"XICHEN-GE! XICHEN-GE!"

Wei Wuxian ran out of the Jingshi with the script in hand, screaming his gege's name. He sprinted around the compounds and dashed to the Lan sect leader's study. The door opened easily. "Xichen-ge!" No, not a soul was in sight.

"The Hall?" Wei Wuxian mumbled as he turned and ran across the compound again. He reached the Hall, whose doors were wide open as always, but empty except for some juniors huddled inside. Two juniors, in fact, two very embarrassed juniors.

"Daddy?"

"Sizhui?" Wei Wuxian glanced at the boy in white sitting on a mat. Then he turned to look at the other boy, also in white robes, but with golden embroidery. "Jin Ling? What are you two doing here?" He looked at the two and noticed their positions. "Jin Ling, what are you doing?" 

Jin Ling was kneeling before the seated Lan Sizhui. Wei Wuxian burst into laughter. "Are you proposing by any chance?" 

Jin Ling reddened and looked away, while Sizhui explained, "Daddy, he was just checking my wound."

"Wound?!" Wei Wuxian forgot about Xichen-ge, subconsciously stuffed the script into his sleeve, and walked over. "A-Yuan, what did you do to get yourself cut like this?" He asked as he kneeled beside Jin Ling, looking at the cut across Sizhui's lower leg. Blood seeped from the wound.

"N-Nothing, Daddy–"

"My fault. I duelled him. He leapt into the air and I slashed." Jin Ling was miserable. Somehow, Wei Wuxian was strongly reminded of his sleeping husband.

"A-Rulan, you should be careful. Next time, duel with Jin Chan."

"Huh?"

"That way, even if you cut him, you wouldn't mind!" Wei Wuxian chuckled as he lifted Sizhui's leg and checked the wound. 

"No need to trouble Doctor Lan with this, it's manageable. Jin Ling, go to Auntie Jing and get a turmeric paste. Tell her I asked for it, she'll make it the right way," he instructed. 

"Auntie Jing?" Lan Sizhui muttered. 

"That's what Daddy and I call Madam Fan. Like Auntie Yue. Daddy, I'll go right away," Jin Ling stood up. 

Wei Wuxian nodded. Then, his eyes took up a most mischievous glow.

"A-Rulan?"

"Daddy?"

"Since you want to treat A-Yuan himself, get the paste, take him to the bunny-hill and treat him there," Wei Wuxian suggested, grinning craftily.

"Huh? Daddy, why there?" Jin Ling asked.

Wei Wuxian stood up as he replied, "Oh nothing, just because treating wounds here might attract attention, it's the open Hall after all!" Plus, the setting's more romantic there, Wei Wuxian chuckled internally before planting a soothing motherly kiss on the wounded son's cheek and sauntering out.

Those two are way better off than A-Zhan and I were. Well, I'll help them live a better life than us! Wei Wuxian vowed as he walked towards the Hanshi.

"Xichen-ge!" He shouted as he knocked on the door.

Footsteps were heard. The brilliant white doors opened to reveal a man in shiny purple robes.

"Well well well. If it isn't the Lunatic In Lilac! May I know what you're doing in my gege's home?" Wei Wuxian bowed mockingly and laughed. What a strange day: two secretly blossoming affairs in one day is too fantastic! Alas, my own love is still taking his siesta.

"Didi!" Lan Xichen exclaimed as he walked towards the door. "Oh, Wanyin is just here to practise. Remember how you asked me to help him calm down Zidian? And I was trying out your new piece: Pure Heart. Does wonders!" Xichen nodded towards a manuscript on the table. He then moved aside to let Wei Ying enter as he continued, "But what is my didi doing here?"

"Right, instead of stargazing at your Lan Zhan in the Jingshi!" Jiang Cheng snorted.

"Hey! He's beautiful, alright? I can't help it! Anyways, gege, look what I found!" Wei Wuxian beamed as he swung the script in front of Xichen's face.

Jiang Cheng snatched it. "Oh? The Answer? Yes!" He waved his fist in the air triumphantly.

"What?" Xichen took the script and read through it. The only thing he could understand was the title: the red notes and drawings were scribbled too hastily for him to read.

"Er... didi where did you find this? Why is it so illegible? And what are all these symbols and drawings?"

