KkHow is JC a victim? Facing the consequences of his own decisions doesn't make him a victim. He even gets away with most of his shit. He's in no way a victim, he's one of the villains of the novel, who's so jealous of WWX he chooses to lie to the cultivation world and claim WWX declared himself the enemy of all the sects, when WWX never said that. He is always putting WWX down and dismissing both his brilliance and his hurts.
JC and his mother say JFM favours WWX, but the actual actions of the characters in the novel contradict this. JFM allowed his wife to frequently whip WWX pretty for minor things or even no reason at all, that's an adult whipping a f*cking child. It doesn't matter that she's not WWX's mother, no one is asking her to be, but she's being an awful human by doing this. The novel states that JFM tried to teach JC about their sect many times and in many ways, but JC, like his mother just didn't learn. JFM comforts JC gently when he's sad, which is stated in the text of the novel. He reprimands JC when he says WWX should leave the sect heirs and disciples from the indoctrination camp (which includes JC himself, actually) to die, which any parent who gives a shit about their kids would do, teaching one's child is a parents job. If a parent doesn't correct their child when they say shit like this, they are doing a terrible job.
He praises WWX because WWX did something deserving of praise - he killed a legendary 400 year old monster - that's not favoritism.
He says WWX can choose whether he goes to the Wen Indoctrination camp or not, if he actually favored WWX he wouldn't have let him go. He let's WWX choose because he knows WWX will go and take care of JC. JC is obligated to go because the Wen sect demanded a blood related clan member, and there's only JC or JYL, and JYL is too weak to go.
His last words to JC are telling him to be well, but his last words to WWX are telling him to take care of JC.
I'll also remind you that WWX was never adopted into the Jiang clan. So he was never a threat to JC's position.
Besides, JC is already shown to think his father doesn't like him before WWX even arrived in Lotus Pier. He believes this because his mother keeps telling him so, not because of WWX or JFM.
The whole thing about WWX's mother and JFM is only a rumor, and one of the themes of the novel is that rumors are often untrustworthy. As for the marital problems between JFM and YZY, they have nothing to do with WWX. In the novel, it's stated that JFM and YZY knew each other since childhood, but JFM never liked YZY's personality. When the Yu clan proposed marriage, JFM refused many times, but since he was young and had no support, he ended up being pressured into marrying YZY. The novel clearly states that they never got along.
YZY isn't trustworthy, she actually contradicts herself all the time. Sometimes in the same sentence. The novel even states that her temper is such that even when what she says doesn't make sense, ppl have to shut up and endure it.
The fall of Lotus Pier wasn't WWX's fault either. The Wens would always have come, as JC himself admits in the novel, before deciding he'd rather blame WWX anyway. YZY was the one who couldn't sacrifice her pride and let the Wens make a supervisory office. If she had, the Jiang sect might have survived and had the chance to fight back later.
The Jiang sect was never burned in the book, it was the Lan sect that was burned. And the Jiangs got lots of spoils of war because of WWX's contributions. WWX's reputation also attracted many disciples to the Jiang sect during and after the Sunshot campaign. This is stated in the novel.
JC himself admits that he knows the Wen Remnants are only the old, the weak and the children and that he owes Wen Qing and Wen Ning his life. He also says WWX should return them to the Jins and even says he'd kill them himself. He tries to kill Wen Ning when he first visits the burial mounds and is only stopped by WWX. Then, WWX decides to leave the Jiang sect, and JC proceeds to tell everyone that WWX had declared himself the enemy of the cultivation world, which is something WWX never said. JC was telling a lie there.
When WWX was invited to JL's celebration he was attacked by Jin Zixun and 300 archers. When Jin Zixuan arrived, instead of stopping his cousin from attacking the guest he invited himself, he demands WWX stop defending himself. When WWX refuses, points this out and tells Jin Zixuan not to come closer, Jin Zixuan ingonores him and gets closer with his sword in hand, which causes the accident in which Jin Zixuan dies.
Then, at Nightless City, the sects attack WWX first despite having promised Wen Qing and Wen Ning that they wouldn't (and they killed Wen Qing and pretended to kill Wen Ning) and blame him for retaliating, JYL shows up and asks WWX to stop defending himself, which he does, and when, unsurprisingly, someone tries to kill him from behind, JYL sacrifices herself to save him, which JC sees and proceeds to lie, saying WWX killed JYL.
Then, JC ignores JYL's sacrifice and leads the siege to kill WWX and the Wen Remnants whom he knew were innocent ppl to whom he owed his life. He's not forced to do this. The novel stated clearly that the Jiangs were the main force behind the Siege, the Jins were the second and the Nies and Lans they could have done without.
