"Wei-xiong, there you are!" Nie Huaisang frantically waved his fan to his favourite brother. "Where were you?"

Wei Wuxian, having just returned from the bunnies with Sizhui and Lan Zhan, ran to his saviour and tossed his hand around the other's shoulder. "Nie-xiong! Good to see you! I went to feed the rabbits."

"Oh?" Nie Huaisang put out his hand. "Got some left?"

Wei Wuxian doubled laughing. "You're far from a bunny, Huaisang! But wait. A-Yuan!"

Sizhui didn't speak a word. He just smiled and handed one carrot to Huaisang, leaving the others for Lil Apple. Then he bowed to the three Nie, Jiang and Lan sect leaders standing together, waved to his fathers and skipped away towards a waving Jingyi.

"Hey, Nie-xiong, what are you doing here?"

"I came with news. Oh right!" He banged his fan on his head. "I almost forgot about it! Hanguang-Jun, good that you're here too. It's serious. My scouts reported seeing some Jin traitors traversing the lands. The number of disguised spies had mulitplied and seem to be approaching one place. But we don't know what they're up to. We need to do something, Er-Ge!"

"Massacres. That's what they're planning." 

"What the hell?"

Lan Xichen couldn't care less for Wanyin's swearing. "Massacres?"

Lan Zhan nodded. "A-Ying was right."

The three sect leaders turned to the couple. "Wei-xiong knew it?"

Wei Wuxian was just staring at the floor, his hand shaking, the speed increasing with each breath.

Lan Zhan grasped the shivering hand, enwrapping it with his scarred one, before speaking for his husband, "Nightmare. Foresight."

Jiang Cheng sighed. Lan Huan walked to his brothers and laid a hand on Wei Ying's shoulder. "Didi, it's fine. We'll do our best to put a stop to it."

"Wei-xiong, it's her isn't it? That snake's woman?"

"Yes, Nie-xiong. And they'd kill without restrictions. From the fittest father to the tiniest toddler," Wei Wuxian said, his voice trembling at the memory of the slain babies.

"Luo Qing-FEI!" A deep, cold voice crackled as Zidian flashed against the ground.

"Wanyin," Xichen held his arm.

Jiang Cheng nodded. "A-Xian, do you want to come along?"

Wei Wuxian shook his head. "I might only bring more trouble."

"I'm going," Hanguang-Jun said. When Wei Wuxian smiled sadly and nodded, he continued, "So, A-Ying is too."

"Huh?"

Lan Zhan clenched the other's hand, speaking resolutely, "I won't leave you here."

That earned him a smile. A smile so sincere and true that Lan Zhan's whole being felt uplifted. But deep down he had a feeling. A bad feeling. Bitter, ominous. How had Wei Ying seen the dream? And such a strong foresight? Not just how. Why had he seen it? Was some heavenly person or immortal warning him? In the midst of this, Lan Zhan couldn't ignore his own dream. He'd awoken from his own nightmare to see Wei Ying like that. But while Wei Ying had seen massacres, he'd seen...

Cultivators shouting in glee at the sight of an abandoned Stygian Tiger Seal. The bloodshed, the cries all stopping momentarily as everyone rushed to claim the despicable ornament. Out of millions, only two people noticed the even more detested creator walking to the edge of the cliff. While Lan Zhan ran to save him, he could feel the wails of his heart. 'No. Don't.'

He caught him. But then the other man let go. Down they fell: the other, into the dark abyss of death; and Lan Zhan, into the chasm of loss. All Lan Zhan could do was watch, screaming, as he realised that from that point on, he'd regret this moment for the rest of his life. It was then that he'd realised exactly what the Yiling Patriarch, Wei Wuxian, meant to him. But it had been too late.

Of course, Nie Huaisang had saved his life by bringing Wei Wuxian back. And his xiongzhang had done a lot to make Wei Wuxian understand and reveal his feelings. And all had worked out. So this terrible episode of reality had not tortured Lan Zhan at all, albeit ensuring he was by Wei Ying's side all along. But why did he dream of it now? When Wei Ying had seen the massacres, he had seen this... Wei Ying's was a foresight, was his a warning? Was history about to repeat itself?

'No. I won't let that happen. Not again.'

No. This was a tribulation. Like all the other periods of suffering had been. They'd suffer, they'd endure, they'd persevere, they'd win. This was just another test. He, Lan Wangji, will win this too, alongside his husband.

