Li XiWang could hear music.

It was faint and soft at first but gradually becoming louder until it was an actual disturbance. She opened her eyes and saw the still burning fire. Hui Gai would toss the odd log onto the burning pile of dead wood now and again, the orange flames dancing in his red eyes.

The ground beneath her ear began to tremble with the force of whatever was making that noise, and of course, now she was completely awake. So she sat up, rubbing her eyes. She crawled over to the demon and lay down, her head in his lap.

Hui Gai was secretly ecstatic by her show of trust, and he began to comb his fingers through her hair, soothing her.

"I can't sleep." She yawned, closing her eyes again. "Can you hear that noise?"

Hui Gai hummed his answer, too engrossed in what he was doing to answer properly.

"Wasshup...? Wei Ying sat up, bleary eyed and confused. "Who's having a party?" His eyes were still half closed as he looked in all directions.

"They are people of the night." Hui Gai replied, quietly.

Li XiWang sat up too, all sleepiness fading.

"Are they having a party?" She whispered loudly, her big eyes large and round with wonder. "Can we go see?" She asked.

"Parties mean merry making...and merry making, well that requires something special." Wei Ying also wiped the sleep from his eyes. "Do you want to go explore?" He asked his daughter.

"Yes, please!" She beamed back, even when he put his finger against her lips.

He yawned and stood up, taking care not to wake Lan Zhan.

"Shall I come with you, Pengyou?" Hui Gai asked, concerned.

Wei Ying shook his head. "If Lan Zhan wakes up, and he probably will, soon, then you'll have to tell him where we are. Plus she might do something to him while he's asleep." He looked to where Zhitiao was fast asleep.

Hui Gai grinned at him and settled back, one leg balanced upon the other.

"Not while I'm here."

Wei Ying smiled back and took hold of Li XiWang's hand, waving bye as they walked away.

"Be very quiet, little rabbit." Wei Ying whispered to her as they neared the sounds of the night.

Fireflies greeted them, dancing along their way, lighting up the hidden path. For there was a hidden path, cleared of thorny branches and stones, soft enough to walk on without their boots.

Wei Ying held out a hand and a single firefly flew into his palm, its tail a greeny yellow pulsing light. They paused as he held it closer to his daughter so she could see it better.

"Do you know, little rabbit?" Wei Ying whispered, in awe of this tiny perfect creature, so trusting of them. "They only live for one or two years, but look at how beautiful they are! Their lives means something. Look at how magical these woods are, just because of their light."

She nodded, her eyes shining in the dark, lit up only by her close proximity to this light in his palm. She lifted a finger to its face, and it touched one of its feelers to her, before suddenly taking off. She missed it already.

And there were so many more of them, flashing lights to guide them along.

Night time in the woods was a different experience during the day. Now, all the creatures who remained hidden or asleep then, woke up and created a symphony of their own.

The sporadic hooting owls, coupled with the chorus of cicadas and the odd cricket filled the otherwise general quietness, and if not for the song getting louder, they would have heard the shrill and shrieks of nocturnal animals.

There was a humming of the night, a background buzzing, reminding them that this place was alive.

Wei Ying crouched down, pulling Li XiWang to sit next to him behind some overgrown bushes. He moved some leaves out of the way, and then...what a sight to see!

Tiny little fairies, their iridescent wings shining in the moonlight, danced to a song played by others. Tiny creatures blew into leaves to sound like a flute, the notes hanging in the air long after being played. A spider's web was used to pluck notes from like a guqin, tingles spiking in the air, and a group of water sprites flew up from the tiny stream, providing harmonies to compliment their songs.

Happiness and joy reflected upon the tiny faces of the dancers, lifting themselves up to swoop down again, holding hands and flying in pairs, a dance of euphoria to celebrate life.

Wei Ying turned to look at the wholesome rapture shining from the face of his daughter, mesmerised by the beautiful vision in front of them, and he was grateful to share this magic with her.

Just to see these beings so happy and carefree, lifted a weight from his shoulders that he hadn't known he was carrying, and he realised his own face was aching, aching from the broadness of his smile watching their gorgeous performance.

It was when the frogs joined joined in, that Li XiWang could not contain herself, and she shouted, "look, father!" And pointed.

But that single noise had risen above all others, and everything vanished, leaving them engulfed in sudden darkness.

No fireflies, no dancing, no music.

For a second, nothing happened.

And then, as if realising what she had just done, Li XiWang burst into tears. Wei Ying quickly gathered her into his arms, comforting her. Slowly, he stood up and entered the clearing, now completely quiet and so different to what it had been, merely seconds from now.

"Perhaps we should tell them how sorry we are?" He coaxed her.

Slowly, she lifted her tear streaked face.

