Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Dammit, Wei Wuxian!” Jiang Cheng half-shouts when they finally stop running, “What did you do? Why are they chasing-”

“I don’t know why they’re chasing us, but come on, we have to keep going,” Wei Wuxian replies, taking his hand to tug him along, and when  Jiang Cheng pulls it out of his grip, he adds, “And I didn’t do anything anyway!”

“They said you stole something!”

“Jiang Cheng, when could I have stolen anything from Koi Tower, hmm? Why would I steal anything from them when Shijie is supposed to marry that peacock of theirs? Why would I want to do anything to make Shijie unhappy?”

“I don’t think you’d do it to make her unhappy. I think you’d do it to make Jin Zixuan upset.”

“But I wouldn’t make him upset if it would upset Shijie! I- Listen…”

Their argument falls by the wayside as they listen carefully. Mostly Wei Wuxian told Jiang Cheng to listen so he would stop arguing. His shidi loves to argue with him, but with a group of soldiers from Koi Tower on their tail, it really isn’t the best time.

Of course, no one would be wrong to accuse Wei Wuxian of having a little fun at someone else’s expense. He’s been a bit of a troublemaker from day one, anything to make the people he loves laugh and the people he doesn’t like upset. He’s not stupid, though, and he has ears that work perfectly fine. Rumors have circulated for a long time about the current Chief Cultivator, Jin-xiandu, wanting to be something more powerful than Chief Cultivator, wanting to take over the Great Sects and create an empire for himself. Wei Wuxian didn’t listen to such politics when he was younger, when the rumors swirled around the disappearance of a great soldier and his brother, but now that Jiang Yanli is set to marry Jin-xiandu’s half-brother, Jin Zixuan, he’s been listening a lot more.

He doesn’t like what he’s been hearing. 

And he doesn't like what he hears now, which is a squad of Jin soldiers approaching their current hiding spot. Wei Wuxian grabs Jiang Cheng’s hand again and pulls him further into the woods. The soldiers are making an awful lot of noise as they track them, but they’re still in Yunmeng. The two boys have spent nearly all their seventeen years hiding and playing and exploring in these woods, and that gives them a pretty good advantage.

Wei Wuxian knows there’s a small village nearby, so that’s where he focuses on leading Jiang Cheng. He thinks he remembers the village having an inn, but even if there’s no inn, there might be a small barn or something they could hide in. Of course, that might get the family who owns the barn into trouble if we’re found hiding there. I wouldn’t want an innocent family to get hurt because of us.

Their own family is already in trouble, but that’s neither here nor there. The most important thing right now is for Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng to stay away from the Jin soldiers and stay alive.

Thankfully, he was right about the inn. They don’t get a room yet, hoping the soldiers are looking in some other town or village. The brothers just ask for something quick to eat and drink and then choose a table hidden in the back but with a view of the door. The wheels are already turning in Wei Wuxian’s head, plans already forming for what he’ll do when the Jin soldiers come storming through that door. He would certainly give himself up in a heartbeat for Jiang Cheng, would do anything to protect his shidi and keep him safe. The only problem is that he knows Jiang Cheng would do precisely the same, so he needs to figure out how to keep Jiang Cheng from sacrificing himself first.

He isn’t given much time to think, however. They’re barely halfway through their simple buns when a trio of soldiers enters. Two of them are dressed in Jin yellow, but the third is dressed in white, almost like a member of the Gusu Lan but without the forehead ribbon. Wei Wuxian isn’t sure he remembers that man’s name, only remembers hearing him talk to his soldiers about apprehending Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. All he knows for certain is that the man in white is the Head of the Guard.

“A-Cheng,” Wei Wuxian hisses, “hurry out the back door-”

“What? No, I won’t-”

“Just go! I might be able to get them to leave you alone if they have me-”

“Wei Wuxian! Jiang Cheng!”

They both swear and make a break for the back door of the establishment, but there are soldiers there, too. Swearing again, Wei Wuxian whips out a talisman, something to create some smoke to shield them while they run through the main door, but as they exit the building they run right into another soldier.

Literally.

They bounce off him, a tall and broad man dressed in black and carrying the biggest sword either of them has ever seen. He doesn’t look like a Jin soldier, doesn’t look like one of the Koi Tower Guard, not with the dark clothes and the braids in his hair. Wei Wuxian is ready to give himself to this soldier, though, after one look at that saber in his hands. The man in black just looks down at them for a moment before looking back to the doorway of the inn. The man in white emerges first, coughing from the smoke, and Wei Wuxian takes Jiang Cheng by the wrist, dragging him behind the big man in black.

“Who-? Nie Mingjue? Is that you?” the man in white asks incredulously.

The man in black doesn’t answer. His whole body is stiff, rigid with anger. After a moment, the man in white smirks, an ugly expression, and says, “It is you, Nie Mingjue. I thought I would never see you again. What a fortuitous meeting.”

“And yet here I am,” the man in black, Nie Mingjue, replies icily, “It makes sense this meeting would be by chance. I wouldn’t think you’d be stupid enough to come looking for me on purpose, Su She.”

The man in white’s, Su She’s, expression becomes even uglier, the smirk changing into a snarl, and Nie Mingjue says, “Ah yes, I forget you like to be called Su Minshan now, don’t you? The master gave his pet a new name.”

Su She doesn’t seem to like that statement at all.

“Why are you here, Nie Mingjue?” he demands.

“Perhaps you should tell me why you’re here. Why are Jin soldiers hounding the good people of Yunmeng?”

“We’re here to apprehend those two boys cowering behind you! Hand them over!”

“And who are these boys that the Head of the Guard needs to apprehend them himself? What possible crime have they committed against the Chief Cultivator?”

“They stole from him, a precious artefact from the treasury. Jin-xiandu wants them brought before him to atone for this crime.”

“How do you suspect two boys from the Jiang clan got into the Jin treasury? I have not been gone so long that I don’t remember how secure the treasury is,” Nie Mingjue says.

This man used to be part of the Koi Tower Guard? Wei Wuxian is of half a mind to take Jiang Cheng’s hand and run, hoping this Nie Mingjue would be on their side just enough to let them flee, but his conversation with Su She has him curious. Being part of the Koi Tower Guard is considered a high honor. No one would leave voluntarily… Could he have been kicked out? Nie Mingjue might not be such a good person if he was kicked out of the Koi Tower Guard. Maybe he should take Jiang Cheng and run-

“How can we know how they got in if we can’t question them?” Su She asks.

“You don’t want to question us!” Wei Wuxian calls from behind Nie Mingjue, Jiang Cheng trying (and failing) to shush him, “I heard you talking to the other soldiers! You aren’t supposed to question us at all! You want to kill us!”

That gets Nie Mingjue’s attention, and he half turns his head towards Wei Wuxian, “Is that true, boy? Are you lying to save yourself?”

“I swear it’s the truth! I’ll swear it on the souls of my parents, Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren! And I’ll swear the same that Jiang Cheng and I didn’t steal anything from Koi Tower! Jin-xiandu wants us dead!”

Nie Mingjue says nothing. For a moment, Wei Wuxian is certain he screwed up in a big way. If Nie Mingjue was kicked out of the Koi Tower Guard, maybe he’ll think helping hand them over will get him back in. Wei Wuxian grabs Jiang Cheng’s hand, ready to throw another talisman and get the two of them out of there. Maybe they could run to Meishan, to Jiang Cheng’s grandmother, or to Cloud Recesses in Gusu. Wei Wuxian knows Lan Qiren, the master of Cloud Recesses doesn’t like him, but he always seemed like a fair man. Surely he wouldn’t hand them over with no evidence. Jiang Cheng squeezes his hand back. They need to be ready to run.

“Hand them over, Nie Mingjue!” Su She demands.

“I’ll do no such thing unless you provide me evidence, Su She.”

The angrier Su She is, the calmer Nie Mingjue gets. It’s unnerving. Su She and his soldiers step forward. There’s the cold sound of metal, a sword sliding from its scabbard, and that giant saber is in Nie Mingjue’s hand now. The two soldiers with Su She hesitate. Maybe they’re just scared of Nie Mingjue, but Wei Wuxian thinks he sees recognition in their eyes, like they know Nie Mingjue and would prefer not to fight him.

Enraged, Su She shoves one of them forward, the saber going right through his body with a slick, disgusting sound. Wei Wuxian imagines that if there weren’t two other men with swords there, Nie Mingjue might take some time to mourn the man he’d just been used to kill, but there isn’t any time with Su She stepping forward. He pulls his saber from the man’s abdomen gracelessly to parry Su She’s swing, and Wei Wuxian takes the opportunity to use another talisman, something to help them make an escape. If Nie Mingjue doesn’t like it, he says nothing, just grabbing each boy and hauling them away.

“How long will that talisman last, boy?” he asks once they’re deeper in the woods, away from the soldiers.

“Long enough, hopefully,” Wei Wuxian answers, “I put a little extra power in it.”

“Stop calling him ‘boy’! His name is Wei Wuxian!” Jiang Cheng shouts.

“How else was I supposed to call him when he never said his name?” Nie Mingjue snaps back, “Here, we’ll stop and rest a moment, and the two of you can tell me exactly what the hell is going on here.”

“Well, Nie-gongzi,” Wei Wuxian explains, “It truly starts with our sister, Jiang Yanli- well, she isn’t my sister by blood, but she’s our sister nonetheless. Anyway, Shijie is engaged to be married to Jin Zixuan, who’s taken over the position of Sect Leader of the Jin after the death of his father, Jin Guangshan.”

“Mn, I’d heard lao-Jin died a couple of years ago… suspiciously, some say.”

“It was quite sudden and very suspicious, though I know there are some who weren’t sad to see him go, like some of his bastards. Jin Guangyao, in particular, didn’t seem very shaken up by the loss. Jin Zixuan, being the elder of the two and the legitimate son, got the position of Sect Leader, but then the position of Chief Cultivator had been created, and Jin Guangyao took that position.”

“It’s Meng- Jin Guangyao who is Chief Cultivator?” Nie Mingjue asks.

“Oh yes,” Wei Wuxian replies, “It was a very interesting nomination to be sure. There were some who were against it, seeing as how Jin Guangyao is a bastard, and not just that but the son of a prostitute.”

Jiang Cheng pipes up, “Yes, I was at that meeting with my father, Jiang Fengmian, and the arguments were something else. The Sect Leaders do usually argue quite a lot, but this was- well, it was something else.”

“Jin Zixuan and Lan Xichen spoke for him, though, saying he is very thorough and intelligent and diplomatic and knows how to keep good records and all that, and so far these last couple of years, there weren’t any problems.”

“There are problems now? With Jin Guangyao?”

“Mn. He’s really trying to consolidate power. He tried it in Qinghe when Sect Leader Nie died, but the Elders there are too smart for him, and he didn’t get to install his own person- Hey… you’re a Nie! Are you related to the Qinghe Nie?”

“I am,” Nie Mingjue says slowly, “I was a member of the Koi Tower Guard for a while as well… but that was long ago.”

“Why haven’t you gone back to Qinghe?”

“It’s a long tale for another time, Wei-gongzi. Please, continue your story.”

“Well, with Shijie getting ready to marry Jin Zixuan, I guess Jin-xiandu figured he would be able to make room for himself in Lotus Pier with us gone-”

“Hey, you said you didn’t know why they were chasing us!”

Nie Mingjue silences Jiang Cheng with a look, allowing Wei Wuxian to continue, “Jin-xiandu has been doing all sorts of things lately that aren’t good but that he spins as good. Like the Watchtowers.”

“Watchtowers?”

“Mn, like when the Qishan Wen tried to set up the Supervisory Offices. Obviously, they fell with the Wen, but Jin-xiandu is borrowing some of their ideas and disguising them with new wrappings, basically. He says it’s to help people by making sure there are cultivators even in the remotest places, but a lot of people say it’s just to watch people and try to take over.”

“He placed some of these towers in Yunmeng?” Nie Mingjue asks.

Jiang Cheng answers this time, “He wants to, but my father and mother are pushing back. Mostly my mother. They don’t like the idea of the Watchtowers. Ah!, Wei Wuxian, do you think this is a punishment to them then? For standing up to the Watchtowers?”

“I think it could be. Here, we just have to find somewhere to hide and lay low for a while until we can go back. Maybe once Shijie is actually married to Jin Zixuan, Jin-xiandu will forget all about us.”

“Doubtful,” Nie Mingjue says, and a pit forms in Wei Wuxian’s stomach, “Jin-xiandu is not the kind of person who forgets something so easily, nor is his subordinate, Su She… and they are not men to be trifled with-”

Above them, a bird cries out, shrill and squeaking, the sound stopping Nie Mingjue’s voice. He casts his gaze upwards, seeking the source, and then he smiles, something soft and gentle and sad that makes Wei Wuxian’s chest ache to see.

“Come, baobei,” Nie Mingjue calls, holding out his arm.

After a moment, a bird descends, alighting on his arm. It’s a small hawk, with a white face and belly, its back grey, its shoulders and wingtips black. It’s certainly not the most intimidating bird Wei Wuxian has ever seen, only about a foot tall, but its red, black-rimmed eyes seem to peer through to his soul when it looks at him. Even its little beak is tipped in black. Wei Wuxian eyes it warily, but the bird seems content to take a piece of meat from Nie Mingjue’s fingers, the big man stroking over the little bird’s head and chest with a finger.

“Did you get enough to eat, hmm?” Nie Mingjue asks the bird in a low voice, “Get to stretch your wings?”

It squeaks in response, nipping at Nie Mingjue’s finger lovingly. Wei Wuxian wonders briefly about it, but plenty of people keep hawks and falcons and the like. It isn’t so unusual.

Mingjue looks over the two boys he’s managed to collect. He knew Sect Leader Jiang Fengmian once upon a time, had always thought him a good, wise and gentle man. Perhaps he too often tried to choose neutrality, didn’t like ruffling any feathers, but that seemed to be his only fault. He’d never met his children. Jiang Fengmian always spoke of them so lovingly, even the son he had adopted off the streets. Nie Mingjue had often heard about the kind and lovely Jiang Yanli, the fierce and determined Jiang Cheng, the intelligent and mischievous Wei Wuxian. He’s surprised he didn’t recognize them right away just from the descriptions from Jiang Fengmian.

Things must be serious indeed if Jiang-zongzhu is choosing sides at last. He hears little of the cultivation world in his wanderings, just what he can glean from conversations he hears in various inns and taverns (when he deigns to visit them at all). He hadn’t heard much about who the new Chief Cultivator was, only heard that young Jin Zixuan had taken over the Jin Sect when Jin Guangshan died. 

“Come,” he says to the two boys, “We’ll backtrack to a village I know nearby. Su She and his men have surely already searched it, and so it will be safer than finding somewhere new. We should get there around sunset.”

“Where will we sleep?” Wei Wuxian asks.

“There’s a family I helped about a year ago. They should remember me. They’re not wealthy, but they have a barn where you should be comfortable.”

“What about you?” Jiang Cheng asks.

“I go Night Hunting,” he says simply, hoping they aren’t overly curious.

Thankfully, they aren’t. They just follow behind him, chatting quietly. They walk quickly, too, keeping pace with Mingjue, and so they arrive at the small village slightly earlier than he’d expected. The family does indeed remember him, and when he explains what’s happening, the family happily offers the use of their barn for them to sleep in and some simple fare for dinner. (His explanation is not entirely correct. He mostly says he happened upon the boys and was escorting them to Gusu. That way if the family is asked by Su She’s men again, Mingjue and the boys won’t be followed.)

The boys eat largely in silence, Mingjue gently telling them to pace themselves.

“I don’t know when we’ll be able to stop in a village again, so enjoy this food,” he says, “We’ll likely be hunting the rest of the time.”

“I don’t mind that,” Wei Wuxian says, “I’m a pretty good hunter-”

“You’re not a good cook, though,” Jiang Cheng retorts.

A small argument erupts between them, but Mingjue notices that an extra bun finds its way to Jiang Cheng. His heart aches in an unfortunately familiar way. As the sun begins to set, he gives them his saber and tells them firmly, “Once it is dark, you must not leave the barn for anything, do you understand? You will remain here until sunrise when I return. Should someone come for you, you can use my saber to protect yourselves. You must not leave this barn.”

The boys nod, but he makes them swear anyway. When they do, he gives them a smile, and then deposits the hawk on a low wall, whispering, “Stay here, baobei. You’ll have some company tonight.”

And then he leaves, determined to keep them all safe. He doesn’t want them to come to any harm.

“I wonder why we can’t leave,” Jiang Cheng mutters, picking at the thin blanket provided by the Guo family.

The brothers have bedded themselves in a pile of hay, one blanket under them and one wrapped around their shoulders.

“He just wants to make sure we’re safe,” Wei Wuxian tells him, “He seems big and grumpy, but it seems to me that he’s actually pretty soft. He didn’t have to take us along with him, but he did. It makes sense he doesn’t want us hurt.”

