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The night is glacial and stormy, the kind of night that fortune tellers and priests would call inauspicious. Lan Wangji has never subscribed to such beliefs, the storm has proven to be quite an obstruction. His planned night hunt is on hold indefinitely, as he takes shelter in the only inn he could find. It is a small place, worn down and unvisited, the only functional building anywhere in this ghost town, still several li away from the haunted forest.

The innkeeper, an older man with a sun-weathered face, had explained how the area slowly became abandoned as the ghostly forest encroached. His wife and him had nowhere to go and thought themselves at a safe distance. But every day the shrieks got louder, and no guests ever came this way. Within the month they too would leave this place and never look back.

Border disputes meant that the nearby sects did not answer to the town’s requests for help. Lan Wangji had only happened upon the place by chance, but his duties as a cultivator would not allow him to leave without dealing with the ghostly forest. Borders and territory mean little to him, in the face of helping those in need.

He could have already been out there making some progress, were it not for this storm. The heavy rainfall and wild wind beat down against the building, making it rattle in its foundations. The storm is too strong, even for a cultivator of his ability to remain safely outside, so it is fortunate that he found the inn in time.

He sits in the communal area, taking his evening meal. It is a simple broth that Lan Wangji is grateful for. The innkeeper is sealing the shutters, one by one, to keep out the storm. Just as he reaches the front door, it swings wide open, letting in a gust of icy, wet air. Lan Wangji looks up to see a bulging, cloaked figure stumbling into the inn, and immediately reaches for Bichen. The innkeeper scrambles back from the intruder with a yelp.

The flickering lantern lights illuminate the figure as it, no he , pulls his hood back to reveal — a man, unarmed, bedraggled by the storm outside.

“Forgive me for the intrusion sir.” His voice is shaky, breathless. “We only wish to seek shelter for the night.”

‘We’?

He steps further into the light and Lan Wangji sees him for what he is; young, disheveled, handsome. The lanterns cast a warm yellow glow on his striking features.

Then he removes his drenched cloak, and the reason for his bulging form becomes apparent; Tied to his back are two sleeping infants, a baby is strapped to his chest. Another two, only slightly older children, cling tightly to his legs. They are wet, but much less so than their guardian, who had worn his cloak incorrectly in order to keep the children dry instead of himself.

Five young children. In a storm too dangerous for cultivators, and no shelter for days of travel in any direction. Not to mention the ghoulish forest nipping at their heels. How could this man and his children have made it here alive?

The innkeeper looks just as shocked as Lan Wangji feels. “You— How did you get here?” 

The two children clinging to the strange man’s legs refuse to let go, even when he tries to coax them away. “Through the forest.”

“ The forest?! Good heavens boy, you must be out of your mind! You could have all d—” The innkeeper cuts off with a look towards the children. “How many rooms would you like?”

“I… I have no means to pay for a room sir,” the man admits, head bowed. “But I can work! I can clean, cook, muck out your animals, anything you’d like. My children won’t disturb your patrons at all. Just until the storm passes. Please sir, we have nowhere else to go.”

The innkeeper looks conflicted. “There is no work here boy, this is a dying business. If I start letting every stray and wanderer in, my wife and I will starve.”

With the children still latched onto him, the man bows deep, groveling, “Please sir! We’ll stay in your barn and eat your scraps. Good sir, they won’t survive another night of rain, please…”

Lan Wangji has heard enough. He approaches the two men and places a pouch of money on the counter. “Please give them your largest room.”

They both turn to him in surprise. “But Hanguang-jun, that room has been prepared for you.”

“Mn. I will move.” He notices the large puddle forming on the floor around the man’s feet. “Please prepare food, baths, fresh robes. Anything they need, it is on me.”

The innkeeper leaves to do as asked.

“Han—Hanguang-jun?” the man begins warily. He sounds unfamiliar with the title. “How may I repay your kindness sir?”

He is even more striking up close, but the exhaustion on his face looks bone deep. “You need not,” Lan Wangji assures him.

“But, but how can I not? There must be a way to repay you! I don’t have any money but—”

“I do not require money.” Lan Wangji does not believe basic human decency requires repayment of any sort.

The man stares at him with wide eyes, then bows. One of the children tied to his back has awoken, and peers up at Lan Wangji with sleep-crusted eyes. Even when the man has straightened back up, his eyes remain lowered. “Thank you,” he whispers, before guiding his children up the stairs to their room. All of them remain as silent as mice.

Lan Wangji would like to know what adversity has led this family to trek through a haunted forest in the middle of a raging storm, so that he may help them if possible. But now is not the time. He must allow them first to rest and recuperate, and perhaps speak to them tomorrow if they are willing.

He gets back to his now cold meal, before retiring to his new room for the night. It is a decent room, kept warm by a fire. Lan Wangji positions himself near the hearth to carry out his nightly meditations. It is a little difficult to concentrate at first. Thoughts of what might have happened, had the family not happened upon this inn, plague his mind. But they are safe now, in a room down the hallway. Knowing this puts him at some ease.

As he is finishing up with his meditation, there is a knock at his door. Lan Wangji doesn’t get the chance to answer. The door opens and in walks the young man from earlier, now alone. He has changed into a plain, dry robe, hair slightly curled at the ends now that it is also dry. The robe falls short of his wrists and ankles, likely not intended for a person of such significant stature.

“I did not get the chance to thank you earlier.” He stands with his back pressed against the door.

“No need,” Lan Wangji tells him. He is met with silence, but the man makes no move to leave. Lan Wangji, who is usually comfortable with silences, feels something strangely uncomfortable in this silence. He racks his mind for something to fill it. “Your children?”

“They’re all asleep. Well fed and warm, thanks to you.” His voice is barely a whisper.

Lan Wangji nods. He does not know what to do with so much gratitude directed towards him, has never known what to do with it. The silence echoes again.

“How—” The man’s voice cracks. “How would you like to be repaid, sir?”

Lan Wangji feels his brow furrow. He thought he had made it clear that he didn’t require repayment. “I do not—”

“Forgive me, I am not…”  Lan Wangji notices the trembling of his hand, as he pushes his hair off his face. “What would you have me do?”

“Have you…?” Lan Wangji repeats. The man flinches. Lan Wangji considers his weak voice, shaky disposition, the pallor of his face, and comes to a horrifying realisation. “No!” he exclaims.

The man finally meets his eyes, looking confused. “No? What do you mean sir?”

“I do not require that from you.” He wishes this exchange would end immediately. His ears are burning from the shame of it all. 

But the man continues, “Not… from me? What do you mean not from me?!” There is a sudden fury in his eyes, blazing where fear sat just a moment ago, fists clenched by his sides. “You— you vile bastard! You will not touch my children. I won’t let you, I’ll fucking kill —” 

Lan Wangji feels sick to his stomach. “No, no! I do not want anything . From anyone . Please.”

“You—! Oh. Oh, I…” The man instantly deflates and slumps back against the wall, breathing heavily. “Nothing? Nothing at all?” The disbelief in his voice is cutting.

“No. Please believe me.” The bile in Lan Wangji’s stomach is still stirring.

Tears begin to spill out of the man’s eyes. “I do not know how to thank you, how to beg for your forgiveness.” He looks like he might faint where he stands. “You’ve saved me and my children, and I’ve been so disrespectful. I’m so sorry, sir. Hanguang-jun.” He starts lowering himself onto his knees to bow.

Lan Wangji stops him, lifting him from his bow by the shoulders. He quickly steps back, putting some distance between them. The way the man leans on the wall suggests it's the only thing that’s holding him up. Without its support he might collapse to the floor. His breathing is still irregular, chest rising with gasps and hiccups.

Lan Wangji watches it gradually even out, before he speaks up again. “Lan Zhan. Courtesy name, Lan Wangji.”

“Huh?” The man looks so lost. He has had a truly awful night. 

“My name,” Lan Wangji explains. He wishes he could smooth the edges of their rough start, start afresh.

“Oh! Yes. I didn’t even introduce myself, my goodness.” He brushes the hair off his face. “Wei Ying. Courtesy name, Wei Wuxian.” 

Lan Wangji nods. “Do your children require anything?”

“No, no thank you. They have everything they need, more than they need, really. The innkeeper’s wife is a seamstress, so she even had new robes in all our sizes.” He pats his robe in indication.

It is decidedly not the right size.

Lan Wangji picks up his qiankun pouch and fishes out a spare robe. It will likely be a little large for Wei Wuxian, but it is better to be swaddled, than for his limbs to catch a chill. Especially since he has already faced the cold of the storm.

Wei Wuxian immediately refuses when he hands the robe over. “No, no! There’s no need. I have perfectly good robes already.”

Lan Wangji does not say anything, just looks at his bare arm, exposed till almost the elbow, and then looks back up at him. Wei Wuxian looks away, and when Lan Wangji extends the robes towards him again, he begrudgingly accepts.

“Please rest. Your children need you well.”

Wei Wuxian looks at him carefully, as if trying to search for an answer in his eyes. “May the heavens bless you, Lan Wangji,” he says softly, before taking his leave.

Lan Wangji remains rooted to his spot for a long moment after Wei Wuxian has left, watching the closed door in search of answers of his own. He does not get any.

Wei Wuxian. Wei Ying. Lan Wangji settles into his bed. He has encountered countless people in all his travels; noblemen and commoners, kind and wicked, handsome and plain. But no one quite so unsettling.

He sleeps fitfully that night. Tearful doe eyes visit him in his dreams.

———

As expected, the storm has not let up the next morning. Lan Wangji carries out his morning ablutions and bides the time till breakfast by exercising, as much as the space of his room allows.

He is still the first one downstairs, before the innkeeper himself.

Breakfast is a simple, yet filling, affair; perfectly suited to Lan Wangji’s tastes. He is finishing his tea when Wei Wuxian and his children come down.

Their eyes meet and Lan Wangji feels incredibly disconcerted for a moment. Wei Wuxian is wearing the robe Lan Wangji had given him last night, with its distinct Lan colours and embroidery. As predicted, it is large on his slender frame. Wei Wuxian has cinched the waist impossibly tight to keep it in place. He walks with his youngest sat on his hip, like the mothers in the Cloud Recesses often do, the other four children toddling along beside him.

Wei Wuxian directs them in the right direction, and they all come to stand in front of Lan Wangji’s table in a row.  “Thank you, Hanguang-jun,” they say in unison, bowing. It is clear they’ve practiced it beforehand.

Lan Wangji’s heart feels warm. “There is no need.” He gestures for them to sit at his table.

Four little heads turn together towards Wei Wuxian, checking for permission.

“Ah, no. We wouldn’t want to impose, thank you.” He brushes his nose absently with his finger.

“I insist.” Lan Wangji orders breakfast for them as the children take their seats. Wei Wuxian dawdles unsurely before finally sitting down. None of the children seem unwell or sniffly. Only the tip of Wei Wuxian’s nose is a little red. He asks for ginger and cinnamon tea for their table anyway.

When the food is laid out, Wei Wuxian turns to his children. “What do we say kids?”

“Thank you, Hanguang-jun,” they say again.

“Please eat.” Lan Wangji pours himself a refill of tea.

The children are unusually quiet as they tuck in. Even in the Cloud Recesses, where silence is encouraged, children this age struggle to remain quiet. But the only noise at this table is the sound of chopsticks clicking, and the baby quietly gurgling as it drinks the broth Wei Wuxian feeds it.

He carefully observes the family. Wei Wuxian has cleaned them all up and tied their hair up in simple braids. They do not look scared like they did yesterday, but they also do not look up at him, or around at their surroundings, much.

Wei Wuxian behaves similarly, head down, focused on eating and feeding his baby. Now in the daylight, Lan Wangji notes that the man cannot be any older than twenty or twenty one, around Lan Wangji’s own age. To have such a large family at such a young age is rare, but not entirely impossible. The eldest child looks to be four or five years old, so Wei Wuxian would have had her at sixteen.

Lan Wangji has many questions, but the most concerning of all is why the whole family is eating as if they have never eaten before, and may not see another meal ever again.

“There is no rush,” he says quietly.

Wei Wuxian puts down his chopsticks and wipes the baby’s mouth. “Sorry about our lack of manners, Hanguang-jun. They’re just a bit… peckish. It’s not every day the food is so good.”

As content as Lan Wangji is with the food served here, he knows the average person would not enjoy it much. It is too plain, with no spices or meat.

One of the little ones pulls at Wei Wuxian’s sleeve. “Gege, more?”

‘Gege’?

“A-Yi, my hungry little baby,” Wei Wuxian tweaks his nose and moves both of his own bowls in front of the child. “Here you go.”

He has eaten less than any of the children. Lan Wangji instantly flags down the server for more food.

“Aiyah Lan-gongzi, there really is no need. I’m all full up and so are the kids, aren’t you?” He turns to the kids who all look up at him with wide, guilty eyes. They know what they should say, but none of them want to say it. They all have space for more food.

“They can eat as much as they like,” Lan Wangji says, and passes the steaming new bowls around the table.

The child next to him, who looks to be about the same age as A-Yi, throws himself against Lan Wangji, hugging his side. “Thank you Rich-gege!”

“A-Yuan!” Wei Wuxian looks appalled. “Let go of Hanguang-jun right now, or—!”

“You’re very welcome, A-Yuan,” Lan Wangji says, and strokes the boy’s head. A-Yuan grins up at him toothily.

When he looks back up, four pairs of eyes are staring at him. He is unsure of the reason. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, um yes,” Wei Wuxian laughs a little awkwardly. “They’re usually much better behaved than this Hanguang-jun, I promise.”

“They are perfectly behaved young children,” Lan Wangji states. The children all beam at this. “I would like to know their names so that I may praise them.”

“You want to know… of course. Of course. Let me introduce my babies to you. This is our Baobao.” Wei Wuxian lifts the baby higher onto his lap. “He’s only one but he could wrestle a whole dragon and win, couldn’t you Baobao?” he asks, and then hides behind the baby to growl, making it seem like little Baobao is growling at the others.

The children titter into their bowls and cups. Baobao laughs with his pink gums all on display.

Wei Wuxian points to Lan Wangji’s side. “I see A-Yuan has already forcefully acquainted himself with you.” A-Yuan giggles and hides his face deeper in Lan Wangji’s sleeve. “Him and A-Yi are both three.”

“Three and a half!” A-Yi splutters through a mouthful of congee. A drop lands on his little nose.

Wei Wuxian tuts and quickly wipes his face clean. “My apologies, Lord A-Yi.” He pinches A-Yi’s cheek affectionately. “They are both three and a half.”

He gestures to the fourth child who bows fancifully and speaks up, “Xiao Mei. I’m five years old, and this is my older sister Jing-jiejie. She’s two years older than me.” She holds up two sticky fingers.

A-Jing bows but does not say anything. Lan Wangji bows back.

Wei Wuxian steps in. “Our A-Jing doesn’t talk, but don’t be mistaken, Hanguang-jun. She’s the smartest young lady you will ever come across. She’s even inventing her own language, so that we can all communicate. Isn’t that right, kids?”

The children make the same gesture with their hands as they say, “Yes, Gege.” A-Jing’s hand movements are the sharpest.

“Aren’t they brilliant, Hanguang-jun?”

Lan Wangji nods, “Mn. Very smart.”

All of the children are at least a couple of years older than he’d initially assumed. Wherever they’ve come from, there was likely not a lot of food, stunting their growth. However they are very well spoken for their ages, and undoubtedly bright. Wei Wuxian has brought them up to the best of his ability, despite their difficult circumstances.

“Han— Hanguang-jun?” Xiao Mei implores, struggling to pronounce his title. “Can I call you ‘gege’ too?”

Wei Wuxian looks scandalised. “No, Xiao Mei, remember what I told you. Hanguang-jun is a cultivator. He’s very powerful and has been very kind to us. You have to call him—”

“You may call me Gege,” Lan Wangji answers.

“Gege?” Wei Wuxian repeats, shocked. The redness from his nose has spread to his cheeks.

“Two geges!” A-Yuan cheers.

Which brings Lan Wangji to the question he’s been meaning to ask since A-Yi referred to Wei Wuxian as such. “You are… gege?” 

Wei Wuxian doesn’t answer at first. He seems to be getting more ill, the redness spreading down to his neck. Lan Wangji pours him another cup of the ginger and cinnamon tea. “Oh! Oh yes, yes. Gege. I’m their gege.” He takes a long sip of the tea. “Did you think I was their father, Hanguang-jun?”

Lan Wangji nods.

“Oh my. My, oh my! You thought I birthed them from my own womb?” Wei Wuxian jokes. Lan Wangji’s ears start to feel warm. Inexplicably. “No, no. We’re all orphans you see,” he continues with a laugh. “Jing’er and Xiao Mei are actual sisters, but the rest of us are just. Us.”

Lan Wangji drinks his tea. That would explain the children’s somewhat improper names. No one has bothered to name the orphans properly. 

“Are you like us too, Gege?” A-Yuan asks. He’s managed to accumulate a small heap of crumbs on Lan Wangji’s sleeve.

Lan Wangji brushes the crumbs aside and places a handkerchief in the child’s lap. “In what way?”

A-Yuan smiles, “An orphan.”

The candour with which the child says it is… upsetting. And yet, Lan Wangji understands.

“A-Yuan!” Wei Wuxian shouts. 

“Yes,” Lan Wangji tells A-Yuan. Wei Wuxian falls silent. “I am also an orphan. I have an older brother, like Jing-er and Xiao Mei have each other.”

“Ah, so you’re Lan-er-gege!” Wei Wuxian teases, but when their eyes meet he freezes, colour still bright in his cheeks.

Lan Wangji can’t look away. Wei Wuxian is even more handsome in broad daylight, dressed in Lan robes and well rested. Caring so deeply for a bunch of children that aren’t his own, willing to go to great lengths for them. An enigma, if Lan Wangji ever saw one. It sparks a strange feeling in him, one he cannot pinpoint.

He puts it aside, to consider more important matters. “May I know more about where you all have come from? I would like to help in whatever way possible.”

Xiao Mei speaks up, “Xian-gege said we have to be very good and quiet or— or Hanguang-jun might not want to help us.”

Wei Wuxian visibly flounders. Lan Wangji takes pity on him and steps in. “You should be good for your Xian-gege, listen to what he tells you,” he says to the children. “But you need not be quiet for me. Children should play, laugh.”

He can imagine how enraged his uncle would be, if he heard Lan Wangji say such a thing. In fact he has shocked even himself. Following the Lan principles has always suited him well, and felt right to him. So much so, that he would strictly enforce them on other disciples whenever possible.

But seeing these children sat here with their heads down, not making a single sound. And Wei Wuxian himself, believing that they would only receive help if they were completely silent, respectful, perfect…

Memories of his own childhood arise. The questiest, most obedient child. Not by nature, but by necessity; in the hopes that he would be allowed a glimpse of his mother, a moment longer in her arms.

He pushes the memories aside swiftly.

“Ah, yes,” Wei Wuxian says. “If you wouldn’t mind, we could take this upstairs so that the kids can play while we talk.”

“Of course.” Lan Wangji understands the importance of not burdening young minds. These children have already seen more hardships than any child should have to see.

Upstairs the children quickly settle into some strange hand game. Lan Wangji realises they don’t have any toys or materials to play with. He will have to amend this.

The room is large enough that they are not within earshot of the children when they take their seats at the other end of the room.

“Where would you like me to begin, Hanguang-jun?” Wei Wuxian asks.

“Wherever you wish.” The storm has trapped them here with plenty of time on their hands.

Wei Wuxian casts a glance at the children before speaking. “They— we came from an orphanage in Yiling. I grew up there, and when I came of age I had nowhere to go, but I was allowed to stay in return for working there. All I had to do was look after the kids and teach them. Easy as pie.”

Lan Wangji mentally calculates the distance from the inn to Yiling and does a double take. Surely they could not have come all the way here on foot through the storm.

“There used to be a lot more children, but they grew up, went other places. Made a life for themselves.” He has a small smile on his face, as if recalling a fond memory. “Past few years most of the drop-offs have been babies. They usually get adopted or reclaimed, but no one wants older kids, so we stick around. But Baobao was very sick when he first came so…”

Lan Wangji understands what’s not being said. People do not want to adopt a sickly baby, expecting him to not survive.

“The girls came to the orphanage when Jing’er was about two and Xiao Mei was a newborn. Someone—,” he lowers his voice further. “—murdered their mother. They were found in the room next door to her, barricaded from the inside. Xiao Mei’s cries alerted neighbours, otherwise they would have starved.” He looks down and fiddles with his sleeve.

“Who barricaded them in?” Lan Wangji asks.

Wei Wuxian shrugs. “A chair under the handle and some other light bits and pieces were shoved up against the door. Could have been anyone, but no one apart from the girls was there.”

They both turn to look at the children playing. Xiao Mei is bossing the others around happily.

“Jing’er has never spoken a word. We don’t know if she can. Her hearing and comprehension are perfect but…” Wei Wuxian shudders. “I just hope she didn’t see anything.”

Lan Wangji hopes so too. “Was the murderer ever found?”

Wei Wuxian nods. “Hmm, he was a local young man. They suspect he was the girls’ father.”

It is a cruel world. Lan Wangji knows it is near impossible to eradicate all evil, and yet he would like to try until his very last breath.

“What about the boys?”

“The boys have much simpler tales than any of us. Ordinary drop-offs when they were just wee babies, no stress.” It is clear that Wei Wuxian’s own story was not so stress-free. “They were even about to be adopted, that’s what got us into this mess.” He leans back in his seat and sighs. “A childless couple came to the orphanage, looking to adopt. They chose A-Yuan at first, but then realised he and A-Yi are practically joint at the hip, so they decided to adopt both. Everyone was over the moon!”

Lan Wangj doesn’t have to try too hard to imagine how these children might feel, faced with the chance to have loving parents and a normal life. Like a gasp of fresh air after being held under water.

“I suggested the couple should be vetted, but the old Mistress that runs the orphanage said I was just jealous because no one wanted me as a child,” Wei Wuxian laughs, like it’s nothing. Lan Wangji’s throat feels tight. “Oddly defensive if you ask me, so I snooped around, and found letters in her office detailing an agreement; one by one all the kids would be ‘adopted’ and the Mistress would receive a sum of money to not ask any questions or alert anyone.”

“There was no one you could inform?” Lan Wangji wonders. There should be local law enforcement, as well as officials sent by sects, for matters such as these.

Wei Wuxian shakes his head. “The boys were going to be collected the next morning, so we had to leave immediately. I got all the kids together that very night and escaped. Thankfully they all listened to their Xian-gege and we got a good head start. But…” He pauses, thoughtfully. “I think someone big might have been behind it all, so even if we had the time it would’ve been risky to seek help.”

“What makes you suspect so?” Lan Wangji asks. He is aware power can often corrupt, but what correlation could that have with a bunch of orphans?

“Because they set goons after us, Hanguang-jun. The Mistress alone sure couldn’t afford to do that!” The laughter on Wei Wuxian’s face is hollow, wry.

Lan Wangji doesn’t know why he continues to make light of such grave situations. Perhaps it is a way for him to… cope. Being chased by goons, through the dark of the night with an armful of infants, could not have been anything less than a terrifying experience. It is also reason enough to believe that someone powerful may truly be behind all of this. “How did you elude them?”

“Once we reached the forest, they started dropping away like flies. Must’ve been the storm.” Wei Wuxian shrugs.

Lan Wangji is baffled to say the least. “And how did you manage in the storm?” 

“I made sure I took the brunt of it. The kids wouldn’t have been able to survive otherwise.” He wraps his arms around himself, as if remembering the chill. “But that too got easier when we got to the forest. The trees gave us a bit of shelter as we made our way through.”

This does little to solve Lan Wangji’s confusion. “The forest is said to be haunted. It is why I am here.”

“Oh?” Wei Wuxian tilts his head. “But I didn’t notice anything strange. I just made sure to stay away from the creepy parts and it led us to this inn.”

“Creepy parts?”

“Yeah, you know when you just get a weird feeling about a place. Like a tree with more shadow than shade, or a patch of land that feels heavy,” he explains. “I make sure to stay far far away whenever I get a feeling like that. Tends to keep me safe.”

Lan Wangji does not know what feeling Wei Wuxian is referring to. As a cultivator, he knows how to recognise traces of resentful energy in an area. But those are physical signs, not just a ‘feeling’. “You are not a cultivator?” he checks.

“No, no! I’m just little old me, Hanguang-jun.” He takes hold of his red hair ribbon, wrapping the end around his finger as he looks off into the distance. “My parents… they were cultivators. Died on a night hunt, they did. But I grew up on the streets, just your average street kid. I wouldn’t know what cultivation is if it hit me in the face.”

Perhaps cultivator parents might be the reason behind his innate ability to recognise and avoid resentful energy, without even knowing it. 

“You are anything but average,” Lan Wangji tells him. Wei Wuxian’s eyes widen in surprise. “You have put your life on the line to save these children, despite having no relation with them. Do not discredit yourself.”

“I—” he fumbles. “Anyone would do the same.”

“No. Not many.” It is an unfortunate truth.

Wei Wuxian looks away, unable to look him in the eye. “Aiyah Hanguang-jun, so serious!”

Lan Wangji tries not to wonder if anyone has ever praised him before, even as a child. Has anyone ever told him that he has done well, done the right thing?

It is rather unusual for him to be dwelling on such irrelevant matters. “Do you have any other information on who may be involved in trying to buy the children?”

“Just the letter I found in the office, but it doesn’t have any names or a seal on it, so it’s no good really.” He gets up to fetch the letter from under his pillow, and shows it to Lan Wangji. As stated, it does not hold any clues, just a summary of the agreement. “Even the names of the couple are probably fake. I don’t have any proof or anyone who will believe me.”

“I believe you,” Lan Wangji says. He had seen the way Wei Wuxian had stumbled into the inn with the children, helpless and storm-beaten, barely holding himself up. There is no mistaking that kind of desperation.

“I—” Wei Wuxian looks to be the one in disbelief. “Thank you, really thank you.”

“No need. How would you like to proceed from here?” Lan Wangji asks him.

“Well I never really thought that far.” Wei Wuxian scratches at his head. “It would be nice if we could just go somewhere safe, far away. Maybe I could farm some land and earn for my kids, enough to keep them fed and clothed. I know a brother and sister that came out of the orphanage and made a life for themselves. Maybe we could too.”

The image is heartwarming. Lan Wangji can picture the children playing in the sun, while Wei Wuxian works on his land, sweat-damp and laughing. “That sounds… pleasant.” He discreetly clears his throat. “However I meant, how would you like to have this crime investigated?”

“Investigated? I don’t think there’s any point Hanguang-jun, who will listen to me? I don’t have any proof, I don’t even know who’s responsible. We’re just a bunch of runaways.” Wei Wuxian shrugs. “Thank you for believing me, but no one else is likely to.”

“Yiling is currently under the jurisdiction of Yunmeng Jiang. They are obligated to listen.” He folds the letter and hands it back to Wei Wuxian.

“That would mean going back through Yiling, and I’m not taking my children anywhere near there ever again! I’ll never be able to forgive myself if something happens to them.” 

Wei Wuxian is right, it would be a huge risk to take, not just for the children. He does not seem worried about what might happen to him were he to get caught, but Lan Wangji cannot help but fear the worst. “I will protect you. Let me accompany you all to Yunmeng and assure your case is heard.”

Wei Wuxian looks at Lan Wangji, and then at Bichen, consideringly. “You— You’d really do that?”

“Of course. It is my duty.” He is not sure what is so surprising about this.

“But we’d be wasting your time Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian counters.

“This is a perfect use of my time,” he states.

Wei Wuxian blinks. And then blinks again. “We’ll have to wait out the storm though.”

“Yes, and I will have to rid the forest of whatever haunts it before we set off.” It is the reason he is here after all.

“Woah, can I come watch?” Wei Wuxian asks eagerly. “I’ve always wanted to see what you big, fancy cultivators get up to.”

“It is too dangerous.” He cannot even guarantee his own safety during a haunting this big, nevermind that of anyone else. 

Wei Wuxian huffs. “I really don’t see what the fuss is. It can’t be too dangerous if we all managed to travel through it in one piece, can it?”

“You are fortunate. This town is deserted due to the hauntings. When there is no storm, the screams from the forest are said to be heard all night.” Lan Wangji doesn’t want to shock him, but he himself is perplexed how they ever managed such a feat.

Wei Wuxian frowns. “Will you be okay dealing with it? I— it would be no good if you got hurt Hanguang-jun.”

“I have done this before,” he assures.

A-Yuan comes rushing towards them, throwing himself into Wei Wuxian’s arms. “Xian-gege, Xian-gege! Can you play for us? I want to grow!”

It is unclear what the boy means, but Wei Wuxian brushes his nose absently again. It seems to be some kind of nervous habit. Like a rabbit twitching its nose. “Ah, my little A-Yuan, Xian-gege forgot to bring his flute with him.”

When Lan Wangji tilts his head inquiringly, Wei Wuxian explains, “I had a flute that I would play for the children. The music helps them grow, you see.” He winks conspiratorially at Lan Wangji, over A-Yuan’s head.

Lan Wangji glances around the room. It is clear they did not have the chance to bring anything at all with them. Not a comb, nor a blanket, just the clothes on their backs. He hopes he can correct that soon enough. “May I?” he asks. “I play the qin .”

“Oh.” Wei Wuxian’s face lights up. “That would be amazing Hanguang-jun.”

A-Yuan runs off to inform the others and they all settle down in a circle in lotus position. 

“Is there a particular piece that I must play?” Lan Wangji asks.

“No. Don’t let the kids find out but,” he leans forward to whisper. “I just play whatever. I don’t know how to read music, I can only learn it by ear. My… my mother used to play for me, I remember. It works a treat calming the children down, so I told them it helps them grow.” He snickers.

“Mn.” Lan Wangji is not one for lying, but what is a small white lie that makes children like these, with such little to their names, happy.

He places Wangji on the table. Wei Wuxian joins the children where they are sitting, completing their little circle. He starts off by playing a basic calming piece, hoping the children do not mind the change in instrument. As he plays, the children remain quiet, regulating their breathing and visibly relaxing their muscles. They are clearly very used to this.

Wei Wuxian’s silly game has turned meditation into something fun and enjoyable for the children. Even the disciples at the Cloud Recesses find it difficult to focus so well at this age, and yet here are a bunch of average children, regularly and willingly partaking in it. 

Unknowingly, Wei Wuxian has put in place the foundations required to begin cultivation training in each of these children. 

By the time he stops playing, Baobao is fast asleep in his crib, and the little ones look sleepy and relaxed. Wei Wuxian kisses the baby where he lays and comes back over to sit with Lan Wangji.

“It will help them grow,” Lan Wangji tells him. “The meditative effects of such music calms the soul and regulates the qi. It will aid growth and development.”

“Don’t tease, Hanguang-jun!” Wei Wuxian nudges his arm playfully. The brief moment of physical contact is alarming. “I know I shouldn’t lie to them, I’m sorry.”

“I am not teasing, it is true.”

“Really? But I just play whatever…” He sounds astonished.

“‘Whatever’ is fine,” Lan Wangji says. “It is the meditation that matters.”

Wei Wuxian nods thoughtfully. “Thank you for playing for us, Hanguang-jun. It sounded so good, like it was magic! I think I could listen to you play forever.” He sighs wistfully.

Lan Wangji’s playing has been complimented innumerable times, by renowned cultivators and musicians alike. Still, he feels something strange at Wei Wuxian’s words. 

The man continues on, “How long have you been playing the qin?”

“Since I was a child,” Lan Wangji tells him. It is clear he does not know much of the famed cultivation sects. “The Lan sect’s main cultivation technique is music. Each disciple masters an instrument and uses it to cultivate.”

“Cultivate with music? That’s so interesting.” He taps his chin, thinking. “Does that mean you could cultivate with any instrument, even a silly old flute?”

