Just gonna throw a few prompts around tumblr to see what sticks.
Jiang Cheng fails a timetravel fix-it, it results in Wei Wuxian pulling a MianMian AU
Jiang Wanyin goes missing from Cloud Recesses a few weeks after Wei Wuxian was sent back to Lotus Pier.
Madam Yu irrationally banishes Wei Wuxian for failing to protect Jiang Wanyin despite him not being there.
Rogue Cultivator Wei Wuxian goes investigating to find Jiang Cheng and discovers him alive and well but deaged to a small child with memory loss.
Now Wei Wuxian could return to Lotus Pier... But Jiang Cheng was never fully appreciated there and he's such a cute tot now. Also Wei Wuxian is wary of the unreasonable expectations that young Jiang Cheng would be burdened with to 'do it right this time' by Madam Yu.
So Wei Wuxian gets his dream cottage and farm early and raises Jiang Cheng (renaming him as well because its a new start) again far away from said toxic environment with all the unconditional love and support he should have gotten growing up.
Prioritising parenting over night hunting (because he remembers being orphaned on the streets) Wei Wuxian sits out the Sunshot Campaign completely(to the extent of purposely ignoring all cultivation world news), The Sunshot Campaign lasts long enough that without Wei Wuxian all the sects are in ruins at the end of it.
Years later Jiang Cheng encounters something on a night hunt that restores his memory and the reason he was deaged in the first place. Jiang Cheng had travelled back in time to 'fix' things (funnily enough removing Wei Wuxian from the Jiang before he could antagonise Wen Chao) but the clash of his original core and the transplanted core sent him into a Qi Deviation that de-aged him.
16 years after he was de-aged Jiang Cheng investigates the changed world outside of his home and things are to put it lightly, so much worse.
Lotus Pier is basically gone, Madam Yu is missing her right hand, Yanli is grieving over dead Jin Zixuan. Rebuilding Lotus Pier is impossible because Madam Yu has zero support because of her behaviour and Yanli is basically a grieving ghost.
Lan WangJi is still in a coma from fighting the Xanwu of Slaughter 16ish years ago.
Jin Guangyao is Sect Leader Jin through lack of better option, he very much enjoyed giving Madam Jin the boot from Koi Tower.
All the great sects have been reduced to minor sects with little chance of ever rising again.
Jiang Cheng has no idea how to fix this mess, but he's going to need Wei Wuxian's help.
This. This is an amazing idea.
...........Oops. I think I might've accidentally pressed post. Eh-he.
Also, I was a lot nicer on Wei Wuxian since I could have had Madam Yu whip him before kicking him out. Let's just say that Madam Yu was too distraught or grieved to think about dealing with Wei Wuxian like that, okay?
_____________________________
It happened a few years after Wei Wuxian’s death. Jiang Cheng had been drowning in his sorrows and had had enough of this. ENough of being alone, enough of missing his parents, his sister, his....his brother. He hated this feeling of guilt over leading the siege, over not doing enough to make everything right.
And Wei Wuxian’s notes contained just the thing.
Time travel.
It would be risky. If he failed, he would lose his core. But what hasn’t Jiang Cheng lost already?
Laying down the prepared array, he took a deep breath and poured his spiritual energy in. The array lit up and Jiang Cheng felt himself being sucked in.
.
.
Pain.
All he could feel was pain. Sharp and constant and crushing.
Wei Wuxian had been peacefully studying some random arrays when a shidi of his burst into the room.
“Da-shixiong. Da-shixiong! You have to run now!”
“Huh? Shidi, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Yu-furen! She seemed angry and I eavesdropped and she said she’s kicking you out! I think she’s serious this time!!”
"What reason did she give this time?" Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. Madam Yu made this same threat at least three times a month.
"She said that it's your fault Jiang-gongzi went missing. So....so...."
"Jiang Cheng is missing?!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed.
"Yeah, he went missing on a night hunt at the Cloud Recesses. But never mind that, Da-Shixiong, hurry!"
Frowning, but knowing that this was most likely not a joke, he quickly packed everything - even Suibian - up into qiankun pouches and hid them in his robes.
His shidi left and Madam Yu burst into his room soon after, storming over to him. He tensed up, knowing that that expression meant that he might be punished.
Madam Yu grabbed his collar and dragged him away, tossing him to the ground outside Lotus Pier.
"Yu-furen, what--?" He was smacked across the face as Madam Yu glared at him.
"It's your fault." She hissed at him. "If you were there, you could have prevented A' Cheng from going missing! If only you hadn't been so disobedient--Get out!" Her expression was thunderous and promised a world of pain if he didn't go. "Leave your bell and get lost!"
Shakily, Wei Wuxian untied his bell and ran away from there. He didn't want to stick around to find out what would happen if he tried to contest her decision.
The scars on his back was more than enough proof of what happened when he disobeyed.
.....................................