Jiang Cheng opens his mouth to retort, but at the same time, somewhere out in the forest, a wolf howls. It’s loud and long and mournful. Jiang Cheng feels Wei Wuxian tense beside him, hears his breath quicken. Instinctively, he presses closer to his brother under their blanket, wrapping his arms around him and trying to calm him down.

“It’s okay,” he says quietly, his voice far gentler than it usually is, “You’re okay, Xian-ge, the wolf can’t get into the barn.”

Of course, it sounds to Jiang Cheng like this wolf is big enough to do whatever it damn well pleases, but he isn’t going to say that aloud. Wei Wuxian is already terrified, shaking in Jiang Cheng’s hold. Jiang Cheng does his best to soothe him, rubbing his back and speaking quietly and calling him by the nickname he’d used when they were smaller.

“Xian-ge, do you want me to go set a talisman on the door? A protection talisman? It would help keep us safe and maybe you can get some sleep.”

Jiang Cheng starts to move, to go do as he promised, but Wei Wuxian clings to him tighter with a whimper.

“Would you like me to set it?”

They both startle, turning to see who spoke. Jiang Cheng certainly doesn’t remember anyone else coming in, and he thinks he would remember this young master. He’s well dressed, wearing robes of a soft grey with black hems. His black hair is long and sleek, part of it tied up into small elaborate braids. He seems to be about the same age as him and Wei Wuxian, just on the cusp of adulthood, his face round and cheerful and delicate. Most curiously, there are small leather bands with bells about each of his wrists.

“Who are you?” Jiang Cheng demands, “How did you get in here?”

“You can call me Huaisang,” he replies, though his next words don’t answer the question, “Please, allow me to set the protection talisman for you.”

He doesn’t wait for a response, simply going to the doors of the barn and setting the talismans there and a couple of other spots. When he returns to them, he sits by them. Jiang Cheng almost flinches away, almost tells the other boy to keep away, but Huaisang doesn’t really seem like a threat. He looks kind of lonely… He carefully stands with Wei Wuxian, taking the blanket out from underneath them and handing it to Huaisang with a gruff, “Here, take this so you don’t get cold.”

Huaisang thanks him, taking the blanket and wrapping it around his shoulders.

“So what’s a young master like you doing all the way out at a small village like this?” Wei Wuxian asks.

“Da-ge travels to do Night Hunts and help people and I- I travel with him. He’s the only family I really have left, so I don’t like to go without him. I’m not a very good cultivator, though, so I don’t Hunt with him. He usually does what he’s done tonight, just finds a spot to drop me off for the night, and then he’ll come collect me in the morning so we can travel some more.” 

“The two of you travel alone?” Jiang Cheng asks.

“Mn… It’s lucky we ended up in the same barn. I don’t often have company other than da-ge… but since he goes on Night Hunts every night, I often get quite lonely. Are you two brothers?”

“Pretty much,” Jiang Cheng answers, “We were raised together since we were little. I’m Jiang Cheng, by the way, and this is Wei Wuxian.”

Wei Wuxian starts to greet the other boy, but the wolf howls again, and he yelps instead, burrowing into Jiang Cheng’s side. Jiang Cheng is ready to glare at Huaisang if he laughs, but Huaisang doesn’t laugh. He just smiles sadly, saying, “You don’t need to worry about the wolf, Wei-xiong. It won’t come inside the barn. I set the protection talismans, remember? And it sounds very far away.”

“I know, I know…” Wei Wuxian mumbles, but he doesn’t move.

“We should get some sleep. I’m sorry, Huaisang. I wish we could talk more, but Wei Wuxian and I had-... well, we had a very interesting day.”

“It’s alright. It’s enough just to have company. Sleep well.”

“Perhaps you could talk your da-ge into traveling with us,” Wei Wuxian says, “I don’t precisely know where we’re going, but having someone else who can fight certainly can’t hurt us any.”

Huaisang is wearing that sad smile again as he says, “I wish I could… but da-ge doesn’t like to travel with others… but perhaps I could convince him to let me stay with the two of you at night. It would make him happy to know I have some company at night, and having company would make me happy, too.”

“Good. We’ll see you in the morning then, Huaisang.”

They don’t see his lip wobble, his expression one of infinite sadness, and they don’t hear him murmur, “You won’t.”

Wei Wuxian wakes with the sun, stretches slightly, tries not to pull the blanket too far off Jiang Cheng while he still sleeps. Nie Mingjue is back, just as he said he would be, the little hawk perched on his arm while he strokes its head. Sitting up, Wei Wuxian looks around for the boy that joined them last night.

“Hey, he’s gone!”

Nie Mingjue looks up at him curiously, asking, “Who’s gone?”

“There was a boy in here with us last night,” he explains, “A handsome young master… he said his name was… was… oh! he said his name was Huaisang!”

He sees Nie Mingjue’s hand still briefly in its petting of the hawk before he asks, “Oh? How did he seem?”

His voice is quiet and faraway, and it makes something in Wei Wuxian’s chest ache. He tells him, “He seemed very nice. He said his brother has to leave him alone every night while he goes Night Hunting and so he’s often lonely.”

The next breath Nie Mingjue takes shudders a little bit, but that’s the only emotion he shows, reining in whatever sadness was in his face. Wei Wuxian continues, “We tried to tell him he could ask his brother to travel with us, because we were sure you wouldn’t mind, but he said his brother likes to travel alone… but he would come back and stay with us nights so he wouldn’t be lonely, and he said his brother would like it if he would have some company.”

“Mn… I’m sure he would… Come, wake your brother. I’m going to try to take you to Meishan to your grandmother. We have some distance to cover today.”

“Da-ge?”

A child’s voice, small and quiet, broke over Mingjue, and he looked up from the floor for the first time in a while. His neck was stiff, his back tight. The boy shuffled toward him in robes slightly too big for him, his hair still adorned with elaborate braids. Mingjue swallowed his grief, beckoning the little boy closer. When he did, the boy ran toward him and all but jumped into his arms, burrowing his face into Mingjue’s chest.

“Da-ge, how’s a-die?”

Mingjue felt his lip wobble, but he managed to say, “He’s resting now, A-Sang… Come, you need to get ready for bed. I’ll help you.”

“Will da-ge carry me?” A-Sang asked, looking up at him with his big dark eyes, his expression dispelling some of the darkness hanging over Mingjue’s heart.

“Of course, baobei… Da-ge will always carry you.”

He easily scooped up A-Sang into his arms, the boy’s arms going around his neck. Mingjue was sixteen, after all, and bigger than most men twice his age. A-Sang was eight and small. Their father was dying in his chambers, A-Sang’s mother sitting with him. (Mingjue’s mother died many years ago, when he was still a child, smaller than A-Sang is now.) He didn’t want to tell A-Sang their father was dying. He was only sixteen, and A-Sang was only eight. This wasn’t something he should have had to tell A-Sang for many years, not until A-Sang was old enough to truly understand the magnitude of it all, but he supposed he’d just have to do his best.

Mingjue just carried A-Sang back to his room. It was quiet in there, just the sound of nightbirds and the gentle wind in the trees, A-Sang’s artwork plastered over every available surface and his toys strewn over the floor. The reprimand for him to clean up died on Mingjue’s tongue. That’s not what he needs right now. He just settled A-Sang on his bed and set to work getting him ready to sleep. He had the servants bring bath water while he took down the braids and dainty hair piece and helped him out of his outer robes. Once he was bathed, Mingjue got him into his sleeping robe and braided his hair for sleep. Only when he tied off the braid did he pull his little brother into a tight hug. A-Sang hugged back as tight as he could, whispering, “Will a-die be okay, da-ge?”

“I don’t know,” Mingjue answered truthfully, and then he pulled away just enough so that he could look A-Sang in the face, telling him, “I don’t know, baobei, but I need you to remember-... Remember that da-ge will always be there for you, okay? No matter what. I’ll take care of you and protect you, okay?”

“Always?”

A-Sang’s eyes were getting wet, tears slowly filling them. Mingjue knew he couldn't promise to be there always. He shouldn’t. No one can be around forever. But A-Sang’s eyes were big and wet and their father was dying, so he pulled A-Sang back in, whispering, “Always,” into his hair.

Their father died a week later.

They fall into a bit of a routine, Nie Mingjue and Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. They travel pretty much from sunrise to nearly sunset, and then at sunset, Nie Mingjue settles them in a barn so he can Night Hunt and orders them to stay put. Shortly after sunset, their new friend Huaisang appears, quietly sweeping into whatever barn they’re settled in for the night. The three of them stay up talking, occasionally needing to comfort Wei Wuxian when they hear wolf howls in the night. Huaisang is usually just interested in the cultivation world, looking for some of the gossip. The third night they’re traveling, however, Huaisang tears up when they’re talking, cries when they ask him what’s wrong.

“It’s just so hard, traveling like this,” he says thickly, “I- I’m always with da-ge, but it’s-... it’s almost as if we aren’t together at all. Our parents died when we were younger, and he’s all I have left but-”

He stifles a sob, tears pouring down his cheeks. Wei Wuxian makes a soft sound, and the two brothers wrap Huaisang up in a hug. It only makes him sob again, telling them, “I just miss him!” between sniffles. Wei Wuxian does his best to soothe him, trying to remember what Shijie would do if she were here, how she would comfort him. So he just pets Huaisang’s hair and whispers nice gentle things. He does quiet after a little while, and the three of them keep together, curling up in a little pile under the blankets.

Huaisang is gone in the morning, Nie Mingjue waking them with a sad look on his face and telling them to get ready to travel.

“A-Cheng, don’t you think all of this is very strange?” Wei Wuxian asks later as they walk, Nie Mingjue far enough ahead of them that he can’t hear them.

“I mean, yes, but I think you’ll have to be more specific.”

“With Huaisang… and with Nie Mingjue. Why doesn’t Huaisang’s brother come travel with us so Huaisang can have company during the day? Or so that he can have some company?”

“Some of those rogue cultivators don’t like company,” Jiang Cheng says, “That’s why they aren’t affiliated with a sect of any kind. His brother probably just doesn’t want to travel with anyone else.”

“That may be so, but it isn’t fair to Huaisang, if Huaisang is so lonely. But I’ve also noticed the hawk isn’t around at night.”

“Well, of course the hawk isn’t around at night. They’re not night birds. It probably roosts somewhere to sleep.”

“Okay, okay… but then where does Nie Mingjue go at night? He may be big and strong, but he’s still just a man. He has to sleep sometime.”

“I suppose… Maybe he just prefers to sleep away from us.”

“But then why give us his saber? If he was just sleeping away from us, then he should want his saber for protection, shouldn’t he?”

Jiang Cheng opens his mouth to reply, but Nie Mingjue shouts for them to keep up lest he leave them behind. The two boys forget their conversation and jog to keep up with their protector. Wei Wuxian wants to ask Nie Mingjue about the hawk, where it came from and why he was so fond of it, but it seemed too prying to ask. Conjecture was simple enough anyway. He’d heard of spiritual animals before, creatures imbued with spiritual energy that makes them more intelligent and loyal and adds to their longevity. Dogs (he suppresses a shudder) are the most common. They’re useful creatures, after all, can do all sorts of things to protect and help a person if needed. He’s also heard of cats, too, but never a bird, though he supposes it makes sense. Nie Mingjue’s hawk must certainly be a spirit animal of some kind, and Wei Wuxian is content to leave it there.

He’s more concerned about the wolf which seems to follow them everywhere. He’s never seen it (thank the gods), but he can tell just by the howling it’s enormous. If I ever meet it, I’ll probably drop dead of fright before it can kill me. It helps that Nie Mingjue leaves his saber with them every night so they can defend themselves, but the boys can barely lift the huge thing even with their spiritual energy. Wei Wuxian doesn’t think it will do them much good in a fight.

Not for the first time, he wishes he and Jiang Cheng had brought their swords with them, Suibian and Sandu. They would certainly have come in handy a number of times, and Wei Wuxian knows he would feel much safer with his own blade. 

“Do you think everyone’s alright?” Jiang Cheng asks that night as they lay in yet another barn, his voice something much softer than his usual bluster, “Like a-die and a-niang?”

“I’m sure they are,” Wei Wuxian tells him, trying to make himself believe his own words, “Jin-xiandu isn’t stupid. He wouldn’t bring a fight like that to Lotus Pier. Besides, Madam Yu is one of the best cultivators ever. She wouldn’t let him get far even if he did.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes, A-Cheng… I really think so.”

Huaisang just looks at them with the same sad look he always wears, so Wei Wuxian asks him, “Where did you come from, Huaisang? Where is your family from?”

He looks for a moment like he doesn’t want to answer, but he tells them, “My-... My family is from Qinghe originally.”

“Qinghe?” Jiang Cheng says, “That’s a long way to the north of here.”

“It is… but as I said, da-ge and I are traveling, so we’ve been all over, even into Qishan occasionally.”

The three boys fall to discussing travel and the different Sects and Huaisang tells them what Qishan is like as well as other places Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng haven’t been to. They’re about to curl up and go to sleep when they hear it: a scream, high and terrified. Ignoring Nie Mingjue’s orders to stay put, Wei Wuxian grabs the saber and charges out of the barn into the woods, Jiang Cheng and Huaisang trailing behind him and calling his name, shouting for him to come back.

Wei Wuxian ignores them, diving headlong into the forest for the source of the scream. It sounded like a child… but where are they? He can find no trace of a person, either child or adult. He was so sure he’d heard it. Skidding to a halt, he looks around, desperately hoping he isn’t too late.

He doesn’t hear anyone screaming.

He does hear something growling.

The journey was a somber one, the two brothers, now both parentless, just sitting in the carriage taking them to Koi Tower with a servant. Nie Mingjue had been asked by the Chief Cultivator himself to join the Guard, and even though he was set to take over as Sect Leader of the Qinghe Nie, this was still a high honor. It would give him some good experience fighting and training, time to make alliances and learn more and more about the other Sects. The Elders appointed a temporary Sect Leader for his absence, his and A-Sang’s cousin, Nie Zonghui.

The servant traveling with them had cause for going as well. Meng Yao hadn’t been with the brothers very long, but Huaisang had already gotten so attached to him, and Mingjue would be remiss if he said he didn’t like the young man himself. Meng Yao was intelligent and thorough, knew strategy as well as poetry, could talk to Mingjue about a battle as easily as he could talk to Huaisang about art. He wasn’t to be with them much longer, however, as his father, Sect Leader Jin Guangshan, was going to recognize him as his son.

“Da- ge ,” A-Sang whined, drawing out the last syllable, “why do I have to go to Koi Tower, too? I’m not going to be a member of the Guard, I’m too small!”

“Because I want you there with me,” Mingjue said simply, “How will I possibly keep an eye on my didi if you aren’t there with me?”

“I could have stayed with Zonghui-ge in Qinghe.”

“Ah, but do you want to stay with Zonghui-xiong, or would you rather be with your da-ge?”

“And what of A-Yao?” Meng Yao teased, petting his hair,  “You would forget your A-Yao?”

“I would always rather be with da-ge and A-Yao! I’m just-... Da-ge, A-Yao… do you think I’ll make some friends there?”

“I’m sure you will. There will be plenty of other young masters your age… and you’re so friendly and kind, A-Sang. I should think you’ll make lots of friends,” Meng Yao told him.

“And what about you, da-ge?” A-Sang asked in the way only children do, “Do you think you’ll make lots of friends, too? And you, A-Yao?”

“I suppose we’ll just have to see about that. I would hope those of the Guard will be my friends,” Mingjue replied, and Meng Yao gave his own answer of, “I hope so…”

“Good,” A-Sang chirped, “I don’t want you to be lonely.”

And then A-Sang burrowed in against his side there in the carriage, Mingjue’s arm wrapped around him, Meng Yao smiling warmly at him and still petting his hair.

Jiang Cheng finally catches up to Wei Wuxian, Huaisang close behind, and he doesn’t like what he sees. The wolf they’ve been hearing throughout their journey seems to have Wei Wuxian cornered, a terrifying prospect for anyone, but especially for someone with a deep-seated fear of dogs… which Wei Wuxian has. The beast isn’t attacking yet, just staring down Wei Wuxian and growling. Wei Wuxian is pale and shaking under the moonlight. The wolf takes a step closer.

“Wei Wuxian!”

He can’t help the scream that rips from his throat, fear for his brother overpowering any survival instinct. It makes the wolf turn its gaze on him, yellow eyes seeming to look straight into his soul. Maybe having Jiang Cheng in danger will help Wei Wuxian act (since he’s still in possession of Nie Mingjue’s saber), but he does quickly realize that screaming was supremely stupid of him.

The two brothers from Yunmeng are both so preoccupied with watching the wolf that neither of them notices Huaisang stepping forward until he’s so close to the wolf it could swallow him in one bite. Both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian call to him, trying to get him to run or turn around, but Huaisang’s only response is, “He won’t hurt me… He would never hurt me,” and he’s proven correct when the wolf lets him wrap his arms around its neck, his fingers sinking into the creature’s thick fur.

