My Song Lan's horrible decade PUBLIC

And time passes by peacefully! Xiao Xingchen is happy with his newfound family, going on night hunts, listening to a-Qing and Chengmei bicker... Ever so more occasionally, he finds himself wondering what had become of his old friend Song Lan. Well how about that! Song Lan wonders exactly the same (about Xingchen, not about himself) as he travels the land looking for the blind daoshi. So far he's been mightily unsuccessful, until one day... [[He arrives at Yi City.]]

Yi City. The coffin town. The name is ominous and the local feng shui verging on poisonous, but Song Lan braves the heavy fog and the looming gates to arrive at... [[...an early afternoon busy marketplace.]] [[...a late afternoon empty marketplace.]]

Song Lan sets his foot in Yi City and starts asking about his friend. A young blind girl says she might have seen him - which is a strange choice of words for a //blind// girl, but whatever. Unwilling to get his hopes high, but filled with joy at the prospect of finally, //finally// finding Xingchen, Song Lan decides to trust this girl... [[...and doesn't realize someone is watching him from the end of the street.]] [[...and follows her across the town.]]

Song Lan rejoins his long-lost friend, and gives him a terrible warning. That man, the stranger he's been living with all this while, is none other than... Xue Yang! [[Xiao Xingchen is aghast!]] [[...Xiao Xingchen sheepishly admits he is aware of that]]

Xiao Xingchen is horrified when he hears. Chengmei, his good friend for the last three years, is Xue Yang! It is unbelievable... But time is running short! He'll come back soon from the market, so an important decision has to be made... [[Staying to confront Xue Yang]] [[Grab a-Qing and run for your lives!]]

Xue Yang arrives home with his basket full of vegetables. Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan are waiting for him... (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27609497">Keep reading</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

The two daoshi and a-Qing escape Yi City in a hurry. Not a word, not a letter left behind. Who knows what Xue Yang will think when he gets back home? Who know what he'll do... (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28052361">Keep reading</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

Yes! Turns out Song Lan's sense of directions isn't on point, and he got lost on his way to the remote town. By the time he gets there, everyone has already bought their vegetables and is probably having dinner back home, so it falls on one of the last vendors closing shop to direct the dark-clad daoshi towards the local blind cultivator. Song Lan reaches the charitable mortuary, anxious to confirm he's finally found Xiao Xingchen, and is elated to hear his voice across the courtyard... ...but seeing just exactly to //whom// he's speaking to freezes his heart on the spot. No... It can't be... What the hell is Xue Yang doing //here//?? (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/40846221/chapters/102351849">Keep reading!</a>] ] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

Xue Yang is walking back with a basket full of vegetables when Song Lan crosses his path. He overcomes his surprise in seconds flat; then leaves the basket by a tree and starts a conversation while reaching for his sword. Song Lan knows he shouldn't listen to a word from his venomous tongue, but... [[What if he has something interesting to say?]] [[Never mind. Less talk-y, more fight-y!]]

How surprising! Apparently, three years is a long time and Xiao Xingchen is not an idiot. He put the pieces together without Xue Yang realising, and decided to keep it to himself. As expected, Song Lan isn't exactly happy... (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27531391">Keep reading</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

Song Lan parries and listens. Turns out the evil monster //does// have something to say! Even if it's a terrible kind of emotional blackmail, the damage he can do left unchecked is devastating. And right now, his death won't be an absolute advantage either... What's poor Song Lan to do, but follow his game? (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28960944/chapters/71066484">Keep reading</a>] ] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

A terrible clashing of swords ensues! The rage-filled daozhang has the upper hand, but Xue Yang's teasing words cut deeper than his blade. What an exciting and dreadful battle! Will the murderer's dirty tricks overcome the might of Song Lan? Will good prevail over evil? Who will win? [[No, yes. Song Lan, of course!]] [[Yes, no. Xue Yang, of course!]]

With a swift move, Song Lan stabs his foe cleanly through the heart. The young murderer falls heavy on the ground, barely registering hurried steps coming in their direction. //Huh//, thinks Xue Yang, //it seems Daozhang heard us after all...// (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27105409">Keep reading</a>] ] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

Painfully words tearing into his heart, Song Lan missteps and is immediately bombarded by a mist of corpse powder. Right as he opens his mouth to cough it out, his tongue is cut out in a well-practiced slash! And before he can process the whole thing, Xiao Xingchen's sword is piercing through his chest. Wide-eyed, he can but faintly wail at his long-lost friend. Oh, the tragedy! Xiao-daozhang is clueless at first. But the truth comes eventually out! And he's so overcome with grief and guilt, coupled with the shock of discovering his companion's //true// identity, that he cuts his own throat. Xue Yang is there to bare witness... [[...and can only watch in horror as his friend takes his life.]] [[...and immediately springs to action. Close the wound! Don't you dare die on me, Daozhang!]]