"Please put me down." She whispered, trying to calm herself.

Wei Ying put her feet on the ground and she bowed, deep and respectfully.

"I am so, so sorry for scaring you. We do not wish you any harm, and thank you for your beautiful dance. We will not disturb you any longer." Her clear voice rang out, echoing in the still night.

They were just about to turn and leave, when the tiny fluttering of wings alerted them, and they turned back.

A group of perhaps six wood nymphs fluttered close by, hovering in uncertainty, until one was pushed out from their safety by the other five. She scowled at her friends before facing Li XiWang.

"Do you play?" She asked, her voice full of hope.

Li XiWang was confused and looked to where she pointed, at Chenqing.

She looked up at her father.

Wei Ying looked just as confused. He pulled out the black flute, his fingers unable to resist caressing this precious instrument.

The singled out nymph hurried to join her friends and Wei Ying was worried that they'd inadvertently scared her off, but then they came forward as a group and bowed.

He stepped back, even more confused.

"Please, please, play for us!" They said, their voices getting louder with their confidence.

Other creatures became bolder and joined their voices until it was a cacophony of pleading. The frogs ribbited and chirped, owls hooted closer to them, and monkeys started howling.

Wei Ying looked at Li XiWang.

"Please, father?" She asked hopefully.

Wei Ying looked at Chenqing again. He had only ever played to control resentment energy; was anything else even possible?

A warm presence at his back, and an arm came around his waist, and Wei Ying leaned back into his husband.

Lan Zhan kissed his temple.

"Worried about you." He looked at Li XiWang too.

"Do you...do you think we can play? For them?" He asked, uncertainly.

Lan Zhan hated his doubts. He turned his face to his and kissed him, chastely, just to show him otherwise.

"You can. We can." Lan Zhan summoned WangJi. "Activate your core."

He had been fast asleep when the feeling that something was wrong had him jerking awake, in a panic. Seeing the space empty next to him, had him reaching for Bichen even before coherent thoughts arose.

"They've gone that way." Hui Gai jerked his thumb in the direction his friend had gone, grinning at his predictability.  "He said you would wake up, so I was to tell you."

Lan Zhan was already walking away when he stopped. Half turning, he said, "thank you, Demon." And left.

Now, he began playing softly.

Wei Ying recognised their song immediately.

"You can do it, father." Li XiWang rose up and kissed his cheek.

Wei Ying closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. The familiar hum of his core strengthened his resolve and his lips touched the cold metal.

Clear notes rang out into the sky. Wei Ying concentrated on happy thoughts, joyful feelings.

His mind took him back to the time when he first saw Lan Zhan and his heart began to truly beat.

To the time when he first heard their song, the notes resonating deep inside his heart, to stay with him throughout his lives, to encourage his way back to his love.

To that moment on top of the mountain, when they released their lantern, and made their wishes, to the silent secret one hidden inside his heart, the one that longed for something unknown.

Everything he felt, with every pore of his body, woke to this perfect melody, a song of yearning and hope. He ignored the sounds and gasps as a third instrument joined their group.

Lan Zhan watched as floating bubbles rose around them, Li XiWang's joy manifesting into a visual treat. And all throughout, Wei Ying continued to play, lost in his own notes.

The forest woke too, provoked by a hidden source of life, and all around them, a white light glowed, vibrant and alive. It filled the trees and the river, ethereal and luminous.

The one Soul, a connecting force between everything, living and not, resounded through the air until nothing but love remained.

The one truth.

Lan Zhan looked towards the figure in black, oblivious to the magic his fingers and mouth created, completely giving himself up to this outpouring of emotion.

He felt an incredible joy lifting his heart, as it answered back the call of his mate. His fingers sang, and his heart shouted, responding to his love.

When the song finished, there was a shocked silence. And then, they cheered, clapping their hands with glee.

The tiny fairies sang in gratitude, and flew forward, grabbing Li XiWang and pulling her into their circle to dance. All the creatures resumed their merry making, flying up into the sky, and the music began to play again. This time, Wei Ying joined in and all were delighted.

Lan Zhan stood next to him, eyes only for him. His Wei Ying was a special soul...

When Wei Ying next opened his eyes, it was to...chaos.

Li XiWang was lying in the tall grasses, completely blissed out and half asleep. But Lan Zhan...?

Lan Zhan was watching him through half lidded eyes, the golden pools radiating only pure love. He was sitting back casually, something he never did!

His head was lolling around as if he found the weight of it too much, but his eyes never left Wei Ying. And then there was the silly smile playing upon his lips.

Oh no.

Lan Zhan was drunk.

Wei Ying called one of the fairies over.

"What did you give him?"

"Huami." She grinned naughtily.

