In a world filled with prejudice and injustice, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.
"Can someone tell me... what I'm supposed to do now?"
— Wei Wuxian, in his Darkest Hour.
When the first sentence of a story starts along the lines of, "The main character is dead! Everyone celebrate!", and then proceed to explore the events that lead to the main character's death and rebirth, there's bound to be a couple teardrops here and there.
All spoilers are unmarked.
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Main Story
Pre-Time Skip
Studying in the Cloud Recesses
- The donghua expansion of Wei Wuxian returning to Lotus Pier makes it clear how broken the home environment is for the Jiang family thanks to Yu Ziyuan. She holds more spite and venom than necessary towards Wei Wuxian, and things are so tense between her and her husband that they're nearly always fighting. Yu Ziyuan visibly sounds pained when Jiang Fengmian argues that Jiang Yanli should choose who she wants to marry, and then bitterly asks if he's saying that because he doesn't want their daughter to end up in a marriage like theirs before leaving.Jiang Fengmian: But they are the ones who will spend the rest of their lives together. If they do not care for each other, yet are forced into a marriage by their parents' wishes...
Yu Ziyuan: Like us?
Jiang Fengmian: My lady, you know that's not what I meant.
Xuanwu Cave
- While trapped in the cave with a man-eating monster and injured, Wei Wuxian tries to strike up a conversation with Lan Wangji. However he inadvertently reminds the latter of the partial destruction of Cloud Recesses by the Wen Clan, the frail state his father is in, and the fact that his brother had to escape with part of their library with his whereabouts and safety unknown. This prompts The Stoic Lan Wangji to actually cry, something that shows just how much these events have hurt and marked him.
- Even though they get rescued from the cave and return to their families, it's revealed that Lan Wangji's father passed away during the protagonists' time in Xuanwu Cave which means that neither Lan Wangji nor Lan Xichen were able to properly say goodbye.
The Fall of Lotus Pier
- Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian have a rather heated discussion where the former throws to her husband's face all her grievances regarding his lenient treatment of Wei Wuxian and his distant relationship with their son. It gets worse when Yu Ziyuan begins to drag Wei Wuxian's deceased parents into the conversation and spitefully imply that Cangse-sanren was an unfaithful wife, which causes Jiang Fengmian to snap back and angrily call his wife by her full name, something he almost never does. At this point, their entire relationship is evidently aggravating yet also saddening to watch.
- Wanting to have revenge against Wei Wuxian for his actions in Xuanwu Cave, Wang Lingjiao makes a flimsy accusation against him about disrespecting the Wen Clan by shooting a kite with a picture of a sun on itnote and asks for him to receive punishment. Yu Ziyuan complies with the order and whips him several times with Zidian, while having Jiang Cheng restrained so he can't intervene on his friend's behalf.
- Yu Ziyuan sacrifices her life to send both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian to safety, even ordering Zidian to entrap them until they arrive to a safe zone. Her final farewell is one of the few times she shows any overt affection for Jiang Cheng, but this is countered by how she doesn't continue to show any love nor even concern for Wei Wuxian and orders him to protect her son to the last of his breath. In her eyes, he's still nothing more than some worthless servant her husband should have left in the streets to rot and die.
- Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian try to find survivors or see if they can help the ones in the training grounds, only to see piles and piles of bodies of their comrades and friends be tossed carelessly by the members of the Wen Clan. In the middle of it all, there are the bodies of Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian facing each other, all the while Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao mock them, showing not a single shred of respect towards the dead. Even more heartbreaking in the donghua is that Jiang Fengmian is still carrying the jade pin he tried to give to Madame Yu as a gift, showing he was trying to prove he cared for her despite their arguments.
- After narrowly escaping the place (with the help of Wen Ning in the donghua), Wei Wuxian tries to reason with Jiang Cheng and prevent him from seeking revenge just yet, when so many odds are against them. However, this only seems to exacerbate Jiang Cheng, who briefly strangles Wei Wuxian in a fit of rage and blames him for the Wen Clan targeting them, which then turns into a heartbreaking tirade about how Jiang Cheng has always felt less than his martial brother and how he was not powerful enough to do anything to protect their family. While the novel explains that he knows Wei Wuxian isn't truly at fault (since one way or another the Wen Clan was still planning to raze down Lotus Pier), it's still hard to watch him take out his frustrations on his closest friend while overcome with grief.
