"So, Jin Ling," Lan Xichen cleared his throat after gulping down the last of his cake. "What is it that you wanted to tell us?"

"I..." Jin Ling took a deep breath. "There's something you guys should know. I'm sorry for hiding it all this time, but I thought you'll... I don't know... But I'll tell it all now. And I pray that this will stay between the few of us. Not another soul will know. Not even the rest of the Terrific Ten or Nie Shushu or anyone. Please?"

They looked at each other and nodded resolutely.

"Thank you. So... remember how I attacked that Sawtooth Blood Wolf sometime back?"

"Ah yes, never forget it," Zizhen grinned.

"Well... the blasted thing bit me. Not any wolf can do this, but I did a bit of research. Apparently, when an alpha wolf of a demonic kind attacks you, it can infuse its demonic energy in you. And... well, same thing that happened to Daddy with the Kun Peng." He sighed. "I... I'm a werewolf." 

"Ahhhh," Jingyi waved his hand nonchalantly. "I thought you were going to say something new."

"Huh?"

"What? You think I don't know? I SAW you, you buffoon!"

"We both did," Jin Xiyi nodded.

"Ah!" Jin Ling gasped.

"Wait, so you guys know, too?" Another voice piped up.

"Zizhen!" Jin Ling cried again.

"You see, Xiuying and I were passing a village in your Lanling border when they began talking about this demonic wolf in their woods at night. The way they talked about it, Xiuying and I guessed that it was a werewolf. As for who it could be..."

Shen Xiuying offered to continue with the explanation. "The village was under the LanlingJin sect. So I did a bit of connecting the dots. Lanling forests, Jin sect, you moping around not wanting to converse with anyone half the time, and you staying away from Sizhui..." She grinned, flapping a rosy fan she had brought along. "'Twas but an easy guess."

"Oh wow," Jin Ling sighed. "Am I that bad at hiding?"

"No, you're good," Jiang Cheng nodded. "I noticed nothing, and nor did A-Huan. You two?" He turned to his brothers.

Lan Wangji nodded and Wei Wuxian replied, "Grandma told the two of us, or even we wouldn't have known!"

Jin Ling smiled with relief and straightened his collar proudly. "Well, guess I am good, if I hid it from Immortals and fathers, haha."

"And Sizhui?" Jingyi turned to him.

"..." Sizhui kept the cake he had brought to his mouth on his plate, thinking how to answer as concisely as possible. "The possibility crossed my mind when you sent the letter, Zizhen."

"But..." Xiuying grinned. "You didn't believe it?"

Sizhui's head hung low as he picked up the cake again. Right before it went into his mouth, he muttered, low enough to show his feelings, but loud enough for them all to hear. "Didn't want to."

Jin Ling felt like something slit open and tear apart inside him.

Of course, he didn't get what Sizhui really meant. Being the born Jiang he was, and dense-headed Jin like Jin Zixuan, he took it the absolute other way round.

Right. He didn't want to believe I'm a werewolf. So he doesn't find me as good anymore, I guess. That alone... is enough. He sighed and turned to the rest. "So I don't have much to tell? You all know. Then, do you mind keeping the secret?"

When they agreed, he went on to explain every single thing Baoshan Sanren had told him, about the bracelet and about the Jin heiress. 

"Fantastic," Zizhen nodded. 

"And why didn't you tell us?" Lan Xichen asked. 

"Thought you might... I don't know..." 

"Kill you?" Wei Wuxian laughed. "Silly idiot." 

"No, not kill..." 

"Disown you?" Jiang Cheng shook his head. 

"Sort of..." 

"You donkey," Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. "If you'd told this sooner, we wouldn't have been so worried. And we'll only protect you, not disown you, you stupid brat!" 

Jin Ling smiled at him. 

Zizhen patted his shoulder. "Now then, let's think of a name for her. Sizhui?"

"Mn?"

"Got a name for her?"

"You guys do it."

"AH? OI!" Jingyi smacked his arm. "Stop this crap already."

Lan Sizhui ignored him and looked at his sundial. "Ah, got some work to do, who knew we've spent hours here already! The sun's about to set. Jin Ling, excuse me."