As soon as Huaisang wraps his arms around it, the beast stops growling, acting as if it were a lap dog being adored by its master rather than a wolf who could tear them all to bits. The sight doesn’t make Wei Wuxian any more comfortable; he retreats to hide behind his brother, but Jiang Cheng just has questions.

“Huaisang, you know this wolf?”

“Mn… I’ve known him for a long time. That’s why I’ve tried to tell Wei-xiong he didn’t have to be afraid of him. He won’t hurt either of you if I’m around.”

“You can tell Wei Wuxian not to be afraid of it all you want, but it won’t help. He’s afraid of dogs, and he’s certainly afraid of that beast-”

“He isn’t a beast!” Huaisang snaps, “He isn’t…”

Huaisang just continues to stroke through the creature’s fur, occasionally nuzzling his face into the thick ruff around its neck. Jiang Cheng knows there’s something he should be seeing, but he can’t for the life of him figure out what it is.

Su Minshan, while he is extremely proud to be the Head of the Koi Tower Guard, would truly prefer to be anywhere but here right now. The Chief Cultivator is hosting a party, dancers elegantly twirling across the floor of the main hall, cultivators milling about smartly, drinking and snacking and watching the dancers.

It is not that he fears the Chief Cultivator. He isn’t truly afraid of him. No, if anything he is grateful. It is Jin-xiandu who elevated him to this station, Jin-xiandu who has supported him and believed in him and helped him rise above his station. It isn’t that he is afraid of Jin-xiandu. He is simply afraid of disappointing him. After all, so much time and effort has gone into getting him where he is now, and it would be terribly ungrateful of him to not do his very best.

Jin-xiandu sees him and beckons him over to the throne where he sits, resplendent in robes that look like spun gold. 

“Minshan,” Jin-xiandu says warmly, dimples appearing as he smiles, “is our problem solved?”

“This one would like to speak with Jin-xiandu alone if it is possible.”

The Chief Cultivator’s smile flickers, and Su Minshan swallows involuntarily. Jin-xiandu calls for the entertainment to continue while he tends to a small matter before leading Su Minshan into a small anteroom. Once there, the smile fades completely. Su Minshan all but throws himself at Jin-xiandu’s feet, explaining, “We tried to get the boys, we did! But there was- there was an unexpected complication.”

“They’re boys. What kind of unexpected complication could there be?”

Su Minshan swallows again, knowing the Chief Cultivator will not like what he says next.

“Jin-xiandu… We were stopped from apprehending the boys by- by Nie Mingjue.”

He’s grateful to be looking at the floor just so he doesn’t have to see the utter rage that surely crosses Jin-xiandu’s face. 

“Nie Mingjue… is back?”

“Yes, xiandu. I saw him with my own eyes. I fought with him-”

“ You fought with Chifeng-zun?”

‘ And you are still alive ’ is the unspoken part of that question. 

“Yes, xiandu. Several of us fought with him, but we were no match, and he ended up taking the boys with him when he retreated.”

“You will take a bigger squadron with you when you go out next time,” Jin-xiandu tells him, “all your best men. Make sure they understand what the penalty is should they fail.”

“Yes, xiandu.”

He rises, head still bowed, knowing that Jin-xiandu will want him to leave with those men sooner rather than later, and makes to leave.

“Minshan,” Jin-xiandu calls softly, “tell me… did you by chance see if there was a little hawk traveling with Nie Mingjue?”

“I did not see one, xiandu… but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t travel with one.”

“If you find it, please bring it back with you alive… but if the bird should happen to die, it is no loss. Please, Minshan, go put your squadron together and make haste.”

Su Minshan doesn’t need to be told twice.

“That guard sure seems to hate you,” Wei Wuxian says offhandedly as they walk, twirling a stick through his fingers, though he drops it when Jiang Cheng elbows him in the ribs, “Ow! What was that for?”

“Do you always speak without thinking?” Jiang Cheng spits, “I’m sure Nie-gongzi doesn't need you to point that out to him.”

“I know, I know… I was just thinking out loud… Who is he anyway? I’ve never heard of him before. Even now I can’t even remember his name.”

“His name is Su She,” Nie Mingjue says, “He used to be a disciple of the Gusu Lan, but there was some kind of falling out between him and the Lan Clan. I never heard what it was, and I never asked.”

“A falling out?” Jiang Cheng wonders aloud, “Sounds serious… if he did something bad enough to be kicked out the Gusu Lan, then how did he end up in the Koi Tower Guard?”

“I was never entirely sure. I had already been in the Guard for a few years when Su She arrived. He became loyal to Jin Guangyao and all the other gentry there very quickly, though it seemed to me his loyalties easily changed to whoever could get him what he wanted. I’m sure as soon as it looked like Jin Guangyao was going to be Chief Cultivator, he started ingratiating himself to him, trying to earn favor and making himself seem like someone to put trust in.”

“So… So you knew Jin-xiandu before he was Chief Cultivator?”

“Mn, long before, back when his father Jin Guangshan was the Chief Cultivator after bringing down Wen Ruohan. Lao-Jin was always horrible to Jin Guangyao, always ordering him about as if he were a servant and not his own flesh and blood… of course, it took him quite some time to even acknowledge Jin Guangyao as his own flesh and blood,” Nie Mingjue explains, “There were always those who looked down on him for being raised in a brothel, but that kind of life actually gave him many talents others did not have.”

“Of what kind?” Wei Wuxian asks.

“He’s very skilled with numbers, and he knows how to make a tense situation calm. He’s also very good with money, can make any budget do anything for him. I was very fond of him once upon a time…”

“What happened?”

Nie Mingjue is silent for a long moment, so long that Wei Wuxian wonders if the man even heard him, and so he opens his mouth to ask again when Nie Mingjue finally replies.

“There was too much that happened,” he says, his voice sad and soft, “He-... People I loved were in danger, and I couldn’t stay fond of someone who put my loved ones in danger… Come, we need to keep walking.”

Nie Mingjue lengthens his stride picking up speed, Jiang Cheng jogging to catch up. Wei Wuxian doesn’t speed up, however, Nie Mingjue’s words ringing through his mind. He didn’t want people he loved in danger. Is Wei Wuxian putting Jiang Cheng in danger by keeping them on the run? Wei Wuxian isn’t stupid. He knows people don’t like him and see him as a troublemaker and a miscreant. Sure, Su She had said they both had to die, but maybe they would be content with just Wei Wuxian. Maybe if he turned himself in, they would leave Jiang Cheng alone and let him go home to his parents and sister. 

He watches Jiang Cheng walking in front of him, watches him chat idly with Nie Mingjue, watches him smile delightedly when the hawk lets him stroke its feathers. It’s nice to see him smile. Wei Wuxian is glad to have that be the last memory he has of his brother.

It’s easy enough to duck into the thicker underbrush and backtrack to the small village and easier to get himself on the road toward the larger town where he’s certain Su She and his men will be. As a matter of fact, he’s discovered even more quickly than he’s expected to be.

“Where’s Jiang Wanyin?” Su She demands.

“I don’t know,” Wei Wuxian replies, “We were separated in the woods. I don't know where they are now.”

“Are you lying to me?”

“I’m not! We were separated in the woods!”

Su She levels a harsh glare at him but says nothing, approaching him as slowly as if Wei Wuxian were some kind of skittish animal that would bite him… which was not off the table just yet. Wei Wuxian might bite him still.

“Why aren’t you trying to run, Wei-gongzi? What kind of trick do you have up your sleeve?”

“No tricks… but I-... I do have a proposition for you.”

“And what might that be?”

“If you promise me you’ll leave Jiang Cheng alone and let him live and let him go back to Lotus Pier… I’ll let you take me in. I’ll be good, I’ll be quiet, I won’t make any trouble at all as long as nothing happens to Jiang Cheng.”

“You would confess to stealing the treasures from Koi Tower?”

“As long as nothing happens to Jiang Cheng… yes, I would say that I stole them.”

His heart is beating rabbit quick in his chest. If this works, then Jiang Cheng might get to live a quiet happy life back in Lotus Pier. Shijie will get to marry that peacock of hers. Nothing bad will happen to Jiang-shushu or Madam Yu. If it doesn’t…  well- he doesn’t want to have died for nothing.

“Take me back to Jin-xiandu,” Wei Wuxian continues, “let me ask him if that would make him happy-”

“Jin-xiandu will only be happy when there is justice,” Su She declares, “He won’t be happy with a false confession if it’s just to protect Jiang Wanyin.”

“But it’ll be the truth! Jiang Cheng didn’t do anything! Please-”

There’s an angry bellow behind Wei Wuxian and fear in Su She’s eyes.

“Pardon me, gongzi… Are you lost?”

The young man turned to look at Mingjue, and he felt his heart stop. The young master wasn’t someone he’s seen before. He was dressed in a blue so pale it was almost white, like the sky covered by thin clouds, a ribbon of the same color wrapped around his forehead and through his hair. His bearing was regal but effortlessly so, and if someone had told Mingjue that this young man was a god descended from the Heavens, Mingjue would have believed them.

He bowed to Mingjue, saying, “I’m sorry to say I believe I am, gongzi.”

“Where are you trying to go?”

“Just back to my and my brother’s room. I went out to explore and have a look around Koi Tower, but I’m afraid I’ve been turned around.”

“I would be happy to escort you back to the guest quarters, gongzi-”

“Please… I am Lan Xichen.”

“I would be happy to help you, Lan-gongzi. Where is your brother?”

“I left Wangji in the room. He isn’t fond of other people, and he isn’t taking the change very well as yet,” Lan Xichen said as they walked, “Forgive me if I overshare, but our mother died four years ago, and Wangji has been very quiet and withdrawn ever since… not that he wasn’t before, but moreso now.”

“How old is he? I have a little brother here with me who is eleven now. He’s a bright, cheerful child who likes to make friends. I’m sure he would like to spend time with Wangji if you would permit it, and if Wangji would permit.”

Lan Xichen smiled at him then, and if Mingjue thought the young master was handsome before, he was gorgeous in his happiness.

“I think that would be good for him, yes! Thank you-... umm-”

“I am Nie Mingjue.”

“From Qinghe? The future Sect Leader of the Qinghe Nie? What brings you here?”

“Joining the Koi Tower Guard is a smart move,” Mingjue said, “I get to learn more fighting skills, and I get to meet all kinds of people from other Sects. Besides, are you not the future leader of the Gusu Lan? What brings you here?”

“The same as you I suppose. Everyone comes to Koi Tower. It’s a good place to get a sense for politics and the like. Wangji came with me because the Elders thought he was too withdrawn and hoped coming to such a place would bring him out of his shell. Unfortunately, that has not been the case so far.”

“Well, Lan-gongzi, I know as soon as he meets A-Sang, everything will be fine.”

And Mingjue was right. Wangji and A-Sang got along very well. They both liked art and music and poetry, and while A-Sang was certainly far more bubbly than Wangji, Wangji did soften up a bit around him.

Mingjue and Xichen were both getting along very well, too. The two of them quickly became near inseparable, one barely ever seen without the other. They sparred together and ate together and studied together and meditated together. Xichen would play his guqin for Mingjue sometimes, more rarely he would play his xiao. Mingjue drank up every interaction between them, every second spent with Xichen more precious than the last. A-Sang even teased him for it, finally one day asking when Mingjue would buy Xichen his first courting gift. Mingjue felt his face go red and hot, and he chased A-Sang around their little room until he could grab him and tickle him into submission, the boy’s laughter raucous and shrieking.

It was a good idea, though, to court Xichen. Mingjue was twenty now, Xichen eighteen, and there was no reason he couldn’t court Xichen. He supposed he should ask Xichen first though, because if Xichen didn’t want to be courted by him, Mingjue wouldn’t want to make things awkward between them.

They were alone in one of the many beautiful gardens, Xichen reading to Mingjue from a book of poetry, when Mingjue finally worked up enough courage to ask, “Xichen-di… how would-... would it be alright if I- if I were to-to court you?”

Xichen blinked at him for a moment, causing Mingjue to panic and plow on, “It’s okay if you say no, of course, I won’t be offended! I only- We spend so much time together! And I’m so fond of you, Xichen! But truly, if you would prefer I wouldn’t, we could forget I even said-”

“Mingjue-xiong, please,” Xichen said, and despite the softness of his voice, it always managed to stop Mingjue in his tracks, “I would like that.”

It was Mingjue’s turn to blink that time.

“What?”

Xichen’s cheeks turned pink (and so did his ears), but he dutifully repeated, “I would like it if Mingjue-xiong would court me. I would like it very much, in fact.”

“You- You really mean that?”

“Mn, I do. I- umm… I’ve been hoping you would ask me. You see, I’m very fond of Mingjue-xiong, too.”

It felt like a weight had been lifted off Mingjue’s chest, felt like he was floating a hundred feet off the ground. He felt the grin split his face as he reached out and took Xichen’s hands in his own. Xichen smiled back, something bright and beautiful that put butterflies in Mingjue’s stomach. Xichen gripped his hands more tightly, inching closer to him there on the grass.

“So… So Mingjue-xiong promises to court me, then?”

“Mn, I promise. I’ll go buy you a gift tomorrow, whatever you want!”

“I can’t tell you what I want,” Xichen giggled, “You’re supposed to know me well enough to choose something I would like.”

“It is good then that we go to the markets so often, and that I like to watch you as you look at all the stalls.”

“That’s more like it… Now perhaps Mingjue-xiong will- will seal his promise in an appropriate way?”

Xichen’s cheeks turned even more pink as Mingjue asked, “Xichen-di only needs to tell me which way he thinks is most appropriate and this one will be happy to oblige.”

“I think a- a kiss would be most appropriate, don’t you?”

He sounded almost breathless when he asked, like he’d wanted Mingjue to kiss him for a long time, and who was Mingjue to deny this man anything, let alone a kiss?

Even as Mingjue’s heart beat rapidly, he leaned in, watching as Xichen’s eyes slipped shut in anticipation. The first touch was gentle, nothing more than a pressing together of their lips, but it sent sparks flying up Mingjue’s spine nonetheless. Judging by Xichen’s sharp little breath through his nose, he must have felt something similar. 

Mingjue pulled back to look at Xichen, mesmerized by hazy half-lidded eyes and full lips still pouted for a kiss.

So he kissed him again…

And again.

And again.

Mingjue barrels forward, saber flashing, cutting into the first member of the Guard he sees. Wei Wuxian, though he may be a little fool, at least stands perfectly still to let Mingjue hit the Guard and not him. Once he’s free, Wei Wuxian darts off to his brother where Mingjue had planted him, behind a large tree. They hadn’t noticed Wei Wuxian was missing until Jiang Cheng turned to talk to him, and then the poor boy went into an immediate panic, trying to run off and find his brother himself. If not for Mingjue, they’d probably both be dead now.

It’s a vicious fight, at least ten Guardsmen up against Mingjue alone, but he’s holding his own. Even when an arrow rips through his side, he keeps fighting, cutting men down until Su She is left with only two men.

That’s when he hears it.

The sound nearly stops his heart: the shriek of a hawk, shrill and pained. He turns, cries out. The little hawk is pierced with an arrow, falling swiftly to the ground, only saved from hitting it when Jiang Cheng catches it gently in his hands. No… No, please… Mingjue fights off the last three men, forcing Su She to retreat. 

Once it’s clear, Mingjue rushes back to the boys and the hawk, his little hawk, feels tears spring to his eyes as he looks at the blood splattering his white feathers.

“Baobei,” he whimpers, reaching to stroke the hawk’s head, “No… no, my little baobei…”

The bird looks up at him pitifully, and for a moment Mingjue’s grief is so strong, he can’t even think of where he is or of the two boys with him until he hears Jiang Cheng murmur, “So sad… I did like the little hawk-”

“No,” Mingjue says immediately, “No, he’ll be fine-”

“Nie-gongzi, I’m afraid the bird is hurt quite badly-”

“No!”

Perhaps he shouldn’t shout, but he can’t think, he can’t think, he can’t think - Yiling. They’re near Yiling. He passes the hawk to Jiang Cheng, telling him, “You and Wei Wuxian take him to the old Yiling Supervisory Office. There’s a doctor there named Wen Qing-”

“ Wen Qing?”

“The Dafan Wen branch,” Mingjue says, “There’s no time to explain. Su She will be back with more men any minute, and I will not let him get his hands on the hawk. You two take him to the Supervisory Office. You take him right to Wen Qing and beg her to help him. Tell her I sent you.”

“But, Nie-gongzi-”

“ Go !”

With his final demand he gives them a shove, pushing them away, and they finally go, Jiang Cheng still cradling the hawk in his hands. Mingjue swallows a sob as he watches them run toward Yiling, tears filling his eyes and spilling over. Please… Please let him live.

