The next day, after breakfast, the atmosphere in the room is lighter. Patience has been restored, and a willingness to listen without interruption, though perhaps, that does not apply to the only lady in the room.

“How are you both feeling, my sweet babies?” Cangse Sanren asks them, before they begin.

“Much better,” Wei Ying replies with a sunny smile. He's telling the truth, having rested peacefully and sleeping through the night without any nightmares.

“Mn.” Lan Zhan agrees wholeheartedly.

“And you, dear one? How are you faring? Do you want to join us up here?” Cangse Sanren asks Lan Huan.

He smiles and shakes his head, scooting closer to Lan Qiren. “I would like to stay close to Shufu,” he says quietly.

Like yesterday, Lan Qiren reaches under the table and finds A-Huan's hand waiting for him. They smile at one another gently. Lan Qiren has excused everyone from normal duties this morning, proclaiming needing a rest day after their return from Nightless City, and although the Elders expressed their concerns, he couldn't care less today.

“Xingan, you were wisely right,” Cangse Sanren tells her husband as he comes to sit by her side on the bed, rearranging her so that her back leans against his chest.

He kisses the top of her head and asks, “About what, my love?”

“About all of us resting first before continuing to listen to our babies. I feel so much better with hot food in my tummy, but that's all I'm going to say about it.”

Wei Changze snickers. “It's only for a few months now, please try to endure a little longer.” He's referring to her diet and her vocal protests at having to endure it.

She takes his hand, the one with the silver wedding ring and kisses the centre of his palm. “I can take anything now,” she replies in a thick voice. “After realising that this might not have been possible, I think of each moment we get to share, all of us,” she looks around the room with wet eyes, “as a miracle. I am more than grateful.”

The same sentiment is visible on everyone's faces.

“My love, tell everyone what happened after the surgery,” Cangse Sanren tells her little boy.

Wei Ying gratefully continues from where he left off yesterday, knowing she gave him an opening that did not dwell on those painful hours and would let him move onwards.

“Wen Qing wouldn't let me leave straight away, but Jiang Cheng was beginning to wake up. The surgery was a success and I knew that he could beat me to the tea house where we agreed to meet if I didn't get going as soon as I could walk. We said we would meet in five days and Wen Qing was going to leave Jiang Cheng with instructions to meditate to get used to his new core. That time would be crucial for me to reach our designated meeting point.

“But even walking for long left me exhausted and I must have fallen asleep with no idea of how much time passed by while I was unconscious. I made it to the tea house and entered, seeing no Wen soldiers around. But that was my mistake because Wen Chao and his awful woman were inside, with Wen Zhuliu. They grabbed me immediately and beat me up. He even got the Core-Melting Hand to try and burn away my core but the joke was on him. I saw the realisation on his face when I was promising them all how I was going to come back as a fierce ghost to haunt them into madness.

“Unfortunately, that gave Wen Chao the idea to throw me inside the Burial Mounds.”

“He sounds like a coward. I can't believe he would ever be brave enough to approach the amount of Resentment energy in that place himself.” Lan Qiren strokes his beard. “How long did it take to walk there?”

“We didn't walk. They tossed me off a sword.”

The silence that follows his statement erupts into a clamour of protests, with colourful language from Cangse Sanren.

“Shufu, that is why we wanted to walk to Qishan.” Lan Zhan explains.

The Acting Sect Leader looks ill.

Lan Zhan continues without waiting for anyone to say anything. This is like dressing a wound - the faster they get through the hard parts, the easier it will be for Wei Ying. It's not that he doesn't care what they think, but more that he wants for Wei Ying not to suffer more.

“The Lan Sect heard about Lotus Pier about a week after it happened. They spread the word, using propaganda to terrify those who would otherwise challenge their authority. The Wens claimed that they had destroyed the Jiang Sect, and they let people speculate about the family. Of course, public opinion can't be trusted, and rumours spread that everyone in the main family had passed away.

