Running. And running. Sprinting. Panting. Sweating.

The fear. The dread. The anxiety. The despair.

All actions and emotions multiplied every time Lan Zhan looked at his ring. It was weak. The red incandescence of the demonic core energy that Wei Ying had gifted his husband was a soft red: flickering, vague, barely there.

Wei Ying is in trouble. He's weak. He needs me. But where is he? Lan Zhan thought as he flashed through the tunnel.

If only Wei Ying had had time to destroy the Stygian Tiger Seal. Then none of this would have happened in the first place.

If only he'd had the time to make that communication feature in their rings. Then neither would be this desperate...

He neared the end of the tunnel. He could see bright sunlight at the other end. Did this tunnel lead to the Nevernight compound? Lan Zhan had avoided the place all this time; it brought back memories too sour and sorrowful. The memories of his idiocy in not being by his soulmate's side. The memories of being blinded by his Lan-ness. The memories of letting go. Only now did he understand true Lan-ness. Staying true to one's heart. Like his father did. No matter what memories today he recalled, he will do this.

I have to find my A-Ying. Whatever it takes. 

**********

Clang! Clash! Swords clashed against each other in a fierce battle. One man was surrounded by twenty other, all twenty-one dressed in menacing black. While twenty different swords — some Jin, some random — attacked at the one man at the centre of the battlefield, one sword gleaming a bloody silver, clashed back with all its might. Suibian was more than happy to be in action after such a long time. In proper action, not doing Lingchi like last time. It was even gladder to see that its bearer had successfully cultivated his core, strong enough to wield Suibian wonderfully.

Wei Wuxian was agitated. This Luo Qingfei. Can't face me straightaway but had to send her useless thirty idiots, he cursed internally as he slashed furiously, assailing, slaughtering mercilessly.

Do not be deceived by his bad Math: for yes, there had been thirty at first, but so far only twenty remained. And they were dying out fast. The once defenceless Yiling Patriarch had improved that much.

I still didn't find the flute. Don't know where the hell my Chenqing is. And the Seal? Was Luo Qingfei using it already?

Tch! None of this would have happened if I had had the time to demolish that stupid Seal of mine.

And A-Zhan? Where is he? Are the others gone? Is A-Zhan looking for me? Wei Ying looked down at his ring for a millisecond amidst the fight, before returning to slay the men again. The glow is bright. A flaring cyan. So A-Zhan must be looking for me right now. A-Zhan... if only I'd had the time to establish a communication method between our rings...

Within minutes, Wei Ying was done with ten others. Ten more to go... He dodged between the ten men, ducking and diving, while slicing across their feet. When they fell, he'd cut their throats. Hmph, looks like I'm only second to Xiangxiang, he snickered as he reached the back of the group. Three men were left. All three attacked simultaneously. Suibian blocked the assault, then parried them all together, twisting and throwing the swords away. The instant the three men were rendered defenceless, Wei Wuxian struck two of them, hitting them only on the right hip because they veered away too soon. But the sharp cut was enough. It sliced through their sides, making them scream in agony. As the two fell to a side, Wei Ying dashed to the third and did his favourite martial art move: twist the arm, lock. The exact same move he'd taught Jin Ling for the first time.

Then, once the man's arm was locked and he was held stiff, Wei Wuxian did a move he'd probably never teach Jin Ling: reverse neck choke. Snap!

Wei Wuxian kicked the man, slamming his back with a burst of his energy, sending him flying over the Nevernight cliff.

But when he turned around, the two others had vanished from where they'd been. He looked around. The bloody rivers that had washed the floor of Nevernight that day were still here, dried and ancient, but just as terrorising. Wei Wuxian did his best to remain indifferent, to ignore the memories. Lan Zhan, Shijie. Too much, it was just too much. But then he thought further. Shijie was now Meilien, the future Sect Leader of the YunmengJiang sect. She was far better off now. And Lan Zhan was his A-Zhan now.

A-Zhan. Please be safe.

"Wei Wuxian!"

