Ice Cold

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/63823441.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: M/M
Fandoms: 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī -
Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen
& Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji & Wei Ying | Wei
Wuxian
Characters: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Qiren, Lan Huan |
Lan Xichen, Wen Qing (Modao Zushi)
Additional Tags: Pre-Relationship, Cloud Recesses Study Arc (Modao Zushi), Location:
Cold Springs (Modao Zushi), Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Whump, Near
Death Experiences, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Self-Esteem Issues,
Anxiety Disorder, Hypothermia, No beta we die like wei wuxian,
Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2025-03-13 Words: 2,478 Chapters: 1/1
 Ice Cold
by mercyssister

Summary

Lan Wangji struggles with breaking the rules, assigns himself extra punishment, and reaps the
consequences. Wei Wuxian has an unexpectedly bad day at the Cold Springs.

Notes

I hope you guys enjoy! I think the world needs a little more LWJ whump so I'm writing
some. None of these characters are mine and I am not Chinese or of Chinese descent - please
forgive mistakes and let me know so I can fix them! This is a mix of book and TV canon,
partially because I hate the forced alcohol drinking in the TV show but really like the Wen
siblings and partially because they're so mixed together in my brain that I don't think I could
really separate them.

See the end of the work for more notes

Inspired by [Restricted Work] by barisan

“Lan Zhan?”

Lan Zhan refused to lift his head from where he knelt, waiting. If he waited a little bit longer,
maybe A-niang would forgive him and let him in.

“Didi please come out of the cold,” Lan Xichen pleaded. “It’s getting late.”

Lan Zhan continued kneeling. The cold was part of his punishment, he decided. His mother
wanted him to be cold as he knelt. If she didn’t want him to kneel in the snow then she would
let him in. If he was just good enough she would let him in.

Lan Xichen took a deep breath. He didn’t really want to play this card, but he didn’t know
what else to do with his little brother freezing in the snow. “Lan Zhan, it’s curfew - you don’t
want to break another rule, do you?”

This got Lan Zhan’s attention. If he broke another rule, A-niang would be even angrier. It
might take her even longer to allow him to visit. But he was supposed to be cold. And if he
went in he would be warm. He promised himself that he would come back the next day, and
rose without speaking to follow his brother inside.

He knelt the next day. And the next. And the next. Eventually, it became clear that his mother
was not coming back, and the days spent kneeling in the snow sank into his bones and
reminded him to uphold the rules, lest another family member fall prey to his disobedience.

———————-

“Lan Zhan! Lan Zhaaaaaaaaaaaan!” Wei Wuxian stumbled along behind him, trying to keep
up with Lan Wangji’s pace. “Come on Lan Zhan, it’s not that big a deal! It’s just a little step
outside of Cloud Recesses, you didn’t even mean to. What’s the issue? When even was the
last time you broke a rule?”

Lan Wangji felt his heart climb into his throat. His skin crawled with the idea that he had
broken a rule. “I was six,” he gritted out.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened. “You were SIX? Er-gege you haven’t broken a rule since you
were six?”

“No.” Lan Wangji kept his eyes trained ahead. “I have not.”

They reached the main building. “Shufu.” Lan Wangji let go of Wei Wuxian’s sleeve to bow
formally to his uncle. “I have come for punishment. Wei Wuxian and I were outside the
Cloud Recesses after curfew.”

“Nonono Lan Xiansheng don’t punish Lan Zhan - I’m the one who dragged him outside the
wards it’s not his fault. Please don’t punish him just give his punishment to me,” begged Wei
Wuxian.

Lan Qiren closed his eyes. “You will both receive a hundred strikes of the discipline ruler.”
Wei Wuxian’s mouth dropped open. “A hundred? A HUNDRED? For Lan Zhan too? It’s not
even his fault!”

Lan Wangji bowed stiffly to his uncle, wondering if there was a way to request a harsher
punishment. “Thank you, Shufu.” Lan Qiren looked away.

The strikes were over too quickly. Lan Wangji still felt like his skin was too tight and his face
was too hot and his heart was beating too fast. He needed something to focus on, something
that would actually make up for the fact that he had broken the rules. The Cold Springs. He
would go to the Cold Springs.

He slipped away while Wei Wuxian was still whining about the punishment to Jiang Wanyin
and Nie Huisang. Folding his robes and placing them carefully on a flat rock, he stepped into
the springs. He breathed a sigh of relief as the cold bit into his skin, forcing his attention to
the present. But too soon he could feel himself acclimating to the temperature. He hadn’t
been in long enough. He hadn’t repented enough. What if something happened because of his
rule breaking and he hadn’t adequately suffered his punishment?

Making a decision, Lan Wangji sealed his core. The cold rushed in many times worse than it
had previously. He started shaking almost immediately, and drew a deep breath to center
himself. He remembered the snow which had punished him after his mother died. Yes, this
would be fine. This would be his penance.

Gradually, the cold faded again. He was confused - wasn’t this supposed to be a punishment?
Why was he so warm? Why was he so sleepy? Was that A-niang, finally returned for him?
He slipped forward.