Wei Wuxian stared at the two for some time. Clearly, neither of them understood anything beyond the title. He scratched his nape as he laughed nervously. "Well, the handwriting's mine, didn't realise it was that bad back then. I was in a hurry because I didn't want Wen Qing to find it: she'd be frightened by the idea of a possible siege."

The two listeners softened. This man in front of them never failed to impress them with his thoughtfulness.

"And the drawings, guess only I can understand them. Oh, Shifu might! He understood the array back in Burial Mounds too!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed. "In short, those are my personal notes on destroying the Seal."

"Hold on a second. You mean to say YOU wrote all this?" Jiang Cheng gawked.

"Well, I am called the Yiling Patriarch for a reason?"

"Oh, sure, but what I'm wondering is HOW on EARTH you forgot this! You had to make us read all those books when the answer was in your head?" Jiang Cheng shouted; Lan Xichen nodded along.

"Well, you know about my memory, so why ask?" 

Jiang Cheng's palm smacked his face before he shook his head, pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to three to not let Zidian out.

"Wow, you're actually calm! Turns out Xichen-ge knows his music well!" Wei Wuxian winked at Lan Xichen, who blushed and looked back at the script.

"Well, then, didi can do this and demolish the Seal? Once and for all?"

"Once and for all!" Wei Wuxian's head bobbed firmly.

"Then let's do it!"

"Well..."

Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen looked up from the script to see Wei Wuxian biting his lip and staring at the floor.

Jiang Cheng knew his brother well enough to understand that symptom. "A-Xian, what is it? Is it a self-harming method?"

"Oh, no no. Just that... it calls for a massive amount of spiritual energy, I mean, demonic energy. I need time. To cultivate my core so that it reaches an extreme superlative level, then do this. Otherwise, I might end up either core-less or dead."

"WHAT?" Wei Wuxian nodded. Jiang Cheng continued, "Then back at Nightless City?"

"I was already core-less," Wei Wuxian smirked. "Plus, I was to kill myself anyway, so yes."

"Didi, why is it that severe?"

"Ge," Wei Wuxian glanced up at his brothers. "The resentment and demonic energy in the Stygian Tiger Seal is skyrocketing. I made it, only I know how long it took and how much pain and bitterness it cost. Destroying it would naturally be even harder. I didn't make it to destroy it, I never thought I'd have to. So the demolishing would call for perhaps, double the pain, double the bitterness, double the time and bloodshed. So just give me two weeks, gege. I'll cultivate until I feel enough, then tackle this. It took me so long to make this out of the Yin Iron and my blood and resentment. I need two weeks to build up my energy, then I'll finish this off in one go. Gege and A-Zhan can help me cultivate, A-Cheng better help Huaisang and A-Rulan with finding that woman."

Lan Xichen nodded and Jiang Cheng mumbled an 'OK'.

"Didi, you'll start right away?" Xichen asked, walking with Wei Ying to the door.

"No. I want to wait till A-Zhan wakes up. Let him know first. You know how he hates me doing things like that without even telling him. He won't let me if he knows. But I'll coax him. Somehow," Wei Wuxian said, steeping out of the door and looking up at the clear blue sky. He had waited until morning to let his gege know, after having gone through the notes all night. The sun was shining by now, its golden light spreading across the cyan world it was in. Lan Xichen lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the glare while Jiang Cheng just didn't bother to glance at its glory. Wei Wuxian simply stared straight at it. His eyes burnt, but he didn't mind. He hardly felt the discomfort after everything he'd been through.

"Ge, I'll send a copy of this through Jingyi. You could give it to Shifu and the Elders for them to have a look. They're much senior, they might understand, especially Shifu. I'll be home with A-Zhan if any of you need me," Wei Wuxian stepped out of the Hanshi, waved to his brother-in-law; winked to his shidi with a slight implicative nod towards Xichen that made Jiang Wanyin blush furiously; turned on his heels and marched back to his home.

Their home.

**********

Lan Zhan was lying on the bed when Wei Ying entered. Today, he should wake up, I better be alert, Wei Ying thought as he sat by the table and watched his husband. While he sat there, the wonderful aroma of autumn fruit nearby in the forest tingled against his nostrils. A pang of fiery pain burnt through his chest.

