Wei Ying could see the devastation on both his husband and XiChen-Ge's faces; the fact that neither of them were prepared for this coming conversation, and even the unpredictability of their maternal Uncle's reaction to what they would surely have to tell him... it was too much.

Wei Ying knew he was going to have to take control here, purely because no one else could, and certainly not in the way that it had to be done.

The increased silence was only adding to the confusion hanging in the air, and the crowd was getting restless, already agitated by the arrival of them as strangers on their home territory.

Wei Ying looked out into the sea of faces and all he saw was a growing hostility.

Hui Gai, he called, through their mental connection.

PengYou...what do you need?

Wei Ying could have wept with the relief he felt. Hui Gai, I'm going to give you the longest, biggest hug as soon as I can! He promises, and hears a chuckle in response. Now is not the time for tears though, at least, not his own.

I need you to contain the crowd. The brothers need to talk with their uncle, and without others present, but if we take away our family, the crowd is going to go mental. Our family will not want anyone getting hurt, no matter what.

It wasn't lost on Hui Gai, that Wei Ying had included him in the 'our' part of their family. For that alone, his heart was even fuller of love for this bright and beautiful man.

Okay, PengYou. But just so you know, I'll be taking that hug as soon as possible.

Wei Ying smiles, forever glad and grateful that he had trusted his instincts when it came to taking a chance on Hui Gai, all those years ago.

Whenever you're ready, PengYou, Hui Gai tells him.

Now, Wei Ying replies, and in that split second, he tells Lan Zhan to grab his brother and their uncle.

And just like that, they are back in the Jingshi.

"Some warning would have been nice," Jiang Cheng grouses, because his own hand had been holding XiChen's, when they teleported so unexpectedly.

XiChen looks around and then he bows to their uncle.

"Perhaps it will be better if we talk here," he turns to Wei Ying. "Thank you for bringing us here, it was quick thinking...and so apt. The original building might have been destroyed, but I have always thought of this place as my mother's home."

Lan Zhan says nothing, but Wei Ying can see the tumultuous waves of his conflicting emotions in his golden eyes, a sandstorm in the dunes of a burning desert.

He reaches for Wei Ying, pulling him closer and keeping his arm around Wei Ying's waist even as they sit down around the small table.

Wei Ying grabs his free hand anyway, needing to touch him. He hadn't been sure whether his unasked for interference would be welcomed or not, but he had never been good at just sitting on one side and not doing anything.

The squeeze on their joined hands is reassuring, though, and so is Lan Zhan's small smile.

That, right there, is what Wei Ying could flatten the earth for, if it came to it. He relaxes enough for Lan Zhan to transfer part of his attention towards the newest member of their family, if he wanted to be.

But first, they have a lot of explaining to do.

Already, their uncle kept looking around, bewildered and panicking, and trying not to be.

"Have you brought me here to see my sister?" He asks, as XiChen pours much needed tea for everyone.

"Please, JiuJiu, we have a lot of news to catch up with you, most of it very difficult." XiChen says, in his most calming tone.

Jiang Cheng can sense what a shitstorm this whole conversation is going to be, and he chugs down the tea in preparation for it, sharing a knowing look with Wei Ying. They were both glad not to be the ones having to tell the tall, beautiful man that his sister had passed away, and the circumstances surrounding her life, and how short it had been, in the end.

Wei Ying listens as XiChen tells him the hardest part, that their mother and his sister has passed away.

Mu Shan Xie listens silently, his warm golden eyes so much like the Lan brothers and yet uniquely his own, filling with quiet tears.

XiChen shows him the music box and he recognises the signature on the inside, and when he asks for the comb, they are reassured of who he is. XiChen produces the letter of proof, the one that their mother had hidden inside the music box, and they wait with baited breath while he reads its contents.

They tell him about the harshest winter and the fever that had taken their loved one away from them, and then afterwards, about the Wens and the destruction of Cloud Recesses, how the Jingshi had been burned to the ground and had to be rebuilt from scratch.

Lan Zhan gives XiChen prompts when it seems as if he might be forgetting pertinent details that their uncle might like to know, and together, they bring him up to date.

XiChen pours more tea, eyeing Jiang Cheng when he chugs it down like wine. He reminds himself to ask his husband later, on what might be troubling him.

But as for their uncle, he seems to be taking everything surprisingly well. He has listened to all they've had to say to him, and after he finishes his tea, he smiles cautiously at both XiChen and Lan Zhan.

"My sister was ten years older than me. I remember her rocking me to sleep when I woke in the night, and I think we played together as children. I remember our father making that music box. It was strange because that was the only one our father made, in his illustrious career as a carpenter."

His voice is just as calm and soothing as XiChen's voice is, and Wei Ying wonders at how much of the Lan brothers belong to their maternal side, which previously was attributed to the Lan Clan instead.

From what he can see now, it feels like an even split, or even more, a leaning towards the Mu family than the Lan Clan.

"What do you make in your trade?" XiChen asks him, so relieved that this whole talk has gone better than he anticipated.

Their JiuJiu seems to be a level-headed person, not prone to outward displays of his feelings, and he glances at Lan Zhan when he has that thought.

"When my father, your grandfather, was alive, we made everything we were asked to. Commissioned work is easier for trade... However, after he passed away a few years ago, I felt myself drawn towards musical instruments. There is a hidden beauty when I finish making a guqin or a pipa and even with flutes. I still find myself lost in wonderment at the sounds that are made, through something these hands produced. But unfortunately, I was never made for playing what I can make." He lifts his palms up to gaze longingly at them.

"Then JiuJiu, you will be pleased to know that the Lan Clan is known for its musical Cultivation, and my brother and I are part of that tradition. Would you like to hear us play something?" XiChen tells him with excitement.

"I would like to hear you," Mu Shan Xie says, his eyes shining with joy. "It will be an honour. As you have already guessed, my sister was the only one in our family to have a golden core. I do not, and yet the only time I feel a void in my life, it is because I cannot play beyond tuning the gifts that I make. Please, go ahead."

XiChen summons LieBing, and they listen to him play a calming, soothing melody.

It is another version of rest, one meant for the living, and as he plays the notes that hang in the air around them, their hearts become lighter and happier.

Their uncle claps his hands in delight when he finishes, and then everyone looks towards Lan Zhan, who already has WangJi in his lap.

Lan Zhan has studied all the compositions the Lan Clan is famous for, and now he plays a gentle but pleasant melody, one designed to clear fatigue from one's mind. Even if their uncle has no golden core, and cannot reap the spiritual benefits of listening to these cathartic scores, they are designed to give non-cultivators a soothing of their worries as well, and Lan Zhan smiles a little, when he sees the peaceful expression on his Uncle's face.

"I am sure my sister would be proud of you both," Mu Shan Xie tells them, wiping his eyes. "And I would be honoured if you would return to Piao Xue with me."

"Of course, JiuJiu," XiChen tells him.

They hold hands, and Lan Zhan and Wei Ying teleport them back to the small village.

That's when their uncle loses his composure and shrieks in shock.