Wei Wuxian looked up. At the top of the steps on which Wen Ruohan and Jin Guangshan had stood those days, now stood a woman. For once, she wore no mask. Her black robes flapped behind her, as did her long, black hair.

Her tanned skin, now scarred worse than before thanks to the Nie General, was highlighted by her red inner garments and belt. She was smirking, most wickedly.

"Luo Qingfei! What do you want now?"

"Nothing! Just to see your death!" She said, before she tossed her averagely beautiful head back and cackled. Strangely, the evil cackle sent shivers down Wei Wuxian's spine, reminding him of another ex-Jin, albeit a guest disciple.

"Qingfei, were you Xue Yang's friend by any chance?" Wei Wuxian asked as he walked towards the villainess. He had to keep her distracted and chatty, lest she should disappear like her two disciples. This nonsense will end today.

"Oh? You know my colleague?" She snickered.

"Colleague? Oh right. You, Zhen Xiuming and Xue Yang must have been together. Just that he did the dirtiest work, am I right?" Wei Wuxian chattered, swinging Suibian around.

"Correct. But Xue Yang... That Song Zichen killed him... All because that rascal of a husband of yours injured him!"

"Just what did you call my Lan Zhan?!" Wei Wuxian snarled. Demonic energy wafted from his core, pouring out into the air around him, darkening his already jet-black aura.

"Rascal! Because that's what he is! And his brother even more so!" Luo Qingfei didn't bother to take the countless steps down the stairs but leaped into the air and landed right atop the last step. She stood there, a step above the nearing Wei Wuxian, as she continued, "The oh-so-pure Zewu-Jun killed my master. But I'll finish you first, tackle the Jades later."

Wei Wuxian stopped walking not wanting to get too close to the delinquent Jin. "Isn't what you've done to gege already enough?"

Clouds of doom gathered over the compound as Wei Wuxian's piercing voice and words cut through to enrage Luo Qingfei.

"Of course not! Maybe a bit more torture before killing him off," she mockingly stroked her chin. "How about the same to you?" She finally stepped down and walked towards Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian didn't step back. He wasn't afraid. He never was. All he did was embrace himself, raising his sword in the air. "Fine."

The two ran at each other. Crash! Two sword moves, Jin and Jiang, clashed loudly. Wei Wuxian cut through the air, bringing Suibian's sharp blade down on Luo Qingfei at every possible moment. Lunging, parrying, riposting, they fought each other as before. One used a mix of moves from the LanlingJin sect and the QishanWen sect, while the other switched unexpectedly fast between the ruthless wrath of the Jiangs and the elegant slaughter of the Lans. Occasionally he'd proudly surprise Luo Qingfei with a dramatic Jin swing or a cavalier Wen pounce. Even more shocked was Qingfei to notice that Wei Wuxian would manage to add in a chop from the Nies. What was this man? Moves from all five sects? And she'd thought her master was the coolest...

Suddenly, she felt a sharp stinging pain. Oh no, this wretched chest of mine... She looked down to see her arm bleeding. Wei Wuxian had severely injured her at last, making her jump a few steps back, wincing and groaning in pain. Her chest ached far more than the bleeding arm did. Why?

Wei Wuxian watched horrified as along with the blood that seeped from Luo Qingfei's arm, strings of black fog wafted out. What was this? Demonic energy? No, it was resentment. The bitter energy of resentment. Like Baxia and Nie Mingjue's spirit. But why was it oozing from Luo Qingfei?

Wei Wuxian thought hard. This was serious. Was she that filled with resentment? Wouldn't that affect her using the Seal? Was she about to have a qi deviation?

"You... what did you do to me?"

Wei Wuxian looked down at the woman who was almost slumping down to her knees. "What did I do to you?" He asked, bewildered. He raised Suibian and assaulted her.

"Why you scoundrel!" She coughed out blood. And more inky vapour. "I'm talking about whatever it was you did to me that day!" She cried as she stood straight again and slashed back.

