Lan Zhan woke up refreshed and alert.

The comfortable warmth of Wei Ying lying across his chest made him feel secure, his one arm was already holding Wei Ying around his waist, but he brought his other arm around Wei Ying.

This lovely lotus flower and wine scent drifted around them as Wei Ying shifted to snuggle closer.

"This is nice..." Wei Ying mumbled, his lips kissing the few inches of bare skin.

"Mn."

Wei Ying loved the sound rumbling up from his chest.

"Lan Zhan...I love you so much..." He sighed.

Lan Zhan effortlessly moved him up so he could kiss him thoroughly, not minding that Wei Ying wasn't quite awake yet.

"Good morning, my love." Wei Ying giggled, a while later, fully awake now. "That's one way to do it."

His stomach rumbled and Lan Zhan was already sitting up.

"Do you know what time it is?" Wei Ying rubbed his eyes.

"It is Breakfast time." Lan Zhan replied, terribly serious. "Children must be hungry."

"You're absolutely right." Wei Ying reluctantly climbed out of their bed, holding his hand as they opened the adjacent door.

He paused at the entrance, tugging on Lan Zhan's sleeve.

"Oh my goodness, look how cute they are!" He squealed under his breath, and it was loud enough to wake Rumi.

He poked Li Xiwang and they both sat up, blinking sleepily.

"Hungry, my babies?" Wei Ying went to ring the bell that sat on a little cherry wood table.

The bell tinkled melodiously and the pattern of butterflies decorating the door removed themselves from the wall and fluttered around them. They were so busy watching them, that they didn't notice the arrival of four bowls with steaming noodles and an array of side dishes. There was even a bottle of chilli oil which was used solely by one person.

"Shall we go and explore, my loves?" Wei Ying said after they finished their meal.

They stepped out of their room to find a happy looking Hongse De and a pensive Raina. They were making their way to check on Dashi and the others, so they all decided to go together. The other Flowers of Venus were coming out of their rooms when Xiangfa and the other ladies met them.

"We have come to show you around the keep, if you would like to join us. Once you know your way around, you may wander where you wish. The only thing we would advise against is going outside at midday. The sun can be extremely dangerous at that time, for obvious reasons."

They all bowed and smiled.

"I sincerely hope that you have all rested and satisfied your hunger?"

They all nodded in agreement.

"Then please follow me." Xiangfa said.

"Is it still daylight outside?" Wei Ying asked. "I'm just thinking about Dunshi and Xiao Zei, but I don't suppose Xiao Zei will want to leave Dunshi alone. I'm happy they seem to get along so well."

"I noticed that too. Our Dunshi has taken a liking to the Little Thief." Hongse De said with a laugh.

She stretched her hand out for Raina to take, and smiled when she shyly did.

Wei Ying saw and was bursting to say something, but Lan Zhan subtly shook his head, so Wei Ying looked anywhere but at them.

"We have two floors in the keep, which are not to do with hospitality. You might have noticed that your rooms were on the second floor, but there is also a third floor. More about that later." Xiangfa told them as they came down the spiralling staircase.

She took them to another great wooden door and opened it to a flood of sunshine, almost blinding in its brightness.

The central courtyard was exposed to the sun, with the overhead balcony providing shelter partways from the harsh rays. All around the edge there were shelves and shelves of books and scrolls and some of artifacts.

"You may spend some time here in our outer library, it is particularly pleasant to read during late evening and very early in the morning, around sunrise." Xiangfa explained. "But when the days are long, we prefer to spend time here." She opened a hidden away door, painted with a waterfall, which Rumi shrank away from, while Li Xiwang looked really excited, pointing it out to her fathers.

But here was something even more astounding. A natural waterfall of fresh water fell onto a lagoon, not as big as the one they had seen previously, but still of a substantial size. Huge boulders rested on its banks and a few ladies were sitting, sunning themselves, while others sank their feet into the cooler waters.

The vividness of the waters was bluer than the sisters of Venus' eyes.

"This is a marvelous place." Chihong remarked, going to touch the waters.

"It will be evening soon and then you may go to meet your friends." Xiangfa told them. "Until then, you may amuse yourselves here or the outer library. If you require anything, or any assistance, you may speak to any of these ladies." She bowed and left them.

Wei Ying had picked up Rumi from the moment he had seen the water, but even now, he was still shaking.

"Where would you like to spend your time, little rabbit?" Wei Ying asked her.

"Library." She replied without hesitation. She eyed Rumi's condition and gave him a big wink.

"Where does Wei Ying wish to spend his time?" Lan Zhan took Rumi into his arms.

"Library!" Wei Ying exclaimed, happily.

"Then, come. I memorised the route." Lan Zhan took them out of there, with Li Xiwang adding, "Me too!"