Lan Jingyi walked into his house to find Jin Xiyi seated on the window ledge, legs dangling from the wood, swinging them over the flower bed in the backyard, underneath the window, as she hummed to herself and stared up at the sky, smiling to herself.

"Someone looks happy," Jingyi smirked and walked to the window. He tapped her shoulder. "Xiyi, it's dangerous, the window's three feet above ground. If you slip... come on, get inside," he held out his hand. "And winter's a bit late, but it's already so cold. Don't catch a fever, come in."

"Tsk, you won't even let me daydream!" Jin Xiyi pouted. "Yiyi, I'm just pregnant, not terminally ill!"

"Six months pregnant," Lan Jingyi sighed. "You've got to take care. Now come. Xiyi, please," Jingyi clasped her hand.

"No way, I'm staying here. Try and get me off now!" Xiyi grinned, stubbornly crossing her arms and not budging from the high window ledge.

Lan Jingyi sighed. He'd been distressed, and tired after work, and now he had to deal with his ever-obstinate Jin wife. Shaking his head to himself, he decided to use his Lan-ness against his Jin lady. Bending down, he swiftly hooked his left arm out of the window, underneath the dangling legs, and his right arm around the slender waist, deftly picking her up and walking to the bed.

"OI!"

"Silence," Jingyi responded coolly. He carefully placed his wife on the bed and made her lean against the wall, comfortably laying her back against a pillow he propped up. "There."

Jin Xiyi smiled. "You worry too much, Yiyi..."

"You just stopped your usual sword fighting practice. Means you're too tired now. Six months, no wonder. Xiyi, you've got to rest in bed," he rambled worriedly, sitting on the bed.

"I was bored! You'd been at work all morning! Daddy's gone to sleep at Grandma's place, Father's at the Library, Sizhui's... He's... Aish, he's in a bad mood half the time now. It's contagious, almost. Who am I to pass my time with? Auntie Qiang came in with Wen Shushu a while ago, but they left, too. Not like they can stay in here forever! So? What do you expect me to do? Be glad I didn't jump down from the window ledge and start running about the garden!"

"XIYI!" Jingyi shouted, horrified. "Goodness, don't even think of it! No jumping down, let alone running around!" He calmed himself, reducing the loudness of his frightened voice and resumed talking, this time more reserved. "If you're ever bored, don't fail to come see me. Just come to my office, it's fine. Nobody's prohibiting you. And nobody will dare to prevent you. You can come in and see me, maybe I'll come home with you for a while, put you to sleep. Or you could help with my work, since you're amazing anyway," he smiled, running his fingers through her hair. "But! No fooling around, understood?"

"Yes, yes, Head Elder Lan," Xiyi chuckled. "Yiyi, don't tell me Sizhui's bad mood's contagion got into you, too? You seem dark, today."

"Just... nothing... What were you daydreaming about, anyway?"

"The beauty of that amazing jet-black fur sparkling in the moonlight. So furry and fluffy!" Jin Xiyi smiled. "Not to mention, that amazing scarlet shine. I've never seen a wolf so pretty..."

Lan Jingyi smiled at her praise. "That's exactly what I was upset about but yes, pretty, I guess."

"Hey, aren't we telling the others?" Xiyi asked him.

Jingyi's smile faded and he shook his head furiously. "You mean the Terrific Ten? No way. Can't risk it, Xiyi," he sighed. "Werewolves aren't mankind's most favoured animal-human species, you know."

"But... Fine, then. But at least our fathers?"

"Also no. At least not yet. Their reaction won't be too good. It's just too risky to let anyone know for the moment, so we'll stay this way. The time will come."

Jin Xiyi nodded and squeezed his hand. "I know it will."

"Now then," Lan Jingyi stood and gripped his sword. "I happened to meet Wen Shushu on the way here. And he told me something about you being talked about behind your back? Some Lan rascal of ours telling you're... some nonsense..." he fumed, not even wanting to say it.