"Mn," Jin Ling nodded, standing with him to bow courteously. "Thank you for coming."

"Mn," Sizhui nodded as well, bowed back and walked away from the table.

"Jin Ling...?" Jiang Cheng frowned. "Since when does he call him Jin Ling?"

"It's always been A-Ling," Xichen bobbed his head anxiously.

Jiang Cheng smirked as an idea popped to his head. "Hey, Sizhui!"

"Jiang Shushu?" Sizhui turned around.

"Hmph," Jiang Cheng smirked, laughing out loud.

"Ah?" Sizhui blinked. "Jiang Shushu?"

"Remember when you started calling me Jiang Shushu? I told you to do so seeing as you were a prospective nephew-in-law, right?"

Lan Sizhui crimsoned and looked down, nodding subtly.

Jin Ling's mouth was as open as his round eyes. What the hell? P– P– Prospective... WHAAAAT? He wondered.

"The way you'd gone back to calling him Jin Ling, I thought the same was in store for me. Turns out," he grinned. "Things are still the same, eh?"

Wei Wuxian beamed. His brother was opening up better and more. Wonderful. The young and mischievous Jiang Cheng, playful all day long, from long ago, was coming back.

Sizhui gulped and sighed, before raising his head with determination ablaze in his eyes. "I'm holding on, Jiang Shushu," he answered, more to an amazed Jin Ling than to the grinning Jiang Cheng before turning around again. Instead of walking to the door, he walked around the table to Lan Xichen, who held the baby girl in his arms.

The infant turned her head away from Lan Xichen's tassel to see another beautiful man dressed in similar white and pale blue. Delighted to find another, she stared at him curiously.

Sizhui gazed right back into her glistening orange eyes. Gold, orange, blended together like honey.

But then... no, not like honey. Those eyes didn't give the sense of sweetness. The thing they radiated... this was... power. Strength, uniqueness, influence, potential. Her amber eyes literally radiated waves of vermillion power.

"When does she get the vermillion mark?"

"On her forehead?" Jin Xiyi asked, because Jin Ling was just too shell shocked by everything he had just heard to respond. "When she develops her core. When she's certified as a Jin cultivator. Usually around six. For Jin Ling, it was four."

"Mn," Sizhui nodded. He reached out and ruffled the girl's hair and she squealed, gurgling, making a rough sound. "Hm? You know me?"

"AH GOO!" She cried.

The two women burst into giggles. "Aww, she likes you already!"

"She..." Zizhen stared. "She didn't really speak to us! I heard her saying goo-goo language to Jin Ling but... Wow..."

Jingyi smirked. "At least the baby knows who her fathers are," he chuckled.

Wei Wuxian laughed. "True, just like Little Lien," he chortled.

Jin Ling gawked. She really had only talked to him... and now Sizhui? Was it a thing with baby girls, recognising exactly which parents they want?

Baby girls must be the new Yue Lao*, Jiang Cheng spoke to Lan Xichen through their core-bond.

I was thinking the exact same thing, Lan Xichen laughed back.

"Mingxia." Sizhui suddenly spoke, while tousling the girl's hair. Tapping her nose once, he waved goodbye and walked to the door. As the doors creaked open, he turned around. "Future Sect Leader Jin. Jin Mingxia. Congratulations, Sect Leader Jin," he bowed. "I'll take your leave."

"Sizhui!" Jin Ling shouted, running to the door.

"Yes! Yes!" Zizhen punched the air. "Do it! Come on! Make up! Come on!"

"Shh," Jingyi slapped his mouth shut.

"Mn?" Sizhui, not hearing any of it, turned to face Jin Ling.

Jin Ling moved his mouth for quite a while, trying to find the words. But the insecurities in him took over.

He bowed formally, a complete ninety degrees. "Many thanks, Sect Leader Lan. Safe journey."

"Mn," Lan Sizhui nodded and walked out.

When Lan Sizhui had gone, Jin Ling shut the doors and walked back in.

"WHY YOU IDIOT!" Jin Xiyi shouted, throwing a cake at him.