Before Xue Yang can fully register what's going on, Xiao Xingchen lies still on the ground, blood cascading from his jade-white neck and staining his spotless robes. Rather surprised by his own grief, the murderer quickly finds solace in denial. He's the greatest demonic cultivator alive, after all! What's a little resurrection to him? He'll have Daozhang by his side in no time at all! ...will he? [[No, he won't. Every attempt is a disaster.]] [[Yes, in fact. Though it may still be a disaster...]]

Xue Yang keeps a deeply unhappy Xiao Xingchen from dying, and then from killing himself again. Well, that is certainly not healthy... (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/38398348/chapters/95958151">Keep reading</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

The shattered pieces of Xiao Xingchen's soul aren't strong enough, //willing enough// to be brought back to life. Xue Yang tries time and again, tries tirelessly, refusing to accept that there is no way out of this loss. Time goes by, and soon he ends up alone in a desolate city... Until one day, //amazingly//, a certain Yilling Patriarch drops by. Well, well, well! If there is anyone in the world who can help him with his daozhang-shaped little problem, that is certainly him! Unfortunately, the esteemed Hanguang-jun is also there (along with a bunch of scrubby juniors), and they engage in battle... [[...and Xue Yang gets his ass kicked and his arm cut off]]. [[... and Xue Yang wins!]]

Daozhang opens his eyes! Well, no he doesn't, but he's alive again. The resurrection ritual has been a success! And even better, he doesn't seem to remember how or why he ended with a gash across his neck. But will he eventually recover his memories? [[Maybe. In time, along with some unspeakable trauma]] [[Not quite! It's back to domestic bliss for our OTP]]

Xue Yang can't be happier. He's brought Daozhang back! Sure, now he's a bit weird and amnesiac, but he can make-do with what he has. Still, something is definitely off... [[Should they remain home in the yuzhuang?]] [[Or should they leave Yi City and all it's bad memories behind?]]

Xue Yang has everything he ever wanted. A living, breathing, happy Daozhang all for himself and a captive soul to witness it all. Good times! (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/31630703">Keep reading</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

The girl leads him to a run-down yizhuang, where he finally finds his long-lost friend. But then... Gasp! Before he can get close enough, someone dashes in the courtyard, someone he recognizes with painful ease... What in the world is the dastardly Xue Yang doing here!? He is so overcome with shock and fury, that he can't react before the murderer leaves the house for a grocery run. What should Song Lan do? [[Go talk to Xiao Xingchen.]] [[Follow Xue Yang.]]

Xiao Xingchen breaks his vow and finds his way back to the sacred mountain, where he begs the immortal Baoshan Sanren to help his injured friend. But the price to pay will be high... Some time after, Song Lan wakes up with new eyes and a heavy heart. He deeply regrets his angry words and wishes to apologize, but at this point Xiao Xingchen is long gone... [[Where did Song Lan go?]] [[Where did Xiao Xingchen go?]]

Song Lan looks far and wide for his friend, aching to make amends with him. Above all, he wants to tell him he's never blamed him for that tragedy, not really, and to beg for his forgiveness. Years go by, and he is not successfull. Until one day... [[He finds an injured man by the road]] [[He arrives at Yi City.]]

Xiao Xingchen travels as a wandering daoshi, helping where he can, blind but certainly not helpless. He befriends a young girl, a-Qing, and together they keep moving from town to town. One day, they find an injured man by the road. He carries him on his back to a run-down charitable mortuary in Yi City, where he hopes to save the life of that mysterious young man... [[Who is missing a finger and carries a familiar sword]] [[Who remains mysterious and anonymous to the kind daozhang]]

What a surprise! The unconscious, badly-injured man by the road is that bastard Xue Yang! He doesn't know how he ended in such a sorry state, but considering the crowds he moves in, it's hardly surprising. Song Lan feels tempted to leave him to bleed to death, but eventually rescues him and brings him to safety. There are some questions he wants to ask... (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[ (align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26758312">Keep reading</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

