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Chapter Text

When Zhou Zishu opens his eyes, a sense of vertigo overcomes him. His vision is swimming and he feels faintly nauseous.

He blinks rapidly to try and see more clearly, and as the room around him comes into focus, he feels dumbfounded and the nausea grows so intense he feels he may vomit.

He is not lying on the bed he and Wen Kexing set up in the World Armory; he does not have strands of white hair in his mouth—as he is wont to—and there is no warm body in his arms. He is alone in the room, without a trace of his beloved soulmate.

Instead of waking up in the same place he has for the past five decades, he is sitting slumped by a desk in a room that he recognises, but wishes he didn't. He swallows harshly and stares down at the desk in front of him.

Seven long and thick nails lie on the table before him, along with a written record in his own hand on their usage.

Zhou Zishu wants to throw up.

He is no longer with his husband. He is no longer enjoying his life and spending his time with his soulmate.

Zhou Zishu used to dream of being able to turn back time, returning to a time before he lost all he cared for, his master, all the disciples of the Four Seasons Manor, and even his would-be sister-in-law at his own hand. He used to dream of such a thing, but he has not for decades. Not since... not since Wen Kexing gave him a reason to live again.

This dream—it must be a dream, no matter how real it feels—is like the cruellest of things. He does not want to relive the past, making the same mistakes he did when he lived it, but nor does he want to play out some ridiculous wish-fulfilling fantasy in which he corrects all of his mistakes only to wake up again to the real world in which he did not make the right choices.

This must be a dream, because Zhou Zishu cannot bear the thought that it was his time with Wen Kexing that was a dream. A dream filled with so much pain, grief and agony, culminating the the sweetest of lives. If it was a dream, if this is reality, then he cannot even be sure that Wen Kexing exists at all. Unless this, what he experiences now, is a dream, Zhou Zishu cannot know whether or not Zhen Yan survived the attack on his parents. He cannot know whether all the events he's lived through are real.

It is too much. It is not something he is capable of accepting.

What worth does his life have if he no longer has his soulmate?

He stumbles to his feet and looks at the instructions he wrote once more. Dream or not, as long as Zhou Zishu is living this, he is going to make different—better—choices. It will not make the waking easier, but it will make the dream easier, more bearable, until he can return to the waking world and his husband once more.

This time, he will not let all of the disciples of the Four Seasons Manor die until only he and Bi Changfeng remains and... Zhou Zishu turns his mind away from the memory.

He takes the instructions and holds them to a nearby candle, and watches as the paper catches on fire, and soon becomes engulfed in flames. He pushes the fruit he had off its metal platter and throws the burning paper down on it before the fire can reach his fingers.

The Seven Nails of Torment was a mistake, too cruel by half as they created a too fervent desire to keep serving Prince Jin beyond what one might otherwise wish. When the only other option is losing all of your senses, your martial arts, and soon your life... Few are going to take it. They are going to delude themselves into thinking that they are content where they are, and refuse to even consider leaving.

Leaving becomes the most desperate of actions, taken only if one no longer wishes to live. And even then, most would simply take their own sword to their neck in such a case.

Zhou Zishu himself did not take the nails as he gave it to others. Even at his lowest point, when he had nothing to live for and wished to die—with just a taste of freedom beforehand—he did not simply take the Seven Nails as given to others. He took them, but he dealt with them so he could still keep some of his martial arts.

Perhaps even as he refused to not take the nails he had forced onto others, he had still been a coward.

Even so, he cannot regret that cowardice, that selfishness. If he had not been selfish, he would not have managed to meet Lao Wen, and he knows it. And meeting his husband is something Zhou Zishu can never regret.

Whatever this dream is, Zhou Zishu is going to play his cards right, make the right decisions, and, hopefully, soon wake up to his laughing husband and the cold white snow of their mountain home.

It takes Zhou Zishu three horrific months to accept that he is not dreaming. He is awake, and this is reality.

He does not know what happened, or how, but either he had a very long dream, a very intricate prophetic vision, or his consciousness has travelled back in time. His body is that of himself of the past—though his mind now contains skills his self of this time could only dream of—and his physical abilities reflect that. He is weaker, slower, and skills he used to know as easily as breathing he now needs to teach his body anew.

He does not know how to handle living through the events of his life again. He wants to return where he was, to his husband on an endlessly snowy mountain where they spent their time bettering themselves, challenging each other, and... well. Having quite a lot of sex.

He trains his young body almost obsessively, even as he takes careful strides to avoid making the same mistakes he did the first time—whether the first time was a dream or not. He is not going to lose everything to the Window of Heaven, to Prince Jin, again.

He trains himself, he carefully starts to build Prince Jin's power—though far less ruthlessly than before. He does not much care for helping Prince Jin, not this time, but he also knows that the political power struggle that occurred once Prince Jin was powerful enough, helped keep the peace for the populace.

It is the only reason he hasn't simply killed his cousin to be done with it all.

He fears that the more he changes, the less he will know of what is coming. However, he is putting his faith in the knowledge that Wen Kexing is in the Ghost Valley, leading it, and completely shut off from the going ons of the outside world—for now, at least. As long as he can be sure that his actions will not cause harm to his soulmate, Zhou Zishu can rest easy.

He will find his husband again, even though he knows that it will not be the same. The husband Zhou Zishu knew is gone, along with the life they had. Even once Zhou Zishu finds Wen Kexing again, it will never be the same. This time's Wen Kexing doesn't and can't know Zhou Zishu the way he once did, simply because he has not lived through those times together.

When Zhou Zishu realises this, he is overwhelmed by grief. He has lost his husband, just as surely as if he had died. Perhaps He should not even try to find Lao Wen, perhaps he should simply keep the memory of his soulmate in his heart and do nothing else... but he can't. Just as he couldn't let him die, just as he before couldn't live without him, neither can he do so now.

The through of trying to live the rest of his life without ever even seeing Wen Kexing again makes Zhou Zishu want to die. It is a feeling he remembers well, despite the many decades that have passed since he last felt it. It is not something that one forgets so easily.

He's sent disciples to the Four Seasons Manor to carefully restore it—making sure to keep it a secret form Prince Jin—and he swears to himself that as soon as he has the sect back in its proper place and things have settled down, he will go to the Ghost Valley to find Wen Kexing and bring him home.

And then he'll... he'll figure out one way or another to let Lao Wen learn how to heal once more.

Wen Kexing's hands had only known violence and death for so long, but among the books in the World's Armory they had found books on healing, some of them even written by Lao Wen's parents. Slowly but surely, Lao Wen's hands had learned what they had been born for, not death and violence, but healing.

Zhou Zishu is determined to ensure that Wen Kexing gets the chance to learn that in this life too, no matter how difficult it may be.

Returning to Four Seasons Manor is bittersweet. It both is and isn't the home he lost and found anew.

When he left the Manor, he brought 81 disciples with him. When he returns, he brings 54 of those 81 back, as well as Han Ying and the 19 young men that wished to join them even in Zhou Zishu's previous life. That he can give Han Ying this, that he can become a disciple of the Four Seasons Manor in life this time, is a boon. Both to Zhou Zishu, but also to Wen Kexing, even if he may never know it. Zhou Zishu had watched his soulmate nearly kill himself trying to keep Han Ying alive, blaming himself for his death, so knowing that such a thing will never be necessary again...

The Manor is in good shape when they arrive, the repairs Zhou Zishu ordered in secret have gone well.

Leaving Prince Jin had been easier said than done. Zhou Zishu had tread carefully, to avoid burning that bridge. Not because he cares about Prince Jin's feelings, but rather it's for the same reason that he did help build his power in the first place: to keep him and the political landscape in a stalemate.

Zhou Zishu knows his cousin is a better choice than his brothers, but he's still not interested in helping him more than this. And should Prince Jin come after them in the end despite how carefully Zhou Zishu led him around to allow them to leave—the promise of an ally in the Jianghu, more capable of moving invisible in plain sight in the search for the Glazed Armor—then Zhou Zishu has no fear of giving his cousin the same ending he did in his last life.

Duan Peng Ju gets to become the leader of the Window of Heaven once more, though this time not because Zhou Zishu himself is dying. Zhou Zishu does not care much for him and idly wondered if perhaps he should ensure a small "accident" for the man to simply get rid of such a staunch slly for his cousin. But in the end he doesn't bother, he fears neither Prince Jin nor Duan Peng Ju.

They settle into Four Seasons Manor and Zhou Zishu continues with both his own training and that of the disciples of the sect. He wants all of them to be adept at the moves of their sect before they start moving into the Jianghu. Even so, Zhou Zishu feels incredibly impatient.

He wants everything to be settled here so he can make his way to Mount Qingya, down into the Ghost Valley, and find Wen Kexing. The impatience burns under his skin even as he takes care to not show anything on the outside.

He catches Qin Jiuxiao carving that same ugly wooden hairpin, slightly delayed as the timeline of it is, and this time... This time he pushes more. He makes sure that if his shidi wants to court someone, then he needs to do so properly and make it official.

It is not yet time for Prince Jin to go after Princess Jing An's father, and thus her, but Zhou Zishu cannot be sure it won't move up it time. He has learned that some things seem to happen, just as he lived them before, but no longer necessarily in the right order or at the same time. But if he can ensure that the betrothal between Princess Jing An and Qin Jiuxiao is publicly known... that should dissuade Prince Jin from going after them.

At least for long enough that the marriage can happen and Jing An herself is safe. What will happen with Minister Li, on the other hand, Zhou Zishu can neither predict nor control. Ultimately it even depends on if Prince Jin will even find out about his actions this time around, after all, there's no guarantee. Duan Peng Ju is not, and never will be, as good as Zhou Zishu. Which means in turn that Zhou Zishu cannot predict how much information they will ultimately manage to collect for the Window of Heaven and Prince Jin.

Zhou Zishu cannot save everyone, nor will he try. He is selfish enough to admit to himself that some people are worth far more to him than others, so he is not willing to make gambles and lose potential advantages he may need later to save someone he does not really care about.

Zhou Zishu has never claimed to be a good person. He is, even after all this time, an assassin down to his bones. He may shed the cloak and life differently, but his experienced moulded him too clearly for him to be otherwise.

It was Lao Wen who was the healer between the two of them, even when he was the Master of the Ghost Valley.

And even he, born to be a healer, to parents who saved thousands and who would have saved more if they'd been allowed by the fates, would likely agree with Zhou Zishu's assessment. Lao Wen can be equally as ruthless as Zhou Zishu after all. It's simply another way in which they match and complement each other.

Though if Zhou Zishu has his way, soon Lao Wen's hands will never need to take another life, and instead focus only on healing.

It takes months to get the Four Seasons Manor into proper shape to finally venture out into the Jianghu once more.