The old Yiling Supervisory Office looks horrible when they first approach, almost abandoned, overgrown and crumbling and moldering. There’s still a guard when they approach, a man of middling age (closer to old than middling, though) who calls out, “Who are you? And what do you want?”

“We’re here to see Wen Qing,” Wei Wuxian calls back, “We were sent by Nie Mingjue to ask her to look after this little hawk-”

“A hawk?”

“Yes, it was shot with an arrow, and Nie-gongzi seems very attached to it. He told us to beg her to help if we had to, but we’re hoping we won’t have to.”

The guard turns, looks down and behind him, and he must have someone tell him what to do because he tells them, “You can bring the bird to Wen Qing, but we don’t know what she’ll be able to do for it,” and the gate swings open just enough to let Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian enter. 

It’s a boy who opens the gate, maybe their age or a bit younger. His face is open and guileless, his eyes wide and blinking, and he stammers slightly when he says, “Follow me. Jiejie is this way.”

“Wen Qing is your sister?”

“Mn. I’m Wen Ning… Oh, the little bird looks very bad. Does it have a name?”

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng just look at each other, and Jiang Cheng says, “Nie-gongzi just calls him ‘baobei’.”

Wen Qing is about their age, pretty but wears a stern expression as she gazes at them, ordering, “Bring the hawk here. I’ll do what I can for him. A-Ning, you stay with them.”

Jiang Cheng hands over the bird with minor trepidation, but Wen Qing is gentle when she takes him from his hands before disappearing into her small house. Wen Ning takes them into the house but keeps them in the sitting room. A few minutes later, the three of them are sitting around the rough table, sipping terribly weak tea Wen Ning won’t stop apologizing for.

“How did you all end up here?” Wei Wuxian asks eventually, “We heard all the Qishan Wen were-”

“Wei Wuxian!” Jiang Cheng scolds him.

Wei Wuxian pouts, but Wen Ning says, “It’s okay, Jiang-gongzi, Wei-gongzi. It’s true the Qishan Wen were all killed after the war, but we aren’t from Qishan, really. We’re from Dafan. Our whole family was healers and doctors, and because we weren’t involved in the war, we were told we could live here in Yiling. No one here besides me and Jiejie are cultivators… and I’m not a very good cultivator, anyway. Oh! A-Yuan may be a cultivator one day, but he’s still so little we don’t really know yet.”

It’s funny that Wen Ning seems to be so cheerful even while living in a run-down and lonely place like Yiling. He smiles at them, tries to make them feel better, asks how two boys from Yunmeng ended up in Yiling and consoles them when they tell him what happened. 

“I’m sure everything will turn out alright,” Wen Ning says, “Nie-gongzi is very kind. He wasn’t too sure of us at first, maybe even was a little mean, but once he saw we were truly innocent of what the Qishan Wen did, he got much nicer to us.”

It’s fully dark out before they hear anything from the room where Wen Qing went, and the first noise isn’t a good one: a scream that turns into a choked groan. It didn’t sound like Wen Qing, though.

It sounded like Huaisang.

Both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng ignore Wen Ning’s protests and dart in. Sure enough, it’s Huaisang lying in the bed, Wen Qing working to pull an arrow from his shoulder. The hawk is nowhere to be found.

“If you’re just going to stand around, come over here and help hold him down so I can get this arrow out,” Wen Qing snaps.

They hurry to obey, softly apologizing to Huaisang for the pain he’s about to go through. Sure enough, he screams again as the shaft is carefully pushed through his shoulder, his hand squeezing Jiang Cheng’s so tightly it’s painful, but Jiang Cheng lets him. Wen Qing is efficient, removing the arrow shaft as quickly and carefully as she can and bandaging the wound before giving Huaisang something to let him sleep and to ease his pain.

“He just needs some rest now,” she says, “Come… let him sleep.”

She leads them back into the sitting room for more weak tea, and Jiang Cheng asks, “How did Huaisang get shot with the arrow? It was the hawk that was hit.”

“Huaisang is the hawk,” Wen Qing says simply.

“What do you mean? How can he be the hawk?”

“Nie Mingjue never told you?”

The brothers shake their heads, Wei Wuxian saying, “No… he never even called him by name, just calls him ‘baobei’... We should have figured something was weird when we only ever saw Huaisang at night and Nie-gongzi during the day.”

“Well, if he entrusted the two of you to look after Huaisang, I think you deserve to know the truth,” she says, setting her teacup down, “It was five years ago now…”

A-Sang giggled to himself as he watched his brother walking arm-in-arm with Lan Xichen through the courtyard. Perhaps he was a little proud of himself. It was surely his asking why Mingjue hadn’t started courting Lan Xichen yet that pushed him to do so. It had been a few weeks now since Mingjue had asked the fateful question, and the two of them were more inseparable than ever. They only separated at night, and even then only after a lengthy goodbye. (And those goodbyes often involved a lot of kissing, which A-Sang thought was kind of gross, but if da-ge was happy then he was happy, too.)

“We’ll get to be brothers, Wangji-xiong!” A-Sang said cheerfully while painting with Lan Wangji that afternoon.

“How will we get to be brothers, Huaisang-xiong?”

Lan Wangji liked to be formal. A-Sang hoped that once they were brothers Lan Wangji would let him call him ‘Zhan-ge’ but that seemed unlikely. He just grinned and chirped, “Because our brothers are going to get married, of course! They love each other so much, and then I can call your brother ‘Xichen-ge’! Or maybe even ‘er-ge’! And you could call my brother ‘da-ge’ too! Wouldn’t that be so nice, Wangji-xiong?”

Lan Wangji just hummed in agreement, but A-Sang could see the little half-smile on his face showing he was really happy. Knowing that, A-Sang got up and went to sit by him, happily watching him paint and giving him tips.

He was just so happy to have his da-ge happy. They’d been through so much as children. Mingjue lost his mother, and then they lost their father, and then A-Sang’s mother died too. They even had to leave their home in Qinghe.

If Mingjue had found his happiness in Koi Tower, then A-Sang was happy, too.

He skipped through the halls a few days later, after Mingjue had told him he intended to properly propose marriage to Lan Xichen. He wanted so badly to have another brother (two brothers!) and he knew Lan Xichen would make the best brother he could have besides his own. And Wangji-xiong will be a great brother, as well! He couldn’t wait to hear that Lan Xichen said yes to marrying Mingjue, and he couldn’t wait to call him ‘Xichen-ge’ for the first time.

That was when he saw Su She slipping down the corridor like he had something to hide, and well, A-Sang was nothing if not nosy, loving nothing more than some good gossip. Surely, wherever Su She was going and whatever he was hiding would make for some excellent gossip… so A-Sang followed him.

Su She snuck down a side corridor that took them toward Jin Guangyao’s rooms. A-Sang didn’t really know what to think of Jin Guangyao anymore. He certainly remembered the kind way Meng Yao would treat him while they all lived in the Unclean Realm together, and he felt bad for him when Jin Guangshan would treat him poorly, but then he would hear a rumor of something he did  to someone else and not really feel bad for him anymore. He didn’t like the way he looked at Lan Xichen, either, because he looked at Lan Xichen the same way Mingjue did. No one else was allowed to look at Lan Xichen the way his da-ge did.

He didn’t know much about Su She other than he left the Gusu Lan Sect to come to Koi Tower. No one really talked about him, though A-Sang had heard plenty of whispers about him, ranging from he left the Gusu Lan of his own accord to he was kicked out of the Gusu Lan for some unspeakable crime. A-Sang didn’t know which was true, and frankly he didn’t really care. Su She just rubbed him the wrong way.

Thankfully, A-Sang was still small, smaller by far than most of his peers, and he was well-versed in the art of sneaking around. How else would he get the best gossip? So he tucked himself into a small niche to listen.

“...did see it, Jin er-gongzi. They were together in the East Courtyard.”

“They are often together in the East Courtyard,” Jin Guangyao said, a hint of annoyance in his voice, “Do you have something of interest to report?”

“Jin er-gongzi, I saw- well… I saw Nie-gongzi kiss him!”

Su She’s voice was hushed, but A-Sang could still hear him. He felt his stomach drop. Why should Jin Guangyao care if da-ge kissed Lan Xichen?

“Is that so?”

Jin Guangyao’s voice was quiet that time, dangerously so, and A-Sang didn’t like it one bit. He stayed, though, stayed and listened.

“Have you heard anything else, A-She?” Jin Guangyao asked in a sickly sweet voice.

“There is a rumor, er-gongzi… I don’t know how true it is, of course… but I heard that Nie-gongzi intends to propose marriage to Lan-gongzi within the week.”

Well, that’s nothing I didn’t already know. Why is he telling Jin er-gongzi this?

“Hmm…”

There was a long silence before Jin Guangyao spoke again.

“It seems then that Nie Mingjue will be having a terrible accident soon, something to get him out of the way.”

A-Sang clapped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from gasping aloud as Jin Guangyao continued, “Once he’s dead, it will only be a matter of time before Lan Xichen turns to me for comfort, and not long after that I expect he would agree to marry me-”

He didn’t wait to hear the rest, turning and darting down the corridor as quickly and quietly as he could.

How unfortunate that he didn’t hear his brush fall from its place at his belt…

Mingjue had just returned to his rooms when the door was flung open and slammed shut and something heavy collided with him.

“A-Sang, what-”

His little brother was sucking in gasping breaths, his face red, his eyes wet with tears. Mingjue immediately dropped to his knees and wrapped him up in a hug, asking, “What on earth happened, baobei? Are you hurt? Did someone-”

“Da-ge, we have to go! We have to leave!” A-Sang wailed, “Da-ge, please, we have to-”

“Tell me what happened,” he said firmly, “If someone hurt you-”

“It’s not me! Someone wants to hurt you , da-ge!”

It took a moment for Mingjue to calm his brother down enough for him to be able to tell him what was going on, and the more he said, the angrier Mingjue got. Tears were pouring down A-Sang’s face by the end of it, and he fell sobbing into Mingjue’s arms, begging, “Please, da-ge! I don’t want you to die! I don’t want you to leave me like a-die and a-niang! Don’t leave me!”

And that was what Mingjue was truly angry about. He didn’t care what happened to him. He could be beaten, injured, tortured, or killed and it wouldn’t bother him one bit. All he cared about was his brother’s safety and happiness. It just so happened that killing him would hurt A-Sang more than him, and Mingjue would never let him go through that kind of pain again.

He pulled back, cupping the little round face in his hands, brushing away his tears, and told him, “I’m going to fix this, baobei. Don’t worry. Don’t worry, A-Sang… da-ge will take care of everything.”

He wasn’t given time.

The very next day, Mingjue was called to Jin Guangyao’s rooms. A-Sang was already there, arm firmly in Su She’s grip, fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

“What is the meaning of this, Jin er-gongzi?” Mingjue demanded, though he knew damn well what was all about.

Jin Guangyao wore the same sickly sweet smile he used for politicking, the one he used when he didn’t particularly like who he was talking to, and said calmly, “Nie-gongzi should do a better job of teaching his little brother not to sneak around in the shadows. He may end up finding more trouble than he can handle.”

A-Sang, save for some sniffling and hiccups, was thankfully silent, and when Jin Guangyao motioned to Su She, he released A-Sang’s arm. As Su She left the room, A-Sang ran straight into Mingjue’s arms, burying his face in his chest. Mingjue just held him and glared at Jin Guangyao.

“Tell me what this is all about,” Mingjue said again.

“It’s all very simple, Nie-gongzi,” Jin Guangyao told him, “I want you to leave Koi Tower and return to Qinghe.”

“I would be most happy to return to Qinghe with A-Sang… and I’m sure Xichen would be happy to join me as well.”

That made Jin Guangyao’s smile fall away, all pretense gone. Mingjue didn’t break his glare. Xichen would go anywhere with him, he knew that for a fact, especially after last night.

He hadn’t wanted to deviate from their usual routine, thinking Jin Guangyao would find that suspicious. So he and A-Sang went to visit with Xichen and Wangji as planned, and once dinner was done, A-Sang and Wangji went to do something together, and A-Sang would surely tell him what happened because he wouldn’t be able to keep something like that from Wangji. 

“Xichen,” Mingjue had murmured, taking his hands, “Xichen, I have something to tell you, and you must listen carefully…”

And listen Xichen did, rightfully horrified by what Jin Guangyao proposed, his hands clutching tightly to Mingjue’s.

“But what can we do, A-Jue?” Xichen asked, his eyes wide and filled with tears.

“Marry me. We can do all our bows right here. We just need something from our parents, which I’m sure we both have, and then the other two bows are easy,” Mingjue said.

“You know I want to marry you more than anything, but that won’t solve things. A-Jue, we should leave-”

“If we could get to Qinghe, would you marry me there? The Unclean Realm is one of the safest places on earth. We would be safe there-”

“You should run first,” Xichen told him, “Your life is the one that’s in danger. You know I would be happy with you anywhere, and similarly, if you were to die, there is nowhere on this earth I would be able to find peace. We know that Jin Guangyao wants me alive. If you can run somewhere to get safe, I could follow later-”

“Yes… Yes, A-Huan, then marry me tonight. Here. Now.”

So they did. They made their bows to small objects that belonged to their parents and they made their bows to the Heavens and the Earth and they made their bows to each other, and then they kissed each other sweetly, tears on both their faces. They didn’t see their little brothers watching from the other doorway, looking frightened and holding hands as though they were much younger than their twelve years. (Of course they were afraid. They were boys who were all but raised by their older brothers, those older brothers the only immediate family they had left.) 

Mingjue brought himself back to the present, he and Jin Guangyao both unwilling to give up so much as an inch. He ignored the hammering of his heart, just clung to his little brother and glared daggers through Jin Guangyao and prayed to any god he could think of that Jin Guangyao would simply cut his losses and let Mingjue take A-Sang and Xichen and Wangji and run.

“Little Huaisang was very afraid for you, Nie Mingjue,” Jin Guangyao finally said, “Truthfully, it’s you we were looking for, but we found little Huaisang first. He seemed to think harm was going to come to you and offered himself up for any punishment as long as I let you live. Isn’t that interesting, Nie Mingjue...”

He did not frame it as a question. A-Sang whimpered against his chest, but Mingjue wasn't angry with him. He was angry with himself. He should have simply taken Xichen and Wangji and A-Sang and run back to Qinghe last night.

“You keep A-Sang out of this,” Mingjue growled, clutching him a little tighter.

“A-Sang should have kept himself out of this instead of sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. Maybe he should have thought of that before-”

“He’s twelve! He thinks it’s fun! He doesn’t know any better-”

“I’m sorry!” A-Sang wailed, still clinging to Mingjue’s robes, “I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt my da-ge! I’ll- I’ll do anything as long as you don’t hur-”

“No! No, baobei,” Mingjue told him, then turned back to Jin Guangyao, “Don’t you touch him! I’m the one you hate! Huaisang has nothing to do with-”

“ Enough !” Jin Guangyao shouted, one of the few times Mingjue had heard him do so, “I might as well be rid of both of you then… but I can’t just let you leave. If the two of you were allowed to roam freely, who knows what damage you could do. No… No, I think there should be more of a punishment for the two of you… Something that will make you think twice about disrupting my plans in the future.”

“We’ll leave!” A-Sang cried, “We’ll go to Qinghe! Please just don’t hurt him!”

“I’m warning you, Jin Guangyao, don’t you touch him!”

Jin Guangyao’s lips curled into an evil smirk.

“Two brothers who are so loyal to one another… I think I know the perfect punishment for you…”

“And so they were cursed to never truly see one another again,” Wen Qing explains, “Nie Huaisang turns into a hawk during the day while the sun is up, and then when the moon rises, Nie Mingjue turns into a wolf. They’re cursed to change places like that forever unless they can both stand before Jin Guangyao in their human form.”

Though both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng are crying, Jiang Cheng manages to ask, “But how can they do that? Their forms are tied to day and night.”

“I think I know,” Wen Ning speaks up, “What they need, what the curse specifies, is a day without night and a night without day.”

“But that’s impossible!”

“It isn’t! Well, most days it is, but there are certain days where it’s possible. I think the solar eclipse might be what they need.”

“A solar eclipse? But they happen so rarely.”

“Very rarely… but there will be one this year, in just a few days in fact! We would have time to get to Koi Tower-”

“We?” Wen Qing interrupts, “ We aren’t going anywhere, A-Ning. We aren’t allowed to leave Yiling.”

“But Jiejie-”

“Quiet, A-Ning. Huaisang can stay here until he heals, but after that, he has to go. We have other people to think about. All those people who we’re supposed to keep safe would be hurt if we do anything more,” she says firmly, then turns to Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, “I’m sorry if that seems like I don’t care… but I was tasked with the well-being of what’s left of my family. Surely you understand.”

They both nod. Jiang Cheng can’t say he would behave any differently, especially under the same circumstances. People who aren’t cultivators can hardly hope to defend themselves against those who are. Wen-guniang certainly is a good person. She didn’t have to help them. She could very well have chosen to tell them no and further protected her family.

