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Chapter Text

Wen Ruohan expects cold stares, indifference, maybe even radiating hatred when he arrives back in Nightless City with a strange baby in tow. Who is he expecting these reactions from? His second son, perhaps. Wen Chao has been a stubborn and bratty child since he was born. He doesn’t know what to expect from Wen Xu, who is smart and reads the room, but also still very young. 

Calling his sons into the main hall, he braces himself for whatever is to come. He thinks he has pondered every possible scenario when the unexpected happens.

“A… little sister?”

“Yes, Chao-Er, a younger sister.”

There is a beat of silence where none of them speak, and Wen Ruohan is pretty sure no one breathes either. It is promptly shattered by Wen Xu’s cries.

“M… Meimei!” he shouts, running forward to gaze lovingly at the bundle in Wen Ruohan’s arms. Wen Chao follows promptly after, barely able to stop himself from knocking over Wen Ruohan and the new member of their family.

“A-Die, look! She’s smiling at me!” Wen Xu bounces, not looking away from the baby’s curious stare. 

Of all the scenarios Wen Ruohan had prepared himself for, this was not one of them. The distance and unfamiliarity that often lingered in the relationship between him and his sons was gone, shattered in the presence of the smiling baby in his arms. 

“So she is, Xu-Er. Remember this smile well, it will be the one you must protect in the future,” he says, bending his knees to let the children get better acquainted.

“What is her name, A-Die?” Wen Chao asks, extending his hand to let the baby grasp it. There is no answer at first, but not because he lacks one. No, he knows this child’s name, and soon, everyone in the world will know it too. Yet, he still pauses, letting this tender moment linger a second longer. His sons, loving a sister they have just been given, not even knowing her name. It sets a warm tingle in his heart.

“Wen Ying. Her name is Wen Ying.”

-

Wen Ruohan does not know how his wife, Wen MeiXiu will react to this. And, yet, he is strangely comforted by this fact. The shock of his sons reacting in the complete opposite direction he expected was too much to handle. Yes, he thinks, it is better to have no expectations and take it in stride.

“My lady,” he greets, not daring to raise his eyes until she has spoken.

“Come closer, quickly,” she urges, and Wen Ruohan immediately relaxes. This was the right choice. He did well.

He quickly walks towards her, careful not to jostle Wen Ying while she sleeps, and sinks to his knees at her bedside. 

“She’s beautiful, Ruohan. Is she really ours now?” He nods at her questioning, and MeiXiu’s eyes brighten. Stretching her arms forward a little, Ruohan quickly sets Wen Ying in MeiXiu’s arms, love filling his eyes as his wife and daughter stare at each other with adoration.

“Hi, baobei. I’m your new A-Niang. I promise I will love and protect you forever.” Tears begin to flow from MeiXiu, and Ruohan admittedly has to blink his eyes clear as well.

“My lady, though she is not our blood, I will make sure she is never treated as such. She will grow to be the most spoiled Young Miss in all the land.”

MeiXiu nods her head, planting a gentle kiss on her baby’s forehead and lowers her head to gently whisper into Wen Ying’s ear.

“While your older sister could not make it to see you come home, I’m sure she is happy to have you here. Never forget, A-Ying, that your A-Niang, A-Die, Da Ge, Er Ge, and Da Jie love you so much.”

Ruohan lets the tears fall this time. It is not much, but it is more than he has ever allowed himself to shed in his entire life. 

Yes, his precious eldest daughter, the one that did not even get to spend 3 days in this world before she departed, was surely one of his weakest spots. Perhaps, not just his weakness, but also his entire family’s. 

He can still recall the lively celebrations that proceeded when the news of a Young Miss was on the way. His sons had argued about who would be the favorite brother. His wife had begun collecting the most beautiful fabrics and jewels from far and wide. And Ruohan? Ruohan had been slowly and quietly building his daughter the most beautiful garden. Any flower that he thought would be akin to her beauty was immediately planted in the garden, and he personally tended to their growth himself. 