Princess Jing An and Qin Jiuxiao's wedding date has been set, and preparations have begun. It is still months out, which gives Zhou Zishu ample time to start searching the Jianghu for information. He needs to become better up to speed about the sects and the current ongoings and the properly carve out a place for the Four Seasons Manor within it.

They have already been forced to fend off a few attacks from sects who are rather unwilling to have what they see as an interloper come onto the scene. They are, of course, quickly sent packing with far fewer members than they came with. If not for the fact that Zhou Zishu actually needs the information about the Four Seasons Manor being back and powerful to spread, he would have killed them all for daring to come in the first place.

It takes a while for things to stabilise and for the disciples to learn how to deal with any attacks, and it's only once he's sure that the sect won't fall in his absence that Zhou Zishu decides to take a little trip. He has not yet decided if he should try and make his way to the Ghost Valley yet, or if he should hold off, but as there's still about a year before the Hanging Ghost's betrayal would have Wen Kexing sending the Ghosts out of the valley under false pretences, Zhou Zishu thinks that perhaps he should wait just a little bit longer.

He brings the seniors of the sect together to tell them of his plan to travel.

They are all older than him, physically anyway, and he trusts their experience. He knows that they will care for the sect while he is gone, just as they have been willing to follow him to help Prince Jin, he knows he can trust them to trust him in this endeavour too.

Li Yingfen hums lightly and strokes his beard after Zhou Zishu finishes speaking.

"Sect Leader, where are you planning to go and why? You have already sent some of our disciples out to gather information about the Jianghu, is there anything else you might be looking for?"

Li Yingfen has always been very perceptive. It's likely why he survived almost until the end in the Window of Heaven last time, when Zhou Zishu did not know better.

"I was hoping to see if I could find any news of what happened to my shidi." He glances down at the table in front of himself. "It may be a vain hope as it has been so many years since his family was attacked, but Master knew no true peace until his death for how he felt he failed back then, so perhaps he can rest easy if I can find out what happened."

Wang Yiting frowns.

"Your shidi... Do you mean the son of the Divine Hands?"

Master Qin had not kept his failure to protect Wen Kexing and his parents a secret. He had—if only to the senior disciples—been open about what he had tried to do and how he had failed. As such, they all knew that he had taken Zhen Yan as a disciple, but the boy had then been lost to him.

"Zhen Yan?" someone, Zhou Zishu is unable to tell who, gasps out.

Zhou Zishu bows his head.

"I know it may be a vain hope to try and find something after so many years, but for Master's sake I have to try."

The faces of the senior disciples, the elders of the sect, are all filled with compassion. Zhou Zishu spies pride in quite a few of their faces, and feels almost guilty. In his first life, he had not spared Wen Kexing—or more accurately, Zhen Yan—many thoughts over the years after his loss, had almost forgotten about him entirely until he came back into his life like a summer storm.

The fact that Zhou Zishu wants to find him now has more to do with the fact that he misses his husband than trying to be a good disciple for his deceased master.

Leaving the sect under the steady hands of the seniors, Zhou Zishu heads towards Yueyang. While he would rather perhaps go to see Cheng Ling—his heart aches with the knowledge that the boy will not be his disciple in this world—he thinks that Yueyang is a better place for him to gather information. And he wants to avoid Zhao Jing's territory for the time being, even though the man will get what's coming to him soon enough.

The trip takes hardly any time at all, Zhou Zishu's body now at peak health and far stronger than what most would expect. He wonders if he would be able to go toe to toe with Ye Baiyi or not in this world, now that he has the knowledge of decades under his belt and the body of a man in his prime.

He does nothing to hide or flaunt his identity, choosing instead to favour the same type of robes he did in his first life. Casual, aimed for ease of movement, in shades of blues and greys—certainly drawing one's mind to the uniform of the Four Seasons Manor.

He passes by many young masters, and many sect disciples on his travels. All of them so young, utterly unknowing of what might happen if Zhou Zishu decides to do nothing. He wonders how many of them would lose their lives in the battles to come.

He's enjoying the sun, drinking some good wine, and watching a group of disciples talk among themselves when suddenly another one throws himself down by their table.

"It's happened! The Crimson Pavilion has actually agreed to treat a sect leader!" the young man crows, sending his friends into a frenzy of shouting.

"Who?"

"Why?"

"When?"

Zhou Zishu stares blankly at them. He has never heard of the Crimson Pavilion before, so this is interesting news.

"Alright! Look! So. Seems like Sect Leader Ao of the Tai Shan Sect has been feeling poorly, as of late. No one is quite sure why, though, and they didn't tell anyone before this. I bet they were worried that some opportunists would sweep in to attack if it came out. But he made his way to the Crimson Pavilion with some of his disciples, and apparently the Pavilion Master actually agreed to heal him!"

"Really? That's amazing, hasn't he already refused to even just meet with both Sect Leader Mo of the Gentle Wind Sword Sect and Sect Leader Zhao of the Tai Hu Sect?"

"I heard his disciple shut the door in both of their faces as soon as they introduced themselves!"

"Wow! If that's true, then he must have no fear, insulting one of the Five Lakes Alliance sect leaders like that!"

"Maybe he assumes that no one will attack them because they're a healer sect rather than a martial one?"

"Pfft, we all know how well that worked out for the Healer Valley... It got eradicated."

The discussion continues along those lines, but Zhou Zishu has heard enough. The Crimson Pavilion, a healer sect—definitely new, it did not exist at all in Zhou Zishu's original life—with a Sect Leader who would order his disciples to shut the gates in the face of Zhao Jing and Mo Huaiyang?

It has to be Wen Kexing. It has to be.

And not just any Wen Kexing. It has to be Zhou Zishu's Wen Kexing. He must have come back just as Zhou Zishu himself did.

Excitement thrills through Zhou Zishu's entire body. He has mourned his soulmate, has believed he would need to rebuild the relationship with this world's version of him—which would never be the same—but now... Now Zhou Zishu has hope that he will not have to. His soulmate, his husband, is here just as he is. And they will have another chance, a better one.

He tunes back into the conversation.

"Has anyone even seen the Crimson Pavilion Master's face?"

"He's always wearing a face veil, from what I've heard."

"Why?"

"No one knows! There are theories all over the place, of course, ranging from "he's horribly disfigured" to 'he's too beautiful', but no one knows for sure. Some even suspect that perhaps he's a wanted criminal, but that doesn't make much sense."

"A friend of mine in the Gentle Wind Sword Sect was there, he didn't say anything about the door being shut in their faces—though I don't think he'd admit it if it was—but he did say that he mostly saw women behind the doors."

"That would explain the rumours I heard that it's actually a brothel!"

"Those are definitely lies! The Crimson Pavilion has been treating the people in the nearby town in return for food and similar things, so they're definitely healers."

Having heard enough, Zhou Zishu makes his way to the youths' table.

"My apologies, young masters, may I inquire regarding the location of this 'Crimson Pavilion'?"

When Zhou Zishu is a few days away from where he's been told the Crimson Pavilion is located, he happens upon Shen Shen and several of his disciples. Hiding away before they spot him, Zhou Zishu decides to listen in on their conversation.

"But if the Crimson Pavilion Master bears a grudge against the whole Five Lake Alliance, why... Sect Leader, this one doesn't understand. He was intolerably rude to Sect Leader Zhao, but he came out to meet us himself."

Unsurprising, Zhou Zishu thinks. Shen Shen had ultimately helped Wen Kexing expose Zhao Jing's deeds to the Jianghu. This Shen Shen has not yet admitted, as far as Zhou Zishu knows, his own part in Wen Kexing's parents' deaths, but perhaps Wen Kexing is not holding that too much against him.

"I don't know. He certainly made some pointed comments and accusations regarding the Healer Valley and the deaths of the Divine Hands but..." Shen Shen looks conflicted.

Zhou Zishu can only assume that he absolutely does not want to tell his disciples just how badly he and his sworn brothers failed both the Healer Valley, but especially Zhen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao. Of course, Shen Shen likely doesn't even know how badly he failed them, considering how last time Wen Kexing had needed to shout at him that of course they had met their end soon.

Still, whatever it is Wen Kexing has told Shen Shen, Zhou Zishu doesn't really care. He just wants to reach his husband as quickly as possible.

He continues on his way, travelling at even faster speeds than before. He only slows down when he finally reaches the town just by the Crimson Pavilion. He rents a room for the night, and then goes about his business cleaning himself off.

He hasn't seen his husband for so long, he wants to look presentable—even though he knows Wen Kexing would accept him even if he arrived looking like the scraggly beggar he had once disguised himself as.

He wakes up feeling lighter than air the next morning. He dresses himself with care—but not too much, he doesn't want to give Wen Kexing any ideas—and eats a quick meal before he makes his way to his destination.

The Crimson Pavilion rises above the the large walls surrounding it. Zhou Zishu knows he could both scale the walls and jump over them, but he also knows that Wen Kexing has definitely booby-trapped them. Besides, he has no reason to not simply knock on the gates and wait to be let inside.

There's a large bell by the gate, so Zhou Zishu rings it and waits.

It takes a while, but not too long, before the gates slide open and Zhou Zishu is greeted by a girl he doesn't recognise. He does recognise the outfit she's wearing: she looks just like one of Tragicomic Ghost's girls from Zhou Zishu's previous life. He smiles at her, as she's proof positive that Zhou Zishu was right after all.

"Kindly speak your name and purpose for coming to the Crimson Pavilion, Master." She gives him a small bow in greeting.

Zhou Zishu takes in a deep breath.

"I am A-Xu and I seek Lao Wen."

Chapter Text

When Wen Kexing wakes up, he knows that something is wrong before he even opens his eyes.

The air smells wrong, his bed is harder than it should be, and there is no warm body pressed against his back.

Wen Kexing keeps his eyes closed and his breathing slow and even. He cannot feel any pain, nor does he seem to have any chains or ties on his body, so it is unlikely that he has somehow been kidnapped and taken somewhere against his will. It is still possible, of course, but not terribly likely. That, however, leaves the rather intriguing mystery of where he is and how he got here.

He does not sleepwalk, and there are no other beds in the World's Armoury, thus there is no reason for him to believe that he is simply in a different part of the Armoury than where he and A-Xu usually stay. As such, Wen Kexing can safely assume where he is not, though this does still leave his actual whereabouts a mystery.

He cannot hear anyone nearby, he seems to be entirely alone, though his own breathing is echoing slightly in a way that is rather similar to the way it does in the Armoury or used to in...

No.

No.

He cannot... he cannot be back there.

Wen Kexing opens his eyes and finds his worst nightmare come true.

He is back in the Ghost Valley, lying on the bed in the chambers he claimed as the Valley Master. He slowly slides out of the bed, moving with careful, silent steps, looking around the room.