'Come what may. I won't give up. May this be the last test,' was all Lan Zhan could pray for.

"Lan Zhan?"

Lan Zhan forced himself to return to reality with a gulp. "Mn?"

"Let's go."

"Mn."

The friends nodded to each other as they took out their swords. But just then...

"Huaisang! Huaisang!"

Out of everyone who heard the shouts, Wei Wuxian was the most shocked. A female voice was crying out his friend's name. "A woman?" He grinned at Nie Huaisang, who blushed as he turned with the others in the direction of the calling feminine voice.

"Huaisang!"

"Xuanji?" Nie Huaisang called back and waved.

A tall brunette, dressed in a Nie's grey and golden robes and jewellery, with her hair tied up in a ponytail that waved behind her back, marched towards her sect leader. The fantastic thing was that she wasn't even referring to Nie Huaisang as 'Sect Leader Nie', earning evil smirks from Yunmeng's Twin Prides. Nie Huaisang did his best to ignore.

"Xuanji? What's the rush? Shouldn't you be heading the attack troops?"

"Heading the troops?" Lan Xichen whispered, his voice full of wonder.

"Hello, I'm Chen Xuanji, a Nie disciple. Huaisang's friend." She proceeded to bow to each great cultivator present. "Sect Leader Lan, Sect Leader Jiang, Hanguang-Jun, Yili–" she paused as she bowed to the last one, then straightened and waved with a big grin. "Wei Wuxian!"

Wei Wuxian blinked. "Er... Young Mistress Chen, do I know you?"

"Oh? Forgot me so soon?" Chen Xuanji grinned. Her features were beautiful and elegant, such that you couldn't tell she was the Leader of the Nies' troops if you didn't see the horrible sabre on her back.

A cold voice added with a smirk. "He forgot his Mianmian."

"LAN ZHAN! STOP REMINDING THAT!" Wei Wuxian shouted amidst everyone's laughter.

"Well, then, let me remind you. I came with Huaisang and that rascal to study here? To Cloud Recesses School? One time you got a punishment to copy out the rules some hundred times and Huaisang offered to do half?"

"Hey, you're the one who did it for me!"

"Precisely! Huaisang was tired after twenty. I finished it off."

Wei Wuxian bowed to Chen Xuanji. "Now I remember you, Xuanji. You were less... scary then!" He chuckled, nodding to the sabre.

"Well, someone has to cultivate the sabre," she rolled her eyes at Huaisang. "Right, the news. Huaisang, we need to go quick. The traitors, they're surrounding one large village. They're closing in. We need all our best to attack them before the villagers get killed."

"We'll go right now," Huaisang nodded to her. He waved to the rest, beckoning them to follow. Xuanji jumped onto her sabre and shot into the sky. Huaisang waved his hand to summon a sabre only slightly less fearsome than his Da-Ge's Baxia, then flew to catch up with his friend. Shuoyue and Sandu shot off into the sky with their owners aboard.

"A-Ying?"

"Suibian's with Wen Ning. I'll only call my demons today. Wen Ning will stay. If they manage to steal the Seal from me while we're there," he said patting the pouch hanging from his belt, "I don't want Wen Ning risking his sanity."

Lan Zhan nodded, grabbed his husband by the waist and they chased their colleagues on Bichen.

After a few seconds' stops at the compounds of Cloud Recesses and Lotus Pier to send for their disciples — Wei Wuxian insisted on not dragging Jin Rulan into this yet — the squad landed in the centre of the said village. Xuanji's troops had sent the people away to hide, so Wei Wuxian took over.

"What's up with you guys? What are you waiting for? An invitation?" He shouted into the trees surrounding the village. On cue, about a hundred men flew down. A man with a lean body leaded them as he walked towards the Yiling Patriarch standing at the front of the cultivators.

"Yiling Patriarch, welcome!"

Wei Wuxian glared at him. "The hell do you want to talk for? Just get on with the killing."

"Sure!" Zhao Xing laughed as he signalled to his men. The minute the one hundred men flew in at the cultivators, Xuanji shot her hand into the air and pointed towards the sky. A spark of gold flew from her fingertip, igniting high above them. Nie Huaisang nodded as he readied his fan.