Lan Wangji nods. “Even a silly old flute.” He is glad his brother is not here to hear him say this.

Wei Wuxian laughs, “So you’re funny too, Hanguang-jun?” He places his hands on his chest and sighs dramatically. “You really are the perfect gentleman!”

Lan Wangji stares at him. He has been called many things in his time, but no one has ever called him funny. He does not know how to respond.

He is still caught up in his disbelief, when A-Yuan toddles up to them and asks, “What is this called Rich-gege?”

“A-Yuan! Stop calling him that!” Wei Wuxian admonishes. “Gege is already pushing it, but Rich-gege? You must be out of your mind.”

“Not pushing it,” Lan Wangji clarifies. He finds himself looking right at Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian holds his gaze, only looking away when A-Yuan taps at his cheek insistently. “Ask your question properly, A-Yuan,” he instructs.

“What is this called, Gege?” A-Yuan asks again, now tapping Wangji with his little hand.

It leaves a sweaty handprint on the wood. Lan Wangji strangely finds it endearing. “It is called a qin. It is a string instrument.”

“Can I play it?” A-Yuan reaches for the strings.

Lan Wangji stops his hand gently. “You must learn how to first.”

“Can you teach me, Gege?” A-Yuan smiles toothily at him.

“Me too, me too!” A-Yi shouts, bounding over.

“Now, now. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves.” Wei Wuxian pulls both boys into his arms, away from Wangji. “What did I say about bothering Hanguang-jun?

“They are no bother,” Lan Wangji says. “A refined gentleman should be familiar with the art of music. But it will require a lot of hard work and patience from you.” He looks to the boys. “Only begin when you are ready.”

“But Hanguang-jun, I don’t know how to play the qin,” Wei Wuxian grimaces. “I won’t be able to teach them.”

Lan Wangji knows as much, so he says, “I will.”

“You? How can you—? Hanguang-jun! You won’t…” Wei Wuxian trails off.

Yes, he is aware that he will not be in the children’s lives for long. “I can begin to teach them if you wish. A teacher can be arranged for after.”

The boys escape out of Wei Wuxian’s clutches and throw themselves at Lan Wangji in excitement. “Yay! Gege is the best!”

Wei Wuxian looks disgruntled. “A teacher? Hanguang-jun, we don’t even know where our next meal will come from. We’ll be lucky if we can find a hut to stay, with running water in the same town. How will I afford a qin teacher?” He pulls the boys away from where they have latched onto Lan Wangji. “We’re not refined gentlemen, we’re street urchins.”

“You need not worry—” he begins.

“How can I not worry, Hanguang-jun? These are my babies now, my responsibility.” He strokes the boys’ backs. “If I don’t worry about them and their future, then who will? You?” he asks sarcastically.

“Mn.” Lan Wangji nods.

“What?!” Wei Wuxian blurts. “What are you talking about? I was being sarcastic. Of course they’re not your responsibility!”

“My sect would take on their responsibility,” Lan Wangji explains. “See to it that you are adequately housed and the children receive schooling. Any other requirement you or the children have will also be provided.”

“No, Hanguang-jun, no way.” Wei Wuxian waves his hands in refusal. “You’ve already been so, so kind to us. I can’t even repay what you’ve done for us so far, but take on our responsibility? That’s too much. We’re just, we’re just…”

Lan Wangji will have to tackle this in a different way. “Do they not deserve a chance at life?” he asks.

Wei Wuxian falls quickly quiet, blinking up at him with searching eyes. Eventually he asks, “But… but why?” Lan Wangji quirks an eyebrow at the question, pedantic, causing Wei Wuxian to elaborate, “Why would your sect do all of this? We’re not even from wherever you are.”

“Gusu,” Lan Wangji provides.

“Yeah, that!” Wei Wuxian huffs. “We’re not from Gusu, we’re not under your sect’s jurisdiction. You’re not liable at all.”

“Those liable have failed these children. It is my duty now to step in and help you in whatever way possible,” he says.

And although it is undeniably true, Lan Wangji also knows that he is being uncharacteristically hasty. The information he has is limited, only what Wei Wuxian himself has told him. And they have yet to have the matter investigated by Yunmeng Jiang, who may also be willing to provide for these children.

However there is something in Wei Wuxian’s eyes that speaks the truth, calling out to Lan Wangji. His desperation and selflessness is almost palpable. He would do anything for these children to be safe and happy, and Lan Wangji cannot allow that to be exploited.

If there is anything else to this story, then matters will unfold as they are wont to do. But the safety of these children will be guaranteed, regardless.

And that is how the day proceeds. The boys sit opposite Lan Wangji and his qin, listening carefully as he names the parts of the instrument and how they work. 

A-Yi becomes restless soon enough, likely having expected that he would get to play immediately. It seems children are all the same, regardless of where they are from. Lan Wangji explains to them the importance of understanding and respecting an instrument, first and foremost. But he knows it will take some time before the message takes.

However A-Yuan surprises him. The boy is completely enraptured by his every word, nodding along and trying his best to pronounce any unfamiliar vocabulary Lan Wangji uses.

Wei Wuxian, who had been dealing with the other children during the boys’ impromptu lesson, comes back over. Baobao sits on his hip, now wide awake and cleaned up. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a prized student,” he says, ruffling A-Yuan’s hair.

“Mn,” Lan Wangji agrees. “A-Yi is also good.”

The boys both give him toothy little grins, A-Yi’s a little more crooked than A-Yuan’s. He does not want either child to feel inferior.

Wei Wuxian looks at him strangely. “Yes, you’re right, Hanguang-jun. Both my boys are good, and bright in their own ways.” He kisses the tops of their heads and almost silently mumbles to himself, “No one gets left behind.” Lan Wangji wonders what he means by that.

———

Despite the noise of the storm and the distance between their rooms, Lan Wangji is woken in the middle of the night by the sound of a baby’s cries. He quickly pulls on his outer robe and makes his way to Wei Wuxian and the children’s room.

Wei Wuxian answers the door with a crying Baobao in his arms. He is dressed in only a thin red inner robe. The way it fits him suggests it is his own, rather than one provided by the innkeeper’s wife. Lan Wangji averts his gaze. “Is everything alright?” he asks.

“Oh gosh, did we disturb you Hanguang-jun? I’m so sorry! Baobao is finally getting his back teeth in, and they’re getting him good.” He strokes Baobao’s flushed cheek gently.

The baby mewls pitifully and slobbers all over Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. Lan Wangji places a hand on Baobao’s forehead to check for a temperature. He has not yet developed a fever, but his body temperature is heading that way if something is not done soon.

Lan Wangji departs to his room to rummage through his qiankun pouch. He keeps an assortment of medicinal herbs on him at all times, but has not had the chance to restock in a while. It is a relief when he finds the small quantity of dried chamomile that is meant to help with sleepless nights. He makes quick work of crushing it into fine powder and making a paste in a small ceramic dish.

He walks back to their room and finds Wei Wuxian still stood in the middle of the room, exactly where Lan Wangji left him. He is pressing light kisses into the top of Baobao’s head, while the baby bites and dribbles down one of Wei Wuxian’s fingers. The child already has most, if not all, of his sharp little front teeth, so it cannot be painless for Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian looks up. “Oh you’re back?” He sounds surprised.

Had he thought Lan Wangji would just leave, with no care for an unwell child? He does not understand this strange man. He has seen upstanding women, the wives of sect leaders and lords alike, turn their nose up at their own slobbering children and hand them over to nursemaids and servants.

But Wei Wuxian stands here, underdressed in the cold of the night, murmuring soothingly into this infant’s ear, letting him chew on his fingers for some small amount of relief.

And yet, he does not expect anyone else to care a fraction.

“Here.” Lan Wangji holds out the dish. “Chamomile paste. It soothes the gums.”

“Oh. Oh, thank you, thank you. ” He takes the dish and then looks down at his full hands. “Would you mind holding him for just a moment, please? I can’t do both things at once.”

Lan Wangji nods, and accepts a crying Baobao into his arms. He is not overly familiar on how best to hold a child of this size, but Baobao is in too much discomfort to wriggle out of his arms. His one flushed cheek is the colour of a ripe tomato. Seeing it makes Lan Wangji understand the parental urge to attempt to kiss your child’s pain away.

Wei Wuxian leans close and gently caresses the baby’s face. “Mypoor little baby,” he whispers to the child. “Xian-gege would take all your pains for himself if he could, my poor dumpling.” He takes the paste onto his already wet finger and rubs it all over Baobao’s gums. “Shhh, there you go baby, there you go. You’ll feel better in no time now, all thanks to your Lan-er-gege.”

He takes Baobao back from Lan Wangji, who passes him over in a daze, throat dry as sun-parched earth.

It takes a moment for his stream of thought to come back to him. Wei Wuxian makes for a wonderful parent. These children are very lucky.

Soon enough Baobao’s cries begin to quieten down, until he’s only quietly whimpering. Lan Wangji feels his forehead again and it is now a much less precarious temperature. But the flush on his cheeks has not yet completely gone away, and the baby is still wide awake, despite Wei Wuxian’s rocking and humming.

Lan Wangji strokes the back of Baobao’s head, unsure how to help.

Wei Wuxian’s hand abortedly reaches up for a split second, before he pulls it back towards himself. “Your… ribbon?” he asks, hesitant.

Lan Wangji’s eyes widen. He had forgotten to wear his forehead ribbon in his rush to check on Wei Wuxian and the children. He has been standing here with Wei Wuxian, forehead bared, both improperly dressed, in the middle of the night. If someone from his sect were to see, the implications would be… unbeatable. It brings a sweat to his brow just thinking about it. 

Wei Wuxian must see the distress written on his face. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just a bit tired, I don’t know what I’m saying. Please ignore me.” He looks down.

“You should sleep. I can stay up to ensure he falls asleep.” He would like to help as much as possible.

“No, don’t worry about it, Hanguang-jun, I’ll manage,” Wei Wuxian says. “You’ve already made our Baobao feel better.” Our. Lan Wangji knows it was not intended to sound that way, and yet. It seems his disturbed sleep is catching up to him.

He understands if Wei Wuxian is not comfortable entrusting his child to an almost stranger, regardless of how unusually familiar Lan Wangji is beginning to feel. Instead he fans the flames in the hearth to make the room warmer. Then he checks on the other children, one by one. They are all asleep in their beds, surprisingly undisturbed by anything. He ensures they are well tucked in under their blankets, no cold limbs poking out. 

On the table next to the bed he spots his own folded outer robe, the one he had lent Wei Wuxian yesterday. He picks it up and places it over Wei Wuxian’s shoulders. “It is cold,” he says. It brings him close enough to kiss the side of Baobao’s head gently. The baby is now only quietly hiccuping.

As he lifts his face away from Baobao, he realises how close he is to Wei Wuxian. The air Wei Wuxian exhales brushes against Lan Wangji’s skin. He tries to take a small step away from them both, but it is no better, now that he can see all of Wei Wuxian, stood there in Lan Wangji’s robe, the deep red of his own inner robe peeking through, rocking a baby to sleep.

Lan Wangji has to look away entirely. Any man would find such a situation difficult. It seems it will be better for all if Lan Wangji lets them be for now. Baobao is close to falling asleep, and Wei Wuxian will want to follow soon after.

“I am just a door away. If there is anything you require, at any time, please ask.” He strokes the child’s downy head one more time, and then leaves the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

He anticipates another restless night for himself.

———

Baobao is a completely different child in the light of the morning. As if it was someone else who had spent the night crying pitifully, not him.

Wei Wuxian on the other hand looks clearly exhausted.

“Don’t worry Hanguang-jun, we both went to sleep right after you left,” he reassures when Lan Wangji expresses his concern. “Baobao slept peacefully, and the tooth finally broke through. Little Baobao reigns victorious once again!” He raises the baby in the air. The children giggle at his antics, while Baobao babbles happily.

“You do not look well,” Lan Wangji tells him.

Wei Wuxian huffs, “Wow, thanks Hanguang-jun. Way to bring a man down.”

Lan Wangji looks at him flatly. “Rest while the children take their afternoon nap today.”

“It’s okay, Hanguang-jun. My sleeplessness disappeared the second I saw all this wonderful food!” He looks at the children who are all stuffing their faces with varying levels of decorum. A-Yi has grains of rice stuck to his eyebrows.

If their enthusiasm for the food here is anything to go by, Wei Wuxian and the children would certainly enjoy the simple cuisine of Gusu. So far none of them have rejected a dish, or demanded anything sweet or meaty, as children often do. Even Lan Wangji is surprised. 

“Sleep is equally as important as food. I will watch over the children for you.” Wei Wuxian still looks hesitant, so Lan Wangji adds, “I can play for the children again. We will all be in the room with you.”

Wei Wuxian finally relents, nodding his head. “If you insist, Hanguang-jun.”

“Gege will help us grow again?” A-Yuan asks.

“Only if you finish all your food first. All of you.” Wei Wuxian looks meaningfully at Jing’er. Lan Wangji does not understand why, the girl’s plate is completely empty. She stares back at him, cheeks puffed up in a sulk. “Now,” he says, also signing with his hands.

Jing’er’s shoulders droop. She puts her hand on the table and drops two buns into her plate. When Wei Wuxian still doesn’t look away she slowly brings forth her other hand, which contains another bun.

“Eat.” 

Jing’er reluctantly eats the buns, one after another. When she is done, Wei Wuxian leans over and kisses the top of her head. “My good girl.” 

Lan Wangji watches the whole exchange, perplexed, but he does not feel like he is in the position to ask. Perhaps Jing’er is a picky eater and Wei Wuxian is familiar with her habits. If they were in the Cloud Recesses, he would have liked to prepare food of her choice for her.

Wei Wuxian looks around at everyone else’s plates. “Now, who’s left?”

“Just you Xian-gege!” Xiao Mei jeers.

“Oh! Look at that would you.” He slurps up the last of his food. “Silly Xian-gege!”

Cleaning the kids up is a task of its own. Baobao spits up his last mouthful of food, as soon as Wei Wuxian has finished wiping him clean. Xiao Mei gets into a tussle with A-Yi, which ends with his congee in her hair too. Lan Wangji has to separate the two and help Wei Wuxian clean the mess they’ve made.

It is good to see the children behave as children should. They are no longer quiet and subdued as they were the previous day, although still not anywhere near as boisterous as children often are. Lan Wangji would like them to become more comfortable. If it is his own presence that is causing them to walk on eggshells, he hopes that will change soon enough. He would like to become someone the children can rely on, not someone they respect out of misplaced fear. 

When they get upstairs, Wei Wuxian once again tries to wrangle himself out of taking a nap. Lan Wangji chooses to ignore his whining and settles down with the children. When the sound of complaining has petered off, he asks, “The music will not disturb you?”

“No, of course not. You play so beautifully, Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian sighs. “It’ll only help me sleep better.”

He undoes the ribbon in his hair and lets his hair loose from its ponytail. It is unruly, slightly tangled and frizzy. It lays spread out on the pillow, when Wei Wuxian gets into his bed. Baobao is nestled into his arms, also beginning to doze off. The two of them make quite the sight.

“—gege? Gege?” A-Yuan prods his knee. Lan Wangji quickly looks away from the resting pair.

The children meditate just as well as they did yesterday. Lan Wangji plays calming pieces, with a small amount of spiritual energy infused into the notes of the music, in order to aid their meditation. Although they would do just as well without it, with how practiced they are. If any of them show an affinity for cultivation in a few years time, Lan Wangji will not be surprised.

Playing the qin is second nature to him, has been for years. So he finds his mind wandering, gaze traveling back to where Wei Wuxian lays on his bed. The man cuts a fine form, taller than most, likely only a few inches shorter than Lan Wangji. He is broad in the shoulders and yet bizarrely slight at the waist. A youthful strength visible in the sinews of his muscles, while his wrists and fingers are delicate, like that of an artist. World-worn, yet more tender and loving with a bunch of orphans, than many a mother is with her own offspring.

A juxtaposition altogether. 

Lan Wangji nearly misses a note, plucking the string of his qin just in time. It is unfortunate that the man is so handsome and good. Lan Wangji’s mind does not usually waver so. 

A-Yuan and A-Yi begin to nod off as Lan Wangji’s playing comes to an end. He checks the position of the sun in the sky through the window, and deems it an acceptable time for the boys to also take their midday nap.

The girls gesture with a finger to their lips, instructing him to be quiet, and Lan Wangji gives an amused nod of his head. He picks up the dozing boys and places them in the bed they share, covering them with a large blanket. Neither of them are woken by the move.

That leaves him with Jing’er and Xiao Mei. He is not sure how they would like to proceed. There are no toys or books, and they cannot even play outside due to the storm. He thinks they will become quickly frustrated, stuck with him in silence while the others nap.

But to his surprise, the sisters seem quite content amusing themselves with more of their made up games. Lan Wangji tries to make head or tail of the game, but possibly lacks the imagination that childhood brings and takes with it, to truly understand.

He figures that the girls must be rather used to keeping themselves entertained with nothing but their own imaginations. As useful as it is to him right now, it is also an indication of the threadbare childhood they have had so far.

Lan Wangji rummages through his qiankun pouch to find anything they might be able to play with, but comes up empty handed. Everything he has on him is either a weapon or medicinal. He is rather ill-equipped to care for a bunch of small children.

He finds a short length of yarn, which he initially disregards. It is too short for even a kitten to play with. But when Xiao Mei blows strands of stray hair out of her face repeatedly, he thinks it might be useful after all.

Wei Wuxian has done a passable job of taming the children’s hair, but the longer it goes without a comb passing through it, the harder it seems to be getting. 

“May I braid your hair?” Lan Wangji asks the girls. “To help your Xian-gege.”

Xiao Mei nods eagerly, “Yes please, Gege! My hair is so messy right now.” She blows out a big puff of hair and makes all her stray hairs fly around her face like a little mane.

He doesn’t have a comb to spare, so his hair oil will have to suffice. Jing’er taps the little vial of oil with a fingernail and frowns. 

“Hair oil,” Lan Wangji tells her, but Jing’er’s frown only deepens. She must not have ever seen anyone using oil in their hair, or perhaps any other cosmetic product either. “To make hair soft and fragrant. I also use it.”

She takes a sniff of the oil when he uncorks the bottle, and then reaches forward and takes hold of a lock of his hair, smelling it too. Only once she has established that the same smell is coming from his hair, does she nod and allow him to continue. Lan Wangji is impressed by her careful judgment.

Xiao Mei is already sitting ready with her back to him, so Lan Wangji begins with her. He undoes her messy braid and takes his time carefully finger-combing her hair and detangling the knots that have formed. It is not as thorough as it could be with a comb, but it will have to do.

He pours some oil into his palm and begins working it through the hair, section by section as he does with his own. Xiao Mei’s hair is not very thick, but it is parched from never having been properly taken care of. Lan Wangji works a little extra oil into her scalp, gently massaging the roots of her hair.

He is hit with a sudden memory of himself, seated in front of his mother, cross-legged just as Xiao Mei sits. His mother would massage his scalp, just like this, and laugh when Lan Wangji’s face became covered with his own hair, making him look like a water ghoul. Lan Wangji never understood what was so funny, until it was Lan Xichen’s turn to get turned into a water ghoul. He remembers giggling with his mother, while his brother made silly noises for their amusement.

It is a bittersweet memory, made sweeter when, in a bout of impulsiveness, Lan Wangji pushes all of Xiao Mei’s oiled hair onto her face and ruffles it up, just like his mother would.

Jing’er looks at her sister’s face and puts two hands to her chest, pretending to be scared with her eyes and mouth wide open. Xiao Mei bursts into giggles, trying her best to keep herself quiet for Wei Wuxian and the sleeping boys.

Lan Wangji will need to detangle Xiao Mei’s hair all over again, but it is worth it for the sound of the girls’ giggles and the warm feeling in his chest.

Once he has smoothed out the strands again, he gets to braiding. He does not know how to create the pretty styles that he has seen female disciples wear in their hair, but he can make the braids and buns that he and his brother wear regularly. He decides to go with two braids, plaited close to her head so that they remain neat for longer. The ends are tied up with a piece of the yarn he found.

Xiao Mei and Jing’er switch positions and Lan Wangji begins working on Jing’er’s hair next. It is longer, but not any healthier than her sister’s. Lan Wangji gives it the same treatment, lathering it in oil and massaging her scalp gently. 

They might not be familiar with fancy oils and cosmetics, but the girls seem used to getting their hair done like this. He wonders if it has always been Wei Wuxian taking on this responsibility for all the children. He wonders if anyone has ever done as much for Wei Wuxian, even when he was a young child. 

He braids Jing’er’s hair similarly, but wraps the braids around her head like a crown. He cannot claim to understand the mind of a seven year old girl, but he thinks that she might enjoy looking different to her baby sister — a little more grown up.

There is no mirror in the room, so Jing’er brings over the dented metal tray from the bedside table, and holds it up for them both. They admire their blurry, somewhat distorted reflections in the tray, particularly Jing’er, whose cheeks go pink in what Lan Wangji hopes is happiness.

When they come back over, she sticks her thumb up at him and wriggles it twice, as if she were pressing down on something.

“Thank you,” Xiao Mei says, repeating the same gesture.

Lan Wangji nods back at them. He makes a mental note of the gesture. It would be good if he could begin to understand Jing’er without any help. 

It is not long after, that Wei Wuxian stirs. Lan Wangji chooses not to watch the man wake and slowly rise out of bed. However there is little he can do to stop the sounds Wei Wuxian makes from reaching his ears, as he stretches out his limbs, moaning and sighing.

Lan Wangji focuses on the grain of the wooden floorboards.

“Ah, Hanguang-jun. You’re still here,” he yawns. When he spots the girls he comes to a stop. “And who are these lovely young maidens you have there with you?”

Xiao Mei giggles, “Gege made us all pretty!”

“Greetings fair lady, I don’t think we’ve ever met before,” Wei Wuxian pretends.

“It’s me, Xian-gege! Xiao Mei!” The girl flicks her braids with her hands in a flourish.

“Oh my. I would never have recognised you!” he says with an expression of put on shock. “And I don’t suppose that’s your sister next to you, is it?”

“Yes, it's my Jing-jiejie!”

Wei Wuxian gasps. “Jing’er! You look like the princess of some faraway land.” He takes them both into his arms, hugging them together. “How beautiful.”

Jing’er blushes some more at the compliments, but tries her best to act unbothered. Lan Wangji feels a sense of camaraderie with the girl.

“Thank you, Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian says to him. “I don’t really know how to do much with hair. If it wasn’t for Qing-jie, I wouldn’t even know how to braid.” Lan Wangji doesn’t know whom he is referring to, until Wei Wuxian adds, “Oh, Qing-jie was someone I grew up at the orphanage with. She left with her brother to go become a doctor. Can you imagine that, one of us becoming a doctor! She really achieved the impossible,” he laughs, rubbing at his nose.

“Not impossible,” Lan Wangji says. “The children have great potential.”

“Yes, but—” Wei Wuxian pauses and looks at him for a moment. “Yes, you’re right,” he eventually acquiesces, and goes to stroke Xiao Mei’s head. “They do.”

“My hair!” the girl squeals, struggling to get away from him. “Don’t ruin my hair, Xian-gege!”

As she escapes to the other side of the room, laughing, Wei Wuxian clutches his chest. “Woe is me! My own children no longer wish to be near me. They have outgrown their poor little Xian-gege.”

Their theatrics are childish, silly. Lan Wangji should not feel so amused. Equally he should not be so affected, every time he hears this man refer to a bunch of orphaned children as his own. There are many things he should not feel or think.

As the evening falls, the storm outside begins to weaken. Although not yet completely passed, it has calmed enough for a cultivator of his calibre to easily make his way through it. He has rested for long enough, a night hunt in the cool rainfall may be good to clear his head.

When he shares his plans with Wei Wuxian, the man is appalled. “You’re going to go out in this storm?!”

“The storm has weakened. It will no longer be a problem,” Lan Wangji tells him.

“Weakened? I don’t know what storm you’re talking about Hanguang-jun, but that sounds anything but ‘weak’ to me.” He tilts his head towards the shutters.

The sound of the rain is still loud, beating down against the wood, but Lan Wangji knows it will be manageable. “I must not neglect my duty as a cultivator. The resentful spirits are still at large.”

“Sure, but it’s not like anyone is in any danger right now. The town is deserted, you told me yourself. So what’s the rush?” Wei Wuxian asks, narrowing his eyes.

“We cannot set out for Yunmeng until the forest is dealt with,” he explains.

“Hanguang-jun.” Wei Wuxian puts his hand on his hips, like he imagines a nagging wife would. “Even if you go night hunting right now, we still won’t be able to travel through this rain with the kids. Please, wait until the morning at least. What if something happens to—” He cuts himself off, biting his lip.

Lan Wangji realises Wei Wuxian must be worried. After all, if something were to happen to him, they would lose the person who has promised to get them to safety. It is not an unreasonable fear. “Mn,” Lan Wangji agrees. “I will leave at daybreak instead.”

“Thank you,” Wei Wuxian says with an exhale. Lan Wangji is not sure what he is being thanked for.

Now that the wind has died down, the wailing of the forest steadily becomes more apparent. When it is time for the children to go to sleep, they are in a terrible state, jumping and trembling at every slight sound.

Lan Wangji knocks at their door and finds Jing’er and Xiao Mei hiding under their blankets, while A-Yuan and A-Yi are outright wailing.

“We’re going to die!” sobs A-Yi.

Wei Wuxian is trying to hug and comfort them all simultaneously, “Don’t be silly A-Yi, it’s just the sound of the rain.”

Right on cue, the howling turns into a high pitched scream, eerily similar to that of a woman. Decidedly not just the sound of the rain. Wei Wuxian looks to him for help.

Lan Wangji steps into the room and takes A-Yi into his arms, while Wei Wuxian scoops up A-Yuan. “Here.” He hands Wei Wuxian a talisman. “Place it on the wall. It will keep the sound out.”

Wei Wuxian takes the talisman and looks at it dubiously, but does as instructed. The ghastly noises from outside immediately cut out, leaving the room completely silent, save for the sound of the children crying. A-Yi lifts his tear streaked head off Lan Wangji’s chest and looks around confused. Wei Wuxian gapes at the silence, equally bewildered. 

“You are safe now,” Lan Wangji says to the children.

They put the boys to bed and it does not take long before all the children have fallen asleep. Fear is an exhausting emotion.

Wei Wuxian tiptoes over to him. “Thank you, I— really. How many times will you help us Hanguang-jun? I don’t have enough words to thank you with.”

“Do not. There is no need.”

Wei Wuxian huffs in laughter, as if Lan Wangji has said something funny. When he sees that Lan Wangji is in fact serious, his gaze drops to the ground. “You really are something, Hanguang-jun.” Lan Wangji does not know how to respond to that, so he does not. “Hold on,” Wei Wuxian continues. “If you could make a talisman like this, why didn’t you just use it yourself when Baobao was up crying all night?” 

The thought to do such a thing had not even crossed Lan Wangji’s mind. “A child’s pain is not a disturbance, it is a responsibility.”

Now Wei Wuxian does not respond, staring at him instead, eyelashes casting long shadows against his cheeks with every blink.

Lan Wangji eventually nods, excusing himself for the night. He hears a quiet, “Good night, Hanguang-jun,” just as he closes the door behind him.

———

He wakes early the next morning, early even for the strict Lan schedule, and prepares to set out for the forest. As he leaves his room, Bichen in hand, he comes face to face with Wei Wuxian. The man quietly closes the door to his own room, mindful of the sleeping children inside. 

The first light of dawn has barely broken through. Lan Wangji wonders what might have caused Wei Wuxian to wake at such a time. “Is everything alright?” he asks.

Wei Wuxian nods. “I’m just here to see you off, Hanguang-jun. Wish you well.”

It is a thoughtful gesture. Wei Wuxian must really be worried about their safety without Lan Wangji.

He is wearing Lan Wangji’s outer robe again, and wraps it tightly around himself as the chill of the hallway hits him. It seems even larger than before, hanging off his body despite how closely it has been wrapped.

Wei Wuxian follows his gaze and mistakes it for questioning. “Sorry for still wearing your robe Hanguang-jun. I really am taking advantage of your kindness, aren’t I?” He lifts the collar of the robe and huddles himself into it, sighing, “But it’s just so warm.”

The sight Wei Wuxian makes is… interesting. “That would be the talismans sewn into it,” he explains plainly, looking away.

“Oh,” Wei Wuxian’s head pops out of the fabric, “Wow, cultivation is so fascinating.” He strokes the material of the sleeve. “I promise I’ll return it to you once you get back today.”

“You may keep it,” Lan Wangji offers nonsensically.

“Oh.” Wei Wuxian looks at him with wide eyes. “Well, you still need to get back, Hanguang-jun. In one piece! I— The kids will be waiting.”

Lan Wangji does not have the words to coherently express anything. “Mn,” he nods, and leaves for the forest.

———

The storm has turned the earth into thick sludge, squelching under the soles of his shoes and slowing his steps. It will be easier to fly to the forest, he decides, and steps onto Bichen.

He does not get any ‘feeling’, like that which Wei Wuxian described, as he flies over the treetops. But a feeling is not needed. Even through the thick rain and dark clouds, it is not difficult to find his way. All he has to do is follow the agonised wailing. It leads him right into the heart of the forest.

Here the noise echoes loudest. As he descends into the forest, he notices the strange looking trees all around, blackened and twisted into unnatural shapes. It is unclear where the forest ends and the resentful energy begins, they have become two parts of one whole.

The wind that has died down outside, somehow seems alive and well within the circle of these warped trees. It circles around him like a tornado, trying to lift him into the air and throw him about. 

He plants his feet firmly into the muddy earth and unsheathes Bichen. Whatever this is, it is no ordinary restless spirit.

The first limb of black wind lunges at him from the side. Bichen slices through it with ease, but instead of falling apart, it lunges forth with two arms now, reaching for his throat. Lan Wangji ducks away in time and stabs at the centre of the cyclone, trying to gauge what he is dealing with.

It is to no avail. Each time he cuts at the sentient darkness, the fragments multiply and claw at him. Instead of a sole opponent, it is like fighting hundreds at once. He quickly realises it is unlikely that he will be able to subdue this entity, or entities, in this way. 

He swings Bichen in a wide circle all the way around him, the barrage of spiritual energy pushing the energy back momentarily. It gives him the chance he needs to throw a fistful of talismans in all directions.

The talismans do what he needs them to do, pinning the dark tentacles back. But with the way the wind howls and thrashes against the barrier created by the talismans, he knows it will not last very long. He will need to act fast.

Wangji has barely materialised before him when he starts to strum the first notes of Inquiry.

‘Who are you?’

The shrieking intensifies, beyond what is bearable to the naked ear. It disorientates Lan Wangji, nausea flooding him. The spirit is fighting back with everything it has, trying its best to not give into the compulsion to reply.

‘Who are you?’ Lan Wangji plays again.

The screams reach a fever pitch, and then suddenly begin to sound more and more human. Like the scream that terrified little A-Yi last night, only amplified, as if there are endless haunted, pained, women wailing all around him.

He does not need to repeat the question again. Voices start to speak amongst the shrieks.

“Pain! I am pain, so much pain…”

“Blood!”

“It hurts. Oh it hurts, it hurts!” 

“Kill, kill, kill, please kill. Must kill!”

‘Who do you want to kill?’ Lan Wangji plays. It is not the usual sequence of questioning, but the disembodied form and the incoherent answers suggest that this spirit has very little consciousness left. It is better to follow its thin trail, if he wishes to get anywhere, instead of forcing his own.

“Me! Kill me, please. Just kill me! Kill me, kill me…”

The fragmented voices from before all seem to join forces now to repeat a mantra of ‘kill me’ again and again.

Lan Wangji is stumped. This is not like anything he has come across before. Why would an already dead spirit be asking to die? And if death was desired, then why has it caused so much resentment to accumulate in this forest?