It looks untouched, undisturbed, just as it did for years before he left the Valley to seek his revenge—upon which it started gathering dust because no one could enter the chamber when he was not in the valley. They all knew he would have killed them if they went in there, even if it were for cleaning. Besides, why would ghosts care about cleaning up dust?

But these chambers are not filled with dust, even though they should be decades out of use. Ghost Valley was destroyed and Wen Kexing has not returned to it for decades since. He never came further than A-Xiang and Cao Wei Ning's graves outside. There has never been a point to, he left the digging of the graves—for the people who warranted it—to other people.

He walks up to the mirror on the table in his room, and stares at his reflection.

He is younger than he should be, and his hair is no longer the silver-white it became when he sacrificed his life to save Zhou Zishu. A sacrifice he only survived because of Zhou Zishu's quick thinking in turning the ritual around to do for Wen Kexing what Wen Kexing had just done for him. It had saved Wen Kexing's life and turned him immortal as well—they had helped each other through the steps in the end, succeeding in proper dual cultivation—but his hair had remained silver-white ever since.

Now... Now Wen Kexing is looking at himself, years younger than when time stopped for him, and his hair as black as ink. It is almost disorienting to see, as Wen Kexing has had decades to get used to the silver-white.

Wen Kexing stares at his reflection and tries to keep from hyperventilating.

He is generally quite good at keeping his cool and having a tight leash on his emotions, though he is not and never has been perfect, but he is not sure that he can handle this. He is far more adept at suppressing murderous rage or bone-deep fear than he is unrelenting panic. He's never been one to panic.

He closes his eyes again, shies away from his reflection.

Everything feels too real to be a dream, but if this is reality, then were all those years Wen Kexing spent at A-Xu's side nothing but the sweetest of dreams? A delightful promise dangled before his eyes before cruelly snatched away?

It had not been perfect—he lost too much for it to be perfect—but... But he had decades with his soulmate, he reclaimed his birth right of the Healer Valley through the books in the World's Armoury—finally capable of walking in his parents' footsteps properly.

Hands too used to bloodshed and killing, finally learned how to heal.

Now... Now he does not have his husband. He doesn't have the World Armoury. He is alone and adrift, once more thrown back into hell to bathe in blood and death.

He does not have his body refined to perfection or his husband, but he does have his memories. He can still heal, though he may need to teach his body anew how to properly move the qi, how to twist the acupuncture needles just so, and how to apply the techniques. But he knows them, in his mind, and that is precious.

But he is the Master of the Ghost Valley now. He cannot be a healer, not as long as he is stuck down here.

Zhao Jing still lives.

Mo Huaiyang still lives.

Rage bubbles in his chest, sudden and unbidden. Even decades later he hates them. And if he truly has somehow woken up in what is essentially to him the past, then they have not received the punishments they deserve for their actions.

Mo Huaiyang may not have killed Cao Wei Ning and A-Xiang yet, but some crimes transcend time.

He should—!

He senses the displacement of air, hears a whisper of steel cutting through emptiness.

He twists out of the way just as a sword attempts to pierce through his back to sever his spine. He strikes out on instinct, hand closing around the windpipe of his attacker.

He squeezes, and watches as the man gurgles, slowly starting to choke.

Wen Kexing looks at the man slowly dying at his hand and tries to remember who he is. He ignores the sword that clatters to the ground as the man's fingers go nerveless and can no longer hold it. Wen Kexing cannot seem to recall this face, it is not one of the Ten, so he doesn't seem to be someone who Wen Kexing should remember. But...

Oh.

He remembers the murder attempt now. An upstart who had believed himself strong enough to become the new Valley Master and decided to entirely bypass being one of the Ten before betraying Wen Kexing, and instead simply trying to go for the ultimate goal. He had failed miserably last time too. Some people had too much ego and too little brain.

Wen Kexing has always had quite the healthy amount of self-confidence, but he does at least have the skills to back that confidence up. And he's going to ensure that this body becomes even more powerful than it already is. Strength is his most useful ally as of yet, he cannot afford to squander his potential.

Wen Kexing finishes the man off and drops him in a heap on the floor before he turns his attention back to his reflection.

He needs to consider what to do now. If it is a dream, then it does not matter he will simply wake back up with his husband. But if it is not a dream... If it is not a dream, then Wen Kexing has much to do.

His head aches with what he recognises as the effect of the Meng Po soup, sluggishly moving through his body and trying to burn away his memories. Wen Kexing grits his teeth and clenches his hands around the edge of the desk. He had fought off its ill-effects before, though only with partial success, but now the Meng Po soup has far more memories to try and hide, and they are far too entrenched in his mind.

Wen Kexing is no longer a seven-year-old child that was recently traumatised. This time... he was nearing eighty, he thinks, before he was cruelly ripped away from his life to return to this hell.

He knows the cure for the Meng Po soup—darling A-Xu had a stroke of genius a few years down the line when they were reminiscing about the past—but he has no idea how to get his hands on Drunk Like a Dream. He, unfortunately, never bothered to learn the recipe before—by the end they certainly had no need for it, and A-Xu had known it anyway—so he cannot make it himself.

Not yet anyway.

Slowly, slowly, the headache abates, and Wen Kexing wipes away the blood that had trickled down from his nose from the strain of fighting off the Meng Po soup. At the very least it has not cost this young and weak body as much as it did when Shen Shen first found out about Wen Kexing's original identity the first time Wen Kexing went through this life. He has not spit up blood or fallen into a coma yet.

Closing his eyes, Wen Kexing breathes deeply and tries to think.

He needs to figure out exactly how far back he is—the idiot who just tried to kill him was never memorable enough for Wen Kexing to remember exactly when it happened, not to mention he fended off numerous attacks on his life over his years in the Ghost Valley—and then he needs to plan.

This time... This time he is not going to go about his revenge the same way. And... and he needs to find Zhou Zishu. He needs to find him, and... and this time, even if A-Xu has already foolishly put the nails in his body... this time Wen Kexing is ready. This time, surely, things will not need to end up as they did last time.

Not that Wen Kexing in any way regretted being immortal with his husband—absolutely not. All time he had with A-Xu was a boon and being allowed decades upon decades when he had once thought he'd lose him in less than two years had been beyond imagining. But at the same time... Perhaps he sometimes wishes they could live among other people, stay permanently in the Four Seasons Manor, raising disciples... Watching the children growing up as they themselves grew old and grey together.

It had been a fruitless dream, as A-Xiang had not even gotten to live long enough to marry—cut down on her wedding day.

But now...

It is still a fruitless dream, in the end. There exists a Zhou Zishu in this world, Wen Kexing knows his soulmate is out there. However...

It will not, cannot, be Wen Kexing's husband. They will not have the same experiences, they cannot, and so Wen Kexing will find his beloved A-Xu—perhaps never getting to call him A-Xu at all in this life—and know him and be known in turn anew.

But it will not and cannot be the same, and for that, Wen Kexing will mourn.

Later.

He glances down at the corpse on the floor of his chambers.

For now, he has a bit of cleaning up to do.

Having thrown the corpse down in front of the Ten Evil Ghosts and told them to deal with it, Wen Kexing observes.

He can see that the ghosts surrounding him are all unnerved by the fact that he remains among them, rather than sweeping back to his rooms. Usually, he would only stay among them for as long as he has something to speak with them about, but he is now simply watching. The only one seemingly unaffected is, unsurprisingly, Tragicomic Ghost.

She is the strongest of the Ten, the only one to remain of the "old guard", so to speak. All the others Wen Kexing killed and replaced one by one as soon as he'd killed and skinned the former valley master. But Tragicomic Ghost... Aunt Luo...

She said she would not come with him in leaving the Ghost Valley last time. He hopes, however, that he can convince her to come with him this time. Her and all of her girls. But he knows he will need to figure out what to do instead to have them come with him. He cannot take them all if he simply goes on to wander the world, which means that he needs a solid plan.

He glances towards Corpse Eating Ghost and ponders. The man had proven loyal last time and had gathered and protected the girls after the Ghost Valley's names and faces had been released by Zhao Jing, even when it had likely been easier for him if he had simply run away. Disgusting habits aside—which Wen Kexing is rather certain he can make him give up anyway—Wen Kexing decides he will spare him.

Most of Tragicomic Ghost's girls are weak or not martial artists at all, which means that they will need protection. Wen Kexing may be a legion on his own, but he cannot be in multiple places at once. Tragicomic Ghost and Corpse Eating Ghost got overrun by Gao Chong and his people when they were alone last time, so they alone would not be protection enough either.

Even adding A-Xiang to the equation—oh how his heart longs to ensure that she gets her happy ending this time—he knows it will not be enough. Not when he knows just how terrible the "righteous" sects can be.

Clearly Wen Kexing will need to start looking quite carefully at the ghosts in the Valley, and start deciding exactly who he will bring with him... and who he will kill before he leaves.

He knows he has not arrived back early enough to save A-Xu from the Window of Heaven. He does not know if he would be able to find him, much less succeed in convincing him to leave the service of Prince Jin without taking those blasted nails. Even if he gets there in time... there's no saying that A-Xu would trust him, would even so much as care about him. Not this time, not when he has not yet lost everything else...

But, Wen Kexing realises, he may be back early enough to save Long Que—a man who suffered for two decades to protect a lie in hopes of protecting Wen Kexing and his parents. Among all the so-called righteous people, only Long Que and Qin Huaizhang had even tried to help them. Both of them had unfortunately failed, but they had tried.

Repaying that debt by saving Long Que and killing that horrid little monster Long Xiao as quickly as possible is the least Wen Kexing could do.

Of course, this means that he will need to travel to the Long Yuan Pavilion, and most likely bring other people with him to help carry Long Que, and to do so as quickly as possible. A rather difficult task, though Wen Kexing went through those traps more than a few times over the years to help Cheng Ling properly step into his role as the heir of the Long Yuan Pavilion. He could likely walk those paths in his sleep, but he cannot be sure if Long Xiao would notice and make the trip slightly trickier or not.

With Long Que—injured and still known as the one person who can open the World's Armoury without the Glazed Armour—as well as all of Tragicomic Ghost's girls... Wen Kexing is going to need to create a rather spectacularly well-defended hiding place.

Until... until maybe a time comes, when he can join his beloved in the Four Seasons Manor once more.

His chest aches with longing so heavy Wen Kexing finds himself needing to sit down. He finally takes his leave from the gathering of ghosts and moves towards his quarters while trying to project an air of nonchalance and calm. His legs nearly collapse beneath him as he moves to sit on his bed, and he finds himself relieved that no one followed him.

He cannot show any weakness. Not here. Not now.

He is certainly stronger than any other ghost in the valley by far, and he does not necessarily fear any of them making an attempt at his life. Let them come, it will only help him weed out which ones need to be put down, in the end.

