Wei Ying just missed catching her as she slid out of his grasp.

He ripped off his robes and dived in after her, ignoring the shouts from the boat above.

But then the strangest thing happened.

The wings so dormant in his back opened and spread out behind him, acting like fins. Long and elegant, they sleeked back, controlling his speed, acting both as a rudder and propelling him forward with an unimaginable speed.

Gills, naturally present in the upper ridges of his wings, allowed him to breathe under water, freeing his mind.

With a single focus, he charged after those terrible Jiaorens, who dared to take his daughter.

They were so surprised at what was coming after them, they dropped Li Xiwang immediately and fled, swimming faster than a sailfish.

Wei Ying caught her, hyper aware that she had been in the water far too long.

But she turned and smiled at him, having no trouble breathing at all.

She saw his face, a mask of confusion, and pointed to her arms.

He looked to see a ridge of gills all along her forearm, enabling her to breath just fine.

He swam back to the boat, not believing his eyes, but she seemed calm, even after everything that had happened to her.

Lan Zhan took her first, setting her next to SiZhui, before hauling him out of the water.

"Pretty." Li Xiwang touched his wings as they melted into his back.

Lan Zhan produced handkerchiefs and gave one to SiZhui to help his sister who was completely wet, before drying off Wei Ying, keeping his attention wholly on his task, and not making eye contact. He redressed Wei Ying in his robes before grabbing an oar and rowing them back to the coast.

Wei Ying could feel his vibes; he was totally pissed off.

SiZhui was trying to keep the shivering little girl warm. No one spoke except for the fisherman, who stopped speaking when he was glared at by the angry oarsman.

"We should probably make a fire so she can dry off." Wei Ying said, quietly.

Lan Zhan jumped off the boat, dragging it single-handedly to the shore, allowing them to descend directly onto the sand.

"SiZhui, stay here." Lan Zhan grabbed Wei Ying's hand and he had to run to keep up with the long stride of his husband.

There were lots of dried long grasses which Bichen made short work. All the while Lan Zhan kept hold of his hand. Wei Ying didn't dare to speak, but the angry silence brewing was starting to stress him, until he couldn't stand it any more.

"Lan Zhan, I-"

He was pulled into a vice like grip, those strong arms wrapping him in a cage of warmth. He could hear the rapid beating of Lan Zhan's heart under his ear, his own one racing too.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think."

A big hand held his head closer, if that was possible. He reached up and kissed under his jaw.

"You saved our daughter. You jumped in." It was merely a whisper.

His arms wound around the Jade, giving them both comfort. Wei Ying felt something hot trickle down his neck, so he leaned back to see.

"Lan Zhan! Don't cry!" He wiped away tears that wouldn't stop.

But he couldn't stop.

"Lan Zhan, my love. It's alright. Our daughter is fine, I'm fine." Wei Ying tried to sooth him but Lan Zhan felt overwhelmed. Wei Ying held his face, looking deeply into golden eyes flooding with grief.

"Lan Zhan, please, stop crying." Wei Ying held him close, patting his back gently.

Slowly, the trembling stopped as he calmed down.

"Feel better, now?" Wei Ying wiped his face again. He defied anyone to call his husband unemotional now.

"Mn."

"Okay, let's go back to the children now, alright?"

Lan Zhan nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Good boy. Come on." Wei Ying kept his hand in his, holding the kindling under his arm, and led him back to the beach.

If the children gave him funny looks, Wei Ying gently shook his head at them. Any questions might result in more tears, and he thought Lan Zhan had lost too much water as it was.

The fire was lit, and they sat around it, warming their hands and drying their clothes.

"I'm hungry." Li XiWang whispered.

"Okay, well if everyone is ready, let's go back into town and see where we can find something to eat." Wei Ying stood up.

Lan Zhan took her hand and walked them back into town. They found a small hotel that served hot food, and after they'd eaten, everyone felt much better, including Lan Zhan, who could finally smile now.

"So we need a plan of action now." Wei Ying said, finishing off his wine. "We've seen the Jiaoren. They're not too friendly, and I really don't know how we can talk to them."

"You scared them off!" Li Xiwang said, proudly. "Father! Do you know what happened? Father's wings came out, and he can breathe under water, and so can I!" She was so excited, her voice was becoming louder and louder.

"Let's keep it down, shall we?" Wei Ying kept his eyes on the people beginning to stare at them.

"Sorry!" She whispered, looking not at all sorry.

Lan Zhan looked at him in wonder, and he blushed.

"Um, so you know my wings? Apparently they have a ridge of gills. The moment I fell into the water, my wings came out but I could breathe just fine." Wei Ying blushed even more. "Um, look, I'll just show you later. But Li Xiwang! Your gills!"

"Yes, father! When I fell into the water, my arms had gills, and it was lovely!" She pointed to her forearms.

"Has that ever happened before?" Wei Ying asked her. He was fascinated by his daughter.

"Um, I've never been in that much water to find out."

"That's amazing." Wei Ying touched the now smooth skin, so completely transformed with ridges that were invisible now.

She giggled. "That tickles."

The innkeeper came by their table then.

"Sirs, I couldn't help hearing some of your conversation. Is it true, you are out of town?" He was a plump man, and the first friendly face they had encountered until now.

Wei Ying smiled at him.

"Yes, it's our first time here. Tell me, is there anything else worth seeing here, anything unusual?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, yes there is. May I sit down?" He asked and did it anyway, not waiting for his reply. "You see, we have a tourist attraction, but it's hidden away, so not many people know about it."

"Is that so?" Wei Ying smiled encouragingly.

"Yes. I suppose you would call it a whirlpool, and no one knows how deep it goes. But," he leaned forward to whisper now, "it is said that at night, the water fairies come and dry themselves in the moonlight." He tapped his nose. "And you didn't hear that from me."

"You know so much about this town," Wei Ying told him, buttering him up. "What do you know about the legends of the sea? Anything interesting?"

"Ah," he beamed. "Ask me anything, no one can tell you as much as I. I was born here. Sea life is in my blood."

"Well then, what do you know about the Jiaoren?" Wei Ying jumped right in.

If this man was a cow, he was going to milk him thoroughly, for information.

"Do you need rooms for the night?" He asked instead, looking around at the other patrons.

Wei Ying understood immediately. He wanted to talk but there were too many ears listening.

"Yes, actually. We do." He said, winking at him.

Lan Zhan grabbed his hand and squeezed, hard.

"Ow, that hurt," he muttered.

"Good, then if you come back later, I shall be able to help you more." The man winked back, knowingly.

Wei Ying asked for directions to the whirlpool. He thought they could at least find it during the daytime and save time at night, just in case it was hard to locate.

The innkeeper gave him proper directions and then they left.