This was an area Wei Ying had never been to.

After the many twists and turns on this narrow path that veered away from the one that led to the Cold Pond, they were now facing a solid wall of mountain, with no visible entrance.

Wei Ying could sense a ward, a very powerful one designed to keep trespassers away. And...to keep safe that which it protected.

He half expected to be thrown away like the blue beams of power that had hit him on his first entry into the cave that held the Yin Iron piece. The Lans were notorious about protecting what was theirs.

"Wei Ying is mine."

A deep, possessive voice said in his ear, making Wei Ying shiver. He looked up into intense golden eyes watching his reaction. He hadn’t even realised that he had spoken out loud.

"As you are mine." Wei Ying would have kissed him then, but for the groan that came from behind them.

"Actually, that's one thing I didn't miss!" Jiang Cheng shoved Wei Ying.

Lan Zhan glared at him.

"You will keep your hands to yourself. Unless you do not care for them any longer." He said, clearly meaning every word.

"He's joking! Aren't you, Didi?" XiChen quickly intervened, first anxiously looking at his husband's much paler face and then pointedly at his younger brother.

"Of course." Lan Zhan replied, in a tone that was anything but joking.

"I meant, let's not lose our focus. That's all." Jiang Cheng continued, not meeting their eyes.

"Indeed, indeed. Let's go in." XiChen pulled his husband closer and placed his own hand on the cold mountain stone.

An outline of a door appeared first, glowing with a brilliant white light. It solidified into an actual stone door, one that could only be opened with spiritual energy.

"I've never been in here before." Jiang Cheng muttered, looking all around.

"Neither have I." Wei Ying added, in complete awe of this place.

The cavernous roof stretched out far above them with multiple levels reaching higher and higher. The almost black walls were smooth as if this interior place had been carved out of the mountainside by something other than material tools.

"Each family branch has their own section." XiChen was explaining as they walked deeper within.

Little blue lights sparkled to life as they walked forward, illuminating their way. Wei Ying glanced behind them and noticed that the ones they had passed by ceased giving out light, while the ones in front increased their brightness. With these lights, this otherwise cold and dank place seemed less oppressive and stifling.

"This is our section." XiChen paused outside another door.

It was opened by his palm placed on the outside where another door appeared on the stone wall as the one they had used to gain entry.

"There are three sections here now...used to be four." There was a sad note in his voice.

They all knew he was thinking of their father, Qingheng-Jun.

"Obviously, not all can enter...but how come me and Jiang Cheng are able to pass through those powerful wards?" Wei Ying asked, not wanting them to be sad any more. He felt slightly guilty of reminding XiChen about their past.

"Both of you have a jade Button. It is sewn into your robes and after our marriages, it is sewn into all your garments. Cannot be replicated, nor worn by strangers. It is made from blood Jade. Do not ask for more information, we cannot give it to you." XiChen added.

He smiled when he saw Jiang Cheng discreetly checking his robes for this elusive button.

Wei Ying was also looking for his, and Lan Zhan lifted his hand to place over an inner pocket.

"Yours is here." His warm hand covered Wei Ying's heart. "And here." He lifted the tassel hanging off Chenqing. "I asked permission from your Spiritual Weapon before adding it."

Wei Ying looked closely at the red bead, with the Lan family Crest engraved on the precious stone.

"To tell you the truth, I never really paid attention to it...I just thought you must have liked it." He admitted.

"There is no place Wei Ying cannot go within Cloud Recesses." Lan Zhan told him fiercely, his fingers holding Wei Ying's chin, looking deeply into starlight eyes full of wonder.

Wei Ying was feeling...awed and humbled. He blinked back tears at this new kind of acceptance, another layer of comfort added to the blanket of love offered to him by his beautiful husband.

This meant that the Lan Clan, elders and all, had fully accepted him, Wei WuXian, Wei Ying, as one of their own.

He lifted the bead to his lips and kissed the bead, the crest, the significance of which meant so much to him and his husband.

"WanYin...yours is here." XiChen pointed to lotus emblem on the lapel of Jiang Cheng's robes. "Sewn underneath this...and here." He pointed to ZiDian. "Next time SniZiDian makes an appearance, you'll see. She helped me find the safest place." XiChen kissed the back of his hand.

"Sometimes I think she loves you more than me." But Jiang Cheng was smiling when he said this.

"No...no...that's all in your head." Exclaimed XiChen but his ears were proof of his pleasure at that. He turned to face the other three.

"So...how big is this thing?"

"About the size of a cottage in real life." Wei Ying replied, smiling. "The thing is, you'll need a lot of space and ..."

"And? Spit it out!" Jiang Cheng scowled, already irritated with him.

"Well, the thing is, Dunshi didn't just give it to me. I'm pretty sure, I would want it to be shared between everyone. The whole Sect." Wei Ying was feeling adamant about this.

"There's a communal place out there, but as long as you're both here, why not see what our respective vaults hold? We don't come here all the time, and you both should know what equally belongs to you." XiChen took Jiang Cheng's hand and led him to another door, which they disappeared behind.

"Come." Lan Zhan said, close to Wei Ying's ear.

"You know...if there was a way to bottle your voice...you'd make a fortune..." Wei Ying said, shivering again. "But then, I'm really happy only I can hear you speak like that."

Lan Zhan was feeling a little nervous...he hadn’t felt like this except on the day of their wedding. He was about to show Wei Ying something utterly personal, the contents of which were not fully known to his uncle or even his brother.

He placed his hand on the seemingly bare stone and watched the door appear. Then he took Wei Ying’s hand and kissed the back of it, before placing it on the door and covering the tanned smaller one with his own larger, paler one.

Together, they pushed it open.

Inside was a cabinet of little drawers that lined the walls on one side. Lan Zhan summoned WangJi and let out a beam of spiritual energy, and all the drawers opened. Each drawer was filled with silver pieces, meticulously placed just so.

Wei Ying went closer, twirling Chenqing out of nervousness, the source of which he didn't quite understand but thought it might be secondary because Lan Zhan looked so nervous. There was a partition between the cabinets and the second one was filled with carefully organised gold pieces. He turned to the other side, so aware of Lan Zhan’s heavy stare, watching for his reactions.

On this side, there was a magnificent array of weapons, from decorative knives and daggers to swords and bows and arrows. Each one more embellished than the last, each one with the ability to feed a small country.

"Wow...you have a lot of money, my love." Wei Ying bounced back to his side. "I married a rich man."

"Ours." Lan Zhan corrected, holding his waist. "It belongs to us. Wei Ying owns me and this."

"You know..." Wei Ying blinked back tears. "Even if none of this was here..."

"I would still love you." They both said together.

Lan Zhan kissed him then, a kiss to seal all promises. Their love, so vibrant, so real, spread out from their hearts to shine brightly, lighting up that semi dark place, making it glow brighter than the brightest day.

This feeling...this connection was alive. Their love was a solid thing, uniting their souls to burn as one. Hot lips stole each other's breath, as they revelled in their togetherness.

Wei Ying kissed him back with every part of his soul, wonder at this magical feeling growing stronger and brighter inside himself. He could feel this same thing happening to Lan Zhan as their kiss deepened.

They broke apart at the knock on the stone door.