‘Who killed you?’ he plays.

“You!” the voices scream all at once, and suddenly the resentful energy breaks free of its barriers, darting straight towards him.

Lan Wangji abandons Inquiry and gets ready to strum his qin in attack. His attempts at liberation will have been in vain but this resentful spirit seems too far gone to be liberated.

But instead of slicing at him like it had attempted before, the shadows engulf him entirely but do not touch. The cyclone forms around him once again, whipping his robes wildly in the air. Lan Wangji can hear several conversations simultaneously, crying, screaming, begging. All of them have one thing in common; these are the voices of women.

The cyclone gets faster, more violent, but still it does not touch him. His feet remain steady on the ground, so when the shapes start forming he can see them clearly. Women, young and old, hurt, running, bleeding, being chased into the night by men, sometimes one sometimes many. Begging for mercy.

This is not just one spirit, he realises. These are countless spirits that have gathered over years, maybe decades. The images shown to him are vague, blurry, but it does not take much for him to understand.

The shadows of this expansive forest had provided cover for the evils of men, time and time again. No one to hear them scream or cry for help. And with each new innocent life taken, resentful energy gathered, simmered, slowly coalescing into a singular, powerful, malevolent entity, seeking vengeance.

This shapeless, formless entity cannot be called a spirit, and yet it is also no demon. It is simply what it is; the wounded souls of countless women, wanting their pain to be heard, wanting Lan Wangji to hear their voices, put them to rest.

Their resentment seeps into the roots of the very forest they perished in, violently killing and absorbing the spirits of anyone who steps foot inside, becoming stronger, wilder with each new killing, no longer able to differentiate friend from foe. The whole forest has turned into a writhing trap. It is no surprise that the neighbouring towns have become deserted. 

As the images begin to fade, Lan Wangji has to act fast. He plays Wangji deftly, note after note of music meant to liberate and allow these spirits to move on.

There is resistance, as there often is. It is not easy to let go of resentment when it is the only thing keeping you together. The screaming starts up again, but Lan Wangji can feel an uncertainty in the sound. As the resentment dissipates, their reason for being here is no longer as clear. Why stay where there is suffering when something much better awaits?

Bit by bit, the dark shadows fizzle away, cries turn into muted whispering before finally going completely silent. The last of the resentful energy disappears with the sound. It takes as long as it would take to put a whole town full of people to rest, one by one.

The sun is high in the sky when Lan Wangji finally looks up. Birdsong can be heard in the distance. The sweat on his brow cools in the light spring breeze.

Lan Wangji makes his way back out of the forest on foot, checking to make sure he has not left anything unresolved. The forest looks practically unrecognisable as he walks through it, completely normal.

It is not a perfect ending. He wishes he could have learnt the names of those women, heard their stories, given them the justice they deserved. But for now it will have to be enough. He hopes that in the next life they are recompensed for their suffering, and get to live the lives they deserve.

As he makes his way back to the inn, a thought niggles at the back of his mind. How had Wei Wuxian and the children escaped the forest unscathed, while the forest tore apart the goons who were chasing him? Had the resentful energy been able to differentiate between those with ill intent and those without, it wouldn’t have attacked Lan Wangji. He considers whether Wei Wuxian might have lied to him, but bar the forest, there is no other way for him and the children to have reached this town from Yiling. And Wei Wuxian had seemed truly unaware of the danger.

His ponderings are put on hold the moment he steps into the inn, as he is immediately surrounded by the children.

“Gege!” They greet him eagerly, Xiao Mei and the boys wrapping themselves around his legs. “You’re back!”

Wei Wuxian also comes rushing towards him, Baobao in his arms, and for a split second, Lan Wangji thinks that he too will throw himself into Lan Wangji’s arms. But Wei Wuxian comes to a stop in time, hitching Baobao higher on his hip. Lan Wangji mentally berates himself for thinking Wei Wuxian would behave like anything but the respectable young man he is.

“Hanguang-jun is back,” he breathes.

Lan Wangji nods and urges the children in. They rush to the table they were sitting at before Lan Wangji arrived. Wei Wuxian remains stood by his side. “You… you didn’t get hurt, did you?”

“I am well.” Baobao reaches for him so Lan Wangji takes the child into his arms.

“Are you sure Hanguang-jun? You better tell me the truth, or I’ll have to check for myself,” Wei Wuxian laughs. His laughter peters off as he meets Lan Wangji’s gaze. It sits heavy between them. “You were gone for so long, I— the children were getting worried.”

Lan Wangji looks at the children, chattering amongst themselves. They don’t look particularly worried, likely unaware of what a night hunt even is. “The spirits have been put to rest.” 

“ Spirits ? There was more than one?” Wei Wuxian questions.

“Mn. Too many to count.” They both settle down at the table with the children.

“Woah! Did you hear that, kids? Your Hanguang-jun just defeated hundreds of evil spirits all alone! Just to keep you guys safe.” He winks surreptitiously at Lan Wangji. “He just couldn’t stand it when he saw my poor babies all scared last night.” He takes A-Yuan’s cheek between his lips and pretends to chew on it.

The children snort and cackle. It is not exactly a lie, but a manipulation of the truth to make the children feel safer. Lan Wangji did defeat countless spirits, would have done it for anyone and no one at all. It is his duty. But keeping these little ones safe is… paramount.

Jing’er signs something. “Was it really hundreds?” Wei Wuxian translates for her.

“Gege, are you the most powerful man in the world?” Xiao Mei butts in.

“How did you do it, Gege?” A-Yuan asks over the others. “Please tell us!”

“Yeah Gege, did you pow pow pow them?” A-Yi repeatedly punches the air to demonstrate. 

“Eat first,” he tells them all.

“But Ge—”

Lan Wangji simply looks at A-Yi, who instantly goes quiet.

The only person who remains unaffected is Wei Wuxian. “Can’t you tell us while we eat, Hanguang-jun?” he asks, batting his eyelashes.

“No. Lan disciplines state that there should be no talking while eating,” Lan Wangji tells them.

“But we’re not Lan disciples,” Wei Wuxian huffs, petulant.

It brings about an interesting thought. He is not wearing Lan Wangji’s robe at this moment, but it isn’t very hard to imagine him as a disciple, disturbing the peace of the Cloud Recesses with his laughter. “Mn. So you may talk. I will not.”

Wei Wuxian scowls exaggeratedly but very quickly gives in, focusing on the food in front of him instead. Lan Wangji eats his meal in silence. He didn’t have the chance to eat breakfast this morning. That, combined with the effort of the night hunt, has worked up quite an appetite in him. But still he holds back, not wanting to eat more than is his fair share when there are so many hungry little mouths around him.

For the first time since they’ve known each other, Wei Wuxian asks for more food to be served to the table. Lan Wangji is pleased that he now feels comfortable enough to do so, but when the food arrives, he places it all in front of Lan Wangji. “Eat up, Hanguang-jun,” he says. “You’ve worked so hard and now you’re not even eating.”

“I have eaten.” He indicates towards his empty bowl.

“Hanguang-jun,” he says, disappointed. “There’s plenty to go around. Please eat.” He begins to pile food onto Lan Wangji’s plate.

Lan Wangji takes a hold of his hand to stop him, surprising the man. “We may share.”

Wei Wuxian nods, but does not move. Lan Wangji realises that he is still holding onto his hand. He does not feel inclined to let go.

“When I grow up I’m going to be strong like Gege and protect everyone. And then everybody will love me!” Xiao Mei exclaims.

Wei Wuxian turns to the girl, and Lan Wangji has no choice but to let go of his hand. “Everyone already loves you, my silly little goose.” He pinches her nose lightly between his thumb and forefinger.

“Xian-gege!” she squeals, all nasal and strange.

Lan Wangji watches the exchange distantly, instead strangely fixated on his own hand. He finds himself almost caressing his palm with his fingers. The same hand that had held Wei Wuxian’s just a moment ago. He exhales, shaking himself out of whatever this is.

Lunch is otherwise, a hearty, warming experience.

———

Although the rain has cleared, it is too late in the day for them to set out. It would not be wise to spend the night with a bunch of children in the forest, regardless of how safe it may be now.

Wei Wuxian is incredibly restless, insisting that setting out now will be fine. After all, they survived in the forest when it was haunted, he reminds Lan Wangji. Which is a puzzle in itself, but Lan Wangji quickly figures the real reason for his insistence. He is worried about Lan Wangji having to ‘needlessly’ pay for another night in the inn for them all.

“The children’s safety is not needless, you will agree?” he counters.

Wei Wuxian stops mid-insistence. “...Yes,” he admits reluctantly.

“Then it is final.” Lan Wangji rises to go sit with the children at the other side of the room instead.

“Not fair!” Wei Wuxian calls after him.

While preparing for bed later that evening, Lan Wangji comes to a disconcerting realisation. In the few short days he has known Wei Wuxian and the children, it seems they have settled into a routine of sorts. He has been accompanying them at most mealtimes, at first to ensure that they are eating well, and then simply because. He plays the qin for them, helps them meditate, watches over them when Wei Wuxian is otherwise occupied.

And for perhaps the first time in his life, Lan Wangji is actually enjoying being in the company of others for extended periods of time, not just gritting his teeth and waiting for it to be over. It is a strange situation he has found himself in.

———

The innkeeper and his wife are profusely thankful when they hear that the forest has been exorcised for good. “How can we thank you Hanguang-jun? What you’ve done is a miracle!”

“No miracle. It is merely my duty.”

“You’ve saved our livelihood!” the innkeeper insists. “We won’t have to abandon everything and leave. If travelers start passing through here again, we’ll be able to make a decent living. That’s a miracle right there if you ask me.”

“I will spread word of your good hospitality and service. Cultivators passing the area will be sure to visit,” Lan Wangji tells them.

“Oh my, oh my! Just thinking about it is making me lightheaded.” The man steadies his dizzy head.

His wife chuckles at him. “Now don’t get ahead of yourself, you silly man. You wasted our last coin on that horrid donkey, we won't be getting rich anytime soon.”

“We’ll have more coin soon, my love.” He pats her arm. “And Hanguang-jun has been so kind to us with his stay here, don’t be ungrateful and complain about donkeys in front of him.”

Lan Wangji is not sure he understands. “Is there a problem?”

“No, not at all! It’s just that I bought a donkey to help us travel. But now that we're no longer leaving, my ungrateful wife thinks the donkey is no good to us,” the innkeeper explains.

His wife puts her hands on her hips. “Well can it lay eggs for our guests to eat?”

The man rolls his eyes. “Please ignore her, Hanguang-jun. Old age hits some harder than others.”

It is obvious that the couple are dearly in love, even to this age. Lan Wangji cannot say he has witnessed love like this often, if at all.

“This donkey,” he asks. “Is it for sale?”

The innkeeper’s wife gasps as if she has just struck gold.

———

“What do you mean you bought a donkey?” Wei Wuxian questions, pacing around. “I leave you alone for one moment and you go and buy a whole donkey! What was the reason?”

Lan Wangji watches him stomp from one side of the room to the other. “To help us travel.”

“We have legs!” Wei Wuxian exclaims.

“The children will find the trek difficult.” Surely it is not so difficult to understand. He is not sure why Wei Wuxian is so riled up.

“They managed perfectly well on the way here, and that was through a storm.”

“You carried three of them the whole journey,” Lan Wangji recalls. “And I have no doubt you carried the girls at times also.”

“Well I can carry them now too.” Wei Wuxian crosses his arms stubbornly.

Lan Wangji levels him with an unimpressed look. “I have already bought the donkey.” As Wei Wuxian opens his mouth to argue, he continues, “It was a non-refundable purchase.”

Wei Wuxian narrows his eyes at him, like a child trying his hardest to seem reproachful. “You win. This time.”

When it comes to providing comfort for Wei Wuxian and the children, Lan Wangji will ensure he keeps winning.

———

Once the children are fed and ready to set out, they head to the barn where Lan Wangji’s newly acquired donkey is waiting for them.

“Xian-gege, is this a big dog?” A-Yi inquires.

“No silly! I remember all the animals Xian-gege taught us,” Xiao Mei proclaims. “This is a horse!”

Wei Wuxian puts a hand on both their shoulders. “Well actually, my silly little melons, this is a donkey.”

“What’s a donkey?” A-Yuan asks, and as if to answer his question, the donkey brays louder than anything. The children jump back in fright.

“That’s a donkey,” Wei Wuxian laughs. “Now who wants to ride it first?” The kid’s quickly step away from him and the donkey. “What? Don’t tell me you’re scared. She’s completely harmless.” But just as the words leave his mouth, the donkey leans forward and takes a big bite of Wei Wuxian’s behind with its large teeth. “Ow!” Wei Wuxian yowls, jumping away.

The children look even more frightened now. All except for Jing’er, who is quietly laughing. “Are you laughing at me Jing’er?!” he yells, rubbing at his sore behind as he limps over to Lan Wangji. “Save me from this cruel fate, Hanguang-jun!”

“Mn,” Lan Wangji nods, and takes the donkey’s reins. “Would Jing’er like to go first?”

The girl’s whole face lights up and she comes skipping over. She had been the only one who did not seem afraid of the animal.

Lan Wangji strokes the donkey’s back a few times, making sure it is calm, and then helps Jing’er climb on. The girl is braver than expected, not at all faltering when the animal moves around. Lan Wangji nods in approval. 

“Hey!” Wei Wuxian huffs next to them. “Why is she so calm with you guys, but I got bitten?” Jing’er signs something near her grinning mouth. “Like an apple, exactly!” he agrees.

Lan Wangji leads them outside. The earth is already drying underfoot and birds fly in the sky. It looks completely different to the place he had arrived in, even prior to the storm.

Xiao Mei walks beside him, wanting to remain close to her sister, but still too wary of the donkey to ride it or walk next to it. She skips along happily, making the occasional remark about things she sees, but mainly humming and singing to herself.

The boys on the other hand are running circles around Wei Wuxian. He had started out holding both their hands, making quite the picture with a baby tied to his chest and a child in each hand. But A-Yuan and A-Yi had pestered and pleaded, and Wei Wuxian eventually relented, allowing them to run ahead as long as they remained clearly in line of sight.

Their built up energy from being shut in for so many days is abundant. They run up and down, coming back to question Wei Wuxian about every new thing they spot. They ask about the little creatures peeking through the undergrowth, the plants growing around them, even the weirdly shaped rocks they stumble on, anything and everything.

And no matter how mundane or repetitive their questions become, Wei Wuxian answers each and every one of them, just as genuinely as he had answered the first. Even the patience of a Lan teacher would wear thin if they were in his place.

While explaining to the children how fruits grow on trees and vegetables grow in the ground, Wei Wuxian interrupts himself to shout, “A-Yi, put that down right now!”

The boy turns to face them, frozen with a hand halfway raised to his mouth. “Not fruit?” he asks.

“Fruit for the birds, not for you. Remember when I told you how we mustn’t eat things if we don’t know what they are.” He takes the little bundle of inedible berries from the boy’s hand and tosses them aside. Then he uses his own robe to wipe A-Yi’s hand clean. “Some things are poi-so-nous if we eat them. Say it.”

“ Poi-so-nous ,” the children all repeat.

“That means we can get really really ill, and even die, if we eat them,” he explains. “Sometimes even if we touch them!” A-Yi gasps at that, looking down at his little hand. The variety of berry he had got a hold of was thankfully not poisonous to touch. “Plants, fruits, even animals can be poisonous.”

“Can donkeys be poisonous?” Xiao Mei asks.

Wei Wuxian exchanges an amused look with Lan Wangji, unnoticed by the children and explains, “No, donkeys are safe. Apart from when they chomp on my bottom! ” The children laugh at that. “Let’s learn how to spot poisonous plants and creatures. Hanguang-jun will help us, he knows everything!”

Lan Wangji does not know everything, but he is knowledgeable on this topic. It will be good for the children to learn such an important life skill.

He prepares to step in to explain when needed, but quickly realises that Wei Wuxian does not need much help. The man may not know technical terms and names of different species, but he has a vast amount of knowledge on foraging; which colours and textures indicate toxicity, what smells to look out for, how to test new plants without having to eat or touch them.

Like many other things about this man, it leaves Lan Wangji perplexed. He wonders of the education Wei Wuxian may have received in the orphanage. Could it really have been so good?

“Why do poisonous creatures exist?” Xiao Mei asks.

It is a very good question. “To deter predators,” he explains, then sees the exasperated look on Wei Wuxian’s face and elaborates, “To stop other animals from eating it.”

They continue asking their questions, some strange, some thoughtful. Perfectly normal for the most part. They are a bright bunch of children, but with a strange lack of some basic knowledge. The kind of knowledge that a teacher would not think to teach, expecting a child to learn from simply observing the world around them. So it brings into question whether these children have ever stepped outside into the world before this. Lan Wangji feels he must inquire about this.

The chance to ask does not present itself until the afternoon sun is high in the sky. They have stopped for a break, Wei Wuxian feeding the children from the packed food the innkeeper and his wife had prepared for their journey. Once they have all eaten, the children rest under the shade of a large, leafy tree. Wei Wuxian sits near the donkey as it drinks from the stream. Lan Wangji asks, “The children have not been outside much?”

“No, that’s against the rules of the orphanage.” Wei Wuxian states casually, like it should be a known fact.

Lan Wangji sits down beside him. “That is unusual.”

“What do you mean? That’s what it’s like in all orphanages, isn’t it?” When Lan Wangji shakes his head, Wei Wuxian continues, “But then how do they stop kids from running away?”

Lan Wangji is becoming increasingly concerned. “You would have liked to run away?”

“No, not me. But some of the kids get silly ideas into their heads sometimes. They think it’s better on the streets, more freedom, less beatings.” He pulls a clump of grass out of the ground beside him, and throws it up in the air. Some of it lands in his hair. “Trust me, it’s not.” The smile on his face is incongruent to what he is revealing.

He has mentioned before that he grew up on the streets. “How long were you on the streets?”

“Hmm, let me see.” Wei Wuxian counts something out using his fingers, but then instead of sharing the exact number, just shrugs and says, “A few years. My parents died when I was three, and when the Mistress found me and the alley cats sharing watermelon rinds, the leaves had gone red and fallen many times.”

Lan Wangji’s heart drops. He had been hoping it would be a few months at most. “What was it like growing up in the orphanage?”

“Oh, it was like I had ascended to the heavens! Three meals a day, somewhere to sleep, clothes to wear. And most importantly, no dogs!” he proclaims.

“Dogs?”

“A street kid’s worst nightmare, Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian shudders. “At least the feral cats knew how to mind their own business. But those dogs always had it out for my blood, even if I didn’t have a scrap of food on me. Look.” He rolls his sleeve up and extends his arm. Lan Wangji can see old, faded scars along the length of his arm, going as far as he can see. They are distinctly in the shape of animal bite marks. “They’re bastards, I tell you!”

Lan Wangji does not know how to respond to this. There is nothing he can do to protect the young boy Wei Wuxian once was. “And there were never any suspicious occurrences at the orphanage before this incident?” He tries to get the conversation back on track again. 

“None at all. It was a really decent place to stay. I only ever got beaten when I deserved it, and the Mistress didn’t even starve us like some of the other places do, you know?” He says it as if it is common knowledge. Lan Wangji does not know anything about this. “Besides,” Wei Wuxian continues. “Whenever someone had to miss a meal as punishment, I just gave them my own food.”

‘Then what did you eat?’ Lan Wangji wants to ask. ‘Who was looking out for you?’ He does not feel he can. “Withholding food and forbidding outdoor activities is unacceptable,” he says instead. “Orphanages receive funding from the local sects specifically for these purposes.”

“Well it’s not like anyone’s checking up to see where the money is going, so,” Wei Wuxian shrugs.

And that’s just it. There is no one to answer to.

Smaller sects don’t even fund orphanages, saving their coin for provisions deemed more important. So when the larger sects do give towards charitable ventures, they follow it up by giving themselves a pat on the back and calling it a day. No one is there to ensure that the money is spent as intended. No one is wondering whether the orphans are being beaten, starved, or sold.

At most, an orphanage might be asked to provide numbers, to receive funding accordingly. That would explain Wei Wuxian’s orphanage not letting the children out, not even for trips or outdoor activities. If a child runs away, that’s one less number to claim money for.

“Change needs to be made,” Lan Wangji states.

Wei Wuxian laughs. And then sobers up instantly when he sees Lan Wangji’s face. “Wait, you’re serious? Hanguang-jun, there’s more important things the world needs you to do, than chase after orphans and make sure they’ve had all their meals. Don’t be silly. It’s already a waste of time for you to be accompanying us!”

“Not a waste of time,” Lan Wangji frowns. “It is my duty.”

“Sure, but you could be out there fighting evil, seeking glory, making a name— well,” he grins. “An even bigger name for yourself! Why tangle yourself up in the affairs of us commoners.”

“Seeking glory is not commendable. Whether I resolve the affairs of little A-Yi, or Sect Leader Jin, it is of equal importance to me.” Wei Wuxian blinks at him in a way that suggests he’s run out of counter-arguments. “Besides,” Lan Wangji continues. “A-Yi makes for more pleasant company.”

Wei Wuxian guffaws, “Hanguang-jun! You— I can’t believe you! You’re so funny underneath all that solemn silence.” He rests his cheek on his palm and looks up at Lan Wangji. “Funny, wise, and handsome . Tell me, do you have any flaws at all?”

“Mn,” is all Lan Wangji says, choosing not to elaborate. He can’t afford to share the blaring flaw he can feel fluttering in his stomach.

“Xian-gege, Xian-gege! Can I have a go on Lil Apple now?” Xiao Mei runs over to ask.

“Now what on Earth is a little apple? Is A-Yi eating something off the floor again?” Wei Wuxian shoots up in alarm.

“What? No Xian-gege, you’re so silly! Lil Apple is the donkey, duh! ” she explains, with more sarcasm than one would expect from a five year old.

“Since when?” Wei Wuxian wonders.

“Since she bit your—” Xiao Mei burst into cackles, covering her face with her small hands. “Since she bit you like an apple!” She keeps laughing uncontrollably between each word.

Wei Wuxian gawps. “You— you little monkey!” He lunges down and grabs her, swinging her in the air as she shrieks with laughter. “I’m going to chomp, chomp, chomp you!” He pretends to bite chunks out of her arms and cheeks.

“Don’t eat me, Xian-gege!” Xiao Mei squeals. The noise echoes all around, disturbing the peace of the forest.

Lan Wangji watches it all from just a step away. ‘Do not laugh without reason,’ he hears in the voice of his uncle. He cannot say he understands why such a rule was created.

Wei Wuxian eventually releases Xiao Mei, who runs off squealing, and dusts himself off. Before he can get back to the children, Lan Wangji stops him and approaches.

“Hanguang-jun?” Wei Wuxian asks. He has brushed off the grass from his clothes, but there are still blades scattered in his hair. Lan Wangji picks them out, one by one, noting how truly careless the man is with his appearance. As he removes the last blade, Wei Wuxian speaks again, this time whispering, “Hanguang-jun?”

Lan Wangji lowers his hand from Wei Wuxian’s hair and looks at him. They are unexpectedly close to one another, eye to eye. It is unnerving how expressive those eyes are. Lan Wangji thinks he might see the world in them if he were to look long enough.

He cannot allow himself to look any longer than he already has, it would not be proper. So he steps away and wets his throat before speaking, “We should set off.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyelashes flutter for a moment. “Y—yes. Yes we should.” He dusts himself off again, unnecessarily this time, and leads the donkey— now proclaimed Lil Apple— back towards the others.

———

Xiao Mei and Jing’er are riding together now as they get closer to the centre of the forest, where Lan Wangji had encountered the main force of the spirits. 

A-Yuan is the first of the children to notice the strangely shaped trees, exclaiming, “The trees look like monsters!”

“Is A-Yuan being silly again?” Wei Wuxian asks, before spotting the trees coming up ahead of them. “Oh.”

The boy is right. Now that Lan Wangji has a chance to observe more closely, without the worry of being torn to shreds by a storm of decades old spirits, he notices the odd shape of each tree. They are not just blackened and misshapen as he had first thought, but also strangely humanoid. With branches like outstretched arms, and trunks bowed and hunched over as if in pain.

He places a hand on the bark of the nearest tree to check for any lingering resentment or consciousness, but feels none. It is simply a tree. Shaped like the deceased of this forest in their final moments. There is no way to know if these are the victims or perpetrators, or just ordinary townspeople caught up in the resentment. 

“This is where I encountered the spirits,” he shares, hoping it’ll stop the children from worrying about monsters.

But A-Yi yelps and grabs onto his legs. “The spirits are going to eat me!”

“Don’t worry A-Yi, you’re not tasty enough for the spirits,” Wei Wuxian jokes.

“Xian-gege!” A-Yi wails, and clings onto Lan Wangji even tighter. He sounds like he might really start crying.

Lan Wangji bends to stroke the boy’s back. “The spirits are gone. A-Yi is safe.” He keeps up the soothing motions until A-Yi loosens his hold.

“Really?” the boy asks. He has left a small, damp mark on Lan Wangji’s robes from either his eyes or mouth.

“Mn. Ask your Xian-gege.” Lan Wangji gives Wei Wuxian a warning glance, just in case he thinks to keep joking around with the child.

Wei Wuxian looks sheepish as he brushes the tip of his nose. “Really A-Yi, your Xian-gege was just joking. Remember how Hanguang-jun defeated all those evil spirits to keep you guys safe. Well those spirits were all right here in this forest, that’s why the trees look kind of scary.” He points to the nearest misshapen tree. “But Hanguang-jun is so strong and powerful, that he flew right in and destroyed them all in one go, like whoosh!” He makes the slashing motion of a sword to demonstrate. 

“Not destroyed, liberated,” Lan Wangji corrects.

Jing’er signs something. “Jing’er would like to know what that means, Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian relates.

“They are at peace now,” he explains. “And can continue on in the cycle of reincarnation.”

Jing’er nods in understanding.

“That’s why there are no creepy vibes here anymore, like there were when we came through the forest that night,” Wei Wuxian adds.

Again with these feelings of ‘creepiness’ that Wei Wuxian speaks of. Lan Wangji still cannot say he fully understands. “That was likely the resentful energy,” he suggests.

Wei Wuxian shrugs, and then exclaims, “Look!” He skips over to one of the trees on the other side. “This one is already growing leaves again.” It seems that now the forest is free of resentment, it has already begun to grow healthily. “Hanguang-jun has liberated the whole forest! It’s all safe now.” 

A-Yi tugs at his robe to get his attention. “Can you keep us safe forever, Gege?”

There is a pause after the boy’s question, where all the children turn to look at him, waiting for his response. Lan Wangji is not sure how to answer. His heart would like him to make outrageous, insensible claims.

“A-Yi, Hanguang-jun has to keep the whole world safe,” Wei Wuxian interjects, trying to help Lan Wangji avoid the weighted question.

“I will try my best,” Lan Wangji eventually says. It is not clear to anyone but himself, whether he has just agreed to A-Yi’s request, or with Wei Wuxian’s much lighter statement.

———

As brave as the children are, they are still children after all. So as the sky darkens, they naturally cease their running about, choosing to stick close to Wei Wuxian. Jing’er, in her magnanimity, lets the three young ones take her place on Lil Apple, so that they may feel safer. But as she walks by their side, she begins to stray closer and closer to Wei Wuxian, until finally she gives in and holds his hand. Wei Wuxian looks like he has just won the moon.

Baobao remains quiet and content, nestled against Wei Wuxian’s chest. He has had a limitless supply of snacks and water, and a warm body to lie against, luckier than most.

“Why has the sky gone black, Xian-gege?” A-Yi asks.

“It’s not black, A-Yi,” Xiao Mei interjects. “It's indigo .”

Wei Wuxian makes an impressed sound. “And who taught my little princess such a fancy word, hmm?”

“It was you, Xian-gege!” she beams.

“It was? Huh.” Wei Wuxian scratches his head. He seems to have genuinely forgotten, but it’s clear that he has been responsible for most, if not all, of the children’s education. 

“Xian-gege,” A-Yi calls again. “Why is the sky dindigo?” His effort is commendable.

“Indigo, my love.” Wei Wuxian gently corrects. “The sky has become dark because the sun is setting.”

“Why is the sun setting?”

“Because it’s time for it to sleep. The sun has a bedtime too, just like you guys.”

“I want to sleep.” A-Yi complains, yawning with his mouth wide open. It is a rare admission for a child his age. Then he scowls. “Why does Baobao get to be all snuggly wuggly?”

“Does my little baby want to be snuggly wuggly too?” Wei Wuxian asks in a babyish voice, squeezing A-Yi’s cheek. The boy huffs at the treatment.

Too busy bothering the children, he doesn’t notice the errant tree root in his way, and trips right over it. Lan Wangji has to step forth and catch him by the arm, pulling him upright before he hits the ground. It brings him stumbling directly into Lan Wangji’s chest.

“Ow!” he yells. The sound comes out muffled against Lan Wangji’s robe. He quickly steps away.  “Oh Hanguang-jun, I’m so sorry! I didn’t see…” He frowns at the root he had tripped on, as if the root is at fault.

“Nothing to apologise for,” Lan Wangji assures. He finds himself thinking about how worryingly light Wei Wuxian had felt in his hold, just like the children.

“Ah Hanguang-jun, why do I get the feeling that you don’t like it when I apologise?” Lan Wangji does not answer, so Wei Wuxian continues, “Do I seem insincere or something? Because I promise I’m not! I really, really mean it.” He widens his eyes and bats his lashes up at Lan Wangji.

Insincerely.

Lan Wangji looks away, choosing to ignore him.

“You're the best, Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian laughs and skips away. It is a wonder how despite everything, his laughter never seems insincere.

Lan Wangji occupies himself by admiring the night sky. The moon is just a thin sliver, barely enough to light their path. They have almost reached the edge of the forest, but the nearest town is still a distance away. He will have to activate a light talisman soon to continue safely.

As he is considering the remaining distance, a flash of light enters his peripheral vision. Lan Wangji spins around with a hand gripping Bichen, ready to strike.

Only it is just Wei Wuxian, waving a fully lit torch as he bounds back towards them. Lan Wangji releases his hold on Bichen.

“No more trips or falls for Wei Wuxian!” the man professes, and then stumbles over his own two feet. He straightens back up with a sheepish grin, and walks the remaining few steps much more calmly.

“Let me.” Lan Wangji extends his hand. “The heat will not be good for Baobao.” 

“Of course, of course.” He hands the torch over and takes Lil Apple’s reins from Lan Wangji.

It is a perfectly made torch, the bark-wrapped end burning bright, but he hadn't spotted any flint, or fire sticks on Wei Wuxian’s person. He inhales the air around him. There is no smell to the flame, as there is when brimstone is burnt to start a fire.

He can feel a crease forming between his brows. “How did you light this?”

“The way I always do,” Wei Wuxian shrugs.

“You have fire sticks?” That would be useful to travel with. 

“No,” Wei Wuxian shakes his head. “Where would I get those?”

“Then how? ” he repeats.

Wei Wuxian looks just as perplexed as Lan Wangji feels. “Just like that.” He flicks a hand, nonchalantly. “You’re confusing me, Hanguang-jun. Did I do something wrong?”

Lan Wangji does not even know what he did. “Could you demonstrate?”

“You want me to set something on fire?” he asks.

Lan Wangji looks at him flatly. “Please. A leaf, if you could.”

Wei Wuxian scratches his head. “I hope you’re not making fun of me, or something Hanguang-jun. I know you cultivators have your fancy talismans, and probably don’t need to use such primitive methods.” He toes the grass, picking out a large, dry leaf. “But this is how this humble servant gets the job done.” As he says that, the leaf catches fire before their very eyes.

There is no flint, no fire sticks. “You—” He nearly drops the torch in his hand from sheer shock. “You can create fire?” 

Wei Wuxian tilts his head. “What, like it’s hard?”

