"Hanguang-Jun! Where's Hanguang-Jun?"

Wei Wuxian sat there obstinately to watch how Lan Zhan handled it.

Lan Wangji stood up and walked over to the woman. Wei Wuxian was amazed to see he didn't even hold her up when she was about to fall, but sent forth a wave of energy to help her back up. He chuckled secretly, thinking how Lan Zhan could be so cold. He really does only touch me, Wei Ying grinned.

"What is it?"

"Hanguang-Jun, my husband. My husband was killed. Tortured to death! Please, please slay that thing for me! Before it leaves more women widowed..." her voice was feeble, clearly from crying for help for days. Lan Zhan didn't seem to be helping her calm down well enough so Wei Ying rushed to her, held her up by the elbows and let her lean on him. When her knees had stopped wobbling, he held her by the arm and supported her. "Mother, come sit."

The old lady nodded and walked with him to his seat. He kneeled beside her, pouring out a cup of water. "Here, Mother."

"Thank you, child," the woman sobbed and sipped the water. She looked up to see who the good child was to find a man in black and a smiling face beaming at her warmly. She felt a lot calmer. Sighing and breathing deeply, she soothed herself down. "Child, you are..."

"Wei Wuxian, Mother."

The 'Mother' didn't recognise this name. But when she saw Hanguang-Jun sitting beside the said Wei Wuxian, smiling softly at the latter's thoughtfulness, she blinked as understanding struck her. Of course, how had she not noticed!

White, black.

White headband, red ribbon.

White sword with blue carvings, black flute with red tassel.

Cold and yet gentle like snow, warm and yet powerful like sunshine: one melting the other.

Softest silver, sharpest scarlet: auras of the divine.

Two smiles, equally bright: one angelic, the other cherubic.

Wasn't this how the Nie sect leader's ballad described the famous couple? The Great Duo? Hanguang-Jun and Yingxiong Laozu?

The 'Mother', despite her plight, smiled at the two husbands. "Bless your lives, Immortals, thank you for coming. Yingxiong Laozu, Hanguang-Jun, can you help me?"

The two nodded, both with resolve not second to the other.

**********

"So, A-Zhan, you think it's the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

"Mn."

Wei Ying knocked aside a branch hanging from a tree, obstructing their path. They were walking through a thicket that led to the region where the old lady was from. They had spotted her house on the way, and were headed deeper in to find the demon.

"Why do you say so? What made you think it's a Nine-Tailed Fox?"

"Seduction."

"Exactly. That's exactly what I thought. The old woman said her husband was tortured to death. And she wasn't just upset, she was angry. Clearly, the demon had been a tease. Seduction is its trait."

"Death is its fate."

Wei Wuxian laughed. "A-Zhan, nice rhyming."

"Mn."

"And judging by the old lady's expression, it's a female. Female Nine-Tailed Fox in human disguise?"

"Mn. Immortal."

"Yes. She must have cultivated till immortality to be able to metamorphose easily. But, shouldn't be hard at all for my Lan-Er-Gege," Wei Ying traced his fingers up and down his husband's arm, making Lan Zhan wonder if the Fox could beat the Wei Ying at all in seduction.

"A-Ying, too."

"Me? I'm nowhere near Hanguang-Jun's excellence."

"She's a demonic immortal. A-Ying's a demonic immortal," Lan Zhan explained, slashing away a bush in front of him, while his mind buzzed with the vow to sate the teasing Wei Ying when they got back. "But A-Ying is stronger."

"And, I have you!" Wei Ying hugged Lan Zhan's left arm as they made their way deep into the woods. "But A-Zhan, what if she seduces me? Oh dear, what if I fall for her?" Wei Ying pretend-gasped.

Lan Zhan stopped walking. Without looking at Wei Ying, he extracted his arm from Wei Ying's grasp, muttered, "Then A-Ying stay with her."

And with that, Lan Zhan turned around and walked back in the direction from whence they'd come.

"Hey! Lan Zhan! WAIT!" Wei Ying ran to him and dragged him back by the collar but Lan Zhan was too sturdy for that. So he resorted to hugging him tight. "A-Zhan, I was joking, sheesh! Come back, come on, let's finish it off."

"Sure?"

"A-ZHAN! Stop scaring me, alright? Come now. A-Zhan? A-Zhan, look at me. Look, I swear I won't say something like that again, sorry!"

"Mn." Lan Zhan spun around. Wei Ying gasped when he saw the shine of laughter in his eyes.

"Why you–!"

Lan Zhan shut him up again, kissing him, first softly then speeding up, before lightly biting the lower lip.