Darn, I haven't eaten in days. But so what? A-Zhan didn't eat for a whole month and a half. What's three days to me? But his stomach thought otherwise. Compared to Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian had always been a food-loving person. Inedia might be the one thing he couldn't cultivate. His tummy growled at him. "Argh, alright alright, just wait till A-Zhan's better OK?" He patted his tummy and looked up at the sky through the window.

Wei Wuxian let out a deep sigh. He couldn't believe all that had happened today. First, he'd seen his little boys like that, all red and shy. Well, at least they're far better off than Lan Zhan and I were at their age. What did I do back then? Wei Wuxian tapped his nose as he tried to remember. Oh, right, as always. Played tricks on him. His palm slammed his face. Why had he been so dense? So stupid? But well, thank God for the existence of his bestie, Director Nie!

Then he'd come across his gege and shidi. So Jiang Cheng came here all the time to train with Xichen? Now that's a new thing! He'd always remembered Jiang Cheng only ever training with another if it was a duel: he'd always cultivate alone. 

Well, well. Looks like A-Zhan and I aren't the only ones bending social rules, Wei Wuxian thought with a chuckle.

But then again... All those happy thoughts were driven away by the image of the two Sect Leaders with a baby girl. 

Meilien... What am I to do with you? None of my own four sons were interested. Jingyi and Zizhen asked once, but only out of excitement. Nobody ever meant to follow the demonic path anyway. My path... The reason I took it up myself was that I had no core and had to defend myself. But you? You've got the whole of the YunmengJiang sect at your feet, maybe even the Lans at this rate. You'll get your brilliant purple core if you are destined to be a Jiang as Xichen-ge says you are. Then what? No, Chenqing must have mistaken. At least... at least I hope it did...

Wei Wuxian was thus lost in deep thought, a bitter frown on his face as he gazed out through the window. He was so far away that he didn't even notice the sounds of shuffling robes and blankets.

"A-Ying?"

Wei Wuxian shot up from his seat out of shock. He turned straight to the bed. "A-ZHAN!" He screamed as he ran to his husband. But then he paused.

Lan Zhan watched his husband carefully. Wei Ying stood there a few feet away from him, just standing still. "A-Ying, what's wrong?"

"A-Zhan, are you alright now? Better?" The last time he had been this impulsive, he had missed his husband for three days.

Lan Zhan nodded, "Mn. You can come to me." Lan Zhan opened his arms wide.

Wei Wuxian was still hesitant.

Lan Zhan smiled softly. "It's fine. You won't hurt me again. I'm all well now," he reassured, correctly guessing what his husband was pondering over. "Or..." he raised an eyebrow.

"No no no! No need to show me! I'll come!" Wei Wuxian giggled like a shy girl as he tossed himself into Lan Wangji's arms. The two hugged each other tightly, each with his head on the other's shoulder. They held on, reluctant to let go, arms wrapped around the other's back, fingers digging deep into their backs, as patches of dampness grew in size below their shoulders. They cried, let go of all the emotions they had held back for over a month, holding on for nobody knew how long. Suffice to say, by the time they parted, the morning Sun had passed its climax point in the sky.

**********

"Well thank heavens for that!" Jiang Cheng exclaimed as the Lan physician left the Jingshi. He'd declared both husbands as perfectly well.

"Indeed," Lan Xichen nodded.

"Hey, A-Cheng," Wei Wuxian who was sitting with his husband on the same side of the table, now spoke. "Where's Meilien? I didn't see her when I called on you two this morning."

"Hm?" Lan Zhan looked at Wei Ying with a What-do-you-mean? glance.

"Oh, A-Zhan, A-Cheng was with gege today morning, calming Zidian." Lan Zhan nodded and let Wei Ying continue. "Right, so where is Meilien?"

"Oh, I did bring her, but she wasn't kept in the Hanshi in case Zidian loses control. She was–"

"Daddy!"

"Wei-gege!"

Wei Wuxian shouted, "Come in you four!"

The four cultivators watched as four younger copies of themselves stumbled into the room.

Lan Jingyi, a joint replica of the Yunmeng Prides, talkative as one and aggressive as the other.