The first step to his new life was finding a steady source of income and that was easy enough. he'd built up a reputation in his time with the Jiang of helping whenever needed so people were more than willing to employ him to assist with local hauntings and minor yaos. (Madam Yu hated going on such easy hunts and often ignored the cry for help in places like these.)
He rather enjoyed this life rather than the restrictive one he led at Yunmeng Jiang where he had to think about politics and the like when no one taught him how to act better.
.
.
Now that he had enough money, Wei Wuxian decided to go investigate Jiang Cheng's disappearance in Gusu. One quick ask around for someone of Jiang Cheng's description and Wei Wuxian headed towards the forest where he was last scene.
After wandering without aim for a while, Wei Wuxian wanted to give up, but soon heard crying in a cave nearby. Wary of it being some kind of creature that wanted to lure him into a trap, he drew Suibian and inched closer to the sound.
Upon seeing a flash of Yunmeng purple, Wei Wuxian gasped as he recognized the robes.
"Jiang Cheng?!" He cried, rushing in.
He couldn't have expected what he saw next.
Cocooned in his now much larger robes was a mini Jiang Cheng!
The child looked frightened and curled away from him, eyes blank and unknowing.
Oh. "Umm, hello" He said quietly and he knelt down a distance away from Jiang Cheng. "What are you doing here?"
Jiang Cheng stayed quiet and looked at him warily. "....Got lost. Got hungry and got lost."
"I see." Wei Wuxian felt guilty. He should have come sooner! "Then, shall gege share some food with you?" He rummaged in his qiankun pouch and brought out two apples. He ate one to show that it was safe and handed the other to the child.
Jiang Cheng eyed it and moved forward to take it. Wei Wuxian did not move, not wanting to frighten him. He quickly grabbed the apple and chowed down on it. Knowing that he'd likely choke, Wei Wuxian carefully put down a waterskin that the child quickly grabbed after he started choking.
Wei Wuxian sighed in relief seeing the mini Jiang Cheng okay now. But.....Jiang Cheng didn't remember him. That was obvious after Wei Wuxian had asked whether he wanted to go home and was given a confused look and a quiet 'to whom?'.
Now Wei Wuxian had a choice. He could quietly return to Lotus Pier with Jiang Cheng and perhaps get back into the good graces of Madam Yu or......he could take care of Jiang Cheng himself.
Jiang Cheng had never been appreciated by his parents, with his father being too strict and his mother always berating him and comparing him to others (though mostly it was Wei Wuxian). Wei Wuxian always wanted to take Jiang Cheng away from such a place where he was never given encouragement but he never could given his status and place among the Jiang.
But now.......
Determination shone in Wei Wuxian's eyes.
...........................................
"Baba, baba!" A child squealed happily. "You're back!"
Wei Wuxian smiled back, picking up his child. "I'm back! Have you been good?"
"Yes, yes! I even cleaned the house!"
Wei Wuxian gasped delightedly. "Oh my god, baobei! You're the best!"
"Mm!"
It had been nearly a year since Wei Wuxian had found the amnesiac de-aged Jiang Cheng and a few months since they finally settled down in a cottage on the outskirts of the cultivation world. Wei Wuxian had worked tirelessly to get them this far and he has to say, he's done a magnificent job at child rearing!
It had taken a few weeks to get Jiang Cheng to trust him enough to leave with him and another week to travel away from the sects. Along the way, Wei Wuxian took lower level night hunts to earn some income. Any time there was talk of a strong monster abouts, Wei Wuxian considered helping them, but knew that he was one bad night hunt away from leaving Jiang Cheng on the streets to fend for himself.
His parents' ends were a stark reminder of that so Wei Wuxian did not take the night hunts. However, he did not feel good about leaving the innocent to fend for themselves until whatever sect was nearby deemed it worthy enough of their attention. For places like these, Wei Wuxian stayed longer in order to create some talismans to ensure protection against such beasts. He was always paid for his work, of course - he has a child to feed, after all! - but tried not to deprive a family of all their funds. He wasn't heartless.
And so, life had passed like this until he assisted an elderly couple near the edge of a place called Yunnan. The couple had no children to speak of and no relatives so they had asked Wei Wuxian if he could look after his garden and cottage once they passed.
Wei Wuxian wasn't one to refuse since this meant a steady roof over their heads and a constant source of food nearby.
He accepted.
That's where he's living now with Jiang Cheng who's been newly renamed to Wei Hu (lake), courtesy name: Chunyu (spring rain).
They'd been living without troubles for some time now that Wei Wuxian had largely left the cultivation world. Of course, he occasionally disguised himself and headed to his merchant who sold his talismans for him from time to time, but aside from that, he largely stayed at home with his adorable child, farming away while his donkey brayed in the background.
This life was one he had always wanted. A partner, a child, him and a donkey. He's missing a partner, a lifelong companion, for now but he could be content without one. Not many people want a single father as their spouse and Wei Wuxian could be content with that.
