history.

[weiward]

Wei Wuxian was born to a cultivator and a servant but lost both of his parents as a child. He was forced to live on the streets after that, fighting vicious dogs for whatever scraps of food he could find. Eventually, he was found by Jiang Fengmian, leader of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect and close friend of his parents. After that, Wei Wuxian was taken back to Lotus Pier and raised alongside the man's own children, Jiang Cheng and Yanli.

Growing up, he proved himself to be a gifted cultivator (basically a sorcerer with a sword who fights ghosts and assorted baddies) to the point where he surpassed even Jiang Cheng and became head disciple. Despite the occasional (frequent) bickering, the two remained as close as actual brothers. As a teenager Wei Wuxian was sent along with his siblings to Cloud Recesses, home of the esteemed Gusu Lan Sect, for studies. However the only thing Wei Wuxian seriously applied himself to was annoying the second young master, one of the two jades himself, Lan Wangji. Like fire and water, the two could not be more opposite. Yet it was in Lan Wangji where Wei Wuxian found his match.

After getting them both into trouble (some would argue that it's a common theme in this series), they also discover a piece of the dangerous Yin metal together. The first piece of this mysterious metal is already held by the ruling Qishan Wen Sect, who are getting more and more out of control. They're using the metal to turn people into puppets, and are getting a lot of cultivators and innocent people killed in the process. It's up to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji to find the remaining pieces of the Yin metal before the Wen Sect does, at which point they would be virtually unstoppable.

There are adventures and dangers, some not so subtle flirting and a giant turtle monster. Ultimately both Cloud Recesses and Lotus Pier are left in ruins at the hands of the Wen sect. Even worse, so was Wei Wuxian's brother. Jiang Cheng's golden core, the thing inside of cultivators that stores and directs spiritual energy and allows them to cultivate, was melted at the hands of Wen Zhuliu. This doomed Jiang Cheng to a mediocre life, which isn't a good look for a sect leader. This along with the brutal murder of his parents sent Jiang Cheng into a deep depression. Unable to stand his brother's suffering, Wei Wuxian came up with one of his outrageous schemes: to secretly switch his own golden core with Jiang Cheng.

Unfortunately this left him wide open when the Wen Clan caught up with him.

Wei Wuxian was beaten and dropped into the Burial Mounds, considered a place of no return for body or soul. Except Wei Wuxian did return, and brought some "wicked" new tricks that he'd learned with him. With the help of a piece of Yin metal that he'd accidentally discovered back in giant turtle monster cave. It and the resentful energy of the place both called to him, and this is where his demonic cultivation was born.

Using resentful energy and spirits instead of power from a golden core, this form of cultivation was extremely taboo and untouched, as much for the harm that it did mind and body as anything. But Wei Wuxian had no other choice for defense and revenge. Instead of a sword, he used a flute to call on the powerful and terrifying energy. But as feared, Wei Wuxian's temper and control became strained, especially when witnessing injustice, making him seem notably changed from the more light-hearted youth of before. Lan Wangji willingly agreed to help him, hoping to balance Wei Wuxian out with both his presence and music that would cleanse the mind and soul.

After the Phoenix Mountain Hunt and another clash with Jin Zixuan, Wei Wuxian comes across Wen Qing, one of the Wen siblings who've helped him numerous times in the past. After demanding information from Jin Zixun, they go to the camp where her brother and a few harmless remnants of the Wen clan are being held prisoner. After finding that Wen Ning has been murdered, Wei Wuxian summons him as a fierce corpse to take revenge on their captors. He then tries to escape with them, stopped by Lan Wangji at first, who ultimately lets them pass. Wei Wuxian takes them all to the Burial Mounds, the only place where they'll be safe, and thus becomes the Yiling Patriarch. Rumors spread that he's forming his own wicked sect, when he really just wants to live in peace. During this time he brings back Wen Ning's consciousness and stages a fight with Jiang Cheng in which he officially defects from the Yunmeng Jiang to protect their reputation.

Meanwhile, Yanli weds Jin Zixuan and the two have a son together. Wei Wuxian is invited to the one month anniversary of Jin Ling's birth, but is ambushed by Jin Zixun and his men along the way. Things begin to escalate, with Jin Zixuan showing up in the middle to try and calm things. But during the fight, Wei Wuxian seemingly loses control of Wen Ning, who kills both the Jin cousins.

This action spells the beginning of Wei Wuxian's end. Wen Qing uses her needles to paralyze him for his own good, and all of the Wens leave him behind at Burial Mounds to turn themselves in at Carp Tower. The Wen siblings along with the rest are executed there.

Once Wei Wuxian breaks free of the needles' effects, he's angry, hurt, and consumed by resentful energy. He crashes a party of cultivators and sect leaders, where everyone keeps talking shit until someone shoots an arrow into him. Wei Wuxian is still looked at as the bad guy when he kills them in return, and big-time fighting breaks out. Lan Wangji does his best to get through to him, but when Yanli is accidentally killed during the ruckus, Wei Wuxian can take no more. He breaks apart his Stygian Tiger Seal and falls from the cliff, though Lan Wangji desperately tries to save him.

Sixteen years later, Wei Wuxian's spirit is summoned by Mo Xuanyu and resurrects in his body....but still somehow manages to keep looking like Wei Wuxian, prompting him to wear a mask to avoid being recognized. But naturally, his old flame Lan Wangji recognizes him. New things involving the Stygian Tiger Seal have started to happen, which makes no sense after Wei Wuxian destroyed it. When the pair start looking into it, they discover that an overly ambitious Jin Guangyao is behind it along with a lot of other dirty deeds (Nie Mingjue's qi deviation, Jin Zixuan's death, his wife's suicide, the death of his son...the list goes on.) He's eventually brought down, along with an entire temple on top of him.

Other noteworthy things that happen along the way: Wen Ning is revealed to have not been executed and continues being best boy, Wei Wuxian discovers that Lan Wangji was punished and left scarred for his involvement with him, Jiang Cheng finds out that his golden core is actually Wei Wuxian's, the two reconcile as much as they can, and Lan Sizhui is revealed to be Wen Yuan, the little boy that Wei Wuxian adopted at Burial Mounds, later raised by Lan Wangji after his death.