Everyone had been awaiting her arrival, but when she had arrived, something was terribly wrong. The physicians had double and triple checked, but they had trembled in fear and anguish as they were forced to inform the Chief Cultivator that his daughter’s heart was not working properly. That she would not live past a week.

Wen Ruohan was lost, confused, angry, devastated. He didn’t know what to do with himself. When his sons received the news that their sister would pass, they became ridden with sorrow and guilt. They had cried into their pillows during the long night and wondered if they would have been able to do something had they been stronger. They couldn’t forgive themselves for being so helpless.

And his wife. His poor, beautiful MeiXiu had been destroyed, utterly crushed. She had sobbed and screamed and raged, but nothing could comfort her.

When little Wen MingXia finally took her last breath, Wen Ruohan had cut and trimmed every flower in the garden, gathering them into a qiankun pouch, then proceeded to scatter them around her final resting place.

“These are for you, Little Sun,” he had whispered. “I had hoped to wait to give them to you, but I do not want to send you off without a proper gift.”

After that, the family had begun to grow cold and distant. His wife had shut herself to her quarters and laid in bed all day, never stepping outside to see a world where she had no daughter. Her health was slowly wasting away, but she neither cared or minded. His sons did not have the same youth and vigour on their faces. They threw themselves head first into what they sought: Wen Xu in cultivation, and Wen Chao in trying to gain power by scaring those around him into submission.

And Wen Ruohan forced himself to watch as his family crumbled.

2 years after Wen MingXia had joined the stars in the sky, Wen Ruohan had been passing through Yiling on the way back to Nightless City from a discussion conference when something strange happened. A lone baby, wrapped in someone’s outer robes and a stiff blanket, tucked into a woven basket, came into his line of sight. 

Wen Ruohan looked around him, but saw no one else in sight, causing him to frown. 

“Little one, how lonely you must be,” he had said, knowing that the child would neither understand nor care. “My family, too, knows well the pain of loneliness.” 

At those words, the child, which had been sleeping peacefully, opened their eyes slowly, blinking a few times to clear their vision better. Upon laying eyes on Wen Ruohan, the baby did not cry, nor did they fuss. Instead, they smiled, as if Wen Ruohan were a good man. As if he were not a failure.

His heart hammered in his chest, and he decided that he would wait exactly one day to see if the child’s parents would come. If they did not, he would decide what to do with the baby then.

And like that, a day came and went, and no sign of anyone claiming the baby appeared. Gathering the small bundle in his arms, he stared and stared and thought “If another Little Sun were to come home… would my family slowly come out from their darkness?”

Asking himself this question once, twice, then three times, Wen Ruohan stepped on his sword and slew directly to Nightless City.

He realized many things could have gone wrong or been misinterpreted. What if his beloved wife thought this was his illegitimate child and got angry? What if his sons did not see someone without their blood family, but a mere servant? What if they thought he was trying to replace Wen MingXia?

Yet, he never stopped. He never left the baby at some random city, and he kept flying. He knew, he could feel it. This child, this baby needed them, just like they needed her.

As the edges of Nightless City began to creep into his view, Wen Ruohan began to slow down and slightly nudged the blanket covering the baby’s face, as if letting her see and absorb the entire city.

“Look closely, little one. This is yours,” he said. The baby began to laugh upon laying her eyes on the bustling streets and grand atmosphere. Wen Ruohan smiled.

“Welcome home, Little Sun.”

Chapter Text

“Spoiled,” Wen Chao huffs, but there's no real venom behind it. Instead, it is soft and loving, and topped with a gaze filled to the brim with adoration.

“Our A-Ying only deserves the best,” MeiXiu dreamily sighs, stroking her daughter’s hair.

3 years have passed since their Little Sun had come home, and, as Wen RuoHan had promised, she had been raised as the most beloved Young Miss in all the land. Wen Ying had been given everything she had ever wanted and more, and her hardships did not consist of starvation or fighting street dogs, but rather if she would wear the shoes her mother picked out or the one her father had chosen.

