Yu Ziyuan time travel fix it (eventual Yu Ziyuan/Zhao Zhuliu)

[gekidasa]

(This is not a fic, just the start of one, and then me talking about what would happen in it. Crossposted from mastodon.)

Yu Ziyuan lay dying.

It wasn’t the first time. She’d been here two times before, bleeding out on the ground of Lotus Pier, coreless, her husband’s lifeless body almost close enough to touch.

No matter how hard she’d tried to avoid it, she still ended up like this in all three of her lives.

At least this time it was just her and Jiang Fengmian. At least she hadn’t had to see her son tortured, his golden core melted, before the Wen dogs slit his throat before her eyes.

No, this time it had been like the first time: she’d put him on a boat with Cangse Sanren’s son, Zidian binding them. She had no way to know what would happen to him, what had happened to him the first time. But he hadn’t died before her. He had a chance.

So! Canon timeline is actually the third time YZY has lived and died through her life. The first time she was much more accepting of WWX, and things played out a lot like in canon.

So the second time, blaming WWX's actions during the Wen indoctrination for bringin the Wen down on them, she decides to try to save WWX's parents so he won't join the clan. And she does. But things turn out even worse, JC is with her, he's tortured and killed before she is.

So the third time is canon, and ok, WWX needs to be there, but maybe if she's harsher she can control him and prevent things from happening as they did originally. We know how that turns out.

So, her fourth time going back, she decides WWX is clearly not the determining factor (although his presence makes it LESS bad) and thinks for a long time before arriving at her conclusion: it all hinges on Wen (formerly Zhao) Zhuliu.

I am going off the assumption that they had some sort of relationship before. Specifically, Zhao Zhuliu was probably from a family of rogue cultivators or something and was at Meishan Yu for awhile. They were attracted to each other but never acted on it. She left to marry JFM, and ZZL's "talent" manifested, causing the cultivation world at large to repudiate him and WRH picked him up.

So current YZY obviously no longer has particularly tender feelings towards Wen Zhuliu anymore. He melted her core and (probably) killed her. Two lifetimes ago he did the same to her beloved son. But she decides that she needs to grit her teeth and prevent him from joining the Wen, and she can only do that by giving him a place at YMJ instead.

So she does. Possibly before the core-melting manifests, maybe they keep it under wraps, contained. (I assume JFM needs to know about it).

I like the idea of him being head disciple, but am not sure if it works. At any rate, he has a place with the Jiang.

And as it turns out... he fills in the gap JFM's treatment of JC leaves. He's not a substitute father, but he's someone that appreciates JC, who thinks he'll be a good clan leader someday. He's something of a mentor to both JC and WWX, someone they can go to.

And then the Wen attack. I haven't worked out how similar or different it is, but JFM still dies. YZY, however, does not die! So by HER measure, things are already better. She's alive, her children are alive. Maybe more Jiang disciples managed to escape?

The Sunshot Campaign happens. Jiang Cheng is Jiang-zongzhu and is recruiting rogues to build the clan back up, like in canon, although of course she doesn't know what would have been different. All she knows is he's a good leader.

WWX probably was never thrown in the Burial Mounds. He may still be tempted to develop gui dao, but if he is/does, he has an example in Zhao Zhuliu about having an ability the world considers an abomination and how to handle that.

And the Sunshot Campaign ends after Zhao Zhuliu melts Wen Ruohan's core. Maybe he went with Nie Mingjue on that attack and things turned out differently. (Sorry, JGY fans! He probably dies as a spy in Nightless City).

So the thing is that now, instead of focusing on WWX and his gui dao and the Yin Hu Fu as a potential threat, JGS and others focus on the Core Melting Hand. Sure, he fought on their side, but are any of them safe? This is too much power in YMJ's hands! Etc etc.

Throughout all this, YZY and ZZL's relationship would have evolved, feelings would have resurfaced, etc. No, I don't know specifics :blobcatboo:

But at this point, ZZL decides to go up a mountain to retire from the cultivation world, to keep YMJ safe.

YZY stays in YMJ for some years, until JC is secure in his position and LP is rebuilt. After JYL is married and has Jin Ling, Yu ZIyuan finally decides it's good now, and retires too. She goes to live up in that mountain with Zhao Zhuliu.

And that's it, that's her happy ending 💜

(Completely beside the point to this story but important to ME: no 3zun sworn brotherhood means JGY isn't in a position to slowly poison Nie Mingjue's mind till he qi deviates, and they somehow figure out a way to save him. If Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng are a thing (which they are, because it's MY au), this will probably involve some mix of the Lan's Clarity and the Jiang clarity bells.)

Comments

[groundwiremantaray]

Yes!!! This idea is so cool :D as you know I am 100% (not) normal about Zhao Zhuliu, and love it when YZY gets to survive and find happiness of her own.

Re the developing relationship, I could see YZY initially being quite emotionally cut-off from ZZL and only trusting him as far as his duties go...and then that begrudging trust turns into actual trust, turns into partnership, turns into love.

[gekidasa]

Yes, pretty much the progression I was thinking of!