While the two crashed against each other, Wei Wuxian thought through everything that had happened that day at the bunny-hill. Oh? That slam on her head with my energy? I attacked with demonic energy and resentment... Did it penetrate into her core? His eyes widened as he understood.

"Your core, it's affected by my energy?"

"Of course it is you brat! I'm a spiritual cultivator, not some demon like you!" She cried as she swung her sword madly, cutting through the air, trying her best to attack Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian had so far only been cut here and there all over his body, but not as severely as her. So with the power he had, he did what he'd done to her two disappeared disciples. Twist the sword, pluck it from the hand, toss it away. Before Wei Wuxian could cut her neck off, Luo Qingfei leapt into the air, reverse-somersaulting and landing on the steps. She hurriedly reached into her robes and dug out something. Wei Wuxian didn't have to wait long to find out what the object was.

Luo Qingfei opened her palms to let the object float in the air above her bleeding left hand. The Stygian Tiger Seal rose into the air, absorbing energy from the tensed atmosphere, before erupting into black flames as Luo Qingfei snapped her fingers.

Oh no. Wei Wuxian watched horrified as armies of corpses, some just undead, some fierce, marched towards the Yiling Patriarch. I don't even have Chenqing. Can't help, I'll have to fight my way through them. Wei Wuxian kept one foot back, stood sideways and clenched Suibian. The corpses walked closer and closer until suddenly Luo Qingfei blew a sharp whistle before withdrawing from view. Wei Wuxian gave up the thought of fighting her to get the Seal, and instead turned to face the corpses. Upon Qingfei's whistle, the corpses had come running as one at Wei Wuxian. The undead got closer and closer, their screams and battle roars growing louder and louder. When they got within a fifty-metre radius of Wei Wuxian, he raised Suibian in the air to waist-level and geared up for the crazy battle to ensue.

Or so he thought.

Tong! A shattering sharp beam sliced through the corpses, hurling part of them away over Wei Wuxian's head and down the cliff. Most of the corpses at the front were simply lacerated in half. Those left unharmed, at the back, stood for a second before dashing forth again.

Wei Wuxian turned in the direction of the sound. A few feet away from the inflowing corpse armies stood the one man he'd hoped would stay away but at the same time, wished would arrive to save him. And the other had done just that — not the first, the second.

Lan Zhan didn't waste a moment. His fingers floated over Wangji's strings, building up energy in his music before whacking the undead again. More corpses were flung away, more were destroyed. And yet, more kept running in. Lan Zhan growled. With Wangji in hand, he flew over to his husband and stood before him.

"A-Ying."

"A-Zhan, I'm fine. You?"

"Good. Here," Lan Zhan replied whilst shooting out another beam of energy.

Wei Wuxian's eyes gleamed at the sight of his old friend. "Chenqing? A-Zhan, thank you."

"Don't."

"What?"

"Don't say that."

Wei Wuxian grinned. "Alright, alright, I won't, happy?"

Lan Zhan ignored the cheekiness and continued, "Chenqing has part of the Seal. You might be able to control these things." Tong! Tong! Two more beams of energy flew in succession, slaying the corpses.

"Mn." Wei Wuxian raised Chenqing to his lips. An unearthly whistling music echoed through Nevernight, compelling the corpses to listen and be drawn to a standstill. But only momentarily. They crashed in again, fiercer than before.

Lan Zhan quickly sent out another flash of white light.

"Oh no. Not working. The Seal's too arrogant. A-Zhan, we'll do this. You move forth, keep playing. I will play my music. The instant they stop, kill them."

"Mn." Lan Zhan walked a few steps forward toward the incoming corpses. Wei Ying played the tune again. As soon as the corpses stopped, Lan Zhan sent off a piercing beam of energy. It cut through the first few rows, but didn't reach the others as they started to move again.

"We'll keep doing that," Lan Zhan gave a sideways nod to Wei Ying.

"Hm. Alright."

The Great Duo got to work, playing, killing. But the more they destroyed, the more that came in. The numbers weren't reducing. Lan Zhan was growing increasingly impatient, stepping forth with each strum. But Wei Ying was adamant. "No matter how many, every army has its limit," he kept mumbling between the melodies.

