"Look, he really did go for something. You just stay put here, okay?"

Where exactly is 'here' in the first place? He looked around to find himself seated in the second bed of the Lan doctor's private, secluded ward. And on the first... lay a fatigued, pale-as-snow Lan Xichen.

"X– Xichen-ge?"

"Shh," Yanli kept a finger to his lips.

"Hm?"

She winked and pointed quietly to the side of Xichen's bed. There, on a wobbly stool, sat the usually strong, proud and never-too-caring Jiang sect heir, tightly holding Lan Xichen's injured hand to his face, lips on the bandage around his palm, sobbing silently.

A-Cheng? Why's he crying?

Oh– Ooooh... I see...

Hah! At long last, my ship worked, I guess, he chuckled to himself and nodded to Yanli. No wonder Shijie was whispering all this time.

Still... I can't bear to see him crying. Let's liven the mood up a bit, haha.

"Well, well, look who's the lost puppy now."

"Oh, sh– shut up." Jiang Wanyin rubbed his face on his sleeve, quickly dropped Xichen's hand to the bedside and turned around, face full of pretend indifference.

But of course, the damp marks of tears shed over days were unremovable.

"Yo, whatcha weeping for? It's alright, he'll be fine."

"It's all my fault," Jiang Cheng looked down at his feet. "I didn't know he got whipped, I didn't know you were captured..."

"Wait WHAT? Xichen-ge got whipped? WHEN?"

"You didn't know?" Jiang Yanli asked.

"Guess I was already down in the cavern then–" he started shivering unconsciously, sudden images of flames popping up in his head.

"Hey, it's okay," Yanli hugged him tight. "Why do you keep...?"

"I... guess it's a new post-traumatic fear... first dogs, now fire."

"Oh. Hm... think of little Yuan."

"A... A-Yuan..." Wei Ying squeezed his eyes shut. The instant the flames filled up his mind, he let the picture of teeth white as ice and a smile bright as sunshine warm his soul, letting it wrap him up in comfort. The flames gradually faded into the beautiful magnolia flowers strewn all over his Jingshi's backyard, and there sat A-Yuan playing amidst them, beaming at him.

"Diedie, look! Fwowers!"

No more fire. Only fwowers.

"Mm. Thanks, Shijie, lot better now."

"That's my XianXian," Yanli patted his back. "Do that whenever you feel scared again."

"Erm, wait, where was I? About Xichen-ge. Why was he whipped? When? Who?"

Jiang Cheng gulped and clenched his fists, gripping his robes tighter. "All my freaking fault, goddammit..."

"A-Cheng," Yanli sighed. "Let him cry, he hasn't stopped no matter what I do for the past two days now... A-Xian, it was Shifu. Shifu had noticed Xichen-ge starting to slack in work and seeming weak in body and mind ever since A-Cheng left. Wangji told me Shifu had been warning Xichen-ge against even daring to think about A-Cheng. But then over two weeks later, Shifu found him having tea with a purple hair ribbon in his hand..."

"Just for a bloody RIBBON?" Wei Wuxian banged his fist on the bed.

"Shh, you don't want to wake him up, do you? Well, yes. That's the reason. When Wangji found him, he had already received twenty-one out of twenty-three whips. He got Xichen-ge home and treated him, but then next morning, they got news of you vanishing..."

"So he exhausted himself again... Ah, shoot... A-Cheng, I don't know if it's your fault or mine, at this rate."

"He's not sick just because of the back wounds. It's this too," Jiang Cheng ran his fingers caressingly along the jade neck.

Wei Ying gasped at the sight of a deep crimson line. "Someone cut his neck?"

"That bastard..."

"The fight two days ago."

"Oh... Meng Yao... where is he?"

"Meng Yao and Wen Xu were both captured in the fight before Wangji went to find you. Speaking of which... all their brown-robed men seemed to have disappeared. What on earth happened?"

Wei Wuxian smirked smugly to himself, recalling that day when the bloodhound had got too close and he had desperately called out with the most eerie, sharpest whistle he could summon. In a flash, the cavern was filled with ghouls and spirits either frightening the men to death or wringing their necks. That was what had led to the two lead-culprits escaping and Wen Xu blowing the place up.

Not that he could tell his siblings he summoned a bunch of ghosts...

"Ah, that. Who knows? Maybe that insolent, ignorant Wen Xu's fire burnt them too. How did ZhanZhan even save me through all that fire, though?"

"I guess Wen Chao isn't that bad after all, perhaps..." Jiang Wanyin sulked.

Oh wow. Did he help? Fascinating...

Wait a second. Wasn't... "Isn't ZhanZhan hurt, too? Smoke, fire...?"

"No, not at all, don't worry."

"Then good." Wei Wuxian patted his chest, and winced. "Ouch..."

"Idiot, blind? Can't you see there's bandages all over you?"

