The air is much cooler inside this dark space as their eyes adjust to the lack of light. Wei Ying remembers his golden butterfly spell, the one he used to use to entertain his shidis and shimeis back in Lotus Pier. It helps to light the way and thankfully just in time, because there is a steep staircase a few feet away.

"That's clever," Xue Yang comments, as they both feel their way and take one step at a time as they descend.

There's a strange smell, dank and earthy in spite of the mountainous rock that surrounds them. Wei Ying wrinkles his nose and does his best to navigate the steps that were definitely cut out for people with longer legs, not for a five year old child. Xue Yang isn't faring much better, and when they come to a narrow landing, they take a few moments to rest.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me," Xue Yang says carefully, "but why do you want to kill off the old goat? Wen Ruohan."

"He's not a good man," Wei Ying replies, suddenly on edge.

"No, I get that. But I've been thinking. You're only five years old, and I don't think you've ever met Wen Ruohan, and neither has your other half. Not in this lifetime." Xue Yang is watching him intently as he speaks.

"What do you mean?" If he can avoid being truthful about all of this, then Wei Ying wants to go with the option that lets him get away with the minimum reveal. This is still Xue Yang, and in spite of his helping their agenda, Wei Ying still can't be sure if it's because he's genuinely loyal to them, or because of his love for killing.

"I don't like being lied to," Xue Yang says quietly.

In the darkness, his eyes are bright pools of liquid unblinkingly watching him back. Wei Ying shivers unconsciously.

"I don't think you'll believe me," he replies, just as softly.

"Alright, let's make this easier. What if I ask you questions and you can say yes or no?"

"Okay," Wei Ying agrees, throwing out the butterflies again as an excuse to keep moving, and not because he desperately wishes Lan Zhan was here now. Not just to protect him from Xue Yang, but because Xue Yang isn't wrong; Lan Zhan IS his other half. Also, Lan Zhan would be able to get away with a single 'Mn' and no one would be any the wiser on whether that was an affirmation or a negative.

"Are you from the future?"

Wei Ying can't help himself; he looks at Xue Yang immediately, and finds he's being watched with the same amount of scrutiny as a rule-breaking child in front of his mother. There's a triumphant smile on Xue Yang's face, and since he so effectively caught Wei Ying giving himself away by his reaction, there's no point in denying it.

"Sort of."

"Both of you, right? And Laoshi?"

Oh...it seems Xue Yang has been watching them far more closely than anyone had given him credit for.

"Yes. But you can't tell anyone. No one knows."

Xue Yang makes a wounded noise of disbelief. "As if," he scoffs. "Nobody will believe it, so don't worry. All of those assholes are so obsessed with themselves, that you're perfectly safe. But then, I'm gonna take another leap and say Wen Ruohan was a bad guy in whatever alternate universe you're from. Was he really bad? Like, worse than this one?"

"Yeah, he was really bad." Wei Ying thinks about the countless lives destroyed just because of one man's greed for power. "And worse than in this lifetime, only because nobody suspected him of trying to take over the whole Cultivation world until it was too late. We're just lucky to get this chance so we can stop him."

"Was I there?"

They've reached another landing, now having descended at least fifty steps.

The golden butterflies cast a pale glow around them, highlighting Xue Yang's face, the vulnerability in his eyes. He's been thinking deeply about this. Wei Ying keeps his gaze steady as he answers.

"Yes."

"And was I...was I a good person?"

"Are you sure you want to ask me these questions?" Wei Ying deflects, feeling sorry for him.

"I don't make it a point to lie to myself. I know who I am," Xue Yang laughs tonelessly. "So I would like the truth, even if it's not something nice. I think of us as friends, and as such, I would appreciate mutual trust."

"Alright, then. Ask me again," Wei Ying replies, his heart hurting for this kid already.

"Was I a good person?"

"No."

Xue Yang nods to himself, as if he was expecting that answer.

"How bad, then?"

"We should keep moving," Wei Ying says, sidestepping the question.

"So, really bad. Hmm." Xue Yang decides, his eyes glittering, reflecting the light of the golden butterflies ahead of them. "You knew that, even when you offered us the food. And the candy," he figures out.

"Xue Yang...in this life, you are not the same as the one in our past lifetime. Please, don't think about what isn't going to happen now. Things have changed." Wei Ying wants to keep the pleading out of his voice, but it's impossible. And how far down do these bloody steps go on for?

They've been descending for what feels like ages already with no sign of them ending.

"You've changed things," Xue Yang remarks, almost to himself. "You knew I was no good, but you still helped me that day. Me and A-Qing. Was she in your past life too?"

"I don't know," Wei Ying admits. "I hadn't met her by the time we came here."

"Looking after someone, it changes you," Xue Yang says, with a fond tone. "We look after each other, 'cept now, she's mooning over that guy from the temple. Do you think we are drawn to other souls?"