Xiao Xingchen feels his blood run cold. Is it possible... Could it be, amongst all the people, in the whole wide world... Could he truly have run into the one man that swore bloody revenge against him? And at death's doors, too... Every fiber of his body tells him to leave him be, let him die in that ditch, he needn't even //do// anything... Except he was raised to help others, all others, and right now Xue Yang is a poor, powerless young man in dire need of assistance. Xiao Xingchen hesitates... ...and saves his life. Maybe it is a misplaced sense of righteousness, or unwarranted mercy, or his own naiveté. Whatever the reason, he'll do all he can to restore his health, and then... bring him to justice. (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/35414686/chapters/88275358">Read all about it!</a>]] So you shall discover how his resolve weakened, as some sort of kindness blossomed in the murderer's cold heart. So much so that eventually neither wanted to kill the other anymore. They have found a strange sense of equilibrium in each other's company, and so all is well until one day [[Song Lan arrives at Yi City]]!

Unbeknownst to him, Xiao Xingchen has saved Xue Yang's life. The young murderer is perfectly happy to play his part until he's fully recovered, and then he can exact his revenge. ...except at one point he doesn't want anymore? Indeed, this homely bliss is something utterly unknown to him, and something he isn't eager to destroy just yet. [[Give it a bit longer...]]

Several things might have happened those first days in Yi City. [[Maybe Xue Yang got into a stupid fight he lost...]] [[or not]]

Maladjusted child delinquent can't really stay out of fights, not even when he's still badly injured and crippled! Then again, that gets Xiao Xingchen all worried and protective... (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/34327441">Read all about it!</a>]] Later more things might have happened, [[or not]].

Xiao Xingchen might have persuaded Xue Yang to fix a neighbour's roof, with some disastrous consequences... [[Maybe so!]] ...[[unlikely]]

Only because Xiao Xingchen asked so nicely! Xue Yang doesn't really understand why he's on a rotten roof, trying to salvage it before it shatters under his feet... ...wait, did he hear a crack just now? (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/31173026">Read all about it!</a>]] Although such selflessness to be repeated is highly [[unlikely]]...

Perhaps some of Xiao Xingchen's old enemies finds their way to Yi City! [[Could be!]] ...[[not really.]]

What a shock it is for poor Xiao Xingchen! A little clue here, a missing finger there... Eventually, it is impossible not to realize who he is sharing his life with. [[And THEN things get kinky...]] [[Or maybe not]]

So oblivious, in fact, that Xue Yang might even have some fun concocting some sort of plan to throw Xiao Xingchen off his scent, shattering any doubts he might have once and for all. Should he do it? [[It would only take a couple of murders...]] ...[[too risky.]]

Xiao Xingchen observes (//well//...) in painstakingly detail his "friend"'s attitude. It doesn't make any sense! Xue Yang would have killed him as soon as his wounds were healed. And some things he says, some things he does... Daozhang is a mess, so for the time being he keeps everything as is. But one specific act of kindness leaves the presumed Xue Yang equally confused, and ready to give back in the only way he can think of. See, //then// things get kinky! (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22821064">Read all about it!</a>]] Maybe that's the reason why, many years later, when Song Lan finally finds Xiao Xingchen and delivers terrible news... [[...Xiao Xingchen sheepishly admits he is aware of that]]

Xiao Xingchen knows the truth. Xue Yang has murdered countless innocents, has evaded justice, has torn his life... ...has made him laugh, has fought evil yao alongside him, has kept him company all these long months. Why hasn't he killed him yet? Who is this Chengmei he's grown so fond of? Why can't he hate him anymore? (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27066520">Read all about it!</a>]] And understand why, some time later, when Song Lan finally manages to find Xiao Xingchen and delivers the terrible truth about the identity of his "friend"... [[...Xiao Xingchen sheepishly admits he is aware of that]]

We-ell, there are a few times he can't really help himself! (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28697640">Read all about it!</a>]] And after eavesdroping, he's convinced there's [[something there]]...

...something he can't quite fight against, and doesn't really want to. A longing. A //hunger//. Something must be done in this regard before he goes truly insane. [[He can tease, and tease, and joke it off if he won't waver]] [[Or he can take what he wants, as he always has]]

Yes, Xue Yang starts a game of close proximity: a touch here, a light kiss there, teasing daozhang and then laughing it off as if nothing had happened, with the knowledge he'd never reciprocate... Yet, lo and behold! He //does// tease back! [[Be it in a cold night...]] [[Or in a rainy afternoon...]] But [[regardless of how it happened, a while after Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang found themselves in a sort of relationship.]]

