Black flute twirled between pale fingers. Red tassel slapped his rosy cheek as he laughed with the village girls and waited for his family to finish their work. Surrounded by children and young lasses wherever he went, Wei Wuxian was having the time of his life.

"And then things were simple. I mean, I am a demonic Immortal! What's conquering a random demon beast to me?" He grinned smugly.

"Yingxiong Laozu's amazing!" A girl fanned herself with her trailing rose sleeve.

"Xingguang Xian, what was it called again?"

"Some Thorn-Maned Wolf thing," Wei Ying replied nonchalantly.

"Thorn-Maned!?" A boy, aged about ten odd years, shrieked.

"Yeah, because of its back being lined with those spikes I told you about."

"Xingguang Xian, how did you deal with the spikes?" Another young girl asked.

"Oh, as for that," Wei Wuxian beamed at someone in the distance. "Look over there."

"Where, where?" The crowd shouted.

Wei Wuxian pointed with his flute.

"Cangse Sanren?"

"No, the one seated to her left. The tall and beautiful man clad in sparkling diamond white? THE most beautiful man ever, at that," he grinned. Lan Wangji was having a hard time focussing on the job. Though his eyes were shut to concentrate, his ears weren't: Wei Wuxian snorted with self-satisfaction when he saw the perfect jade ears melting into cherry blossom pink.

"Ah, Yin Yue Xian!" A child clapped happily.

"Correct!"

"Of course, of course, Yin Yue Xian will always be the prettiest man ever," a young lady chuckled. "Alas, he's already Xingguang Xian's!" She winked merrily.

"And I am not giving him to ANYONE!" Wei Wuxian laughed. "But yes, so that's that about the wolf. Darling dealt with the spikes for me. Because he's such a sweet dear like that!"

The ladies laughed heartily at Lan Zhan's reddening ears. Even Cangse and Baoshan were laughing through the healing. Neither complained because it was good to keep everyone's spirits high during all of this. Especially the patients, who couldn't help but smile over the blue and white energy washing over them. Who better to keep the cheer high than Wei Wuxian?

"Yingxiong Laozu," a tiny girl tugged on his sleeve from somewhere near his knees.

"Yes, little dearie?"

"Yingxiong Laozu, thank you! I love stories about wolves!"

"Aww, really?" Wei Wuxian beamed at her and ruffled her hair. "Then how about another?"

"YAY!" All the children screamed.

"But this time, it's not me."

"Oh?"

"Ever heard of Jin Rulan?"

"Sect Leader Jin?"

"Exactly."

"Oh, oh, isn't he Sect Leader Jiang's nephew? And Xingguang Xian's and Yin Yue Xian's son, right?" A woman who was seated on a chair nearby, having just been healed by Baoshan Sanren, feeling better than ever, asked.

"Well, well, don't you all know a lot about my son!" He grinned.

"OH! I KNOW!" A young man shouted and threw up her hand.

"What?"

"Sect Leader Jin recently killed that some... some massive wolf, right? I heard it at the bar last night!"

"REALLY?" The little boys cried in awe. "Xingguang Xian, tell us the story!"

"Fine, fine," Wei Wuxian checked on the Sanren Trio with the corner of his eye. Lan Wangji, Baoshan Sanren and Cangse Sanren were all still seated at their pedestals, passing energy to what could be considered the last of the patients in Gusu. It was their second day there and together, the three had healed sixty in one day, and the remaining seventy were set for today. Right now, there were only twenty-three left. Wei Wuxian knew the three healers were wearing out so he decided to keep checking on them while he ranted on.

"So Little Rulan had come across this big wolf, they said it was larger than a tiger, something like six feet in height from head to front paw, but more than ten feet in length from head to tail. And it had two heads." The children and older audience were gasping at every single awesome detail this wonderful man was retelling them. "He had no musical instrument or special spiritual tool except for his usual bow and arrow. Oh, and of course, his sword–"

"SUIHUA!" The crowds cheered.