Jin Rulan, a allied replica of the youngest of the Twin Prides and Twin Jades: he possessed the ruthlessness of both, the temper of Jiang Wanyin, and the silent sensitivity of Lan Wangji.

Ouyang Zizhen, the common replica of Wei Wuxian and Lan Xichen: as talkative and flirtatious as the first, and soft-hearted and gentle as the latter.

And the last one almost fell into the room, with a baby in his hands. Lan Sizhui, once Wen Yuan, the flawless duplicate of his Father: the sensitivity, the endurance, the tranquillity, the caring heart and the absolutely amazing talent. Not to mention the exhibition of that skill without uttering a single word about it. Lan Wangji and Lan Sizhui, the silent killers. And yet, there he stood, beaming at the baby girl. No matter what, he sure had Wei Wuxian's smile!

What the seniors didn't know so far was that he had also inherited Wei Wuxian's protectiveness. That, would come to play later in the journey of Life.

"A-Yuan, what are you doing with Meilien?" Wei Wuxian asked as he stood to walk towards his sons.

"Daddy, Sect Leader Jiang wanted to cultivate, so we offered to take care of Meilien. Meimei is too sweet!" Lan Sizhui beamed at his newfound sister.

"Too picky!" Jin Ling humphed.

"A-Rulan, that's not how you talk about your cousin sister. Now tell me what happened– What are you doing here?" Wei Wuxian was outright pointing at Ouyang Zizhen.

Zizhen grinned. "Wei-gege, it's too boring at home. So I came here!"

"And then when Clan Leader Ouyang finds out? What am I to say?"

"Er..." Zizhen was at a loss for words. "Wei-gege doesn't need to say a word, I'll take the blame. Father never hits me and he knows I'm safe here, so never minds," Zizhen explained.

"Well, if that's that... Then what's up with Meilien?"

"Daddy," Jingyi began in his complaining tone. "She wouldn't play with normal toys we got her, she even got fed up with Sizhui's butterfly toy! Then we went to Caiyi, got her sweets, but she still wasn't satisfied!"

"Then Jingyi and A-Ling started to fight for some petty thing and for that, she was overjoyed!" Sizhui beamed as he rocked the baby girl in his arms. 

"Right? What baby is more interested in swords than sweets?" Jingyi and Zizhen both asked.

Wei Wuxian crossed his arms behind his back and flamboyantly flipped his hair aside before replying, "A born Jiang." Jiang Wanyin smirked happily while Jin Ling nodded proudly.

"And how did you get the permission to leave Cloud Recesses for Caiyi Town?" Lan Wangji asked, shattering the ambience.

Jingyi blinked. He turned to the others for help but none dared to say.

"Speak," Lan Zhan ordered.

"We... we tried to get out saying this was Sect Leader Jiang's daughter, and that they were guests to be treated well... but of course, they wouldn't listen," Sizhui sighed.

"Then we..." Jingyi took over, "well, we couldn't tell them this was Lan Shushu's daughter!" Wei Wuxian smirked with a sideways glance to his brothers that made the two of them look as far away from each other as possible. "So we..." Jingyi scratched his head.

"Oh Lord, just say it! We jumped over the wall," Jin Ling spat out. Seeing Sizhui's and Jingyi's looks he pursed his lips. What was up?

"What?" Xichen stared at them with round eyes.

"Not the way to behave. Not for Lans. Sizhui, Jingyi, copy out the rules twenty times," Lan Zhan mumbled.

"HUH?" Zizhen shouted out of urge. His mind buzzed as he thought of the more-than-three-thousand rules on the wall, and to copy all of that twenty times! So this was why the small sects never went to Cloud Recesses School: it's too much for minor cultivators like them!

"Father..." Jin Ling spoke up. He felt terrible. Lan Wangji would and could only punish the Lan juniors. Zizhen could only be handled by his father and Jin Ling... only himself.

Jin Ling turned to Wei Wuxian. "Daddy?"

Wei Wuxian shook his head silently. Once Lan Wangji was set on punishment, that was it.

"Father." Jin Rulan turned back to Lan Zhan. Ignoring his daddy's madly shaking head, he continued, "why only them?"

All four seniors gaped at him. Lan Zhan had not expected that. "Because they're the Lans. I don't know about your rules, but here, such behaviour is prohibited."