He takes the initiative, hell yeah. He never imagined tasting daozhang for the first time could be so intoxicating. [[Oh, wait, he woke up. And he's... reciprocating?]]

Who would have guessed? Daozhang is enjoying himself with this unwarranted display of affection. The assault is welcomed. Consent is granted. What the fuck is going on?? (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24380953">Read all about it!</a>]] And [[regardless of how it happened, a while after Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang found themselves in a sort of relationship.]]

Ladies and gentleman, XueXiao is now official! And already tangled in amorous, convenient bliss, Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang might go through some interesting events together... [[They may explore some light bondage]] [[Or not]]

...a cold night, in which daozhang selflessly gave his blanket to a-Qing, and Xue Yang offers his (and himself) to keep him warm. And of course, one thing leads to another... (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24297973">Read all about it!</a>]] This might certainly be a good first time for them. Anyways, [[regardless of how it happened, a while after Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang found themselves in a sort of relationship.]]

Turns out Xiao Xingchen wants to impart some discipline on Xue Yang, and he seems to enjoy that bossy side of his! (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25171594">Steamy! Let's take a look...</a>]] This might have happened. [[Or not]]...

[[They may dwelve in the power of restraint...]] [[...or not]]

Xue Yang is always so impatient, so Xiao Xingchen resolves to show him just how immensely gratifying might be to exert some self-restraint. It works wonders... (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28857807">See it for yourselves!</a>] ] This might have happened... [[...or not]]

[[They may even indulge in some roleplay!]] [[Or perhaps not]]

Daozhang's dreams get hot and messy, but upon questioning he won't admit what turned him on so much. Only after suffering Chengmei's persistent curiosity, he admits having dreamt of a man, and //enemy// of his past... The exact nature of the dream, Xue Yang can only guess. But he is very much willing to recreate it, even if it means dropping the mask while pretending to put one on. The result is just plain //delicious//. (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29048535">So hot! Come and see</a>] ] This might have happened. [[Or perhaps not]]

And wouldn't you know, before any of them realized, three whole years had passed. Three years of domestic bliss during which... [[...Xiao Xingchen becomes aware of his lover's identity.]] [[...Poor daozhang remains absolutely clueless.]]

After many amiable days and scorching nights, all details pile up for Xiao Xingchen-daozhang too high for him not to realize who Chengmei really is. [[He accepts it, tells him nothing and life goes on]] [[Or he takes it very, very badly]]

Even now, Xiao Xingchen can be reasonable, thanks the gods immortal! It probably feels like the violation it really was, but at the very least he can come to terms with his affection, and how maybe (hopefully?) Xue Yang has changed enough by his side for his past not to matter anymore. At least, that's what he tells himself until Zichen comes a'knocking! And when his worried daoyou rather urgently tells him who exactly //is// that mysterious friend of his... [[...Xiao Xingchen sheepishly admits he is aware of that]]

What a fool, what a stupid, naive fool he's been... How must he laugh, even now, at his expense! And gods help him, how much he loves him. The murderer. The unrepentant criminal. Justice must be served, even though he knows by experience this won't likely be the case. Unless he does something about it... (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/34352287">Keep reading</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

The rush of a night hunt, soaking wet clothes, the alluring secrecy of a mysterious friend in your home... Who could resist to that? Not Xiao Xingchen-daozhang, certainly! (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/40615260">Read all about it!</a>] ] This might certainly be a good first time for them. Anyways, [[regardless of how it happened, a while after Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang found themselves in a sort of relationship.]]

Mwa-ha-ha!! How's that for a nasty surprise! See, Xue Yang would have gladly kept playing nice and bidding his time with his revenge (Yes, yes, he'll get to that //one day//... Just not //now//... There are some unexpected perks to playing house, y'know?), but a monstrous boar-thing has taken the decision from him. So with his last breath, blood pouring from a nasty stomach wound and from daozhang's distressed eyes when he finds his //friend// in such a pickle, Xue Yang stabs him in the heart with the raw, awful truth! (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/41027508">Read all about it!</a>]] What a strange and complicated situation! And it will get even weirder when [[Song Lan arrives at Yi City]] one day...