“We should be thanking Wen-guniang,” he says, bowing as formally possible while still seated, “You are truly kind.”

She only inclines her head. At that moment, they hear a sound from the room Huaisang lay in, and Wen Qing goes to him, Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian at her heels.

He’s trying to sit up in bed. Wei Wuxian darts to his side to help him so he doesn’t undo Wen Qing’s work on his shoulder. Huaisang still looks a little hazy, likely the aftereffects of the medicine Wen Qing gave him, but when he looks at her, he grins.

“Wen-guniang, it’s you.”

“How are you feeling, Huaisang?” is her only reply.

“Sore… I wish I knew what happened to me…”

“You got shot with an arrow, and your friends brought you here.”

“Where’s da-ge? Is he not here?”

Wen Qing shakes her head, saying, “I expect he’s out there still. I’m sure he’ll make his way here tomorrow. That will give you some time to heal and-”

“Wen-guniang! Wen-guniang!”

The same man who let them in earlier comes running into the house, breathless and worried looking, saying, “Wen-guniang! There are soldiers from Koi Tower at the gate demanding to be let in!”

“Why do they want to be let in?”

“One of them-... One of them said he wants the boys from Yunmeng.”

“Go tell him we have no one here from Yunmeng. What does he think we are, some kind of inn where people come to stay?” Wen Qing states.

“I tried, Wen-guniang, but he didn’t listen-”

“Then I’ll go,” she says, “A-Ning, you make sure everyone is safe. Get all the people to the back gate, these two and Huaisang included. I’ll deal with the soldiers.”

“Let me come with you, Wen-guniang,” Jiang Cheng says, stepping up beside her, “In case they try to start anything.”

She turns on him with no small amount of ire, demanding, “What, do you think I’m weak? Do you think I can’t tell these men to get away from us with no problems?”

“N-No, I don’t think that at all!”

She still glares at him, but she does concede to letting him come as long as he stays hidden from sight. Jiang Cheng trails after her, looking over his shoulder to see Wei Wuxian helping Huaisang to his feet, the two of them following Wen Ning to the back gate. Wen Qing climbs efficiently up to the battlements, Jiang Cheng far enough behind to not be seen, and once at the top, she glares down at the Koi Tower soldiers standing at her gate, shouting, “What do you want?”

“Wen-guniang, we’re looking for two boys from Yunmeng accused of stealing from Jin-xiandu!” Jiang Cheng hears Su She shout back, “We have reason to believe they’re here! Perhaps they’ve snuck in-”

“How would two boys from Yunmeng get here? Why would they come here rather than staying in Yunmeng? Ridiculous!”

“They’ve been traveling with Nie Mingjue, the man once known as Chifeng-zun,” Su She shouts up at her, “We know he’s come here before!”

“Maybe I have seen Chifeng-zun before, but not in many years,” she replies coldly, “Why come here looking for Chifeng-zun? If you want to find these boys from Yunmeng, why not go find Chifeng-zun? He isn’t hard to find.”

“Wen-guniang, let us in!”

“Why should I? We’ve kept our end of the bargain! We’ve stayed here in Yiling and not bothered anyone! Now you want to come barging in because you think we have two boys here from Yunmeng that you say stole something! You cannot come in without proof!”

Wen Qing stands tall and proud, gazing down at the Jin soldiers with nothing less than cold fury, and something twists sharply in Jiang Cheng’s chest. He’s certainly impressed with how cool she is in the face of her home being broken into, but then there’s a loud bang as the Jin soldiers try to break in. He tugs at her skirts, whispering, “Wen-guniang! We have to go!”

For a moment, she just glares at him, too, but she does follow, the two of them making their way down the crude ladder and following the rest of the Dafan Wen out the back gate. Jiang Cheng just wonders how much longer they have before the Koi Tower Guard and Su She catch up with them.

“I’ve warded the main gate,” she tells him, as if reading his mind, “It should hold them for a little while, but we shouldn’t just stand around to see. Come with me…”

She takes his wrist, dragging him through some brush, and he tries to ignore the warmth that spreads out from her touch.

Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning bring up the rear of the Wens’ escape, Huaisang being held up between them. Wei Wuxian has been passing him spiritual energy most of the time, hoping desperately that it will help him heal enough that he won’t still be injured when he returns to his hawk form. He’s worried, though. What if Huaisang doesn’t heal all the way before he changes back? What if something happens to him while he’s a hawk? How will he eat or hunt? And where on earth is Nie Mingjue?

“Wei- Wei-gongzi!” Wen Ning says, “We have to seal the gate behind them and go a different way! The- The soldiers-”

“I see them, Wen Ning… Just show us the way!”

Wei Wuxian adjusts so he’s carrying Huaisang on his back, giving Wen Ning the freedom to lead them through whatever secret path he knows and trying not to jostle Huaisang’s injured shoulder too much. (He isn’t complaining about it now, which either means it doesn’t really hurt or he’s too scared to complain.) Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing catch up with them in short order, Wen Ning still leading and Wen Qing staying to the rear to protect them, talismans at the ready.

“Not much farther now- oh no…”

“Oh no?” Jiang Cheng half-shouts, “ Oh no ? What do you mean ‘oh no’?”

“Th-The- The-... Jiang-gongzi, it’s-”

“Just slow down, A-Ning,” his sister tells him, “What’s happened?”

He doesn’t seem to be calming down enough to speak, so he simply points ahead of him. Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, and Wen Qing step closer to follow his hand. All of them curse.

There had been a flood last season, and it must have washed away some already precarious land, leaving them standing on what is essentially the edge of a cliff, looking down at mud and rock. Wei Wuxian adjusts his hold on Huaisang, holding him a little tighter, and Huaisang clings back, his breath shaky in Wei Wuxian’s ear.

“Can we climb down it?” Wei Wuxian asks.

“Not without rope… and not all at once,” Wen Qing replies.

There are shouts behind them now, Su She and his men starting to catch up to them, and while Wei Wuxian is not usually one to panic, he’s certainly beginning to panic now. He casts his gaze around, looking for some way for them to escape, some way for them to get away from Su She and the Koi Tower Guard.

“Wei Wuxian!”

He hears Jiang Cheng shout before he realizes what’s happening. In his haste to seek an escape route, he stepped too close to the edge of the ravine. The ground is still saturated and unstable, and now, Wei Wuxian is falling. He tries to step back, to set Huaisang on stable ground, at least, but instead it’s Huaisang who starts falling. Wei Wuxian throws himself on his belly, his hand gripping Huaisang’s wrist tightly. Huaisang cries out in pain as his already injured shoulder is wrenched, but his fingers do grip back, curling around Wei Wuxian’s wrist in turn.

Jiang Cheng calls his name again. The shouts come closer. Wei Wuxian feels his grip slipping, Huaisang’s hand slipping slowly through his fingers. 

Someone screams, one of the Koi Tower Guard, and Wei Wuxian feels his heart seize at the sounds of growling and snapping jaws behind him. His fingers twitch against Huaisang’s skin, his brain desperately trying to get his body to run from the danger. Wen Ning is suddenly at his side, reaching down to help pull Huaisang up onto the edge, but the earth shifts under Wei Wuxian’s belly, jostling his hold, breaking Huaisang from his grip. All of them scream now, Huaisang falling as the sun begins to rise- The sun is rising!

The sunlight hits him all at once, a bright glare, and then the boys on the edge of the cliff hear the shrill call of a little hawk, see the creature swooping low before coming back up to them. Growling turns to shouting as Nie Mingjue retakes his human form, Baxia gripped tight in his fist as he beats back the Guard man by man until only Su She and another man are left, both of them wisely retreating.

Wen Ning carefully helps Wei Wuxian to his feet, both of them returning to their sibling’s side, Nie Mingjue stepping up as well with a worried, “Where is he? The hawk-”

“Huaisang is okay,” Wen Qing tells him, “Look…”

Everyone turns at the sound of the shrill call, the little hawk diving and swooping elegantly over the ravine. All at once, it seems to recognize Nie Mingjue, making its way over to land on his outstretched arm. Nie Mingjue’s face breaks into a wide smile as he strokes over the little hawk’s head and breast, whispering, “I was so worried, baobei… so worried…”

Jiang Cheng turns to Wen Qing, asking, “Where did the rest of the Wens go? Will they return to Dafan?”

“I don’t know… We never thought this would happen. Once we were settled here in Yiling, it seemed like we would be able to stay here for a long time, but now…”

They look back at the old Supervisory Office, the place the Dafan Wen had made their home, now going up in flames.

“We can find them as we move on,” Nie Mingjue says, “They’re mostly the elderly and children. They likely haven’t gone very far.”

“Maybe they could go to Yunmeng,” Jiang Cheng offers, “If I gave them a token of some kind, not only would they be safe, but our parents would know we’re safe, too.”

“Would Jiang-zongzhu take us in, though?” Wen Ning asks, “There was an agreement, after all…”

“That agreement was broken as soon as the Koi Tower Guard attacked you,” Wei Wuxian says, “You all can’t stay in Yiling if you have no homes anymore. I’m sure Jiang-shushu would do the right thing and help. Don’t you think so, Jiang Cheng?”

“Mn, I do. We had that sickness last year, remember? A lot of people died in Yumeng, especially farmers. If the Dafan Wen want to farm, there’s a place for them.”

Wen Ning grins, and even Wen Qing gives a little smile.

“We’ll tell them to head for Yunmeng then, straight to Lotus Pier,” Wen Qing says, “and then we’re going to help you all go to Lanling.”

“Ah, there’s Minshan… Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me…”

Jin-xiandu steps away from the group of gentry he’s been chatting with and heads into his small office, Su She following close behind. As soon as the door shuts behind him, Su She all but throws himself onto the floor in front of Jin-xiandu, crying, “Jin-xiandu, this one is not worthy! I have failed you again!”

He doesn’t need to look up to know Jin-xiandu is displeased. He can hear it in his little sigh, in the way his steps falter slightly. Su She just keeps his face pressed to the floor, praying that when Jin-xiandu decides to kill him, his death will be merciful and quick… unlike the deaths of so many others.

“And how did he get away this time, Minshan?” he asks, his voice quiet and cold.

“We-... We found Wei Wuxian alone, and we almost had him in our grasp,” he explains, “but then Chifeng-zun came upon us. He was struck by an arrow, as was the little hawk-” Jin-xiandu makes a quiet noise but says nothing- “but he still-... And as Jin-xiandu knows, one of the Dafan Wen is Wen Qing, a great doctor. So we went to Yiling, presuming Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin took the bird there and that Chifeng-zun would go there to get his wounds treated.”

“And?”

This is the part Su She is truly dreading. He swallows hard, tells Jin-xiandu, “The- The boys were there… We chased the Dafan Wen remnants from Yiling… and then- then we chased after Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin. That’s when-...”

“When what , Minshan?”

“We were attacked by the largest wolf I’ve ever seen. Huge and black and powerful. He killed many men before-... before he returned to the form of a man… Excellency, the wolf was Chifeng-zun!”

This information does not seem surprising to Jin-xiandu, though it was to Su She, having watched the transformation happen with his own two eyes. Jin-xiandu paces for a moment, two short laps in front of his work table, before he finally deigns to look upon Su She, ordering, “Go fetch me Xue Yang.”

“Xiongzhang?”

Xichen turns at the sound of his brother’s voice, Wangji approaching him with the same sobriety that he approaches everyone. It’s hard not to be somber these days. They fall in step together, walking through the gilded halls of Koi Tower in silence. Xichen once thought this would be a beautiful place to live, a wonderful place where he would make friends and learn about the world…

He has learned too much.

The two brothers walk until they enter the East Courtyard, Xichen looking around the beautiful garden with a sad smile. Wangji steps closer to him, pressing into his space, his brow ever so slightly furrowed. It may as well be a tearful embrace.

“Five years, Wangji,” Xichen says quietly, “It’s been five years since Mingjue-xiong disappeared. Five years that Jin Guangyao has tried to court me now…”

Wangji makes a soft noise of discontent. He’d never liked Jin Guangyao, not even when he was a child when they first arrived at Koi Tower. Perhaps Xichen should have listened to his little brother. Perhaps he should have listened to Mingjue. Perhaps they should have run away in the middle of the night without telling anyone.

“Maybe if you tell him you are already wed-”

“I cannot,” Xichen whispers, shaking his head, tears in his eyes, “I fear that would only put us in greater danger, and while I do not fear for myself, I fear greatly for you, Wangji. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you. Besides… what if I tell him A-Jue and I wed and-... and he simply tells me A-Jue is already dead. I don’t know-... I don’t know if I could handle that.”

The furrow in Wangji’s brow deepens, and he frowns now, his hand gripping Xichen’s elbow. There’s hurt in his eyes. Xichen feels his heart clench in his chest, painfully tight. I would never hurt you, Wangji. It’s Xichen’s turn to reach out this time, drawing Wangji into his arms and settling his head on his shoulder. Wangji nestles into his embrace, forehead butting up against Xichen’s jaw.

“Xiongzhang,” he murmurs, “I-... I may have heard something. I heard some the Koi Tower Guard talking.”

“Talking about what?”

“About-... About Chifeng-zun.”

Xichen’s breath hitches, his arms tightening around his little brother, and he swallows hard, asking, “What did they say?”

“That Chifeng-zun still lives… That he currently travels with two disciples from the Yunmeng Jiang and a small, black-and-white hawk… That he defeated a great number of Koi Tower Guards in the last few weeks.”

“What of Huaisang? Did they see him?”

The loss of the bright little boy hurt almost as bad as the loss of his beloved. Xichen had cared for Huaisang as if he were his own little brother, and Wangji took the loss of his only friend poorly.

“They did not,” Wangji replies sadly, “but he surely still lives, or else I think Chifeng-zun would have come here to kill Jin Guangyao himself already.”

Xichen hums in agreement. Taking a deep breath, he strokes his hand over Wangji’s hair, telling him, “If Mingjue and Huaisang still live, then they will surely come back to us. We must have faith, Wangji.”

He doesn’t tell his little brother that Jin Guangyao has been pressuring him more and more for a betrothal, the upcoming cultivation conference making him more desperate to do so. He hopes he still has time to come up with a plan.

“Ah, Nie-gongzi, where are you going?” Wei Wuxian calls, trying to keep up with Mingjue’s angry steps.

“To Lanling, so I can put Baxia between Jin Guangyao’s ribs and cut out his nasty little heart!” Mingjue snaps.

He’s so angry he can’t think straight, so angry his blood is boiling. They hurt A-Sang. They shot him. He wants Jin Guangyao to die slowly and painfully and preferably as soon as possible. Just the thought of getting Baxia covered in that bastard’s blood makes the blade sing.

“Nie Mingjue!”

Now that makes him stop and turn. Wen Qing is the only one among them bold enough to talk to him like that (though, honestly, it’s refreshing), treating him as if he were another stubborn brother. Her glare is genuinely intimidating.

“You think you can just storm Koi Tower all by yourself?” she says, “You think they’re just going to let you kill the Chief Cultivator, hm?”

“I’ll come up with a plan-”

“What, a plan to get yourself killed and leave your brother to keep living the half-life he has now?”

Now that truly makes him stop. He hadn’t considered he would be leaving A-Sang to his fate. Of course, that’s precisely when the words of the curse come back to him.

“In order to break the curse,” he says quietly, “we must both stand before Jin Guangyao in human form… but that’s impossible, Wen-guniang. As soon as the sun and moon change places, so do we-”

“There is a way,” she tells him, “A-Ning figured it out. There’s going to be an eclipse in three days’ time. During such an event, that is when you find the day without night and the night without day. The sun and moon will converge, and at that time, it will be possible.”

“You can’t know that for certain.”

“That’s true… but I don’t think you have a better idea. What would it hurt to try?”

“They hurt Huaisang. I won’t let them do it again.”

“No one’s saying you should. You think I would let anyone hurt A-Ning? But I would try anything if it meant keeping him safe and happy,” she says, “You know this.”

And he does, of course. He knows precisely what Wen Qing has done to keep her brother and her people safe, the things she did, the things she gave up. She steps closer, her expression softer but still a little scary, telling him, “Let us try.”

Mingjue wants to agree. He wants this to be an easy fix for their problem. He wants nothing more than for his precious little brother to be rid of this curse so he can live a happy and normal life, nothing more than for his own life to return to normal so he can get back to his beloved… but he just doesn’t know if it will work.

“I-... I’ll think on it, Wen-guniang.”

She doesn’t look convinced, probably because he didn’t really sound convincing. Trying to move on from the subject, Mingjue clears his throat, telling everyone, “We need to find somewhere to bed down for the night when it gets closer to sunset. I think there’s a village we can stop in on the way to Lanling if we head northeast. Let’s go. We have a long way to go in three days.”

“Ah! Huaisang, how are you feeling?” Wei Wuxian asks, dropping down beside him.