"Haha, yes, yes, that Peacock's sword. Suihua. So he flew aboard Suihua at lightning speed around the beast, round and round, like that, on and on," he held a baby girl's hand and twirled her round and round him, making everyone giggle along with her. "Until the beast got confused and muddled up. Then, up he flew onto the treetops and," he jumped onto the straw roof of a hut nearby, "shot at the wolf non-stop, arrow after arrow going Zing! Whizz! Right into the ghastly thing's black fur, and then Slit! Through the flesh. Of course, the damned thing was faster than him so it dodged more than half the arrows, but he'd struck just enough to render it limping. And then one last arrow," he pointed Chenqing at a little boy and arched his arm to mock an archery pose, lowering his voice dramatically. "The last arrow in his quiver."

"Oh dear," the ladies were fanning themselves at top speed, sleeves and fans kicking up their own storm.

"That's right, the last arrow. He took aim, perfect aim because my brother had taught him archery superbly. And then Swish! He shot the arrow..."

"And it missed!" The boy he was pointing at gasped in horror.

"Haha! You wish! He's my son, we never miss! Zip! It dug straight into the back of that wolf's head. And then he jumped down," Wei Wuxian leapt back onto the ground, and swung Chenqing across the air, whizzing it over their heads. "Sliced off the thing's first head! And then injured it sharply in the back and chest so that it fell to the ground, and then OFF with the second head! Suihua saved the day!"

"HURRAY!" The crowds cheered merrily.

"Woah, that's amazing!"

"Isn't it? Plus, the wolf was an alpha wolf. Double-headed alpha."

"Alpha?" An innkeeper called. "Then what about its pack?"

"Haha, by the time the pack began howling from nowhere, Little Rulan had gone far away from the forest. Fellow was drunk, wouldn't have made it if the entire pack attacked him all alone."

The adults nodded with relief.

"What was it called, what was it called?"

"Sawtooth Blood Wolf."

"A-Ying."

Wei Wuxian turned around. "Ey, A-Zhan, done already?"

"Mn," Lan Zhan mumbled, voice lower than ever. Wei Wuxian quickly gripped his arm. Realising Lan Zhan wouldn't want to expressly show weakness in front of his people, he changed posture. Pretending to be doing nothing but hugging the white-clothed arm adoringly, he smiled to the villagers. "Then you guys better stay in here without going around yet, my mother and grandmother will be leaving soon, too. The Lan disciples will stay here to guard you all afterwards, don't worry. Take care till then!"

"BYE, XINGGUANG XIAN!"

"YIN YUE XIAN, THANK YOU!

Lan Zhan used all his might to not lean on his husband and looked up and nodded to the crowds cordially before letting Wei Ying teleport themselves back to the Jingshi. 

**********

"A-Ying..."

"Hush now, no talking," the instant the blue flames subdued, Wei Wuxian let go of the grip on his husband's arm and hugged him by the waist. "Aish, I can't carry you!"

Lan Zhan smiled through the fatigue. "It's fine."

"I'll just help you onto the bed then," Wei Ying clasped his waist and half-carried, half-walked his husband to their bed, laying him down on the pillow. Once he was lying down restfully, Wei Ying undid his belts and tassels and waistbands and whatnot, and tossed open the robes. Lan Zhan was sweating terribly. "Darling, you exhausted yourself too much..."

"Had to."

"Look, you didn't have to do it that way! You Sanren Trio healed sixty in one day! And then had a three hours' break to dine and drink water before healing the remaining seventy odd in the next day! Are you crazy? That's too much! I kept telling you to not do that, that you'd get tired, that it'll overtire you all and then you'll be unable to even walk for a day or two! I TOLD YOU!" Wei Wuxian chided incessantly while he dipped a towel in a bowl of cold water and squeezed the excess water out of it before dabbing it all over Lan Wangji's drenched chest. "You're burning hot. Fever. God knows you've run out of all spiritual energy for another WEEK! Scratch, that, let's hope you can cultivate again by the end of this MONTH!"

Lan Wangji sighed. He didn't tell Wei Ying to stop because he knew this ceaseless scolding was born out of worry and care. So he kept shut and grinned subtly, listening to the inevitable tinkle in Wei Ying's beautiful voice that was so dear to his ears.