Everything seems to go as it should. The juniors have been rescued, the villain is defeated, the poor zombie daoshi has regained his consciousness... And now it's time to deal with Xue Yang once and for all. Song Lan is there to finish the job, filled with rage and grief, knowing that it is because of that //monster// that all of their fates took such a tragic turn. [[More than anything, he regrets that he'll never get to say sorry to Xiao Xingchen...]] [[...or will he?]]

Somehow, //somehow//, they've all gotten in this situation. Indeed, the way Xiao Xingchen died is tragic and cruel beyond belief, he //does// deserve a second chance to find peace, and Song Lan wishes above all to seek forgiveness... ...but having Xue Yang be the instrumental key in this ill-advised plan is surely a mistake of monstruous proportions! Well, all will be right if he dies right after he's ceased to be useful, right? ...right?? (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26028973/chapters/63293971">Keep reading</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

He shouldn't. He certainly shouldn't. Xingchen deserves to rest in peace after all the pain and cruelty that has been bestowed on him. At the hands of //that beast//, to boot. That beast who has tried relentlessly to bring him back for eight long years... ...what if he could actually manage it? The fragile spirit has been more responsive in Song Lan's hands in the last hour than in //his// in nearly a decade. Might there be... might there be a way to revive him after all? To see him again? To apologize? And is he willing to pay the price? (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30558027/chapters/75370704">Keep reading</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

Welcome to ''Song Lan's Nightmare''! This game is an interactive timeline of the Yi City Arc events, from the novel series Mo Dao Zu Shi. From Baixue Temple to the arrival of WangXian, there are so many things could have gone different it that story! Here you'll find a myriad of possible outcomes, as imagined by the amazing Archive of Our Own crew of highly talented writers. Go check out the [[CREDITS]] to meet them all! I invite you to follow Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen along the timeline: tread carefully, because every choice has consequences and leads to a different story. While some stories may allow you to continue along the path, some are very definitely an ending in and of themselves. [[WARNING!]] Some are happy, some are sad, some are kinky, some are downright //cruel//, but all of them are marvelous. Wanna give it a try? [[Go back]] to the beginning. =|||= (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)+(text-colour:black)[[CREDITS]]] =|||= (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)+(text-colour:black)[[WARNING!]]] |==|

Poor Xiao Xingchen! Because of his stubbornness in bringing Xue Yang to justice, his dearest friend has suffered greatly. He leaves in shame to wander all alone, fighting evil and helping those in need. Eventually, he befriends a young blind girl, a-Qing, and they start travelling together. All is well until one day they come across a badly injured man by the road, and when the kind daozhang kneels down to help, he discovers that the young man is Xue Yang! Should he just leave the murderer for dead? Or should he save the life of the one who ruined his? What a dilemma... (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/31298507/chapters/77380034">Keep reading!</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

[[Either because he figured it out...]] [[...or because Xue Yang tells him himself!]]

For the first time in his life, Xue Yang is truly happy. Not murder-stabby happy, as he used to be, but something new and fulfilling... and next to his former enemy, no less! And he's so tired, //so tired// of pretending to be someone else... So eager to bear his heart to the one he loves... But will his love truly survive when the awful truth is revealed? (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/33414091">Read all about it here!</a>] ] And with this unexpected knowledge in tow, what will happen when fate sharpens its gears and [[Song Lan arrives at Yi City]]?

Xue Yang can scarcely believe his eyes. Of all the damn little shithole towns in the world, why is Song-fucking-Lan in //his//?? And asking about Xiao Xingchen, the bastard! How dare him, after telling him to get lost? Impossible to keep daozhang hidden from him, not if he keeps asking questions like that. And no way he can kill him now, in this crowded marketplace, without anyone noticing... So what can he do? What //should// he do...? (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/31759672/chapters/78614980">Let's find out!</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

Xue Yang is defeated. The road ends, there are no more decisions to be made. Song Lan stands above him, Fuxue ready in his hand, and Xue Yang faces the fierce corpse without fear, without remorse. The last thing he sees are Xiao Xingchen's eyes... At this point, you have followed verbatim the canon events of Mo Dao Zu Shi. You know the story already (or, if you don't, what are you doing here?? Go read the thing>w<), so why not try again with a different turn of events? [[Go back]]

He knows he has to strike the killing blow, he //knows// it! But grief is really something nefarious, and with what seems his last breath, Xue Yang tempts Song Lan into repairing Xiao Xingchen's soul. [[Either involving Wei Wuxian]] [[...or doing it sneakily after they've left]].

