There was a mist surrounding them as they passed through the invisible barrier.

It was hard to see and their steeds decided that it would be safer to land and catch their bearings than to continue ahead blindly, so without any warning they swooped down onto the nearest mountain.

The riders tried not to scream but their voices were stolen from them against their will.

Everything was strange here.

Like home but...not.

"What's with the trees?" Jin Ling asked, keeping a low voice.

He stood next to SiZhui as soon as the latter climbed off his dragon. He thanked the dragon, and patted his neck; the baby grinned and licked his face.

SiZhui turned to look around, trying to see what Jin Ling meant.

The trees were similar to what they would find back in Gusu...but they seemed older...ancient even. Their trunks were brown, thick and mighty, huge gnarled branches twisting away covered with leaves, spreading into the skies and towering over them.

Even the air...it seemed too heavy as if it was waiting for something.

There was almost a complete silence, only the sound of a gentle breeze fluttering the leaves above and around them was heard.

SiZhui went to talk to JingYi, who seemed to be lost in conversation with the eldest dragon baby. She seemed to be quite animated in her squeals and hooting, seriously answering whatever he was asking.

Zhitiao was crouched on the ground, one knee up and her right hand pressed up against the thickest tree trunk. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be communicating with it.

"So..." JingYi beamed at them. "Apparently no humans can come here. And we certainly shouldn't be here too."

"Then why do you look so happy about it?" Jin Ling kicked a loose stone, annoyed for no reason.

He had been feeling like this for a while, and only the way SiZhui had looked so heartbroken had stopped him from lashing out.

His Uncle Wei was over there somewhere...his mother's beloved brother...and he was here...not over there...

In many ways, he could better understand his Uncle Cheng more these days. Anger and annoyance were easy to deal with, the mask which hid the truth.

It was harder to lift the covers of whatever he was feeling and face up to the raw fear which lay in his heart. If anything happened to his Uncle Wei...that would leave him one Uncle short...the most fun one, the most unflappable one...the one that he had just gotten to know better.

So standing on this stupid mountain was detrimental to what he wanted to do in reality.

SiZhui reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze. SiZhui always seemd to know how he was feeling. And only SiZhui knew what to do to make him feel better. Once again, Jin Ling was amazed at himself that he had mistaken this connection for mere friendship when it was rooted much deeper. But then he supposed that friendship and love went hand in hand.

That's all it took for Jin Ling to calm down again. He looked at their joined hands and marvelled at such a small thing to mean so much.

They were just about to decide which way to go forward, when the thick grasses in between the trees parted, and Wen Ning was here, running towards them.

SiZhui brightened immediately.

"Welcome Uncle Ning!" He said, and they all bowed low.

"Uncle Ning...how did you know to come to be here?" SiZhui asked.

He wasn't allowing himself to be excited...but seeing his uncle meant safety.

His uncle stood for justice and all things that were right. He would know what to do.

"Hui Gai put a tracking talisman on your parents. I followed it. Did you see where they went?" He put a comforting hand on SiZhui's shoulder, instantly making him feel better.

"No...the mist was too thick and the dragons couldn’t see where they were going." Jin Ling explained.

He still had a hard time getting used to SiZhui's only remaining blood relative, and how ironic that he didn't have any?

This was the man who, when controlled by another, killed his father. But this same man saved his own life in the Guanyin temple.

So...mixed feelings...

"Can you track them?" SiZhui asked, for the first time excited by the thought.

"Yes I can. But..." He wondered how to tell them that they shouldn't be here. That much he could say with a fair amount of surety because it was an unknown place and he did not want to see them in any danger. "You can go back before you get into trouble." He decided, was better than anything else.

Their faces fell.

"But we only just got here." JingYi replied, mischievously. "It'd be a shame not to at least look around while we're here."

"What would your parents say?" He tried again, realising that perhaps only SiZhui would see sense.

"They are why we are here." SiZhui spoke in a calm, quiet manner. "I know it might have been a mistake coming here...but....but they're my parents." A lonely tear escaped from his right eye.

Jin Ling wiped it away, trying not to feel angry that his SiZhui was hurting right now.

"Please...please let us come with you. Only as far as we can?" JingYi added.

How could Wen Ning say no?

Plus naughty children could get into trouble alone if he left them, so wouldn't it be better if they stayed with him?

He could protect them.

"Please?" Jin Ling really felt annoyed at himself for adding his input.

All seven of them could see the indecision on Wen Ning's face, but that last request pushed the vote in their favour.

"Alright, but stay close. We don't know what is out there." He added, feeling marginally better at what he had decided.

They nodded enthusiastically, even the three dragon babies.

"Come on, then." Wen Ning was surprised at the relief he felt too.

He wouldn't be alone now.

That was the best thing about being with Young Master Wei. He never made Wen Ning feel any the lesser for having a stutter, or being shy...or anything. And he was always the best company.

Even when they lived together in the Burial Mounds, Wei WuXian had always smiled and cheerfully greeted him. Except for that last day.

Wen Ning shuddered and refused to think about it.

It was all water under the bridge and it had passed away now.

No point in thinking about things that could not be changed.

So with a clear mind and solid determination in his heart, Wen Ning set forth into the unknown with seven charges under his care.