(There were whispers of a war between the cultivation sects but why should that matter to Wei Wuxian? He was no longer a part of them.)
.............................................
Many years later.......
Wei Chunyu was on a night hunt by himself! His baba had finally allowed him to go hunt beasts alone!! Baba was always protective over him despite how strong he had gotten. After finally managing to hit his baba while they sparred, he was allowed to go hunt for himself without supervision.
Licking his lips, he readied his sword for whatever monster lurked before him.
.
.
.
Jiang Cheng felt like he had been hit by a bear yao. Just what on earth had happened?? Shaking his dizzy head, he tried to remember what had happened.
I activated the array and I remember seeing my much younger hands and then..... Jiang Cheng jolted in shock. I qi-deviated!I qi-deviated and turned into a child because of a dissonance with the core from my future life and the core of my past life! But why? The array said my cores should merge, but maybe....because mine was brought back by Baoshan Sanren.....
Jiang Cheng gathered himself and then remembered. He remembered the life he had lead after that.
Wei Wuxian.....adopted me! He adopted me and took care of me and.....and loved me. Even though I.....I....I was planning on removing him from the Jiang before he could ever cross paths with Wen Chao. I mean, I guess, in a way, I did remove him from the Jiang but what happened with the war? It's been so long.
Shaking off his dread, he strapped his sword to his side and went into town. Asking discretely around for some information, citing that he didn't know anything because he's from Yunnan, Jiang Cheng held his head in his hands in distress.
The war had been won by the Sunshot allies. But all the sects were in ruin by the ends of it.
The Wen sect is still there but only the healers and civilians had been left. Wen Qing had taken ahold of the remnants of the clan, given reparations to the sects for Qishan Wen's crimes and dissolved the Qishan Wen sect and soon disappearing with her family from the rest of the world.
Lotus Pier still met the same end, having been decimated. But his mother was still alive, merely missing her right hand and some pride. (Though her reputation as someone too fierce and always angry had driven away what little recruits the Jiang had.) His sister - he could nearly cry at that - was alive but Jin Zixuan was still dead, leaving her as a husk of herself. Jin Guangyao had become the head of the Jin sect after his father's untimely death and booting Madam Jin back to her maiden family.
The Lan sect is barely hanging on, with Lan Xichen grieving over his comatose brother who had become like that through the draining fight with the Xuanwu of Slaughter and Lan Qiren barely alive.
The Nie sect has been reduced to nearly nothing as well, what with Nie Mingjue half-dead from multiple qi-deviations and Nie Huaisang who was suddenly thrust into the Sect Leader role unprepared.
"It's a mess." He muttered to himself. "It's all a mess."
Jiang Cheng has no idea how to fix this mess, but he's going to need Wei Wuxian's help. But....how?
No matter how much of a genius Wei Wuxian was, there was no bringing back the dead from life, not with how uninvolved Wei Wuxian was with demonic cultivation in this life and how the bodies had probably been cremated already.
Of course, he could rally together the Jiang sect again but if rumors of how volatile his mother was were true......perhaps it would be best not to provoke her.
They could bring his sister with them. She was alive and....well, not quite well, but she was alive! And maybe taking her out of the cultivation world will do her some good. It sure did Jiang Cheng a whole lot better....wait. What is he thinking?!
Jiang Cheng shook his head. No matter how comfortable his life was with Wei Wuxian, he shouldn't be thinking like this! But.....his sister deserves some peace after everything that's happened to her.
And Lan Wangji......well. Having a sect leader in his debt would be nice. Wei Wuxian was sure to concoct some sort of miracle with his talismans and bring Lan Wangji back to consciousness. If Lan Xichen were to be grateful to them, it would surely help with.....something. Maybe he could even solve Nie Mingjue's health issues!
But he would have to discuss everything first and maybe even tell Wei Wuxian the truth of how this all occurred?
Jiang Cheng packed up his stuff and headed back......back home. Because it was his home now. Wei Wuxian had always irritated him and Jiang Cheng even hated him, despised the very thought of him. But in this life.....it was different. Wei Wuxian......was a great father and raised him extremely well.
But.....what if Wei Wuxian grew angry with him for all of this? He didn't know what to think or how Wei Wuxian would act.
As his mind clouded up with worries, he hadn't realized he had already returned.
"A' Yu? Are you back already?"
Jiang Cheng froze up and Wei Wuxian's warm smile graced him. "Uhh...."
"Hm? What's wrong A' Yu? Did the night hunt go wrong? Did you get hurt?"
"No. It went fine. But....But Baba--" God, that sounds so weird! "--I have something to tell you."
"You can tell me anything. You know I'm always here to listen."
Jiang Cheng's heart warmed. "Well, you see, the thing is....."
He'd figure this out. They'd both figure this out. And maybe, this time around, the three of them would always be together.