Huami was the nectar made from fermented flowers and honey, a myth among the Cultivation world, likened to the elixir of the heavens, the Amrut of Indra.

Wei Ying stared at the love of his life, who was completely out of it.

He held out his hand to the fairy.

"I'm going to need it too."

Lan Zhan looked too kissable to leave him alone, so Wei Ying sat down beside him. The fairy dropped a jar into his lap and giggled before flying away. He opened it and smelled, breathing deeply first before taking a swig.

The taste...was just incredible. Right then, Wei Ying knew without a trace of doubt, that this taste, this taste would never be forgotten. Tingles erupted on his tongue, trickling down his throat and spreading like wildfire throughout his body. He chugged down the rest of it and waited.

And waited some more.

He sighed with understanding now. This drink, like every other predecessor, would have no other affect on him.

Disappointed, he sighed again.

Lan Zhan removed his hands from his lap and lay down, his warm head resting on his thighs. The smile had not left his lips, and his eyes glowed.

Wei Ying bent down and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Lan Zhan giggled.

Wei Ying could not stop his massive grin.

Lan Zhan cupped his face and brought him down for a proper kiss. When they broke free, Wei Ying covered his hand with his own.

"Love Wei Ying." Lan Zhan told him adamantly.

"I love you." Wei Ying leaned into his touch.

Lan Zhan pressed his face into his stomach and blew a raspberry.

Wei Ying giggled, so he did it again.

But now, Lan Zhan was staring at him, all serious.

Wei Ying stopped laughing immediately.

"Wei Ying must be happy." His thumbs tried to coax the smile back, but his own eyes filled with tears. "Is...is Wei Ying happy?" His voice was scared.

Wei Ying had never heard him sound like that.

"I'm happy." He tried to reassure him.

Apparently, it wasn't enough, because Lan Zhan pouted. And turned away.

Wei Ying missed him immediately. His finger touched his chin, trying to guide his face back.

"Please, Lan Zhan. Please, look at me."

When he refused, Wei Ying kissed him all over his face. Lan Zhan giggled again and covered his lips with his hand.

Of course, Wei Ying had to lick his fingers. Lan Zhan looked as if he'd been burned.

He sat up and grabbed Wei Ying into a tight hug.

"Don't leave me."

Those three words.

They broke his heart all over again.

"Never." His word was a vow.

Lan Zhan was crying now.

Maybe it was the drink, or a result of his pent up emotions, because no one repressed them like he did. Wei Ying patted his back, trying to soothe him.

"You left. Before." He sobbed.

Their wound opened again.

Wei Ying wondered if it would ever truly be healed.

That had been a dark time for both of them, but if he had one regret, it was leaving Lan Zhan.

Dying was easy compared to that.

"I'm here. I'm here now." Wei Ying kissed his hair.

For a long time, Lan Zhan remained silent.

Wei Ying thought he had passed out like normal, but he pulled away and stared deeply into his eyes. Like clear golden crystals, they shone with the depth of what he felt.

"Stay. Forever."

"I will. Together." Wei Ying promised him.

Lan Zhan was still hurting, and in turn, it hurt him.

But that last word, it made him feel better. The clouds cleared away and his eyes shone with happiness now. He gave Wei Ying a blindingly bright smile...and then passed out.

Wei Ying was not prepared for the full weight of a drunk Lan, and collapsed with Lan Zhan on top of him. He looked to the side and saw Li XiWang snoring away, cutely wrinkling her nose.

And then he thought...those mischievous fairies hadn't given Huami to his little girl, had they? Is that why she too had passed out?

He couldn't move anyway. Lan Zhan was pure muscle, through and through.

So he was going to need help.

He looked around.

The chaos had spread.

The fairies were attacking the frogs, trying to ride the slimy cold beings unsuccessfully and then squealing with delight as they fell into the stream. The wood nymphs were tring to catch the terrified fireflies who buzzed away erratically, trying to get away from their eager hands. Other fairies were hanging upside down, drooling while they slept.

Wei Ying supposed the effects of Huami were stronger on tiny bodies, though it didn't explain why he was unaffected.

So no help from these guys.

He thought about the one person who hadn't let him down yet.

Hui Gai appeared next to him, and hauled the heavy man off him. Wei Ying dusted himself off and took Lan Zhan again, upon his back this time.

Wei Ying loved that he didn't have to explain anything to the demon; Hui Gai just knew.

"Please, can you grab Li XiWang?"

"Of course." Hui Gai grabbed her and was about to disappear with them, when a fairy tapped Wei Ying's shoulder.

"We have a gift for you, Immortal. Please accept our thanks for tonight." She dropped a box into his hand and whispered, "for when you are next alone. With him."

Wei Ying blushed and thanked her.

Then they were back at the campsite.