"Could you stop doing that? It pains!"

Lan Zhan smiled. "Punishment."

"WHAT! For the joke!"

"No." Lan Zhan began to walk forward.

"Then what?"

"No need for 'thank you' and 'sorry' between you and I."

"Oh." Wei Ying rubbed his lip and smiled. "Alright, I won't say any of it again." The two made their way through the woods. "A-Zhan, you think Gege had sent off the announcement? That we're immortal and..." He gulped down the blush, unsuccessfully. "And married?"

Lan Zhan was secretly overjoyed at the sight of his blushing husband. "Mn. Jiang Wanyin."

"Right, gege's sick in bed. A-Cheng... Oh right, might be Huaisang. So–"

Wei Ying stopped when Lan Zhan halted. Lan Zhan nodded to the canopy. They'd reached a place where the valley hollowed in to meet at a lake. The moonlight's reflection glistened on the lake. But amidst it all, a light-hearted humming could be heard. Wei Ying looked up. On a tree branch, just above the lake, amidst an array of pink flowers, sat a girl. Dressed in white, her hair long, silkier than silk, her skin brighter than the moonlight. Her slender and bare leg hung from the tree, delicate foot perturbing and teasing the water beneath her.

All that gave away her appearance as an enticing girl were a pair of ears protruding from her head, as white as snow, and nine tails of sparkling white fur swishing behind her.

Woah. She's the so-called demon? Too pretty for a demon, Wei Wuxian thought. He didn't realise he'd thought aloud until he saw the glare from Lan Zhan.

"Well, I'm glad you agree!" The demoness's tinkling voice echoed from the treetops as she leapt down, landing before them.

She looked up and down the two, twirling her hair around her fingers over and over. Clearly, her flirtatiousness was unhindered by the facts that they wore matching rings, and were holding hands. "Oh? Yiling Laozu? Or should I say Yingxiong Laozu?" She giggled. Nie Huaisang would have written an entire poem about her exceptional beauty and the chime in her laughter had he been here.

"So you know me," Wei Wuxian grinned back.

"Which demon doesn't? The first demonic cultivator to be a demon, of course we know you! But this is..." In a flash, she had flown around Lan Wangji, giving him a once-over, and was back where she had stood. Lan Wangji stood there with Bichen unsheathed, shocked by her speed and outraged by her boldness. "Well, well, this must be the famous husband of the Yiling Laozu, Hanguang-Jun? Forgive me for saying this but," her eyes took on a pink glow. "Hanguang-Jun, you do look remarkably handsome."

Wei Wuxian noticed the glowing eyes. A charm? "A-Zhan!"

But Lan Zhan, who had been glaring at her, had spotted the charming eyes. He stood there, unblinking, immobile, gazing at the Nine-Tailed Fox.

"You!"

"Yiling Laozu, you better know, anyone who looks good won't survive in my territory. Which," the pink glow returned, "includes you."

But the instant her eyes glowed pink, Wei Wuxian's took on a brilliant scarlet that turned the entire forest a glaring red. The red flash in his eyes overpowered her pinkish charm, protecting him. "Hmph. Underestimate me that much, do you?"

The Fox smiled, elegantly, teasingly. She dashed to where he was, stopping in front of him, her nail against his chin. Her voice alluring, tongue slurring, eyes beguiling, she batted long eyelashes at Wei Wuxian. "But can you really resist me?"

Wei Wuxian chuckled.

"What are you laughing at!" Her pink glow flared brighter as her anger rose.

"I've worked with a demoness far prettier than you. And I spend every day with the most beautiful person ever. Of course, I can handle you!" He grinned, tapping Chenqing on her hand teasing his face.

The burning touch of Chenqing made her withdraw instantly. Wincing, she asked, "And just who are they?"

"The Scarlet Seductress." Her eyes widened in horror at the mention of the great demoness. "And him," Wei Wuxian banged Chenqing on Lan Zhan's head.

Lan Zhan glared at him for the knock.

"Enough with the act, A-Zhan, just kill her."

Lan Zhan smirked. Bichen was out in a flash. Wei Wuxian held his hand and a glimpse of understanding passed between the two before he let go. The Nine-Tailed Fox had never been more amazed in her life. Bichen chased her across the woods, as she ran from treetop to treetop, grass to shrubbery, thicket to lake, occasionally attacking with either of her tails, or a wave of energy. Swish! Slash! She screamed as two of her nine tails were cut off under Bichen's wrath.

