJi said placidly, and when Lan XiChen looked at him, Lan WangJi nodded and Lan XiChen relaxed.

"It is actually Xie XiYue's mother who is to thank for the meal. Xie XiYue's parents and two of his brothers came here to Cloud Recesses with us. She is a great cook and she has given advise to our new head cook." 

Xie XiYue's oldest brother had remained in Guilin to look after the family home. His wife was pregnant again, and neither wanted to make the journey, but they had given the happy couple their  best wishes for the wedding.

"Xie XiYue's family is here and you have not introduced us?" Lan WangJi asked.

"You only just arrived, and we wanted to tell you the news first," Lan XiChen said. "You will meet them at the feast tonight."

"So we had to rush here just to hear this news?" Wei WuXian said around a mouth full of food. "You could have just sent a message."

"The ceremony will be in ten days and we wanted—"

"The ceremony? The wedding ceremony? You mean in front of people?" Wei WuXian asked. Lan WangJi glanced at him, wondering why he sounded so upset.

"Yes, we went to get the most auspicious—" But again Lan XiChen was interrupted.

"Lan Zhan! Why do they get a wedding and we didn't??!"

"Our uncle, he did not approve, we thought it best..."

"Does he approve of you now?" Wei WuXian asked, turning to Lan XiChen accusingly.

"No, not as such, but —"

"Then why?! They've known each other only a few months. I died! You mourned me for thirteen years! We fought all the clans together! Surely we deserve it more than they did!"

"Wei Ying... It's not a matter of deserving... Lan XiChen is the head of the clan, he is expected to —" Lan WangJi said, his hand rubbing Wei WuXian's back in an effort to calm him, but it wasn't working.

"I DIED, Lan Zhan!" Wei WuXian's voice suddenly bore the full weight of the sacrifice he had made, that they both had made, and Lan XiChen flinched. "Lan Zhan... I just want to stand next to the man I love and pledge my life to him in sight of everyone. Can't we have that?"

Lan WangJi had never seen Wei WuXian like this. He glanced at his brother in a mute appeal.

Xie XiYue had followed this with an open mouth and he now turned and whispered something in Lan XiChen's ear.

"Are you sure?" Lan XiChen asked and Xie XiYue nodded. "A double wedding, then," Lan XiChen said softly.

"A what?" Wei WuXian repeated, hardly believing his ears.

"We will have a double ceremony," Lan XiChen said again. Xie XiYue nodded happily beside him. "We will calculate the date again, one that benefits all four—"

"We will get married, Lan Zhan!" Wei WuXian crowed, jubilant.

"We already did, we prostrated three times—"

"A real wedding! We will decorate this place in red, and we need red robes... Oh, Lan Zhan... you will look so handsome! We will have to send Jiang Cheng an urgent messenger..."

"We already did—" Lan XiChen tried to get a word in, but to no avail.

Wei WuXian rambled on about the wedding plans, clinging joyfully to Lan WangJi, pausing every now often to plant kisses all over his face. When Wei WuXian finally ran out of steam, and could only sit there, radiant and jubilant, Lan WangJi lifted his hand on his face.

"I never knew you wanted a wedding this badly," he murmured.

"I didn't know. At first, we were so happy, what was a ceremony to us? We were free and alive and together and that was all I wanted. But then... If I had asked you, would you have said yes?"

"I would give you the world, Wei Ying." Lan WangJi gazed at his beloved, still hardly believing they could be so happy. And now a wedding! His heart swelled and he looked at his brother with infinite gratitude. 

"All I want is you, Lan Zhan." Wei Ying thought for a moment. "And Lil Apple. And this wedding. And good food. But that's all."

Lan WangJi smiled softly. "You have me, Wei Ying. Forever."

"Forever. I love that word. My darling Lan Zhan..."

—

A/N:

I decided to have Xie XiYue's roots to be in the south of China since he's described as having a warm golden toned skin. I'm sure Chinese have a wider range of skin tones than these shows tend to show, with their preference for very pale people. All skin tones are beautiful, and I wanted to bring in a bit of diversity. Xie XiYue is described as 'almost plump' for the same reason, and I imagine him to be a fluffy cinnamon roll in all senses of the word, happy, golden and rounded. Since I know next to nothing of the demographics in China, I set Xie XiYue's roots in the south, where, if need be, his family might have come from South East Asia a few generations ago.

As the distances are vast in China, I edited an earlier chapter where Xie XiYue's home town was initially mentioned to be Yunnan province, and moved it a little further north, to Guilin, for the simple fact that I have actually visited Guilin. It is a beautiful city set in some extraordinary scenery, which in fact reminded me of Thailand and the white rock formations it is famous for.

Gusu, the location of Cloud Recesses is somewhere near Shanghai, about 1500 km north east of Changsha, where the cultivation summit is taking place. From there it's a relatively short hop to Guilin (only 500 km, or roughly 10 days on foot).

The source for the location of Gusu, and other places in The Untamed is from here:https://avenuex.ca/blog/2019/9/12/places-of-the-untamed-where-they-are-in-the-real-world

The distances and how long it would take to travel it all on foot are guesstimates. If that all doesn't seem feasible to you, I might remind you that this is all fiction...

The gif is from a scene where Wei Ying takes Lan Zhan to the ancestral hall of his adopted parents and they prostrate in front of their spirits. It is the first step in the 'prostrating three times' marriage, even though Wei Ying at this point wasn't quite aware of his feelings for Lan Zhan. It clearly means a lot more to Lan Zhan at this point.

Almost there now, only one chapter left.