“Mama, that one, please!” she says, pointing to a bowl full of loquats and bouncing in her seat in excitement.

“Look at that!” Wen Xu exclaims proudly as his mother reaches to give A-Ying the bowl.

“A Young Miss of a prominent sect, daughter of the Chief Cultivator, and yet her manners are so refined! What other sect can say that same?” There's a certain exaggeration to Wen Xu’s claims, rumor has it that the Eldest Young Miss of the Jiang Sect has impeccable manners and grace, but no one bothers to point it out. After all, A-Ying is perfect, there's no harm in a little flair being added to her praises. “Our Little Sun is so perfect it makes me worry,” Wen Xu sighs, moving the plate of pastries closer to A-Ying when he notices her struggling.

“Worry?” Wen Chao questions.

“Yes, worry. Many greedy people might want to take her away. What happens if some Young Master sees her at the discussion conference tomorrow and wants to whisk her away?”

“Crush them immediately!” Wen Chao sneers, but they all know it is impossible due to the politics of it all.

“Not to worry, Xu-Er. Zhuliu will be guarding A-Ying tomorrow. The rumors alone should keep stray dogs at bay.”

Wen Xu’s respect for his father increases yet again with this statement. Of course! His father is so clever for placing such a guard next to Little Sun!

“Will Sang Ge and Xuan Ge also be there?” Wen Ying asks, eyes hopeful.

“Young Master Jin and Second Young Master Nie will be there. Their fathers have informed me that they have earnestly chosen gifts for you as soon as they heard they were coming to Nightless City,” Ruohan tells her.

Wen Xu smiles a little. A-Ying has always been a very outgoing and lovable child, so it should come as no surprise that after only one meeting, her, Jin ZiXuan, and Nie HuiSang had become fast friends. Looking at how the other two boys cared for her so, Wen Xu almost thought that it would be okay if they decided to court her, but he was quickly reminded of Jin ZiXuan’s father and Nie HuiSang’s lack of cultivation and thought otherwise. Friendship, however, was more than welcome. As long as his A-Ying was happy, it was okay.

“Come now, Little Sun. It is time for bed,” MeiXiu hums, pulling A-Ying into her arms. A-Ying would usually be fussy, after all, why sleep when there is so much more to do! But, just like Wen Xu, she is smart and clever, and understands that something big is happening tomorrow. If she sleeps a lot tonight, she can stay longer and play more tomorrow!

“Yes, Mama. Good night, Da Ge, I love you! Good night, Er Ge, I love you! Good night, Baba, I love you!”

“Good night, Little Sun,” they chorus. “We love you.”

The next morning, MeiXiu comes to greet Wen Ying, waking her with a kiss on the cheek, before she hands her to Wen Qing and leaves the room.

“Mama isn’t dressing me today?” Wen Ying asks, tilting her head.

“Not today, A-Ying, she is very busy today as the Lady of Nightless City. She entrusted me to make A-Ying very pretty,” Wen Qing explains, sitting Wen Ying in front of the mirror and beginning to work out the tangles in her hair.

“A-Ying is always very pretty,” Wen Xu brags, striding into the room. “She is the prettiest in the entire world.”

“No! Mama is the prettiest in the world! Then Qing Jie!” Wen Qing freezes when she hears Wen Ying say it with such finality, but she quickly snaps out of it, going back to work on Wen Ying’s hair, trying and failing to hide her smile. Wen Xu looks like he wants to argue, but instead heaves a sigh and lets it go. He knows it’s no use to argue with A-Ying.

“You don’t look ready,” Wen Qing says sharply, glancing at his half put together appearance. Wen Xu raises an eyebrow, but does not get mad. He knows Wen Qing is strict to show she cares, and as someone who A-Ying loves dearly, Wen Xu does not view this treatment unfavorably.