Lan Wangji is stunned speechless. Wei Wuxian blows out the leaf and let’s it fall to the ground, as if nothing out of the ordinary has occurred.

Propriety forgotten, Lan Wangji steps into his space and places a hand on his lower abdomen. He hears Wei Wuxian intake sharply. It is almost as disconcerting as the faint thrumming he feels beneath his palm.

Lan Wangji looks up and meets his wide eyes. They are illuminated by the torch burning directly overhead, the dark colours swimming. An enigma.

“You have a golden core.” Lan Wangji does not know when he is asking him or telling him.

“Um what…” Wei Wuxian whispers, and blinks, as if lost elsewhere. “Is that an illness?”

Lan Wangji doesn’t understand how someone can be so weather-beaten and yet so sheltered.

“Is there a cure?” Wei Wuxian prods.

He steps away, realising just how close they are. An echo of the thrumming of Wei Wuxian’s core can still be felt in his palm. “Not an illness.”

Wei Wuxian does not look reassured. Lan Wangji does not know how to put him at ease when he himself does not understand.

“Gege, I’m sleepy!” A-Yi exclaims.

They move further apart from one another. “We should continue on.” He begins walking, torch raised in the air, near enough to the children to keep them comfortably heated. “Let us discuss later.”

Wei Wuxian hurries to follow along with Lil Apple. He looks like he is brimming with questions. Lan Wangji is not sure he has any answers.

———

They journey on in relative silence, until Wei Wuxian spots the dimly lit inn in the distance, several li away from the very edge of the forest. Lan Wangji had been too caught up in his thoughts to spot it.

The inn is very small, barely even an inn. A teenaged boy is dozing on top of one of the tables, dish cloth over his face.

He startles awake when they walk in, fumbling with the cloth. “Good morning, good aft— sorry. Greetings.” Xiao Mei carefully hides her giggles behind her hand. “How can I help you?”

“Two rooms for the night,” Lan Wangji tells him.

“It’ll be a tight squeeze daozhang, we only have one family room. The other rooms are not fit for a distinguished gentleman like yourself.” He lowers his voice to a whisper before continuing, “Maybe you’d be better off somewhere further in town.”

Wei Wuxian laughs out loud. “Great businessman you are, telling customers to leave!”

“Shhh! Please sir, my grandmother might hear. I was just trying to be helpful,” he says sheepishly.

“Thank you for your suggestion, but we’ll be just fine in your establishment. Right Hanguang-jun?” he confirms. Lan Wangji nods. “We’ve just spent the whole day trekking through the forest.”

“Ha— Hanguang-jun?” The teen looks from Bichen to Lan Wangji’s forehead ribbon in alarm. “ Through the forest?! What the f—” He slaps a hand to his mouth when he spots the children.

“That’s right. Hanguang-jun exorcised the entire forest! It’s safer than anything now.” He nudges Lan Wangji’s arm. “Isn’t he just brilliant?”

“The whole forest… Popo will di— be ecstatic when she hears. We’re going to be rich!” Then abruptly the boy remembers his manners and doubles over in a bow. “Thank you so much, Hanguang-jun. How will we ever repay you?”

“No need,” he replies. “Our rooms, if you may.”

“Oh, of course! Would you like your meals sent up?” He leads them up the tight stairway.

“Yes please, and we’ve left a very hardworking, very hungry donkey in your barn. If you would be so kind as to feed her too,” Wei Wuxian tells him.

“Absolutely.”

The rooms are a humble affair, as described. Lan Wangji has to bend so as to not hit his head on the beams. But there are enough beds and food for them all. That is more than he can ask for.

The children fall asleep almost immediately after finishing their meals. After the journey they have made today, Lan Wangji does not have it in him to stop them from sleeping on a full stomach.

Once the last child has fallen fast asleep, Wei Wuxian comes and sits near him. “Can you… can you maybe tell me what you were talking about in the forest now?” Lan Wangji does not know where to begin. “If I’m dying or something, you can just break it to me. I won’t be upset, don’t worry.”

Lan Wangji frowns. Why would he not be upset in such a situation, and what makes him suspect he is dying? “You are not dying, nor is it an illness.” He watches Wei Wuxian’s face carefully. “You do not know what a golden core is?”

Wei Wuxian shakes his head. “Nope.” He looks genuinely clueless.

Lan Wangji frowns some more. “You said your parents were cultivators.”

“Yeah they were, but I hardly remember them.” He shrugs. “I only know they were cultivators because they would go out on night hunts and had swords like yours.” He nods over at where Bichen rests against the walls, and then pauses. “Well, maybe not as fancy. Or large.”

“A golden core stores spiritual energy. It is formed in the body after one has cultivated to a certain extent during childhood. Here.” He places a hand on his own abdomen to demonstrate. He could not possibly repeat his previous lapse in manners. “One cannot cultivate without it.”

Wei Wuxian pokes at his stomach. “So I’m a freak that has a core without any cultivation?”

“May I?” Lan Wangji holds out a hand. Wei Wuxian looks at it for a moment, before placing his own hand in Lan Wangji’s. It is an honest mistake for someone who has very little knowledge on cultivation. His palm fits perfectly. Lan Wangji has to force himself to let go and take a hold of his wrist instead.

He closes his eyes and focuses. The spiritual energy thrumming through him is clear, yet weak. Like that of a child, with a still developing core. Surprisingly however, his meridians are perfectly formed. They would likely be able to hold much more spiritual energy than he is currently producing. A capable body with nothing to fill it.

Lan Wangji quickly releases his wrist. “You have all the makings of a cultivator.”

“ What?” Wei Wuxian’s expression suggests that he thinks Lan Wangji has gone mad. “But I can’t fight spirits, or fly, or do magic, or anything! Are you making fun of me?”

“I would do no such thing. You have a core producing spiritual energy, albeit weakly. It is what allows you to set things alight without any tools,” he explains.

Wei Wuxian frowns. “You mean not everyone can do that?”

“No.” He doesn’t understand how Wei Wuxian isn’t aware of this. “In fact, most cultivators would need to use a talisman. You have learnt how to transform raw energy from one form to another. It is a commendable task.”

“I’m going to be honest with you Hanguang-jun, I really have no idea what you’re talking about. I never learnt anything, or did anything on purpose. I wanted fire and fire was there,” he shrugs.

Everything he says is astounding to Lan Wangji. “What other things can you do? I now realise you can also detect resentful energy.”

“You mean to tell me that’s not normal either?” he asks. Lan Wangji shakes his head. “Dear heavens…” He drops his head into his hands. “I don’t know how to answer your question, Hanguang-jun. I don’t know what I can or can’t do, because I don’t even know what’s normal and what’s not.”

“You did not notice anything different about yourself?” How could this be possible?

“Not really. Anything I did notice, I chalked it up to just being a bit odd. Side effects of spending my formative years starving on the streets, or something,” he titters nervously. “Speaking of. How come I’m not all big and powerful like you normal cultivators then? That would have come in very handy fighting all those dogs.”

“Not all cultivators are powerful.”

“Oh, so you really are the best, huh?” Wei Wuxian teases.

Lan Wangji does not deign to respond to that. “Cores do not usually form until late childhood, even in the strongest of cultivators. And it is unheard of for one to develop without any cultivation training.”

Wei Wuxian laughs, “I haven’t had anything remotely close to cultivation training, Hanguang-jun.”

“Mn.” He has considered this. “Your mother’s meditation technique has perhaps helped.”

“Really? Oh. Oh, that makes sense.” His face turns wistful. “I would do it every night, especially when it was too cold or dangerous to sleep. It’s the only thing that got me through the nights. Felt like she’d put her cloak on me and warmed me up.”

For a long moment Lan Wangji cannot speak. Young Wei Wuxian’s suffering is incomparable. And yet Lan Wangji remembers himself, kneeling in the snow, waiting for a door to open and his mother to take his blue hands into her own to warm them up. The door never opened, just as the cloak never came.

He quietly clears his throat before he can continue. “Usually a weak core would mean underdeveloped meridians, but they are well formed. It may be possible to strengthen your core, despite your late age.”

He has heard of a similar affliction before. It is an affliction faced mainly by older cultivators, who were once strong and skillful, but became indolent with age and indulgence. Their strong cores eventually weaken from disuse, spiritual energy diminishing, but their meridians remain capable of holding the same power they once had.

“Not just the best at cultivation, but the best at backhanded compliments too, is our Hanguang-jun.” He rolls his eyes. “So you think I could cultivate for real some day?”

“Perhaps.” It is too novel a case to know anything for certain.

Wei Wuxian throws himself back to lie flat on the floor. “How on earth am I going to manage that?” he sighs. It seems like he is thinking aloud more than anything.

“Together. We can,” Lan Wangji finds himself needlessly answering. It sounds suffocatingly sincere, so he adds on, “If you wish.”

“Yes please.” Wei Wuxian props himself onto an elbow. The long line of his body is stretched out in front of Lan Wangji. There is a devastating dip at his waist, before the line curves up over an even more unfortunate hip. Lan Wangji hates it.

———

The teenager from the night before is joined by his elderly grandmother the next morning. She cooks them a hearty breakfast, but does not talk much beyond a toothless, grinning greeting.

The children devour the food, but not a single one of them asks for seconds. Lan Wangji requests more food to be served to the table regardless. He knows they will not ask.

“Where are we going today, Gege?” Xiao Mei asks him after she’s licked her third serving clean.

“Into town. To buy essentials.”

She nods gravely, but Lan Wangji is sure she doesn’t understand what he means.

“We can stay here while you go out and buy whatever you need Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian offers. “You don’t need us tagging along, bothering you.”

“You are needed.” It sounds strange, so he adds, “The children require essentials.”

“No, no. You don’t need to buy them anything.” He waves his hands. “We have everything we need!”

Lan Wangji glances flatly at him. “Baobao is wearing a repurposed curtain.”

“So? He looks positively dashing in it. Isn’t that right my handsome prince?” He pokes the baby’s nose with each word. Baobao tries his best to bite his fingers off.

“We are leaving after the children have meditated,” Lan Wangji says.

“What, and I don’t get a say in the matter?” Wei Wuxian grumbles.

“No.”

Wei Wuxian sticks his tongue out at him in response, like an insolent child. But not a moment later he seems to realise what he’s doing. His eyes go wide in fear, as he snaps his mouth shut.

Lan Wangji feels the corner of his mouth quirk up. He tries hard to suppress it. “Double meditation for those who answer back.”

Slowly Wei Wuxian relaxes. “You drive a hard bargain, Hanguang-jun.” He shakes his head in defeat. “Poor Xianxian is helpless.”

Lan Wangji’s molars grind down together audibly.

——— 

The innkeeper popo and her grandson provide directions to the best market and food places in the town. Lan Wangji also inquires after any local disturbances or unusual happenings, but the pair recall none. It seems the town is as quiet as it is small. They have remained safe by keeping well away from the forest, a rugged stone border marking the edge of the town.

As the boy had predicted last night, his grandmother is over the moon about the cleared forest. She tries to insist that they stay at her inn for as long as they like without paying, but Lan Wangji cannot allow it. He pays for their night and heads out, informing her that they will be back in the evening for another night’s sleep.

They are nearly out of earshot when the old woman’s croaky voice reaches his ears. “The things I would do to them if I were thirty years younger,” she says.

Lan Wangji does not react and keeps on walking. But he knows the tips of his ears must be colouring.

“ ‘Them’ ?” her grandson repeats, horrified. “ Both of them?”

“You heard me, boy.”

Wei Wuxian lets out a cackle to his side. “Did you hear that, Hanguang-jun? Looks like we’re popular with the ladies here.” He waggles his eyebrows.

“Shameless.” He marches ahead. Wei Wuxian’s laughter is resounding.

The marketplace is not very large, but still vibrant and loud. The children are rightfully mesmerised by all the sights and sounds and smells. A-Yi tries to run off, accustomed to the freedom the forest afforded them. Lan Wangji pulls him back immediately. “Stay close.”

“But… but flowers!” A-Yi sulks, pointing towards the colourful toy fans spinning on one of the stalls.

“Later.” Lan Wangji holds out a hand, wondering if A-Yi will take it

A-Yi doesn’t hesitate at all. “Promise?” he asks, holding on tight. His hand is tiny. Lan Wangji wants to keep it warm, safe.

“No promise,” Wei Wuxian interjects. “We’re here for absolutely necessary things only, okay?”

Lan Wangji frowns at him. Toys are necessary, and the children’s lack of any is one of the many reasons for this trip to the market. But Wei Wuxian completely ignores him and continues on with the children.

So be it, Lan Wangji decides. He will also ignore Wei Wuxian’s advice.

First they head to the tailor’s shop to have each of the children measured for new robes. Lan Wangji asks for high quality material to be used and Wei Wuxian huffs. “There is truly no need for such indulgence.”

Lan Wangji ignores his huffing and helps Jing’er onto the stool so that she can be measured by one of the female assistants. She is the most wide-eyed of the bunch, trying to understand everything around her.

The younger children are much more carefree, taking everything in stride. “Can I have clothes like you, Gege?” A-Yuan asks.

“Mn. Blue?”

“Blue and white and magic like the clouds!” the boy declares.

“Me too, me too!” A-Yi joins, and then looks from Lan Wangji to Wei Wuxian, frowning. “But I want to be like Xian-gege too. And like, and like a prince!”

The tailor laughs. “Would the children like to pick colours from our samples?”

“No!” Wei Wuxian exclaims, the same time as Lan Wangji nods in agreement. They look at each other, eyes narrowed. Lan Wangji doesn’t give him the chance to argue any further, leading the children towards the stacks of coloured fabrics.

Once the last child has been measured up, he nods to Wei Wuxian.

“What?” he frowns.

“Measuring,” Lan Wangji tells him.

“Nope, no way! I don’t need anything, I’m perfectly fine as I am.” He crosses his arms like a sulking child.

“Do not waste the tailor’s time,” Lan Wangji says, and takes Baobao into his own arms. He can sense Wei Wuxian gawking at him, as the tailor gets to work, but Lan Wangji does not pay any mind. 

The tailor promises to have the robes prepared within the day and sent to the inn they are staying at. Lan Wangji pays him accordingly.

As they make their way through the market, the children point out several things that interest them, from toy swords, to steaming buns, to wooden figurines. Wei Wuxian is quick to shut them down each time, directing the conversation elsewhere. He is awfully set on only allowing Lan Wangji to spend on absolute essentials, like toothbrushes and combs, and that too with quite a fuss.

Lan Wangji takes note of the toys that interest the children, and surreptitiously purchases them as they go along.

They stop for lunch at the largest restaurant in town. A-Yi sniffs the air as he walks in, following the fragrant steam like a hungry animal. “I’m going to eat the world!” he sings.

Lan Wangji does not doubt it. He knows by now that Wei Wuxian will order only with price in mind, so he chooses several hearty dishes from the menu to order. The children are bound to enjoy flavourful food after the humble meals of the last few days.

“Uh sorry, not that last dish please. Not for us,” Wei Wuxian interrupts, when Lan Wangji lists braised beef stew. 

Perhaps it is a pricier dish than the others. Lan Wangji himself had not noticed, but it is typical of Wei Wuxian to have done so. “Beef stew,” he repeats to the server.

“Hanguang-jun, please ,” Wei Wuxian says, placing a hand on his arm. “Not for us.”

His tone is almost pleading, the hand on his arm firm. Lan Wangji relents. “No stew. Everything else remains.”

Wei Wuxian and the server both nod. He wonders whether there might be some religious or spiritual reason why Wei Wuxian refused the dish. Perhaps similar to the Lan precepts.

When the server leaves, Wei Wuxian explains, “Sorry for being so rude Hanguang-jun but… the kids have never had meat before. Their stomachs will not handle it well.” He makes a nauseated face. “I was sick for days when I first tried it once I left the orphanage.”

Lan Wangji looks around at the children and feels unwell himself. If the Lan sect implements vegetarianism, then it feeds its disciples the finest, healthiest meals, ensuring that they receive the full nourishment required by the growing body, if not more. But these children are all too small and thin for their ages. He had been surprised to hear how old they really are when they first introduced themselves.

“We can begin light, slowly accustom them,” he decides. “It is important for growth.”

“I’ve noticed you never eat meat, so it can’t be too important. Look how big and strong you’ve grown without it!” Wei Wuxian teases.

As always, Lan Wangji tries his best to ignore it. “Consumption of meat is prohibited by the rules of my sect. But those rules do not apply to you and your children. They have a lot to make up for.”

The teasing grin on Wei Wuxian’s face fades. “They do, don’t they,” he sighs.

Lan Wangji will ensure that they get to make up for everything they have missed out on. No matter what.

They try tanghulu for the first time after lunch and squeal at the strange texture and taste.

“Does this grow on trees?” Xiao Mei asks.

“Kind of,” Wei Wuxian laughs, and explains how tanghulu is made. His lips are coated in syrupy residue from the snack. They look more enticing than any tanghulu Lan Wangji has ever tasted.

———

Lan Wangji asks Wei Wuxian to stop by his room when they get back to the inn. He makes sure to leave the door open once Wei Wuxian has entered, to make him feel more comfortable.

“How can I be of service to the great Hanguang-jun?” Wei Wuxian grins, but his grin freezes, turning into a grimace, as he hears the implication of his own words.

Lan Wangji occupies himself with retrieving the bundle from the bed and handing it over. “For you.” 

“What’s this?” Wei Wuxian undoes the first knot of the cloth wrappings. “Oh.”

His eyes become as wide as saucers, cheeks turning the pink of peonies. It makes for a striking image, but Lan Wangji doesn’t understand the reaction. Nothing in the bundle should have caused any surprise.

He takes a glance at what Wei Wuxian has found upon opening it and comes to a stop. All that is visible is an intricately carved comb. He had bought it when the children were choosing combs and ribbons for themselves but Wei Wuxian had refused to buy one of his own, claiming he could share.

Lan Wangji realises exactly what it seems like now, presenting Wei Wuxian with this comb, seemingly alone. His ears burn red as he rushes to say, “And for the children. Things. Please, open further.” He has never felt this disorientated before.

Wei Wuxian licks his lips and unwraps the bundle further. He will see other items inside, for himself and the children. Items that do not have any other meanings. That will explain things. 

“What is all this Hanguang-jun?” Wei Wuxian asks eventually, once he has looked through everything.

“Essentials,” he replies.

Wei Wuxian huffs, exasperated. “I must say, your sense of humour is slowly becoming the bane of my existence.” He pulls out a wooden sword from amongst the things and waves it around. “How is this essential?”

“Play is highly necessary for development,” Lan Wangji tells him.

“And when I get beaten to death by a wooden sword for not letting A-Yi eat dirt, then what will you do?” He pretends to knock himself out with the sword, making a funny face.

Lan Wangji thinks for a moment. “I will burn paper money for you.”

“Hanguang-jun!” Wei Wuxian guffaws. “You really are something.” He puts away the sword and picks up the comb to admire. “I’ll bring the kids to thank you, just give me a minute.”

Lan Wangji stops him. “Do not tell them it is from me.”

“Why ever not?” Wei Wuxian asks.

“Children are easily swayed,” he explains. “They may come to favour me simply because I have coin to spare.”

“Rightfully so. Their Xian-gege wouldn’t be able to put a single meal on the table if it wasn’t for you, Hanguang-jun.” Wei Wuxian looks down at the floor.

“That would not be right. Their Xian-gege is the one who has their best interest at heart.” The name remains stuck in his mouth, long after the words have left his lips.

Wei Wuxian looks back up. He watches Lan Wangji’s face carefully. “So does their— their Lan-er-gege. I know it,” his eyelashes flutter briefly, as he smiles up at Lan Wangji. “Thank you, for everything.”

“No need. They are my responsibility also.” He is acutely aware that the bundle in Wei Wuxian’s arms contains more than just things for the children. They could all be his responsibility, if Wei Wuxian would allow him.

Wei Wuxian squeezes the bundle tight. “Thank you,” he sighs, bowing his head and taking his leave.

Lan Wangji also releases a small sigh as the door shuts behind him.

———

The children are bouncing off the walls the next morning, excited by their new toys despite the early hour. Lan Wangji notes their well fitting robes and the colourful ribbons in their hair. It is a pleasant sight after days of seeing them in drab, worn clothes.

And Wei Wuxian—

The perfectly tailored red and black robes, cinched tight around his waist, the bright ribbon bouncing in his freshly oiled hair, the rosy colour of his cheeks as he watches his children laugh and play.

—Lan Wangji is not sure there are any words to describe him in any of the languages of the world.

“Are we leaving as soon as we’ve eaten our breakfast?” Xiao Mei asks. 

The morning has not fully broken yet. A-Yuan yawns in a way not dissimilar to a camel. 

“Yes. The merchants’ carts leave for Yiling soon. We will leave with them,” Lan Wangji tells her. It will be best to travel with company, for they will be heading towards the very place the children escaped from. “We will meet them in the market square.”

“Hmm.” Wei Wuxian feeds Baobao another spoonful of congee. “I was wondering, Hanguang-jun, does this town have a big orphanage?”

“I am unaware.” He does not know if there is even a small orphanage here. “I can inquire.”

“No it’s okay, I was just thinking…” He hands the boys a handkerchief to wipe their faces clean. “I didn’t see any street kids when we were out yesterday. Did you?”

Lan Wangji thinks back. “No, I did not.” He realises it is not something he would have noticed, had Wei Wuxian not pointed it out.

“Yeah, me neither. Which made me wonder if maybe there’s a big orphanage around here that takes them all in.” He taps his chin.

The innkeeper's grandson, who is walking past as they discuss this, stops. “You’re not going to… ditch and run are you?” He looks warily around at the children.

They both immediately understand what the boy means. “No!” Wei Wuxian sounds appalled. “No, no way. Never! How could you think that?”

The boy holds his hands up. “Sorry, sorry! But how would I know? Why else would you be asking about orphanages?”

Lan Wangji looks at him sternly. “We are investigating a case.”

“Oh, oops.” He grimaces. “Sorry for assuming, I— no there isn’t an orphanage around here. The town's too small and not governed by any sect. We can’t afford it.”

“Are there any children on the streets?” Wei Wuxian asks him.

“There’s one or two. Popo gives them leftovers from the inn at the end of the day. We do what we can.” The boy shrugs.

“But we did not see any in the market, or around town, yesterday.” Wei Wuxian hands a clean faced Baobao over to Lan Wangji.

“Huh? That’s odd. They usually hang around the food stalls during the day and beg in the market.” The boy scratches his head and frowns. “Come to think of it, they haven’t stopped by for leftovers in a while actually.”

“Where could they have gone?”

“Well…” He looks around hesitantly at the children. Thankfully they aren’t paying any attention to the conversation. “You know how these things are. Kids like that don’t usually… make it, you know?”

“Oh I know that well.” Wei Wuxian smiles wryly. “But what are the odds they would all…” He shuts his eyes to indicate death without having to say the word in front of the children. “At once?”

“I— I guess you have a point,” the boy admits. “But I wouldn’t know where to look for them, or who to ask. And my popo can hardly walk. What… what should I do sir?”

All of the boy’s jabbering no longer seems irritating. Lan Wangji can see how he wants to do good. “It is not your responsibility. There should be officials in place to deal with such matters.”

“There isn’t anyone…” he trails off, seeming afraid. As if he thinks Lan Wangji will blame him for the shortcomings of those in charge.

“Keep an eye out. If something is unusual or concerning, write to Yunmeng Jiang. We are headed that way,” he tells the boy. “We will make sure your concerns are heard.”

The boy nods his head eagerly and bows. He heads back into the kitchen to fetch the food Lan Wangji had asked to be packed for their journey to Yiling.

As they make their way out of the inn, Wei Wuxian stops to address the boy once more. “Just… leave some food out when you can. Just in case,” he says, patting him on the shoulder.

Lan Wangji’s heart pangs. Wei Wuxian understands the situation in a way that nobody else does.

“Yes, yes of course. No problem,” the boy agrees easily, and waves the children goodbye.

———

Xiao Mei and A-Yi are too dumbstruck to argue about the name of the animals they are faced with. The two of them make a funny picture, holding hands as they gape at the oxen chewing cud.

“Xiao Mei, A-Yi, meet Ox-gongzi. Ox-gongzi, meet my Xiao Mei and A-Yi. Now.” Wei Wuxian scoops them both up and deposits them onto the back of the cart. “Off we go!”

Lan Wangji helps the rest of the children climb on, one by one. The merchants have very kindly invited them to travel in their carts, to make the journey easier for the children. And for Lil Apple, who will be traveling alongside them, free of any burden.

“Xian-gege, when I grow up can I be an Ox-gongzi?” A-Yi asks in earnest.

The girls titter quietly. Wei Wuxian taps them on their heads in warning. “You can be anything you want, A-Yi. Your Xian-gege will always be proud of you, as long as you’re a good person.”

“Then I want to be Xian-gege!” A-Yuan exclaims. “Xian-gege is the goodest of all.”

“Best.” Everyone turns to look at Lan Wangji when he speaks. “Your Xian-gege is the best of all,” he corrects. But it does not feel like a correction, with how he looks Wei Wuxian right in the eye as he says it. The tips of his ears turn the same brilliant red that the apples of Wei Wuxian’s cheeks are turning.

“Best!” A-Yuan cheers, and throws himself full force into Wei Wuxian’s arms, knocking him sideways.

The others take it as a cue to pile atop their Xian-gege, laughing like mad. Wei Wuxian laughs more manically than them all, grabbing any face he can reach and covering it in noisy, smothering kisses.

Lan Wangji watches from his seat, just an arm’s length away. There is a strange feeling inside him. He looks down at Baobao, who is sat calmly on his knee, also watching the scene unfold before them. The baby looks back up at him. They stare at one another for a long moment, before Baobao gives him a warm, sweet smile. Lan Wangji slowly smiles back at him. He has not done so in many years, but the situation calls for it.

It feels like an understanding has passed between himself and the baby. An understanding that this is happiness.

———

The route they take is quiet and idyllic. Only a few odd huts are dotted here and there, the rest of the scenery is bright in colour.

A mustard field surrounds them on either side, as golden as the sun, when Wei Wuxian asks, “You must have traveled far and wide, right Hanguang-jun?”

“Mn. Wherever help is needed.” He has lost count of all the places he has traveled to.

“But what about for leisure?” Wei Wuxian asks.

Lan Wangji thinks for a moment and then shakes his head. He cannot recall ever having traveled solely for himself.

Wei Wuxian sits up and frowns. “Why not? You have the money, the freedom, you could go anywhere in the world if you wanted!”

“It has never crossed my mind.” It is as unfortunately simple as that.

“Have you really never traveled somewhere just because you felt like it?” Wei Wuxian asks, animatedly waving the wheat stalk in his hand around as he speaks. “To see the sights, or taste the food, or drink the wine?”

“Alcohol is forbidden for Lan sect disciples,” he replies, pedantic.

Wei Wuxian laughs, “To listen to the music then! Or whatever it is that Lan disciples aren’t forbidden from doing.”

“It is something that you have thought about a lot?” It is less a question and more a statement.

“Oh, have I thought about it,” Wei Wuxian sighs, tucking the wheat stalk behind his ear as he lays back down. “My parents and I traveled around a lot, but I don’t remember any of it. I only remember them.” He hums in thought. “And the donkey I used to ride on, I remember him too! It was like us and the kids with Lil Apple.”

Lan Wangji’s heart beats abnormally. Us and the kids. Like Wei Wuxian’s parents.

Us.

“Maybe one day. Who knows…” Wei Wuxian trails off, wistful.

“Where would you like to go?” Lan Wangji pictures it; Wei Wuxian and the children traveling, sun and laughter all around them. And for some unfathomable reason, he is also there with them, holding the reins of the donkey. 

“Anywhere at all, Hanguang-jun. This is the most I’ve ever traveled, you know. And it hasn’t been under the best of circumstances, has it?” he laughs. “I just want to see and hear and taste what the world has to offer.”

Lan Wangji’s lips betray him and say, “The wine in Gusu is renowned.” He clamps his mouth shut tight.

“Hanguang-jun!” Wei Wuxian gasps. “I thought you said alcohol is forbidden for Lan disciples. You sly, sly fox!”

Lan Wangji can feel the tips of his ears begin to warm. “It is forbidden. I have not tried it, ever,” he emphasises. “But I have heard.”

Wei Wuxian laughs and pats his hand where it rests on the cart floor. “Just teasing, Hanguang-jun. I believe you. I’ve heard tales about Emperor’s Smile too.” He removes his hand from Lan Wangji’s. The warmth lingers. “I’d like to try it someday.”

“Come to Gusu,” Lan Wangji says. Wei Wuxian peers up at him with wide eyes. “If you wish.”

The breeze rustles through the mustard flowers, hooves of the oxen beating against the ground. Wei Wuxian does not look away from him for what feels like too long and yet not long enough.

Finally he blinks and turns back to the sky. Lan Wangji doesn’t know what he might have gauged from his face, if anything at all.

“What else is there to see in Gusu, apart from great wine and beautiful men?” He grins, turning onto his side to properly face Lan Wangji.

Everything , Lan Wangji thinks. Nothing . All that is missing is you.

Instead he says, “Mountains, clouds that can be touched, snowfall in the winter. Gentians.” If he closes his eyes, he can feel the soft petals against his skin. “It is quiet, peaceful.”

“Then we’ll be a terrible match, Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian says. “Gusu and I.”

Lan Wangji feels something tug inside of him. He is not sure what comes over him as he says, “Laughter fills the emptiness of peace.” 

Wei Wuxian looks at him with his doe eyes wide and unblinking. “Well in that case,” he says eventually, voice mellow. “Maybe… maybe Gusu will give me a chance.” 

“Mn.” The cart stumbles over a rock on the road, sending them all bouncing in their seats, Lan Wangji included. The children giggle and complain. He does not know if his agreement is heard.

———

They arrive at the outskirts of Yiling just after sunset. The merchants will be heading into town, preparing to sell their wares in the market come morning. They recommend many a fancy inn in the centre of town for Lan Wanji to stay in. But Wei Wuxian shifts uncomfortably.

As soon as Yiling became visible to the eye, he had pulled on the hood of his cloak, covering most of his face. Despite the late hour and lack of people around, there is a clear sense of fear in his demeanor.

So Lan Wangji asks the men if they know of somewhere homely that would suit the children better.

They are directed towards a house not far from the main road. It is owned by a young widow with too many children and little way to feed them, the merchants tell them. She has been renting out the rooms in her house to women to earn some money, but they are sure a cultivator and his family will be equally welcome in her house. She needs the money after all.

Wei Wuxian is too distracted to correct their assumption. Lan Wangji thanks the men and sets off. A-Yuan and A-Yi have both fallen asleep. He carries them both, one over each shoulder, through the quiet streets. The girls hold on tight to Wei Wuxian’s hands, just as quiet and unsettled as him. Only Lil Apple remains unaffected, plodding along by their side.

Lan Wangji knocks on the door. There is no response, but he can hear plenty of movement inside. He tries again. The movement gets closer. Eventually the large wooden door unlatches and slowly creaks open a sliver. He can only just make out the vague shape of a face on the other side.

“What do you want?” a stern female voice asks.

“A safe place to stay the night. We were directed to your residence.”

“No men allowed. Goodbye.” The door begins to close.

Lan Wangji jams his foot in the gap to stop it from shutting on his face. “Where else might we go at this time of night? Somewhere safe.”

“Anywhere is safe for you men,” the woman scoffs. “Try the inns.”

Wei Wuxian speaks up from beside him, “But they’re not safe for our children.”

Our. The word pummels at Lan Wangji’s rib cage.

“Children…?” The door creaks open a sliver more, to reveal the woman. She has a face as stern as her voice, middle aged and holding a heavy wooden stick in her hand. Lan Wangji moves so that she can see all of them clearly. “These are your children?” she asks.

“Yes ma’am,” Wei Wuxian says. Xiao Mei nods eagerly next to him, sensing the situation.

