Up, down, up, down.

Back and forth, left and right.

Hither and thither with a frown so bitter.

"Jin Rulan... stop pacing."

"Auntie Qiang, what's wrong with him?"

"Give him time, Jin Rulan, he needs to heal properly."

"But..." Jin Ling bit his lips and plopped down on Lan Sizhui's bedside. "Jiujiu and Lan Shushu were up in mere hours... why's he taking so much time? It's been a day now."

"Your uncles were a different scenario, young man. Those two are core-bound, and because Huan-ge held on a long time before falling unconscious so their states were relatively stronger. Sizhui had no support-"

BANG!

"Jin Rulan!"

"S- sorry..." Jin Ling flinched and hugged his throbbing hand close to his chest. "Owowowow..."

"Rulan, don't punch random walls. There's a pillow right next to you."

"Mn," Jin Ling nodded grabbed the pillow, buried his face in the plushness and screamed into the cotton.

When he slowly placed it aside, Lan Qiang, with Jin Mingxia on her lap, smiled softly. "Well? Feel better?"

"Quite a bit."

"Now tell me what's wrong?"

"No support. He had no support. I... had no way to help him when he needed it most..."

Lan Qiang smiled bright and wide. "So you do still love him."

"I... never said I didn't..."

"Well, distancing yourself, not sharing your troubles with him... you kept doing your best to make it clear you were nothing but friends," she shrugged.

Jin Ling pursed his lips. "Must have hurt him..."

"Well you can't expect him to be happy calling you A-Ling on one day and Sect Leader Jin the next."

Jin Ling nodded. "I... shouldn't have done it... I'm so sorry..." he clasped Lan Yuan's hand in his own and sat there, shoulders shivering, frame juddering.

"Ngh ga!"

"Hush, XiaXia," Lan Qiang kept her finger on the baby's lips.

"Dada!"

"XiaXia, let Dada be for some time."

Mingxia pouted and began crying incessantly. "Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada-"

Not surprisingly, the whining woke the other sect leader up.

Fingers quivered in Jin Ling's grasp, gently squirming, twitching. A sign of life.

Jin Ling's head shot to the right. "Si- A-Yuan?"

Lan Sizhui squinted his eyes and opened them slowly to gaze up at a visage with intense worry written all over it. "Hm? A-Ling?"

"My A-Yuan!" Arms hurled themselves around Sizhui's taut back and pulled him in close, burying him in warmth. His chin forced onto a bony shoulder, Lan Sizhui gaped at the room, eyes round as saucers. The first thing he noticed was the room itself.

Healing Hall? Great. So I'm alive. Battle's over? Where's the Qiong Qi now?

Where's Jiang Shushu?

Father? Daddy?

And wait...

A-Ling... did he... did he really just say that?

He saw Lan Qiang grinning from a chair to the side. Auntie Qiang? He mouthed, smiling when he saw the whining baby.

"Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada-"

Lan Qiang smiled and dragged a finger from her eye down her cheek, then pointed to the man hugging Sizhui.

Sizhui gasped and grabbed Jin Ling by the shoulders. He had been too shocked by the words earlier to notice the wetness soaking into his back.

"A-Ling! Aish," he quickly rubbed his sleeve all over Jin Ling's face. "There, better."

Sssnifff! "A-Yuan." Sniff! "A-Yuan-I'm-so-sorry-I-couldn't-help-you-but-please-don't-leave-me-like-that-again-"

"I didn't go anywhere," Lan Sizhui patted his head. "Look, I'm right here, alright?"

"Hgnh," Jin Ling sniffled, head bobbing up and down in a miserable 'yes'.

Sizhui burst into chuckles. "Pathetic. Sect Leader Jin shouldn't be crying like this. What are you doing here and not Lanling-"

"I-don't-want-a-bloody-sect-I-want-you!" Sniff!

"..."

"..."

Jin Ling rubbed the back of his hand on his sore nose. "I... erm... sorry for shouting- oof!"

Robes crushed and crumpled as Sizhui held him tight and close, arms strong and squeezing the air out of Rulan's lungs.

"S- Sizhui..."

"No."

"Huh?"

"What you called me before. Seconds ago."

"Oh... A... A-Yuan... can't b- breathe-"

Lan Sizhui beamed into Jin Ling's hair, fingers gripping it firmly. A-Yuan. Finally. He finally called me A-Yuan. 

"Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada..."

Laughing, Sizhui let go and waved to the little girl. "Well hello there baby girl!"

Jin Mingxia rambled on until she finally recognised the other. "Dada, Dada, Dada, Da- BABA!"

"Yes it's me!"

Lan Qiang laughed softly and rose to her feet. "Just a peck for them both, XiaXia," she patted Mingxia's head and walked closer to the bed. Sizhui took Mingxia and cuddled her with his left arm, pulling Jin Ling closer with the right. Jin Mingxia beamed a toothy grin and nuzzled her face where the other two chests touched.

