The further south they travelled, the more humid it became.

"I thought Lotus Pier was nice because it never snowed there, but I actually love the snow now." Wei Ying sidled up to Lan Zhan and linked arms with him.

"Mn?"

"Oh, because when it's cold, you and I get to cuddle more. It's sweet." He grinned at the pink ears.

"Wei Ying should be warm." Lan Zhan defended himself.

He also enjoyed the cold and sharp drop in temperatures for this very reason. Wei Ying would undoubtedly be cold and come looking to share warmth...very much like Xiao Mao. Besides, they had drastically cut down on how many bowls and plates and chopsticks they used, all contributing factors regarding the environment. And it was less work for the disciples, if he and Wei Ying shared everything.

The children were walking just ahead of them, and Wei Ying was glad of this because he wanted to ask Lan Zhan something.

"We'll need to check on what that lady gave us."

"Mn."

"What do you think will be inside? Will it be safe? You know, she mentioned they were magic related...do you think we ought to show Hongse? Think she could help?"

Lan Zhan paused midstep to gather him close and kiss the side of his head. Wei Ying clung on, whining. And blushing.

"Wei Ying is very smart. I trust Wei Ying." He was told, before they continued to march forward.

"Okay...but do you have any ideas?" He asked again, a bit later. Lan Zhan could be too sweet sometimes and made him forget what he was thinking.

"If it is bothering Wei Ying, we can look after children sleep."

"Not bothering, per say...just...I think we should know what we have...which reminds me, have you sent any butterflies to our brothers? I'd rather not get into trouble when we go back home."

"Mn. Every night before we sleep."

"That's why you're the best husband." Wei Ying told him, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

They were quiet for a while, the only sound behind them was of Dunshi plodding along, the soft thuds of his footfalls a steady percussion, adding a rhythm to the early morning.

On their travels, Hongse was working on another idea. She had been concerned when they first started travelling by night, that Dunshi would not always be able to find a suitable cave. Now she was trying to perfect a new spell which would transform any material to take on the properties of a cave, so that Dunshi would be safe. She and Wei Ying had spent many nights already discussing the possibilities.

Each of the travellers were lost in their own thoughts until Wei Ying stopped them.

"Hush...do you hear that?" He asked, terribly excited.

They stopped walking, even holding their breath so they could tell what he was talking about.

There was music, ever so faint, coming towards them from the overgrown area to their  left.

"Shall we have a quick look, Lan Zhan?" Wei Ying asked, his silver eyes shining with excitement.

How could Lan Zhan say no to that face?

Quietly, they crept closer to the edge of the forest and the music got louder. Chihong and the other Flowers of Venus had opted to stay with Master Dashi and Dunshi, so it was just Li XiWang, Rumi, Hongse, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan.

They parted a curtain made from climbing Ivy and what a sight they saw!

There was a tiny stream running across the forest floor, and along the edge, a line of turtles were having their shells played like drums, while spiders spun their webs like harps for little creatures to play. Wood nymphs and forest sprites were dancing and flying around, water spirits and night fairies flitted about, singing in their high pitch voices.

Hongse accidentally stepped on a twig, and the crack disturbed everything. They vanished as if they had never been there.

"Sorry..." She whispered, feeling as if she had made a terrible mistake.

And then a tiny voice pitched up, "hey look! These are our friends!"

Suddenly everyone was back, eyeing the travellers with interest.

"You're right!" One of the night fairies exclaimed. "Immortals, do you not remember that night? We were all travelling up north then, and chanced to meet. How fortuitous to meet you again." She chirped, and in her excitement, flew so fast from one branch to another.

"Won't you play something for us now?" Their chorus grew louder with other participants, all them squeaky high.

"Lan Zhan...do we have time?" Wei Ying asked him, with the naughtiest smile.

He was remembering the liquor they had made them drink, and the fact that it was waaay stronger than normal alcohol. It had tasted lovely too.

"You are welcome to share our wine, Young Master...in return for some playing?"

Wei Ying was still waiting for Lan Zhan to agree.

"Mn." He said, straight away summoning WangJi.

Wei Ying took out Chenqing.

"Whenever you're ready." He told them.

"Play! Play! Play!" They squealed, and began to dance.

Lan Zhan began to play, not their song but one of the many pieces from Gusu that he knew by heart. Wei Ying was great at playing along, so once he had a grasp of the tune, he joined it as well.

Those who could fly rose into the air, and the night sky was filled with iridescent wings shimmering in the moonlight. Three songs became six and six songs became twelve, and still they showed no signs of quitting. A chorus of toads began to join in, from the youngest to the oldest, the largest to the smallest.

And then, they pulled out the Huami.

This powerful drink was shared by all except for Lan Zhan and the children. Wei Ying found a pleasant haze within which he could play and stay buzzed...but drunk fairies were a definite a handful. Creatures were tossed into the stream, sticky webs appeared out of nowhere, and chaos reigned.

"We have a rather large friend, " Wei Ying told them. "Any chance we can hide him before the sun comes up?

They squealed in delight!