“Your children.” She looks between Wei Wuxian and him, meaningfully. “And you are… together?”

Wei Wuxian flounders, “Oh—”

“Yes,” Lan Wangji interjects. His heart pounds wildly in his chest. “We are.” He can feel Wei Wuxian staring at him with wide eyes. He refuses to look towards him.

The lady turns to someone behind the door. “They’re—” She makes a snipping gesture at the sleeve of her robe. Lan Wangji’s heart almost escapes through his throat. “A family.”

Heated whispering can be heard from inside before the door finally opens fully. There are two other women standing besides the first. One holds a large kitchen knife and the other a cast iron pan, poised to swing. They are both younger than the first.

“Who are you, and what are you doing here with a bunch of children in the middle of the night? Don’t you know it’s not safe around here?” the lady questions.

Lan Wangji bows as much as the sleeping boys in his arms allow. “Lan Wangji, of the Gusu Lan Sect. We are travelling to Yunmeng.”

“Han— Hanguang-jun?” The one holding the pan stutters, lowering her weapon of choice. “Forgive us we—” She drops into a bow. The other two women follow suit.

Perhaps introducing himself would have been an easier tactic than pretending that he and Wei Wuxian are… in order to make the women feel at ease. But what is done is done. “Please. A room,” he urges.

“I— yes. Come in.” The women lead them towards the back of the house. It is a sizeable building. The late husband must have been well to do.

The room they are led to has two large beds inside it, and not much else. It will be more than enough. 

“I’ll bring a crib for the baby,” the stern-faced woman tells them. “We only have leftovers. You want some?”

“Yes please, thank you so much.” Wei Wuxian places Baobao in the middle of the bed and then helps Lan Wangji place the sleeping boys on the bed too.

The women remain standing in the doorway, the older lady narrowing her eyes at them. “You stick to your own room all night, understood? No wandering about, or someone might stab you.”

“Ayi!” one of the other women gasps.

Lan Wangji feels something warm against his side. Wei Wuxian has latched onto his arm, like a wife might hold onto her husband. “We won’t be going anywhere, don’t worry.”

“Hmm,” the woman relents, and leaves with the other two to fetch food and the crib.

Wei Wuxian is quick to let go of him, as soon as they have left, but Lan Wangji’s side remains ablaze. “Sorry Hanguang-jun. They— they misunderstood but. It worked in our favour, I…”

“Mn,” Lan Wangji nods. It is a misunderstanding of his own making after all. He cannot think about what he has gotten himself into, or he might do something wildly inappropriate.

Once the crib arrives, it is placed between the two beds, with Baobao comfortably asleep inside. The older children, after eating and brushing their teeth, now lay in their bed, snoring away side by side. Jing’er and Xiao Mei hold hands even as they sleep. It is a heartwarming sight.

Lan Wangji rolls out his sleeping mat on the other side of the children’s bed, also ready to turn in for the night.

“What are you doing?” Wei Wuxian asks, from where he’s sat on his bed.

“Preparing to sleep.” It is fairly obvious but Lan Wangji tells him anyway.

“Why on the floor? The bed’s right here.” He pats the mattress.

“You may take it. I am used to sleeping on the floor.”

Wei Wuxian frowns. “There is plenty of room for the both of us on here. Besides,” He looks away as he continues, “If the women see us sleeping separately, they may realise our lie.”

That is true. But Lan Wangji does not know how he could possibly survive sharing a bed with Wei Wuxian. He might not live to see the morning.

“Come on Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian says, leaning back on his hands. “Come to bed.”

Lan Wangji freezes. He can hear the sound of his own heavy breathing, loud over the children’s snores and the crackling of the furnace. Wei Wuxian seems equally frozen. He does not say anything more as Lan Wangji approaches the bed, piercing gaze following his movement, right to the foot of the bed.

Wei Wuxian has to tilt his head back to look at him, with how close he stands. Lan Wangji can see that his chest too, rises and falls with rapid breaths. He looks so beautiful like this, with his hair down, wearing only his thin inner robe, eyes half lidded, lips bitten red, looking up at him with beseeching eyes. Lan Wangji could just push him back and—

“Sleep,” he forces himself to say. “It is late.”

Wei Wuxian blinks. “Ah. Yes, okay. Whatever you say, Hanguang-jun.”

It takes all of his willpower to walk to the other side of the bed. He doesn’t know how he’ll get through the night. It is a fairly large bed, but they are both tall, and Lan Wangji broad. One brush of skin and his sanity may fail him.

“Relax, Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian whispers, sensing how tense he is. “I won’t bite.”

That is the least of Lan Wangji’s concerns. If anyone will bite, it will likely not be Wei Wuxian. 

“Good night,” he says, turning onto his side, away from Wei Wuxian. He does not normally sleep like this, but it will be necessary tonight. Their pillows are touching.

Wei Wuxian also turns in the same direction. “See you tomorrow, Hanguang-jun,” he whispers. His breath strokes the shell of Lan Wangji’s ear, his neck, his jaw.

It is not a good night. It is the best night of all.

———

Lan Wangji awakens at his usual hour, enveloped by the warmest, softest blanket he has ever felt. And then the blanket sighs. Lan Wangji’s eyes fly open.

Ever a creature of habit, he has turned onto his back at some point during the night. Which in itself would not be so bad, were it not for Wei Wuxian having draped himself over his side. His face is nuzzled into the crook of Lan Wangji’s neck, breathing warm puffs of air against his skin. A hand rests over Lan Wangji’s heart, a leg tucked between his own.

Lan Wangji is horribly trapped, but he cannot bring himself to escape. He clenches his fists where they rest on the mattress. It seems today he will truly learn the full extent of Lan restraint.

Every breath, every slight movement, sends his blood pumping in all the wrong ways. Everywhere they touch is ablaze. Wei Wuxian looks so comfortable, so beguiling. Free of the worries that plague him while awake. Lan Wangji wishes he could keep Wei Wuxian this way; free of all worries. In his arms. Happy.

His tempting thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Wei Wuxian startles awake in his arms, staring up at him in alarm. He does not get the chance to take in their proximity or react to it, before the door slams wide open.

“Time for break— oh heavens, fuck! ” someone yells.

Wei Wuxian leaps out of his arms and nearly rolls right off the bed, were it not for Lan Wangji’s quick reflexes yanking him back towards himself in time.

The woman at the door has slapped her hands over her eyes quite theatrically. It is the pan wielder from the night before. “Are… are you guys decent?” she tentatively asks.

“Yes, yes we are. We were just sleeping. Sorry,” Wei Wuxian rushes to explain. His breathlessness does not help his case, nor does the flush spreading from his face down to the sliver of chest that peeks out of his robe. 

“Oh, okay.” The woman slowly lowers her hands and peers at them hesitantly. “I apologise. I’m used to only women staying here. Alone. No privacy needed really. I… sorry.”

Lan Wangji still cannot find it in him to speak. Wei Wuxian replies, “No matter. Breakfast you said?”

“Yeah, breakfast. It’s served in the hall. We all eat together but… I guess, maybe if you want I can ask—”

“No, no it’s okay. We’ll come down, um…” He looks down at where his body is still tangled with Lan Wangji’s under the covers, and blushes even more violently.

“Oh!” The woman jumps, looking equally embarrassed. “Sorry, sorry I’ll just— sorry!” she squeals and runs out of the door, slamming it behind her.

Lan Wangji cannot allow himself to imagine what all she may have assumed. He might go straight into qi deviation if he does.

Wei Wuxian lets out a long exhale and then begins to untangle himself, laughing awkwardly. “I’m sorry Han—”

At that moment they hear a voice outside their room say, “He really is a cutsleeve, huh?” In her haste to leave, the woman had slammed the door so hard that it bounced off the door frame and reopened a crack, allowing sound from outside to be heard. “And with a family! How are we only just finding out?”

“Not the kind of thing the Lan sect want publicised, I guess,” another female voice replies.

Wei Wuxian shoots out of bed, tripping and tumbling over the covers and his own robe, to go and slide the door properly shut before anymore can be heard. He looks completely distraught, and begins to apologise again. “Sor—”

“No need,” Lan Wangji rises from the bed, moving to get ready.

“But your reputation, Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian laments.

“Remains intact.” The children are beginning to wake. Lan Wangji occupies himself with helping them up. He does not want to hear Wei Wuxian’s disdain.

Breakfast is served along a lengthy table in the middle of the courtyard, around which many women sit. Everyone turns towards them when they enter, eyeing them distrustfully. Wei Wuxian drifts closer and holds on lightly to his wrist. It is just for appearances’ sake, Lan Wangji reminds himself.

“Ladies, this is Hanguang-jun and his family.” It is the woman from the night before that had been holding the knife. “They’ll be staying with us for some time. Please be nice.”

She ushers them over to where she is sitting at the head of the table, with space saved for the lot of them beside her. The woman introduces herself as Xu Fei, the owner of this manor. A widow, just as young as the merchants had said.

“Forgive us for our discourteousness last night,” she apologises. “We were taken by surprise.”

“The fault is ours. We would not have intruded had we known your home is reserved for women only,” Lan Wangji tells her.

“Please, you are most welcome here. It is only for the sake of safety that we have this rule, but who could ensure our safety better than the great Hanguang-jun? And besides—” She darts a quick glance to Wei Wuxian. Her meaning is clear. “We could not turn you all away.”

“We are very grateful,” Wei Wuxian says. “It is for the safety of our children that we could not go to any inn or tavern.”

Xu Fei nods. “Understandable, what with all the disappearances.”

Wei Wuxian’s hand freezes midway to Baobao’s mouth. “Disappearances?” The baby leans forward and snatches up the bite of food for himself. 

“Well first of all an entire orphanage has gone missing.” She passes around more dishes of food for them to take. “Including all the staff. Just up and gone overnight.”

“How strange,” Wei Wuxian says, stilted.

“Strange indeed,” she continues, not taking any notice. “It’s on the other side of Yiling so none of my information is firsthand. But the building is definitely locked up and empty, I saw that much myself.”

“Where might they all have gone?” Lan Wangji asks. He’s asking after the Mistress really, but Wei Wuxian’s eyebrow twitches at the question.

“That’s the thing.” Xu Fei puts down her chopsticks and leans forward. “Everyone thinks the old lady in charge embezzled money and ran off, abandoning the kids.”

“You do not think so?”

Xu Fei shakes her head, looking deeply troubled. “Abandoned children end up on the streets, but there isn’t a soul out there. Not even the usual street urchins or the beggar kids. Everyone has vanished.”

“What do you mean ‘vanished’?” Wei Wuxian sounds increasingly worried.

“Gone daozhang, just gone,” she replies.

It is chilling for Lan Wangji to hear. “Have you reported this to anyone?”

“Reported?” she laughs, grimly. “Who’s going to care about a bunch of street kids going missing? ‘Good riddance’ is what they’ll say.”

That is disconcerting to say the least. He thinks he would like to have a word with these officials himself. “Where is the nearest Jiang sect outpost?”

“Other side of town. If you walk right through to the end of the market and turn left, it’ll be the big building right in front of you. Impossible to miss, what with its massive purple banners.” Xu Fei scoffs. “You’ll be wasting your time Hanguang-jun. They’re only good for locking people up, whether you’ve committed a crime or not.”

The underlying sentiment is the same as the town before; there is no one for the townsfolk to turn to, no one they can trust. Lan Wangji decides he will pay these officials a visit today.

He tells Wei Wuxian as much, who says, “Sure, but not before we’re done with breakfast. These kids are a right handful.” He scrubs a handkerchief all over A-Yuan’s messy face, making the boy giggle and writhe.

Lan Wangji nods, taking over with the cleanup. “You will have to do the girls’ hair today. And meditation.”

Jing’er and Xiao Mei sulk up a storm at this. “But he doesn’t do it pretty like you do!” Xiao Mei whines.

Wei Wuxian gasps with false outrage. “I birth you from my own belly, and this is the treatment I get?” Lan Wangji’s ears immediately flush red at the imagery. “Just because I’m not as beautiful and talented and powerful as our Hanguang-jun!

The children are more than familiar with Wei Wuxian’s nonsensical jokes, and simply giggle them away. It is Lan Wangji alone who suffers. He can feel the perspiration gather at his nape, as every face in the vicinity turns to look at him.

“What a lovely family,” one of the women nearby fawns, making his heart stutter.

Another hums in agreement. “If only the rest of the men in this world were so loving.”

“Fat chance!” someone else yells. Several voices rise up at once, moaning and complaining about the state of men.

Xu Fei laughs, “Don’t mind them daozhang, they don’t mean any harm. Life just hasn’t been very kind to most of them.”

Lan Wangji nods in understanding. He knows very well what men can be capable of.

———

Xu Fei promises to do the girls’ hair as pretty as they want, which allows Lan Wangji to set off without any more sulking. He wishes it were safe to bring the children all with him. Traveling with them so far has been different, joyous even. He finds he prefers it to his previous solitary travels.

The directions provided by Xu Fei lead him easily to the Jiang building. It is just as garishly decorated as she had described. Lan Wangji walks straight in, disregarding the guards standing outside.

“Who the fuc—!” the man seated in the inner office shouts as Lan Wangji barges into his office. “Oh!” He scrambles to get his feet off the desk and bow in greeting. “Hanguang-jun! What are you doing here?”

Lan Wangji does not know if he has ever met this cultivator before. He does not care to know. “Investigating a case. Tell me about the sudden closure of the local orphanage.”

“The orphanage?” The man is visibly confused. “Don’t trouble yourself with that old place, Hanguang-jun. These things happen.”

“These things do not happen. Are the children accounted for?”

It is a trap, and the man falls right into it. “Yes,” he says with false certainty. “They’re all in loving homes.”

Lan Wangji’s grip on Bichen tightens. It takes a great deal of effort to maintain his composure and continue playing along. “Mn. May I see the adoption documents?”

A bead of sweat gathers on the man’s forehead. “I— We, um… Hanguang-jun, we don’t keep records on such trivial matters. The adoptions were informal, you know the sort.”

“ All of them?” This man is either extremely stupid, extremely careless, or both.

“Yes. Sorry. We only keep records on important things, you know?” It seems he is both.

“Mn. Show me.” Lan Wangji is aware that he does not have the same authority here that he would in Lan territory, or in ungoverned areas. He is also aware that he is Lan Wangji . The man’s grave has been dug, whether he agrees or refuses.

“What— what would you like to see?” the man stutters.

“What is the primary purpose of your appointment here in Yiling?” he asks.

The bead of sweat has traveled down into his sideburn. “To maintain order…?” he trails off like he is asking a question, rather than answering him.

“Mn. Show me records of the order that has been maintained.” When the man looks at him perplexed, Lan Wangji elaborates, “Crime and arrest records.”

“Yes, um sure. Yes.” The man fumbles over to a drawer full of paperwork. After some filing through, he pulls out a document and hands it over. “Here you go.”

Lan Wangji takes his time reading through it all. It is a record of all the arrests made, misdemeanors dealt with, and fines handed out by this office. Overseen and authorised by a Jiang sect representative every time. It is thorough, covering every major and minor offense committed over the past several years.

Theft, public disturbance, trespassing, theft, more theft, vandalism, vagrancy, more theft, an eight year old locked up for pickpocketing, insolvency, begging, theft. So much theft, but none of it substantial. Items of food and clothing and medicines are what has mainly been stolen.

Alarm bells have been ringing in Lan Wangji’s head since the start of this journey, but now they begin to blare. He is familiar with the range of crimes that can be committed in a town this big, and this list does not even cover half of it. Where are the domestic disputes, the harassment charges, the cruel masters mistreating servants, the corruption? All the things that Wei Wuxian and the women living at Xu Fei’s residence have spoken about.

“And the missing children?” Lan Wangji asks.

The man jumps back to attention. “What missing children?”

“Homeless children.”

“No, they just disappeared by themselves.” The man misunderstands, thinking Lan Wangji wants to know if the children have been detained. “Good riddance, I say.”

Xu Fei’s voice echoes hauntingly in his ears. It is exactly as she had predicted.

Lan Wangji’s self-control is wearing thin. He wishes he could deal with this man immediately, but it would do little good for the case at hand. The man, and all his idiocy, will be better off presented as evidence of the shortcomings of this system.

Lan Wangji takes several deep breaths before he can continue. “You also solve spiritual disturbances?”

“Yes, but there aren’t any around here,” he shrugs.

That is incredibly hard to believe, in a town of so many. “There aren’t any, or is it that you simply do not care to find out? As long as it does not affect those with deep pockets.”

“No, I no—!”

Lan Wangji lifts up the metal name plate sitting on the man’s desk, running a finger across the carved characters of his name. “I suggest you start planning for the future, Jiang Rongyu .”

He turns and leaves the room. Outside, a small sea of faces is gathered, workers standing around the door eavesdropping. They scramble over each other to bow as he walks out. Lan Wangji observes the different uniforms and addresses the two men stood by the far door. They are dressed in plain, unadorned robes, and do not carry swords. Servants, not cultivators. “Come with me,” he says.

The men look around in shock, one of them checking behind himself to see if Lan Wangji is addressing someone else. “I… us?” he asks.

“Yes.” Lan Wangji nods. “Your assistance will be appreciated.”

“Of— of course!” The man hurries to follow, dragging the other servant along with him.

Once they have exited the building, the quiet man speaks up, “Are you sure you wouldn’t be better off getting one of the officials to assist you? We’re just simple servants—”

“You are better men than them all if you can be trusted,” he says.

The two men stare at him, looking shocked, before dropping into deep bows again. “You can trust us, Hanguang-jun! We’ll try our best to help you.”

“Take me to the orphanage,” he instructs.

When they reach the building, it is much smaller and more decrepit than Lan Wangji was expecting. Had Wei Wuxian and the children really grown up here and been confined within these walls?

The main door is chained closed from the outside, but a flick of spiritual energy shatters the chains, allowing them in.

Inside is in complete disarray. It is obvious that the place has been completely ransacked, likely in search of the children once Wei Wuxian had escaped with them. Tables and chairs are overturned, papers scattered everywhere, a room door has been entirely kicked in.

Lan Wangji makes his way into this room. It is small, with just one bed and a small storage chest. Both things have been knocked over, the coarse bedding trailing on the floor, personal items from the chest spilled out.

Something in the far corner catches his eye. He picks through the clothes covering it to pull out a flute, dark wood with a bright red tassel. The ‘silly old flute’ Wei Wuxian had mentioned. This must have been his little room, home to his few possessions. He asks the men to help pack his belongings. 

Next he makes his way into a larger sleeping area nearby, which holds several beds all placed side by side. This room is just as bare as Wei Wuxian’s, with only one small trunk at the foot of every bed. These too have been ransacked, just like the rest of the place. Lan Wangji has these items packed up also.

So far he has not found anything that could be useful to their case, but at least he has managed to retrieve what little belongings Wei Wuxian and his children had.

The storeroom is full of bags of grain and rice, left as they were. He makes sure that it has not perished or been infested, and then instructs the men to carry the bags out on their way out. He will have it distributed amongst the homes of Yiling.

But first he makes his way into a spacious room at the other side of the building, far away from the children’s sleeping quarters. It seems to have been the Mistress' bedroom, now completely empty. Attached is another equally large room, containing endless drawers and shelves, likely her office. Surprisingly this room has not been touched at all. As if the Mistress was sure that no one would come to investigate.

While the men sort through the rubble, Lan Wangji takes his time to file through the paperwork in this room. Most of it is entirely useless, except to prove that the funding received by the orphanage to care for the orphans, was decidedly not being used for its intended purpose. He sets aside a few of these expense records to bring with him to Yunmeng.

However there is still no evidence regarding the planned selling of the children. The letter Wei Wuxian found would not be enough on its own. Lan Wangji needs to find something more substantial, in order for Wei Wuxian and the children to get justice.

He goes through every single document and record, twice over, to no avail. It doesn’t make any sense. The Mistress and her cronies clearly abandoned this place in a hurry, so they couldn’t have had enough time to carefully destroy all evidence. He steps out of the room, back into the hallway, to clear his head. Where might one hide something they do not want found?

Upon reentering, he checks the shelves and drawers for hidden compartments or shifting panels. Then he tests the floorboards, one by one. It is not until he reaches the far end of the room, does a floorboard creak in just the wrong way. With a small amount of force he yanks the board up and finds a small hidden space, filled with straw and leaves, but otherwise empty. He rummages fruitlessly through the debris, and is just about to give up when his hand touches something smooth.

A broken chunk of a wax seal, with a small scrap of paper still attached to it. The paper has browned and curled, just like a leaf. Then Lan Wangji finally sees it — more ripped up pieces of paper amongst the straw. Easily mistaken for leaves, perhaps even by the person who put them here.

He fishes out every last scrap of paper. Rot has made some of the pieces indecipherable, but most are legible under bright light. He pieces them together as best he can, and ends up with a strange letter he cannot make head or tail of.

It contains mainly numbers, and the letterhead is entirely missing. If he had come across it amongst the rest of the paperwork, he may have disregarded it. But something hidden so carefully is bound to be important.

Lan Wangji reads it again. The large number at the end of the page is familiar. He thinks back to the letter Wei Wuxian showed him, and remembers the agreed sum the Mistress was to be paid. It is the same as this number here, unreasonably large and yet, nowhere near what the lives of five living, breathing children should be worth.

He takes a deep breath. Working his way backwards from this figure, he finds that the amounts in one of the rows add up to the total payment. However there are only five children, but listed here are eight amounts. What could those be for? And what are all the other numbers on the page?

Perhaps Wei Wuxian will know more. He carefully gathers the pieces, and the fragment of the wax seal. Broken and incomplete, it won’t be much help in identifying the culprit. But when he flips it over onto its embossed side, Lan Wangji comes to a halt.

Only half of the pattern is visible, and yet it is very obviously the official seal of the Lanling Jin sect.

It is the last thing he would have expected to see here. Countless questions run through his mind at once, but the answers all evade him. All he knows is that Wei Wuxian was right to assume that ‘someone big’ was behind this. 

One of the men appears in the doorway. “Would you like some help, Hanguang-jun?”

Lan Wangji puts the pieces and the expense records into a qiankun pouch. “No need. Have the personal effects been retrieved?”

“Yes. There’s not much, but we’ve packed it all.” The man follows him out into the main hall, and shows him the large vegetable crate they have filled with Wei Wuxian and the children’s things.

“This is all?” he can’t help but ask.

The man nods. “There were only a couple of robes in each trunk, and some other bits and bobs.” 

Lan Wangji takes the crate from them. “Your assistance is appreciated. The failures of your superiors will not affect you,” he assures.

The men bow and thank him, looking a little confused. In time to come they will realise what Lan Wangji means. For now they quietly head out alongside him.

Before he leaves, he fixes a talisman onto the inside of the door to keep the building locked. In case someone catches on and wants to wipe the place completely clean. Now only someone with an unlocking talisman made by him will be able to enter.

———

Back at the manor, he is greeted by the sight of children running amok in the courtyard. Amongst them are his own A-Yuan and A-Yi, squealing and cheering. They look happy, free, as children should be.

As soon as the boys spot him, they run over at full speed and throw themselves at his legs. “Gege, you’re back!”

He is not sure why they are so excited every time he returns, but he must admit that he enjoys it. He bends down to greet them properly. “How have you both been?” 

“Good! There’s so many babies here, Gege,” A-Yuan shares excitedly. “We’ve been playing with them all day long.”

“Babies?” he asks.

“Yeah, look!” A-Yi points towards all the other children in the courtyard. Most of them look to be around the boys' age, some even older. Not one of them is a baby. Lan Wangji nods anyway.

At the far end of the courtyard, Jing’er and Xiao Mei are sat playing cat’s cradle with the colourful yarn he got for them. Wei Wuxian lies flat on the ground beside them, Baobao settled happily on his stomach. The baby babbles away at him happily, and Wei Wuxian replies with equal enthusiasm, talking to Baobao as if he were conversing with a grown adult. 

Lan Wangji greets the girls first, not wanting to interrupt Baobao’s conversation.

“Oh Hanguang-jun, we didn’t see you there!” Wei Wuxian calls out. “Young master Baobao and I were too enthralled in our debate.”

“What is the subject of debate today?” he asks, sitting down next to them.

“The ethics of meat consumption,” Wei Wuxian grins.

Lan Wangji looks indulgently between the two of them. “I would like to hear the young master’s views.” He nods towards Baobao.

Perhaps Wei Wuxian had not expected him to play along any further. Excitement is evident on his face. “Go on then.” He turns Baobao around to face Lan Wangji fully. “Share your, frankly quite polarising, ideas young sir.”

Baobao takes that as his cue, babbling enthusiastically at Lan Wangji, complete with waving hands and spittle flying about. His babbling is becoming more structured, with tone and inflection like a normal sentence, and even some recognisable words.

Lan Wangji nods his head gravely. “Most wise. The Lan sect has similar views on the matter.”

“That’s what I said too!” Wei Wuxian declares. “I told him, if you’re going to be so righteous about things, you might as well go join the Lan sect.” He grins, cheekily. “But then the young master reminded me that he enjoys day drinking way too much for that to work.”

Lan Wangji gives him a blank, unamused look, causing Wei Wuxian to burst out laughing. “Ah sorry, sorry! You’re right. My children are refined young gentlemen and gentlewomen. Isn’t that right Baobao?” The baby claps his hands in agreement. “I’m sure they would fit right in.”

“They would.” Lan Wangji states. He is also sure of it.

Wei Wuxian peers up at him, again with those wide, searching eyes. “Do you think, I— We…” He brushes his nose with a finger. “Ah, never mind. How was your day Hanguang-jun?”

Lan Wangji wishes he would complete his initial question, give it a chance. “How was yours?” he asks instead.

“I asked you first!” Wei Wuxian sits up and plops Baobao down. The baby crawls off to go play with the girls.

“It went as expected. The officials were of little use. I have written ahead to Lotus Pier, Sect Leader Jiang will be expecting us. He will deal with his men.” He gets out his qiankun pouch. “I also visited the orphanage.”

Wei Wuxian sits up properly at that. “Our orphanage?”

“Mn. It has been ransacked. I retrieved some fraudulent expense records and this letter.” He puts together the pieces on the floor between them. “It may make more sense to you than it did me.”

“Hmm, let’s see.” Wei Wuxian scoots closer to read the fragmented letter carefully. He chews on his bottom lip as he thinks, turning it red and raw. Lan Wangji fights the urge to soothe it. “This looks like the amount the Mistress was going to get paid for the kids.” He taps at the large figure.

“That is what I thought,” Lan Wangji agrees.

“So what’s all this then? Twenty one, sixteen, ten, seven…” he trails off suddenly. The colour in his face drains before Lan Wangji’s eyes, leaving him looking terrifyingly deathly. His eyes travel frantically across the page, again and again. “Han— Hanguang-jun,” his voice comes out weak, whispery. “These are ages and descriptions.”

Lan Wangji rereads the letter, now spotting numbers that match with the children’s ages, and heights presumably. But there are still too many. “What are these other numbers?” he asks.

“A-Qing, Mo Xuanyu…” He points to the corresponding ages. “And me.”

Lan Wangji looks at him in horror. “You?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know, ” Wei Wuxian says, despondently. He looks like he might throw up. “I thought they left for work!” He holds his head in his hands.

It still does not make much sense to Lan Wangji. “They were orphans?”

Wei Wuxian nods. “I grew up with Xuanyu. He… he left for Lanling about six months ago, for an apprenticeship. A-Qing went with him.” He looks back up with tears in his eyes. “Where have they gone, Hanguang-jun?”

Lan Wangji wishes he had a proper answer. “Likely Lanling,” he says, showing him the broken seal.

“But they were sold,” Wei Wuxian cries. “I should’ve stopped them, but I didn’t know, Hanguang-jun, I didn’t know! I was happy for them, I thought they’d made it like, like the Wens. I—” Tears spill freely down his cheeks. “I couldn’t save them…”

“You did not know,” Lan Wangji asserts. “There was no way for you to know.” He moves closer so that Wei Wuxian is hidden from the children’s view. They shouldn’t have to see their Xian-gege so distraught.

“She’s only ten,” he sobs, inconsolable. 

“We will find them, no matter what. We have more evidence, more at stake. I will write to the Cloud Recesses. Xiongzhang will intercept if needed. We will find them.” It should not be too late. No one spends this much money on a purchase, just to dispose of it. He has to believe that they will be found. 

Wei Wuxian grabs onto his wrist, hiccuping through his tears. “You— you really think so?” His grip is strong.

“Yes. We will search high and low for all the children that have gone missing, even those with no one looking for them.” He places a hand atop Wei Wuxian’s. It does not feel like enough. “You must remain hopeful, you are the key to solving this case.”

“You’re right,” Wei Wuxian says, but his tears show no sign of stopping. He lowers his head to hide them, shoulders still heaving. Lan Wangji sees tear droplets hit the floor between them, one after another. It feels like molten lava spilling into his chest.

He offers up a handkerchief with his free hand, but Wei Wuxian does not notice it. So Lan Wangji begins to wipe at his tears himself, gently brushing at his damp cheeks. The pallor of his face remains, but as Lan Wangji brushes away his tears, slowly some colour starts to return to his skin, perhaps from surprise.

“I— Thank you, Hanguang-jun,” he whispers. His tears have subsided, but the hiccups remain.

It is not the right situation to feel endeared in, but Lan Wangji cannot help it. Especially when he holds Lan Wangji’s hand in place with his own, leaning into the handkerchief and their joint hands. Both their hands are touching now, one on Wei Wuxian’s knee, the other on his cheek. 

Lan Wangji wishes the handkerchief would disintegrate beneath his hand, so that he may hold Wei Wuxian’s face in his hand, caress the soft skin. He cannot bring himself to let go. Wei Wuxian’s eyes have fluttered shut, his wet eyelashes casting long, dark shadows against his cheeks. He thinks he could watch these trembling shadows forever. 

He doesn’t know how long they remain like that, the moment only disrupted by the sound of a loud whistle. “Look at these lovebirds!” an older woman hoots as she walks past.

Wei Wuxian lets out a watery laugh. “Ayi, don’t tease!” When he moves his hands away, Lan Wangji feels it like a palpable loss. Wei Wuxian takes the handkerchief and wipes his face properly, and then holds it to his nose, inhaling deeply. “Mmm, smells so good. Just like you.”

“Keep it,” Lan Wangji tells him when he tries to give it back.

“Yeah, sorry. I’ve probably made it all grubby.” He makes a face and tucks it into the folds of his robe. Lan Wangji would set the handkerchief on fire if he could.

He watches Wei Wuxian carefully. The man still looks faint, eyes glassy with more unshed tears, but he does not say anymore of his grief, or his guilt. It has also not escaped his notice that Wei Wuxian was not at all concerned with the discovery that he too was due to be sold, along with the children. As if his own life is of no consequence. Lan Wangji does not like this one bit, but he does not know what he could possibly do about it.

In hopes of distracting him at least, Lan Wangji brings out the crate carrying their belongings. “I was able to retrieve this.”

Wei Wuxian peers cautiously into the crate and then gasps, “Chenqing!” He pulls out the flute, rubbing his fingers delicately along the instrument. “You found my Chenqing! And oh, our clothes too…” He rifles through the contents, making surprised noises at each new discovery. “You really found everything, even—” He gasps suddenly. “A-Yuan, A-Yi, look what Hanguang-jun found!”

The boys come running over and Wei Wuxian shows them the wooden rabbit figurine. “Bunny-gongzi!” they yell, lunging for the toy in excitement.

It is a very simple figurine, barely the size of Lan Wangji’s palm, with plain glass eyes and no other embellishment. And yet the children are so overjoyed.

“What’s going on?” Xiao Mei makes her way over, having heard the noise. As soon as she spots the toy, she squeals, “Bunbun!”

Lan Wangji looks to Wei Wuxian in question. “It’s their best toy,” he explains. “And my babies seem to love rabbits… they’re dying to see one in real life.”