"I know, Father. Why only them? I am a student here, too. While within the Cloud Recesses, all are treated equally. I too shall copy out the rules twenty times."

"A-Ling!" Sizhui whispered.

"It's fine," Jin Ling whispered back. Jingyi nodded with a smile.

"Me too! Since I not only sneaked out of here, I also sneaked in here, I might as well copy out forty times!" Zizhen shouted, one hand raised.

"Twenty." Lan Zhan nodded, a signal for the four of them to leave.

"Hey, you aren't taking my niece to copy them out too right?"

Lan Sizhui chuckled. "Sorry, Daddy," he smiled as he handed his cousin to his father. The four waved him goodbye as they left.

"Meilien, hello!" Wei Wuxian smiled.

Meilien clapped her palms on Wei Wuxian's pale cheeks, giggling. "Well, is my little Meilien happy to see Wei Shishu? Is she?" He ruffled her hair making Meilien squeal with laughter.

"Who's the good girl? Hm?" Wei Wuxian continued to pet the baby as he tickled her arm. When Meilien's fits of laughter were at a peak he stopped and tapped her tubby nose. "Meilien is!" She grinned toothily at her uncle before tracing his face with a plump hand and tapping his nose back. Wei Wuxian giggled, "Shijie!"

And then he blinked. Huh? What did I just say? Oh right, she did the boop. Wei Wuxian laughed nervously. "Sorry, Meilien," he looked at the girl. She was staring at him with an open mouth, confused by the sound of this new name, Shijie. "Sorry. Memories." He ruffled her hair again, planted a light peck on her forehead before handing her over to Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Meilien played with her father's adornments for a few seconds before squealing as she spotted her favourite friend and reached out to him. Lan Xichen accepted her into a hug most happily.

Wei Wuxian watched, before sighing and sitting down by his husband. The minute he did, Lan Wangji grabbed his hand. Intertwining their fingers, he looked up at his husband. "A-Ying, are you alright?"

Wei Wuxian nodded. This time, he answered sincerely. "Yes. Shijie's much better off now. She'll be happy. So I'm happy, too."

Lan Zhan nodded. While Lan Huan and Jiang Cheng played with Meilien, Lan Zhan took Wei Ying's hand and kept it on his lap, fondling it, massaging, kneading, as though to calm the latter down: he was successful. When Wei Ying finally beamed a reassuring smile, Lan Zhan smiled back as his fingers traced their makeshift rings.

A thick-skinned hand, its palm calloused by playing strings till it bled, ancient wounds, evidence of his pure and all-encompassing love. A scarred hand as white as jade. Cracked jade, now glued together. And on its fourth finger was a wonderful ring. A lock of silky black hair interlaced with a lock of jet-black, sleek hair. Intricately plaited together. A transparent band of gold encasing it for protection and durability: evidently Wei Wuxian's famous Golden Thread.

Pretty much the same went for the other hand. A similar ring enwrapped the base of the ring finger of the paler, even more calloused hand. While the first was of cracked jade, this was of a torn white lotus, albeit healed and mended. Two locks of beautiful hair, braided together, entwined inside a case of Golden Thread.

But what was most fascinating wasn't that.

Both rings had an embellishment on the top. Two letters engraved into the Golden Thread. 

Wang. 

Xian. 

The Jiang Pride's ring had these letters glowing a constantly bright azure. The letters on the Jade's ring always flickered blood-red.

"Lan Zhan, if anything happens to any of us, then these will show. If we are desperate for help, it'll ignite; if we are weak, lost, miserable, the glow will fade. The locks you made were beautiful, I thought we could put it to use! Yours has my demonic core energy in it, mine has your Lan core energy. So that we'll always stay connected. Howzat?"

Lan Zhan smiled at the memory of the day after his proposal to Wei Ying. The earlier day he'd made the braids while the next day, his husband came up with such a fantastic and romantic idea. Lan Zhan shook his head and looked up at Wei Ying.

Wei Ying had clearly recalled the same thing. "A-Zhan, I've an idea. We should find a way to let us communicate through these. Not the bodies, the souls. So neither of us will be so panicked when the other goes missing or faints: turns out, you and I can compete at that!" Wei Wuxian chuckled.

Lan Zhan merely said, "Mn."