He still has to deal with Zhao Jing, but he will not do so as the Ghost Valley Master this time. If he wants to save A-Xiang's chance to be happy, to ensure that she gets to live as a human rather than die as a ghost on her wedding day, then he needs to ensure that there is no chance anyone ever finds out that she has ever been a ghost.

Because of this, he cannot risk having a traitor who gives up their identities to Zhao Jing to release to the Jianghu, and more than anything... Wen Kexing must build himself a reputation so good that even if someone were to suggest it, none would believe it. If he manages that, he can further use that to destroy Zhao Jing by revealing him without drawing the Ghost Valley into things.

If the Ghost Valley makes no reappearance in the Jianghu, it will stop Zhao Jing from using it to further his cause and kill people he wanted to be rid of. This time... This time Wen Kexing is not going to unwittingly help his greatest enemy. This time, innocents like the Four Sages of Anji are not going to die because of Wen Kexing's revenge. This time, Cheng Ling will not have to lose his family and everyone he knows—even as Wen Kexing knows he'll miss the little idiot dearly.

This time... This time Wen Kexing already knows who the true enemy is, and his attack can be far more elegant and focused.

If he can build up his reputation, making himself someone above reproach, he can use that to drag Zhao Jing's filth out into the light and make the revenge ever sweeter by knowing that there is nothing for Zhao Jing to strike back with. And there will be nothing for Mo Huaiyang to use to harm A-Xiang and Cao Wei Ning.

He's going to make sure of it.

Though he's also planning to simply outright assassinate Mo Huaiyang. Wen Kexing is sure Cao Wei Ning's shishu will do a much better job running that sect than his shifu ever did. Wen Kexing will be doing the world a favour, really! And no one needs to know, so it's fine.

But he still needs to consider how to build his reputation. He'll be bringing so many vulnerable women with him—Wen Kexing is not even going to entertain the notion of leaving them behind in the Ghost Valley—so a martial sect is going to only paint a target on their backs. The wolves will descend should they sense any weakness, and what could be weaker than a martial sect that's almost entirely made up of non-combatants?

Besides, building up the reputation of a martial sect can take generations, and that's far more time than Wen Kexing has.

Martial sect or not, Wen Kexing is going to need to give them all some martial training—he hasn't needed to before, because his own presences coupled with Tragicomic Ghost has been more than enough to dissuade anyone from even thinking about attempting something—though he's sure most of them are unlikely to take to it.

But...

He laughs at himself.

He's barely been here for more than a few hours, and he's already forgotten anything beyond strength in the form of physical power and martial arts skills.

He is, and plans to be, primarily a healer—not matter how strong his martial arts are and will continue to be—and what better way to not only create a shining reputation but also continue his parents' legacy than by training more healers?

The Healer Valley may be gone, his parents may be gone, but Wen Kexing learned their secrets over decades in the World's Armoury. He can bring it back and restore his parents' legacy to what it should be. And it can in turn further help him have his revenge.

All medicines can be poisons, after all.

He starts to gauge interest in leaving, returning to being something more than this wretched existence, among the ghosts carefully, and slowly but surely starts killing off the necessary players. Some of them he knows want to return to the human world... but they are still not suitable. He's not going to bring Changing Ghost, Lovelace or the others with him when he leaves this place. He knows there is not even an ounce of loyalty in their bones. They're too big risks... and too twisted besides.

Loyalty is rare in the Ghost Valley, of course, but there are still those who are. Not all ghosts have ambition, some of them simply ended up here because they were thrown out of the human world and had nowhere else to go. That is mostly only the case with Tragicomic Ghost's girls, of course, but there are some others as well.

There are also a few that aren't the absolute scum of the earth, and likely capable of change if Wen Kexing simply puts his mind do it.

At any rate, his first true hurdle will be Tragicomic Ghost herself. If he can convince her, then half the battle has already been won. If he can just convince her, then he can immediately head off to get Long Que. He'll need her and Beauty Ghost's help to hide him away until they can leave the Ghost Valley behind, after all.

He taps his fan against the flat of his hand as he thinks.

Last time, Tragicomic Ghost refused to leave. She refused to become Luo Fumeng again. She decided that she would stay and suffer in the Ghost Valley forever. Of course, in the end, she and the others were never given the chance to, due to Mo Huaiyang's betrayal. But this time... this time she has not been cured of the Meng Po Soup yet, so it's possible that Wen Kexing will be able to convince her to leave.

He may end up curing her later—simply because letting her get anywhere near Zhao Jing while still under the effect of the Meng Po soup is likely to end in disaster. Beauty Ghost had admitted to him in private later why she had worked for Scorpion, after all. Not any of the details, simply that seeing Zhao Jing had cause Luo Fumeng pain due to the Meng Po soup and that Scorpion had promised her help for her master.

He hadn't entirely expected to succeed, but he thinks the parts of her that are his Aunt Luo won out—possibly because she wants to see him leave this place behind, be freed from it, and he very clearly positioned it as something he cannot do without her.

But she agrees, and as he brings some ghosts with him to get Long Que, he gives her two lists of names: one for people who will be brought with them, and one for people who need to be taken care of.

"Aunt Luo..." he whispers to her, before taking his leave, feeling reluctant to leave her with this, even though he knows that she's more than capable of handling it. He cannot be sure that she'll change her mind, or simply decide to lock the gates to the Valley as soon as he's left to force him outside without taking anyone except for a few ghosts.

Well, that may not be an entirely realistic fear, since he knows there's no way she would force him out while keeping A-Xiang in the Valley. It's the primary reason he doesn't take A-Xiang with him now.

He needs to play his cards right.

The men he brought with him all seem deeply uncomfortable with not wearing their masks. Wen Kexing told them to take them off as soon as they had gotten a fair distance from the Valley to gauge their reactions and to check how well he's managed to pinpoint those who may be able to return to being humans. He can see naked longing on some faces, though most seem awkward and uncomfortable—almost as if they were made to take their clothes off rather than just the mask.

By removing the masks, he is forcing them to see each other as human, to see themselves as human. They cannot blend into the masses of the low tier ghosts of the Valley, without the masks they are all distinct. They are someone and they have identity. Wen Kexing is simply reminding them of this fact.

The longer they travel, the more the men with Wen Kexing start to relax—when Wen Kexing "disappears" for a bit to "scout ahead". He keeps a careful eye on them and is pleased to note that camaraderie is starting to build between them. There is one of them though, who seems out of place. His gaze shifts from side to side constantly as if he's overcome with paranoia but unwilling to show it.

He does not end up breaking, however, until they've made it almost all the way to Long Yuan Pavilion. He pulls his sword with a scream and attempts to stab the man next to him and had Wen Kexing not been keeping his eyes on him, he likely would have succeeded.

He meets a swift end—Wen Kexing knocks the sword away with his fan and crushes the man's neck in an instant.

He throws the body into the underbrush, and risks a glance at the other men, hoping against all hope that this has not set everything back too much or even worse: irreparably broken things. Luckily, what meets his eyes are a group of men huddled together, seeking comfort from each other as humans do, and looking upon Wen Kexing with awe. He could do without the latter, though it's likely to be helpful.

He chooses to sweep past them without a word and hears them follow him with hurried steps.

They leave the corpse behind, and Wen Kexing puts it out of his mind entirely. He has other things to think about.

Long Xiao is no less of a disgusting little monster this time around. It's rather unfortunate that Ye Baiyi, the old monster, isn't here to carry him this time. It leaves Wen Kexing to have to be the one to drag the little beast around by the throat. He's made sure to cover the little beast's eyes, he has no interest in letting Long Xiao get a good look at his face, even if Wen Kexing isn't planning on letting him live through this.

Long Xiao starts out the same smart-mouth Wen Kexing remembers from his first life, but he has even less patience with him this time than he did last time, so instead he simply makes use of some pressure points to lock his jaw and render him mute.

Let him feel true helplessness before death.

Wen Kexing decimates the few followers Long Xiao has—slitting their throats swiftly with his fan without a second thought—as he makes his way through the Long Yuan Pavilion. He's years earlier this time, so he wants to make sure that he doesn't miss any of Long-bobo's disciples, who may still be alive at this point in time.

His prudence turns out to be a good thing, as in the deepest dungeons there are three slumped over but still living bodies: two men and a woman.

Wen Kexing tosses Long Xiao over his shoulder—delighting in his gurgling scream—a noise he's only barely capable of through his locked jaw—and the loud thudding sound as he hits the ground in a heap—and turns his attention to the three Long Yuan Pavilion disciples instead.

They're in dire straits, likely wouldn't have made it more than a few weeks more. However, Wen Kexing is very good at healing these days, so it's far from beyond his abilities to deal with. They'll be fine, and he'll bring them with him just like Long-bobo.

"Go make four sturdy stretchers so we can bring these people with us," he orders, as he carefully passes some qi to the woman.

"Four, Master?" one of the men says, voice half-trembling. Likely out of fear of questioning Wen Kexing's order. But at least he's willing to ask. Definitely progress.

"The person we came here for is not here, thus he is likely elsewhere and we will have to keep searching. However, we may as well build his stretcher now."

Wen Kexing is not especially used to explaining himself to the people of the Ghost Valley, but he decides that he doesn't mind. He's been a teacher for long enough, and he's going to be their teacher too if all goes well. Might as well get into the habit early.

"Yes, Master!" a chorus of voices say, before the sound of packs being opened and the rustle of fabric and ropes overtake the quiet of the cell block.

Seeing Long Que in his imprisonment is not any easier this time around. He left his men and Long Xiao outside the cave. He doesn't want them to find out Wen Kexing's true identity which he knows he'll need to divulge to Long-bobo to have a chance to bring the man with him.

He doesn't look quite as bad this time, but that's not saying much, of course.

Just as last time, Wen Kexing is driven to tears, speaking to one of the only people who tried their best to help him and his parents. Only Long Que and Qin Huaizhang had tried, had done their best, but because of Zhao Jing their attempts had been for naught. The rest of Jianghu had simply stood by, hadn't been willing to even so much as lift a finger to help.

Wen Kexing is certainly going to be selective with his revenge this time, if only to spare those—like the Four Sages of Anji—who did not deserve their end.

Long-bobo agrees to let Wen Kexing save him—likely due to the elation he felt upon hearing that three of his dear disciples still live and are in Wen Kexing's care now—and Wen Kexing wastes no time at all. The faster they can return to the Ghost Valley, the faster Wen Kexing can continue with his plans.

At least now... now Long-bobo won't be in constant agony anymore in a vain attempt to keep Wen Kexing safe.

They're half-way to the nearest town at the bottom of the mountain when Wen Kexing remembers that he's still dragging Long Xiao around by the throat. He tosses him to the side of the road and continues on his way paying more attention to the injured than where he dumped Long Xiao.

The little beast will die soon enough on his own.

