San-yi returned to check on Wen Yuan. Her dark brown hair was pulled up in a simple style. Wisps of grey had sprung free contrasting with inky dark eyes that seemed to be common among the Dafan Wens. She spent a few minutes quietly examining Wen Yuan. Apparently satisfied with his condition, she turned to the trio on the other bed.

"How sound of a sleeper is your partner?" San-yi inquired. There was a brusqueness to her tone that reminded Lan Wangji of Wen Qing, but the voice was much softer than Wen Qing's. Lan Wangji considered this question carefully.

"Wei Ying is difficult to wake at most times." Lan Wangji stated. He paused but tentatively added, "Wei Ying sometimes suffers from nightmares during which he does not respond well to being touched by strangers." Actually Wei Wuxian did not respond well to being touched by most people during such times, but what Lan Wangji said out loud was still truthful.

"I want to treat the swelling on Nuan-er's face. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to startle your partner awake by doing so." San-yi stated calmly.

She approached the bed and glanced at Lan Wangji before proceeding. Lan Wangji appreciated that immensely, even if he did not understand why she did it. He had no claim on Wen Nuan. This woman was most likely related to Wen Nuan in some fashion. In theory she had more of a claim to Wen Nuan than Lan Wangji or Wei Wuxian did.

Lan Wangji nodded, and only then did San-yi carefully reach between Wen Nuan and Wei Wuxian to wrap her fingers gently around Wen Nuan's wrist. San-yi closed her eyes in concentration. Neither of the sleeping figures so much as stirred. When San-yi pulled her hand back she sighed with something a bit like relief. San-yi prepared a cold compress and very carefully held it against the worst of the swelling on Wen Nuan's face. Silence enfolded them, punctuated by the sounds of sloshing water whenever San-yi returned the cloth to the water.

"You're Lan Wangji aren't you?" The older woman inquired.

Lan Wangji was surprised to hear someone he did not know calling him by name. Even more so because he did not recall introducing himself at any point during this chaotic day. The surprise must have been more evident than Lan Wangji's thought it was because San-yi chuckled quietly before shaking her head at him.

"A-Qing talked about you after her study at Cloud Recesses was finished. She was not wrong when she said that you were not very expressive, but she also said you were very caring. I've seen how you were looking at your partner and our Nuan-er. Which means this young man must be the A-Ying that A-Qing spoke so highly of." San-yi said with a fond smile.

Lan Wangji knew that Wei Wuxian was family to Wen Qing. She made it very clear that Wei Wuxian was her didi. Wei Wuxian meant a lot to her, and she worried about him. Lan Wangji was also aware that Wen Qing had long since accepted that it was only a matter of time before Lan Wangji would also be her didi. However, it still felt strange to think about Wen Qing speaking to her extended family about them.

"A-Qing's a good girl. She carries a burden that never should have been hers. It makes her cautious to the point of being distrustful of just about everyone she meets. So your partner must be something special to have gained her confidence so completely." A small smile spread across San-yi's face. "Perhaps Naun-er saw the same thing. I haven't seen her latch on to someone like this in such a long time." San-yi said quietly.

The sloshing of water filled the silence as San-yi wrung out the extra water before placing the cool cloth on Wen Nuan's swollen cheek. San-yi's gaze was fond, but suffused with a sadness that seemed to have long since taken root.

"Did you know that our village was once where all medical cultivators in the QishanWen sect trained?" The older woman inquired softly. "Anyone who wanted to study medicine would study here. Even those with no cultivation would study. Much can be done without spiritual energy, even if it does create some limitations."

Lan Wangji's eyes widened in surprise. In Lan Wangji's eyes, Dafan was a small village struggling under the burden of war. Lan Wangji had not necessarily taken the time to look around. He and Wei Wuxian had arrived onto a scene of chaos. Then they joined the battle. As soon as the battle was over Lan Wangji had not even had the time to pull Wei Wuxian into his arms before they suddenly found themselves rushing to a healer with two injured children.