Wei Wuxian looked down to find all the blemishes from the ropes and chains had been treated and his wrists, ankles and chest were in a gleaming white cocoon of cotton. "Oh. Why does it... sting here?" Wei Ying reached up to his cheek and gasped. His skin seemed to retract into a thick line digging deep... rough and linear... A scar? How?

The mask... where's the mask? Bet my robes were burnt but... ZhanZhan's mask... He patted all over the bed, half-conscious, mind hazy with confusion.

"If you're looking for this, Mister Secret Hero, here," Jiang Yanli chuckled and laid a gleaming mask on his lap. "A-Xuan found this for you in the cave where that chameleon thing had stayed."

"A-Xian, you didn't even tell us, did you? Admired the Dark Knight's skills day and night... had you been in love, it would have been self-cest!" Jiang Wanyin snickered.

Oh... right. Now I'm the Heiguang-Jun.

Never mind, I should give this to ZhanZhan...

Come to think of it...

It never takes that long to get a bowl of soup, does it?

"Shijie, where's..." No, she won't tell, I'll go roundabout. "Erm, where's A-Yuan?"

"A-Yuan's with A-Xuan."

"Oh, why?"

"He...er..." Yanli side-glanced at her brother and Jiang Cheng cleared his throat.

"A-Xian, look. Lan Wangji's out for a while and you need to stay here or he'll kill us both for letting you run off. Stay, heal, then go."

"..." Wei Wuxian glared at him. "You say something like that and expect me to stay put? No. I'm going." He shot up onto his feet. When he felt a hand gripping his arm, he coldly snapped, "Don't stop me."

"What's gotten into him?" Jiang Cheng mumbled. "Out of nowhere, that cold and dark aura from the day of the party keeps returning..."

"Maybe he's just... distressed?" Yanli shrugged. "But don't provoke him. You know we can't stop him."

Jiang Cheng nodded and plopped back down on his seat, taking Xichen's hand back in his. Jiang Yanli smiled sadly and left the room to check on her nephew. 

**********

"Hah... hah... tsk, where... hah... the hell was it?" Wei Wuxian panted, hands on his knees as he looked around the compound, trying to find his way to the Discipline Hall. He was still mummified in bandages but had thrown a Lan cloak over his shoulders before getting out of the place. While huffing, he squinted and thought. That spell... what was that spell...

Aish... think, Wuxian, think! Page 52 of ZhanZhan's Divergence notes...

CRASH!

What was that sound? Wei Ying strained his ears. The wind blowing in from the west brought along the sound of–

CRASH!

ZhanZhan!

Rubbing his nose and pulling his robes closer around his chest, he turned towards his left and began sprinting towards the hall, following the sound of commotion.

"What's going on?"

"Hanguang-Jun's angered Shifu."

"But Hanguang-Jun's the best student Shifu had!"

"Hanguang-Jun can't be in the wrong! Maybe Shifu made a mistake."

"Didn't you hear? Hanguang-Jun's the Dark Knight!"

"No way! That's Wei Gongzi!"

"Either way, there's still another reason." 

"Ah that. Apparently, Hanguang-Jun's a Divergent, too."

"NO WAY! That's like his... mother..."

"Exactly. Shifu hates the very memory of Madam Lan, no wonder he's furious to find this out."

"Oh come on, Shifu's mad!"

"Shhh, if he hears, he'll whip you as well!"

"I'll take the whiplashes for our Hanguang-Jun any day!"

"Right? Me too!"

"Me three!"

"Move aside."

"Huh?"

Whoosh–

A gust of blackish wind pushed the crowds apart, clearing a path to the shut door of the Discipline Hall.

"I said, move aside." Wei Wuxian retreated his aura and marched down the path. Shifu didn't even bother putting up a silencing charm? And now everyone knows...

"W– Wei Gongzi! Wei Gongzi, don't go! Shifu's in a terrible mood!"

"Wei Gongzi!" 

"Wei Gongzi, you're still injured!"

The Lan ladies gasped at the sight of the scarred face.

Still, the rage in his silver eyes... was a sign of his true fiery beauty being forever retained.

"Wei Gongzi please, don't go in there–"

"That man in there," Wei Wuxian grumbled. "Is my husband."

The Lans gulped and looked down, embarrassed. Of course. Wei Gongzi had every right to go inside.

With a banging draught of more blackish wind, the doors slammed open. In a flash, Wei Wuxian had done exactly what Lan Wangji did with Lan Xichen, shielding him with his own back and burying him in his arms.

"SHIFU!"

"Wei Ying?" Lan Qiren raised his hand to stop the Lan seniors from whipping. "What are you doing here?"

"When did — cough, cough — you wake up?" Lan Zhan looked up at him.