With Long-bobo back and hidden away in Aunt Luo's care, Wen Kexing gets to work. He sends the men who took the trip with him, now vetted and clearly capable of returning to humanity, to start the construction of a compound with the Corpse Eating Ghost—Wen Kexing must convince him to either come up with a proper name for himself, or at least tell Wen Kexing his original name—to oversee things.

As soon as he receives word that rudimentary sleeping arrangements have been secured, Wen Kexing sends Aunt Luo, Liu Qianqiao, A-Xiang, all of Luo Fumeng's girls, the remains of Long Yuan Pavilion, White Grim Reaper, as well as another group of vetted men—the last of those not utterly despicable to the core—to join Corpse Eating Ghost's group in building their new home.

Wen Kexing, meanwhile, has other things to work on currently.

It's a thankless and bloody task, but it has to be done. By the time he's finished weeks have passed and the entire Valley smells of blood and death.

It is only once Wen Kexing is the only living person remaining, that the job is done, and he can finally shed the mantle of Ghost Valley Chief like an ill-fitting cloak.

His hands have been bathed in blood once more, but at least this time he knows that it was not of the innocent.

There was one ghost who killed himself with a knife before Wen Kexing could get to him. Wen Kexing drags his body over to his throne, and dresses him up in a bit of finery and thus creates a fake Ghost Valley Chief. One who took care of all the evil residents of the Valley and then killed himself.

His last action is to close the gates to the Ghost Valley behind him and carve a message into the stone. Let anyone who comes here know that there is nothing to find but the dead and nothing else at all. He also makes sure that no one thinks it was the "righteous" who did so, and instead calls it the will of the Ghost Valley Master.

It's true, even though Wen Kexing is leaving that mantle behind. He'll never be the Ghost Valley Chief again. From now on, he'll only be Wen Kexing healer and master of the Crimson Pavilion.

The building of the Crimson Pavilion has not finished by the time Wen Kexing arrives, but it has certainly made good headway. It has also been noticed by the nearby town, and from what Wen Kexing is told upon his arrival, his people have bartered for food and materials in return for medical assistance as soon as Wen Kexing arrived and could perform it.

Which, of course, leaves Wen Kexing with patients to deal with immediately upon his arrival.

He turns it into a teaching opportunity and has his—it is odd to call them such, but they are his disciples now—disciples watch as he deals with the overall rather simple illnesses the town has.

There's a lady with a terrible migraine, a man with a broken leg, and two children with stomach-aches. Overall, no trouble at all.

The biggest trouble is actually learning the names of everyone. He has to be very careful lest he slip up and accidentally call them something... unfortunate. Luckily, Wen Kexing has an excellent memory.

As Wen Kexing deals with the sick, everyone else continues the construction of the Crimson Pavilion. He's hardly surprised to learn that Long-bobo started putting together plans for a defence system almost immediately. It wasn't why Wen Kexing rescued him from Long Xiao, but it's certainly a nice side-effect.

He'd worried that Long-bobo would give up on him as soon as he found out the truth, but the old man had simply grieved that he had failed to save Wen Kexing from the pain of losing his parents and being dragged into hell. He'd seemed wary nevertheless but had been happy to learn of Wen Kexing's plan of destroying the Ghost Valley and starting a cultivation sect of healers instead.

He had, however, been adamant that they keep his identity secret. His lie was still out there in the world, after all, and he didn't want people to come after the Crimson Pavilion to get at Long Que in hopes of opening the World's Armoury. It would be the opposite of the intentions he had when he made the lie up in the first place, after all.

As soon as Long-bobo's eyes had improved from the damage they'd sustained from the prolonged time in the darkness, he'd suggested that Wen Kexing wear some sort of mask to hide his features.

"You look too much like your parents, Xing'er. Anyone who knew either one of them would recognise you—their features live on clearly in your face."

Wen Kexing frowns at that. He knows that Shen Shen had found his features familiar last time, and ultimately started asking questions that sent Wen Kexing into a brief Meng Po soup induced coma... But he hadn't been certain at all, and neither Gao Chong nor Zhao Jing had recognised him at all, as far as Wen Kexing could ascertain.

"Are you sure?"

Wen Kexing carefully turns one of the needles he's using to treat Long-bobo, to help his body recover from the torture and forced prolonged inactivity.

"You could, perhaps, get away with it if you presented yourself as a martial arts master and nothing else. But Xing'er, you are a healer. You are gaining renown as a very skilled healer. Do you truly think that the people who knew your parents, knew the Divine Hands, will not make the connection? A young man of the right age, who certainly looks the part, and has all of the expected skills in healing?" Long-bobo sounds like he would like to shake his head but refrains only because of Wen Kexing's needles.

"I... I suppose you're right, Long-bobo..."

Wen Kexing frowns, wondering what he should do.

"Make it a nice face-veil, Xing'er." Long-bobo pats Wen Kexing's hand gently. "You can make it something lovely, like your outfits, and make it seem like a fashion accessory rather than an attempt at hiding your identity."

Wen Kexing laughs a bit.

"Truly, it's a travesty that I will need to deprive the world from my beautiful face, isn't it?"

Long-bobo laughs so heartily Wen Kexing has to prop him up to avoid having some of the needles get detached or displaced.

"While you are as lovely as your mother, Xing'er, you have none of her humility." Long-bobo's voice is filled with warmth, and his eyes are dancing. There's no rebuke in the words, only fondness and humour.

"I suppose I'll work on that," Wen Kexing says with a grin.

Getting used to the face veil takes a bit of time, but it turns out that Long-bobo's advice came right on time. Soon after Wen Kexing begins to wear it, the Crimson Pavilion receives its first Jianghu visitors.

It's only a minor sect, bringing a junior disciple with qi poisoning, but Wen Kexing is well aware that he does not know who among the Jianghu would know his parents well enough to recognise him. His parents and the Healer Valley were both well-known and well-respected—up until the time came when they weren't. They saved and helped countless persons, so how would Wen Kexing have any idea who might be able to recognise him.

When A-Yin—one of the disciples with door duty today—comes and relays the information, he follows her with a sedate pace.

He steps into the courtyard and finds the procession of martial artists still outside the gates—in accordance with the protocols Wen Kexing set up.

Even from a distance he can tell that the junior they have on the stretcher is doing poorly indeed, his skin pale and starting to take on almost a bluish hue around the lips.

"Greetings, Master Healer. This one is Chen Duli of the Tongcheng Sect," the leader of the martial artists says with a bow. "Please, my youngest disciple... We have heard rumours of your skills, and our own healers have not been able to help him. We fear he may not be long in this world if he does not receive help soon."

Wen Kexing inclines his head to the man.

"A-Mo, get the courtyard table ready for me," he says without taking his attention off their guests. "A-Li, A-Tong, please bring the boy inside so I may treat him. A-Yin, go get your martial siblings, this will be a useful lesson for all of you."

Wen Mo rushes off after a swift bow, A-Yin hot on his heels. The others likewise hurry outside to take the stretcher from the boy's shixiongs.

"Master healer..." Chen Duli looks discomfited.

"My apologies, Master Chen, I have forgotten to introduce myself. I am Wen Kexing, the master of the Crimson Pavilion." He gives the man a proper bow.

"Master Wen, may we... come inside?"

"I'm afraid not. I will treat your disciple right here in the courtyard for you to see—I do not expect you to trust me so easily—but knowing what happened to the Healer Valley, I'm sure you must understand why the Crimson Pavilion would be disinclined to invite a group of martial artists inside its walls."

Chen Duli winces—he clearly remembers.

"Of course, Master Wen. As long as my disciple receives help..."

A smart man, Wen Kexing thinks. He knows that Wen Kexing is the boy's only chance. Even if it stings his pride, he is not willing to doom his disciple over it. A much better man than Mo Huaiyang, then.

He treats the boy carefully, drawing out the poisoned qi, cleanses it, and passes it back to the child. He also carefully aids the child's lungs—the blue tint of his lips very clearly from breathing troubles due to the qi poisoning—and shores up his meridians.

It is hard work, the boy truly was close to death's door, but Wen Kexing is perhaps more adept at qi cleansing than anyone else could ever hope to be, having survived acting as the cauldron for Zhou Zishu in his previous life. This is child's play next to that.

He explains to his disciples in a low voice, as they watch him work. It's not loud enough that their guests outside the gate would hear, but loud enough.

Once he's finally done, he looks up to find that their guests have seated themselves right there on the path outside the gates.

Very loyal, he thinks with a smile.

"The boy will live," he says finally, loud enough for their guests to hear.

Chen Duli flies to his feet immediately.

"Truly?!" Desperation fills his voice.

"Truly. He will be weak for a while, so he will need to be kept on bed rest for at least a month. I will send with you some medication for him to take daily, as well as some written instructions for his care. But he will live, and he will recover."

Wen Kexing hadn't expected the tears, but it is sweet.

At least some masters and martial siblings truly care for each other.

Wen Kexing is writing down some instructions for his healing students as he carefully overseers Luo Fumeng as she drills the disciples in the martial arts when the gate bell tolls. Long-bobo is sitting in his movement chair and enjoying the sunshine nearby. Liu Qianqiao is... Wen Kexing isn't actually sure what she's doing, but he trusts her to be useful so he's sure whatever she's doing with A-Xiang over in the corner is something good.

He listens as the gates slide open and waits for one of the disciples on gate duty to come to him. To his surprise, he instead hears the gates slam shut. This, of course, also catches everyone else's attention as well, so when A-Xian arrives, everyone is all ears.

"Master, the man leading the people at the gates introduced himself as Mo Huaiyang of the Gentle Wind Sword Sect. He did not have any obviously ill people with him. As per Master's instructions we told him to send a message through the local town if it is urgent and closed the gates." She bows.

Wen Kexing starts laughing helplessly, finding himself almost incapable of stopping. So, Mo Huaiyang was the first to arrive.

"Well done, A-Xian."

Ah, he wishes he could have seen Mo Huaiyang's face.

The disciples go out in disguise sometimes, just to catch the latest gossip and see what the word seems to be regarding the Crimson Pavilion. So far, most of what Wen Kexing has heard has been positive—some grumbling regarding their refusal to let people inside the gates, but that's hardly surprising—and quite a few funny rumours regarding what he might be hiding with his face veil. The rumours of his otherworldly beauty especially amuse him.

Liu Qianqiao had managed to bring some information regarding the Five Lakes Alliance: it seems they are upset regarding the snub they dealt Mo Huaiyang, but only mildly. She said most seem to agree that the Gentle Wind Sword Sect has nothing to complain about, it is up to every healer's discretion to accept their patients. But there are many who wonders just what Mo Huaiyang has done to offend the Crimson Pavilion.

As long as public opinion is overall good, it's all Wen Kexing can hope for. Building a reputation is going to take time, after all. He cannot be greedy... and he cannot stop himself from wanting to have nothing to do with the man who killed A-Xiang in the first life.

Wen Kexing sighs heavily and plays with his hairpin.