The village is further off than Mingjue had anticipated, it seemed, and so they’ve simply bedded down in the woods for the night, tucked in against the roots of the large trees. They’re back in Yunmeng now, moving north to Lanling as quickly as they can, and while Huaisang knows they’ve been moving fast, his hawk mind doesn’t let him keep up with many words other than ‘baobei’ and ‘food’ and ‘eat’ or which general direction they’re traveling.

“I feel alright now, I suppose,” he answers, “Why are we heading north again? Isn’t that going toward Lanling? I thought we were avoiding the Jin.”

“We are,” Jiang Cheng says, “but we need to go to Lanling if we’re going to break this curse of yours.”

“Break the curse? Jiang-xiong, the curse is impossible to break-”

“It isn’t!” Wei Wuxian chimes in, “Wen Ning here figured it all out!”

“Wen Ning figured it out?” Huaisang parrots back.

“Mn! Wen Ning! Come here and explain everything to Huaisang!”

The boy comes over, looking as shy as ever, but the further he gets into his plan, the more confident he becomes.

“So… So you’re saying that if da-ge and I stand in front of Jin Guangyao during this eclipse, we’ll both be human together… and that will break the curse?”

“I think so. Of- Of course, I’m not completely certain… but I really think it will!”

“And we think it will work, too!” Wei Wuxian says, “It has to work!”

“Well… if you all think it will work, then I’m willing to give it a try,” Huaisang says, “The worst that can happen if it doesn’t work is that Jin Guangyao will kill us… and as horrible as that would be, at least maybe then we could enter the reincarnation cycle and have a better life next time.”

The other boys look sad when he says it, but it’s something he’s thought about often. Right when they were first afflicted with this terrible curse, he and Mingjue spoke to each other through letters. Huaisang would write his at night for Mingjue to read in the daylight, and Mingjue would reply for Huaisang to read by moonlight. Many times in his letters, Mingjue offered to kill himself so Huaisang would return to being human and have a better life. He could have returned to Qinghe and Nie Zonghui. Or maybe he could have lived with Xichen-ge and Wangji-xiong in Gusu.

But Huaisang hadn’t wanted that. He wrote to Mingjue and told him that if Mingjue killed himself, Huaisang would follow him, and that was enough to stop the conversation for good.

“What does da-ge think?” Huaisang asks, already pretty sure he knows the answer.

“Your brother is being stubborn, as usual,” Wen Qing replies, “He still thinks the only way to fix the curse is killing Jin Guangyao, despite me telling him numerous times that it won’t fix anything.”

“Then why are we going to Lanling?”

“Because I’m hoping to convince him that we’re right. And in the event that this doesn’t work, he can still kill Jin Guangyao. There are few who would weep at his loss.”

A yelp from Wei Wuxian alerts Huaisang to the presence of the wolf. The creature slowly pads toward him, coming to lay at his side, its enormous head dropping into Huaisang’s lap with a soft whine. Huaisang feels himself smile down at the beast, buries his fingers into the thick fur around the ruff of its neck.

“Da-ge,” he whispers, “da-ge, we need to try. Don’t you understand that?”

The moon rises high over the trees, the world cast in an unearthly blue. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian huddle together to try and sleep under a different tree, Wei Wuxian still terrified of the wolf no matter how many times Huaisang has explained that he has nothing to fear from it. Wen Ning sits by Wen Qing, huddled up with his arms around his knees. Huaisang’s fingers clench in the wolf’s fur. It’s peaceful.

It’s peaceful until the wolf suddenly growls and gets to its feet, placing itself directly in front of Huaisang. Wei Wuxian yelps again at the sound. A figure steps out of the darkness, a boy hardly older than any of them. He wears a terrible smirk, an evil glint in his dark eyes.

“Well, this was just too easy.”

Wei Wuxian eyes up the newcomer as quickly as he can. The boy is about their age, it seems, is handsome and well-dressed, bears a long, double-bladed sword. Maybe if we had Suibian and Sandu, we could do something… and I’m running low on talismans. It doesn’t look good. Although, they do have a big giant wolf on their side, so they aren’t totally defenseless.

The wolf growls again, long and low, then snaps at the newcomer, teeth white in the night.

“Who are you?” Wen Qing demands, stepping in front of her brother, “What do you want?”

“Who I am isn’t important,” the boy drawls, expertly twirling his weapon, “What I want is, and what I want is the wolf. Jin-xiandu will pay a high price to have this beast in his possession… and he’s already stated that it doesn’t matter in what condition he receives it. I think just a skin would be easiest to bring back, though.”

Wei Wuxian hears Huaisang gasp, “No!” and feels him step closer to them. Already standing in front of Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian ushers Huaisang to stand behind him, too, trying to figure out what precisely he can use to fight the newcomer with. They’re in the woods. There are lots of branches but no time to sharpen them. None of them had time to grab any weapons from Yiling as they fled. His mind starts racing. How long can he hold him off with no weapons? How far away could everyone else get? His anxiety reaches a fever pitch before he remembers Nie Mingjue’s saber is tucked behind Jiang Cheng. But how can I have time to grab it?

The boy is watching them, eyes never leaving the wolf and Wei Wuxian and the other two boys. Thankfully, Wen Qing calls him again, “Who you are is very important!”

“Wait… aren’t you Xue Yang?” Jiang Cheng asks, “We’d heard Jin-xiandu took in some boy he found in Yi City.”

“Word spreads quickly… though I wouldn’t say that Jin-xiandu found me. I think I found him,” Xue Yang smirks, “It’s the least I can do for him, though, to help him with… little problems he encounters.”

Without warning, the wolf lunges at Xue Yang, and Wei Wuxian is barely able to get his talisman ready in time. A blue string ties itself around Xue Yang’s sword, ripping it from his hands. He snarls in response, but of course, he’s also fleeing from a giant wolf. He doesn’t have time to come and get it. Wei Wuxian lets Jiang Cheng use Baxia while he chooses to wield this double sword against its former owner. 

“Wen Qing! Wen Ning!” he shouts as Jiang Cheng takes off after the wolf, “Watch Huaisang! Keep him safe! We’ll be right back!”

He hears Huaisang shout something, but he can’t hear him, already running to catch up with his brother and the wolf.

Ahead of him, Xue Yang is laughing, and Jiang Cheng is shouting, cursing at Xue Yang while trying to hit him with the saber. Wei Wuxian calls out, a distraction, but it doesn’t work, Xue Yang apparently rather skilled at fending off several people at once. He simply dances out of the way of their attacks, hopping over a low swing, ducking under a high one, missing the wolf’s jaws by centimeters.

Too late Wei Wuxian realizes that Xue Yang is leading them somewhere, the sounds of a rushing river reaching his ears. 

“I’m amazed you two have managed to live so long,” Xue Yang taunts, “Usually when Jin-xiandu wants someone dead, they become dead.”

“We’re not so easy to kill is all,” Wei Wuxian replies, “We’re stubborn in Yunmeng. He should know that.”

“You know, he did offer me quite a lot of money to kill this wolf… but I wonder just what kind of reward I’ll get if I return after killing the two of you, as well-” he dodges a sword thrust- “I think he would reward me very well, don’t you?”

Wei Wuxian swings the double sword at Xue Yang’s middle, another dodge from Xue Yang, his constant smirking becoming annoying even to Wei Wuxian. 

“What kind of reward is Xue-gongzi looking for?” Wei Wuxian wonders aloud, “Are you the kind of person who wants titles and prestige? Are you someone who wants to join the gentry maybe?”

“The gentry? No way! Why would I want to join the gentry? You’re all so hypocritical, saying you want to help the poor of the world and calling even those you hate with polite titles-” he spins out of the way of the wolf- “No, I’m purely here for money-”

Wei Wuxian yanks his hand back, his blue string talisman wrapped around one of Xue Yang’s ankles. The boy falls to the ground hard, and Jiang Cheng takes the opportunity to strike, the blade bearing down on one of Xue Yang’s legs. He’s still quick, though, still manages to roll partially out of the way. The blade cuts the outside of his thigh. Despite how much it must hurt, Xue Yang barely makes a sound, his smirk now more of a grimace, teeth bared.

“Why does Jin Guangyao want you to kill this wolf?” Jiang Cheng demands.

“Why do you care? It’s a wolf!” he snaps, “Maybe Jin-xiandu wants its pelt for a coat-”

The wolf sees an opening, lunges for Xue Yang. Wei Wuxian, startled, loses control of his talisman, and Xue Yang is barely able to scramble to his feet before the beast bears down on him again, jaws closing around his ankle. The crunch is sickening. Wei Wuxian turns away, burying his face in Jiang Cheng’s shoulder.

The more Xue Yang tries to crawl away toward the river, the harder the wolf attacks him, and the more he screams. The sound of his bones snapping under the force of the creature’s jaws turns Jiang Cheng’s stomach, but he refuses to look away. Xue Yang is dangerous. We have to make sure he’s dead. He tries to ignore the way his brother shudders against him, his hand coming to settle itself in the small of Wei Wuxian’s back, trying to comfort him.

The wolf yelps. Xue Yang grins, blood in his mouth, pulling himself shakily to his feet. There’s a small dagger in his hand, the blood on it black in the moonlight. Jiang Cheng starts forward but Wei Wuxian clutches at him with a whimper.

Then Xue Yang, bravely, stupidly, grabs for the wolf and then hurls himself into the river, the wolf falling in with him. Jiang Cheng does move forward at that, dragging his brother with him, shouting Nie Mingjue’s name. That makes Wei Wuxian turn around as well, and then they’re both at the riverbank. 

It’s not the roughest river they’ve ever seen. It’s not even the roughest river they’ve ever swam in. As disciples of the Yunmeng Jiang, one of the things they excel in above all the other clans is swimming. Xue Yang certainly won’t be able to survive this river, not in his state.

“There! Jiang Cheng-!”

The wolf struggles in the current, trying and failing to heave itself up onto one of the many rocks protruding up through the water. It’s too slippery. He can’t do it.

There’s a commotion behind them as the two Wen siblings arrive with Huaisang, and one look at the wolf struggling in the river has Huaisang screaming, “Da-ge! No! Da-ge!” and trying to go into the river himself. Wei Wuxian grabs Huaisang, holding him back, trying to explain that he’s not a strong enough swimmer to get to him, that he’ll die if he goes in the river. Huaisang thrashes against him anyway.

Jiang Cheng watches, sees time is running out for the wolf, and he makes the only decision he can.

Wei Wuxian’s scream is muffled as his brother dives into the water. It’s freezing, his chest contracting, his air seeming to disappear from his lungs. He swims anyway. Nie Mingjue saved their lives, after all. What kind of people would they be if they didn’t at least try to return the favor? Jiang Cheng lets the sound of rushing water invade his ears, lets himself feel the water and its currents, tries to understand the river and where it goes and what it does.

He gets to the wolf, the beast frightened and confused as it tries to climb up a slippery rock. It even lashes out at Jiang Cheng, claws tearing at his chest as he tries to help heave it up, tries to drag it to the next rock closer to shore. He grits his teeth against the pain, registers that it hurts but forces himself to keep going. Only once his chest feels like it’s in shreds does the wolf seem to realize Jiang Cheng is trying to help it and lets Jiang Cheng get it to shore.

Huaisang is still crying as Wei Wuxian bravely steps into the water to assist. He must be so afraid to be so close to the wolf … 

Out of the freezing water, the pain in Jiang Cheng’s chest increases hundredfold, making him double over on his knees on the ground. The wolf lays beside him, and soon Huaisang is draped over the beast, face buried in the wet fur as he sobs.

“A- A-Cheng…” a voice much closer to him whispers.

Wei Wuxian’s fingers are wrapped tightly around his wrist, spiritual energy thrumming through his meridians. Jiang Cheng picks up his head, looks at his brother, sees the fear and worry in his wide, wet eyes. He manages to use his other hand to clutch at Wei Wuxian, manages a small smile that his brother shakily returns. Wen Qing and Wen Ning stand by, Wen Ning clutching his older sister’s hand.

“We-... We need to break the curse,” Huaisang hiccups, face still half-buried in the wolf’s ruff, “I can’t do this anymore, I can’t-”

“But- But, Nie er-gongzi, Nie-gongzi doesn’t want to-... Wait! I have an idea!”

Huaisang can think of a few things he would rather be doing than sitting in this hole, but Wen Ning insisted on it, saying this was the only way to make Mingjue want to break the curse rather than just killing Jin Guangyao outright.

“With the way the sun rises, if you sit in the right spot here,” Wen Ning had explained, “the sunlight won’t hit you right away. It should give you time to see each other, even if it’s only for a moment.”

Huaisang doesn’t know if he fully believes it, but it’s worth a shot. Anything is worth a shot at this point, anything to see his brother again… even if it’s only for a moment. The wolf is there with him, curled up, nursing the small wound in its side. Huaisang tries to think about the last time he saw his brother. They were in Koi Tower, and Jin Guangyao was grinning down at them from a dais. When did it all go wrong? When did Meng Yao become someone who could do such a thing?

When Meng Yao had lived with them in the Unclean Realm, they had all been so close. Meng Yao and Mingjue both doted on Huaisang, and the two of them had been very close friends. It must have started when Jin Guangshan finally acknowledged Meng Yao as his son, giving him the name Guangyao (though that in itself was a slap in the face that Huaisang only realized as he got older). It seemed that becoming Jin Guangyao was when it all changed… that and when Lan Xichen arrived at Koi Tower. He wonders if Lan Xichen is alright, if he’s well. It surely must be hard to marry the person you love and then have them taken away.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the bad memories, he draws his knees up to his chest, half-burying his face in his robes. He wants to remember his da-ge the way he should be. He wants to remember his beloved older brother holding him close and soothing his nightmares and complimenting him on his paintings and calligraphy. He wants to remember how he made fun of Mingjue when his moustache started growing in patchily and how Mingjue chased him around his room before sweeping him up and tickling him into submission. Those memories make him smile. Those memories are good.

The sun begins to come up. Huaisang sees the golden glow on the horizon, holds his breath. Please… Please let this work… Please let me see him just this once. He quickly scuttles to the other side of the hole, away from the sunlight. If even a little light touches him, he will change. Please, I need to see him.

As the light washes over them, the wolf is bathed in golden light, so bright Huaisang has to shield his eyes. But then he can look. 

Then he can see his brother. For a moment, Mingjue merely blinks at him, unsure what he’s seeing. He’s so tall and broad, still wearing that moustache Huaisang teased him for, still wearing his hair in the braids of the Qinghe Nie. The expression on his face is one of mingled joy and grief, but when Huaisang has been wishing to see him for so long, he would see him wear any expression at all as long as he was looking at him.

Mingjue’s breath catches in his throat when he truly realizes what is going, who he’s seeing. There was a brief moment where he wondered how precisely he’d managed to collect another young master… before he realizes this is his little brother.

“A-Sang,” he breathes, his whole body shaking.

He’d somehow expected Huaisang to still look like a little boy, to still be twelve and small and chubby-cheeked. Mingjue has aged, of course, but somehow he never thought Huaisang would. To see this young man here in front of him, handsome and delicate and gentle but still undeniably his little brother is at once delightful and overpoweringly sad. Huaisang should have grown up with friends. He should have had Xichen and Wangji for brothers and perhaps these two brats from Yunmeng as friends. But he still looks at Mingjue with such love in his eyes, his hair still worn in the elaborate braids their family always favored.

Mingjue reaches out to cup Huaisang’s cheek as he always used to, desperate to touch him, to make sure all of this is real. He’s close enough to feel the warmth of Huaisang’s skin when the sunlight hits him.

The glow is blinding. Mingjue tries to see through it, he really tries, but he has to shield his eyes. When he removes his arm from his face, there is a little black-and-white hawk sitting where his brother was.

The howl that leaves him this time is more pitiful than any noise he’s ever made as a wolf.

Jiang Cheng hears the shrill cry of the hawk, hears Nie Mingjue give an anguished cry, and he has to fight back his own tears. How unfair… Wen Ning’s idea was supposed to give the brothers more time to see one another and to speak to each other. He can’t blame the other boy, though, not when he sees Wen Ning is crying in earnest, Wei Wuxian speaking to him gently and stroking his hair.

“Take your shirt off, Jiang-gongzi.”

He blinks, the words taking a moment to settle in. As soon as they do, and as soon as he realizes who said them, he looks up at Wen Qing and yelps, “Take off my- What?”

“Your shirt,” she repeats, her voice firm, “Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but the wolf nearly tore your chest to ribbons. I need to look at the wounds to make sure you’ll heal properly and not die of an infection. So… Shirt. Off.”

When he simply blinks at her again, she sighs and reaches for him. Jiang Cheng jerks back, asking, “What are you doing?”

“Exactly what I said I was going to do. I need to examine your wounds.”

“I can take my own clothes off-”

“Well, it didn’t look like it,” she snaps back, “Now hurry up. I need to clean them up, too, and we don’t have a lot of time.”