Jin Ling caught it in his hand and slurped the icing. "Thank you, delicious."

"Bloody buffoon," Jiang Cheng sighed. "What's up with you two?"

"It's nothing from his side. I'm the one who distanced myself. He's just doing what I want," Jin Rulan explained, returning to his seat.

"What do you mean?" Wei Wuxian looked up from his tea.

"He talked to me once. Sometime after Jiujiu and Lan Shushu left for their honeymoon. I said I just wanted to be alone for a while. Take a break from things. He... He understood and agreed to stay away. To leave me alone."

"He wouldn't do that..." Zizhen frowned. "Unless he's just respecting your wishes. Now that, is definitely something he'd do, no matter how painful. Tch," he sighed, shaking his head. "Jin Ling, why are you moving away from him? What wrong did he do?"

"Nothing," Jin Ling was quick to reply. "None at all. It's just me."

"But–"

"Zizhen," Lan Wangji called out.

"Hanguang-Jun?"

"Don't," he shook his head. His gold gleaming eyes conveyed the rest of his words. Don't push them. They'll sort it out themselves. That's the best way, without influence.

Ouyang Zizhen nodded with a smile. 

"Mingxia," Jin Xiyi changed topic. "Jin Mingxia. What does that name mean?" She turned to the Lan Jades, the most knowledgable in the room.

"Dawn," Lan Wangji replied.

"Bright glowing dawn clouds," Lan Xichen elaborated.

"Ooh," Wei Wuxian's eyes sparkled. "Fits her eyes perfectly."

"Mn, exactly," Lan Zhan agreed.

"Bright and aglow, powerful, ruling over the world like the Sun," Ouyang Zizhen muttered. "Wow, that's... just wow!"

"Perfect name for a Jin, too," Jin Xiyi proudly assented it. "Then MINGXIA IT IS!"

While they all conversed and discussed the beauty of the girl and her name and her eyes and whatever, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji exchanged a glance. If anyone knew the trick of writing an entire love letter into a baby's name, it was these two. So they grinned at each other knowingly and turned to glance at their son.

That look, Wei Wuxian conveyed.

Realisation, slow but certain understanding, Lan Wangji smiled. He knows.

Mhm, glad he does!

And Jin Ling did know.

Mingxia.

Bright glowing dawn clouds, as Lan Xichen said. But as Lan Wangji said, dawn.

Illumination, brightness, rise.

But also... hope.

Hope that was as definite and unfazed as the dawn that comes everyday. No matter how tedious and long the night, the dawn would surely come. That, was certain.

Sizhui's never-fading hope. He still had faith they could mend whatever was shattered among themselves. He still hoped they could go back to being together again. Still hoped Jin Ling could go back to being A-Ling. And the baby... perhaps, he hoped to claim his own rights to her. As second father.

'Jiang Shushu'... 'Prospective nephew-in-law'... What else would those stuff mean?

Never-fading hope. Mingxia.

"Mn," Jin Ling nodded. "Mingxia it is." 

**********

"QiaoQiao? You in there?"

"Ah, coming!" Jiang Qiao fixed her robes and walked out of her office to find Jiang Baozhai waiting outside, White Lotus in hand. "Eh, Meilien? What are you two doing here?"

"Qiao-shijie, when Daddies come back, I'm going night-hunting with them. Susu and Lan Shushu are coming, too. Since Susu's there, do you mind sending for A-Xuan? Maybe A-Xuan can come with us!"

Jiang Qiao gawked at her and turned to her wife. "Baozhai? What the hell?"

Baozhai shrugged helplessly. "I couldn't change her mind, so I brought her to you."

"But Auntie Baozhai's wrong! A-Xuan's strong enough to fight with me! Of course, he can handle this! And he's... ahem," Meilien quickly cleared her throat. None were to know about Haoxuan's demonic cultivation. "Er... He's as good with his sword as he can be! And now he's got a nice dagger, too! Please?"

"Did you ask your fathers?"

"No, they'll come late because they went to see Gege with Susu and Shushu, so can you?"

"I'm not doing it without their consent. Too risky."

