History TearJerker / MoDaoZuShi

--> '''Jin Guangyao''': [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Sect Leader Jiang, if only your attitude towards your]] ''[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech shixiong]]'' [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech was just a bit better, showing everyone that your bond was too strong to be broken for them to have a chance, or if you exhibited just a bit more tolerance after what happened, things wouldn't have become what they were.]] [[VillainHasAPoint Oh, speaking of it, you were also a main force of the siege at the Burial Mounds...]]

** How Jiang Cheng says the above line in the audio drama might tug at some heartstrings in a painful way. 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, say nothing, and stay away. While he accepts it since it's for the best, it still hurts because he's cutting the last ties that remain between him and his former friend. But what else can he do? The soundtrack playing at that 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.

---> '''Jin Guangyao''': [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Sect Leader Jiang, if only your attitude towards your ''shixiong'' was just a bit better, showing everyone that your bond was too strong to be broken for them to have a chance, or if you exhibited just a bit more tolerance after what happened, things wouldn't have become what they were.]] [[VillainHasAPoint Oh, speaking of it, you were also a main force of the siege at the Burial Mounds...]]
* Jin Guangyao's death. No one in or out-universe can say that he's innocent. If anything, almost everyone agrees that his past and his sins have finally caught up with him. Yet it's hard not to pity the man when he tells Lan Xichen about his entire story, then when he later rages at his friend for, in his eyes, betraying him. When he breathed his last, no one's feeling relieved. Even the one who plotted against him likely had only felt that it had to be done, even if he finds no pleasure in it.

** On the other side of the argument, however, while there's no justifying how Jiang Fengmian is a lousy father to Jiang Cheng, he ''was'' forcefully roped into a marriage with someone he was incompatible with, something he knew from the start. Considering that he went to the Cloud Recesses and likely heard the story of why Wei Wuxian got into a fight with Jin Zixuan (who at the time had nothing but disdain for Jiang Yanli), it's at least easy to understand his reasons for cancelling his daughter's engagement. After all, no parent in their right mind would force their child to marry someone who doesn't even like them, political connections be damned.

[[folder: Reunion in Yiling]]
* Wei Wuxian offers to treat Lan Wangji to some drinks and food, but Lan Wangji is there to tell Wei Wuxian that Jiang Yanli will be marrying soon. Wei Wuxian's smile drops a bit as this would have been an event he'd wouldn't have missed for anything in the world, but because of his status as the Yiling Patriach and him openly rejecting the other sects he can't leave the Burial Mounds for too long for fear they'd attack the Wen survivors. 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.
* This leans more for a happy tearjerker when Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli secretly meet Wei Wuxian so she can show him her wedding gown and help them name her child. Unfortunately, this would be the last time all the siblings would meet in happier times before all hell breaks loose.

* Xue Yang attempts to coerce Wei Wuxian into repairing Xiao Xingchen's spirit, but Wei Wuxian takes one look at the spirit in the pouch and concludes that it's far beyond his capabilities to repair. This only drives Xue Yang further into denial and Wei Wuxian has to point out that since Xiao Xingchen committed suicide, an act like that shatters someone's spirit to the point where he's certain Xiao Xingchen doesn't ''want'' to come back.

** And during his drunken stupor Lan Xichen asked his brother what he was looking for and Lan Wangji replied that he wanted a flute. Lan Xichen gives him the finest flute they had made of jade, but Lan Wangji throws it away and mutters that this wasn't the flute he wanted. Years later, Wei Ying finds a handful of hand-carved flutes next to the jar of Emperor's Smile that Lan Wangji keeps under his floorboard.

!! Banquet

!! Intrusion

** What's even sadder is that the insult is a misnomer. While his father did serve Jiang Fengmian in the past, he left his service eventually and Wei Changze was already a rogue cultivator (just like his wife) by the time Wei Wuxian was born. So technically, Wei Wuxian is not the son of a servant. But of course, society would find any excuse to mock someone's status and put them down because it's just easier.

** What makes it worse is that Jin Guangyao's speech might have been the final ''final'' push for Jiang Cheng to let go of Wei Wuxian for good. After hearing such a cutting statement, he might have felt that he's a terrible brother who's unworthy of Wei Wuxian's promise, let alone loyalty.

** What makes it worse is that Jin Guangyao's speech might have been the final ''final'' push for Jiang Cheng to let go of Wei Wuxian for good. After hearing such a cutting statement, he might have felt that he's a terrible brother who's unworthy of Wei Wuxian's promise, let alone brotherhood.

** It gets worse later when Jiang Cheng uses Fairy to scare Wei Wuxian while he has the latter in his custody. Say what you will about Jiang Cheng, but using Wei Wuxian's fear against him is undoubtedly petty and cruel.

* In the ''donghua'', after Wei Wuxian refuses to go to Gusu with Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng steps in, telling Lan Wangji that since Wei Wuxian is a discipline of the Jiang Sect, whatever he does is none of the Lan's concern. The moment those words hit Lan Wangji, he looks visibly heartbroken and on the verge of tears but solemnly leaves the scene.

--> '''Jin Zixuan:''' A-Li... is still, waiting for you.

** And during his drunken stupor Lan Xichen asked his brother what he was looking for and Lan Wangji replied that he wanted a flute. Lan Xichen gave him the finest flute they had made of jade, but Lan Wangji throws it away and mutters that this wasn't the flute he wanted.