“I began helping the surrounding villages with night hunting duties whilst learning as much as I could about what had happened. Wei Ying said the best place to hear things was in tea houses where people liked to gossip, and so I made my way to Yiling. I did not venture into the main town centre because our scouts had reported a heavy Wen presence there, but outside in the forest between Yiling and the Burial Mounds, I…I found Wei Ying’s clarity bell. I knew it was his because he had shown it to me during the guest lectures when he visited the Cloud Recesses a few years back.

“There were other, less frequented tea houses on the way back, and I kept an ear out for anything related to the Jiang family. It was there that I learned Jiang YanLi had made it to Koi tower and was under the protection of the Jins. My hopes grew that Wei Ying might be hiding somewhere, since the Wens would be far more interested in capturing him and Jiang WanYin than a female who could hardly be called a cultivator.

“When I returned to the Cloud Recesses, there was a surprise waiting for me. Xiongzhang was back, and he had used all of his diplomatic skills to gather all those who were opposed to Wen Ruohan to form an alliance. With him, he brought Jiang WanYin.

“I was elated at first, but looking around, when I realised that Wei Ying wasn't there…” Lan Zhan doesn't tell them about his own private devastation.

Wanting to know, needing to know that Wei Ying was safe was what kept him motivated after that. Jiang WanYin had said he thought Wei Ying might have come to Gusu was heartening, but sadly not true.

“I spent three months with Jiang Cheng, looking for Wei Ying. We were fighting and training new cultivators daily, children really, but we had no choice. Wen Ruohan was thriving with his numbers, the sheer level of his army was terrible-”

“Wait a minute! You said three months!” Cangse Sanren’s eyes flit between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan as if trying to work something out. “Does that mean you found him after three months?”

At Lan Zhan’s nod, she turns to Wei Ying.

“Mama, I know what you're going to ask me. But if there's one thing I would want you to never find out about, it's that place. Please…please, don't.” Wei Ying bites down on his bottom lip to stop it trembling.

“Wei Ying still has nightmares about the Burial Mounds,” Lan Zhan adds, rubbing his rigid back.

“I bet he does.” Cangse Sanren sounds grim. “Sweetheart, you don't have to tell us everything, I understand that. Just stick to whatever you're comfortable with.”

“Okay, Mama. Some parts are necessary, though.” Wei Ying gathers his thoughts, trying to sort through what is relevant and what will serve no other purpose than to traumatise them. He remembers his ShiJie asking him again and again about the time he spent in that forsaken place. “I found a sword.” He won't say where from, not in this lifetime. No one needs to know. “I made a weapon, cultivating it to channel resentment energy. It took a toll on my body but as weapons go, it was powerful. I kept it close to me, hidden so that no one knew I was using something to help me.

“I forged a new path, one that allowed me to cultivate without a golden core. I learned to make resentment energy my friend. I called it the Yin Hufu. I learned about the Ghost path, how many who had died still were bitter about their state, and about how they died. They wanted vengeance and I…I could give that to them.

“In return, they helped me get out of the Burial Mounds and we began to search for Wen Chao. I had to keep my promise, after all.”

Lan Zhan takes over.

“Jiang WanYin and I began hearing stories of people going mad with fear. They were turning their own weapons on themselves, or killing their co-fighters, turning on their own disciples. We followed a bloody trail of destruction like breadcrumbs on a path, telling a morbid story. The supervisory offices were being targeted by an unknown cultivator, a person with unimaginable power. He left bodies in his wake, mutilated and killed in different ways. He used talismans to lure the most dangerous, most volatile ghosts to his banner, and he wiped out each office, one after another. At one such office, we found Wang Lingjiao having hung herself with her own sash, a pile of treasure at her feet.

“All the servants were dead, the disciples finished off in the most gruesome ways, and talismans that were reversed to lure maleficent spirits there. Jiang WanYin pointed it out to me, saying the calligraphy looked familiar. He also pointed out that as long as whoever was killing the Wens continued to do so, he was on our side, and we should be grateful about that.