Their best toy, or perhaps their only toy? Lan Wangji will buy them the whole marketplace on his next trip out.

“Gege, you found him!” Xiao Mei leaps into his arms, hugging him tight. Lan Wangji’s heart swells.

“There are many rabbits in the Cloud Recesses,” he tells the children.

“Where’s that?” Xiao Mei asks, arms still around him.

“My home. There is a field full of fluffy white rabbits, just like your Bunny-gongzi.”

A-Yi’s jaw drops. “Can we meet them, Gege?”

“Mn. Of course,” he says. He can already imagine them, buried amongst all the snowy rabbits, giggling and squirming. “If your Xian-gege wants.”

“Xian-gege, please! Can we meet the bunnies?” A-Yuan pleads.

Wei Wuxian looks between them helplessly. “I— Hanguang-jun, you… Yes.” He turns his imploring eyes to Lan Wangji. “If Hanguang-jun will have us?”

“Always,” Lan Wangji replies. He means it in more ways than he could possibly express.

The colour in Wei Wuxian’s cheeks brightens further, his damp eyelashes flutter. He does not look away from Lan Wangji, despite the children’s excited jumping and cheering. Maybe Lan Wangji does not need to express himself any further, to be understood clearly.

———

He tells Wei Wuxian about the horse drawn carriage he’s arranged to take them to Lotus Pier, and gets an earful in return. As if taking turns riding a donkey was ever a feasible mode of transport. Lan Wangji simply ignores his scolding, taking Baobao into his arms and playing with the baby until Wei Wuxian gives in.

The carriage, which has been so kindly provided by the Jiang office, will be waiting for them early tomorrow morning, not far from Xu Fei’s manor. The journey should take around a week’s time if they pace themselves correctly. He is aware that it is less than ideal for such young children to be on the road for so long, but for now they seem excited to set out again. They really have not seen much of the world before this.

It is also hesitantly decided that it will be best if they continue to pretend they are a family. Wei Wuxian has a pretty pink blush on his cheeks when he suggests it. Lan Wangji is glad his hair covers the matching colour of his own ears.

In the evening, Wei Wuxian helps the aunties in the kitchen as they prepare ample food for the journey. Lan Wangji watches as he gets his ear pulled and hand swatted whenever he makes a mistake, throwing his head back to laugh wholeheartedly every time.

He feels he could stay here and watch all night long, but eventually has to drag himself away and get the children ready for bed. It is his plan to be fast asleep before Wei Wuxian comes to bed tonight. So that he doesn’t have to feel the man lying just a breath away from him, right within reach and yet so far away.

———

“Are these big donkeys?” Xiao Mei asks in the morning, now familiar with Lil Apple, who is happily stationed in Xu Fei’s manor.

“No my love, this time they’re horses,” Wei Wuxian corrects. 

“Hmm.” Xiao Mei nods wisely. “Learning is limitless.”

Wei Wuxian whips around to face her. “What the— And where did you learn that little miss?!”

Xiao Mei giggles and points at Lan Wangji. “From Gege!”

“Of course you did.” Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes. “Stick around and you’ll turn my kids into proper refined scholars.”

“I will,” Lan Wangji says. He does not stop to hear Wei Wuxian’s response.

Wei Wuxian joins him at the helm of the carriage, despite Lan Wangji’s insistence that he should ride comfortably with the children inside.

“But I want to go wherever Hanguang-jun goes.” Wei Wuxian leans his chin in his palm and grins up at him. Lan Wangji swallows hard and focuses on the road ahead.

———

Xu Fei had suggested a few safe places for them to stay along their journey. Most are small, unpopular inns along the outskirts of the city, that don’t serve alcohol and are far from any flower houses. Perfect for Wei Wuxian and the children to remain out of sight in.

They stop for the day after a reasonable amount of travel. It would not do good to exhaust their horses when they still have so much distance to cover. The children seem disappointed that their ride has ended so soon, but Wei Wuxian wrangles them out of the carriage and into the inn with practiced ease.

They ask for one family sized room and find themselves faced with the same problem again; they’ll have to share one bed while the children share the other. Or perhaps it is only a problem for Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian could not care less.

After their evening meal, they sit and discuss their plans for the following day, while the children play. Jing’er makes her way over and taps on Wei Wuxian’s arm to get his attention. “Yes, my princess?” he turns to her. 

When Jing’er signs, Wei Wuxian’s face immediately blushes bright. “Jing’er!” he scolds. “Behave.”

The girl frowns, clearly not understanding what she’s done to be scolded. From her confusion it would seem that she isn’t purposely misbehaving or being rude.

“What is the matter?” Lan Wangji intervenes.

Wei Wuxian waves his hand dismissively. “Nothing, nothing. Don’t worry about it, Hanguang-jun.” His blush doesn’t show any signs of fading, spreading down his neck and past the collar of his robes. Who knows how far it goes.

Lan Wangji turns to the still frowning girl, and nods at her in encouragement. Jing’er signs the same thing again, this time addressing him. Lan Wangji, who has only picked up on very basic gestures so far and doesn’t usually understand her without help, recognises the familiar gesture at once.

“Jing’er!” Wei Wuxian hisses. “Please ignore her Hanguang-jun, she’s just being silly.”

But the girl is asking a genuine question, and Lan Wangji knows it’s only right that he answers. It is better than allowing the world to misinform her. All she wants to know is what a cutsleeve is, likely having heard it from the women at Xu Fei’s house, and holding onto her curiosity until now. 

“It is when a man falls in love with another man,” he explains. The tips of his ears burn brighter with every word.

Wei Wuxian makes a floundering noise beside him. Lan Wangji ignores him, as does Jing’er. 

She begins to ask another question, but then drops her hands in frustration, knowing Lan Wangji is unlikely to understand. Instead she reaches out and takes a hold of one of his hands. With her tiny little finger she cleverly writes out something onto the palm of his hand.

He recognises it as the character for ‘bad’ . She wants to know if it is a bad thing, to be a cutsleeve. The reactions she has seen to the word so far would suggest exactly that. “No, it is not bad.” He feels a lump rise in his throat. “Love can never be bad.”

Jing’er nods wisely. And then, like the cheeky, beloved child she is, sticks her tongue out at Wei Wuxian while pulling her eye down with a finger.

Wei Wuxian, who had remained stock-still during Lan Wangji’s explanation, now yells, “Why you—!” and swipes her up into his arms. 

It dissolves into a silly tickle fight, with Jing’er giving her all and attacking Wei Wuxian with her little fingers just as hard as he tickles her. Lan Wangji watches it all bemused. His heart is still battering in his chest at an abnormal pace. It feels as if he has laid too much of himself bare. He hopes Wei Wuxian remains distracted and does not think anything of it.

———

As they are riding past rice paddies the next day, he requests Wei Wuxian to play his dizi for them, retrieving the instrument from its designated qiankun pouch. 

“Ah Hanguang-jun, I’m really no good. The kids just don’t know any better.” He accepts it from Lan Wangji and begins to slowly spin it in the air. “Or well, they didn’t know until you came along. Now they’ll know it sounds like dying cats when I play.”

“I would like to hear regardless,” Lan Wangji insists. If Wei Wuxian’s behaviour so far is anything to go by, he is likely underplaying his own ability.

“How can I say no to a face like that, huh?” Wei Wuxian grumbles. Lan Wangji isn’t sure what sort of face he’s referring to, but is glad all the same. 

He puts the dizi to his lips and begins to play and Lan Wangji has to instantly look away. Perhaps this was not such a good idea after all.

After a slightly bumpy start, Wei Wuxian plays a tune that sounds somewhat familiar. He has to think back for a few moments, before he remembers that he has heard this song before, on his last visit to Yunmeng. It is an old folk song from that region, possibly the oldest. When Wei Wuxian stops playing, Lan Wangji tells him as much.

“From Yunmeng? But I’ve never been there before,” Wei Wuxian frowns. “I don’t even know where I learnt this song, but I’ve known it forever.”

“You have a keen ear. You may have heard it in passing.” It would be challenging for most, but not impossible.

“Want to know what else I’ve heard in passing?” Wei Wuxian grins, twirling his dizi elaborately. And then he begins to play again. 

This time the song is instantly recognisable. It’s one of the calming pieces Lan Wangji plays for the children to meditate to, music from his own home. And despite the unfamiliarity of the song, not once does he play an incorrect note. Even a strict teacher like his shufu would approve. Lan Wangji feels inexplicably fond. He would like to teach Wei Wuxian the songs of his childhood, and play them together with him. Lullabies for the children. But that way lies a train of thought he doesn’t feel ready to follow, so he focuses entirely on the road ahead.

And that’s when he sees it.

Dotted sparsely across the dirt road they’re following are small wildflowers, insignificant to look at and very easy to miss. But Lan Wangji had been looking, and had just seen the small white flowers sprout before his very eyes. 

He brings the carriage to a halt. 

The song Wei Wuxian is playing ends with an abrupt screech. “What’s wrong, Hanguang-jun?”

Lan Wangji takes a good look around. There are flowers in all directions, even behind them, now trampled into the ground by the hooves of their horses. He waits to see if any new flowers will grow, but none do.

“Hanguang-jun…?” Wei Wuxian asks again.

He steps off the carriage and heads towards the nearest clump of flowers. They don’t give off any resentful energy, or any energy at all for that matter. As if they’re perfectly normal plants. He plucks one and inspects it closely, but finds nothing about it to be out of the ordinary.

Wei Wuxian appears and snatches the stalk out of his hand. “In the mood for some gardening?”

“Careful, it may be dangerous,” Lan Wangji warns.

“What, this little thing?” he laughs, and tucks the flower behind his ear, like a young maiden might do. “Don’t worry Hanguang-jun, we had so many growing around the orphanage, they’re harmless.” 

It makes Lan Wangji think. “Play for me,” he says.

Wei Wuxian blinks. “Sorry?”

“Your dizi, if you may.”

“Oh, of course.” He looks even more confused now, but fumbles to get the instrument to his lips quickly. As he begins to play, Lan Wangji watches their surroundings carefully. Nothing happens at first, except one of the horses snorting. But then as the song picks up tempo, he spots the very first flower sprout. And then another, and another. The petals of these new flowers are sunshine yellow in colour.

“You are making the flowers grow?” he asks.

The dizi screeches as Wei Wuxian pulls it away from his mouth. The last flower to have begun sprouting wilts midway. “What?” Lan Wangji points towards the flowers before them. Wei Wuxian frowns and hesitantly plays a short tune again, this time keeping his eyes on the ground. A flower starts growing a little further down the path, and stops as soon as Wei Wuxian stops playing. “ What the fuck? ”

“You did not know?” He is not sure how that might be possible.

“No! Of course not, what—” Wei Wuxian splutters. “What?”

“The flowers around the orphanage?” Lan Wangji reminds him.

“ I did that?!” he yells, eyes wide as saucers. “But I just, I’m just— No!”

“Yes,” Lan Wangji says, bemused. He climbs back onto the carriage, Wei Wuxian following behind. “Resentful energy, fire, flowers.” He has never heard of one person possessing such an eclectic bunch of cultivation skills. “What else can you do?” 

“I don’t know!” Wei Wuxian complains.

Every single thing about this man is astounding; from his novel cultivation, to his buoyant personality, to the life he’s lived so far. Lan Wangji wants to know everything there is to know about him, even the things that are not so enticing as the rest. He figures he can start by helping him explore his unruly cultivation further.

As they travel along, he presents Wei Wuxian with various different talismans and tricks to try. They find that he isn’t yet able to channel his spiritual energy to activate talismans, nor can he move objects or affect animals like he can plants.

“It’s no good, Hanguang-jun. I can’t do anything else!” He throws himself back in his seat, bored. “We should rest, it’s so damn hot today!” And just as he says that, a large gust of wind blows past, sending their hair flying wildly.

They turn to each other in surprise. “What a coincidence…” Wei Wuxian tries to laugh it off.

“Do it again,” Lan Wangji tells him.

“I didn’t do anything, it was just the wind.”

The air has been still all day today, not a whisper of wind to cool them down. Lan Wangji looks at him flatly. “Again.”

Wei Wuxian makes a face and does as told. Nothing happens. He tries several more times, to no avail. “See, it wasn’t me,” he huffs, waving his arms in the air. “It’s even hotter than before now!” A gust of wind blows again, this time blowing forward and ruffling the horses’ manes. The animals snort and fidget in response.

“Oh…” Wei Wuxian stares at his hands, looking rather bewildered.

It is an interesting discovery; Wei Wuxian’s cultivation only seems to manifest unconsciously, when it’s really needed, and is hardly in his control. Lan Wangji has never heard of anything like this before. According to teachings, his cultivation shouldn’t even exist. Lan Wangji imagines how shocked his shufu will be when he meets Wei Wuxian. If he ever meets him. 

They do end up stopping early due to the heat, much to Wei Wuxian’s and the horses’ relief. He pays extra at the inn for the animals to be well fed and looked after. 

“You could rest in the carriage with the children,” he reminds Wei Wuxian, when the man complains about how hot the relatively short journey had been.

“And leave you to suffer alone? No way, Hanguang-jun. We’re in this together.” He nudges Lan Wangji lightly. “Wherever you go, I go.”

It sounds unreasonably good to his ears, to hear Wei Wuxian say that. But Lan Wangji knows he must not draw meaning where no meaning is to be had. Wei Wuxian is simply being thoughtful. He does not know how Lan Wangji wishes to remain by his side. 

———

The food in this inn is spicier than expected. He watches in surprise as the children eat their meals without so much as a flinch, clearly used to the strong flavours. Wei Wuxian even finishes the spicy broth that Lan Wangji leaves aside. So why have they been suffering through bland meals so far, if this is what they prefer? Perhaps out of the fear that any complaint or misbehaviour would lose them the food on their plates. Lan Wangji feels a little ill at the thought.

He is pondering how to help them lose this fear, when he feels something poke his hand. Jing’er is surreptitiously poking him with her chopstick from beside him. When he looks at her in question, she cuts her eyes towards Wei Wuxian.

Lan Wangji looks at him as directed, but the man is absorbed in helping the little ones eat. He turns back to Jing’er in confusion. The girl gives him a look of frustration, and then mimes taking a piece of food from the table and hiding it underneath. Then she nods towards Wei Wuxian again. Lan Wangji is still not sure what she means, but he watches Wei Wuxian more carefully this time, while pretending to focus on his own food.

After a short wait, he finally sees it. Just as Jing’er had demonstrated, Wei Wuxian has a bun in his hand one moment and the next moment it’s gone, quick as a flash. Suddenly he remembers the exchange between Wei Wuxian and Jing’er some days ago. She too had been hiding food under the table, and Wei Wuxian was the only one to notice and make her eat.

Lan Wangji still doesn’t understand. His confusion must be visible, as Jing’er takes his palm and begins writing on it with her chopstick. It’s a little greasy, but he does not complain. Eventually she spells out the word ‘saving’. Lan Wangji has to think for a moment, and then the ill feeling from earlier returns tenfold.

Wei Wuxian has been hoarding food all this time, scared that there wouldn’t be enough for the children at some point. Just like he would give his own food to them when they were punished to miss meals at the orphanage. No wonder there was always an abundance of snacks during their journey so far. 

The next time Wei Wuxian places his free hand on the table, Lan Wangji takes a hold of it. “Hanguang-jun…?”

“Eat everything on your plate.” He does not explain any further.

“Okay,” Wei Wuxian mumbles, shoulders drooping. It seems he has understood that Lan Wangji knows.

But Lan Wangji still does not let go of his hand. He doesn’t think he could if he tried. It is smaller than his own, fingers slimmer too. They are uncalloused and warm, and fit perfectly against Lan Wangji’s. He tells himself that he’s holding onto Wei Wuxian to make sure he eats, but he cannot explain why their hands remain joined, long after both their meals are finished. 

It feels like a loss to eventually let go, when the children need to be tucked in for the night.

After they have all fallen asleep, Lan Wangji decides to address the situation with the food. “You have not been eating.” It is more a statement than a question.

“I have, I promise. Just…” He scratches his nose. Lan Wangji has realised this is a nervous reaction. “I just save whatever I can, in case the children need it.”

“We can buy as much food as needed,” Lan Wangji reassures. “Whenever, wherever. You need not save it.”

“Ah, I know, I know. It’s just a bit of a habit.” Suddenly he looks worried. “It’s not that I think you won’t give us food, or anything like that. Don’t worry.” 

“I know.” That is the absolute least of his concerns. “But the children are not my only concern. You must also eat to your heart’s content.”

“My heart is content if my children are well fed,” Wei Wuxian smiles. 

“Mine is not,” he retorts, but his heart stutters at the love Wei Wuxian exudes for his children. “Eat properly. And make sure Jing’er does too.”

“Oh. Oh yeah,” Wei Wuxian winces. “She saves her food for her sister. Just in case Xiao Mei has to skip a meal or feels hungry despite having eaten.”

Lan Wangji feels his heart break. He wishes he could scoop the children up and hide them somewhere, where nothing will ever hurt them again. “Please, all of you eat,” he pleads. “There will always be enough from now on. It is my promise.”

“You’re too good, Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian sighs. “You’ll make a wonderful father someday.”

“I will have learnt from the best,” he nods at Wei Wuxian. The man’s cheeks fill with colour so pretty, Lan Wangji has to turn away entirely in order to breathe again.

———

Their journey so far has gone smoothly. There is only about a day left of travel, the children are well fed and as cheerful as ever, Wei Wuxian’s sun-kissed face grins beautifully beside him, and the horses remain as strong and energetic as when they set off.

“One more sleep until we see the water?” A-Yuan calls from inside the carriage.

Wei Wuxian sticks his head inside the curtain. “One more sleep indeed. Are my babies excited?”

“Yeah, Xian-gege!” they cheer. They are all understandably excited to see open waters for the first time, counting down the days ever since they found out that Yunmeng is home to many lakes and rivers. A-Yi still struggles to imagine how ‘big’ water can be.

The sun has only just begun to set as they approach their destination for the night. It will be good for them to turn in early and be well rested for tomorrow. But as they get closer, it’s clear the rest stop is bustling with people. There are several carriages and horses parked outside, and drunken men stumbling in and out. Not at all suitable for Wei Wuxian and the children.

Wei Wuxian must sense the same, as he pulls his cloak on, obscuring his face with the hood. His discomfort is palpable, although he does not say anything. Lan Wangji makes a quick decision, and continues riding right past.

“Hanguang-jun?” Wei Wuxian sits up, turning to look behind them. “Weren’t we supposed to stop there?”

“Too busy,” Lan Wangji says.

“Yes but… where will we go now?” he asks, worried. “It’s getting dark, Hanguang-jun. I’m sure it’ll be fine, just some drunk men, not a big deal.” He tries to laugh, but his laughter sounds stilted. “We’ll be fine, you’ll protect us.”

Wei Wuxian is right, he will protect them. Even if they were to encounter the men hunting Wei Wuxian and the children down, Lan Wangji would not let any harm come to them. But he knows they will not feel at all safe spending the night in such company. He refuses to put them in any dangerous or uncomfortable situation. 

“We will find some place else.” He continues riding, ignoring Wei Wixian’s protests. There should be a settlement not too far ahead, if he remembers correctly. He heads in that direction.

Up ahead through the darkness, he spots a vague shape in the middle of the road. At first he thinks it must be a dead animal, but as they get closer, his blood runs cold. There in the middle of the road, is a woman, slumped unconscious.

Wei Wuxian gasps. “...Hanguang-jun?”

As cynical as it may be, Lan Wangji shares his suspicion, “It may be a trap.” Were he alone, he would approach the woman regardless, but he has to keep the carriage full of children at the front of his mind.

“Yes, but.” He stands to get a better look over the top of the horses. “What if it isn’t?”

Lan Wangji brings the carriage to a halt. He looks around to see if they have company, but the road is lined with thick undergrowth on either side. Perfect for an ambush. It is a massive risk that he will unfortunately have to take. Before he alights, he places a small dagger in Wei Wuxian’s hand. It is a delicate thing that he has never had use for, but always keeps on his person, passed down from his mother. 

He approaches the woman carefully, calling out to her, but she does not respond. Up close he can see a trickle of dried blood at the corner of her mouth, and her chest rising and falling with her breaths. She is still alive at least.

Just as he bends down to examine her more closely, he hears the bushes rustle ever so slightly. He straightens back up again and says to Wei Wuxian, “Get inside.” Wei Wuxian instantly scrambles to do as told, without making a single sound. Lan Wangji takes a hold of Bichen’s hilt and turns to the road. “You can come out now,” he says aloud.

The bushes rustle and twigs snap, and then one after another, five men climb out and surround him. They are all dressed in black, faces covered, swords drawn. Bandits. How predictable.

“Give us your money and you won’t get hurt,” the man standing directly in front of him says. His sword flashes in the moonlight, roughly made, not a cultivator’s sword.

Lan Wangji would give them a chance, were it not for the woman they have injured to use as bait. Who knows how gravely she is hurt. He draws Bichen instead. This should not take long.

The men charge for him together. Lan Wangji immediately disengages one, avoids blows from either side and then swings his sword to take out another man. He steps over their bodies, as the three remaining men take a few steps back, watching for their next move. The man to his left is the first to run towards him with his sword raised, yelling angrily. Lan Wangji only has to aim correctly for the man to walk right into his sword, impaling himself.

As he is wrenching Bichen out of his body, the other two men take the opportunity to attack at once. He yanks the bloody sword out in time to deflect their blows, going for the killing strike on one of them. There should be just one man standing now, but when he turns back, another two have appeared to join the first.

Lan Wangji takes them all on at once. They are not the best of swordsmen, but they have clearly fought to kill many a times. After dodging a few wild blows, he slashes the sword hand clean off one of the men, and then pierces the other through his throat. 

Again the only man left standing is that same, large brute, the one who had first spoken to him. Lan Wangji is watching carefully for his next move, when he hears a shrill, piercing scream from behind him.

Xiao Mei.

All careful assessment escapes his body instantly. He turns to run towards the carriage, just as the man charges for him. Lan Wangji sees red in a way he has never seen before. He completely disregards the sword heading towards his own neck at full speed, and instead spins around, swinging Bichen into the man with so much force, it slices right through him, flank to flank. The man’s sword drops in midair, just shy of Lan Wangji’s body.

He does not stop for even a second, Bichen still covered in entrails, as he rushes towards the back of the carriage. There is a body slumped over, face down, on the ground right before the entrance. Lan Wangji’s stomach nearly drops right out of his body. “Wei Ying!” He flings back the curtain and jumps into the carriage.

Inside he finds Wei Wuxian, dagger raised, physically shielding the cowering children with his own body. All six of them present, unharmed. Lan Wangji throws himself at Wei Wuxian, holding him tight in his arms, so close, too close, not close enough. “You are okay? You are all okay?”

“ Oh, Lan Zhan. Yes, yes ,” Wei Wuxian responds, frantic. “Are you okay?”

Lan Wangji pulls back an inch, just to take Wei Wuxian’s face into his hands and press a fervid kiss to his forehead. “Safe.”

Wei Wuxian buries himself into Lan Wangji’s chest, regardless of the blood he must be covered in, holding on tight. “Safe. You’re safe. My babies are safe,” he whispers. Lan Wangji can’t help but kiss the top of his head once more, stroking his hair gently.

Then he opens his arms and pulls the children into the embrace. Their scared stiff demeanours crumble immediately, much like their Xian-gege’s, as soon as they are in his arms. Tears of fright and relief are on every face. All except Baobao’s, who is simply crying just because everyone else is. It is good that he doesn’t understand. 

He finds himself kissing the tops of each child’s head, stroking their backs in soothing motions and praising them for their bravery. When he gets to Xiao Mei he double checks that she is okay. Hearing her scream like that had been terrifying. 

“I’m okay, I’m not scared,” she hiccups. Her hands are still shaking. “Xian-gege’s fire saved us.”

“Fire?” Lan Wangji asks.

Wei Wuxian nods hesitantly, face still pale and tear streaked. “He— he had a sword. I couldn’t use the dagger. I don’t know what happened but,” he takes Lan Wangji by the hand and leads him out of the carriage. There he turns over the body lying outside, so that it’s face is visible. It is immediately clear that the man has been burnt to a char.

Lan Wangji is shocked almost speechless. “You did this?”

“The children didn’t see it happen, I promise!” Wei Wuxian explains, frantic. “They only saw me make the fire and then I jumped out of the carriage.” Even now he is more concerned for their wellbeing than anything else.

“You saved them,” Lan Wangji stresses.

“I… I don’t know how. I think I made fire and wind together, but I don’t know how. I don’t know. I killed…” he trails off, looking nauseous. 

“You saved them,” Lan Wangji repeats. “You saved your children. They are alive thanks to you. Only you, Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian looks at him with tears brimming in his eyes again. He opens his mouth to say something, but the tears spill over. Instead he throws himself back into Lan Wangji’s arms. “Thank you,” he mumbles against his chest.

He carries the unconscious woman and places her next to him at the helm. Wei Wuxian sits with the children inside the carriage. The settlement is only a few minutes' ride away, and they reach it soon enough. There is light coming from behind the doors of the buildings. It is still early evening after all, despite it feeling like a whole century has passed since the sun began to set. 

Lan Wangji lifts the woman up and alights with Wei Wuxian and the children in tow. He cannot afford to let them out of sight again. He knocks on the door of the largest building of the lot, and hardly has to wait before the door is thrown wide open.

“How can I help you?” the old man on the other side greets. Then he spots the woman in his arms. “Oh goodness!”

“Is there a doctor or a healer around? We found her unconscious on the road,” Lan Wangji explains.

“Oh good gosh! Come in, come in.” He holds the door open for them. “Go fetch the doctor,” he calls to someone in his house, and then leads Lan Wangji to a room to the side. “You can set her down here, there’ll be room for the doctor to work.”

Lan Wangji does as instructed and thanks the man. The doctor comes rushing in along with the servant who had gone to fetch him, looking to be of similar age to the owner of the house, head full of white hair. He takes his time examining the woman carefully, and then turns her onto her side. “She has been sedated. The blood is internal, probably a reaction to the sedative. There are no other injuries.” He begins packing his equipment. “Keep her on her side, in case she vomits. And burn some incense in here to clear the sedative from her lungs. She will be fine.”

The old man of the house is kind enough to let them stay for the night, as soon as he realises who Lan Wangji is. He even lets the woman remain, despite them not knowing who she is. While Wei Wuxian helps the children clean up and get ready to sleep, Lan Wangji takes his time bathing. There is dried blood splashed across his robes in a ghastly manner. It is a good thing the sun has set and the house is dimly lit. The children do not need to see such a thing.

He is checking up on the sleeping children when a servant comes to inform them that the woman has regained consciousness. She is sitting up in bed, looking terribly frightened, when Wei Wuxian and he walk in.

“Daozhang… where am I?”

As clueless as she seems, they cannot yet be sure that she was not involved in the bandits’ ploy. “Just shy of Yunmeng. What is the last thing you remember?”

“ Yunmeng? But I never left Yiling, I—” She gasps and lowers her gaze. Her hands clench the fabric of her dirtied robes, tight. 

Wei Wuxian grabs a chair and sits down near her. “Miss, we're only trying to help. You can tell us.”

She looks between the two of them, pale as a sheet. “Did—” Her voice breaks as she holds back tears. “Did they do something to me?”

Now Wei Wuxian’s hands clench in his lap. “Who?”

“The men who came to the tavern.” Tears begin to fall down her cheeks. “They were so rowdy and vile, but the owner refused to kick them out.” She covers her face with her hands. “I know it’s not respectable for a woman to work in a tavern, but I didn’t think this would happen,” she sobs. “I never wanted this to happen.”

“Please tell us what happened,” Lan Wangji speaks up once her crying quietens a little. “We would like to help.”

“I— They… They cornered me when I went outside to fetch water. The sun was already setting and they were all wearing dark clothes. I didn’t see them until it was too late.” She takes several deep, shaky breaths. “I don’t remember anything after that, until I woke up here.”

“This all happened today, you say?” Lan Wangji asks. The woman confirms what day it is and then nods. “We found you shortly after sunset, right after they abducted you. The doctor also did not report any other… injuries on your person.”

A fresh burst of tears immediately spills down the woman’s face. “Oh, daozhang!” she wails, taking hold of Wei Wuxian’s hands. “Oh daozhang, thank you. You saved me, you saved me!” She lowers her head and sobs into his hands.

Lan Wangji feels conflicted. “They were bandits, their intention was to use you as bait. Likely nothing more.”

At that she lifts her head, looking worried. “Bandits?” Still she does not let go of Wei Wuxian’s hands. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“Don’t worry,” Wei Wuxian chuckles lightly. “Hanguang-jun here sent them all straight to the afterlife. He would never let any harm come to our children.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, his face instantly turns a furious, brilliant red. He whips around to face Lan Wangji, a guilty expression on his face. 

Our children.

Were it not for Wei Wuxian’s reaction, he may have overlooked it as just a slip of the tongue after so many days spent pretending to be a family. But there is something revealing in those glassy eyes, in that burning blush. 

Our children.

“Wei Ying…” he breathes.

“Oh!” the woman exclaims suddenly, letting go of Wei Wuxian’s hands. “I didn’t know, you—” she looks frantically between them both. “Children, I— forgive me, Hanguang-jun. I didn’t, your husband? I…”

“No matter.” Lan Wangji watches as Wei Wuxian’s blush spreads, up into his hair and down his neck, disappearing beneath his collar. 

They leave the woman to rest, and make their way back to their room for the night. Wei Wuxian’s head remains lowered as they walk side by side, hair covering his face. Lan Wangji wants to lift the hair, tuck it gently behind his ear, feel the heat of his blushing cheeks with his own palm. 

Once inside their room, Wei Wuxian closes the door and begins getting ready for bed, gaze still lowered. Lan Wangji decides to check on the sleeping children. They are all fast asleep and snoring stuffily. He will brew them ginger tea in the morning to help clear their airways.

Wei Wuxian is already in bed, lying on his side, when he finally breaks the silence with an awkward laugh. “Isn’t it strange?” he asks. When Lan Wangji quirks an eyebrow in question, he continues, “That people believe us so quickly when we pretend that…” He bites his lip.

“We are together?” Lan Wangji completes the question for him.

“Y—yeah. That,” Wei Wuxian mumbles.

“What is so strange about it?”

“Well, they all know who you are. The great Hanguang-jun wouldn’t—” He pauses for a moment, and then changes track. “Shouldn’t their Hanguang-jun be with someone more like himself? Someone distinguished, refined, from a prestigious background, not to mention beautiful!” He laughs again, still sounding strained. 

Lan Wangji climbs into his side of the bed and lays down facing Wei Wuxian. “What is a family name, when the heavens have decided something is to be?”

Wei Wuxian’s breath shudders. “Lan Zhan…” Hearing his birth name uttered like that sends sparks shooting right through Lan Wangji’s body. It takes all of his self control to remain composed. “You’re so good Lan Zhan, so kind, so wonderful.” His voice is airy, whispery. Only for the two of them. “So lovely. Anyone would be lucky to be yours.” He touches the pillow beside Lan Wangji’s face, gently tracing his fingers just a breath away from his skin, his lips. 

Lan Wangji feels he might go insane with it. “Sleep,” he says. “It has been a long day.” He does not want the emotions of the day to cloud Wei Wuxian’s judgement. He also cannot trust himself a moment longer.

“Mmm,” Wei Wuxian sighs. His eyes are already falling shut, blush still sitting on the apples of his cheeks. “Good night, Lan Zhan.”

“See you tomorrow,” Lan Wangji whispers back. He wants nothing more than to see Wei Wuxian, and nothing but Wei Wuxian.

———

When he wakes in the morning, it is with Wei Wuxian fast asleep in his arms, nose pressed against his neck. After the first night when they woke up like this, they have both been making a conscious effort to stick to their own sides, avoiding any touch or overlap. But now all efforts have ceased, their bodies touching in countless places. Lan Wangji wants to hold him close like this forever, arm around his unreasonably tantalising waist, their chests rising and falling in tandem.