To Xuanji's signal, Nie troops rained down on the Jin traitors. While the Nies slashed away, Wei Wuxian followed Zhao Xing's movements. Zhao Xing attacked back for some time, before turning to look into the forest beyond. He whispered something to the rebel next to him and disappeared into the woods. Wei Wuxian turned back.

"Guys, leave them to the Nies. We'll go follow him. They're luring us, but we might as well finish it off."

"Once and for all," Jiang Cheng nodded, his eyes furious and flaming. "ZIDIAN!"

A sharp streak of purple lightning flashed across the village as it tossed away the fighters, traitor or not, clearing them a path. Wei Wuxian took Lan Wangji's hand, as in the old days, and dashed into the woods.

They ran into the woods, moving deeper and deeper in until they reached a clearing: gloomy and dark, thanks to the thick canopy above them. Wei Wuxian looked around him, turning in circles. Lan Wangji pulled him to a halt. "What, Lan Zhan?"

"Stop rotating, you're turning me too."

"Well, you did tell me to stick to your side on the way here. I'm not even sure of myself so let's keep holding hands." The actual reason, though, was that he felt calmer and more secure when holding his soulmate's hand. But as if he'd dare tell such a thing aloud with Jiang Cheng and the rest here. Sheesh, never knew I was this cheesy, Wei Wuxian thought.

He turned away from his husband and looked into the woods. The energy. Anxiety, excitement, and resentment. The presence of more Jin traitors was too obvious. 

"Cowards! Stop hiding!" He shouted, enraged, ignoring Lan Zhan's tightening grasp.

"You. What do you people want? Why are you killing such innocent villagers?" Lan Xichen's voice, all of a sudden, turned from calm to serene and bone-chilling.

"Zewu-Jun? Well, well, what a pleasant surprise. I'd always wanted to meet the very man who KILLED my master!" An even colder voice echoed across the forest.

Lan Xichen was not, for once, overwhelmed by the memory of Jin Guangyao. Months in secluded cultivation had made him a lot more understanding. The deceit, the betrayal, all of it used to torture him. But now, he could hardly care less.

"Hmph! Not even the least bit repentant? Why you!" The voice screeched out of sheer raging anger. Instantaneously, a sharp arrow with a silvery edge shot at Sect Leader Lan. It was so sudden and swift that Lan Xichen barely had time to lift Shuoyue.

Crash! A bright flash and the arrow was snapped into two. Its two halves, the arrowhead dripping with Fatal Silver, fell to the ground. The attacker stood in front of Zewu-Jun, covering, protecting.

"LUO QINGFEI!" The attacker shouted. The rage in his voice was no less than the rage in his sparkling whip.

"Oh? Sandu Shengshou? Your Zidian is not bad! Very accurate. My mum was right. You know, she duelled your mum once. The Purple Kite-Bird never failed to impress. Am I glad to meet her heir," Qingfei's frosty voice spoke.

But Jiang Wanyin, for once, was not in a mood to chat back. All he did was glare into the darkness, purple lightning running more and more out of control at the attempt to attack his close friend. He gritted his teeth and dragged out the name "Luo Qingfei..."

"We need to bring her out of hiding. God knows where she'll attack from. The echo's too confusing," Wei Wuxian suggested.

"Alright, Wei Wuxian," Chen Xuanji nodded. "Luo Qingfei! Quit with the sneak attacks and get out here!"

"Oh? A female Nie? How inspiring. But why would I listen to you?"

Luo Qingfei's mocking and icy voice could not beat the confident and cheery tone of the other. "I'm a woman. You're a woman. Girl against girl. One on one fight. Or are you too much of a chicken to cower away–"

"WHO is the chicken here?" Qingfei shouted as a black shadow zoomed over Xuanji's head. Xuanji somersaulted, slashing her sabre at Qingfei's incoming sword. Qingfei, pushed away, went back to hiding in the woods. A few seconds later, she began to dash from left to right, overhead and on the ground, slinking past the alert Xuanji, attacking fiercely but furtively. The flamboyance of the Jins and the haughtiness of the Wens in Qingfei crashed against the ruthlessness of the Nies. At one point, Xuanji was rotated in such a way that she stood facing the others. Nie Huaisang gave her a thumbs-up, the others nodded. She turned to Wei Wuxian. 'Force her,' he mouthed. Chen Xuanji nodded.

Jiang Cheng perked up. "Xuanji, to your right!"