He misses A-Xu so much. He's been lonely for so long now.

It's not easy to go from constant affection, waking up in the arms of the most beautiful person you've ever known, to being entirely alone in a bed that's too big. It's only made worse by the fact that Wen Kexing knows that Zhou Zishu doesn't know him in this life, so he may be taking any number of beauties into his bed.

No, he can't start thinking like that. That way lies madness. He's just... he's just going to put his hope in the fact that Zhou Zishu is likely far too busy with the Window of Heaven to even considering bringing someone to bed.

Shaking his head, Wen Kexing goes back to writing medical texts and puts thought of his zhiji out of his mind.

For now.

"Who was at the gate?" Wen Kexing came out of his study just in time to hear the gate slam close.

"Master!" A-Yin calls. "The man at the gate wore opulent clothes and introduced himself as Zhao Jing of the Tai Hu Sect. We slammed the gates closed immediately, per Master's instructions."

Rage wells up in Wen Kexing's chest, so potent he fears it may choke him. He wants to sprint out there and choke the life out of Zhao Jing immediately, to not let the wretch live even a single day more.

"Well done, A-Yin. Thank you." He struggles to keep his voice calm, but by the way A-Yin smiles and her voice is a chirp of happiness as she bids him goodbye to go back to her post, he must have succeeded.

Mo Huaiyang has not yet committed his crimes. He only has the potential to be a monster. Not that Wen Kexing will ever forgive him despite this.

But Zhao Jing... Zhao Jing's crimes are of the present and the past, not the future. He is responsible for the death of Wen Kexing's parents, the instigator of all the pain Wen Kexing has suffered.

Had Wen Kexing been there, he would likely not have been able to refrain from pulling his face veil off and spitting the man in the face. It is just as well that he is not the one to open the gates. He is not sure he would be able to keep his rage in check—which might hinder his future plans.

He'd rather not make himself the enemy of the Jianghu this time. He wants to live, with A-Xu, with A-Xiang...

He is going to make Zhao Jing regret everything he's ever done, but he's not going to destroy everything he himself has for it.

"Master! We have guests at the gates!" Wen Mo shouts as soon as he catches sight of Wen Kexing.

"Oh? Have they introduced themselves?"

"Their leader is Ao Lai Zi of the Tai Zhan Sect. He is seeking treatment for himself but hopes that if you choose not to treat him, that you will keep his poor health confidential for the sake of his sect." Wen Mo bows.

Last time, Ao Lai Zi had been killed. He had taken in and protected the remnants of the Dan Yang Sect, even as it made him unpopular with the Five Lakes Alliance who had been insulted that their sworn brother had sent his disciples off to someone other than them. A principled man, then. Willing to stand against others if his honour demanded it, even at great cost to himself.

Just like Qin Huaizhang. Just like Long-bobo.

Wen Kexing decides to help.

He meets Ao Lai Zi at the gates and invites him and the three disciples he brought inside.

Ao Lai Zi seems genuinely surprised that he wasn't refused and while his gaze lingers briefly on the veil hiding Wen Kexing's face, he does not comment, nor does he seem too bothered by it.

Ao Lai Zi's poor health is simply from old age and attracting illnesses from that, Wen Kexing first concludes during his examination. However, with Ao Lai Zi's internal strength he should be far more capable of holding such things off, which leads Wen Kexing to realise there's more to this than simply age: there's also an imbalance in his qi that Wen Kexing quickly brings out his acupuncture needles for.

Finally, Ao Lai Zi is suffering from pneumonia. That one will need proper care and medicine for quite some time to deal with properly.

Wen Kexing listens to Ao Li Zi's lungs carefully, before he starts to write down the care instructions. He gives those to one of Ao Lai Zi's disciples, before he begins to put together the necessary medication. The herb garden they have cultivated in the innermost courtyard is a thing of wonder and pride. Worth more than its weight in gold, in Wen Kexing's opinion.

"You will need at least another week of treatment with the needles before I can send you on your way, Sect Leader Ao," Wen Kexing says. "I'm afraid I must insist that you remain for at least that long before you return to your sect. Your disciples, of course, are free to leave whenever they choose. You are not prisoners here."

In the end, Ao Lai Zi sends his head disciple and one other back early to bring news to the sect and prepare anything that might be necessary, and tells them to come back to the Crimson Pavilion in two weeks to pick Ao Lai Zi and their shidi up to return to the sect.

Wen Kexing is pleased that the old man heard and took the "at least one week" seriously as the minimum requirement, rather than all that's needed. A careful man who wants to be around as long as possible for his disciples, clearly.

It is another few weeks after Ao Lai Zi and his disciples return to the Tai Zhan Sect before the Crimson Pavilion gets another high-profile guest.

Wen Kexing goes out to meet Shen Shen with a calm he knows comes from the fact that in the end, Shen Shen had chosen to aid Wen Kexing. Far too late, certainly, and he had done it for his dead sworn brothers, not Wen Kexing, but he had done it. And so, Wen Kexing has made peace with Shen Shen and his failure to help Wen Kexing's parents when they needed him.

This Shen Shen, however, is not the one Wen Kexing made peace with. This is the one who is so filled with anger and guilt that he acts impulsively and yells a lot. He also has far too much pride in the Five Lakes Alliance for Wen Kexing's taste.

"For what reason have you made such an affront to the Five Sects Alliance?" Shen Shen demands when Wen Kexing stands before him.

"I was not aware that the Crimson Pavilion had to give aid to the Five Lakes Alliance?" Wen Kexing questions smoothly, waving his fan lazily. "I believed us an autonomous Healer Sect allowed to choose who we aid. I did not know the Five Lakes Alliance would demand that we pay tribute to you."

Shen Shen looks taken aback. Clearly, he had not expected to be questioned in turn this way.

"That is not..."

"I do not let anyone I do not trust inside my gates."

Shen Shen frowns, but Wen Kexing continues before the man can say anything.

"I have seen what happens when you trust the wrong person. And I have seen what happens when the Jianghu decides that Healers need to be put in their place." Wen Kexing gives Shen Shen a flat look. "The Crimson Pavilion is not the Healer Valley, but we are healers as they were. We are unaffiliated with specific sect alliances just as they were. But if the Healer Valley could not count on the Five Sects Alliance for aid when the Jianghu—from the lowliest of bandits to the most respected of sect leaders—came beating on their gates demanding blood, then why should the Five Sects Alliance come to the Crimson Pavilion to demand aid?"

Shen Shen's face goes pale.

"So, Sect Leader Shen... Will you demand that I help?" Wen Kexing keeps his voice mild, soft. He keeps his posture relaxed and casual, non-threatening. "And if I continue to refuse... Will my end be the same as that of the Divine Hands?"

Shen Shen's face takes on a nearly green hue.

"No one knows what became of the Divine Hands!" one of Shen Shen's disciples shouts, face red.

Wen Kexing glances at the child briefly, choking down the rage in his chest. Of course, the Jianghu would pretend that there was a chance that Zhen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao were alive and simply in hiding, that they hadn't met their end.

"If you are fool enough to believe they would be able to make it out alive when the greed of the Jianghu, likely even the Ghost Valley itself, hounded their steps and their strongest allies turned a blind eye... Well, I would hate to disabuse you of that little fantasy of yours, child."

There's a long silence then. Wen Kexing can tell that the disciples want to demand how he would know anything about this, but the face veil has the added benefit of hiding how old he is from any observer. None of them would be able to tell that he is likely a bit too young to have known about the going-on of everything regarding the Glazed Armour unless he was intimately familiar with it simply because he lived in the middle of it.

"My apologies, Master Wen," Shen Shen chokes out after a long pause. "We will take our leave."

Wen Kexing gives him a small head-tilt of acknowledgement.

"I wish you a pleasant journey."

Wen Kexing lies on the roof of the pavilion, staring at the moon and drinking morosely from a pot of wine.

He misses his husband, his A-Xu. He misses him rolling his eyes or making snide little comments... he misses being in his arms, he misses fighting with his equal, his zhiji. He also misses the sex, but that's not nearly as important as the rest of it. Wen Kexing can take care of himself in the bath just fine.

That he'll never have A-Xu as he once did...

It hurts.

"Master, we have a guest at the gate!"

Wen Kexing looks up at A-Yin.

"Oh? Who is it?"

"He said that he is A-Xu, and he is looking for Lao Wen."

Chapter Text

Zhou Zishu waits by the gates, heart pounding in his chest.

If this turns out to be hopeless, if he's deluded himself into thinking that this is his Lao Wen... He's certain it would crush him. It would be like losing his husband all over again. It's been hard enough to live without him, with the hope of finding a version of him in the future.... Having thought and hoped that he'd actually found his husband and have it turn out false...

Zhou Zishu has survived a lot of grief, but he has killed himself over Wen Kexing before, and he is not sure he'll be strong enough to avoid it this time either. Not after having had the hope if it dangled in front of him. But he is not so much a coward that he would turn away and avoid finding out the truth.

Zhou Zishu continues to breathe slowly and keep his expression calm and his body relaxed. Even after all these years, he still has too much pride to let Lao Wen see him nervous. And he certainly doesn't like letting outsiders see him nervous. As much as he has fortified the Four Seasons Manor, as much as they are a force to be reckoned with, he does not plan on inviting trouble by showing weakness.

Suddenly, from around a corner of the courtyard, a flutter of blue—reminiscent of Kingfisher feathers—robes and there he is: Wen Kexing. His face may be hidden by a pale-blue face veil, but Zhou Zishu would recognise those eyes anywhere. He spent fifty years staring into them, after all. It's not something he'd admit out loud, but it's true.

Lao Wen comes to a stop, and they stare at each other for a moment that almost seems to stretch forever.

"A-Yin... let our guest inside and close the gates behind him," he says, his voice is soft, but the words are still loud enough to Zhou Zishu's excellent hearing to pick them up.

The girl chirps in confirmation, and soon Zhou Zishu is walking through the gates, eyes staring unblinkingly at his husband. Not even the sound of the gates closing can drag his attention away. It is a sight for sore eyes indeed, and one that could only be made better if—!

Lao Wen rips the face-veil off before Zhou Zishu can finish the thought—that lovely face revealed in all its splendour—and then suddenly he's running. Zhou Zishu opens his arms, feels his body thrum with anticipation.

Wen Kexing nearly slams into him, arms curling around his neck as eager lips press against Zhou Zishu's.

Having his husband in his arms again, kissing him once more, nearly brings Zhou Zishu to his knees. He can't quite understand how he managed these past years without this overwhelming, vexing, and utterly enchanting presence in his life, his arms, against his lips.

"A-Xu..." Wen Kexing moans against his lips.

"Lao Wen," Zhou Zishu replies.

It is more than Zhou Zishu could have ever dreamed of.