- Like a child who's realized they're now lost and alone, Jiang Cheng breaks down as he tearfully screams for his parents while Wei Wuxian hides his tears behind an arm and has to bite the inside of his lip to keep from loudly grieving alongside his brother. In the donghua, Jiang Cheng's voice actor absolutely nails the despair and confused anger his character is feeling.
The Sunshot Campaign
- In the audio drama, as Wei Wuxian runs to find Jiang Cheng, he starts getting flashbacks of his life at Lotus Pier before its fall. When he trips and falls, it's only then does he let his grief sink in as he angrily punches the ground and cries, likely feeling that everything that happened was his fault.
- Jiang Cheng shoves Wei Wuxian and tells him in a broken voice that he used all of his spiritual power in that shove. And no matter how many times he can try, the result will always be the same, because his golden core was destroyed by Wen Zhuliu. Jiang Cheng is slowly losing his will to live at this point, and his mood shifts between monotone depression and enraged insanity. His maddened reaction to waking up in the Yiling Supervisory Office is very obviously due to the Wen insignias triggering his post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli's otherwise heartwarming reunion in the donghua has an air of somberness. Here, the latter finally finds out the fate of her parents as her brother holds out the last mementos they have of them. She slowly breaks down into tears as she gingerly reaches out towards the remnants of her parents. Her sadness isn't helped when she asks Jiang Cheng where Wei Wuxian is, to which he can't give her a proper answer.
- As Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng falter against the Wens in the donghua, they are alarmed when Wen Chao casually namedrops Wei Wuxian (who's been missing for three months at this point). Lan Wangji angrily demands Wen Chao to tell him what happened to the latter, to which Wen Chao taunts him with the information that he threw Wei Wuxian into the Burial Grounds. Lan Wangji gives the most anguished look viewers have seen from him up to this point, and he grabs his broken guqin with his bloodied fingers as he makes one last wild and desperate attack at Wen Chao while he screams angrily, realizing that he may never see Wei Wuxian ever again.
- Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji argue about the former's use of demonic cultivation, and Lan Wangji's desperation to save him as well as Wei Wuxian's rage and hate towards the Wens is very evident. The argument gets so heated that they resort to using each other's courtesy names instead of the usual birth names. The donghua heightens the angst factor by featuring Lan Wangji showing a great deal of vulnerability, and Wei Wuxian exhibiting unbridled and raw emotion.
The Rescue of the Wen Survivors
- When the two reunite, Wen Qing desperately pleads to Wei Wuxian for help. Her distress over what could happen to her brother is heartbreaking enough, but it's even more alarming when one remembers Wen Qing as a firm and strong-willed woman and not the frantic and emotional mess she is here.
- What marks the downfall of Wei Wuxian's reputation? His confrontation with the Jin Clan guards for abusing the Wen prisoners and his reaction to Wen Ning's death:
- The cultivation world's hatred for the Wens runs so deep and blinds so many that they torture elders and children, both of whom likely had nothing to do with the horrible decisions their leader made.
- With Wen Ning being of the gentlest and kindest characters in the story, it's especially heartbreaking to find out he was brutally murdered, and all simply because he's part of the Wen Clan. Even Wei Wuxian's angered enough to the point he resurrects Wen Ning in order to get payback on the Jin Clan for killing him.
- Wen Qing has nothing short of a breakdown when she finds out her brother is already deaded. The audio drama sinks the knife in even further by gracing our ears with her anguished cries. In the donghua, she doesn't even get to do that; as soon as Wen Ning's death fully sinks in, she sheds some tears... and faints then and there because she's too exhausted or overcome with grief to do anything else.