He went on playing, desperate to end it all. He had started it. He should end it.

Somewhere into the fight, Wei Ying's flute stopped abruptly. Lan Zhan turned around to see arrows shooting around. Two Jin traitors stood atop Wen Ruohan's palace's roof, bows and arrows aiming for the Yiling Patriarch. But they vanished immediately after; they'd shot already.

Lan Zhan spun to face Wei Ying. Wei Wuxian was staring aghast at the arrow in his side.

"A-Ying!"

The corpses were forgotten as Lan Zhan ran to his husband's side.

"Mhm. Lan Zhan..." Wei Ying shook his head and hand, signalling no. "I'm alright. I need to finish this first. They're shooting, go!"

"No."

"A-Zhan! Please! I don't want to see you shot. Please just go!" Wei Wuxian ripped out the arrow in his waist, not screaming, just biting his lip. He threw the arrow over the cliff.

"Wei Ying..." 

"Lan Zhan. I'm fine. Leave this to me. Hurry!" said the younger, with his smile that never reached the eyes.

"No, Wei Ying, I will not lose you again."

Lan Zhan waved his arm, sending Bichen to stand by Wei Ying's side. Its light radiated and enwrapped Wei Ying, protecting, sheltering. Lan Zhan moved back to the corpses that were by now only a few feet away from him.

Hmph. You've come near. Just in time, Lan Zhan pursed his lips as he rose to the air, summoned Wangji again, and ran his fingers over the strings, caressing, yet aggressive, blue and white energy sparking up along the zither's strings as the corpses drew nearer and nearer to the Yiling Patriarch. But as they got close, they were repelled by Bichen's unwavering brilliance. The instant they stopped moving out of shock, Lan Wangji shot his hand down towards them. A huge wave of blue energy hauled down on the surprised corpses, crashing on their heads, cutting them all in neat halves. As the pure energy of Wangji wafted through them, the bodies exploded into dust and dispersed. 

Lan Zhan's feet touched the ground and he ran back to his husband. Bichen returned to his side.

"A-Ying?"

"A-Zhan, let's get out of here soon–" he choked and coughed out a stream of blackened blood on Lan Zhan's clothes. "Ah! I did it again... Sorry, A-Zhan..." Wei Ying muttered while Lan Zhan passed him spiritual energy to revive him a bit before heading back with him.

Once that was done, Lan Zhan stood up. He was about to make Bichen stand horizontal for them to jump on when Wei Ying tugged at the hem of his robe.

"Wei Ying? What's the matter?"

"We can't go. Not so fast. The Seal. We need to get it."

"Wei Ying, you–"

"A-Zhan, we need to finish this off. See? I'm fine!" He struggled and got up. Standing on his two feet, he pushed away Lan Zhan's supporting hand. "Lan Zhan, I'm good! We'll go find that Qingfei. Please."

The way Wei Wuxian pleaded singed Lan Zhan's heart. He merely nodded. He turned to the rooftops. "Those archers, they went that way," he said, pointing to over the rooftop. Wei Wuxian nodded. Revived from Lan Zhan's energy passing and his own courage, Wei Ying leapt up with Lan Zhan onto the roof and jumped down onto the ground behind the building. 

**********

"Jiang-xiong, where do you think we should go?"

"Left, that's what Wen Ning said to Lan Wangji."

Jiang Wanyin and Nie Huaisang sprinted into the left tunnel. Having experienced the same failure Lan Zhan did, they ran back out, cursing loudly. Once at the junction again, they looked around. Jiang Cheng stood at the doorway to the left tunnel they'd gone into just now.

"Tch!" He scratched his head. "Where hell do we go now? I can't even tell which one we came from..."

"Jiang-xiong," Nie Huaisang dragged him by the sleeve to stand beside him. "This is how we stood when we decided to go left. Now, think. We went to the left. This middle one was how we exited earlier, remember?"

"Right! So we should try the right side one!"

Nie Huaisang smacked his fan on Jiang Cheng's shoulder. "Precisely." The two ran into the other tunnel. 