Jiang Cheng is still slow to obey, but it’s because of the pain this time rather than surprise. Wen Qing’s expression softens, and this time when she reaches to assist him, he lets her. Looking down at his chest, he’s almost surprised how bad it is.

None of the wounds are too deep, but they hurt . They’ve dipped into the muscle in places, and there’s a particularly painful one over his collarbone that probably exposed the bone. Wen Qing mutters to herself as she looks him over, wholly focused on checking each and every little scratch. Jiang Cheng takes in the furrow of her brow, the way her lips barely part as she talks to herself, the feeling of her gentle touch as she probes his wounds. His stomach gives a little flip. I think I would like it very much if she were to come live in Lotus Pier with us.

He feels slightly less favorable when she starts applying a salve to the wounds, Jiang Cheng wincing at the harsh sting. Wen Qing mumbles an apology, telling him, “Sometimes things that hurt are the things that heal.”

She’s still in the middle of treating him when Nie Mingjue finally reappears, his eyes red and his face wet. For a long moment, he just stands there, breathing deeply, the little hawk perched on his shoulder.

“I’m going to kill that little bastard,” he says suddenly, stomping forward to grab his saber from Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian, brave fool that he is, doesn’t seem to want to give it up without a fight.

“You can’t! We have a plan, remember?” Wei Wuxian half-shouts, “The eclipse!”

“Damn the plan, and damn the eclipse!” Nie Mingjue bellows.

“Nie-gongzi-”

“My saber! Give it to me!”

“No! We agreed to the plan! It’s what Huaisang wanted-”

“Don’t you dare try to invoke his name against me! Do you think I wanted any of this? Do you think I wanted him to live this-this- this cursed half-life?”

“No, I don’t, and I don’t think you want him to keep living it! Which is why we have to stick to the plan! What are we all doing if we don’t get the curse broken for you? What has all this been for?”

“It’s been so I can get one step closer to murdering that son of a-”

“No!” Wei Wuxian all but screams, crying now, “I know you’ve been helping us, and I know you saved me and Jiang Cheng, but now let us help you and Huaisang! Look at Jiang Cheng! Look!”

Jiang Cheng feels himself freeze as Nie Mingjue does just that. He can see the rage seeping out of Nie Mingjue as he takes in the wounds criss-crossing Jiang Cheng’s chest and the bloodied tatters of his robes.

“Who-... Who did that?” Nie Mingjue asks, his voice now almost too quiet.

Wei Wuxian draws himself up a little taller, telling him, “You did… as the wolf. You fell into the river and couldn’t get out and Jiang Cheng saved you! He could’ve- could’ve died saving you! You can’t just throw that away!”

The weight of Nie Mingjue’s gaze is heavy, and Jiang Cheng starts to squirm a little, saying, “You weren’t yourself when you did this, Nie-gongzi… don’t blame yourself.”

“True… but I still hurt you… and then I tried to act rashly and could have hurt you further,” he tells him, “I swore I would protect you-... seems I can’t protect anyone-”

“But you have. You have protected us this whole time,” Jiang Cheng replies, “If it wasn’t for you, Su She would’ve captured us and carted us off to Koi Tower to be killed already. Let us help you get rid of both of them. Won’t it feel better to know you got the best of him before you kill him? To tell everyone what he did?”

There’s a long silence, and for a moment, Jiang Cheng is worried he’s said the wrong thing, has instead said something to make Nie Mingjue even angrier… but then Nie Mingjue’s body sags, and he lets out a great sigh. The hawk, which had flown away while he was in his rage, has returned to perch on his shoulder, nipping delicately at one of his braids. He reaches up absently to stroke over the bird’s head.

“Alright… Alright. Let’s go break the curse.”

“Xichen-gege, are you free?”

Xichen fights back a shudder at the sickly-sweet voice calling his name, doesn’t even try to plaster a smile on his face as he turns to greet the man. Five years now, Xichen has been essentially mourning. He only wears white (him and his brother both) and he’s turned down many offers of betrothal, especially from Jin Guangyao.

Even now, as the man smiles at him with fake warmth, Xichen feels the despair rising up in his chest.

“The conference is tomorrow, Xichen-gege,” Jin Guangyao tells him, “I was hoping to announce our betrothal to everyone. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Xichen remains silent. He has never told another soul about his secret marriage to Mingjue, certainly not Jin Guangyao. Gods only know what Jin Guangyao would do if he found that Xichen has already been married… and that he’s married to Mingjue. Reining all his courage, he says, “I was hoping to have more time to think about it, Jin-xiandu-”

“A-Yao,” Jin Guangyao corrects, “You used to call me A-Yao.”

“A- A-Yao… There is much we should discuss,” he continues, willing the shaking from his voice, “I am meant to be the Sect Leader of the Gusu Lan. That isn’t something that can be simply given up-”

“Of course it can. You have a brother. Wangji can take over as Sect Leader.”

“Wangji is still so young. He hasn’t had the same lessons in leadership I have. It would take some time to train him up to take over-”

“That can be done after we are married,” and Jin Guangyao’s smile is now something cold and terrible, “We should be wed as soon as possible, Xichen-gege.”

“Please, A-Yao… I simply would like more time to think-”

“You’ve had five years to think!” he snaps, the smile immediately replaced with rage, “Five years since your precious Nie Mingjue ran out on you! What, are you waiting for him?”

“So what if I am?”

“He left you, Xichen! He took that little brat brother of his and ran away! Don’t you think he would’ve come back by now if he loved you? Don’t you think he would’ve returned?”

He can’t stop his tears, but he does manage to keep from telling Jin Guangyao all he truly knows. My A-Jue didn’t run away, you sent him away. You cursed him and you cursed little Huaisang who did nothing wrong and you sent them away, and you broke my heart in the process. He pleads, “A-Yao, more time is all I ask. Is that so much?”

His gaze is hard, stabbing into Xichen’s heart.

“Yes. It is,” he replies, “You used to love me once, Lan Xichen.”

“I did.”

“What happened?”

There are many things Xichen wants to say. He wants to say Because you’re a different person now , and Because you're someone I don’t know anymore , Because you’ve become someone terrifying and frightening and ruthless , but he can’t. He’s almost willing to let Jin Guangyao do anything he wants to him, but he has Wangji to think about, too. In the same way that Mingjue had been willing to do anything to protect Huaisang, Xichen is willing to do anything to keep Wangji safe. So he says none of that.

“Things simply changed, A-Yao.”

That does not appear to be an answer Jin Guangyao likes. His smile returns, twisted and terrible, and Xichen fights the urge to recoil when his hand wraps tightly around his wrist.

“I will be announcing our betrothal at the conference tomorrow, Xichen-gege ,” he hisses, “and I suggest you think very carefully about what you want… especially where Wangji is concerned. I believe my dear Minshan has had his eye on him for some time now.”

Xichen does recoil at that, jerking his hand back and saying, “Su She was removed from Cloud Recesses as a traitor! He hates the Gusu Lan! You cannot allow him to marry Wangji!”

“It’s in your power to prevent that. As I said. Think on it.”

And then Jin Guangyao is sweeping out of the room as Wangji shows up. Jin Guangyao offers him the same fake smile he offered Xichen, and then he’s gone, Xichen left alone with his brother.

“Xiongzhang!”

Xichen doesn’t realize his knees have given out until he hits the floor, Wangji at his side in an instant, and then Xichen is sobbing. It’s so unfair, it’s all so unfair. Jin Guangyao had been his friend once, had been someone he could confide in and trust, someone he cared about and assumed cared about him in return. Xichen and Mingjue and A-Yao… they all could have been friends. Jin Guangyao had loved Mingjue once, too, had lived with them in the Unclean Realm for a time when he was still Meng Yao. Mingjue had told him how capable and intelligent Meng Yao was when Xichen arrived in Koi Tower, told him all about the man called Jin Guangyao and his rise from rags to the riches of the Lanling Jin. Xichen had been suitably impressed, had marveled at the way Jin Guangyao seemed to ignore those who looked down upon him and how he worked so hard and so well. 

He can see the ruthlessness in him now. He remembered things about people not just to make them comfortable but to learn their weaknesses. He could hone in on precisely what made people weak, finding any little vulnerability. Xichen can see that now.

Wangji holds him as he sobs, trying in vain to soothe him. 

“Wangji-... Wangji, you have to leave,” he manages through his tears, “Please, you have to leave Koi Tower and return to Cloud-”

“No. No, I won’t leave you.”

“You must! Jin Guangyao-”

“Did he hurt you?”

His little brother looks murderous, and Xichen has no doubt that if he were to say ‘yes’, Wangji himself would go and murder Jin Guangyao. He can’t allow that to happen, though. He shakes his head, and Wangji presses, “Was he asking you about betrothal again?”

“He wasn’t asking, Wangji… He was telling. He’s going to announce the betrothal to the conference tomorrow-”

“He can’t! You’re-”

Xichen quickly puts a hand over his brother’s mouth, shushing him. Living in Koi Tower has made him paranoid, thinking someone is always listening, always watching, that nowhere is safe… though it doesn’t seem that it's a delusion. Jin Guangyao does seem to have little spies everywhere, little spies that tell him whatever he wants to know, and he can’t have Wangji speaking aloud about his and Mingjue’s marriage.

“Then we will both leave,” Wangji says, quieter this time, “Let’s both return to Cloud Recesses. Shufu would be glad to have us back.”

“I fear what would happen if we did so. We both know that I’m the one he wants, the one he- he desires. If we both were to run to Cloud Recesses, then I fear he would tear apart the mountain to get me back… and you, Wangji… He- He implied that if I wouldn’t cooperate, then he would marry you off to Su She.”

Somehow, Wangji gets even angrier. (It was Wangji, after all, who reported on what Su She had done and got him removed from the Sect.) Xichen quickly tries to soothe his anger, cups his face in his hands and tells him, “Leave this place, Wangji. Leave and be free.”

The fresh air doesn’t help to clear Wangji’s mind the way he thought it would. Even as he leaves Koi Tower itself and heads into the surrounding wood, his mind remains filled with questions and anger. Who does Jin Guangyao think he is? Does he think he can so easily play with Xichen and Wangji’s lives? With the lives of Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang?

He feels a pang of sadness at the memory of the boy who had so cheerfully greeted him so many years ago, who had been delighted when their older brothers began courting because it meant the two of them would be brothers too. Wangji takes a deep breath. He must be calm. He can’t go into the conference tomorrow with murder on his mind, or he might just kill Jin Guangyao tomorrow and damn the consequences… except he wouldn’t be the only one facing consequences. If anything were to happen to Wangji, that would make Xichen unhappy, and he does not want to make his brother unhappy.

The path he takes through the woods is a long and winding one. Once the sun begins to set, he realizes he’s far from Koi Tower, far enough that he won’t get back before dark, far enough that his brother is likely worrying about him. The thought of making Xichen more worried than he already is makes his stomach twist uncomfortably, so he turns and starts making his way back, branching off onto a more direct route.

With the time of day, there shouldn’t be anyone else out on this dark road in the middle of the woods. The only reason Wangji is here is because he is a skilled cultivator, and there is little that could attack him and get away with it.

So he is reasonably startled to see a wagon traveling down the road, hauled by an unruly sounding donkey led by a youth perhaps a few years younger than Wangji. He steps aside to let it pass but from inside the wagon, there’s suddenly a loud shriek and another young man all but leaps out from the back. Yet another youth follows him, calling, “Wei Wuxian! Get back in the wagon now!”

“I can’t! Jiang Cheng, that beast looked at me and licked its lips! How can I sit in there with it knowing it wants to eat me!”

“Wei-xiong, you know he won’t eat you!”

That voice… Wangji freezes, turning toward the wagon. He hasn’t heard that voice in five years, and while it’s changed slightly, gotten a little deeper, there’s no way he wouldn’t recognize-

“Huaisang?”

The two boys already out of the wagon turn to look at Wangji, their expressions suspicious, but he doesn’t care. If Huaisang is here, then he will have answers. He will know where Nie Mingjue is. They’ll be able to put a stop to his whole horrid affair.

Wangji almost doesn’t recognize his friend. He’s grown over the last five years, a handsome young master now instead of the silly, chubby-cheeked boy he’d been when he and his brother disappeared. A moment passes where the two of them just look at each other.

“Wang- Wangji-xiong?”

“Mn… is it really Nie Huaisang?”

Nie Huaisang nods, and then he jumps down from the wagon, running to Wangji. Wangji certainly isn’t the most demonstrative with his emotions, but having his old friend back has him opening his arms to accept his hug.

“Wangji-xiong! I can’t believe it! I’m so glad to see you!”

“Huaisang-xiong, where is your brother? We need him. Jin Guangyao-”

“Ah, my brother is in the wagon still. Here-”

Taking Wangji’s hand, he leads him over and pulls away the curtain from the back of the wagon. Inside is a large cage (which looks none too sturdy), a black wolf of immense size sitting calmly within it. There’s also a young woman, who glowers at him. He isn’t sure he recognizes her.

But he doesn’t see Nie Mingjue.

“Huaisang-xiong, I don’t-”

“The wolf is my brother,” Nie Huaisang says simply, “When Jin Guangyao sent us away, he cursed us first. By night, da-ge becomes this wolf, and by day, I become a little hawk. Always together… but never together. How cruel…”

Wangji feels his blood boiling, but he wills himself to calm down. Rage will do him no good here in the middle of the woods. To buy himself more time to calm down, he asks, “Who are these who are with you?”

“Ah, well that’s Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian from Yunmeng Jiang- they have their own interesting story to tell about Jin Guangyao- and then there’s Wen Qing and Wen Ning-”

“Wen?”

“Mn, they’re from the Dafan Wen. They were allowed to settle in Yiling after the war, but Su She and his men attacked because- well, I suppose I can let everyone else tell their own parts,” Nie Huaisang replies, “I really am glad to see you. How’s Xichen-ge?”

“He isn’t well. Nie Mingjue’s disappearance left him very sad… and there’s something else now which upsets him,” Wangji explains, “Jin Guangyao is trying to marry xiongzhang.”

“But- But he can’t marry him! Da-ge and Xichen-ge are already married!”

“We know that, but xiongzhang won’t tell Jin-xiandu. He’s afraid of what will happen if he does… and he was told that if he won’t marry Jin-xiandu, then Jin-xiandu will force me to marry Su She.”

“That’s horrible!” one of the Yunmeng boys- Wei Wuxian- cries out, “How can he force you to marry someone you don’t want to?”

“Wei-gongzi surely knows that Jin-xiandu is very powerful… and he can be very cruel.”

“Hmm, yes, Jiang Cheng and I learned that very well,” and Wei Wuxian goes on to explain his and his brother’s plight with Jin Guangyao and the supposed stolen Jin treasures.

“If Jin-xiandu is looking for you, then it’s very dangerous for you to be here,” Wangji says to them, “Almost everyone in Koi Tower and the surrounding area is loyal to Jin-xiandu. He has many spies.”

“Ah, Wangji-xiong said ‘almost everyone’,” Wei Wuxian says, stepping closer, “That means there are some who are not loyal to Jin-xiandu in Koi Tower.”

Wangji wants to be angry with this boy for addressing him so familiarly, but since he didn’t give his surname, he supposes he can’t be too upset. (Besides, there’s something about him which intrigues Wangji, something about the mischievous look in his eyes.)

“Of course there are some who hate Jin-xiandu. There were many in the guard who loved Nie Mingjue, and many more loved Huaisang-xiong. No one knew precisely what happened, but we all knew Jin-xiandu was responsible for your disappearance.”

“Are you friendly with these other people? Could you help us get in?”

“Why are you all here?”

“Because we’re helping Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang break the curse,” Wen Qing speaks up, “Will you help us?”

Before he can even think of the consequences, Wangji says, “Yes. I will help. It will be difficult with the conference tomorrow, though.”

“I should think it would be easier,” Wei Wuxian says, “There will be lots of people there not often seen in Koi Tower. We could be visiting disciples from some other Sect.”

“Jiang-zongzhu will be there. He will certainly recognize you-”

“Then I’ll wear a disguise. Jiang Cheng should stay outside, because he’s more recognizable, but I’m pretty good at blending into a crowd. I had to when I lived on the street.”

Wangji immediately wants to know more, but this is neither the time nor the place. He simply agrees, “Mn. I know someone who works in the laundry. I will get you a servant’s uniform… and we should change your hair, as well. That will help disguise you.”

Wangji knows he will have to be careful. He is the Second Jade of Lan, after all, a recognizable person. If Jin Guangyao’s spies are out in force (which they always are) then he will need to be extra careful.

“Huaisang, are you sure we can trust this Wangji fellow?” Jiang Cheng asks, watching the young master in white disappear into the darkness.

“Of course we can! Weren’t you listening? Xichen-ge is his older brother,” he says, “I wouldn’t say we grew up together, but we were fairly close as children here. If there’s one person in the world we can trust, it’s Lan Wangji.”