The instant she screamed, Lan Zhan gave a nod to Wei Ying. Wei Wuxian quickly swung Chenqing up to his lips and played the very melody he'd heard the she-fox hum. The fox stilled out of surprise. Grabbing the opportunity, Wei Wuxian played out a melody of his own, borrowed from a friend, watching her give in to its tune with a smirk. Within seconds, the Fox Demoness had been taken under his control. Wei Ying gave a thumbs-up to Lan Zhan. When the Nine-Tailed Fox was slain, the two husbands walked back to the village hand-in-hand.

"So much for the 'demonic immortal'. Immortals like her make me ashamed, jeez! Good that I had the tune Xiangxiang uses in her beguilement. She really is the Queen of all seductive demonesses. Wonder how good that Qian Qiao Beauty Ghost mistress of hers is. Hey, A-Zhan, good thinking with the charm shield back there, or you'd have fallen for her Fox Charm!"

Wei Ying talked on and on but Lan Zhan did not speak a word. Wei Ying changed tactics.

"A-Zhan, I'm hungry."

Still no reply, except for a faster pace towards the village. So, he wants to rid me of my hunger, yes, but why the hell isn't he talking? Hmph, fake anger. Stubborn Lan. 

"A-Zhan? A-Zhan?" Wei Ying stopped before him, obstructing his path. He waved his hand before his face.

Lan Zhan only blinked.

"Lan Zhan! What's your problem?"

"You."

"Ah? Me? Oh, you mean I'm the problem? What did I do?"

Lan Zhan stared front cold as ever but couldn't hold back the purple spreading across his face out of anger. "You said..." He didn't know how to continue. He was furious, but embarrassed to voice his thoughts.

Wei Ying crossed his arms and wondered for some time before it dawned on him. When it did, he began to chortle. "A-Zhan, are you mad at me for calling that Fox pretty?"

Lan Zhan didn't say a word, but the maroon on his face darkened.

"Oh, and I called Xiangxiang pretty, too!" Wei Ying was relishing the rage in Lan Zhan.  

Lan Zhan was almost fuming, on the verge of chopping down all the trees in the forest. 

"Pfft! A-Zhan, you really are crazy!"

Lan Zhan finally looked at him, glaring.

"Don't ask me why! Didn't you even hear what I said after that?" When he received zero reaction from Lan Zhan, he continued, "I said that I spend every day with the most beautiful person ever. Wanna know who that is?"

Lan Zhan's glare reduced slightly.

Wei Ying grinned and stood on his toes to peck Lan Zhan's forehead.

That earned him an apologetic smile and a blush. Wei Ying giggled.

"Wei Ying still needs to be punished."

"Okay, okay, I don't disagree. My Lan-Er-Gege's the only pretty person in the world. ONLY. My mistake earlier. Punish me all you want when we get back to the forests."

"Mn."

Wei Ying tapped Lan Zhan's nose. "Fuddy-duddy!"

Lan Zhan smiled. "Bunny."

Wei Ying laughed again. "Come on, now, let's go back." He took Lan Zhan's hand. When Wei Ying's grip suddenly tightened, Lan Zhan turned to him out of panic. 

"A-Ying?" 

Wei Ying was pursing his lips as he tried to sink the discomfort down. "A-Ying? A-Ying!" Wei Ying shook his head so Lan Zhan stopped shouting and waited anxiously. A few minutes passed in silence with Wei Ying holding his breath before the sensation passed. The minute Wei Ying's grasp softened, Lan Zhan put and arm on his shoulder and asked, "A-Ying, what happened?" 

"Nothing, A-Zhan. I'm good."

A grumpy voice echoed in Lan Zhan's mind, "Hmph, you'd be drowning in a lake and you'd still feel fantastic."

Jiang Wanyin was right, Lan Zhan sighed. "A-Ying, don't lie. Does even exerting yourself arouse the pain?" 

"No... No, it's not that. I need time, A-Zhan. I need time to figure it out." 

"Mn. But if A-Ying feels pain, tell me. Here," Lan Zhan brought out the medicine from his sleeve. "Just in case it's the same ailment." Wei Wuxian nodded and gulped down the portion his husband fed. 

"Brrr," Wei Ying rasperry-blew his mouth, wincing at the taste. Lan Zhan sighed and shook his head at his childishness before reducing the taste with a warm kiss. While their tongues intertwined, Lan Zhan secretly planned to return home that night. They had checked on every last village, so were free to retreat. Wei Ying had wanted to stay another day, roaming, but Lan Zhan was now determined to do otherwise. Wei Ying's health came first. 

When they pulled back, Wei Ying beamed at him; Lan Zhan smiled back. They took each other's hands and walked away.