Xuanji didn't even bother to turn. She twisted only her head to the right with a smirk, waiting for the black silhouette to near her. When a sharp 'Swish!' was heard as Qingfei swung her sword at her, she banged her sabre against the metal, and twisted. One sharp, painful turn that rotated both Qingfei's sword and her wrist. As she screamed in pain, Qingfei was forced to twirl along with the sword, leaping with the turn to land a few feet in front of the cultivators, panting, wincing in pain. The strain had ignited the agony in her chest again, but she feigned indifference.

"You!"

"Luo Qingfei, what's wrong? Too painful?" Chen Xuanji turned around to face her enemy with a malevolent smirk. "Good job, Zhipei," Xuanji muttered, stroking her blade.

'Zhipei'? Dominator? Naming's not bad! Wei Wuxian thought. Still, nowhere near my Suibian!

"I'm not done with you yet!" Luo Qingfei barked at Xuanji, sprinting towards her, sword raised.

"Nor am I!" Chen Xuanji shouted back, as she embraced Zhipei and slashed. The two clashed and slashed for a good five minutes before Xuanji sent Qingfei flying once again.

Chen Xuanji wiped a trace of blood trickling from a cut on her hollow cheek.

"Xuanji, are you alright?"

"Huaisang, is that even a question?" She grinned back. "MeiRen Sha! Not bad! You're quite skilled aren't you. Still, nowhere near your sister. She's much better even back in school days!" Chen Xuanji mused.

"Hmph! Nonsense! She seceded. She was skilled. But alone." And with that, Luo Qingfei raised two fingers to her lips and blew a sharp whistle.

A shower of arrows rained down on the group of cultivators. "Xuanji, come here, stick together!" Wei Wuxian shouted above the shriek of Zidian splitting one half of the first onslaught of arrows in two. Wangji's wrath did away with the rest.

A second rain of arrows shot at them. Shuoyue and a golden fan slashed away, finishing off that set as fast as the first.

"Good job, A-Sang."

"Thanks, Er-Ge."

The six cultivators were now in a circle, backs touching, huddled close together to avoid losing anyone. Lan Zhan was still holding his husband's hand, keeping Wangji standby with one hand as Bichen floated next to him.

As the third cascade of darts mowed down, Wei Wuxian flung his hand into the air. Bichen and Chenqing flew around in a circle, entwining: one chopping the arrows and the other knocking them to the ground. Wei Wuxian shot his hand up into the air to retrieve his flute before it could be stolen again, while Bichen came to a standstill between its two masters.

In the meantime, Xuanji was waving her hand to and fro, manipulating Zhipei from afar as it assaulted Luo Qingfei. The weight of the sabre and the harshness of the moves soon overcame Qingfei's skill, tossing her sword away.

Before the sabre could chop her in half then and there, she cried, "ATTACK!" and disappeared up into the canopy.

Xuanji's Zhipei tried to follow, but was disturbed by the sudden arrival of about fifty men.

Instantly, Zhipei, the fan, Sandu, Shuoyue and Bichen lacerated through the woods, assailing the incoming rebels. Zidian zipped across the shrubbery, crashing left and right, while the ice-cold 'zing!'s of Wangji cut through.

"Didi, move to the centre."

"Why?" Wei Wuxian asked Lan Xichen.

"No sword. And the Seal."

Wei Wuxian nodded and moved into the centre of the circle. He couldn't help control Bichen since he hadn't mastered it yet, so could only watch his Lan Zhan's long, slender fingers sweep across the zither strings, while his eyes focussed spiritual energy on Bichen. Wei Ying was more than impressed. Realising something, he turned to the others.

"Ge, A-Cheng, everyone, you guys should stop attacking. They're only pouncing and slashing, not really a threat. All they're doing is exhausting your spiritual energy."

"Then do you suggest we WATCH while they SLIT our throats?" Jiang Cheng seethed as he flung Purple Lightning on an incoming group of fighters.

"That's it!" Lan Xichen shouted.

"Slit-throat!" Lan Zhan exclaimed.

Wei Wuxian nodded. "Exactly. I'll call on Xiangxiang and the rest. When they start, you guys stop."

The others nodded; nobody denied the plans of their tactician.

"Er... A-Zhan?"

"Mn?"

"You know I can't play the flute with one hand."

Lan Zhan stared at his husband for some time, speechless. He didn't want to... but he had to.