“Wherever we went, he was one step ahead of us, until one day, we came upon an abandoned manor. All was silent, so Jiang WanYin and I landed on the roof and removed a few tiles so we could see inside. I activated a silencing spell that kept our presence from those within.

“What we saw…we saw a man with his hood drawn tightly over his face, making the most pitiful noises and crying out at the slightest noises. Every whisper of the wind, every creaking door, and he became a puddle of incomprehensible mumbling and whimpers, terrified out of his mind. It was only when Wen Zhuliu joined him that we realised we were looking at the second son of Wen Ruohan, Wen Chao.

“His head was bare as if he had pulled out all of his own hair, and there were wounds, so many of them on his body, on his face, on his head. Some were clearly filled with pus and infected, and yet he wouldn't allow Wen Zhuliu to treat them. He would not even eat the food Wen Zhuliu offered him, picking a corner at his back to hide away in.

“When the doors slammed open, he cowered, crying out. We could hear footsteps coming closer, climbing up the steps, the soft thud of each boot as whoever it was stalked his prey.

“Wen Zhuliu stood in front of Wen Chao, ready to defend that vermin. And then we saw black robes, as dark as night, shadows clinging to his shape. A narrow waist cinched by a leather belt and long hair tied up with a familiar red ribbon. Shrill notes played from his black flute, a dizi that was tied to the player like my WangJi was to me, and yet this man was full of a fiery confidence, sure of his every step.

“The music he played seemed to call upon every trauma suffered in one's life, commanding those that answered him to be present, to show themselves. First, I thought there were three, but really, there was only one, a lady with talons for nails, a demon to do his bidding. Her red robes seemed to be made out of the air with the way she vanished and suddenly appeared without a warning.

“At this point, we did not know for sure who this person was, with perfect mastery of himself and his surroundings. But then, as his ghost lady attacked Wen Chao, Wen Zhuliu confronted him. That's when the man spoke.

“It was Wei Ying, and he asked Wen Zhuliu about his loyalty, and told him to step aside, but the man refused. Wei Ying laughed at him, at his skewered allegiance to a man who didn't care if he lived or died, and why should others have to suffer if Wen Zhuliu was there because of some kind of past debt? When Wen Zhuliu attacked, both Jiang WanYin and I burst through the roof to help him. We were all shocked to see each other, and I know how relieved I was to see him alive.

“Wen Zhuliu died by Zidian choking him, and Wen Chao was forgotten as we reunited. Jiang WanYin hugged his brother and gave him back his sword. Looking back, I should have paid more attention to the way Wei Ying flinched when he had to hold it. I am ashamed of my words, and how I treated Wei Ying that day. A-Yi, I must apologise to you as well. I did not support your son as I should have.” Lan Zhan stands up on the bed and bows to both Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze.

“I do not accept your apology,” Cangse Sanren replies sharply.

Lan Zhan winces but he remains bent at the waist.

“Lan Zhan…Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying is distressed enough to pull on his robes but Lan Zhan won't budge.

“A-Zhan, do you want to know why?” Cangse Sanren swallows hard, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. “Come here, child.” She pulls him into a hug, letting Lan Zhan cry on her shoulder.

Wei Changze pats him on his head while Wei Ying scoots closer to hug him. Cangse Sanren gathers him into her arms as well, kissing both of their foreheads.

Her voice is infinitely kinder now. “A-Zhan, this- this is not your fault. You had no way of knowing that my son had done something so reckless, so stupidly brave. And I doubt he would have told anyone unless they pried it out of him. Given how rigidly the Lan Clan follows the orthodox path, I bet it was a shock to your sensibilities to see what he was doing, right?” She wipes away his tears with a gentle smile on her face. “Sweetheart, there's nothing to forgive. You do not need to hold on to some falsely perceived guilt when the circumstances were so wholly out of your control. Do you understand, A-Zhan?”