“A-Niang realized she forgot to give something to A-Ying, so I volunteered to bring it to her.” He reaches into his qiankun pouch and pulls out a vibrant red ribbon with a small, golden sun stitched on either end. “A-Ying said she wanted a ribbon, right? A-Niang stitched the suns herself, and she made sure the ribbon is the most durable, silky, and beautiful for our Little Sun.”

A-Ying blinks at the ribbon for a while, and an indescribable fear settles into the pits of Wen Qing’s and Wen Xu’s stomachs. Does A-Ying not like the ribbon Madam Wen personally made her? The two are basically ready to kneel and beg Wen Ying to tell them what dissatisfies her when she suddenly shoots out of her seat like an arrow.

“A-Ying!” the two scream, scrambling to chase after her, but not able to catch her. A-Ying had always been the fastest little rabbit Nightless City had ever seen. “A-Ying, please, come back here! Stop running!”

The light patter of her bare feet hitting the stone floors is how they keep track of her when she gets too far ahead. The steady beat does not let up or slow down until A-Ying has reached her destination, barging into MeiXiu’s room and throwing herself into her mother’s arm.

“A-Ying, what’s wrong?” MeiXiu worries, trying to pull Wen Ying away to look at A-Ying’s body and check if there are any injuries.

“Mama,” Wen Ying mumbles, voice a little shaky. She clings tighter to MeiXiu, not letting the other pull away, and buries her face in her mother’s neck. “Mama, out of all of the gifts you’ve given A-Ying, A-Ying loves this one the most.”

MeiXiu relaxes as she realizes that A-Ying does not have any injuries, and slumps ever so slightly when she processes A-Ying’s words.

“Oh, my sweet little A-Ying.”

Wen Qing is afraid she is out of place in this setting. Her and Wen Xu had long caught up, but, after stumbling upon such an intimate scene, they had frozen in place, not knowing how to enter or exit the scene in a less awkward manner. As Wen Qing gathers her sense, she readies to step away, allowing Wen Xu, Wen Ying, and Madam Wen a moment, but Wen Xu turns his head to look at her and gives her a gentle shake of his head.

“I… When the moment is over, it would best for you to bring A-Ying to her room,” Wen Xu says softly. Ah, Wen Qing thinks, that does make sense. She had almost been fooled into thinking that it was Wen Xu showing her that he thought of her as family. Of course he would never think like that. Nonetheless, she is grateful to witness this moment. The sight of A-Ying, happily smiling and nuzzling into her mother’s embrace. The warmth that radiates from Madam Wen as she plants a kiss to her daughter’s hair. And a small twinge in Wen Qing’s heart when Madam Wen turns to her and Wen Xu standing at the door and gives them a smile. Beautiful.

“Children, come here for a moment,” MeiXiu beckons, extending a hand to them. When both of them step close enough, MeiXiu extends her hand and holds Wen Xu’s hand, then turns and holds Wen Qing’s. “While I wish the rest of them were here, I am content to have these three members of my family with me for this moment.”

Wen Qing’s breath catches in her throat. Of course the main family has always treated her family kindly, but she did not think that they considered them so important. Madam Wen’s words are like a tight hug, enveloping her and comforting her at the same time.

“A-Ying, it’s time to get ready. The other sects will arrive soon, my Little Sun. Be good and go with your Qing Jie, yes?” After a little more coaxing, Wen Ying loosens her grip and goes to the embrace of Wen Qing.

“Madam, we will take our leave,” Wen Qing says, bowing as best as she can with Wen Ying in her arms.

“Enough of the Madam, A-Qing. Are you not my family? Aunt will do.”

“Then,” Wen Qing swallows hard before she gets the next words out, “Aunt, this niece shall take her leave.”

Wen Xu squeezes his mother’s shoulder once then follows Wen Qing and Wen Ying out of the room. He escorts them all the way to Wen Ying’s room, and reluctantly leaves to get ready when a servant comes looking for him.