"I thought you were lost to me forever," Wen Kexing whispers in the dark of his bedroom.

They lie curled around each other, as close as two bodies can be without literally melding together. Their foreheads pressed together, their noses are side by side, they are breathing the same air.

"I thought the same, until I heard the rumours of a healer who refused and insulted both Mo Huaiyang and Zhao Jing."

Wen Kexing laughs a deep throaty laugh, and wiggles in a clear attempt to come even closer.

"If I had been the one to open the gates, if I had seen their faces, I would have spit on them. Or worse," Lao Wen admits.

Zhou Zishu finds that far from surprising. The only one who lost as much to Zhao Jing's schemes was Chengling, and he was both older at the time of his loss and at least not dragged into the Ghost Valley directly afterwards.

Zhou Zishu smiles.

"I assume you have a plan for dealing with them?" Zhou Zishu says in a low voice. "I know how you love your plans."

He says with perhaps slightly more snideness than he should, after these years of separation and longing, but even after more than five decades Zhou Zishu still holds a bit of a grudge for both times Wen Kexing decided to go with a plan without telling Zhou Zishu first, when both times could have ended in disaster.

"My husband shouldn't be so mean," Lao Wen says. "This wife has worked very hard to do things that would make his husband proud."

Lao Wen gives him that adorably sad expression, pouty lips and big eyes; an obvious attempt at getting Zhou Zishu to go along with whatever he wants. Nearly six decades, and Zhou Zishu still has not become immune to it—he may honestly be weaker to it than ever before.

Zhou Zishu sighs and shakes his head with a smile.

"Yes yes, I'm sure you have. So? What is your plan?"

"Not quite sure yet. There's no Ghost Valley anymore, so it seems unlikely that a Heroes Conference would be called, otherwise that would be a perfect opportunity to expose him. Much like last time, except this time no one would know that I've ever been the Ghost Valley Chief, so my words and accusations as Zhen Yan would hold far more weight."

Zhou Zishu snorts. "You wouldn't even need to fake your death to perform the world's least believable 'I am definitely a different Wen Kexing' act, this time."

Wen Kexing starts laughing and then tries to stifle the laughter and slaps Zhou Zishu's chest.

"You can think it was a ridiculous plan however much you want, the fact is that it worked and that says more about the Jianghu than it does me, I think." Wen Kexing gives a sniff of fake affront, even as the corners of his mouth keep twitching.

Laughing again, Zhou Zishu wraps his arms more tightly around Lao Wen's waist and roll them over to settle on top of his beloved and infuriating husband.

"True as that may be, you still came up with the plan in the first plan and decided to implement it. And that certainly says more than a little bit about you."

Zhou Zishu laughs though the slaps Lao Wen delivers to his chest, before suddenly Wen Kexing freezes, his hand hovering in the air. Zhou Zishu frowns.

"What's wrong, Lao Wen?"

"The nails... do you...?" Wen Kexing's gaze has left Zhou Zishu's face and is now directed at his chest instead.

"No. I arrived so far back in time that I could avoid ever implementing them as a punishment for wanting to leave the Window of Heaven." He presses a kiss to Lao Wen's lips. "This time, the Four Seasons Manor is strong, most of the original disciples still live—though I did bring Han Ying and the nineteen kids he gathered with me as well when I left the Window of Heaven this time."

Wen Kexing closes his eyes and lets out a relieved sounding sigh. His hand lowers down to Zhou Zishu's chest.

"That's good. I was worried. I made plans for dealing with them, but... Oh, A-Xu."

A brilliant smile breaks out on Wen Kexing's face, and Zhou Zishu finds himself helpless before it. It is lucky they are already lying down, from how weak his knees suddenly feel.

Few things make Zhou Zishu as weak as Lao Wen's joy.

"Do you know how we got here?" Zhou Zishu says and strokes a strand of dark hair—it is almost disorienting to see Lao Wen with dark hair once more—out of his husband's face.

"No, not at all. I went to sleep with you and then I woke up in the Ghost Valley." Wen Kexing huffs out a weak laugh. "I think I nearly went insane with it. I feared all we had, I feared you were just a lovely dream that had now so cruelly been ripped away from me, like flower petals in the wind."

Zhou Zishu presses a kiss against Wen Kexing's frowning lips, and then another, and another, until they relax into a smile and Lao Wen lets out a contented sigh.

"It was the same for me," Zhou Zishu murmurs against Lao Wen's lips. "I woke up in my writing room, staring down at seven nails and written instructions. I wasn't sure if you were a dream or if what I was experiencing then was a nightmare." Zhou Zishu kisses his husband again, just because he can. "I decided to do better this time, just in case it was real and not a dream."

"I think we both did rather well." There's a smug smile on Wen Kexing's lips now.

Zhou Zishu rolls his eyes. The downside to cheering Wen Kexing up is that he almost always immediately goes right past content straight into unbearably smug. He decides to change the subject.

"Why the face veil?" He strokes one hand over Wen Kexing's cheek.

If Wen Kexing keeps wearing a face veil, it's going to mean that Zhou Zishu gets less time to appreciate his face. Not that Zhou Zishu will ever admit that he does such a thing, because it would get to Lao Wen's head and make him more unbearably smug than usual, but still.

"To hide my identity." Wen Kexing sighs. "Only Shen Shen recognised me last time, and even then he wasn't sure until he got it confirmed but... This time, I'm a healer, not just a mysterious martial artist from no known sect. Long-bobo said that it wouldn't be hard for people to make the connection to my parents, so the face veil was his idea."

Zhou Zishu's thoughts grind to a halt.

"Long-bobo?" He's afraid to breathe. Zhou Zishu has been struggling with how to help Long-bobo, he's considered maybe contacting Beiyuan and Wu Xi to make sure he had someone sufficiently talented within the arts of healing to ensure that this time, Long-bobo lives but...

Wen Kexing's smile turns soft.

"I rescued him, and three of his disciples." He strokes Zhou Zishu's cheek and leans in for a quick kiss. "Long-bobo is actually the one who designed the security for the Crimson Pavilion. We should go see him; he will be so happy to see you."

It is as if a boulder falls off Zhou Zishu's shoulders, and he lets out a relieved laugh.

One more person who gets to live this time, one less person killed by Zhao Jing's schemes.

Seeing Long-bobo looking, well, not exactly healthy what with his amputated legs and somewhat frail constitution, but better than the last time Zhou Zishu saw him is more of a relief than he can properly articulate. Long-bobo also looks incredibly happy, where he sits in a mechanical chair—of a similar type of the one Long Xiao used to travel in the last time around—enjoying the sunshine.

As much as Zhou Zishu misses Chengling, his stupid little apprentice, he's still glad that this time there will not be so many heavy burdens falling on his shoulders. This time Chengling won't carry the fate of multiple sects on his shoulders. In fact, this time, he probably will not even carry the fate of one sect on his shoulders.

Lao Wen won't be spreading the children's song this time around after all, so there will not be an excellent opportunity for Zhao Jing to fake an attack by the Ghost Valley on the Mirror Lake sect. This time, Chengling won't lose his entire family...

Which also means there's no reason for him to become Zhou Zishu's disciple.

The thought leaves an ache in Zhou Zishu's chest. As happy as he is that Chengling won't have to suffer loss as he did in the previous time, he will miss having the boy around. He'll especially miss watching Chengling and Lao Wen interact. Zishu himself has never been great with hugs and open affection, but Lao Wen—likely due to being starved for positive touch for most of his life—was always receptive to the boy's hugs. It had always warmed Zhou Zishu to watch, and it had been a nice complement to his own more taciturn and aloof type of affection for the boy.

The two of them made a good team regardless of the task before them. Well, when they didn't disagree on things just to rile each other up or because sometimes being firm in your differing opinions and bickering about it is really good foreplay—without it being obvious to anyone else that it's foreplay.

As much as they have gained during this second chance, there are things that will now be beyond their reach as well.

Zhou Zishu turns to look at Long-bobo again and smiles.

Some sacrifices will just have to be worth it. He will never be Chengling's shifu this time, but he has gained so much else and Chengling himself will at least not suffer.

"I should come with you," Lao Wen says with a pout, making big eyes and looking so woefully adorable. A man of his height really should not be able to make himself look so small and pitiful.

Zhou Zishu strokes the side of his face.

"You can't. Until we can merge the Crimson Pavilion and the Four Seasons Manor, we are going to have to accept that there will be time spent apart. If you're going to get your revenge this time, you can't throw away all of your hard work."

Wen Kexing's facial expression becomes outright petulant.

"My disciples have studied hard and many of them are very capable now. I'm sure they will be fine without me for a few weeks."

Zhou Zishu rolls his eyes and shakes his head. This utterly exasperating man.

Of course, Zhou Zishu can understand where Wen Kexing is coming from, since they've been separated for so many years. However, he would like Wen Kexing to be a bit more prudent when it comes to his plans rather than risking anything nearly as close to disaster to happen this time as it did last time.

"We will separate for some time now, and then we can go on a trip together later. Travel. Perhaps head near the Mirror Lake sect..." Zhou Zishu trails off and raises an eyebrow towards Lao Wen.

"Ah. Well. We are getting close to that time, aren't we? Are you hoping to run into your silly little disciple again? Are you going to dress up as a beggar this time too?" Wen Kexing makes a face, then. "Please don't, that disguise of yours really was rather hideous, even though I knew there was a beauty hiding beneath it."

Zhou Zishu rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

"Master!" A loud scream from across the yard catches Zhou Zishu's attention.

He looks up and sees...

Oh.

Gu Xiang is running across the yard, her purple robes fluttering in the wind around her as she runs closer.

"Master, who is this? A-Yin said something absolutely crazy and I don't believe it! Why would you kiss someone you don't know?" She gives Zhou Zishu a suspicious glance.

Then she looks at Wen Kexing again and does a double take.

"Master! You're not wearing the face veil! And there's an outsider here!" she shrieks, looking around the area as if she's trying to find Wen Kexing's missing face veil.

"A-Xiang... what have I told you?" Lao Wen says with a roll of his eyes, without responding to anything she actually said.

Zhou Zishu just watches them, fondness warming his chest. He's missed this fierce little girl.

"Even if I were to call you brother, you're still my shifu so I should actually call you that! And you've been my master for so long... It gets confusing! It's a habit!"

As quick as a snake, Wen Kexing strikes by grabbing A-Xiang by the ear.

"Ow! Owowowow!" she whines, her whole face scrunching up as she waves her hands ineffectually in the general vicinity of her ear.

"What was that?" Wen Kexing says with a deceptively mild voice.

The familiar scene, though it last played out so many decades ago, has Zhou Zishu laughing. If anything, this is proof positive that they are back. Lao Wen has his A-Xiang back, and she is the same as she was, even as they are making new and better choices.

She is one of the people they are doing this for.

Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing already had their happy ending—despite the grief. Having returned to the past—though it seems Lao Wen knows as little about how it happened as Zhou Zishu himself does—they have worked to ensure that they are not the only ones to get a happy ending. This time, things will be different. This time they come prepared, and the enemy is known beforehand.

"A-Xu..." Lao Wen's voice is reverent as he lets go of A-Xiang's ear and turns to face Zhou Zishu again.

"Lao Wen," Zhou Zishu says in return, leaning in close and placing a quick kiss on Wen Kexing's lips.

Before Lao Wen can chase after him, however, Zhou Zishu draws back and turns to A-Xiang, giving her proper greeting.

"I am Zhou Zishu, Lord of the Four Seasons Manor. Lao Wen and I have known each other for a long time, though we were separated for years until we finally found each other again," he says, none of which is a lie, not even if this had only been their first time around. They hadn't exactly known that immediately the first time around, especially not Zhou Zishu who had been kept in the dark for quite some time, but still a truth.

A-Xiang looks both a bit uncomfortable and confused, looking between Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing as if she's waiting on Lao Wen to give her instructions on how to proceed with this interaction. In the end she decides to give a proper bow and introduce herself.

"This one is Gu Xiang. I am..." she hesitates, glancing over at Lao Wen again. "I am Wen Kexing's sister. Though he also raised me. And I've been his maidservant for years." She stops then, likely before she says anything about the Ghost Valley.

"Growing up in the Ghost Valley must have been tough. I am glad to see that you are well, though I'm hardly surprised considering Lao Wen has been the one looking after you." Zhou Zishu glances at his zhiji as soon as he's finished speaking.

A-Xiang's mouth is a perfect circle. She clearly didn't expect Zhou Zishu to know anything about the Ghost Valley.

"There are no secrets we need to keep from A-Xu," Lao Wen says and smiles at A-Xiang. "But it's good that you're being careful."

A-Xiang's face breaks into that big grin of hers, and Zhou Zishu find himself smiling at her in turn. He has missed her.

Ultimately it takes Zhou Zishu a promise to build and send mechanical birds to get Lao Wen to give up on the idea of simply following Zhou Zishu back to the Four Seasons Manor immediately.

It's a hard-won battle that Zhou Zishu in many ways didn't want to win at all. He doesn't want to part again any more than Wen Kexing does but knows that they must. Just for a little while longer, to settle things until they can finally travel together and plan out Wen Kexing's revenge properly. Most importantly, they are going to plan it together this time.

"Parting is the sweetest of sorrows, paving way for a new meeting," Lao Wen says, draping himself all over Zhou Zishu.

Laughing silently to himself, Zhou Zishu pulls his husband—always his husband, whether a wedding has occurred or not—into another deep kiss, loathe to part from him. He hears some huffing sounds and scattered laughter but ignores it. He spent more than a few decades with the most shameless man he's ever met; Zhou Zishu would lie if he claimed it hasn't rubbed off on him even a little bit.

As soon as everything is over, as soon as everything has settled and there's nothing they need to deal with, Zhou Zishu is going to take his husband and lock them in a room together for at least a week and do nothing but eat, drink, and revel in each other's company. He's been separated from his zhiji for too long, and now he must separate again. It's agony and he cannot wait for it all to be over.

He is an old soul in a young body, but for some reason his patience is no longer what it once was.

Maybe he was just patient because whatever happened, Wen Kexing would be by his side. And now, their duties are forcing them to be apart. Again. After they just found each other again, both having thought that they'd lost each other forever.

"I will see you soon, Lao Wen. Very soon indeed." He kisses Wen Kexing's forehead. "And I will send over some Drunk Like a Dream as soon as I return to the Manor."

Wen Kexing smiles at him, that wide unrestrained smile that always makes Zhou Zishu's heart skip a beat—not that he'd ever admit it.

Bi Changfeng greets Zhou Zishu at the manor gates when he returns.

"So? Did your little trip bring you anything?"

"More than you can imagine, but nothing I'd speak of in the open," Zhou Zishu replies with a laugh. Bi-shu raises an eyebrow but follows Zhou Zishu inside without a comment.

The disciples are working hard in the courtyard, and Zhou Zishu pauses briefly to inspect their progress. They're doing well, and Zhou Zishu is pleased to see the enthusiasm that Han Ying and the ones he brought with him from the Window of Heaven display at what they're learning. It has always been one of the things that has made Zhou Zishu the most pleased: the past and the future merging this way into something new, something better.

The past has not been buried, and neither has Han Ying.

This time... this time his wish came true in life, not just death.

Bi-shu gives Zhou Zishu a deeply unimpressed look.

"You have met the master of the Crimson Pavilion—and yes, news of that healer sect has reached us too while you were gone, the Jianghu cannot stop talking about it—and you are... planning to court him. You are planning to court Wen Kexing, the Master of the Crimson Pavilion, who you have just met. The very mysterious master of the Crimson Pavilion. Who has a name of no renown, cannot be traced to any known before the Crimson Pavilion, but who is an exceptional healer and who is willing to slam the gate in the face of some of the most powerful sect leaders in the entire Jianghu. Him. You are planning to court that man."

Zhou Zishu does understand the scepticism, to someone who does not know about the... time travel? Dreams? Visions? Zhou Zishu still isn't entirely sure what has happened, but he supposed that time travel—of his and Lao Wen's minds, and nothing else—is likely the most accurate assumption he can make. At any rate, for someone who does not know about it, Zhou Zishu must seem rather insane.

He must seem especially insane to someone like Bi-shu, who has been with Zhou Zishu through all the years and paranoia of the Window of Heaven, the blood and the assassinations. Nails or no nails, the Window of Heaven and serving under Prince Jin was still not a situation that exactly made one an overly trusting person.

Zhou Zishu was harder and sharper than all others, and Bi-shu knew it. He really must seem like he has lost his mind now.

So, Zhou Zishu knows he's likely going to need to give some information to Bi Changfeng to get him to be on his side. Zhou Zishu can certainly go through with the courting and the marriage and then, ultimately, the merging of the Crimson Pavilion and the Four Seasons Manor without needing any approval from anyone besides Wen Kexing... but it would be rather nice if the members of his sect didn't spend the entire time thinking he was insane for it and only going along with it for fear that he will turn on them.

"What I will tell you now, Bi-shu, is something you cannot speak of to anyone," Zhou Zishu says and leans in close over the table.

Bi-shu's expression goes from sceptic to serious, and he leans in from the other side.

"I will take it to my grave," he swears.

Zhou Zishu has no doubt that were it necessary, Bi-shu certainly would.

"Wen Kexing is my zhiji. He is someone I love beyond anything else in this world. But besides that... he is the er-shixiong of the Four Seasons Manor. He was not born Wen Kexing, he was born Zhen Yan."

Zhou Zishu keeps his gaze trained on Bi-shu's face, and watches as he draws in a sharp breath and pales.

"Zhen Yan... Son of the Divine Hands... The disappeared second disciple of Qin Huaizhang." Bi-shu whispers and closes his eyes, face turning pained.

Silence reigns between them for quite some time as Zhou Zishu allows Bi Changfeng to gather his thoughts.

"You are sure?" Bi-shu's gaze is firm.

Zhou Zishu nods.

"I would know him blind and stupid. And he... he knew something no one else could have. It is him."

Bi-shu nods sharply, before he looks away from Zhou Zishu, stroking his chin.

"Is that why he wears that face-veil I've heard of?"

Zhou Zishu smiles. Bi-shu has always been able to see things very clearly. Far more so than Zhou Zishu, at times.

"Yes. There's a clear family resemblance." He glances to the side. "A healer who looks like Zhen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao is going to have a hard time convincing people that he is not their child, even if he weren't. Unless he wants the Jianghu to come beating down the gates of the Crimson Pavilion... hiding his true identity is the only thing he can do."

Bi-shu nods again, deep in thought.

"Qin Huaizhang's biggest regret was that he failed to save the Zhen family," Bi-shu whispers, voice choked. "I am glad to hear that the boy lives, that he has even managed to continue his parents' legacy. Do you... do you know anything about his parents?"

Zhou Zishu closes his eyes and sighs.

"Dead. For nearly twenty years now." There is no way, nor any reason, for Zhou Zishu to try and beat around the bush or soften the blow. Bi-shu likely did not know Lao Wen's parents as well as Zhou Zishu's shifu had, but... He'd likely known them, nevertheless.

Bi-shu's face contorts in agony.

"I was afraid you'd say that," he whispers.

Sending letters back and forth using the mechanical birds is a poor substitute for being with each other, but Zhou Zishu will take what he can get. Even when Wen Kexing—the absolute asshole that he can be—starts putting perfume on his letters.

The floral scent of the letters has a few of the elders—and some of the more daring of the disciples, like Qin Jiuxiao—ask him who this new lady friend of his is. Zhou Zishu refuses to answer, and stews in the knowledge that this is precisely why Lao Wen started doing it in the first place. Bi-shu keeps giving Zhou Zishu mildly judging looks, but he can't be sure if it's because of the perfume or because Zhou Zishu is refusing to tell anyone anything.

He hasn't even mentioned that he's going to be courting someone soon... but it's not really any of their business until the courting has properly started, anyway, and Zhou Zishu still hasn't had the time to go into the nearest large town to commission a hairpin as a first courting gift.

Last time, Lao Wen got there first—by giving Zhou Zishu the armoury key, the madman—but this time Zhou Zishu is going to get there first. Which is the only reason he didn't ask Wen Kexing to give him his hairpin back in the first place. He's worn it for fifty years; he can be without it for a little while no matter how attached to it he is.

As soon as he's got his first courting gift finished, then he can start telling the people in the Four Seasons Manor. Otherwise, they're just going to start making a big deal out of it, and Zhou Zishu is planning to put that off for as long as possible. Especially since he just knows that given the chance, Wen Kexing is going to demand they go all out for the wedding this time—they didn't even get to have one last time, which of course was something that never suited Wen Kexing's love of drama and spectacle.

Zhou Zishu would be happy having a simple ceremony with only a few witnesses and let that be that, but he knows Lao Wen would never let him hear the end of it if he suggested it. So. Lavish courting and lavish wedding it is.

He is, unfortunately, too in love with his husband to not indulge him.

Perhaps they can head to Yue and look at fabrics for the wedding. That would be as good of an excuse as any to head off to have a chance of meeting Chengling without making anyone suspicious. He'll suggest it to Lao Wen as soon as their courting has actually started.

He closes his eyes and smiles. He can send Lao Wen shopping—Lao Wen does so love to go shopping—and then take a nap on that same bridge he did last time. It's not going to be the same, but it may be similar enough for Zhou Zishu to get a chance to have some sort of relationship with Chengling despite everything being different.

Zhou Zishu cannot get everything he wants, even with his foresight, but he is going to try and get as close as possible.