- Pressured by the other leaders and cultivators, Jiang Cheng confronts Wei Wuxian at Burial Mounds to try and convince him to stop helping the Wen remnants, much to Wei Wuxian's disdain. It escalates into an argument and it becomes depressingly clear there's no going back for them, as protecting both the Wens and the Jiang Clan's reputation is impossible and Jiang Cheng isn't interested in helping the Wen clansmen despite their innocence. Their relationship as martial brothers formally ends when he warns Wei Wuxian that he won't be able to protect him anymore if the latter insists on shielding the Wens, to which Wei Wuxian's rebutts that he'll simply break ties with the Jiang Clan then. It's a bold and selfless decision on his part, since he's relinquishing everything of his once-good standing in the cultivation world to protect the innocent. But at the same time, it's yet another reminder that Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng are drifting further and further apart, with their political and moral differences inevitably coming to a head.Wei Wuxian: There's no need to protect me. Just let go.
Reunion in Yiling
- When they bump into each other, Wei Wuxian offers to treat Lan Wangji to a meal. During the meal, the latter informs him that Jiang Yanli will be marrying soon. Wei Wuxian's smile drops a bit, as his concern for the Wens and his defection from the cultivation world means he can't leave the Burial Mounds for too long to celebrate a happy event he otherwise wouldn't miss for the world. He then goes on to vent to Lan Wangji how he would have wanted to give his sister the best wedding ever because she deserved so much, and now he wouldn't be able to do even that.
The Ambush at Qionggi Path
- Jin Zixuan's death. He has nothing to do with his family's plot to kill Wei Wuxian, nor did he know anything about it. He was actually trying to de-escalate the altercation before Wei Wuxian loses control. His last breath is spent telling Wei Wuxian that Jiang Yanli's waiting for him to arrive for the one-month celebration of Jin Ling — both family members that he will never get to say goodbye to.
- Wei Wuxian's entire breakdown after Jin Zixuan's death. He's left with nothing but despair and self-loathing, and in that moment he's not the feared Yiling Patriarch. Just a broken, helpless, powerless man who, for once, is completely lost.
- Wen Qing paralyzes Wei Wuxian so that she and Wen Ning can turn themselves over to the other clans with the hope that it will protect the Wens at the Burial Mounds. He panics and tries to get them to stay, but is unable to move as he watches the two leave the cave, with Wen Qing giving him some parting words.Wen Qing: I'm sorry... and, thank you.
The Nightless Immortal Capital Bloodbath
- Once Wei Wuxian is able to move, he tries to futilely follow after the Wen siblings in the hopes that he still has time to save the Wen siblings. However, by the time he reaches Golden Carp Tower, it's revealed both are dead (or presumed to be). The donghua even shows a flashback of Wen Qing being burned at the stake with Wen Ning forced to watch while held in a talisman barrier. The worst part is that the Jin Clan were obviously never going to hold up their end of the bargain.
- While Wei Wuxian is heading to the Nightless City to settle things once and for all with the Jin Clan, along the way he sees Jiang Yanli mourning her husband's death by his coffin, but he can't make the final step to talk to her and leaves without saying a word. Jiang Yanli senses his presence and turns around, but misses him one second too late.
- Wei Wuxian has breakdown when Lan Wangji attacks him with Bichen, trying to stop him from playing Chenqing. He once again misunderstands his intentions and bitterly remarks that they were destined to fight and the latter had always found him annoying.Although [Lan Wangji] shouted the words, any sane person would be able to tell that Lan Wangji's voice was clearly shaking. However, right now, Wei Wuxian had already lost his judgement. He was already half-mad, half-unconscious. All evil was being augmented by him. He felt that everyone loathed him and he loathed everyone as well. He wouldn’t be scared no matter who came at him. It wouldn't matter no matter who came at him. It was all the same anyway.
- Jiang Yanli's death. She makes a rash decision to head to the Nightless City and rush into the battle to look for Wei Wuxian, which gets her killed when she takes a fatal blow meant for him. Despite everything that happened, she loved her (former) martial brother, but it's that same love that causes Wei Wuxian to lose his dear martial sister, and for Jiang Cheng to lose his family once again. The donghua makes thise worse by showing the exact moment Wei Wuxian gets consumed with grief and anger, before unleashing a raw and powerful Howl of Sorrow. To everyone else, he's a monster that's gone mad, but the audience knows better.