“Son, this is your chance to start again,” Wei Changze tells him, with so much fond sincerity in his voice. “That past lifetime hasn't happened in this universe. You can step away from whatever you think you did and wipe the slate clean. In this life, A-Ying isn't close to the Jiangs, and now, the ones that made him think he had that awful debt to repay, they're dead. He understands now that he must develop a sense of self-preservation in this lifetime because there are people who care about him, who love him unconditionally. This goes for you, too. Love, true love isn't based on transactions, it comes from the heart and we have to learn how to love ourselves first, before we can let anyone else come within our circle.”

“A-Huan, I hope you are listening to this,” Lan Qiren tells him. Then, not content to simply sit next to his oldest nephew, who is no doubt traumatised by what he's had to listen to, Lan Qiren lifts him to sit in his lap.

He hasn't done this for so long, he wonders why he even stopped. Lan Huan and Lan Qiren had met each other a full three years before A-Zhan came along, and yet this tactile affection had fizzled out somehow, without either of them noticing. How strange!

Lan Qiren keeps his arms around the child, hiding his smile when A-Huan relaxes against his chest and tucks his head under Lan Qiren's chin, seeking comfort.

“Lan Zhan! It's not your fault!” Wei Ying insists when he can speak. “I-Nobody could talk to me back then. I was barely holding myself together, and like Mama said, I knew what you thought about me. That the Ghost path was bad for me. But I refused to listen because I had no choice. I couldn't take up the sword again - just being that close to it made me nauseous. The reminder of what I'd given up was still so fresh in my heart that I couldn't cope with all those feelings. I latched onto anything that gave me a leg up over cultivators and used it. I wasn't nice to you, either,” he finishes in a whisper.

“I think we should have some tea,” Wei Changze says, standing up.

Drinking something hot will chase away the lumps in their throats and make this easier. As he heats up the water, he wonders if this day will get easier and then a sigh escapes past his lips.

Lan Qiren catches his eyes and raises a brow to ask him what he's thinking, and Wei Changze smiles sadly. “Every time I think we've heard the worst of it, the babies tell us something even more traumatic. I'm bracing myself.”

“Wise decision,” Lan Qiren replies, thinking how true that is. He thinks about Lan WangJi's Kill list and how justified it is, seeing what utterly reprehensible turds those people turned out to be. He can't even justify leaving them alive in this life, based on the hope that they might have turned out differently, because Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian were prime examples of how this wasn't the case, even in this universe.

He watches as Wei Changze stokes the brazier and relishes the warmth in the room, listening to the sparks snapping among the burning logs. There's a heavy quietness in the room as everyone prepares to listen onwards. The tea is fragrant and welcome, a staple of familiar taste and comfort buffering them from what is to come.

“What happened to Wen Chao?” Cangse Sanren asks the boys.

They're leaning back against the pillows, a child on either side of her. She still has her arms around both of them, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“Lan Zhan and I…we argued. Jiang Cheng got in the middle and then pointed out how this didn't concern him, seeing as I belonged to the Jiang Sect. Then he added that it was our right to exact vengeance on Wen Chao for what he did to Lotus Pier and his parents. Lan Zhan left.” Wei Ying curls in on himself.

“Not exactly.” Lan Zhan says quietly.

Wei Ying gasps.

“Why? What happened?” Cangse Sanren demands, looking between the two of them.

“I do not know,” Lan Zhan admits. “All I heard was the screaming.”

Wei Ying cringes, hiding his face in his mother's arm. “We killed him.”

“Then, that's all we need to know,” his mother tells him firmly, sensing that it was still traumatic for him to relive. “And good riddance to bad rubbish.”

“Mn.” Lan Zhan is surprised by himself. In that past life, he was too quick to judge, to quick to form an opinion about what he saw as a direct departure from cultivating with one's sword.

Now, he can reflect and make better decisions. Informed choices, he finds out, make the most difference.

“Where did you go from there?” Lan Qiren asks them.

“The allies were meeting in the Unclean Realm. All of the injured were there at our Base camp, where Jiang YanLi was helping to look after the patients. We went back to report the latest news to our joint leaders, Nie MingJue and Xiongzhang. The three siblings reunited while I went to talk to my brother.” That's all Lan Zhan wants to say about this time.