He let go of Wei Wuxian's hand.

Wei Wuxian brought Chenqing to his lips. The other five had to move a bit further from each other as the dark demonic energy and the doom-filled smoke repelled them. The circle widened as they distanced themselves from the blackening aura of Wei Wuxian. The routine bitter melody played and in a few seconds, red, blue and black were all there. The sudden appearance of three Demons close to Wei Wuxian finally broke up the circle. Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng stood in one place, Lan Zhan in one and Chen Xuanji in another. Lan Xichen wasn't as affected, so he didn't move too far from the smoke, standing relatively close to Wei Wuxian.

"Master!" Three voices, each with their own undertone of doom, echoed.

"Xiangxiang, tackle the left. LanGui, tackle the right."

"Sure!" The two sped off on their mission.

"Hei'An, find those archers. Finish them off," Wei Wuxian waved his hand casually.

"Sure!"

To think such a sweet didi could be this nonchalant about murdering people, Lan Xichen mused.

While screams, cries, 'Snap!'s and 'Slit!'s rang in the air, Wei Wuxian stood with his brother-in-law, twirling Chenqing around his fingers. He yawned. "Ge, think I should speed this up?"

Lan Xichen grinned back. "Why not?"

Another swift, spooky tune and hundreds of little spirits had condensed before them. All Wei Wuxian had to do was wave his hand.

Slowly, as the fight went on and the cultivators stood there, waiting for it to end to track Qingfei, a mist began to develop. Blood of those slaughtered, tears of those who fell into Hei'An's doom and Xiao Xiang's tease, and dust and debris from the battle enveloped the cultivators until one could hardly see another.

Wei Wuxian watched for some time, before it struck him. Not good, Wei Wuxian thought. "I'll keep talking to make sure we're all here!" He shouted into the gloom. "A-Zhan?"

"Mn." The pale blue glow of Bichen lit up some feet away.

"Ge?"

"Didi, right next to you," Lan Huan tugged on his sleeve.

"A-Cheng?"

"Here!" Zidian crashed against a tree nearby.

"Huaisang?"

"Wei-xiong, I'm right here with Jiang-xiong!"

"Good. Xuanji?"

Silence.

"XUANJI?" Wei Wuxian's panic kicked in immediately.

Not a word.

"Xuanji, stop freaking me out!" Huaisang shouted.

Still no reply.

"Not good. Guys, keep an eye out–"

Wham! He heard something slam against tough skin and strong bone. Wei Wuxian reflected, A hand slamming against the side of a neck? Oh no. Where was the hand that had been tugging on him?

"GE? GE!"

This time, Lan Huan made no reply.

"Xiongzhang!" Lan Wangji cried. "A-Ying, where's xiongzhang?"

"I don't know! He was right here! Bichen!" Wei Wuxian did the one thing he could do with Bichen — summon it. Its blue glow flared to light up the surroundings of Wei Wuxian. But the older Jade was nowhere to be found.

"Where is he? Where's Xuanji?"

"Where the hell is Xichen?" Zidian flashed at another tree, this time successfully toppling it over.

"Jiang-xiong, calm down. Both Er-Ge and Xuanji are missing it must be that Qingfei. Ji-xiong, can't you make Bichen light up our entire area?"

"I'll try." Lan Wangji was using all the strength it took to stay calm. Xiongzhang is fine, xiongzhang is fine...

He called to Bichen, which flew back to Lan Wangji. Lan Zhan focussed his energy on Bichen, concentrating, trying his best to hold back the panic. Gradually, the blue divine light grew in intensity and power. Bichen's light had almost reached a maximum when Lan Zhan's closed eyes shot open at a pain in his hand and chest. He winced and drew breath sharply. His chest was flaring, a scorching agony tearing through his soul. What was going on? It must be the panic. But this? He looked down at his hand. Lan Zhan's eyes grew wider and rounder in terror.

His ring was blazing red.

"A-YING!" He shouted, turning around. In response to his alarm, Bichen ignited into a bright blue fiery glow, shedding light on the entire clearing.

"Wei-xiong!" Nie Huaisang shouted.

"A-Xian? A-Xian!" Zidian flashed at the centre of the clearing, making the place even brighter.

But no matter how much light lit the space up, neither Chen Xuanji, nor Lan Xichen, nor Wei Wuxian could be found.