As Wen Qing works to tidy A-Ying's appearance, the small child expectedly fidgets, ever eager to go outside and partake in the hustle and bustle going on outside, but Wen Qing steadily finished A-Ying's hair and wrestles her into her robes. Stepping so that she is now face to face with A-Ying, Wen Qing sinks to her knees and smooths the front of the robes. 

“A-Ying,” Wen Qing calls as she is putting the finishing touches on A-Ying’s appearance. “Since this is a precious item, shall we wait until your mother can tie this ribbon in your hair instead?”

Wen Ying scrunches her nose in serious thought, staring intensely at the floor as she makes a decision. Finally, she shakes her head and turns so that she is properly facing the mirror again, back straight and perfectly still. The perfect picture of obedience that she seldom is.

“Qing Jie is family, so it will be just as special.” Wen Qing does not sneak a kiss on A-Ying’s cheek before they leave to greet the other sects.

Chapter Text

Dreams are an odd thing. It is a fairly known concept to have strange dreams, and A-Ying was no outlier to this phenomenon. Her dreams could truly be described as odd. At the age of 3, she started dreaming dreams unlike any other.

A-Ying knew her dreams were not just dreams. They were too vivid, too odd, too… plausible. And she also knew better than to worry her family and talk about her dreams. She kept them locked away in the back of her mind during the day, and only faced them when she drifted to sleep.

In her dreams, she was not picked up by Wen Ruohan, nor was she a girl. She was still A-Ying, but she was not Wen Ying, she was Wei Ying. He traveled with his rogue cultivator parents until he was 5 and when he eventually lost them, he was forced to live on the streets and survived on scraps and wit. He fought stray dogs and often lost, and it wasn’t until a man claiming to be his late parents’ friend found him 4 years later that he no longer had to beg.

But the suffering did not end there. The Madam of Lotus Pier loathed Wei Ying. The Madam would beat Wei Ying with a bamboo stick and verbally assault Wei Ying, and no one would step in and stop her. They left little Wei Ying to bleed and pick up the pieces on his own.

The nightmares would never scare A-Ying awake, and she never cried in her sleep. She was forced to suffer through them until the morning, where she was kissed awake by her loving mother and hugged by her doting brothers and tossed in the air by her adoring father.

While dreams were dreams and nothing more, A-Ying knew her dreams were not. Wei Ying was real, Wei Ying was a part of her, and Wei Ying never got to know love in that life. 

“It’s okay, Wei Ying. You live inside me, now, and I’ll make sure we’re always happy,” she said, looking into the mirror. Her heart lifted as she said those words, and, after a moment to recollect herself, she ran off to find Wen Ning and play with him.

The night before the discussion conference, A-Ying had one of the worst nightmares yet. Madam Yu comes to beat Wei Ying, but this time, she does not stop at hitting him with a bamboo stick. She urges her spiritual weapon to life and whips Wei Ying with Zidian till his back is littered in gruesome gashes that will surely scar. 

It is not just the physical pain that makes the nightmare so much worse. It is the fact that A-Ying sees Jiang Cheng and Sect Leader Jiang walk by at some point or another, but none of them spare Wei Ying a second look. They do not look, and they do not care about his life or death, and that wounds both A-Ying and Wei Ying more than anything.

Madam Yu finally seems to grow tired as she finally retracts zidian and sneers at Wei Ying, a vicious “impudent child” leaving her lips before she flicks the sleeves of her robes and walks away.

The last thing Wei Ying sees before darkness takes over is Jiang Yanli running to his side, begging him to stay awake.

“Wake up, my Little Sun,” Mama calls, coaxing Wen Ying awake. It is so fortunate that Wen Ying never sheds actual tears when she dreams, or her family would surely be worried sick for her.

“Good morning, Mama,” A-Ying greets, basking in the feeling of her mother’s kisses. 