------------------------------

“LAN ZHAN!”

Wei Wuxian had been skipping down the path to the Cold Springs. Zewu-jun had told him
about the ‘secret’ Lan healing and meditation spot. He’d been so excited when he saw pure
white robes on the rocks beside the pool. He was going to get to bother Lan Zhan! Despite
the discipline ruler, this was going to be a great day. And then he’d seen a pale figure
slumped forward in the springs, black hair flowing around it. He couldn’t help himself- he
ran.

“Lan Zhan! Lan Wangji! Er-gege! Lan er-gongzi!” Wei Wuxian called. Lan Zhan’s eyes
opened slightly, but they were vague and unfocused. He mumbled something inaudible.

“Lan Zhan? Ok ok you’re going to have to repeat that.”

“A-niang?” His voice was very small as his eyes slipped across Wei Wuxian’s face.

“Haaaaa nope ok Lan Zhan here’s what we’re going to do.” Wei Wuxian grabbed Lan Zhan’s
shoulders and started hauling him out of the water. “Ok I’m going to get you some body heat
and bundle you up in your robes.”
Lan Zhan stumbled and collapsed at the side of the pool. Wei Wuxian felt for his pulse, which
fluttered erratically. Taking a deep breath, he felt for his spiritual energy, and found it totally
cut off.

Wei Wuxian tried to stay calm as he undid the ties to his own robes. “See that’s exactly what
we’re not going to do Lan Zhan. You’re going to come right here,” he hoisted Lan Zhan into
his arms, trying to make as much skin contact as possible, “and we’re going to go to the
infirmary.” He grabbed Lan Zhan’s robes, bundled them both up, and started running.

Lan Zhan’s gaze sharpened, and for a moment Wei Wuxian hoped the situation wasn’t as dire
as he was afraid it was.

“No running in the Cloud Recesses.” The rule made him relax until Lan Zhan said, more
quietly, “No running. Can’t run. A-niang will go away again if you run.” His eyes lost focus
again and his muscles went lax.

“Woah there, Lan Zhan stay with me. You’ve got to stay awake.” Wei Wuxian burst from the
trees at a dead sprint, making straight for the infirmary.

“Get Zewu-jun,” he yelled at the first person he passed. “Get him and Lan Xiansheng and tell
them to go to the infirmary. Tell them something’s wrong with Lan Zhan they need to come
right away.”

He burst into the infirmary to numerous unimpressed stares from the Lan healers. Their
impassive looks quickly turned alarmed when they saw the Lan heir limp in his arms.

“Put him here and tell me exactly what happened.”

“Of course Lan daifu.” He laid Lan Zhan gently on the indicated bed, and the healer called
for a pouch of warm water to be brought and immediately got busy bundling him in blankets.
“I don’t know what happened. I found him like this in the Cold Springs. He’s really cold and
out of it - he keeps talking about Lan furen and his core is sealed.”

“His core is sealed? Why?” Asked Lan daifu.

“I don’t know! As I said, he was like this when I found him. I brought him here right away.”

The Lan reached for his pulse point, and recoiled. “He sealed it himself. It needs to be
unsealed to help him recover, but with all that energy returning at once, the shock might kill
him. I need you to tell me exactly what happened before he was in the Cold Springs.”

Wei Wuxian shook his head, trying to clear it. Lan Zhan had sealed his own core? It didn’t
make any sense! “He dragged me up to Lan Xiansheng for punishment. I was outside Cloud
Recesses last night after curfew and I thought he might let me off if I pulled him out too.
Instead, he brought us both in!” Wei Wuxian pouted.

Lan daifu paused in her work. “I told them this would happen. It was only a matter of time.”

Wei Wuxian’s confusion deepened, but Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen hurried through the door
before he could ask her to explain. Neither was running, but it was a close thing. They were
followed closely by Wen Qing, who everyone was ignoring in the chaos.

“Wangji!” Bellowed Lan Qiren. Turning on Wei Wuxian he demanded “what is the meaning
of this?”

Lan daifu interrupted before Wei Wuxian could answer. “Lan Xiansheng. Wei-gongzi brought
Lan er-gongzi to the infirmary as quickly as he could, and certainly saved his life. Lan er-
gongzi sealed his own core in the Cold Springs and is dying of hypothermia. We’re working
on warming him up and figuring out how to unseal his core without shocking his system.”

An audible gasp left both Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen.

“None of that, Xiansheng. I warned you this would happen eventually. You allowed him to
reach fifteen believing that his misbehavior kept his mother away from him. Of course he
would have an extreme reaction to breaking the rules again.”

Wei Wuxian felt himself begin to tear up. Of course Lan Zhan would demand punishment if
he thought rule breaking was that bad! He hadn’t even broken a rule since his mother died.
Wei Wuxian couldn’t imagine what kind of pain Lan Zhan must’ve felt when he was pulled
outside the wards.