With this in mind, Lan Wangji can be forgiven for only having a cursory impression of their surroundings. That impression mostly being a few scattered damaged or burning buildings amongst the still standing residences. Lan Wangji had not noticed any larger structures for teaching or housing disciples. He thought he would have spotted such structures, but it was completely believable that he had missed them amongst the chaos.

"You're surprised," San-yi chuckled. "I'd expect you to be. Sect Leader Wen has never been fond of sharing resources. We'd been told long ago that we were not to teach or treat outsiders, so we had to be rather cautious when doing both." San-yi's voice took on a conspiratorial whisper and her eyes shined with remembered humour.

"Our lecture hall and medical library were ransacked near the start of the war. By our own sect, can you believe it?" San-yi's voice fell. "Sect Leader Wen's soldiers took everything with them to Qishan the same time they took all of the strong and healthy men of our family. I had three boys around your age. My oldest had been recently married and his wife was expecting their first child. That was the same night Naun-er's father was taken."

"How long has it been since your sons passed?" Lan Wangji spoke quietly, uncertain what exactly to say in the face of such grief. Lan Wangji knew what it was like to lose a parent. He knew what it was like to fear for Wei Wuxian's life. He did not know how San-yi could bear losing three children.

"I don't know. They don't bother to send their remains back to us, or even report that they've died. A-Qing tries to keep track of them as much as she can. The truth is we all know what is waiting for them. My boys were as good as dead from the moment they were forced out of their homes. They took our sons and our younger brothers. The second time they came through they took most of the young women. Anyone who looked strong and healthy enough to be of use. Naun-er's mother was only spared because she was heavily pregnant at the time. She made it until A-Yuan was about six months old before she was killed." San-yi gently smoothed back Wen Nuan's hair.

"Cultivators have been put in charge to watch us since the start of the war. A threat to keep A-Qing in line. A brilliant mind like hers is too valuable. She should be instructing young cultivators in the healing arts, but Sect Leader Wen has always been greedy. He hordes knowledge and talents. He'd never let A-Qing out of his sight without something he could use to coerce her to cooperate. The soldiers he left here were pigs. The young women and older girls we had left were targeted whenever they got too bored." San-yi closed her eyes. She took deep breaths, seemingly trying to maintain her composure as a single tear streaked down her face.

"My daughter in law was one of their victims. They were violent when she tried to resist. They beat her within an inch of her life. She survived, but lost her unborn baby. She took her life not long after that. As far as I am concerned those soldiers killed her." San-yi's voice vibrated with a thread of anger as it tightened with repressed tears. She wiped her cheek dry as she took another steadying breath.

"Naun-er's mother was killed by them. Supposedly for resisting, but we can't say for sure. We found her body in her house the next day when we heard A-Yuan crying. He was unhurt in another room, but we found Naun-er hugging her mother's corpse. We're not sure if she saw what happened. She doesn't talk about it. She's lost three guardians since then. Yesterday was the most recent one." San-yi's eyes shined with tears that she refused to let fall.

"I don't know if Naun-er's attachment to your partner is temporary. For as much as we all have suffered I can't presume to understand what she's been through. And... Well, between the two of you and the wounded Sect Leader Nie you managed to save the rest of our lives and defeat the cultivators stationed here. Such skilled fighters will naturally have to continue to fight." San-yi stared down at Wen Nuan, almost seeming to be avoiding Lan Wangji's gaze.

"If you she remains attached, and you decide to allow it... Please keep yourselves alive. Nuan-er has lost too much." San-yi bowed as she made her request. Lan Wangji immediately tried to move forward to pull her from her bow, but he was still trapped under Wei Wuxian's sleeping form.

"Please do not bow." Lan Wangji managed, feeling pathetic that all his other words seemed to have left him. San-yi raised back up. She watched him carefully as though searching for something. Lan Wangji's expression rarely communicated much. He doubted she'd find anything in it. Still she nodded after a while before slowly rising to her feet.

"Hopefully the little ones will sleep through the night, but if not I'll be in the room next door. Please come get me if any of you need something." After a long pause San-yi gathered herself and left.