But his ethereal smile said all that hid in his heart.

**********

A sole woman stood in a ramshackle hut, clutching her chest. The pains grew with each day that passed, and so far, it had been almost two months since the fight with the Yiling Patriarch. She didn't mind the agony. All she wanted now was to finsih off her task, at least then she could die in peace. "Jin Guangyao... I am this faithful, this desirous to bring you justice. And yet you ignored me for that Qin Su? Never mind. I'll play my role." She clawed at her burning chest, before muttering "and then bid farewell. Maybe come to you." She smiled bitterly through the affliction. 

The sound of the door creaking made her compel herself to stand upright and play 'pretend' once more.

"Leader Luo."

"Xinyi? What is it?"

"We've a suggestion."

Luo Qingfei raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Wang Xinyi stepped forward with her two colleagues, Feng Xiao and Zhao Xing. "Leader Luo, we've been inactive for too long. It's been two months. How about we give the great sects and our Yiling Patriarch some fun?"

"Ha! Now that's an idea! Well, what do you suggest?" Luo Qingfei laid her hands on the table in the hut, their Conference Hall. Two months had passed: uneventful, unprofitable. It was time to kick up a ruckus.

Zhao Xing, the lean and brainy spy, replied "Massacre."

"Massacre?"

"Yes. To attract, to confuse, to surround, to attack. All we need to do is to commit some massacres in a few small villages. In a series."

"Oh? A game of lure-and-chase?" Luo Qingfei mused.

"Precisely," Feng Xiao, the brawny fellow, banged his hand on the table.

"Wonderful. Well, then, get the troops ready. It's time to have some fun with Director Nie and the Yiling Patriarch," Luo Qingfei sniggered as she rubbed her hands in malicious glee.

**********

Wei Ying woke up, gasping for air. Realising he'd wake his husband up, he quietly forced his breathing to slow down and wiped his face. More sweat. More tears. Why? Ever since Yanli reincarnated, the dreams had stopped. But now what? What did he see this time?

Wei Wuxian scrunched up his nose and rammed his clenched fist into the side of his head, trying to concentrate and recall his nightmare.

Screams. Cries. Blood. Tears. Slash! Swords and sabre-like massive weapons chopped off innocent people's heads and limbs like they were slaying for meat. The people were villagers. Poor villagers with hardly anything to hide in their houses for any robber to have, barely able to make one meagre meal for an entire day, forcing adults and children alike to live on what they could find nearby: which was nothing. And now here they were, being slaughtered casually and remorselessly. For what? Even the stupidest robbers would know such houses had no possible loot. Then what was this massacre for?

Wei Wuxian ignored the disgusting bloodshed and splayed body parts around him. He focussed on the murderers, the madmen. They were all in equivalent black outift. That disguise was a uniform all too familiar for him. His eyes flared red. Just what did they want now?

"Luo Qingfei, you are so dead," Wei Wuxian's cold, deep, Yiling-Patriarch-voice whispered.

"A-Ying?"

Wei Wuxian hastily turned around to see his husband sitting up, staring worriedly at him. "A-Zhan?"

"A-Ying..." Lan Zhan's finger slid down the side of Wei Ying's face. A slight shiver snaked down Wei Ying's spine as the built-up resentment withdrew instantly at the touch of love and pure energy Lan Zhan gave him.

"A-Zhan, thanks. Why do you look so scared?"

"Your eyes," Lan Zhan pursed his lips.

"Oh," Wei Wuxian blinked several times and looked up again. "Better?"

"No." Lan Wangji cupped his face and tenderly kissed his eyes. When he pulled back and Wei Wuxian opened his eyes, the glare was gone. "Mn." Lan Zhan nodded. He pulled the latter into a hug. "A-Ying, you can tell me."

"Massacre." Wei Ying's body shook as he spoke. "Sheer massacre."

"Massacring who?"

"Random villagers. A-Zhan, it was terrible. Mothers, children... It was too much... Even toddlers, chubby little heads in one place, bloody bodies elsewhere."

A stain of dampness grew larger and larger on the back of Lan Wangji's night robes. He patted the shivering back, drawing circles with his fingers, caressing, soothing.

"Luo Qingfei?"

"Mn. Luo Qingfei." Wei Wuxian nodded.