"Just now," Wei Wuxian answered, stroking his back only to find his hand soaked in Lan Wangji's blood. "Shifu, you already whipped him twice that day, why again?"

"Wei Ying, stay away from this, this is none of your business."

"SHIFU!" Wei Wuxian stood and faced him directly. "You've... understood wrong. One, this is my husband, I won't have anyone whipping him whenever they want."

"Wei YING!" Lan Qiren glowered at him.

"Two, you've got it wrong. I'm Heiguang-Jun, not ZhanZhan!"

Lan Wangji winced. "Wei Ying, n– no." A trickle of blackish blood drizzled down the tip of his lips, angering Wei Ying further.

"Shifu, you won't believe me?"

"..."

"Fine," Wei Ying nodded to himself. Without another word, he slipped his hand into the sleeve of the Lan robe he had tossed on, and pulled out the black-and-red mask.

The Lan seniors holding the whips gasped. "That's the Flame-in-the-Dark Mask!" They pointed to the inky black metal with crimson flames wafting through its design.

Lan Qiren's eyes narrowed.

Wei Wuxian silently pulled the mask onto his own face, and tied it at the back. He shut his eyes for five seconds, quickly chanting in his head before zapping them open again, flashing the novel brilliance in them.

"Aura dark as the night, eyes luscious as hazel," another senior mumbled under his breath, reciting the description of the great Heiguang-Jun in the Jiang newspaper, ZiHunBao, from a year ago.

Lan Qiren scowled at the hazel brown eyes flashing on Wei Wuxian's face now. "So it is true. Is this some evil trick, Wei Ying?" He roared.

"Shifu, it's just a trick of mine, not that evil, you know. Like the talismans I use, this is a personal thing of mine." Wei Wuxian slipped off the mask, gently pressing it deep into his face to highlight how the scar fit the edge of it, and blinked twice to dismiss the brown for his vibrant silver orbs. "Believe me now, Shifu?"

Having not eaten in days, his once round face had grown as thin and angular as Lan Wangji's, hence the mask fit him perfectly. Add the scar and the brown eyes to the equation... and you get a perfect Heiguang-Jun impostor.

Only, to Lan Qiren, this wasn't an impostor. This was the real deal.

"Kneel."

Wei Wuxian nodded once and knelt down on the ground.

"Shufu, please," Lan Wangji began, before Qiren zipped him shut with a silencing charm.

"Mn," Qiren signalled to the Lans.

The seniors looked at one another. They really couldn't help it, could they? Sighing, the oldest shixiong raised the whip and sent it crashing down on the bandaged back.

CRASH!

The cotton wool tore open underneath the robes, old wounds bleeding afresh, drenching the white robes.

Wei Wuxian flinched hearing the muffled screams of his husband behind him.

Tsk, it's just one damned lash, come on ZhanZhan, I've had more whips than this on my back.

Damned lightning whip. What's a mere wooden one?

CRASH!

All at once, a sudden uproar of wailing echoed from outside the hall.

"WAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Shhh! Please, little one, I beg you to not shout!"

"DIEDIEEEEE! BABAAA! GUGU LET GO OF ME! DIEDIE!"

"A-Yuan?" Wei Wuxian twisted his head back to the door through groans of pain.

Lan Wangji slumped his frame, sitting down on his feet helplessly listening to their son's screaming.

"TA SHIFU IS MEAN!"

"Little Yuan, please!"

"Lili Gugu let go of me!"

"A-Xuan help!"

"Sizhui, you're coming with me."

The shouts lowered as they heard Zixuan somehow managing to drag Sizhui away from the Hall to the Jingshi. 

Lan Qiren listened to the shouts of the toddler as they faded away.

"..."

Fwip! His hand rose to the air, palm facing outwards: a signal to stop.

No matter what happened, somehow, Weilan Yuan seemed to be Lan Qiren's self-control charm.

"Lan Wangji. You are well aware of the rules, for it to be a must to report your Divergence to the official records."

"Yes, Shufu."

"A criminal."

Wei Wuxian couldn't help but smirk. Who does he think he's kidding? He's just mad because of Madam Lan's being a Divergent, too. "Shifu, you mean a criminal because he's Zhen Liuhua's son, right?"

"And you. No less. Wei Ying, you realise that this Heiguang-Jun is a wanted man? For breaking into sects and whatnot?"

"Yes, Shifu."

"Good. Since they both understand their faults..." Lan Qiren swung his hand at the Lan seniors. "Lock them up." 

**********

Clack!

As the Lan guards walked away, Wei Wuxian sighed and plopped down on the cold floor, groaning.

"A-Ying."

"A-Ying? Is that your return gift for me saying 'ZhanZhan'?" Wei Ying grinned.

Lan Zhan nodded and sat facing him, slowly dabbing his sleeve all over Wei Ying's face, wiping off blood, sweat, tears, all.