As he begins to drift off again, the warmth of Wei Wuxian’s body lulling him back to sleep, he feels something cold and clammy pat at his shoulder. He opens his eyes to see two pairs of bug eyes peering back at him.

“Gege, are you sleeping?” A-Yi whispers loudly, clammy hand still patting him.

“Mn,” Lan Wangji replies, amused.

A-Yuan pipes up, “Can we cuddle?”

It is still very early and they have some time before they need to wake. He sees no harm in letting the boys climb in. They both clamber onto the bed with barely contained glee, A-Yuan lying beside Lan Wangji while A-Yi settles down behind Wei Wuxian. “Thank you, Gege!” he says.

Wei Wuxian stirs against him at the noise. “Shhh,” he warns the boys. They nod eagerly and snuggle into the covers. Lan Wangji closes his eyes again. He is met with a memory of himself, tiptoeing into his xiongzhang’s waiting bed in the middle of the night. The candle would only be put out once he was safely tucked in.

———

The next time he awakens, it is to the sight of Wei Wuxian, streaked in morning light, loose hair tumbling around his face, watching Lan Wangji. “Good morning, Lan Zhan.” 

It still feels like a novelty to hear his name. Lan Wangji gives into the urge to tuck Wei Wuxian’s hair behind his hair, letting his hand linger. “Good morning, Wei Ying.”

“Good morning, Gege!” A-Yuan calls from behind.

“I see we have company.” Wei Wuxian laughs, lifting his head to peer at the boy over Lan Wangji’s shoulder. “Did my ducklings have a nightmare?”

“No, Xian-gege. We were brave all night long!” A-Yuan giggles when Wei Wuxian tweaks his little nose.

“My best, brave boys.” He rests his head back against Lan Wangji’s chest for a moment and takes a deep breath, squeezing tight. “Mmm,” he sighs, before letting go.

He climbs out of bed, taking A-Yuan with him to get him ready. Lan Wangji has to lie there for a few minutes longer, just to catch his breath. 

———

Before leaving, they go to check up on the woman from the night before. She is also preparing to set off.

“Do you have somewhere safe to rest and recover?” he asks.

“I’ll just be going back, I— I need to get back to work,” she tells them.

“At the tavern?” Wei Wuxian asks in alarm. “But it’s not safe there, you said so yourself!”

“I have to work, daozhang.” She looks away. “I need to earn for my baby boy. His father doesn’t want us anymore. It’s either this, or we starve.”

Wei Wuxian turns to him, aghast. Lan Wangji feels similarly. He takes out a small coin purse and hands it to the woman. “There is a house on the other side of Yiling.” He gives her the address of Xu Fei’s manor. “Take your son there. They will help you.”

The woman stares at home, mouth agape. “But— But I was the reason for your ambush, Hanguang-jun! I don’t deserve this, no…”

“Your son deserves to be safe. Take him.”

She bows deeply in thanks.

“Don’t forget to tell Xu-guniang we sent you!” Wei Wuxian waves as they walk away. They’re getting the carriage ready for the ride when he speaks again. “Had I known of the Xu manor earlier, I would’ve taken the kids straight there that night, and not bothered you, Lan Zhan.” His tone is light, not serious at all. But Lan Wangji can sense the underlying insecurity.

“You would have been turned away,” he replies.

“What?” Wei Wuxian scoffs. He is standing on the mounting step of the carriage, hands on his hips. “You think I wouldn’t make a believable cutsleeve without a strong cultivator in my bed to prove it?” He flutters his eyelashes.

Lan Wangji grabs him by the waist and yanks him off the step, into his own arms. “No.” The same Wei Wuxian that had been flirting a moment ago, now blushes ear to ear, unable to hold eye contact. “You need me in—”

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian exclaims, covering Lan Wangji’s mouth with a hand. “Oh my…” He hides his face in Lan Wangji’s chest. “Don’t finish that sentence, or I might faint. Really!”

Lan Wangji decides to have some mercy on him. For now.

———

The boat ride to Lotus Pier is just as chaotic as expected. The children are awestruck and terrified in equal measure, squealing and cheering, while clinging onto Wei Wuxian and him as if their lives depend on it. For once Baobao is the only one not making a fuss.

Wei Wuxian keeps them occupied by making a game out of pointing out all the new sights they see. But it isn’t until they see a Jiang cultivator fly past their boat on his sword, that the children are truly distracted.

Xiao Mei is the first to spot him. “Is that man flying?!” she shouts. The poor cultivator nearly falls off his sword in shock.

“Yes. He’s a cultivator you see,” Wei Wuxian explains. “All—” Lan Wangji shakes his head. “Most cultivators can fly,” he amends.

Jing’er points at Lan Wangji with a questioning look. Lan Wangji nods in reply. “Yes, I can.”

Xiao Mei gasps, “I want to fly!”

“Me too, me too!” the boys chime.

“Now, now,” Wei Wuxian pulls them back into their seats. “Let’s not try to run before we can walk. We’re only just getting the hang of sailing, aren’t we?”

“Can you show us instead, Gege?” Xiao Mei asks tentatively.

Lan Wangji nods. He unsheathes Bichen and walks to the side of the boat. The children all stare enraptured as he steps off the boat and onto his sword, hovering in the air besides them.

“Woah! Gege is amazing!” A-Yi yells.

He is not one for showing off, but their reactions are so very amusing. When he circles around the boat, their heads whip around to follow him like spinning tops. A-Yi screams every time he picks up speed or flies higher than before. Just to hear him scream some more, Lan Wangji does a loop in the air that would make his shufu qi deviate. From the way the children howl, it seems they too might be heading towards qi deviation. Even Wei Wuxian whoops and cheers.

If this is their reaction to just watching him fly, how wonderful will it be to fly with them one day. He can picture taking them on trips to Caiyi Town, or maybe on travels to all the places Wei Wuxian mentioned wanting to see. Perhaps some of them might even cultivate and fly alongside him one day.

He knows he is definitely getting ahead of himself.

Slowly he flies himself back down, but instead of alighting his sword, he skims it across the surface of the water, right next to the boat. The water sprays up and splashes the children. 

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian exclaims. The children scream even louder than they already were.

Lan Wangji steps off Bichen and climbs back onboard. He looks at Wei Wuxian and the children, all of them only mildly damp and says, “My mistake.”

“Your mistake? You did that on purpose!” Wei Wuxian laughs.

Lan Wangji would empty the seas for that laughter.

———

Sect Leader Jiang and his son are out when they arrive at Lotus Pier. They are instead welcomed by his daughter, who is visiting her natal home with her son. Lan Wangji has always found her to be agreeable company, whenever they’ve been forced to mingle at banquets and conferences. Certainly the better option out of the siblings. 

“I hope your journey was without troubles,” Jiang Yanli says.

Lan Wangji has no intention of bothering her with the details of their misfortunes, but Xiao Mei suddenly speaks up, “Gege fighted hundreds of ghosts and bad guys, and saved us all!”

“Fought,” he corrects Xiao Mei. Then he turns to Jiang Yanli, who is looking worriedly at the children. “Do not fret Young Madam Jin, just a simple night hunt and some bandits. The children are unharmed.”

“Goodness, you’ve really had a tough time.” She smiles kindly at Wei Wuxian at the children. “Please make yourself at home here. You are honoured guests of the Jiang sect, we will do everything we can for you and the children.”

“Thank you, Young Madam Jin.” Wei Wuxian bows. “You are too kind.” The children see him and immediately bow alongside him.

“Oh my, what wonderful children you have here,” she laughs, seeing their little bows. “They could teach my A-Ling a thing or two about manners.”

“Who is A-Ling?” A-Yuan whispers, thinking he will not be heard by Jiang Yanli.

“A-Ling is my son,” she replies, gently. “He is just about your age. Later, you might be able to play with him in the nursery while Lan-er-gongzi and Wei-gongzi meet with my A-Die.” She looks to them both, checking to see if they would be okay with that.

“Of course,” Lan Wangji says.

They each take a warm bath in the comfort of their guest quarters, washing off the grime of so many days’ travel. The children come out looking fresh and pink, like they haven’t in days. 

Jiang Yanli, in all her thoughtfulness, sends them vegetarian dishes that have not been seasoned to the full Yunmeng-extent, knowing what the Lan palate is like. The spicy sauces and condiments are served separately so that they may choose whether or not to add them. Lan Wangji steers clear of them all.

However Wei Wuxian pours them onto his own food generously. “Mmm, the food here is so good! Isn’t it, Lan Zhan?” He does not so much as flinch as he takes bite after bite of bright red food.

Even Jing’er adds a little chilli to her bowl and looks like she enjoys it. Lan Wangji cannot understand it. 

Wei Wuxian seems to be equally enthralled with the colours and the climate of Lotus Pier. “It’s just so colourful! Everything is so pretty to look at. Look!” He picks out a small lotus flower from the pool outside their rooms, and tucks it behind his ear. “Isn’t it pretty?” he grins.

“It is,” Lan Wangji agrees. 

Wei Wuxian blushes a similar shade as the lotus flower, knowing that Lan Wangji is not talking about Lotus Pier at all. 

When Sect Leader Jiang arrives back at Lotus Pier, they are called to speak with him. 

“Do I have to come too?” Wei Wuxian asks. “You know all the important stuff, Lan Zhan. You should just go speak to him yourself. What business do I have speaking to a sect leader?”

Lan Wangji frowns. “You are the key witness and have the most valuable insight on this case. This investigation will not be possible without you.

Wei Wuxian sighs and nods. He follows behind Lan Wangji as they make their way to the receiving room, still dragging his feet.

“Ah, Young Master Lan,” Jiang Fengmian looks up from his writing when they enter and bow in greeting. Then he looks to Wei Wuxian, who is stood a few paces behind, and his face goes instantly pale. “ Changze… ”

“I—” Wei Wuxian looks incredibly confused. “Wei Ying, courtesy name Wei Wuxian.” He bows again.

“Wei?” Jiang Fengmian stands up and slowly approaches. His steps seem shaky. “Who are your parents?”

“I don’t know, Sect Leader Jiang, I’m an orphan,” Wei Wuxian answers. “They died on a night hunt, almost two decades ago. I was very young, I never got to learn their names,” he says, regretful. “Just my own.”

Jiang Fengmian looks more and more distraught with each word. “Did they die in Yiling?”

“How… how did you know that?” Wei Wuxian asks, shocked.

“You look just like your father,” Jiang Fengmian says, eyes filled with unshed tears.

Wei Wuxian’s own eyes couldn’t get any wider. “You knew him?”

Jiang Fengmian nods. “Wei Changze, my childhood friend. And your mother…” Wei Wuxian beams at this revelation, his tears spilling freely. Jiang Fengmian laughs wetly. “Ah, your smile is just like hers.

Wei Wuxian breaks down fully. He seems to be half laughing, half crying, an avalanche of emotions passing through him. Lan Wangji takes him into his arms, stroking his back in comfort. He does not care if it might be improper to do so in front of a sect leader.

“What an auspicious day,” Jiang Fengmian remarks. “Young Master Lan, you do not know what good you’ve done. You’ve brought to me a happiness that is priceless.”

“I know,” Lan Wangji whispers. Wei Wuxian sobs harder against his chest.

It takes some time but both Wei Wuxian and Sect Leader Jiang manage to eventually calm down. The happiness radiating from Jiang Fengmian would be visible from the skies, but he reels himself in and gets back to business. “Tell me more about the case that has brought you both here.”

The two of them take their time explaining what all they know. Wei Wuxian relates the story of their escape in detail, with all the names and details of everyone involved. Lan Wangji presents Jiang Fengmian with all the evidence he has collected.

“This isn’t good,” Jiang Fengmian says when he sees the Jin wax seal. He reads through the documents and thinks for a while. “Thank you for your thorough work, Young Master Lan. I tasked my men to investigate these disappearances, as soon as I received your letter, but your evidence will certainly help us further.” He places a hand on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. “The children will be found, I will make sure of it.”

He asks them both to remain at Lotus Pier while the case is being investigated as their help may be needed again. Wei Wuxian can do nothing but bow in teary gratitude. There is a spring in his step as they make their way back to the guest quarters. “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan!” he practically sings. “Sect Leader Jiang knew my parents! He said he’ll tell me all about them when he has time. He even promised to rescue all the kids.” He stops and spins around, running into Lan Wangji’s arms. “Oh, Lan Zhan! This is all thanks to you.”

He is only a few inches shorter than Lan Wangji, but every time they embrace, Wei Wuxian fits himself into his arms like something small, fragile. Like something that belongs there. Lan Wangji strokes his back gently.

“Hanguang-jun!” someone calls. He looks to see a pair of Jiang cultivators bowing in greeting. Wei Wuxian steps away from him sheepishly.

It happens again as they near their rooms, a cultivator greeting him extravagantly after spotting him. “You really are a big deal, eh Hanguang-jun?” Wei Wuxian laughs. “I already figured as much, but even cultivators are falling over themselves for you.”

Lan Wangji does not answer. The sound of Wei Wuxian’s laughter follows him into his room. Once inside, he comes to a stop. The Jiang sect has graciously assigned them their finest guest rooms. Separate guest rooms. There is no longer any excuse for him to share the space with Wei Wuxian, to wake up next to him, without being presumptuous. He would not wish for Wei Wuxian to feel coerced.

So instead he takes the time to write to his xiongzhang and inform him of everything that has happened so far. Lan Xichen has likely already begun to fret about Lan Wangji’s delayed return. He makes sure to include everything, from the haunted forest, to the reason for their extended stay in Yunmeng, and all the children collected along the way. If he knows his brother at all, Lan Xichen will enjoy hearing of the children, and all their individual quirks and qualities.

As he nears the end of his rather lengthy letter, Lan Wangji hesitates. But his brother will have already read between the lines and drawn certain conclusions. So he may as well be upfront. 

‘I would like for you to meet Wei Wuxian,’ he writes. ‘If all goes well, he will be accompanying me back to the Cloud Recesses. Along with the children.’

It will be clear to Lan Xichen what he means. 

———

“Butterflies, butterflies butterflies!” A-Yi yells, chasing the iridescent dragonflies around the garden. Lan Wangji will correct the boy later, once he’s worked off all his pent up energy. 

The rest of the children are enraptured with their little wooden rabbits, playing with them in the grass. Lan Wangji had procured them on his trip to the Yunmeng market, a family to match the lone rabbit toy that they cherish so much. He is certain they will fall in love with the Cloud Recesses, as soon as they lay eyes on the rabbit field.

Baobao is the only one currently giving him the time of day. He strolls around with the baby, admiring the garden. He is not skilled like Wei Wuxian at naturally creating opportunities for the children to learn, but he tries to follow his example. He helps Baobao reach out and touch the soft flower petals and crunchy leaves around them, humming as they go along. Baobao finds it particularly amusing when Lan Wangji blows a dandelion seed head in the air, failing to catch the fluffy seeds with his poor coordination.

Wei Wuxian comes skipping into the garden not long after. “Are my darlings enjoying themselves?” he asks, and then blushes when his eyes meet Lan Wangji’s.

Baobao blows a loud raspberry between them, calling Wei Wuxian’s attention. He takes hold of the baby and spins him around, cackling almost as loudly as the delighted child. “You’ll never guess what Sect Leader Jiang told me today!

“Were you not with the sketch artist?” Wei Wuxian was supposed to be helping an artist create images of the missing Mo Xuanyu and A-Qing, to aid with the search for them.

“Oh yes, I was. But I ended up doing half of the sketches myself so we had time,” he shrugs. “And then Sect Leader Jiang saw me painting and was reminded of my mother. Apparently she was the one to pursue my father, can you believe that? She had sect heirs and renowned cultivators vying for her attention, but she fell for my father, an ordinary man.” He hugs Baobao close and sighs, “How romantic…”

Lan Wangji’s heart palpitates. “Indeed.”

Wei Wuxian continues, “I don’t blame her, really. After all, he looked just like me.” He raises his chin and beams up at him. “Handsome, right?”

Lan Wangji knows there cannot be a smile more beautiful in this world. “Very,” he agrees, stepping forward and cupping Wei Wuxian’s cheek. He strokes the side of his face, gently. “Beautiful.”

Wei Wuxian leans into his palm, eyes fluttering shut. As his skin flushes pink, Lan Wangji feels the warmth begin to radiate from it. He would like to soak in this heat for as long as possible. 

———

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli get on like a house on fire. Which is truthfully surprising, as Jiang Yanli has always seemed quite reserved, collected, and Wei Wuxian is anything but. Perhaps it is the shared experience of raising children that has pulled them both together. Or perhaps the food and people and colours of Yunmeng are just to Wei Wuxian’s taste. 

They are taking their tea with Jiang Yanli in a pavilion on the lake. Or well, they were taking their tea, until Xiao Mei spotted Jiang Yanli’s intricate updo and asked Lan Wangji to recreate it for her. Jiang Yanli must have seen the dread on his face, for she had laughed and offered to do Xiao Mei’s hair herself.

Now Lan Wangji watches carefully as she braids Xiao Mei’s hair. He wants to be able to do this for the girls himself eventually.

“You’re a saviour, Young Madam Jin!” Wei Wuxian tells her. “I can barely do a ponytail on a good day. Lan Zhan has been doing the girls’ hair this whole time.”

“Lan-er-gongzi has been doing a good job,” she smiles, and looks at him and then the children meaningfully. “Tell me, are there any updates on your case?”

“Not really,” Wei Wuxian laments. “Did you know the big orphanage in Yunmeng closed down overnight too, and no one even knew about it.”

Jiang Yanli looks very worried. “Where did all the children go?”

“No one knows, just like Yiling,” he says. “They’ve found a few suspects, but none of them seem to know who’s running the show. Or where the children are.” Tears well up in his eyes.

“You must stay strong,” she encourages. “They will be found. I have asked A-Ling’s father to investigate things from his end. He will do everything he can.”

Wei Wuxian nods. “Thank—”

“My Baba?” Jin Ling pipes up.

“Yes sweetheart, your Baba,” Jiang Yanli replies. 

Wei Wuxian laughs as the boy toddles over, his worries momentarily forgotten. Jin Ling is around the same age as A-Yuan and A-Yi, but the children all seem to adore his chubby, over-pampered appearance, as if he were their little doll.

“Is Baba coming?” he asks.

“Not yet love, but soon.” She is just about finishing up with Xiao Mei’s hair. “Remember, he’s very busy with work.”

Jin Ling nods, recalling, “Baba is very very important.”

A-Yuan, with his brow furrowed in confusion, asks, “Who is ‘Baba’?”

Lan Wangji’s heart instantly shatters. He sees the stricken looks on Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli’s faces as they come to the same realisation. A-Yuan does not even know what a father is.

Jin Ling, in his childish innocence, looks affronted. “Baba is the most strongest, bravest, bestest man in the whole wide world,” he boasts, not understanding A-Yuan. “He loves me so much!”

“A-Ling—!” Jiang Yanli pulls her son into her side, trying to stop him from continuing. She looks like she is on the verge of tears.

A-Yuan on the other hand looks thoughtful for a moment, and then exclaims, “Oh!” He runs and jumps onto Wei Wuxian. “Then this is my Baba!”

Wei Wuxian instantly bursts into tears, hugging A-Yuan tight as he weeps. Lan Wangji finds his own eyes also filling with tears. 

Jin Ling shrugs and toddles back off to his toys.

A-Yuan pats Wei Wuxian’s head, wise like an old sage, instead of a child just three years of age. “Don’t cry Xian-gege, Baba.”

This only makes Wei Wuxian sob even harder, muffling the sound against A-Yuan’s shoulder. Lan Wangji takes one of his hands and rubs it gently. He would kiss it, if not for their company. The occasion is joyous enough to call for it. 

Jiang Yanli, her own face damp with tears, says, “You are a wonderful parent, Wei-gongzi. These children are lucky to have you as their Baba.”

Lan Wangji could not agree more.

———

There is a small banquet to be held in Lotus Pier to see off some visiting dignitaries. Lan Wangji does not want to offend Sect Leader Jiang, but he is not sure how the children will feel attending a busy banquet. He is about to decline, when Wei Wuxian stops him. “They’re getting better with crowds, I think.” He hesitates. “This… this might be their only chance to experience something this grand.”

It won’t be their only chance, not if Lan Wangji has anything to do with it. But he understands where Wei Wuxian is coming from. They should not be held back from experiencing things, now that they finally can.

Thankfully the banquet turns out to be a relatively small affair. The officials are departing early next morning, so cannot afford to indulge in too much revelry. So the alcohol remains light, and the food and music hearty. 

Wei Wuxian looks to be having the time of his life, floating from one end of the hall to the other with Baobao on his hip. The pair of them have the attention of all the officials’ wives and daughters, and serving girls alike. They coo and clap at the baby, and seem completely charmed by Wei Wuxian himself. Lan Wangji cannot blame them. He feels like a moth to a flame, every time Wei Wuxian looks his way with a smile in his eyes, willing to be sucked into his orbit no matter the cost.

With a deep inhale, he focuses back on the food. The children sit beside him, guzzling down their food happily. A-Yi lets out a long, loud belch that startles the people sitting nearby. Lan Wangji quirks a brow at the boy, but A-Yi just grins sheepishly in return, mouth smeared with sauce, and gets back to destroying his meal.

People begin making their rounds, saying goodbye. Lan Wangji focuses on his tea to avoid having to socialise. He can tell the children are also getting bored; Jing’er fiddles with the embroidery on his robes, while A-Yuan quietly hums to himself. Lan Wangji takes another sip of his tea, and then freezes.

Jing’er isn’t fiddling with the embroidery, she is spelling something out against his leg. The same word again and again—

‘Bad.’

He turns to her, concerned. “What is bad?”

Her eyes are wide, scared. It gets his mind racing. He offers his hand, so that she can write on it, but Jing’er shakes her head, frustrated. Perhaps she does not know how to write what she wants to express. With trembling hands, she signs something to him. Lan Wangji tries his best to discern it, but there are too many unfamiliar gestures he doesn’t understand.

He looks around trying to locate Wei Wuxian, but the man is nowhere to be found. When he turns back to Jing’er, she looks even more frightened than before. Whatever is on her mind must be serious. He rubs her arm reassuringly. “What’s bad, Jing’er? Tell Gege slowly.”

Jing’er signs again, and Lan Wangji concentrates as hard as he can. He manages to pick out one, then two words, and then his heart drops. “Bad man?” he asks in alarm. The girl nods, and a million thoughts rush through Lan Wangji’s mind at once, one worse than the other. “Who?” he questions, frantic.

Jing’er looks around the room, trying to find the man, but it seems he has already left, or is obscured from view currently. There are so many people walking in and out as people take their leave, and servers begin to clear up after them. She shakes her head and then signs again. The gesture is completely new to Lan Wangji and does not resemble any object or character he can think of.

He looks at her helplessly. Wei Wuxian is still nowhere to be found. Lan Wangji doesn’t know what to do. Jing’er must see the helplessness on his face. She takes a ragged, shuddering breath and gasps, “Bells…” Her next inhales are horrible, wheezing sounds, and then her eyes roll back as she faints into his arms.

The whole world spins below Lan Wangji’s feet as he rushes out of the hall with her limp against his shoulder, hauling the other children with him. He pushes and shoves his way through the corridors, all the way to the infirmary. There is no time for him to be courteous, as he bursts right through the doors without knocking. “Help!” he calls.

Two Jiang healers come running out of the back at the commotion. “Hanguang-jun?” the female healer asks. “What has happened?” 

“I do not know.” He lays Jing’er down on the nearest bed. “She suddenly fainted.”

The healers nod and begin examining her. Xiao Mei has started sobbing against his side. Lan Wangji picks her up and kisses the top of her head. “Do not worry. Your jiejie will be okay.” He doesn’t know if he sounds convincing enough. Wei Wuxian would know how to comfort the children if he were here. 

Almost as soon as the thought comes to his mind, the door bursts open once again and Wei Wuxian rushes in. “Lan Zhan!” he exclaims, and then sees the unconscious girl on the bed. “Jing’er! What’s wrong with my Jing’er?”

He runs towards the bed, but Lan Wangji stops him, not wanting to obstruct the healers in their efforts. “She was very scared, and then suddenly fainted,” he explains. “I do not know if anything else has happened.”

“Will she be okay? Please tell me my baby will be alright,” Wei Wuxian pleads with the healers.

There is no response from either healer for a few agonisingly long moments. Finally the male healer speaks up, “We cannot detect any abnormalities, except symptoms of severe exhaustion.” Lan Wangji breathes a large sigh of relief. He hears Wei Wuxian do the same. “Was she engaged in any physical activity?”

Lan Wangji shakes his head. “We were at the banquet when she became increasingly frightened. Jing’er does not usually talk, never has, as far as I know.” He looks to Wei Wuxian for confirmation, who nods. “But she spoke. She said a word and then instantly fainted.”

“She what—!” Wei Wuxian exclaims. 

“Well it seems she’s frightened herself to exhaustion,” the healer says. “Don’t worry Hanguang-jun, your… daughter will be fine.” He glances between them uncertainly. Lan Wangji’s heart trembles at the error. He does not have it within him to correct the man.

“Then why isn’t she waking up?” Wei Wuxian asks.

The lady brings over a small bowl of what looks like water, and pours a tiny amount between Jing’er’s lips. “She’ll need to regain her strength before she can wake up. That’s what this sugar solution is for. But she still might sleep through the night to recover.”

Through the night. As much of a relief as it is to hear that Jing’er will be alright, if she does not wake up before the morning then the men from the banquet will have departed. He still does not know which man Jing’er was referring to, and why she was so scared. 

Bells, she had said. Bells… He tries to picture every single man at the banquet, one by one. If Jing’er hadn’t specified that it was a man, Lan Wangji would think a lady wearing jewellery with bells might be the culprit. A tinkling anklet or a be—

Two small bells hanging from the belt of Jiang Jinwei, the Yunmeng Jiang envoy to Lanling Jin. A meek looking man, who had greeted Lan Wangji from afar and hardly been seen all night, except when making his goodbyes. Lan Wangji wants to gut the man alive, without even finding out what he has done to scare Jing’er so much.

“Jing’er really spoke to you?” Wei Wuxian asks him, now that he has settled down besides her bed, bowl of sugar solution in hand.

Lan Wangji nods, but does not think it will be right to share his worries in front of the children. No longer able to trust anyone else around here, he personally takes the children to Jiang Yanli. He does not even need to complete his request, before she has readily agreed to have the children sleep in her quarters with Jin Ling. For as long as they need, she assures.

Back at the infirmary he takes a seat beside Wei Wuxian. “Jing’er tried to tell me something important. I did not understand, beyond ‘bad man’. She became frustrated and said the word ‘bells’, and then passed out.”

“So she can speak…” Wei Wuxian marvels. “What do you think she meant by that?”

“The bad man wearing bells is Jiang Jinwei. I do not know why she believes him to be bad, but I cannot allow him to depart Lotus Pier,” he says. “Who knows…”

Wei Wuxian looks like he may also pass out. “Did he hurt her?”

“She has been with us at all times. All the children have.” He knows this to be true, but his mind still won’t stop whirring. “They are safe.”

“You’re right Lan Zhan, you’re right.” Wei Wuxian nods, reassuring himself. He startles when Lan Wangji rises. “Where are you going?”

“To stop the man from leaving.”

“But— But Lan Zhan, how?” Wei Wuxian implores. “Sect Leader Jiang might not appreciate… all this fuss over a little girl.”

Lan Wangji is well aware that Sect Leader Jiang will not appreciate this. He runs the risk of permanently souring Gusu Lan’s relations with the Jiang sect. Lan Wangji simply does not care. “Do you believe her?” he asks.

Wei Wuxian is quick to answer, “Yes, of course. Always.”

“So do I,” Lan Wangji says, and walks out of the infirmary.

Jiang Fengmian has come to hear about his dramatic exit from the banquet, and inquires after Jing’er’s health when he finds out the reason for it. Lan Wangji explains to him that one of his men may be the reason behind her condition. Jiang Fengmian looks appropriately concerned. “When the girl wakes we will follow this up.”

“That is the problem, Sect Leader Jiang. The men will have left by then. We might never get a hold of them again,” Lan Wangji says, carefully.

Jiang Fengmian frowns. “I cannot apprehend my own men when there is no evidence to suggest they have done anything wrong.”

“I am not asking for you to apprehend them, Sect Leader Jiang. A delay in their departure will be more than enough. Just until she wakes up and can elaborate.” He hopes she will wake up soon.

Jiang Fengmian paces slowly for several tense minutes. “Very well,” he says finally. “One day. That’s all I can give you.”

“You are most generous, Sect Leader Jiang.” He exits swiftly. 

The delay disgruntles some of the men, according to the servants. However none of them speak up in front of their sect leader, perhaps out of respect, or because they don’t yet know why they are being held back. 

Wei Wuxian spends the whole night pacing and fretting over why Jing’er has not yet woken. The healers roll their eyes, and then provide a spare bed for him to sleep on beside her. Wei Wuxian initially refuses to sleep, saying he needs to be there for Jing’er. Lan Wangji points out that he’ll be no good to her if he’s dead on his feet, and then physically wrangles him onto the bed. They end up taking turns to sleep, despite Lan Wangji insisting that it is unnecessary.

Jing’er doesn’t wake until the first light of dawn breaks. Wei Wuxian is slumped by her bedside, drifting in and out of sleep, when she finally opens her eyes and tries to sit up. “No, no, don’t get up.” Jing’er looks around confused. Wei Wuxian kisses her on her forehead. “I’m so glad you’re awake, sweetheart.”

Neither of them feel inclined to start questioning her, in fear that she may become unwell again. It is Jing’er herself who asks what has happened, while she sips at a bowl of light broth. “Our Jing’er fainted from exhaustion.”

“It is my fault,” Lan Wangji adds. “I did not understand what you were trying to tell me. I apologise.”

Jing’er shakes her head and signs something lengthy to Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji focuses hard on the movement of her hands. He will learn to communicate with her no matter how tricky it might be. Wei Wuxian begins to relate her words, “Jing’er has seen the man with the bells before. At the orphanage, around the time Mo Xuanyu left.”

The pieces are beginning to click into place. “You are sure it was him?” Lan Wangji confirms.

Jing’er nods. “She remembers his face clearly because he was so creepy and wore bells. The Mistress yelled at her for passing by her office when the man was visiting.”

She has no reason to be making this up, and her fear was palpable enough last night. “Did he ever hurt you?”

“No, he didn’t speak to her. She only saw him in passing.”

Lan Wangji feels so much relief hearing this. “Thank you for telling us Jing’er, you are a very brave young girl. Gege is proud of you,” he tells her, stroking her hair. “But please, do not push yourself. Only do what is comfortable. Gege promises to learn your language soon.” He hugs the smiling girl close.

———

Lan Wangji stands in Jiang Fengmian’s study again, very aware that he is quickly joining the sect leader’s list of least liked individuals.

“I am glad to hear the girl is well, and unhurt.” The man puts significant emphasis on the last word.

“Mn.” It is a good thing Lan Wangji has never cared for being liked. “How would Sect Leader Jiang like to proceed with the investigation on Jiang Jinwei?” he repeats.

“There is no basis for an investigation, Young Master Lan. You know this,” Jiang Fengmian sighs. “The claims of a seven year old child are not admissible evidence.”

“Not claims,” he rebukes. “Jing’er speaks the truth. We all witnessed her faint in fear at the sight of that man last night.” Just the memory of her quivering hands makes him upset to think about. “Wei Wuxian has raised good, honest children. If she says she saw him at the orphanage, then he was there.”

Jiang Fengmian’s face softens marginally. “She may very well have seen him. But he cannot be investigated for visiting an orphanage.