"Ah, that," Jin Xiyi waved her hand nonchalantly. "Nothing much, just the usual thing. Jin Xiyi's just like the rest, a motherless Jin bastard. Like Sect Leader, like Head Disciple. They always say that, Yiyi, and I really don't mind it anymore, gotten used to being chastised as an orphan, you don't need to–"

"Kill them? No. Break their legs? Yes, that should do," he clenched his sword and walked to the door.

"Hey!"

"Xiyi, no more talk on this. Whether it's about my brother, or my wife, none of them should dare to utter a bad word. Like Sect Leader, like Head Disciple. That's what they said, right?" He kicked open the door. "Well, that's what they'll get." He marched out.

Jin Xiyi stared at the open door for a while, wondering what he meant. Somehow, Lan Jingyi was back in six minutes. He shut the door behind him and placed his sword somewhere else, took off his hair ornaments and sat on the bed, leaning against the wall with his wife, staring at the ceiling.

"Well? What did you do?"

Lan Jingyi smirked. Smug and proud as ever. "Broke his leg, like I promised."

"WHAT?"

"Nah, not really 'broke', just a little... sprained? Yes, that sounds right."

"WHAT did you do?"

"Twisted his ankle with my sword. And now he's busy cleaning my study."

"Twisted his ankle with... Oh heavens... And why your study?"

"Because I left a gift there for him. There were some old and useless reports and books, ripped and sliced and chopped them into shreds and pieces with my sword. They're all over the place, shelves, table, floor, lamps on the ceiling. Left him a broom, and a mop with a bucket of water, he's got to clean every last speck of dust up. Servants were shooed away for today. Study's got to be spotless and sparkling clean by tomorrow morning." Lan Jingyi grinned happily.

"Hold on a second. Clean up the study, spotless by next morning? That's the same thing Sizhui did to that Lan girl who's tongue slipped the other day, right?"

"Hmph, tongue slipped? Saying Wei Wuxian must have bewitched Lan Wangji for Hanguang-Jun to be so enraptured and glued to him all the time? After all these years, still saying crap like that? She was being a brat! That's clear as day," he harrumphed.

"Yiyi, so that's what you meant... Aish, my silly husband. At least don't do the leg-breaking next time."

"I'll do it if I want to," Jingyi grunted. "Next time anyone says that about my wife, they're to clean the Elders' Hall right after the upcoming sect conference. The entire hall."

Xiyi didn't forget that the Elders' Hall was the second largest hall in Cloud Recesses, second only to the Main Hall.

"Fine, fine, whatever," Xiyi shook her head and smiled. "Is protectiveness a Lan trait?"

"Maybe," Jingyi laughed, thinking of his Father.

"Yiyi, are you sure it's alright to hide this from Daddy and Father?"

"Hide what? Oh, werewolf. I bet they already know," Lan Jingyi sighed. 

**********

Baoshan Sanren paced back and forth, wondering what to do. The baby girl in her bed, cradled safely between pillows, was just above three months old.

If a family had kept her for three whole months...

Why kick her out now?

Or maybe she wasn't really kicked out. Not as the phrase suggests. The girl was wrapped up in the finest red silk. And the ever-lingering fragrance on her...

Snowdrops and water lilies... Strange, Baoshan Sanren tapped her chin, wondering. And that thing on the red dress... I'm sure it's a sign to someone who'd understand it. Whoever left this child in a wooden box... did it with purpose. She has to be adopted.

But not under my people. The symbol left on her dress was a clear indication who this girl is. Fine then. I'll do what I can, little one, she sighed, stroking the girl's soft hair before tucking the pillows around her more firmly and calling for one of her young girl cultivators to stay inside for a moment while she goes out. The girl bowed and eagerly stayed to take care of the cute little cherub. And Baoshan Sanren disappeared into the cyan inferno of her talisman.