“My Little Sun has risen, a new day has started,” Mama says, just as she has done every morning since before A-Ying could remember. “Be good for Qing Jie today, yes? She is doing me this favor out of the kindness of her heart.”

A-Ying doesn’t quite know why Mama says that, but A-Ying never says no to Mama, so she nods her head and watches as Mama leaves the room and Wen Qing carries her to her dressing table.

When Wen Xu eventually enters the room and presents A-Ying with the ribbon, she cannot help but remember Wei Ying’s time at Lotus Pier, and how no one had cared about him so dearly. She remembers hoping someone, anyone, would at least care enough about Wei Ying’s death to kindly suggest that Madam Yu stop, but no one did.

No one loved Wei Ying. At least, she thought no one did. But Wei Ying was her, and she was him, and Mama loved A-Ying. She had to, because she had cared so much about a careless comment A-Ying had made on a random day a few weeks ago.

And then she’s running, determined to reach her goal. She urges her barely formed golden core to speed her up, just enough so that Da Ge and Qing Jie cannot catch her, and does not stop her mad sprint until she is in Mama’s arms. 

“Mama,” she calls, voice shaky with how much love consumes her. “Mama, out of all the gifts you’ve given A-Ying, A-Ying loves this one the most.”

After Mama embraces her a moment longer, she’s finally handed to Qing Jie and they head to her room again. Near the end, Qing Jie asks if she would like to wait until Mama can put the ribbon in A-Ying’s hair herself, and A-Ying thinks carefully about it for a moment.

She is about to say yes, when a thought hits her. Qing Jie is also her family. Qing Jie is like the Jiang Yanli person she had met at her memories of Lotus Pier, except her words aren’t always as sweet, and Qing Jie does not smile as much. Even then, A-Ying thinks Qing Jie is just as nice as Jiang Yanli, maybe even nicer, and A-Ying knows that she loves Qing Jie even more.

“Qing Jie is family, so it will be just as special.” When Qing Jie kisses A-Ying’s cheek right before they leave the room, she thinks Wei Ying gets a little shy.

-

“A-Ying, if your feet hurt, shall I hold you?” Wen Xu asks, bending his knees slightly to be closer to her height.

She nods her head and holds her arms up towards Wen Xu, giggling when he quickly sweeps her up and kisses her cheek. Wen Chao looks at them from the corner of his eye and pouts, knowing that he has missed the opportunity to hold her.

“Chief Cultivator, what a lovely family you have,” Jiang Fengmian comments as he approaches, eyes shining. “If my memory is correct, your daughter should be similar in age to my son. Perhaps they could be friends.”

Wen Ruohan’s eyes slide down to the left side of Jiang Fengmian where a small boy is standing, prideful and almost arrogant. 

“Young Master Jiang,” he says in greeting. “May I ask how old the young master is?”

“I am 6 years old,” the child replies.

“Ah, a little older than our A-Ying. She has turned 4 not too long ago.”

“A-Ying, greet the Jiang Sect,” Wen Xu encourages, shifting his hold on her so that she can see the sect that has just approached. It is slight, but because Wen Xu is holding her, and because he has paid attention to her for so many years, he knows that A-Ying flinches when she sees the Jiang family. “A-Ying?”

She clings to her brother’s robes and buries her face into his shoulder. He glances at the tiny fist clenching the fabric of his formal robes and notices that they’re slightly trembling. He does not know why she has reacted like this, but he does know what caused it: the Jiangs.

“Excuse me, Sect Leader Jiang, it seems that A-Ying is not feeling too well. We shall take our leave early.” Wen Xu does a half hearted attempt at a bow and sends Wen Chao a look, signalling for him to follow, before he heads off to find Wen Qing. 

“Apologies, Sect Leader, I will also be taking my leave early. Forgive me for not being able to stay longer,” Wen Chao says, bowing and speed walking towards his brother and sister. “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know, but I think that Jiangs scared A-Ying somehow.”