The First Siege
- The deaths of the Wen survivors. No explicit details are ever given, but from the little that's said in the novel, it's evident that they suffered cruel deaths at the hands of the cultivators that took part in the siege. Keep in mind that the survivors were all defenseless people, and they were brutally slaughtered. Worse yet? They didn't get a proper burial; their corpses were thrown into the blood pool like worthless garbage.
During Time Skip
- Lan Wangji, in his grief after Wei Wuxian died, decided to go and experience everything that Wei Wuxian experienced, including using the Wen branding iron on himself on the same location where Wei Wuxian was branded.He drank the wine he drank, and bore the wounds he bore. Until today, the wound had already scabbed for thirteen years.
- In the flashback of Lan Wangji's drunken stupor, Lan Xichen asked him what he was looking for. When his brother replied that he wanted a flute, Lan Xichen gave him the finest flute they had made of jade — however, his brother threw it away and muttered that it wasn't the flute he wanted. The audio drama makes it more painful as Lan Wangji sounds nothing short of anguished while he's futilely searching.
- Nie Mingjue's death. The disturbing method he was killed aside, his own younger brother also saw him die with his own eyes. Worse yet? It was Nie Huaisang that sent him back into a brief moment of lucidity before he fully succumbed to his qi deviation.
Post-Time Skip
Mo Village
- Despite his small role in the story, it's not hard to believe why Mo Xuanyu sacrificed his spirit in order to bring back Wei Wuxian. He was one of the many bastard children of Jin Guangshan, kicked out of his clan due to his low cultivation and because of his sexuality, and he wasn't treated any better by his maternal relatives back at the Mo manor. Soon afterwards, everyone else started labelling him a lunatic once his mental state deteriorated after all of the abuse he suffered through. It was only a matter of time before he snapped and believed getting his revenge via Wei Wuxian was a better alternative than living. The audio drama even makes this clearer where he calls for Wei Wuxian in broken tears.
Dafan Mountain
- A-Yan's fate is especially pitiful — her fiancée died, she lost her soul, and her father sacrificed his soul for her own before dying shortly afterwards. The worst part is his father's sacrifice wasn't completely worth it, as A-Yan Came Back Wrong. She's still living and breathing, but her mind is not the same as it used to be, and it often causes her mother distress. And all because the entire family was looking forward to a happy wedding.
- Wei Wuxian unknowingly mocks Jin Ling when he asks how on earth his mother raised him; after finding out Jiang Cheng is the boy's uncle, Wei Wuxian immediately puts two and two together and is horrified. Once Lan Wangji calms everyone down and the two groups part ways, Wei Wuxian slaps himself across the face while wondering how he could have said something like that to his martial nephew when he's part of the reason why the boy doesn't have any parents.
Yi City
- The backstory is heartbreaking especially for Xiao Xingchen, who simply wanted to help society but ended up doing more harm than good:
- Song Lan's death will leave any reader with teary eyes and a heavy heart. He had been searching for Xiao Xingchen for years to apologize for what he last said to him, and after finding him again he made the Tragic Mistake of confronting Xue Yang first, which ended in him getting killed (unwittingly) by his own friend. A sad detail is that when Xiao Xingchen attacked him, he neither fought back nor made a sound when he was stabbed, because he knew that doing either would cause his friend to immediately recognize him, and he didn't want to break him with the Awful Truth.
- A-Qing's horrified reactions to Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen's deaths. Both times said deaths happen, she could only hide and watch, and only after no one's around to hear her was she able to let out her sorrow.
- Xue Yang had a horrified reaction to Xiao Xingchen's death, since (despite everything he did to the latter) he also grew to like him since he treated him like a decent human being rather than a delinquent or a street rat. However, he failed to realize what Xiao Xingchen was beginning to truly mean to him, even when it was already too late.
Golden Carp Tower
- Qin Su finds out that the man she loved lied to her for their entire marriage and (possibly) murdered their son. Worse, as Bicao reveals later at Lotus Pier, the man she loved is her half-brother. It's an unfortunate turn of events for one of the few good members of the Jin Clan, who was unlucky enough to fall in love with the wrong person.