"Hey, hey, it's fine," Wei Wuxian grabbed his hand and held it close. "Really. I know in the end you weren't saved from trouble and we both got into jail now, but at least we're together, yes?"

"Mn."

"And come on, you know Shufu, he'll let us out in a short while when his anger's gone down. Though really, he's got temper-management issues."

"Mn." 

"I'm sorry I woke up late, you're already sore with lashes, aren't you?"

"Not your fault."

"It's all my fault." Wei Wuxian heaved another sigh and laid his head on Lan Zhan's lap. "Let's hope Shifu softens up a bit more soon... or at least Shijie comes with some medicine for your wounds."

"PSST!"

"Hm?" Wei Ying perked up.

"Psst! Wei-xiong!" 

"Nie-xiong?" Wei Wuxian dashed towards the cell door — but tripped on his bleeding ankles and stumbled down into Lan Zhan's arms. Shaking his head, Lan Zhan helped him up.

"Aish, careful!" Nie Huaisang whispered. "Erm, just came by to check and tell you something. Noone's supposed to come here but I sneaked in somehow because... remember you came to visit me asking what I know about Mo Xuanyu?"

"Yeah?"

"Well... I figured why, so... Jiang-xiong has been torturing Wen Xu and Meng Yao into answering the Lans' inquiry, and thanks to Zidian, they're spitting things out... but they said something about seeing black stuff. Wen Xu said he saw ghosts and then fell unconscious. So... erm... don't worry, I won't tell a soul but... you might wanna do something about it."

"Oh, understood," Wei Ying winked. "Thanks."

"Mhm. Also, Mianmian told to give you this," he tossed a paper bag into the dark of the cell.

"Since when were you so close with her, eh?"

"...er...erm...I– I should get going, see ya!" Huaisang ran out of the cell, red-faced. 

Wei Wuxian smiled and picked up the packet and pulled out the beautiful silk red ribbon inside. "Ah, I burnt my old one. Sweet girl!"

"Mn," Lan Zhan quietly took the ribbon and brushed his fingers through Wei Ying's hair, zigzagging the ribbon into a loose knot at the back. "Will you get caught?"

"Haha. We'll see about that."

**********

That night, screams echoed in the jail, in the one cell at the end of the passageway, right next to the couple's. 

It all started with a whistle. 

Wen Xu, who had barely nodded off, rose his head to look. "Ey, you hear that?" 

Meng Yao groaned. "Someone's whistling? So what?" 

"Idiot. Listen carefully." 

Meng Yao strained his ears, placing his ear beside the wall to listen to the eerie shrill notes coming from the cell next to them. He could just hear it through the stone walls around. 

"Don't you realise it's THAT sound?" 

That sound... Meng Yao gulped. "You mean... the day at the cavern... Wei Wuxian?" 

"Yep– Holy–" 

"What?" Meng Yao groaned as he turned his body around to face their cell again. The whiplashes and ropes all over him left irremediable wounds, his body aching with agony. But what he saw...

...made him wish at least the whippers were here. 

Swoosh-

Strings of black smoke-

Dark silhouettes-

Small, childlike sprites full of mischievous glint in their fey red eyes...

Crack-

Was that a spark? Both prisoners turned to see one bratty spirit snickering in the corner of the cell, mouth stretched wide across his face like a creepy clown as he snapped his fingers against the edge of Wen Xu's bloodied robes. 

Crack-

Third time the charm, they say.

CRACK-

BOOM!

**********

The next morning...

"Goodness, what happened?"

"Such a mysterious murder..."

"An explosion in the special cell!"

"The prisoners?"

"Both DEAD!"

Nie Huaisang, who had been staying at Cloud Recesses for Jiang Cheng's support, smirked as he strolled through the remains of the special cell. Dust... Ashes... Smoke. The two prisoners had been burnt to death, just like what they had almost done to Wei Wuxian.

His foot crushed something. Accidentally at first, but then, with all force. A torn and dusty hat.

The dust on the hat told a tale of agony. A story of a night when flames once cast on others, now spread through the rascal's own robes, burning their skin, scorching their rotten hearts, blowing them up. A murderous lullaby that lulled Nie Huaisang's worries to sleep. Ah. So they got what they deserved, was all he thought. 

"San-Ge. Wen Xu. You messed with the wrong person. Rest in peace," he grinned and walked out the prison with a sly wink to Wei Wuxian as he passed their cell. 

_______________________________________________________________

A/N: SANGMIAN IS A SHIP! IDK if it's even ever considered but HERE YOU GO!

Also, the Lili Gugu here reminded me. A little quick translation you gonna need for the next chapters too:

Gugu = aunt

Shushu = uncle [father's brother]

[Jin Ling's famous jiujiu means mother's brother]

Da-shu is for elder uncle and xiao-shu is for younger uncle.