This is their house, the place where they have found happiness. It's //home//. And daozhang deserves to remember it, the good memories, he deserves to be happy again, back the way things used to be. Everything will be just //fine//. Xue Yang will make //sure// of it. (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26879725">Keep reading</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

Fresh air! Open ground! Night hunts! That's what they need, a change of scenery. Not that Xiao Xingchen can //see// it, really, but surely this little road trip will get him back to his old self in no time at all. Xue Yang will make sure of it. He'd do anything to make his daozhang happy... (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/39510249">Keep reading</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

When news of the dastardly murderer Xue Yang reaches Xiao Xingchen's ears, he's frantic about the possibility that he might once more take revenge by proxy attacking his dear friend Chengmei. Chengmei, who is not stupid, sees the great potential of helping his daozhang kill Xue Yang once and for all. (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/42220668">Confused yet? Keep reading...</a>]] This was so much fun! But Xue Yang should be careful not to play these games too often, lest daozhang gets suspicious. It is, indeed, [[too risky.]]

So life goes on, and Xue Yang keeps finding himself more and more drawn to daozhang. Strange, he's always scorned such stupid feelings... [[He might even start to get all hot and bothered!]] And even if he doesn't, there's definitely [[something there]]...

Song Lan has travelled far and wide, searching for Xiao Xingchen. He was overjoyed when hearing the blind girl say she'll take him to where he lives, but upon reaching the gates of a run-down charitable mortuary, all he can see is his dear friend at the mercy of Xue Yang! He waits for the evil beast to leave and goes talk to his long-lost friend (rather than going directly for the kill, there'll be time for that //later//). But when he reveals the ugly truth about that man's identity, turns out Xiao Xingchen is well aware of it... (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[ (align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/42596481/chapters/106996698">Keep reading!</a>]] Wanna try a different timeline? [[Go back]] to the beginning.

Xue Yang has been living with Xiao Xingchen and a-Qing for a while now, and his wounds are healing nicely enough. Still, for some reason the young murderer won't leave the little group. It's risky, he is aware. The longer he stays, the more likely is it for Xiao Xingchen to realise who he really is. But he's not worried, he's always very careful... [[...or so he thinks! But daozhang finds out anyways.]] [[Nah, no he doesn't. Oblivious daozhang is oblivious]] [[...and won't find out unless Xue Yang tells him himself!!]]

Xiao Xingchen made a fair number of enemies out of his years righteously upholding justice, and somehow these vermin are now at their doorstep. So now it falls on Xue Yang to protect him... After all, no one is allowed to harm daozhang but// him!// (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(align:"=><=")+(bg:white)[<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/33615265">Keep reading...</a>]] And later, when the dust settles, life will go on as usual. Even if Xiao Xingchen deserves pain and misery, Xue Yang is coming to realize he doesn't want to exact revenge so much anymore, [[not really.]]