“I must ask you Sect Leader Jiang— what business could this man have in a Yiling orphanage, as the Jiang envoy to Lanling Jin?” Lan Wangji asks. “The same Lanling Jin, whose seal was found on a contract detailing the purchase of children. The same Lanling Jin, where two orphans were taken under the guise of a job opportunity and sold.” His shufu will be absolutely livid when he comes to hear of his conduct here in Yunmeng.

“Young Master Lan—” Jiang Fengmian begins, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. A servant has come to deliver a letter marked highly important. Lan Wangji waits as Jiang Fengmian reads the letter, several times over, before finally speaking. “Young Master Lan, it seems you are right. We have basis after all.” He folds the letter, grim look on his face. “The young man you are looking for has been identified.”

———

Mo Xuanyu.

Found during a raid on an illegal mine in unoccupied territory, along with dozens and dozens of other children. All being forced to work day and night, in gruelling conditions, to mine precious minerals. So far, officials of several powerful sects have been implicated. Jiang and Jin are the most thoroughly embroiled in the scandal — Jiang Jinwei at the top of the list.

The arrests are immediately made. None of the men get the chance to evade as they’re all still gathered in Lotus Pier, thanks to Jing’er. Those who are not present will be found soon enough, now that their accomplices have been caught. Men used to comfort are always quick to sing.

Lan Wangji decides it best to not inform Wei Wuxian of Mo Xuanyu’s discovery just yet. He does not want to give him false hope. Instead he tells him that he will be assisting the Jiang sect in their investigation and leaves.

An old school building has been turned into a makeshift shelter and hospital for the children found in the mine. It is already packed to the brim. They will need more space very soon, as more mines and factories are raided.

The sights that greet him in the shelter are appalling. The children are visibly malnourished, filthy, and so very young. Healers run from bed to bed, giving the children nutrients, medicine and qi supplements. They report to have found no casualties and no severe injuries, and seem hopeful that the children will be able to recover. Eventually.

Lan Wangji swallows down his bile. It is a good thing that Wei Wuxian did not accompany him here. His kind heart would tremble at the rows and rows of sickly children before him. Lan Wangji silently vows to do everything in his power to ensure the best for these children from here.

He finds a Jiang cultivator who is busy with paperwork, the only one not currently helping the children. “Direct me to Mo Xuanyu,” he instructs.

“Who?” The man squints. Lan Wangji does not repeat himself, merely staring at the man instead. The man stumbles to put his papers away. “Right, yes. Of course, of course.” He starts leading the way through the beds of children. “Mo… Oh, you mean the kid Hanguang-jun was looking for.” He looks back with a grin, and then double takes when he realises who he is talking to. “Oh, shit! Hanguang-jun!” The man quickly doubles over in a bow, while still trying to walk backwards in the low light. Lan Wangji does not warn him of the box behind him, looking away as he trips and falls.

After an unreasonable amount of fumbling, they finally reach a bed in a far corner of the room. “Here you are Hanguang-jun, here’s your boy.” He points to the person lying with a blanket pulled over his head. The look Lan Wangji gives him has the man backing away, hands raised in defence.

When Lan Wangji turns back to the bed, the boy has sat up. “Woah… Are you an angel?” he asks.

“Lan Wangji,” he introduces. “I am… a friend of Wei Wuxian’s.” He hopes his hesitation is not picked up on. 

“Xian-gege?” The boy perks up with excitement. “How is he, is he okay? Are the kids okay? Did they get taken too? Are they safe?”

Just like his Xian-gege, he is more concerned with the wellbeing of others than his own sickly, malnourished self. Upon second glance, the boy also looks like he could be Wei Wuxian’s younger brother. How curious. 

“The children are all safe and well. They await your return.” The boy lights up in happiness. Lan Wangji hesitates to ask his next question. “When did you last see A-Qing?”

“Like, five minutes ago,” Mo Xuanyu shrugs. “Oh, there she is.”

Lan Wangji turns to see a young… boy coming their way, hands full of food. “Who is this?” the child asks, rather impudently, pointing at him.

“Be nice A-Qing, he’s Xian-gege’s friend,” Mo Xuanyu tells her.

“Xian-gege!” A-Qing gasps. “We’ll get to see Xian-gege again?”

“Mn.” Lan Wangji wonders whether his memory is failing him. It has not happened before, but it may be possible.

His confusion must be visible on his face, as Mo Xuanyu laughs, “Did Xian-gege tell you A-Qing is a girl?” Lan Wangji nods tensely, not wanting to offend the child. “She is, don’t worry. I just—” He checks his surroundings, and then seems to remember there is no need. “I cut her hair, as soon as I realised where we were being taken. Just to be on the safe side, you know.” He grins wryly. It looks more like a grimace. “She’s been pretending to be a boy ever since.”

Lan Wangji becomes increasingly worried about what all the children might have gone through after being sold. “And how is your health?”

“I’m alright, Mister,” tells him. “Gege kept me safe.” She leans her head against Mo Xuanyu. “Just very very hungry.”

The boy laughs. “We’re okay. Underfed and a bit weak, but no serious injuries.” As he says that, he slides his right arm out of sight behind him.

Lan Wangji will have to investigate that later. Right now he asks, “Were you hurt in any other way?” 

Mo Xuanyu's gaze turns serious, meaningful. “We were left alone to work most of the time. No one really hurt us, or… anything else. If that’s what you’re asking.”

Lan Wangji discusses the pair’s health with the healers. What Mo Xuanyu told him seems to all be truthful, except the deep wounds on his harm that he’d kept hidden. “Shackle wounds,” a healer tells him. “They’ll heal though, he’s a very tough lad. The little ones tell me he’s always looked out for them, as much as he could.”

They give him permission to travel with the children, as long as the journey is short and the pair are willing. The shortest method of travel would be to fly. He discusses this with the two of them and A-Qing nearly screams with excitement, but her throat is not used to making much sound just yet. 

“The… the light hurts our eyes, Hanguang-jun,” Mo Xuanyu says. “We can’t see very well in the daylight, but the healer lady said it’ll get better with time!” Lan Wangji nods. They’ve been confined mostly to the dark for six whole months. They will need time to recover in many ways.

Surprisingly they both take to flying like ducks to water, grinning wildly under their bamboo hats. It is a very short journey, but he still makes several stops along the way for them to catch their breath. A-Qing gushes about how good the cold fresh air feels against her face when they fly, and Lan Wangji holds onto her tighter.

———

When they finally arrive at Lotus Pier, the place is bustling with activity. It seems that every available Jiang cultivator has been called in to deal with the fallout of this case. Even Jiang Wanyin can be seen getting his hands dirty in preparation for the arrival of all the children.

Lan Wangji leads the wary looking Mo Xuanyu and A-Qing to the guest quarters. They hide behind him as he knocks on Wei Wuxian’s door and enters.

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian looks up from where he is sat on the floor, reading to the little ones. “You’re back already.”

Lan Wangji smiles and moves aside, letting Mo Xuanyu and A-Qing enter the room. Wei Wuxian freezes on the spot, eyes wide as saucers, the second he spots them. 

“Xian-gege!” A-Qing calls. 

“A-Yu! A-Qing!” Wei Wuxian sprints towards them like a man crazed. The pair run just as frantically into his arms, crashing together in the middle of the room in a desperate, sobbing, embrace. 

“Xian-gege!” A-Qing wails loudly.

Wei Wuxian lifts her up into his arms and covers her in teary kisses. “A-Qing, my A-Qing. Where have you been, my dear?”

“I missed you so much, Xian-gege,” she sobs. “So much!”

Mo Xuanyu clings on tight to the pair of them. “We thought we’d never see you again,” he whispers.

That makes Wei Wuxian cry even harder. He pulls Mo Xuanyu in by the back of the neck and presses a wet, sobbing kiss to his forehead too. “My best boy, my strongest didi.” He holds them both close.

The rest of the children have by now realised that the newcomers are Mo Xuanyu and A-Qing, and come running over to join the embrace.

Wei Wuxian lets out a wet laugh at their excited cheers, and then his eyes land on Lan Wangji again. He extricates himself from the tangle and runs over, still breathing heavily, eyes glassy with tears, and throws himself into Lan Wangji’s arms. “Lan Zhan,” he whispers into his neck, pressing a quick kiss against the side of his face. “Lan Zhan.” And this time he cups Lan Wangji’s face and presses their lips firmly together.

Breath escapes Lan Wangji’s lungs entirely. His hold around Wei Wuxian’s waist tightens, as he kisses back with equal zeal. All the enchantment, the devotion, that he had been bottling up inside himself finally releases itself. He feels like a parched soul finally tasting water. “Oh, Lan Zhan.” The petal-soft lips against his own tremble as he kisses deeper. 

Wei Wuxian pulls back for a gasping breath, lips still brushing against his, and says, “Thank you, thank you.

“No, thank you ,” Lan Wangji retorts. He kisses Wei Wuxian’s forehead, then his wet cheeks, and then his waiting lips again. “All these children saved, it is all thanks to you. All you.”

Wei Wuxian starts to sob again, hiding his face in Lan Wangji’s chest. Carefully Lan Wangji lifts his head and kisses his tears, stroking his hair, his face, his back, until the tears stop.

“A ‘friend’ you said,” Mo Xuanyu teases later, waggling his eyebrows at them. Lan Wangji ignores him as best he can, but his ears feel warmer. “And I thought I was the only—” He makes a snipping gesture next to his sleeve. “—around here.” He winks, ridiculously brazen for a sixteen year old.

“Mo Xuanyu!” Wei Wuxian chokes, caught between a gasp and laughter. 

———

‘Wei Wuxian’ very quickly becomes a name known to every man in Lotus Pier.

“It is all thanks to your bravery that the lives of so many children have been saved,” Jiang Fengmian says, clasping his shoulder. “Your parents would be so proud of you, were they here today.” 

Wei Wuxian becomes so flustered that words completely evade him. His tears silently hit the polished floor as he bows to Jiang Fengmian. Lan Wangji politely looks away from the tears that have welled up in the sect leader’s eyes. 

“What are Sect Leader Jiang’s intended next steps?” Lan Wangji asks once they have both regained composure. 

“The children will be staying in Lotus Pier while they recover.” That would explain all the makeshift buildings currently being erected. “We will try to find loving homes for as many of them as possible, and create a place for the rest to stay. Something better than the current orphanages.”

Lan Wangji nods. “We have some ideas, if Sect Leader Jiang would be amenable to hear them.”

“Of course,” Jiang Fengmian smiles.

Lan Wangji has been thinking long and hard about this, ever since he first encountered Wei Wuxian and the children. He has many concerns to discuss with Jiang Fengmian; The deaf ear turned to the plights of the people. The complete disregard for the wellbeing of orphans, homeless, the needy. The lack of accountability or regulation. 

Who will keep track of the welfare of the children? Who would they turn to if something were amiss? How would they know that being deprived of food, freedom and love, is not acceptable? Who would look for them if they were to disappear? And what of mothers and lone women with nowhere to go? Should it not be the job of the sects to create safe places to turn to, not the responsibility of someone like Xu Fei, a widow herself in need?

He hopes to create a proposal that he can put forward at the next Cultivation Conference, for better provisions to be put in place for such children, in all the major cities. Somewhere where they can grow, learn, have a future. 

Jiang Fengmian nods thoughtfully, and assures Lan Wangji that he will support his proposal. The other sects that have been implicated in this case will also be compelled to show support. 

Wei Wuxian beams at that, and Lan Wangji feels a small weight lift off his shoulders. 

“I was speaking with A-Li earlier,” Jiang Fengmian tells them. “She made a great suggestion.” He takes a sip of his tea. “Wei Wuxian, how would you feel about staying here in Lotus Pier?”

Lan Wangji’s heart drops. He looks to see Wei Wuxian’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Me?”

“Yes. A-Li tells me you have some rudimentary cultivation, is that correct?” Jiang Fengmian asks.

“I— guess, I…” 

And Lan Wangji cannot let his own selfish desires get in the way of Wei Wuxian’s life, no matter how his heart pounds. “His meridians are perfectly formed,” he explains. “Only the core is underdeveloped, but Wei Ying has a lot of raw power.”

“Better still,” Jiang Fengmian says. “After everything you have done, the doors of Lotus Pier are open for you, regardless. But perhaps you could stay here and develop your cultivation.”

Wei Wuxian stares bewildered. “You want me to stay? Me? But— I don’t… Are you sure, Sect Leader Jiang?”

It hurts to hear him be so disbelieving that someone would want him to stay. Especially when Lan Wangji himself wants nothing more than for him to stay with him. 

Jiang Fengmian smiles kindly. “Have a think about it.”

When Wei Wuxian looks at him, Lan Wangji makes sure to keep his face as expressionless as possible. He does not want to influence his decision. The last thing he would want is for Wei Wuxian to feel obliged to stay with him.

“What about the children, Sect Leader Jiang?” Wei Wuxian asks. He must be seriously considering the offer. Lan Wangji hides his clenched hand underneath the folds of his robes.

“Ah, yes. If you wish.” Jiang Fengmian has always been a very generous sect leader.

Wei Wuxian remains bewildered, even after they are back in their quarters. “Can you believe it, Lan Zhan? Me! Little old me, invited to stay in Lotus Pier, by the sect leader himself! How unbelievable!” 

“It is not so hard to believe,” Lan Wangji states. “Wei Ying deserves every opportunity he gets, and more.” He wishes he could give him the world.

Wei Wuxian looks at him in wonder. “You really mean that, huh?”

“I do.”

“What would I be like as a Jiang cultivator?” Wei Wuxian laughs. “Do you think I’d fit in?”

Lan Wangji feels a physical pain in his chest as he thinks of how well the lax rules, the hustle bustle, the spicy cuisine, and the people of Yunmeng have suited Wei Wuxian. “Perfectly.”

Wei Wuxian’s answering grin rattles his heart.

———

He sits on his bed, in a daze. It is clear that Wei Wuxian has chosen, and Lan Wangji will not hinder this decision. He will not ask any questions, or compel him to rethink. In fact it will be better for them both if he leaves sooner rather than later, so as to not drag things out.

One kiss is enough for him. 

His hands are strangely shaky as he packs his sparse belongings. It ends up taking him much longer than it should to complete the task. Still, Lan Wangji remains composed. His composure does not waver even once, up until he spots Baobao’s little teeth marks permanently carved into his jade token. His eyes well up embarrassingly fast, as he rubs his thumb over the indentations.

Oh, he had really gotten ahead of himself, hadn't he?

He does not know how long he remains frozen like that, standing in the centre of the room with the token in hand. Only when a loud knock sounds on the door, is he jolted out of his stupor. 

The person does not wait for a response, letting themselves into the room. It can only be Wei Wuxian. “Lan Zhan, why didn’t you have dinner with us today?” He turns around to give an excuse, but Wei Wuxian has stopped in his tracks, staring around the room with a deep frown on his face. “Where are your things?”

He points at a qiankun pouch in answer. 

“Are you going somewhere?” Wei Wuxian asks. When Lan Wangji nods in reply, he continues, “To help bring more kids back?”

“No. They will be brought over when they are ready.” The Jiangs are currently preparing the carriages.

“Then… where are you going Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian tilts his head.

“Gusu.” The name of his own hometown gets stuck in his throat.

“Why didn’t you tell me!” Wei Wuxian perks up. “I haven’t packed any of our things yet. You’ve bought so many toys and clothes for the kids, it’s going to take me all night to pack.”

“There is no need.” The last thing he wants is for Wei Wuxian to follow him out of some misplaced obligation

“Huh?” Wei Wuxian stops pacing around the room. “What do you mean?”

“You need not leave Lotus Pier.” He does not know how to make it clearer.

“Oh, so you’ll come back for us later? Do you need permission first, or something?” Wei Wuxian questions, still not understanding.

“I may come back to visit. If you will allow it.” It will hurt, but it would hurt more to never see Wei Wuxian and the children again.

“Visit…? Lan Zhan, what are you talking about?” He is beginning to look distraught, for some reason. “Are you— are you not taking us back to Gusu with you?”

Lan Wangji shakes his head. 

“Oh. Okay. That’s— sure.” He is silent for a long moment, looking down at the floor. Then he speaks, his voice a little more than a whisper, “Lan Zhan, did I do something wrong? Was it— the other night I… I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry Lan Zhan, Hanguang-jun, it won’t happen again. I misunderstood. But I don’t want you to hate me, or the kids, I—”

Now Lan Wangji is confused. “Hate you?”

“Lan Zhan please don’t…” he whispers. “I’m sorry, I should’ve known my limits. Of course you wouldn’t want—” he laughs wetly. “—someone like me.” His eyes are shining with tears. “But we’ll… we’ll really miss you.”

Lan Wangji’s mind stutters to a halt. “Someone like you…?” Wei Wuxian looks away. “I do not understand. Why would I not want someone like you? It is you who…” He exhales. 

“You want… me?” He sounds shocked, as if this is a revelation and not fact carved into stone. “Us?”

There is nothing more for Lan Wangji to say. He has already laid his heart out bare. “Lotus Pier will be better for you.”

“Who says?“ Wei Wuxian demands. “If it is true that you want me, then how could anything ever be better for me than you, Lan Zhan?”

Lan Wangji’s heart begins to soar, but he clamps it down. “I do not wish to hold Wei Ying or the children back.” 

“Hold us back? You are what has been holding us up . What could be better for us than to be by your side, like you’ve been by ours?” He takes hold of Lan Wangji’s hands, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. “To love you unconditionally, like you’ve loved us. Loved me,” he adds shyly. “In spite of who I am.”

“Not in spite of,” Lan Wangji corrects, heart pounding. “ Because you are you.” 

Wei Wuxian’s face instantly blushes pink. “Lan Zhan…”

He takes that face in his hands. “I have fallen in love with everything there is about you, Wei Ying. There can be no one better for me than you.”

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian breathes, leaning into his palm. “I love you so much, Lan Zhan.”

This time it is him who leans in first, Wei Wuxian’s lips meeting his readily. It feels just as good as it had the first time, if not better, now that he knows exactly how Wei Wuxian feels. Knows that the fire burning inside him, ever since that first tempestuous night, burns inside Wei Wuxian also.

Their kisses become firmer, more intense, Wei Wuxian parting his lips for him. It feels like nothing else he’s ever experienced before, the way his warm, wet mouth caresses his, whimpering into the shared air between them. Lan Wangji’s hold tightens helplessly around his delightful little waist, each whimper sending shocks through his body.

“Lan Zhan…” he whispers, clinging onto his shoulders, desperately seeking his mouth again. 

Lan Wangji gives him what he wants, kissing him even deeper this time, licking into his mouth like he’s hungry for it. And he is, he finds. He is hungry for every last inch of Wei Wuxian, would consume and be consumed by his soul if he could.

Wei Wuxian’s whimpering becomes louder, more dangerous. He presses himself impossibly close as he leans up to kiss wetly, and Lan Wangji feels just how interested he is. “Ah…” Wei Wuxian shudders, when their bodies make contact. “Lan Zhan, please.”

Lan Wangji nips at his jaw, his earlobe, kisses at his neck and asks, “What does Wei Ying want?”

Wei Wuxian hides his face against Lan Wangji’s chest, embarrassed. “Lan Zhan! Please,” he wails. “I— I’ve never…”

He had thought as much, but to hear it confirmed is thrilling. “Nor have I,” he shares. “Just you, only you.”

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian exhales roughly, and leans up to kiss him again, hard and wanting. His fingers play with Lan Wangji’s furnace-hot ears, making it painfully difficult for him to keep himself under control. His body is desperate to feel Wei Wuxian wholly, in every way possible. His composure finally snaps when Wei Wuxian trails his fingers delicately over his forehead ribbon and whispers, “May I…?”

As soon as the ribbon is untied, Lan Wangji yanks him close and practically carries him over to the bed. “Oh!” Wei Wuxian yelps, hitting the bed with a bounce. Lan Wangji does not wait for him to gather his bearings, before he is upon him again. He kisses his way down Wei Wuxian’s neck, revelling in the little moans that get louder as Lan Wangji gets rougher, bitier. 

“Please, Lan Zhan. Please,” Wei Wuxian repeats, as if these are the only words he remembers. This suits Lan Wangji perfectly.

He sits up above Wei Wuxian, towering over him, and observes his flushed, dishevelled form. His chest rises and falls in desperate pants, hands clenched into the material of his own robes. His eyes are glassy, imploring, bewitching .

Lan Wangji takes one of his clenched hands, and pries it away from his robes, unfurling his fingers. He kisses his fingers first, then the palm, slowly making his way down his wrist. Wei Wuxian trembles with each kiss. Lan Wangji reaches his chest and lingers, right over his heartbeat. It thunders loud, irregular, just like Lan Wangji’s own.

He trails his hand down Wei Wuxian’s chest, until he reaches his belt and looks up for permission. Wei Wuxian nods shyly, his face now entirely scarlet. Lan Wangji’s hands shake a little as he undoes the belt and then opens up the robes. He follows his previous trajectory, and kisses his way down Wei Wuxian’s chest, licking and nipping at soft skin. He marvels as the skin reddens and bruises under his touch, ruined like a bruising peach.

Wei Wuxian chokes on a gasp when he takes one of his nipples into his mouth. It incites him to bite, twisting the other one hard between his fingers. “Fuck!” Wei Wuxian pants, arching into his brutal touch. Lan Wangji finds himself dragging his nails down his chest, pinching at his soft stomach, and then hooking his fingers into the waistband of his trousers. It makes Wei Wuxian shudder and widen his legs, which he takes as permission to slide the trousers down, flinging them aside along with the rest of his robes.

Now Wei Wuxian lies on the bed completely bare. His hair is spread around his face in disarray, whole body flushed and panting. He tries to hide his face in his arms, but Lan Wangji stops him, forcing him to watch as he takes in his whole naked body. It is a wondrous sight, golden and taut, waist just as delicate as Lan Wangji had been picturing for days on end. The rest of him however is anything but delicate, limbs long, and strong, and muscular. Sturdy enough to bear both Lan Wangji’s weight, and what he wants to do to him. And his red, leaking cock, that lays curved up against his stomach, leaving wet trails around it.

Lan Wangji’s mouth waters at the sight. It waters even more when Wei Wuxian squirms under his gaze and complains, “Lan Zhan, don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” He quirks a brow, and then spreads Wei Wuxian’s legs wide, flattening them against the bed.

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian yells in objection, but his cock twitches and spurts precome over itself.

Lan Wangji drags his hands up the insides of his thighs, digging his fingers in as he goes, watching the red indents his nails leave in the flesh. Once he reaches his cock, he brushes his fingertips ever so lightly across the length of it. “Lan— Lan Zhan, oh fuck, fuck…”

He looks so vulnerable, so exposed, especially with Lan Wangji holding him down while fully dressed himself, with just the exception of his forehead ribbon. Like Wei Wuxian is his to do what he wills with. 

He licks his lips and lowers his head towards his pulsating cock, only to be stopped by Wei Wuxian’s hands on his shoulders. “No, Lan Zhan. You can’t!”

Lan Wangji takes the cock in his hand instead, playing lazily with the head. “Why not?”

It stirs something deep inside him to see Wei Wuxian bite his lip and squirm, trying to get his words out. “You can’t do… that. It’s not right.” Lan Wangji raises both brows at that. “You’re— you’re Hanguang-jun,” he elaborates. “You can’t get on your— on your knees, for me.”

Lan Wangji looks him dead in the eyes for a long moment, and then takes Wei Wuxian into his mouth entirely.

“Fuck!” Wei Wuxian exclaims, and nearly jolts right off the bed, were it not for Lan Wangji holding him down. His cock gushes warm and salty inside his mouth. It is a substantial size, hitting the back of his throat comfortably. Lan Wangji is disinclined to ever resurface for air.

Wei Wuxian’s thrashing becomes wilder each time he sucks his dribbling cock down. “I can’t, I can’t— I’m going to, fuck, fuck!” he yells, and comes hard. Lan Wangji pulls away just in time for his come to splash against his own stomach and thighs, leaving Lan Wangji spotless yet again.

He would have liked to swallow down his spend, have it gush down his throat, but that will have to wait till next time. This time he has better use for it. Wei Wuxian is still heaving and trembling, when Lan Wangji pushes his legs up to expose him further. “Lan Zhan, what—” He doesn’t give Wei Wuxian the chance to complete his sentence, taking a come covered finger and pushing it inside his hole. “Fuck! What the fuck!”

Lan Wangji ignores him and gets to work easing the finger inside him, past the tight, untouched muscle. It is a tight squeeze, even with the generous coating of come, but Lan Wangji is relentless. He works the finger inside again and again, marvelling in the way that Wei Wuxian mewls and cries. If this is his state with just one finger, he will likely be in pieces once Lan Wangji’s gets his cock inside.

Slowly he works his way up to three fingers. It is still a wondrously tight squeeze around his fingers, and he knows it won’t be enough. So he adds a fourth. Wei Wuxian is crying into his own hair, saliva trickling out of his mouth as he pants in pleasure. And then Lan Wangji curls his fingers, and the noise Wei Wuxian makes as his eyes roll back and his upper body jolts off the bed, is earth shattering. 

Lan Wangji desperately needs his own cock to be the cause of such noises. He pulls out his fingers, ignoring Wei Wuxian’s whimper of disappointment and quickly sheds his clothes, tossing them aside. He will carefully fold them all later. For now he wishes for nothing more than to feel Wei Wuxian’s skin against his own, touch him deep, where no one else has ever touched him. 

When he turns back around after removing his clothes, Wei Wuxian’s eyes grow impossibly large. “Lan Zhan, what is that?!”

Lan Wangji looks back at him in confusion. “What is what?”

“That!” He points towards Lan Wangji’s crotch, making him look down to confirm that everything is still intact.

“The same as yours,” is all he can think to say.

“No, it very well isn’t!” Wei Wuxian protests. He looks quite ridiculous, flushed red, legs spread wide, covered in his own come, and yet starting some inane argument about Lan Wangji’s cock. “It’s fucking huge!”

Lan Wangji does not understand why that is a problem. Should it not be a relief that he is endowed enough to properly please him? “An unusual complaint,” Lan Wangji says, settling between his legs.

Wei Wuxian looks mortified, watching as Lan Wangji coats his cock using the rest of his come. “It won’t fit. Oh heavens, fuck, it won’t fit! You’ll tear me in half. I— I’ll never walk again, I…” He gulps, and then spreads his legs wider. “Please. I want it…” he whispers. 

He doesn’t need to say it twice. Lan Wangji folds him in half and pushes his cock inside, pushing past the resistance of his hole. “Ah, fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Wei Wuxian shouts, clawing at Lan Wangji’s shoulders, head thrashing side to side, as Lan Wangji pushes all the way in.

It is so tight, so warm and engulfing to be inside him. His body clenches and trembles around Lan Wangji’s cock, and each slight movement sends sparks of pleasure shooting through him. He feels like he has never felt before in his life, as he holds Wei Wuxian’s legs up and begins to slowly thrust into that delicious, tight heat.

Wei Wuxian’s speech is just a string of slurred ‘fucks’ and Lan Wangji’s name on repeat, as if it were a prayer. He has never heard anything as wondrous. Every thrust prompts a new exclamation from Wei Wuxian, his cock once again fully hard and bouncing between them, untouched and wet.

Lan Wangji carefully angles his next thrust the same way he had done his fingers, and Wei Wuxian’s eyes roll back again. “Again,” he moans. “Again, again…” Lan Wangji has no choice but to acquiesce, aiming each subsequent thrust in the same way. He leans down to lick the sweat that has gathered at Wei Wuxian’s temples, and the new angle has the man almost screaming. He tightens impossibly around Lan Wangji and bites down on his shoulder.

Lan Wangji nudges Wei Wuxian’s face towards his own and licks into his mouth instead, biting his lips with each deep, grunted thrust. It has Wei Wuxian pleading, whimpering against his mouth, begging for release.

As he fucks deep and hard into Wei Wuxian, he finally decides to take pity on the man, and takes his cock in hand. He strokes it in time with his own thrusts, one, two, three, and Wei Wuxian comes again, spilling all over Lan Wangji’s hands and their joint torsos, tightening unbearably around his cock. “Beautiful,” Lan Wangji whispers, watching him throw his head back in the throes of pleasure, flush covering his whole body, covered in bites and bruises. All because of Lan Wangji.

He is close, so close, and then Wei Wuxian opens his eyes and sighs, “I love you, Lan Zhan.” Lan Wangji’s pleasure reaches its peak instantly. He gasps into Wei Wuxian’s eager mouth as his orgasm hits him, come splashing into Wei Wuxian’s still impossibly tight hole. 

“Fuck…” Wei Wuxian mutters, sounding awed.

It takes them both an embarrassingly long time to recover. Wei Wuxian is still panting when Lan Wangji finally decides to pull out. If it had not begun to feel uncomfortable, he would have liked to stay inside him indefinitely.

They lie side by side, breathing heavily for some time. Lan Wangji is aware he must clean up, but the pull of his eyelids is strong. It seems more and more tempting to let sleep have it’s way with him.

“Umm, Lan Zhan…” he hears, breathed next to him. It jolts him awake. Wei Wuxian has turned onto his side, and is watching him anxiously.

Lan Wangji turns to face him and give him his full attention. “Yes?“

“All of the… the things you said. Before. Before we—“ His cheeks turn pink all over again just at the mention of what they had done, as if he is not lying here naked and covered in spend. “Did you, did you really mean it? Or was it just…” He bites his lip. “To get me to sleep—”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji interrupts, a frown forming on his face. He does not wish to hear the end of that sentence. “I meant everything, every last word. With my entire soul.” He brushes Wei Wuxian’s hair off his face and kisses his forehead. “I love you most dearly.”

Tears flow out of Wei Wuxian’s eyes at this, but he smiles a beautiful wet smile, kissing Lan Wangji’s palm where it still rests on the side of his face.

“Did Wei Ying mean what he said?“ Lan Wangji asks. “Or was it just to get me to sleep with you?” he jests.

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian laughs. “Why are you so funny?” He scoots forward, getting his arms around Lan Wangji’s back and kissing the tip of his nose. “You’re so perfect, Lan Zhan. I love you so much. So, so, so—!”

Lan Wangji doesn’t let him finish his declaration, pressing his lips against Wei Wuxian’s in a long, hard kiss.

———

In a downright shameful, yet glorious display, Wei Wuxian wears Lan Wangji’s white Lan robe, atop his own red inner robe the following day. It feels so right to see, like he is claiming Lan Wangji as his own.

The children are none the wiser, thankfully, but Mo Xuanyu winks at them over breakfast, and then very cheekily asks Lan Wangji if he has any younger brothers who might be around Mo Xuanyu’s age. Wei Wuxian shuts him up by stuffing a whole bun into his giggling mouth.

Jiang Fengmian accepts graciously, when Wei Wuxian tells him that he will be travelling with Lan Wangji instead of staying at Lotus Pier. Jiang Yanli smiles oh so knowingly at Lan Wangji. It makes the tips of his ears grow warm. He is, as always, glad his ears remain covered by his hair.

Wei Wuxian tentatively asks if he may still keep in touch, and at once the Jiangs make him promise to write and visit. Jiang Fengmian even says that when he gets the time, he will personally search through storage to see if he can find any old belongings of Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren. It brings tears to both their eyes, once again. 

“Where are we going now, Baba?” A-Yuan asks as he’s being helped into the carriage by Wei Wuxian. The rest of the children are already inside, settled with their colourful storybooks and snacks. 

“To a place called Gusu, where you can touch the clouds.” They have already had this conversation several times before. Anyone else might grow irritated, but Wei Wuxian never runs out of patience for his children. 

“Why are we going there?” A-Yuan questions, once he has settled in with his siblings.

Wei Wuxian looks at Lan Wangji with a beautiful smile adorning his face. “Because there’s a jar of Emperor’s Smile in Gusu, with my name written all over it.”

“There is.” Lan Wangji smiles back.