“What?! Those people dare! To scare such a lovely child, I’ll show them to mess with the sun!” Wen Chao turns to storm back from where he just left, but Wen Xu quickly catches the back of his collar and stops him.

“Enough, we can deal with it later. Right now, let’s focus on finding Wen Qing and Wen Ning and making sure A-Ying feels better.”

Grumbling, Wen Chao turns forward again and follows after them, making a bee line when he catches sight of his cousins. He runs as fast as he can to relay the situation to them before Wen Xu and A-Ying catch up, lest a reminder of the Jiangs send A-Ying into another fit of tremors. 

“A-Ying, look! It’s your Qing Jie and A-Ning!” At the mention of her cousins, A-Ying hesitantly looks up, eyes becoming a little less wary.

“A-Ying, you look so pretty. The bow looks beautiful on you,” Wen Qing says, giving her a gentle smile. They know that A-Ying loves praise, this is the best way to help her feel better quickly. 

“Jie is right! The ribbon looks very good on A-Ying!” Wen Ning praises, beaming at her. 

“Mama gave me the ribbon. And Qing Jie put it on for me,” she mumbles, fidgeting with her hands. “It is pretty, isn’t it?”

“Not as pretty as our A-Ying,” Wen Qing says softly and A-Ying finally perks up. Wen Qing does not often say such gentle words, it is a special treat for A-Ying to hear her Qing Jie’s sugar sweet words.

“A-Ying is very lucky, did you know? A-Ying has a family with many pretty people! A-Ying thinks that her family is the most pretty family in the world! And no one in A-Ying’s family is mean to A-Ying, so they also must be the nicest people in the world! And a part of A-Ying’s family helps people feel better when they feel bad, so it means A-Ying’s family has heroes in it!” They all relax as she begins to chatter lively, a sure sign that she is feeling better already. 

“No one should ever be mean to A-Ying. If anyone is ever mean to you, make sure to tell Da Ge and me, Wen Chao, Wen Qing, and Wen Ning will scold them, okay?”

The words are a greater comfort than they will ever know. It calms and soothes her, knowing that she and Wei Ying have finally found the people that care about their life and death. They have found the people that will tell the Madam to stop whipping and will not turn their backs when they are bloody and lying on the floor.

“Thank you. A-Ying loves you,” she says to all of them. She can see the way they accept her love, reciprocate her love, appreciates her love, and suddenly she feels silly for being so afraid earlier. These people will not let Lotus Pier be stained with her blood. She is safe now.

“How about we go find Young Master Jin and Young Master Nie, hm? I’m sure they’ve arrived by now.”

“Xuan Ge! Sang Ge!” she cheers, urging Wen Xu to move in whatever direction will bring her to them. He laughs and begins walking, urging the others to follow. The five of them set off in the courtyard where all the sect members have gathered.

A-Ying’s chatter does not stop the entire time, and to her loving family, it is akin to a melodious harmony. They see others take glances as the five Wens pass, but they pay no mind to the attention. It is hard not to notice how cute their A-Ying is, after all. 

“A-Ying!” two voices call, and she reacts immediately, urging Wen Xu to let her down.

“Sang Ge, Xuan Ge, look at this! My Mama gave me a ribbon! She stitched the suns herself! And Qing Jie tied the ribbon prettily into A-Ying’s hair!” Jin ZiXuan and Nie Huisang look closely at the ribbon she boasts about and gove a serious nod.

“It is the most beautiful ribbon in the world!” ZiXuan declares.

“Truly a marvelous work of art,” HuiSang nods, tapping his folding fan gently on his chin.

“It’s just a ribbon,” a grumpy voice bites, effectively shattering the happy mood.

A-Ying frowns and looks past HuiSang’s shoulder to see Young Master Jiang standing there.

Ah, she thinks, it is the Jiang Cheng that did not care about me.

“It’s a special ribbon,” she frowns, crossing her arms in front of her. The dreams were correct: he was not very nice.

