This is Xue Yang?

Wei Ying studies him, noting from the way Lan Zhan's grip on his hand has tightened, that he's aware of who this person is as well.

Back in their first life, coincidentally also on a fact-finding mission, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying had learned at a tea house that there was unusual activity at the Chang clan manor. The residence appeared to be haunted, with shrieks and wails being heard inside, but the doors were warded to prevent entry. Upon investigation, they learned that Xue Yang had lured evil spirits inside to kill off the inhabitants.

At the time, Jiang Cheng, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying had helped to catch Xue Yang, with the assistance of Song Lan and Xiao XingChen.

Xue Yang had become a psychopathic delinquent, murdering people on a whim for the slightest offences.

But isn't it true that one's behaviour is a result of how one has been treated? Although Xue Yang is still a child, he doesn't look more than six or seven years old. He's smart enough to have stolen or acquired a weapon, and for the most part, is doing alright. It's not the best of lives, but neither is it the worst. Also, he has taken on the responsibility of looking after another street kid, one in a worse situation than himself. Her eyes are freaky, and Wei Ying imagines that she also hasn't seen much kindness in her life up until now.

"So...what do you want to know?" Xue Yang asks them.

"Shufu wants to know if anyone needs our help. They have gone to help the farmers with the fierce corpses." Lan Zhan says, limiting the information he's giving him.

"There's no point," Xue Yang shrugs disdainfully. "You could kill a hundred of those things and more will turn up the next night."

"Where are they coming from?" Wei Ying asks him sharply.

"We don't know where exactly," A-Qing replies, pointing to behind herself where a low ridge of mountains spread across the horizon. "But they're coming from that direction. Dafan mountain range."

They lie directly opposite the Burial Mounds, shrouded in darkness and shadows. The contrast between the two is so clear: one light and beautiful, the other mysterious and foreboding.

"That's where we are going," Wei Ying murmurs.

"Mn. Qishan lies beyond them. The Wen conference begins the day after tomorrow." Lan Zhan adds.

They look at each other.

"Don't go there," Xue Yang tells them urgently. "It's dangerous."

"Have you been there?" Wei Ying asks him.

"I found my sister there," Xue Yang says, pulling A-Qing to his side. They appear to have a silent conversation, each looking into each other's eyes with emotions fleeting too fast for outsiders to comprehend.

It is similar, if less nuanced, to the way Lan Zhan communicates with his brother, often enjoying secret conversations of their own in utter silence that not even the most devoted Lan Elder can dispute or contest that they're breaking any rules.

A-Qing wins, because she starts talking and Xue Yang makes no attempt to stop her.

"We ran away from a patrol of soldiers. They were harassing a bunch of homeless men, and we got caught in the middle. We weren't travelling together then. I used to pick pockets for a living. I didn't mean to end up on the streets, but I got lost one day and forgot how to get home."

"I left my home," Xue Yang says proudly. "My father was sucking up to that Wen pig," he makes a face, "and somewhere in that, he made a deal with him to send me there to learn something. But I hate rules. I detest them. So I ran away. Not going back there ever," he finishes, a different look in his eyes.

Wei Ying might have said it was fear, but it's hard to believe someone like Xue Yang could be scared of someone or something.

"That's why we're telling you, don't go there. Bad things happen at night." A-Qing shivers and Xue Yang pulls her little body even closer.

"We have to go. All the Cultivation world is gathering there. Shufu says that's how the sects can add to their disciples by showing everyone what they can do. On the last day, anyone can join whichever sect they want to." Lan Zhan regrets those last few words as soon as they leave his mouth, because Xue Yang looks interested now.

All Lan Zhan wants is to get Wei Ying away from the would-be-psychopath as soon as they can, and in the least offensive way, just in case Xue Yang takes it as an unqualified insult. He wants nothing to do with this guy and now that they've given them something to eat, and shown them that there is kindness in the world, Lan Zhan considers his duty done. They need to leave these folks to their fate and move on. Preferably as fast as possible.

"We should go," he says, holding out his hand to Wei Ying who takes it immediately.

"Yeah, let's see if anyone else wants help." Wei Ying jumps off the cart and lands way too close to Lan Zhan purposefully, smiling brightly before taking one of the two bags of candy and handing it over to A-Qing. "In case he doesn't share," he giggles, "as promised."

"We share everything," A-Qing growls, handing it over to Xue Yang just to be contrary.

"That's good, little one," Wei Ying tells her, feeling sad that they have to leave these two here where anything can happen to them. "We wish you well. Perhaps we will meet again someday."

Lan Zhan hopes not.

Xue Yang is studying them thoughtfully, and that's making him uncomfortable. But he refrains from saying anything as they leave the alley.

However, Xue Yang and A-Qing follow behind them at a distance, watching after them.

They don't learn anything new from the other children they meet. There are a few in every alley, or around each street corner, all hungry for food and starving for kindness. Lan Zhan and Wei Ying do their best to talk to them, but they don't know anything more past their own circumstances, and towards the end of the evening when Lan Huan comes looking for them, they've finished handing out all the candy they had, even the extra bags they added to their haul afterwards.

"Did you share the candy?" Lan Huan laughs as the last of the street kids run off.

"Ahuh, ahuh," Wei Ying nods with spiritful joy, grinning from ear to ear.

They might not have found out anything more about the mysterious Nightless City, but it doesn't matter. They made a few hearts lighter for a while, and that's all that matters.