Day by day, his disappointment and confusion about Wei Ying’s Ghost path was increasing, and added to that was the turmoil of his own private feelings, the love that had blossomed before into tiny buds had suddenly spiralled into a ferocious climbing plant, unhindered by anything. Nothing put him off Wei Ying, not his Cultivation, not his new-found ability to talk to the dead, and certainly not his leaner body. If anything, his love was a rampaging, blistering forest fire, ready to consume him entirely.

Lan Zhan blushes, his ears hot and pink, giving him away.

Cangse Sanren notices and decides to go easy on him, just for today. So she nudges her son instead.

“Why don't you tell me what was going on?”

“We started winning the war, slowly but surely. Those that died were immediately caught up, rising against our enemies until every fight became a bloodbath. Those who saw what I did became fearful of my power, two-faced and singing my praises to my face while condemning me behind my back. I could see the fear in their eyes whenever they looked at me, and I was scared, Mama. It was so hard to control myself. My emotions weren't my own and I was constantly tired. But I couldn't let anyone know my condition because it would have started them asking questions, and all it would take was one trip to the healers, and my secret would be discovered. It would have devastated Jiang Cheng, so I started keeping away from everyone.

“I couldn't let them know about the Yin Hufu, either. Even though Jin GuangShan wasn't there directly, he had many spies reporting to him directly, and I had to be careful. Even so, despite my exhausted state, I still had nightmares. And the closer we got to Nightless City, the worse my condition was getting.

“But even though Lan Zhan hated what I was doing, he stayed by my side. I became a prime target for the Wens, because they knew killing me meant the tide would turn in their favour. I don't know how many swords he saved me from.” Wei Ying smiles shyly at Lan Zhan.

Even now, that sparkling smile has the ability to steal his thoughts and Lan Zhan has to look away, heat crawling up his neck.

“Meng Yao had climbed the ranks in the Unclean Realm to befriend Nie Huaisang and become Nie MingJue’s right hand man. The Wens attacked and Wen Xu was beheaded by Baxia, Nie MingJue's sabre. Meng Yao was caught killing the Nie captain of the army with a Wen sword by Nie MingJue and was going to be killed for treason, but Huaisang intervened and had him banished instead. He said he would approach his father, Jin GuangShan in Koi tower but instead, he was nowhere to be found.

“We learned later that he had gone to Nightless City and was in charge of torturing prisoners during the war, including Nie MingJue, who was caught later. But he was also a double agent, sending information to Lan Huan, including detailed maps and strategy data. His retention memory was unparalleled, and many reported his ability to see something once and be able to copy it exactly, stroke for stroke.

“The final battle concluded in Nightless City in front of Wen Ruohan's palace. I took control of the puppets and my own ghost army was formidable, tearing down anyone who stood in their way. And those that died were not ready to lie down to their rest - they wanted to fight some more.

“Wen Ruohan came out to see why his troops were dwindling, not listening to his commands, and while he was distracted by me, Meng Yao came out and fatally stabbed him. I passed out, having used up all of my energy.” Wei Ying falls silent, letting Lan Zhan fill in the gaps between his conscious and unconscious state.

“Wei Ying woke up three days later. Jiang YanLi and I cared for him during that time. But the Jins had arrived and brought with them a dangerous blood lust. They were killing anyone whose surname was Wen, regardless of whether they were cultivators or not. Wei Ying and I saw many killed even after the war, women and children, people who were obviously laymen.

“Jin GuangShan held a banquet in Nightless City and appointed himself Chief Cultivator. He foresaw the equal distribution of the war spoils, even though he had done the least, safely holed up in Koi tower for the duration of the war.”

“But, Mama, that was his excuse to do three things: he wanted Jiang YanLi to reinstate her engagement to the Peacock- I mean, Jin ZiXuan, he also wanted to invite everyone to the Phoenix mountain night hunt, and he wanted my Yin Hufu. Jiang YanLi said we were still in mourning after her parents’ death and because Lotus Pier had to be rebuilt, she wanted to concentrate on that first before anything else.