Then, JC proceeds to spend the next 13 years taking away, torturing and killing anyone he suspects to be a demonic cultivator because he thinks they might be WWX, and even if he's proven wrong, he doesn't let them go. In the novel, this is stated by Jin Ling, by the ppl of Yunmeng, by JC himself both numerous times, both aloud and in his own thoughts.
When WWX comes back, the first thing JC does is try to kill him again - I'll remind you that Zidian would have expelled WWX's soul from that body if MXY hadn't given up his body willingly.
As for the golden core transfer, JC consented to an unknown procedure in order to have a golden core again. He AGREED TO NOT KNOW. And when he finds out, the only thing he cares about is being unable to continue his one sided competition with WWX, and being unable to continue to blame WWX for everything that goes wrong in his life ever.
As for demonic cultivation, nobody cares when it's being used to their own benefit. During the war, everyone was praising and flattering WWX. 13 yrs later, everyone is using the lure flags and compasses of evil without a care. JGS had XY reforming the Stygian Tiger Seal, which even LWJ, who doesn't care for gossip, knows about, and no one does anything about it. NMJ only cares when XY murders ppl from the Yueyang Chang sect. When WWX comes back and uses demonic cultivation, ppl at most will say something bad but only JC tries to kill him over it, and that's because he thinks it's WWX. I think you missed the point where MDZS is a story that subverts the common Wuxia tropes. In common Wuxia tropes demonic cultivation is evil and spiritual cultivation is good. In MDZS, the type of cultivation is just a tool, instead you have to judge good and evil through the characters actions. The cultivation society at large was practiced spiritual cultivation but their actions, especially post-Sunshot campaign, were unjust. WWX practiced demonic cultivation, but he unfailingly did the very best the circumstances allowed. He was never the one to initiate conflict, and never took revenge on the innocent. The point here is that demonic cultivation isn't inherently evil, and despite what other characters say about it changing a persos's heart, WWX continues to practice it even after his resurrection and doesn't show any sign of being affected like that at all. In his first life what caused his mental strain wasn't demonic cultivation, but the awful circumstances, the injustices and losses.
WWX stays despite JC's toxic behavior for so long, that when, at the end, he's finally done putting up with him it's very much to be expected. If JC refuses to treat ppl decently, he should expect them to leave him. Nobody's obligated to put up with toxic behavior from others.
I'll also remind ppl that this isn't a historical novel, it's a fantasy novel, written by a modern author for a modern audience. What is and isn't moral isn't defined by real world ancient chinese morality. The author herself stated in an interview that WWX is the moral ideal. You can agree or not that she did a good job portraying that, but you can't decide that the moral ideal of MDZS is something else just because you want it to be.
As for JGY, he certainly pretends to be gentle. But he also kills his own son, something he admits to at Guanyin Temple, and kills his wife, which he also admits to at Guanyin Temple. How is killing his wife being gentle towards her?!
He uses Lan Xichen to climb the social ladder, manipulates him, lies to him and uses him to kill NMJ, who is Lan Xichen's close friend. His consideration of Lan Xichen only extends as far as sparing his life, which is pretty low bar. With the way he used LXC to commit crimes he knows goes against LXC's morals, you'd still say JGY is king and gentle towards LXC?! How?!
A sad past doesn't justify evil. JC, JGY and XY all use their sad backstories to justify their actions, and that makes them the villains. Them crying about it doesn't change the fact that their actions were shitty.
WWX is a much more tragic character than any of them, but he doesn't let the misery of the past define him, and chooses not to hold on to sadness in life. He doesn't massacre innocents. All the fights he's in are started by the other party. He never turns evil because of his sad backstory and that makes him the hero.
MDZS is a criticism of society's hipocrisy and classism. JC is part of the mob, JGY uses the mob. WWX is the hero because he's the one who stands against the mob to do what's right, even at the cost of his life. And he is rewarded by being given a second chance at life, falling in love with LWJ and living happily ever after with his husband, night hunting and teaching the juniors. The greatest proof that WWX was right and that everything was worth it is Lan Sizhui, Wen Yuan's survival. Wen Yuan not only survives, but is a splendid young cultivator, well adjusted and happy.
I don't hate JC and JGY as characters, in fact, I think they make perfectly fine villains. What I do hate is this fandom's tendency to shift blame and distort the novel in order to justify their shitty behavior, usually at a cost to WWX's character. Anyone can have headcannons, as long as they know their headcannons aren't cannon. JC and JGY's actions aren't justified, and that's fine, because they are villains and they serve their purpose in the story.
WWX isn't morally grey, he is the moral compass of the entire story, as is supported by the narrative and confirmed by MXTX herself.
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