- When it's discovered by the other cultivators that Wei Wuxian has in fact returned, there are several reactions that range from bewilderment to anger — but the one that hits the most is Jin Ling's. This kid lost both his parents in circumstances related to Wei Wuxian and has developed a great hatred towards him as a result; however, in the past couple of weeks prior to the reveal, he had grown unknowingly close to Wei Wuxian while believing him to be Mo Xuanyu. He, along with Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi, were the first friends Jin Ling ever had in his life, which made the apparent betrayal all the more painful. Hs is clearly unpleased with himself when he stabs Wei Wuxian, showing his confused feelings over the latter and that revenge won't make his problems go away.
The Second Siege
- Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning are overwhelmed with emotion when the Wen remnants that were killed during the First Siege rise from the Blood Pool to protect everyone from the fierce corpses. The audio drama makes it more depressing by playing a flashback of the different Wen survivors whenever the two men recognise their corpses. Then it all ends with the corpses gathering before Wei Wuxian, all the while Uncle Four's speech is being replayed. It all seals in that the only reason the Wen survivors hadn't passed on was that they hadn't yet repaid their debt to Wei Wuxian, who saved their lives, even if only for a little longer.
- Wei Wuxian silences a vengeful cultivator by telling him that he's had his own fair share of suffering, admits that the blood of thousands are on his hands, and he doesn't expect to be forgiven nor understood by anyone. This is just another brutal reminder that while the cultivation world sees Wei Wuxian as a murderer and a monster, Wei Wuxian is simply just a self-sacrificing man with good intentions whose efforts are lost behind the lives lost at his hands and the countless atrocities he's been accused of committing.
Return to Lotus Pier
- Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng's confrontation in the Jiang ancestral hall shows just how broken their former martial brotherhood is. Jiang Cheng keeps insulting him and eventually Lan Wangji too, which incurs Wei Wuxian's anger, and it devolves into a fight.
- Wen Ning makes the dramatic reveal to Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji (and the audience) about the truth behind Jiang Cheng's golden core "recovery": the golden core in question is actually Wei Wuxian's and was willingly donated to Jiang Cheng. The scene (and the implications of it) is nothing short of painful:
- Jiang Cheng is initially in heavy denial is still having a breakdown when he leaves the hall with Suibian, partly due to shattered pride and partly due to crushing guilt.
- Wen Ning confirms that the process of the golden core transplant is not painless. And worse, the donor has to be awake and fully conscious the entire time. Wei Wuxian doesn't regret the sacrifice he made, but one can imagine what it's like to witness and feel your own power being stripped from you. It's not a pleasant experience, either physically or emotionally.
- Lan Wangji, who frequently condemned it in the past, fully realizes just why Wei Wuxian picked up demonic cultivation and was enraged whenever the Lan clansman pressed the issue. While he no longer has problems with his usage of The Dark Arts at present, Wei Wuxian's actions and behavior in the past begin to make a whole lot more sense, and not in the way Lan Wangji would like.Wen Ning: (to Jiang Cheng) Why do you think he's never carried Suibian since then? Was it really because of some youthful arrogance? Did he really like being criticized by others behind his back? That he had no discipline? It was because there was no use in carrying a sword!
Yunping City
- After making out with Lan Wangji and both of them getting physically intimate, Wei Wuxian thanks Lan Wangji for being there for him — however, the way he phrases it is very misleading, and it causes Lan Wangji to misunderstand that he's just a toy and Wei Wuxian was just "playing around". Wei Wuxian meanwhile feels he's taken advantage of Lan Wangji (who he believes was drunk up until the last moment) and feels horrible for what he did.
Guanyin Temple
- Lan Xichen fills in some of the blanks in Wei Wuxian's memory after the Nightless City attack, when Lan Wangji took the latter away and hid him in a cave while giving him spiritual energy. Lan Xichen says his brother spoke gently to Wei Wuxian the entire time — however, since this was right after Wei Wuxian had witnessed his former martial sister's death and subsequently lost his mind, he only kept repeating one thing to Lan Wangji:Wei Wuxian: Get lost!