"Excuse me? I'm trying to shout some sense into you, what are you grinning like a lunatic for?"

"A-Ying, why are you still here? Shouldn't you go and check on Mama and Grandma?"

"After this. Mama and Grandma can take care of themselves, they're stronger."

"Oh? So I'm weaker?"

"Of course! To them, passing spiritual energy to another is something they've rarely done. Unlike you, Mister! You lend me energy every damn night! And still you went and played the hero!"

Lan Wangji's grin widened as he grabbed Wei Ying's hand and pulled him closer, noses touching, silver and gold gazing into each other: the first fierce, the second tranquil. "Then you give back the energy."

"HONESTLY!" Wei Wuxian punched his chest and pulled away. "Be serious for once! Look at yourself! Red and soaked with sweat and still dare to talk about sleeping with me! Lan Wangji, you are yearning to get a smack from your devilish husband! Now shut up and let me finish this." 

Lan Zhan sulked and let go of his hand, letting him finish sponging him down. Once he was satisfied, Wei Ying kept the cloth and bowl on the bedside table and stood. "You're staying here, don't you dare step a foot away from that bed. Hear me?" Wei Ying flashed his red eyes angrily. Clearly he had had enough of his husband's selfless healing.

"Mn," Lan Wangji nodded. He didn't mind, he really was too tired right now. 

Wei Wuxian spun around and disappeared into a blue fire again, re-emerging at the village. 

**********

"Mama? Grandma? You guys done?"

"Yes, Wuxian," Baoshan brushed her hair off her face. "That was good, all that cultivated energy stored up for years let go of. Felt amazing. And they've all healed wonderfully."

Cangse Sanren nodded.

"Neither of you are weak, right?"

"Not at all, why? I saw Zhan-Er leaving early, what happened?"

"He's fallen ill, gave up too much of his energy."

"Well, he did take up the greatest count of people," Cangse nodded.

"Yes, half of all the Gusu patients were healed by him," Baoshan Sanren agreed. 

"Half? He left just a quarter for each of you?" Wei Wuxian clenched his fists.

"Ying-Er, it's not his choice to do so. Just that his energy-passing was quicker than ours. Same amount of energy but he was done with a patient in five minutes. We took fifteen minutes. So he got more people to deal with," Cangse explained.

"Either he's stronger than us, or he's used to sending energy almost everyday," Baoshan Sanren scratched her chin in wonder.

"He sends me energy every night," Wei Wuxian muttered under his breath.

"Well, that should explain it!" Baoshan laughed.

"Ah? Grandma heard it!"

"Haven't you realised it yet, silly child, that an Immortal's senses multiply? Which," she rapped her knuckles on his head. "Includes hearing."

"Ouch!" Wei Wuxian sighed and turned around, shooting out another blue talisman. "You two get going. I'll set up a ward and come."

Cangse Sanren and Baoshan Sanren stayed put, knowing him to be a magnet to all dangers. Wei Wuxian put up the ward around the village, one that prevented humans and spirits from entering or leaving the village, just as he had to every other village in Gusu they had been to. This was the last. "There, no mingling between the villages for a while until the whole thing dies out," he dusted his hands and jumped into the turquoise embers with his mother and grandmother.

********** 

"Zhan-Er?" Cangse Sanren called out the instant they appeared at the Jingshi, to which Wei Wuxian had wanted to return instantly to check on his husband.

And his doubts had been right.

Lan Wangji still lay on the bed, seemingly as calm as ever. But his ears were blood-red and his forehead was dripping and his hands... were like tempered sheets of jade on the verge of shattering.

"Zhan-Er!"

"Wangji!" Baoshan Sanren stood at the head of the bed, gripping the sides of Lan Wangji's head, sending in all the energy she could to make up for what he lost.

Wei Wuxian pursed his lips. I knew he'd get into this, he sulked, silently sitting on the bedside, clasping Lan Zhan's trembling hand in both of his own. The hand that had the ring.

Gold and diamond clinked against each other as he rubbed his hands on Lan Zhan's, warming him up. A-Zhan, he called out. A-Zhan, wake up!