FIRST AND FOREMOST all my thanks and love to Mo Xiang Tong Xiu for creating the amazing stories and characters of [<a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShi">(text-colour:orange)[//Mo Dao Zu Shi//]</a>]. None of this would be here without her. Second, my eternal admiration and appreciation of the fanfic community, who write selflessly to have fun, to share stories and feelings, and who make the reading experience a million times better. The sheer amount of XueXiao fix-its, canon divergency-AUs and wish fulfillment scenarios were the reason this project was made possible. Thank you guys so much! And now, the list of all the fics included in this game. As always, mind the tags, because either sweet or sad, some are certainly NSFW. [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/40846221/chapters/102351849">(text-colour:orange)[//A Matter of Hours//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionfish13/pseuds/lionfish13">(text-colour:orange)[lionfish13]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24297973">(text-colour:orange)[//all I ever knew of love//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sour_Idealist/pseuds/Sour_Idealist">(text-colour:orange)[`Sour_Idealist`]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/33615265">(text-colour:orange)[//Drink, No Drink//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchfire24/pseuds/lady-of-the-lotus">(text-colour:orange)[lady-of-the-lotus]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27609497">(text-colour:orange)[//efforts in a common cause//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/42220668">(text-colour:orange)[//Final Victory//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionfish13/pseuds/lionfish13">(text-colour:orange)[lionfish13]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28857807">(text-colour:orange)[//Fragile Things//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26028973/chapters/63293971">(text-colour:orange)[//Heaven Has A Road But No One Walks It//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvestris/pseuds/Silvestris">(text-colour:orange)[Silvestris]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/31630703">(text-colour:orange)[//I Promised You A Garden//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchfire24/pseuds/lady-of-the-lotus">(text-colour:orange)[lady-of-the-lotus]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/series/2274713">(text-colour:orange)[//if living can be this//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28697640">(text-colour:orange)[//Indulgence//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/34327441">(text-colour:orange)[//Interference//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/41027508">(text-colour:orange)[//it hurts at first (but it ain’t that bad)//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25171594">(text-colour:orange)[//lick your exit wounds//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29048535">(text-colour:orange)[//lie back and let me unlock you//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27531391">(text-colour:orange)[//meet me where we are//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/34352287">(text-colour:orange)[//Mercy//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27066520">(text-colour:orange)[//my silence as a weapon//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/39510249">(text-colour:orange)[//No, But I Will Be//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchfire24/pseuds/lady-of-the-lotus">(text-colour:orange)[lady-of-the-lotus]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27105409">(text-colour:orange)[//nor autumn falter//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/31298507">(text-colour:orange)[//Now That I See You//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doctor_Susan_Holmes/pseuds/Doctor_Susan_Holmes">(text-colour:orange)[`Doctor_Susan_Holmes`]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/38398348/chapters/95958151">(text-colour:orange)[//our love would live a half-life on the surface//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/42596481">(text-colour:orange)[//Phantom Threat//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/valls_safanoria/pseuds/valls_safanoria">(text-colour:orange)[`valls_safanoria`]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26758312">(text-colour:orange)[//Retributive Justice//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/31173026">(text-colour:orange)[//splinters//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24380953">(text-colour:orange)[//Sweet Dreams//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ali19375/pseuds/Ali19375">(text-colour:orange)[Ali19375]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/35414686/chapters/88275358">(text-colour:orange)[//the backyard is full of bones//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28052361">(text-colour:orange)[//the blood in your mouth//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/40615260">(text-colour:orange)[//The Taste of Rain on Skin//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionfish13/pseuds/lionfish13">(text-colour:orange)[lionfish13]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/31759672/chapters/78614980">(text-colour:orange)[//Time Is Our Worst Enemy//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doctor_Susan_Holmes/pseuds/Doctor_Susan_Holmes">(text-colour:orange)[`Doctor_Susan_Holmes`]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26879725">(text-colour:orange)[//to make a friend of an enemy//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22821064">(text-colour:orange)[//Turn a Blind Eye//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeejaschocolate/pseuds/jeejaschocolate">(text-colour:orange)[jeejaschocolate]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30558027/chapters/75370704">(text-colour:orange)[//Walking Far From Home//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise">(text-colour:orange)[Lise]</a>] [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/33414091">(text-colour:orange)[//When the Truth Wants Out//]</a>] by [<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doctor_Susan_Holmes/pseuds/Doctor_Susan_Holmes">(text-colour:orange)[`Doctor_Susan_Holmes`]</a>] //[[Go back]] to the beginning.//

''<p class="big">(align:"=><=")+(box:"===XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX===")[<SPAN STYLE="font-size:30.0pt">WARNING</SPAN>]</p>'' This goes without saying for seasoned fanfic readers like (probably) yourselves, but it never hurts to remind everybody to heed the tags. =||= (text-style:"sway")[HEED THE TAGS] =||= (text-style:"sway")[HEED THE TAGS] =||= (text-style:"sway")[HEED THE TAGS] |==| Seriously. ''Song Lan's Nightmare'' is basically a XueXiao appreciation anthology, and a good chunk of the fics are //very// explicit. Also, because of the tragic nature of this arc, and the sheer talent of these AO3 gods to make us cry our eyes out, some of those may very well wreck your soul. You are warned! However, due to the immersive and narrative nature of this game, no such warnings can be placed //within// the game itself: each link will bring you to Archive of Our Own, and //there// you can see for yourself through the tags and summary if that's a story down your alley. AO3 already has in place an excellent Tag and Warning system, so proceed (and enjoy!) at your own discretion. Are you quite ready? [[Go back]] and begin this adventure!

Not really. What did you expect? Apparently, there is no alternate reality in the whole multiverse where punk delinquent Xue Yang can best //the Hanguang-jun// in a battle. So anyway you spin it, they fight... [[...and Xue Yang gets his ass kicked and his arm cut off]].