"Yes." Wei Ying doesn't even have to think about it. He recalls waking up in the inn in Yiling and finding Lan Zhan sitting next to him, and how Wei Ying hadn't thought twice about trusting him, even though his own memories were not yet clear to him.

"In your other life...what happened to me?"

"You were arrested and brought to trial. I don't know what happened after that." Wei Ying says honestly.

"By those idiots?" Xue Yang jerks a thumb upwards.

"Yes." Maybe it's better not to mention names, Wei Ying thinks. How would Xue Yang feel if he knew Song Lan, the person his little sister A-Qing was cosying up to, was one of those who arrested him? Some things are better left unsaid.

"You know...I'm the kind of person who, if I felt wronged in any way, I would wipe out that person and their entire family without question. But, I think I'm also the type of person who doesn't forget a kindness, either."

They're on another landing now, when Xue Yang stops Wei Ying with a gentle hand on his arm and he bows. "Thank you," he says simply.

"Ah? Xue Yang, no need, no need!" Wei Ying brushes it aside along with his own embarrassment. "How many steps are left to go?" He asks instead, hoping Xue Yang can't see his face properly in this limited light.

"This is the last flight," Xue Yang says, straightening up. "It's a long way from Wen Ruohan's bedroom straight down into the foundations of the castle. Over two hundred steps. As far as I remember, it opens out into a wide cavern."

They're quieter now as they move away from the final steps. Their feet echo on the hard granite floor as they creep forward towards the secondary glow further away from them. And then Wei Ying discovers that Xue Yang was right, because this tunnel DOES open up into a cavernous room with multiple exits. It is the same as Wen Ruohan's Nightless City palace in his last life.

The light is coming from the blue-gold fire burning in a pit in the centre of the room. Above it, suspended in the air is a single hunk of metal burning with a black fire and emitting a dark aura. It is powerful, and it's calling to them, looking for a host that is more powerful than its present owner.

But this time, Wei Ying knows its secrets, he knows the power it holds over the weak, and those who are tied to it, paralysed in their minds until they can be commanded.

For they are not alone.

Line after line of people stand in the room, all facing that strange fire pit and the thing that has stolen their willpower, along with their identity, their likes and dislikes, the quirks that made them human. Now they are mere puppets, white-eyed and trapped in a place they cannot escape. Red cracks cover their skin like macabre, gruesome marbling, glowing in this odd light.

"See what I mean?" Xue Yang whispers.

Wei Ying snaps out of his thoughts. "Let's find the way out. You said you had been here before, so how did you escape that first time?"

"I waited until Wen Ruohan was distracted and then went back up the stairs." Xue Yang replies, scanning the walls. "Why?"

"I wondered if you used another exit. But it might take too long for us to explore all those ways," Wei Ying waves a hand towards the gaping dark doorway shaped holes spreading out like a spider's web away from this central cavern.

"Why don't you just blow a hole in the wall?" Xue Yang asks him nonchalantly.

Wei Ying gapes at him.

"You want people to know, right? If you're gonna cause an uproar, might as well go big. Can't you make those butterflies bigger, or something?"

"Xue Yang, you fucking genius!" Wei Ying beams at him, pulling out the talisman paper Wen Qing had given him, a few days ago.

In the end, it only takes Wei Ying a couple of tries to get the characters right, and then he holds it up for one last inspection.

"When this touches that back wall, it's going to make a noise," he warns. "Won't be butterflies, though."

"Are we talking What-The-Fuck-Was-That, or I-Just-Crapped-In-My-Pants, loud?" Xue Yang asks, moving towards the place where they came in from, back towards the stairs.

"The second one? I think? And times that by five!" Wei Ying takes a deep breath. There's no time for second thoughts now, not when members of his family are in danger.

Saying a silent prayer hoping that it works, Wei Ying propels the talisman to hit that back wall.

The effect is instantaneous.

The blast detonates the wall and exploding fragments, boulders, shards of rock fly in all directions, deafening them from the impact. It's lucky that Xue Yang had the presence of mind to pull Wei Ying into that tiny gap, because there's no way he would have survived that explosion.

Both of them are shaking as they peer around the corner to see what has happened in the aftermath of that roaring demolition.

"Fuck me, you weren't kidding!" Xue Yang exclaims gleefully with an unholy appreciation in his bright eyes.

Wei Ying has never done anything like that before, and he's still in shock. Eyes wide, blown dark, it takes him a moment to realise as the dust settles, that they've blown open a massive hole in the wall, just like Xue Yang suggested...except it's probably ten times bigger than they thought.

The fierce corpses are drawn to the brighter light of outside and are pushing and jostling one another to climb out, shuffling slowly outside.

"We better get out of here," Xue Yang says as the first parts of the roof come crashing down on the puppets and the fire, huge jagged rocks that hit the ground with reverberating blasts that echo all around them.

Wei Ying starts giggling, and once he starts, Xue Yang joins him as they race back up the stairs. It's so hard to do both, to climb while the giddy feeling makes their legs wobble, and it's the adrenaline to their hearts that makes them ascend faster.