“I had to tell him that he need not concern himself with something that did not belong to him, and that I had it under control.” Wei Ying shrugs. “That didn't stop him from sending Jin ZiXuan to Lotus Pier afterwards, though I suspect that was more Jin-Furen than him. She and Madam Yu were of the same Sect and sworn sisters, and they had promised each other that their kids would marry once they reached an acceptable age.

“Things were getting worse for me, though. Jiang Cheng wanted me to help him train our new disciples, and I couldn't even look at my sword by then. It didn't help that every single person I met asked me where my sword was, so I started drinking. It really helped on two fronts: I could pass out and not remember any stupid dreams and if I slept during the day, Jiang Cheng couldn't make me teach the new children.

“But he was getting impatient with me. We argued more and more, as the days went by…well, he shouted and I pretended to listen.” Wei Ying smirks at the memory.

“We met again in Lanling, for the night hunt,” Lan Zhan says. “The Jins held an archery contest, and that's when they brought out the Wen prisoners. They had taken charge of all the remaining Wens, keeping them in training camps. They lined these people up to stand right under the shooting targets. No one dared to protest at this, and when Wei Ying was going to, Jiang WanYin told him not to.

“Jin ZiXuan shot an unremarkable bull’s eye and the Jins talked him up. Wei Ying decided to teach them a lesson in humility.” Lan Zhan still remembers the secret thrill he experienced when Wei Ying asked for his headband. It is remains one of his favourite, cherished memories despite the circumstances and the fact that he had been too stunned to actually answer. He catches Wei Ying’s eyes and they both blush, unable to look away.

“Who won?” Cangse Sanren asks them. Neither hears her until she repeats herself for the third time, and much louder. “Who won? The night hunt?” She clarifies when they drag their gazes away from each other.

“The Jiangs. Wei Ying caught a third of the available prey all by himself,” Lan Zhan declares, proudly.

“But they made it seem like it was a bad thing,” Wei Ying remembers, feeling out of sorts for that. “That guy, Jin something-”

“Jin ZiXun dared Wei Ying to complete the night hunt while blindfolded.” Lan Zhan fills that part in, but then he remembers something else that had happened on that particular night hunt…while Wei Ying was still blindfolded, sitting on that low branch like a hot cultivator just waiting for the prey to give itself up. But Wei Ying had lured more than one type of prey that day.

Wei Ying hasn't noticed him faltering and he continues. “Yeah, him. He dared me so I found myself a nice quiet spot and I played my dizi. Chenqing, that was her name, liked night hunting as much as I did. But I didn't know how much I'd caught until everyone had suddenly gathered in that clearing. They were all shouting at me, calling me the son of a … the son of a-” Wei Ying lifts his fearful eyes up towards his father, and he knows that his father understands what he cannot bring himself to say. He swallows hard and continues with determination. “ShiJie defended me. She said she didn't know there were rules to limit how much a person could catch, and then Sect Leader Yao protested, saying that it was an unspoken rule to leave sufficient prey for everyone else.

“Sect Leader Yao backed off, but that Jin ZiXun guy wouldn't let it go, and ShiJie was mad as hell at him. Madam Jin came along and supported her and forced him to apologise, which, by the way, he did not, and so I told him he should try playing something and see if anything listens to him.

“Meng Yao had been accepted into the Sect and recognised as Jin GuangShan's son, which Jin-Furen hated, but he was in charge of organising the event and now he was made to look bad. All of them kept bringing up the fact that I no longer carried my sword.

“We all returned to Koi tower then, but I was feeling restless and decided to go and buy my own wine, in the city centre. It was only by chance that someone pushed Wen Qing and I heard her cry out. She was looking for her brother, who had been taken away to one of the work camps but she didn't know where or how to find him. I promised to help her since I owed her too much. She was so thin, and delirious with hunger, with only her determination keeping her upright.

“I made her sit down and wait, promising to return with news about Wen Ning. Then I made my way back to Koi tower where the banquet had already begun.”

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