- It's revealed that Lan Wangji had assumed the entire time Wei Wuxian knew his feelings and was simply mocking them the entire time he flirted with him post-resurrection. Feeling horrible about this and the situation he left the two in, Wei Wuxian immediately tries to run back to Lan Wangji. However, he's then stopped by Jin Guangyao's men who eventually overpower him.
- When Jin Guangyao tries to hurt Wei Wuxian by pointing out that Jiang Cheng doesn't seem to care about him since he refuses to look in his direction, Wei Wuxian casually brushes off his statement by retorting that it's not the first time the latter has acted that way towards him. No matter the medium/adaptation, Jiang Cheng always appears affected by the comment. What's painful is how Wei Wuxian is resigned to the idea that he's now a complete eyesore to Jiang Cheng, and how Jiang Cheng is struck once again with the revelation that he treated Wei Wuxian more poorly than he had realized. As Jin Guangyao had put it, it isn't easy being Jiang Cheng's martial brother.
- Chapter 102 has Jiang Cheng bitterly confronting Wei Wuxian about his golden core, first still blaming the latter for the tragedies in his life and then breaking down in tears because he had really hoped Wei Wuxian would stay by his side in his clan as a subordinate.[Jiang Cheng] choked, "... You said I'd be the clan leader and you'd be my subordinate, you said you'd help me your whole life, you said you'd never betray the Yunmeng Jiang Clan... You said so yourself."
- In Chapter 103, Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian express remorse for everything that happened between them and make it clear that this is the end for their relationship, with the latter pointing out that it's best that they move on and Jiang Cheng coming to terms that their friendship truly is no more.
- Despite being the Big Bad, Jin Guangyao's death is gruesome and also tragic given his history of hardship and the loved ones he left behind. After all, Jin Guangyao was a man who dreamed of climbing high and gaining recognition and approval, only to lose it all and fall so far.
- Lan Xichen crosses the Despair Event Horizon after Jin Guangyao dies, since it finally sinks in that he never really knew his friend who he had deeply trusted and frequently defended, and that the others' warnings about Jin Guangyao were completely correct.Lan Xichen: Just what does he want to do? I once thought I knew him well, and then I realized I did not. Before tonight, I thought I knew him well once more, but now I do not.
- Jin Ling breaks down in tears after Jin Guangyao's death fully sinks in. Even when he realizes that his uncle wasn't all who he seemed to be, even after learning of all that he had done in the name of securing power, he still lost another member of his family.
- The Reveal of the real reason Jiang Cheng got captured by the Wens. While Wei Wuxian was trying to get some food, he was in danger of getting discovered. Jiang Cheng saw this and drew the Wens' attention to himself to save Wei Wuxian. It gets worse when Jiang Cheng considers telling Wei Wuxian the truth but decides to keep it to himself.
- All in all, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng's relationship ends on a bittersweet note. Jiang Cheng no longer hates him, but they still choose to let go of what remains of their friendship rather than rebuild it. While it isn't an unhealthy outcome, it's nevertheless sad to see them distance themselves after everything they've been through. As Jiang Cheng says, "there's nothing to say"; this line in the audio drama is particularly painful as he sounds completely resigned and tired and yet also bitter and despondent, as if he realized just now that he can't undo or repair the damage and fractures in their relationship even if he wanted to, so he should just do nothing. The soundtrack playing in this scene isn't any better, as it clearly imparts the feeling of how something is gone and can never be reclaimed, so the only thing left to do is to move on.One of first donghua promotional posters of Jiang Cheng
: As the lights of Lotus Pier ignite, memories of the past burn brightly. We were once disciples together, now we go our separate ways. If we meet again one day and there is nothing to say, that would be better than too much.
Post-Epilogue
- Even months after the events at the Guanyin temple, Lan Xichen still hasn't recovered from his depression over what happened, to the point that he's been secluding and is implied to be neglecting his health and his presence of mind.
Audio Drama Extras
Season 3
- "Gifting A Dog": Some Jin Clan kids bully Jin Ling for being parentless and even try to take his sword away, leading Jin Ling to fighting the group and biting one kid. Once he returns home in tears, he starts screaming and tearing his room apart with the adults around him unsure of how they should intervene.