But they're about two flights of steps away from the top when the stairs are illuminated by a narrow beam of white light coming from above.

Xue Yang hisses, "Shit, someone's coming!"

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

The kitchen is a warm and friendly place, and Lan Zhan does not care one little bit. His uncle and Wen Qing's mother are talking in hushed whispers and all he wants to do is to go and search for Wei Ying.

This is the first time they've been truly separated, and he hates it with all the inches of his three foot height. He wonders how people will know to look for the fierce corpses, how they will react upon seeing them, but he's brought out of his solitary thoughts by his Shufu.

"WangJi, where is A-Ying?"

Fuck, this is exactly what Wen Qing had warned him about! Now what? He has to think fast.

But before he can open his mouth, there's a deafening crash, loud enough to have both his uncle and Wen Tang Changpu stand up in alarm, looking all around them. The ground shakes with aftershocks, one after another as the servants begin to scream in panic, terror marking their faces.

"WangJi, stay here," his Shufu says, and doesn't wait for an answer as he races off with Wen Tang Changpu to find out what's going on.

Just as well, Lan Zhan thinks as he scarpers towards the interior of the palace, because he hates lying.

Now he can go and find Wei Ying in peace.

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

Wen Ruohan is livid.

He hates any interruption to his plans and this is his own son, that whiny little cretin who made such a mess! He can't even lash out at him because raising one's hand to one's own child is frowned upon, especially in front of all those simpering cowards.

Well, they'll soon find out, he thinks as he directs Wen Zhuliu to keep an eye on Lan Qiren's whereabouts with strict instructions to bring him to Wen Ruohan at the first available opportunity. One way or another, he's going to put a stop to whatever that Lan wants to do.

But then, a voice whispers in his head, Lan Qiren has always been jealous of him, his power, his wealth, his influence. Of course the man would seize any opportunity to make Wen Ruohan look bad and lose face among his peers.

The bathtub is full and steaming when he rounds the privacy screen in his bedroom, and it's with no small amount of disgust that Wen Ruohan drops his robes and his trousers where he stands, making a face at the mini cloud of ash that hangs in the air over his clothes.

He sinks into the fragrant hot water and tries to ignore his sagging skin, the wrinkles he must hide among the many shallow cuts that resemble lace climbing up and down his bare arms, matching the fresh wounds on his legs. He's getting better at wrapping the bandages on himself these days, because he can't ask the healers for help anymore.

He hates this weak body, the transient nature of it making him want to speed up the immortality he senses by using the Yin Iron. It calls to him frequently now, as if it joins him in that secret thrill of hurting himself. The bite of the blade as it cuts over soft flesh is exhilarating, and then the anticipation of the oozing red liquid as it splashes onto cold dark metal.

Soon, he will become the Master of all that lives, the Master of all creation. He knows he's only a few steps away from achieving his goal, and this thought makes shivers race up his spine.

But they're not stopping.

Wen Ruohan watches as the water ripples without his help, he stills but then, there's an almighty explosion that bursts into his bedroom like a frightened bride.

He stands up quickly, uncaring of his naked body, the way the water splashes onto the ground as he picks up a spare inner robe and fastens it around his ever thinning waist.

That noise...

He walks around the privacy screen in shock, because the picture that hides the tunnel to the basement has fallen down, and the door is resting on its hinges, wide open.

Without a second thought, Wen Ruohan races down the sharp, steep stone steps in his bare feet, still wet from his bath, anxious to know what has happened down there.

***********

There's not enough space for both Wei Ying and Xue Yang to hide together on that tiny landing. They separated as soon as the light appeared from above, so now they're on either side of the dark walls, squeezed into two tiny crevices that barely hide their presence.

But Xue Yang is used to hiding in dark places, used to being watchful and taking advantage of every opportunity afforded to him. When he recognises the silhouette of the man racing towards them, his survival instincts kick in to stick his foot out at exactly the right moment, and then he holds his breath as the Chief Cultivator squawks in outrage and disbelief, seconds before he misses a step.

He's thrown off balance and flying through the air, his face first hits the hard, unforgiving granite of the stone steps before tumbling down.

In his hurry to see what was wrong in his basement, the speed of his momentum carries his body further down the cruel and sharp stony steps until he ends up on the second last landing with a horrible wet squelch.

Wei Ying glances at Xue Yang, and it's a wordless agreement to go down the stairs again to check on him. They remain silent all the way down, avoiding the middle of the steps which are horribly slippery, shining and wet.

Wen Ruohan's body lies in a crumpled heap, unmoving and twisted in a way that defies flexibility, his face crushed beyond recognition. There is no doubt the man is dead. Blood pools under him, seeping out of his body and dripping down the last flight of steps.

But another noise above them alerts them to the sound of someone else coming down the steps, and before they can hide, Wei Ying and Xue Yang are discovered.