“Well, I like him a whole lot,” Wei Wuxian pipes up, his tone suggestive, “What a handsome young master! Even if all that white makes him look like he’s going to a funeral, he’s still the most handsome person I’ve ever seen-”

“Aiya, do you ever stop, Wei Wuxian?” Jiang Cheng scolds him, “ You say that all the time!”

“I do not!”

“You do too! You said it just two weeks ago about Niu Anbai! And before that you said that Quan He was the prettiest person you’ve ever seen! And before that -”

“Will both of you shut up!” Wen Qing snaps, “You’re shouting so loud it’s a wonder Lan Wangji is the only one who’s found us so far!”

Jiang Cheng snaps his mouth shut, but Wei Wuxian, already set for mischief, turns on him, smirking, “Maybe I should say how A-Cheng said the prettiest person he ever saw is Wen-guniang-”

“ Wei Wuxian !”

“Will you two be quiet ?!”

Wen Qing’s now-venomous tone shuts them both up more quickly, but Jiang Cheng’s face is still hot with embarrassment. Huaisang is giggling, though, clearly taking some kind of entertainment from them being scolded. It must be nice to suddenly have such entertaining company after being alone so long, so he supposes he can’t be too upset.

When Lan Wangji finally returns with the stacks of clothes, Jiang Cheng takes some to Wen Qing and her brother and Huaisang, trying to ignore Wei Wuxian’s shameless flirting with Lan Wangji. (Though that becomes increasingly difficult with each ‘Wangji-xiong, I can’t figure out this belt’ and ‘Won’t Wangji-xiong help me with my hair’. He would tell him to stop if he hadn’t seen Lan Wangji’s ears turning red in response. Jiang Cheng is convinced his shixiong’s antics are going to send him to an early grave.)

“Here, Wen-guniang,” he says quietly, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks again.

There was no way she hadn’t heard Wei Wuxian say what he did earlier, and if it wasn’t true, Jiang Cheng would be far less embarrassed than he is now. The clothes he has for her and Wen Ning are fairly drab, very different from the vibrant red they wear as members of the Wen Clan, and Jiang Cheng isn’t sure where they came from since even the servants in Lanling wear gold.

Wen Qing murmurs her thanks and takes the bundle, just holding it in her hands for a moment. Neither of them speak until Jiang Cheng turns to leave.

“Jiang-gongzi… do you really think this is going to work?”

Her voice is quiet and unsure, so far from her typically sharp manner. She’s our age. She’s seventeen… She doesn’t know what she’s doing any more than we do. He moves closer to her once more, carefully setting his hand on top of hers, and says, “I have to.”

For a long moment, they just look at each other. He sees a girl who’s had to do much in her seventeen years, too much protecting and too much surviving and too much worrying about others, and something twists painfully in his chest. Once she comes to Lotus Pier, he vows to make sure she can focus on living instead.

Wei Wuxian had looked almost unrecognizable when Mingjue first saw him in the morning, clothed in gold instead of his usual darker colors, his signature red ribbon gone from his hair, which was now tied back simply and elegantly. He even seemed to change the manner in which he stood and spoke. (“If anyone asks,” Lan Wangji had told him, “your name is Mo Xuanyu.”) Lan Wangji had disappeared with Wei Wuxian what feels like hours ago, and it’s almost time for Mingjue to enter the hall. Jiang Cheng is staying outside with Wen Ning and Wen Qing, but his main concern is for the little hawk.

His stomach rolling faintly, he turns to Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing, knowing only the two of them would be strong enough to follow his next (and maybe final) order.

“There is a certain bell that’s rung to signal the end of the meeting,” he explains quietly, “If I haven’t returned by that time… then-... then I need you to kill the bird.”

“Nie-gongzi-”

“No arguments. I don’t intend to live if this doesn’t work, and I can’t let Huaisang keep living this cursed half-life if I’m gone. Maybe-... Maybe if we both die then our next life will be better. Please…”

Jiang Cheng still looks faintly like he’ll be sick, but Wen Qing’s expression is-... he doesn’t quite know what it is: determined and angry and sad all at once perhaps. He doesn’t like it, but there’s nothing he can do about it. He simply reaches out to stroke the little bird’s head one last time, tears blurring his vision.

“I’ll see you soon, baobei.”

Wei Wuxian has to actually make the effort to school his expression into something unimpressed as he enters Koi Tower’s Fragrance Hall. He had only been once before, and it certainly hadn’t looked quite this grand. He half follows Lan Wangji- Lan Zhan, he lets him call him Lan Zhan- to his table as if he’s the one leading him there, and thankfully it’s in the back, tucked away from everyone else. Wei Wuxian should have a clear way to the side door he needs to unlock.

Nie Mingjue is so recognizable, there’s no way he can simply come up the main steps to Koi Tower without causing a huge scene and ruining the plan. Lan Zhan had told him which door to use, and thankfully, Nie Mingjue still remembered his way around Koi Tower from his years as a member of the Guard.

The conference ticks on, this initial meeting simple, just a way to introduce the issues that will be discussed at the conference at large. Lan Zhan had told him what the timeline would be for the meeting, and so when he hears the start of the discussion on how to assist the people of Meishan who were affected by a drought this year, Wei Wuxian takes his quiet leave, slipping away to the door. (Lan Zhan had also stolen a key for him. Surely he’s breaking so many of the rules the Lan Clan have!)

“Thank you, Yu-zongzhu,” he hears Jin Guangyao say, and Wei Wuxian picks up his pace a little, hurrying to the door.

They were supposed to take longer to talk about Meishan. He doesn’t walk too fast. He doesn’t need attention drawn to himself. Jin Guangyao continues, “Now, please, everyone… I would like to make a special announcement to all of you.”

Just a little farther. Don’t look at me, don’t look at me don’t look at me-

“It is my pleasure-” Wei Wuxian reaches the door- “to announce-” Wei Wuxian puts the key in the lock- “that Lan Xichen has agreed-” Wei Wuxian turns the key-

The door slams open, nearly coming off its hinges. Everyone seated in the Fragrance Hall jumps, some grabbing their swords, others merely startled. They all turn their eyes to the door, Wei Wuxian skillfully moving himself away from it and their sight. Lan Xichen is the first to speak.

“Mingjue-xiong!”

Hearing Xichen say his name again almost makes Mingjue stop in his tracks. Almost. Members of the Guard come running, ready to protect the Chief Cultivator, but some of them stop too. Mingjue had been popular when he was Head of the Guard, after all. Most of the Guard still here had served under him, had learned from him, had been his friends.

Mingjue steps slowly into the middle of the room, dropping his cloak, and then he points Baxia straight at the Chief Cultivator, bellowing, “Jin Guangyao! You’re finished!”

Some of the Guard step in to fight him… but not all of them. Many of them hang back, hands on their swords, standing in front of the attending cultivators. Those who do fight Mingjue fall quickly. He had never trained them, after all; Su She did. They aren’t very good fighters.

Jin Guangyao is red in the face, outraged, and it’s worth it to see such a horrible emotion on his usually placid face. Stealing a glance, Mingjue can see two Guards protecting Xichen, Luo Qingyang and Lan Yongyun. They’re younger, only briefly trained by Mingjue, but they were nothing if not loyal to him.

With the few Guards willing to face Chifeng-zun dead, Mingjue steps closer. Su She materializes by Jin Guangyao’s side, and with no else to fight him, Mingjue speaks.

“Perhaps the Chief Cultivator would like to make another announcement,” he states loudly, clearly, the whole room listening, “Perhaps he should explain to you all what truly happened to Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang five years ago. Perhaps he would explain how-”

“Nie Mingjue!” Jin Guangyao warns.

At that moment, someone- maybe one of the Guard, maybe another cultivator- calls out, “An eclipse! The eclipse has started!”

The covering is removed from the window, and someone… someone rings the bell.

Mingjue whips his head around, crying, “No!” desperate to see who’s done it, but the deed is done, the bell ringing out through the room and certainly to where Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing sit in wait. Now that they’ve heard it…

He turns in time to see Su She rushing him, and it’s easy to parry his sword with Baxia. Though not a very strong fighter, Su She isn’t making the duel an easy one. He’s playing a little dirty (which Mingjue expected), kicking low and trying to sweep in from beyond Mingjue’s peripheral vision. One swing of his sword nicks Mingjue’s arm, another his thigh.

He can wait, though. If Huaisang is- then he just needs to defeat him and kill Jin Guangyao and then he can die peacefully and join Huaisang… though he does still have Xichen. Would Xichen even want him like this? Something cursed? Something with a half life? Something that can’t warm his bed at night except as a beast?

Another nick to his arm, and then Mingjue has had enough playing. A brutal swing knocks Su She off balance, sees him struggling to find his footing. It’s easy then to swing again to send him sprawling to the ground. It’s easier still to run Baxia through his heart.

He points the blood-drenched blade at Jin Guangyao, tears in his eyes.

“Your turn-”

“Da-ge!”

That voice… Mingjue stops in his tracks, not daring to hope. Maybe he’s dreaming. Maybe he’ll soon wake from sleeping in the woods somewhere, the little hawk looking down at him, waiting for a chunk of meat and a pat on the head. Jin Guangyao, though…

Jin Guangyao looks terrified.

Just that is enough to make Mingjue turn around. 

He hadn’t truly gotten a good look at Huaisang during that brief moment a day ago, and now, being able to see him in light of day (however obscured it is in this eclipse) is nearly overwhelming. 

Huaisang looks like a proper young master, standing proudly in the midst of the hall, his robes a grey so soft it’s nearly white, fading into black at all the hems. He still wears his hair in the same Qinghe braids that Mingjue taught him when he was small, the last vestiges of baby fat clinging to his cheeks. He holds his hands in front of him, something clasped tightly within them. He approaches Jin Guangyao with measured steps, not yet looking at Mingjue. 

No one in the hall moves, no one speaks, no one even seems to breathe as Huaisang stands before Jin Guangyao, and finally he reveals what’s in hands: the jesses and bells that had once adorned his feet as a hawk, that remained on his wrists whenever he spent his nights as a human.

He tosses them at Jin Guangyao’s feet as Jin Guangyao looks on, horrified.

A moment passes and suddenly it hits Mingjue. This is real. Huaisang is here, and he is human, and this is no dream. Slowly, he feels himself lowering Baxia, all his attention on Huaisang. 

“Huai- Huaisang? A-Sang, is it really you?” he whispers, though it sounds loud in his own ears. 

It’s now that Huaisang finally turns to look at him, smiling through the tears in his eyes. 

“Yes, da-ge, it’s really me,” he says happily, “It’s over now.”

Being able to stand as a human again in the light of day is almost overwhelming after spending so long without being able to. It’s even more overwhelming to be able to look at his brother all he wants. Tears burn in his eyes. His cheeks hurt from smiling. He takes a step toward Mingjue. 

Behind him, there’s movement, a shout. 

Huaisang turns. Jin Guangyao lunges toward him, a dagger in his hand, the blade glinting in the light. It seems to happen slowly, but Huaisang still can’t move, feels like his feet are stuck to the floor. Behind him, Mingjue cries out, but Jin Guangyao is too close for him to do anything about it. It’s okay. He can kill me… as long as he doesn’t hurt da-ge-

Jin Guangyao stops moving suddenly, lurching to a halt. Blood begins to drip from his lips. Lan Xichen stands behind him, sword in hand, the blade plunged into Jin Guangyao’s back. There are tears shining in his eyes as he whispers, “I’m sorry, A-Yao.”

He pulls the blade out. Jin Guangyao falls.

The once silent erupts into shouts for answers, shouts for violence, shouts cheering Lan Xichen and Chifeng-zun. Huaisang doesn’t care about any of them.

All he cares about is the way Mingjue sweeps him up into his arms and presses kisses all over his face, murmuring, “A-Sang… my didi…” over and over. Huaisang relaxes fully into the affection, more than happy to allow his brother to coddle him once more.

“I’m sorry, A-Sang,” he whispers, stopping his affectionate assault to pull him into another tight hug, “I’m so sorry. I should have protected you. I should have- This never should have happened. We should have run to Qinghe when we had the chance, and now we’ve lost so much time! I missed you growing up, baobei. Just look at what a fine young man you’ve become without my knowing-!”

“It’s okay, da-ge,” Huaisang tells him, voice muffled with how he’s pressed into Mingjue’s shoulder, “We’re together again now. That’s all that matters. It’s done.”

He has no doubt that Mingjue would happily stand and hold him all day… if not for someone else important standing nearby.

“Mingjue-xiong… A-Jue…”

Lan Xichen’s voice is hardly more than a breath, soft and almost lost in the din of the conference hall. They both hear him, though. Mingjue slowly lets go of Huaisang, turning to his beloved. Huaisang doesn’t have long to wait before he’s swept up into a hug by Wei Wuxian, the other boy laughing in his ear and cheering, “We did it! Lan Zhan, we did it!”

Lan Wangji even gives him a little smile.

Mingjue steps toward Xichen, sees the tears rolling down his beloved’s face, reaches out to wipe them away. As soon as Mingjue’s hand touches his face, Xichen leans into it, cheek pressed into his palm, his own hands coming up to hold it there.

“A-Jue… A-Jue, you’re really here,” he whispers, “It’s really you.”

“Yes, love, I’m really here-”

Xichen doesn’t even give him time to finish his sentence. He launches into his arms, wrapping his arms around Mingjue’s neck and crushing their lips together in the best and sloppiest kiss he’s ever known. It’s full of passion and longing and lost time and joy, and it’s absolutely perfect . Mingjue finds himself crying from the sheer happiness of it all. 

“A-Huan, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to leave you here all alone,” Mingjue rambles as soon as they break the kiss, “I should’ve found some way to help, some way to get you out of here so you wouldn’t have to-”

“Hush, my love… As A-Sang said, it’s over now. You’re here. You’re here with me, and that’s all that matters,” Xichen grins brightly as the sun, “My husband is here with me again.”

Mingjue feels himself grinning in return, replying, “Yes… your husband is here…”

Their next kiss is equally perfect.

“A- Sang ,” Wei Wuxian whines, “You’re really going back to Qinghe so soon? I feel like we’ve barely spent any time together!”

“We spent a lot of time together when you were running for your life, Wei-xiong! Was that not enough?”

“Of course not! Not when we’re just getting to be good friends!”

“Well then maybe you should have spent more time with me instead of Wangji-xiong!”

Wei Wuxian turns red at that, spluttering, and Lan Wangji’s ears turn pink as well. Huaisang giggles, deciding to keep teasing, “Ah, but if Wei-xiong and Wangji-xiong keep courting as they are, you’ll be able to see me when Wangji-xiong comes to visit Xichen-ge in Qinghe!”

More spluttering from Wei Wuxian, and Lan Wangji’s ears turn bright red. Huaisang laughs again, full this time, from deep in his belly, and tells them, “I’m sorry, I can’t help it… Besides, I’ll be coming to Gusu soon for lectures. There’s a lot I missed while I was cursed. I have a lot to catch up on in the world. I’m just going to start with Qinghe first. Oh, Wei-xiong, have you heard how the Wen are doing in Yunmeng?”

“Mn! Jiang-shushu said they’re doing well!” Wei Wuxian replies, “Jiang Cheng already went back with him to Lotus Pier… I can only assume because he wants to get back to Wen Qing more quickly.”

“Wen Qing is a great lady! Of course he wants to get back to her. He wants to start courting her before someone else does, I’m sure.”

“Ugh… please, don’t talk about Jiang Cheng courting … he’s so awkward at it! It’s embarrassing to watch!”

“Why are you watching him while he’s courting, Wei-xiong?” he asks, wiggling an eyebrow.

Wei Wuxian swears and swats at Huaisang, who just keeps laughing. It feels like it had been ages since he’d truly laughed, and these last two weeks, he’s done nothing but laugh. He turns to Lan Wangji, saying, “Wangji-xiong… I do hope you’ll come visit soon. I know you’ll have a lot to do now that you have to prepare to be Sect Leader, but I’d like for you and your uncle to visit whenever you like, and I know da-ge would like that too.”

“Mn… I will be sure to tell Shufu you said so.”

“Are you going back to Gusu soon?”

“Yes, but first I need to go to Lotus Pier,” he answers with a little smirk, “I need permission from Jiang-zongzhu to court Wei Ying properly.”

Wei Wuxian’s delighted shriek of “Lan Zhan !” has Huaisang laughing again.

“A-Sang!”

“Da-ge!”

The sight of his brother with Xichen by his side is one that he can’t get enough of, Huaisang grinning every time he lays eyes on them. Mingjue grins, too, and Huaisang almost thinks the last five years were worth it if he now gets to see his brother this happy and appreciate it all the more.

“A-Sang, we need to get going,” Mingjue tells him after he runs over, his hand stroking over the back of his head, “We’re going home.”

Xichen smiles brightly at both of them, saying, “Home… our home.”

Huaisang doesn’t think he will ever stop laughing and smiling.