** It gets worse later when Jiang Cheng uses Fairy to scare Wei Wuxian while he has the latter in his custody. Say what you will about Jiang Cheng, but this action is undoubtedly petty and cruel.

* 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 Jiang Cheng acted that way towards him. Whether you're seeing this scene in the novel, the audio drama, or even the live-action's drama, Jiang Cheng always appears stung 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.

* 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 Jiang Cheng treated him like an eyesore. Whether you're seeing this scene in the novel, the audio drama, or even the live-action's drama, Jiang Cheng always appears stung by the comment. What's painful is how Wei Wuxian is resigned to the idea that he's a blight in Jiang Cheng's eyes, and how Jiang Cheng is struck once again with the revelation that he treated Wei Wuxian more poorly than he had realized.

--> ''He choked,'' "... You said I'd be the sect 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 Sect... You said so yourself."

** What's even sadder is that the insult is a misnomer. While his father did serve Jiang Fengmian in the past, he left his service eventually and Wei Changze was already a rogue cultivator by the time Wei Wuxian was born. But of course, society would find any excuse to mock someone's status and put them down because it's easier that way.

** And Jiang Cheng's response to all this? He just silently wipes his tears and takes deep breaths to calm himself down. After hearing Wei Wuxian's answer, he finally realizes that his friendship with Wei Wuxian is ancient history now. He finally gets his closure, but it's still not the closure he wanted, yet he knows he must accept it.

** Then, like a child who's 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. Jiang Cheng's voice actor absolutely ''nails'' the despair and confused anger his character is feeling, and this scene is always guaranteed to be a huge tearjerker.

---> ''As the lights of Lotus Pier ignite, memories of the past burn brightly. We were once disciples together, now we each go our separate ways. If we meet again one day and there is nothing to say, that would be better than too much.''

---> ''As the lights of Lotus Pier ignite, memories of the past burn brightly. We were once disciples together, now we each go our separate ways in these twenty-six years. If we meet again one day and there is nothing to say, that would be better than too much.''

** And Jiang Cheng's response to all this? He just silently wipes his tears and takes deep breaths to calm himself down. After hearing Wei Wuxian's full answer, he finally realizes that his friendship with Wei Wuxian is truly ancient history.

** What makes it worse is that Jin Guangyao's speech might have been the final push for Jiang Cheng to let go of Wei Wuxian for good. After hearing such a cutting statement, he might have felt that he's a terrible brother who's unworthy of Wei Wuxian's promise, let alone brotherhood.

* 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 was 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 or even concern for Wei Wuxian, continuing to blame him for all that happened and ordering him to protect her son to the last of his breath. In her eyes, he was still nothing more than some worthless servant who should have stayed in the streets.

** It wouldn't be far-off to assume that this is one of the reasons why Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng do not -- and can not -- reconcile. Wei Wuxian doesn't hate Jiang Cheng, but the Wen refugees were still like another family to him. Even though Jiang Cheng didn't kill ''him'', he ''did'' help kill ''them'', and that is something neither of them can forget.

** When Wei Wuxian rummages through Lan Wangji's secret stash of Emperor's Smile, he also finds a pile of flutes and wonders when Lan Wangji picked up the hobby of making flutes. During his drunken stupor Lan Xichen asked his brother what he was looking for and Lan Wangji replied that he wanted a flute. Lan Xichen gave him the finest flute they had made of jade, but Lan Wangji throws it away and mutters that this wasn't the flute he wanted.

[[folder: Studying in the Cloud Recesses]]

[[folder: The Discussion Conference]]

[[folder: Xuanwu Cave]]

[[folder: The Fall of Lotus Pier]]

[[folder: The Sunshot Campaign]]

[[folder: The Rescue of the Wen Survivors]]

[[folder: The Ambush at Qionggi Path]]

[[folder: The Nightless City Attack]]

[[folder: The First Siege]]

[[folder: Mo Village]]

[[folder: Dafan Mountain]]

[[folder: Xinglu Ridge]]

[[folder: Yi City]]

[[folder: Koi Tower]]

[[folder: The Second Siege]]

[[folder: Return to Lotus Pier]]

[[folder: Guanyin Temple]]

[[folder: Post-Epilogue]]

** When Wei Wuxian rummages through Lan Wangji's secret stash of Emperor's Smile, he also finds a pile of flutes and wonders when Lan Wangji picked up the hobby of making flutes. During his drunken stupor Lan Xichen asked his brother what his brother was looking for, Lan Wangji replied he wanted a flute. Lan Xichen gave him the finest flute they had made of jade that they had, but Lan Wangji throws it away and mutters that this wasn't the flute he wanted.

** When Wei Wuxian rummages through his secret stash of Emperor's Smile, he also finds a pile of flutes, and wonders when Lan Zhan picked up the hobby of making flutes. During his drunken stupor Lan Xichen asked his brother what he wanted and when Lan Wangji replied he wanted a flute, Lan Xichen gave him the finest flute they had made of jade. However, Lan Wangji throws it away and mutters that this wasn't the flute he wanted.

** Even more heartbreaking was that he was still carrying the jade pin he tried to give to Madame Yu as a gift, showing he was trying to show her he cared for her despite their arguments.

** Then, like a child who's 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. Jiang Cheng's voice actor absolutely ''nails'' the despair and confused anger his character is feeling, and this scene is always a huge tearjerker.