"Right then," Lan Qiang bent down and snatched Mingxia from their grasp.

"WAAAAAAH!"

"XiaXia, no," Qiang tapped her nose thrice on Mingxia's nose, effectively shutting her up and switching giggle-mode on. "We'll leave your fathers alone. Come on," she hummed and took the infant away.

Fathers.

Fa... thers...

Jin Ling crimsoned. "The heck did Auntie- Ngh! Mm!"

**********

"A-Sang, you sure?"

"What? Don't tell me you want to keep her alive?"

"I was asking if you're sure this will kill her."

"Not directly, no. See? Observe. The spikes are here, here, and all over the place, except for these spaces. This one middle part is completely empty. And of course, none at the very top. The spikes would technically drill into the skin but careful not to touch the head and heart. So no direct damaging the brain and heart." 

"Interesting. Meaning the victim will only die through incessant bleeding."

"Mhm."

"Fantabulous," Chen Xuanji grinned. "Well then — bring in the prisoner!"

Rattle rattle-

Rattle...

Click-

Creeeeeak!

Two tall seniors of the Nie sect marched into the cell, each gripping one arm of a once-elegant-but-now-torn beauty. Hair frizzled with dust and ashes from the night of the battle, beautiful face marred with bloody crimson and muddy brown, emerald eyes weeping with agony, apple green gown in shreds, skin adorned with scars from the ruthless Zhipei, Aria Verduria was certainly no longer the seductive maiden of a fox demoness she once was.

Not to mention... that usually talkative and savagely flirting tongue... no longer in existence.

She growled and grumbled and scowled at the Nie couple glaring at her.

"Don't you dare grumble at us," Xuanji swung her sabre to Aria's neck again. "You're the mastermind behind the battle that nearly killed not one, but TWO sect leaders, and the Elder Jade too! A from Chief Cultivator!"

"Mhm," Nie Huaisang nodded, gently pushing Zhipei away with the tip of his fan. "You don't expect us to let you off scot-free, do you, young lady?"

Aria returned his rhetoric with a sharper scowl.

"Scowl on!" Huaisang flapped his fan and pointed to the tall wardrobe at the corner of the cell. "You can scowl all you want in there. You two get aside I don't want you hurt." He waved the two disciples away. They looked at each other, wondering what on earth this oh-so-dangerous wardrobe was. "Xuanji take her."

"Righty-ho," Xuanji smirked and grabbed Aria by her wounded neck. Dragged her across the cell. And Nie Huaisang pulled open the doors of the 'wardrobe'.

"That ain't no wardrobe, that's the Iron Maiden!" One disciple whispered to the second, who was already goggling.

Spikes long as feet protruding out of the walls and into the centre... with just enough space for the head at the top to remain untouched, and also a little space where the heart would remain unharmed... a perfect way to make a prisoner bleed and cry to death... true and exquisite torture.

Aria didn't even have time to absorb what was about to happen before Huaisang opened the doors extra wide and let Xuanji slip Aria into the centre of the structure. Huaisang held the doors wide open to make sure Xuanji wasn't hurt by the spikes, and once she was safe and away, he grinned at the prisoner.

"Well, well. The great Mint Melody. Farewell!" He waved his fan with a decent smile as he brought the doors closer. "Or should I say... Sayonara! Mi amore." Relishing the look of dread and despair in the once-smug emerald eyes, he slammed the doors shut. 

Screams of suffering screeched through the cells all around the underground of Qinghe. Shrieks and wails of agony made even the rock walls shudder. The two disciples escorted the Chief Cultivator and Nie General out of the cell and towards the exit. More and more cries shook the atmosphere, but not once did the four Nies wince. Stepping out into the open, Xuanji waved to the boy waiting out the door.

"General, is she-"

SHRIIIIEEEEEEK-

"Erm, never mind, guess she is inside," he laughed.

"Xiyuan, all good?"

"Never been better, General. Sect Leader Lan — I mean — Sizhui just woke up."

"Excellent. Now then. Time to get to work with Sizhui."

"What's the matter?" Nie Xiyuan looked at them both, waving the other two disciples away.

"Lan Sizhui," Nie Huaisang sighed, talking behind his fan. "Needs to remain Lan Sizhui. He needs to stay Lan Yuan."

"And not Wen Yuan," Nie Xiyuan pursed his lips solemnly. "Chief Cultivator, will he be in danger?"

"That is up to us to see to. We'll do our best. Xiyuan, time to gather your Terrific Ten."

"Mn!" Xiyuan nodded and turned around. Smirking at the cries that were now fading into nothing, he slid the doors of the prison entrance shut.

Sayonara, mi amore.

______________________________________________________

A/N: In case you're wondering, no - LOL - no book ain't over hehe, I'll do my best to end with a touch of ✨fluff✨. 

Well, happy about finally "torturing the villain as well"? ❤️