Wei Ying waves at A-Qing and Xue Yang as they leave, and there's a small smile playing on Xue Yang's lips as he looks away; A-Qing waves enthusiastically, proving she CAN see.

They're leaving the main part of Yiling now, and the houses have become scattered. There is excited chattering all around as the different groups come together to walk to the campsite, and no one is paying attention to either Wei Ying or Lan Zhan. Lan Huan is with his friends just ahead of them, and is out of hearing range now.

Good, because Wei Ying is full of questions that need to stay private.

"Are we gonna tell Shifu about where the Fierce corpses are coming from?" He wants to know.

"Should we?" Lan Zhan ponders this. "Uncle might not believe us. He didn't want to believe your mother when she suspected Wen Ruohan's involvement in suspect practices."

"Hmm, you're right. Maybe we should wait instead. We can always tell him later," Wei Ying decides. "But I got the feeling he's not completely trustful of Wen Ruohan. Why do you think he's like that?"

"It's not as if we can ask him. As for not openly speaking out against Wen Ruohan, the truth is that he holds the position of Chief Cultivator. He can make or break a clan, and Uncle is very protective of our Sect. He cannot make accusations without proof."

"No one had a problem doing that when it came to me," Wei Ying reminds him lightly. There is no trace of animosity or hatred in his tone, just factual reminiscing.

"It was easiest to blame you," Lan Zhan recalls, "but also because you had no backing. The Jiangs deserted you, and no one wanted to listen to me. We were alone. But Wen Ruohan has been playing this game for a long time, and he knows how to win. I think he's just biding his time until he can attack the others with little to no resistance. In our timeline, we were seventeen when he showed his true colours."

"That's a good ten years. What is he waiting for?" Wei Ying taps his nose thoughtfully. "If it's the Yin Iron pieces, then doesn't he already have one?"

Lan Zhan lowers his voice even more so that Wei Ying has to strain to hear him. "One piece was entrusted to the Wens to hide in Dafan mountain with the Dancing Fairy, one piece in the Cold Pond, one piece to the Lady of Flowers, and one piece hidden away by Xue Yang, descendant of Xue ChongHai."

"The fifth piece, no one knew about," Wei Ying adds, thinking about the sword embedded within the Tortoise of Slaughter. "And Xue Yang didn't look as if he had one. But I'm glad we found him and A-Qing today. I'm glad we were able to show him that there's still good in the world. It's easy to turn to evil."

"Meaning?"

"Well, being evil, it's selfish, right? You choose to do it. You ignore anything in your head that tells you it's wrong and you do anything you want to without listening to your conscience. But it takes a greater strength to choose to be good. It's harder because there doesn't appear to be any personal gain, it is just done because it needs to be. But in our past life, everything went wrong with Xue Yang's life, and he must have trusted the wrong people. So I'm hoping that by us meeting with him, it will have given him hope that things will not always be so hard. That's all."

"Mn."

They reach the campsite and discover that Uncle Qiren has arrived back. His group and the ones sent to set up the campsite have cooked dinner, and it is waiting for everyone when they arrive.

Dinner is eaten as a collective and some of the group go down to the riverside to wash their utensils and dishes, while the elders take turns to tell stories. The children are tucked into bedrolls and soon begin to fall asleep.

So ends the first day.

**************

The lands between Yiling and Qishan are barren or full of dry grasses, the ground unfit for planting crops.

The Lan contingent had woken up, refreshed themselves and eaten a simple breakfast of tea and hot congee, (Lan Zhan had brought the chilli oil for Wei Ying), and then they were ready to set off for Qishan.

This time, Uncle Qiren is keeping the children just behind him as they walk, and they're discussing yesterday's night hunt with the group that remained behind.

"We thought we might have to wait until nightfall for the fierce corpses to attack the farmers' fields, but these are different beings," Lan Qiren tells the others. "Be on your guard because they can come out of nowhere, daylight is not a deterrent, and they seem stronger than the ones we are used to dealing with. Part of the reason we finished the night hunt early was because they attacked as soon as they felt our presence."

"What could have caused the change?" An elder asks.

"It's hard to say. The farmers were complaining that there seems to be an unlimited supply of them, all coming from this direction. Until we can properly investigate their origins, we won't know more. Our best option is to be vigilant and have a plan ready to execute, should we be attacked suddenly. Those that are vulnerable should be guarded first, surrounded by the lesser experienced fighters among us, while the others fight. It should be an even split between musical Cultivation and sword fighting."

Their conversation moves onto other topics and the group's progress continues.

Unable to speak freely now, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan share a look.

It seems Lan Qiren knows that the fierce corpses are coming from the same direction as Qishan, but he's unwilling to make the jump that would cement Wen Ruohan being involved somehow.

That means, they are going to have to find proof.

****************

They are fortunate to arrive unharmed on the borders of Nightless City. It is mid afternoon, and the mountainous terrain has been steadily growing taller on either side of them, the grey-black remnants of lava creating walls of immovable stone barriers parallel to their path.

The air is heavy with the smell of sulphur and rotten eggs, yellow deposits on the rocks catching the last rays of the golden sunlight. It is a bleak landscape, ominous and foreboding, as if the stone mountains were objecting to being carved into to make space for human living. Dry vapours cling with a stubborn tenacity to the base of the mountains that suddenly give way to a majestic sight: two tall golden gates rise up, melted into the unforgiving stone, and carved with depictions of past Wen glories.

They have arrived at Nightless City.