Lan Xichen knelt down at the side of the bed to feel his brother’s pulse. “Lan daifu, his pulse
is so weak. Is there nothing else we can do?”

She shook her head. “This is the best way to warm him, and we cannot give him tea in his
current condition. Until we can unseal his core, this is all we can do. But I am not a core
specialist, and I do not want to worsen his health.”

“I am.” Everyone in turned to look at Wen Qing, who had moved to stand on the other side of
Lan Wangji’s bed with Wei Wuxian.

Lan Qiren turned his critical eye toward her. “You are what?”

“A core specialist. If I placed needles here and here,” she indicated a few places along Lan
Wangji’s meridians, “it should allow a small amount of spiritual energy to circulate.”

He looked at Lan daifu.

“It is as she says - part of the reason she serves Wen Ruohan personally is her well-known
expertise in golden cores. If she says that she knows a way to release his spiritual energy
without exacerbating his condition, I am inclined to believe her.”

“Very well,” said Lan Qiren. “Proceed.”

Wen Qing slipped her needles into place and color began rushing back into Lan Wangji’s
face. The Lan healer felt for his pulse again and let out a sigh of relief.

“He’s stabilizing. It shouldn’t be long before he starts to wake. It’s lucky that his core wasn’t
depleted.”
As she spoke, Lan Wangji’s fingers began to twitch and his eyes lost some of their daze.
“Xiongzhang?” He noticed the redness in his brother’s eyes and tried to reach out a hand,
only to find his arm stiff and uncooperative.

Lan Xichen smiled shakily. “Wangji. How are you feeling?”

Lan Wangji took a moment to assess his body. He was sluggish and cold, but he didn’t want
to worry his brother. Instead of answering, he turned his head away, which brought him face
to face with Wei Wuxian. “Wei Ying? What are you doing here?”

“Hi Lan Zhan! You really scared me there - I know I prank you a lot but that wasn’t a good
comeback,” Wei Wuxian was obviously trying to lighten the mood, but Lan Wangji was
confused. He looked up at Lan daifu for answers.

“He’s the one who found you in the Cold Springs, Lan er-gongzi. He saved your life, you
would’ve died of hypothermia if he hadn’t brought you here when he did. He and Wen daifu
are the reason you’re still with us.”

Lan Wangji considered this. He hadn’t meant to die when he sealed his core. Just… repent.
And he couldn’t even do that correctly. He had worried everyone and landed himself in the
infirmary. He stared at the ceiling, avoiding everyone’s gaze. He wished he could slip away
again.

“Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian was calling for him. He closed his eyes. “Hey none of
that I know you’re awake. You can’t ignore me - I’m the one you traumatized so you have to
listen to me” He could tell Wei Wuxian was trying to bother him but he felt a finger poke his
cheek and reluctantly reopened his eyes. Wei Wuxian grinned at him and he felt his heart
flutter a little bit. It was such a beautiful smile. Too bad he didn’t deserve it.

“Lan Zhan now you HAVE to come to Lotus Pier. It’ll even you out - it’s so warm you’ll
forget what it’s even like to be cold! Plus you have to make it up to me now, so obviously you
have to let me show you all my favorite vendors.”

Lan Wangji’s heart sank. He couldn’t go. How was he supposed to be the perfect Lan if he
wasn’t in Cloud Recesses? He had to stay and study and train and follow the rules. But to his
surprise, he saw Lan daifu nodding.

“I think that would be a good idea,” she said. “The warmth of Lotus Pier is healing in a
different way from what we have here, and spending some time away from the Cloud
Recesses and the elders would be beneficial. He should go.”

Lan Qiren nodded. “I will contact Jiang-zongzhu.”

“Wei Wuxian, I will request that you accompany him to Lotus Pier to help him acclimate,”
added Lan Xichen.

Wei Wuxian gave a small whoop, then grimaced apologetically at Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji
was too busy staring at the other Lans to notice. He was going to Lotus Pier? He was
supposed to go to Lotus Pier? An overwhelming sense of relief washed over him now that the
choice was taken out of his hands. He would get to see Lotus Pier and spend time with Wei
Wuxian and still remain a proper Lan.

“And don’t forget,” whispered Wei Wuxian. “How many of your fuddy duddy rules end with
‘in the Cloud Recesses’ - You can’t yell at me for running in Lotus Pier!”

And Lan Wangji realized that was true. There were so many rules he couldn’t break if he
wasn’t in the Cloud Recesses. Maybe Lotus Pier wouldn’t be so bad, after all.
End Notes

I've been reading in this fandom for like a year but this is my first time posting! I see a lot of
myself when I was younger in young LWJ, that anxious mess determined to do everything
Correctly and By the Book and struggling to cope with his feelings, so please be kind to him
(and me) in the comments.

As for what happens next, I like to imagine LWJ goes to Lotus Pier with WWX, learns to
relax and forgive himself a little bit (he'll always be a bit uptight but WWX loves that about
him), they get engaged and somehow fix the world. No war, obviously, and they get to live
happily ever after and cultivate to immortality together.

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