Emerging at the Nevernight compound, neither barely had the time to reminisce.

"Sandu Shengshou? Director Nie! Am I pleased to see you!" 

"Luo Qingfei, get down here!" Jiang Cheng growled, hurling Zidian at the steps on which the nemesis stood.

"Why should I? Why not you throw that thing at my fellows instead?" She grinned. Huaisang could easily see the bleeding arm, bleeding both blood and resentment. Hm. That looks like a good place to attack.

At a signal from the Stygian Tiger Seal, several corpses, though fewer this time, came running at the two cultivators from the left and the right. Those from the front were already long gone.

Nie Huaisang and Jiang Wanyin faced opposite sides. "Jiang-xiong, you take the left."

"Nie-xiong, right."

They nodded together and launched their attacks. While they fought their way through, Sandu slaughtering and Zidian crashing at one end while a golden fan swung around at the other.

"Hey, Nie-xiong! What's that thing called?"

"Zhiming!" Huaisang shouted proudly.

"'Zhiming'... 'Fatal'? Nice!" Jiang Cheng shouted back. A few more crashes from Zidian and Sandu and his side was done. He turned around to check: but there was nothing to look at except a golden fan slitting off the last five corpses and flying back to its owner's hand. 

"Good." Jiang Cheng nodded and turned to the steps. The two skipped them, jumping up and landing straight atop the roof to get a better view of the compound.

"Jiang-xiong, where's Wei-xiong?"

"Look, black blood." Jiang Cheng stared at the trace of blood that trickled down the roof.

"Wei-xiong is injured. He must have been here. We'll go to the other side," Nie Huaisang pointed to behind the building. 

The two leapt down onto the compound and followed the trace of blood into a well-hidden opening. 

Wei Wuxian, despite a white face and bleeding waist, was attacking with all his energy and consciousness against another woman, Wang Xinyi. Lan Wangji, on the other hand, was just chopping off Zhao Xing's arm. Clearly, Feng Xiao was long dead.

"HA! Fighting without us! How dare you, A-Xian!" Jiang Cheng leapt in and attacked Wang Xinyi. Huaisang tapped Lan Zhan on the shoulder and jointly fought against Zhao Xing.

Very soon, four overpowered two and the great disciples of Luo Qingfei lay lifeless on the rock floor.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

"Finally, you're here," Wei Wuxian smirked through the still raging pain.

"Wei Wuxian. Even shooting you in the side won't shut you up will it?" Luo Qingfei hopped onto the ground before them.

"Don't attack rashly, she has the Seal." Lan Wangji whispered to the other two while Wei Wuxian feigned fitness and walked forth, forcing himself to not limp.

"True. Just like cutting your waist didn't stop you either! You see, it's the waist that was cut, not the mouth," he grinned before slashing Suibian at her.

Luo Qingfei dodged away and landed on a landing a hundred metres away. "Think you can defeat me now?"

"Why not? I've got three besties. You've got none!" On cue, a golden fan flew in from her right, striking her agonising arm. While she tackled that, Zidian flashed in from another. Lan Zhan lunged at her, Bichen ready to chop her up.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Wei Wuxian leapt in between the four, made a sneak-attack to slam her unconscious. As she dropped to the floor, Bichen slit her throat.

After months of luring, suffering and chasing, the ordeal was finally over. 

"Finally, revenge. Now then, get the Seal, A-Xian," Jiang Cheng smirked with joy, stroking Zidian.

"No need to say!" Wei Wuxian lifted his hand to show the Seal. "I got it in the sneak-attack."

"Wei-xiong, not bad!" Nie Huaisang shouted, walking to his soul-brother and slamming his back. Wei Wuxian spat out a shower of blood, before falling unconscious.

"Er... sorry!" Huaisang hid his face behind his fan. Jiang Cheng's palm smacked his face while Lan Zhan caught his weak husband. Nodding to the other two, he carried Wei Wuxian in his arms, stood on Bichen and shot off into the now clear blue sky.