"See?" Baozhai spoke. "I told you it's dangerous."

"But Auntie Baozhai–"

"Hey, not fair! You call her Shijie! Why am I the Auntie?"

"Ah? Aren't you older than her?"

"By ONE year!"

"But you're Little Ai's mother... Little Ai's my shidi..."

"Then she has to be Auntie too."

Jiang Qiao sighed. "You're quarrelling over this right now?"

"Fine then." Meilien beamed. She had to get A-Xuan to come along, it would be fun! So she decided to play safe and crafty and make Jiang Baozhai happy. "Baozhai-shijie!"

"Good girl," Baozhai patted her head. "But don't think that's going to trick me," she chuckled and let go of her hand. "Run along, go back to the training grounds. Call everyone to stop training, the sun's setting. Go have some soup."

"But A-Xuan?"

"Fine, fine," Jiang Qiao gave her a thumbs-up. "Since there are four elders present, all the best four, the two best Lans, and the two best Jiangs, shouldn't be a problem. I'll send Zhao Meng a message."

"Yay!" Meilien clapped and ran off.

Jiang Baozhai chuckled. "That kid's pleasant as lotus syrup, but zesty as Lotus Lure when she wants to be," she laughed.

"Perfectly said," Jiang Qiao snickered. "So? Where's Little Ai?"

"Ah, he's asleep. Little one got tired after over-training today, didn't listen when I told him to stop, something about wanting to 'beat Meilien-jiejie at archery'. So now his wrist's sprained, arm's a bit bruised from cutting against the bowstring."

"What!"

"Don't worry," Baozhai stepped into the study and shut the door, wrapping her arm around Jiang Qiao's waist. "He's fine. Safe and sound. Wrapped him up in turmeric paste and bandages, he's fast asleep now. Yunxi's a darling."

"Always is," Jiang Qiao grinned. "You've said that too many times these days."

"Because he treats my disciples really well!"

"Mhm," Jiang Qiao pouted. "Hardly praise me as much..."

"Ey, someone's learnt her pout from Elder Wei Wuxian and Sect Leader Jiang Wanyin," Jiang Baozhai laughed and sealed the door shut, pulling her roughly into a kiss.

"Oi!" Jiang Qiao punched her back, thrashing furiously. "My son's sick, I need to go see him!"

"I saw him already, more than enough!"

"Get off me!"

"Won't," Baozhai shrugged. "You learnt from Jiang Cheng, I learnt from Zewu-Jun while he was here," she sniggered and pushed Jiang Qiao against the wall, canoodling relentlessly. 

**********

"Daddy!" Jiang Meilien ran to her fathers.

"There's my angel!" Lan Xichen smiled.

"Susu and Shushu came, too!"

"Sure we did! So? When are we setting off?"

"Susu, come have some soup first, and then we'll go!"

"Okay!" Wei Wuxian took his husband's hand and walked into the Main Hall, waving to his Jiang juniors and sitting down to have some soup.

"Daddy," Meilien turned to Jiang Cheng, who was ravenously gobbling down the lotus root in his soup, delighted to have something light after all of Jin Ling's cakes. "When do I get to see my niece?"

Jiang Cheng laughed. "Aunt at the age of twelve, hm? We'll go again tomorrow."

"Yay! What's her name?"

"Mingxia."

"Jin Mingxia!" Jiang Meilien clapped. The Jiangs heard and cheered along. Everyone knew Jin Ling here.

"Oh, Daddy, A-Xuan's coming with us."

"Tomorrow?"

"No, tonight."

"On the night hunt?" Lan Xichen asked her. "Good, he'll get some first-hand experience."

"But... Isn't that too dangerous..." Wei Wuxian frowned.

"We're all there," Lan. Zhan squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Wei Wuxian nodded slowly and returned to his soup. Oh dear... he is on level with Little Lien at demonic cultivation... and good enough at sword-fighting... but... the thing we're going to tonight isn't that good... Tch, I'll have to be prepared, he silently patted Chenqing in his belt. The red tassel fluttered slightly, a sign that Chenqing was ready to go all out. Nothing should happen to A-Xuan.