“A ribbon is a ribbon, how can it be special?”

“Young Master Jiang, while it is obvious that you do not have a refined eye, there’s no need to fight with Young Miss Wen over it,” ZiXuan huffs. Hearing his words, Jiang Cheng became angry, raising his voice and pointing his finger.

“You! You’re always so indifferent to A-Jie, yet here you are defending some random girl over something small! You shouldn’t be so shameless as to flaunt your crush on her in public!”

ZiXuan rolls his eyes. Jiang Cheng was truly too hasty to assume every male and female had deeper feelings than friendship.

“Do you ever consider it is because your dear A-Jie and I have no connection whatsoever? Other than her name, I know nothing of her, nor do I want to! She’s plain and boring and I don’t like her!”

Jiang Cheng is fuming and gets ready to shout back when A-Ying frowns and darts forward. Shooting a quick “excuse me” at Nie HuiSang, she gently leads his fan holding arm so that they lightly tap ZiXuan over the head with the folding fan.

“Xuan Ge, no! Be nice!” ZiXuan looks over at her with wide eyes, bringing his hand up to touch the place where the fan was resting. A-Ying frowns, lowering HuiSang’s arm then reaching up to pat ZiXuan’s head. “A-Ying is sorry for hitting, but Xuan Ge can’t be mean! A-Ying won’t let you!”

“A-Ying, it's not like-”

“People used to be mean to A-Ying,” she says sadly, voice so small that her cousins and brothers lean in closer to hear. “And A-Ying remembers that it didn't feel very nice. That's why A-Ying won't stay still when she sees people being mean! She’ll speak for the people that are too scared to talk! And, Xuan Ge, what you said just then wasn’t very nice.”

“He was mean to you, A-Ying.”

“I know,” she chirps, far too bright for it to be more than a coverup. “But, even then, what you said was mean to his sister, and she didn't do anything bad. Da Ge says that when people duel, it should be fair, and that harming the innocent is shameful! So, Xuan Ge, don't do it again, okay?”

ZiXuan fidgets nervously for a few seconds and finally he turns to Jiang Cheng, straightening his back and raising his chin. Jiang Cheng thinks that he's probably about to be cocky and claim he did nothing wrong, and maybe even embarrass the Young Miss Wen at the same time. 

“I am sorry. I apologize for not fighting fair and bringing an innocent person into this. It is my fault.”

It doesn't feel good. Receiving that brat’s apology does not feel as good as Jiang Cheng had thought it would feel. It feels wrong, awkward, and a little bitter. He doesn't want it.

“Thank you, Young Master Jin,” a sweet voice says, and all attention turns to Jiang YanLi.

“A-Jie.”

“A-Cheng,” she smiles. “Young Miss Wen, greetings. I am called Jiang YanLi.”

Without introduction, A-Ying already knows who she is. She is the person who came closest to caring about Wei Ying when he was at Lotus Pier. A-Ying had not seen her earlier when Jiang FengMian had greeted the Wens and introduced Jiang Cheng earlier. She assumes that Jiang YanLi was with Madam Yu, probably chatting with Madam Jin.

“Young Miss Jiang, Xuan Ge wants to apologize to you!” A-Ying says in lieu of a greeting. She knows it's a little rude, but she does not know how to face Jiang YanLi. Wei Ying had liked Jiang Yanli, she's sure. Maybe they were as close as A-Ying is to ZiXuan and HuiSang, but that does not stand true for this life. Right now they are… strangers? Pending acquaintances? She isn’t sure, so she doesn’t want to think about it.

“Young Miss Jiang,” ZiXuan starts, sounding more than a little forced. “I apologize for my rudeness. It was… uncalled for.”

Although the apology is not the best, Jiang YanLi brightens, smile blossoming on her face as she happily tells him that it is no big deal. 

“My, my,” a gentle voice, smooth as jade interjects. “Young Miss Wen truly is admirable.”

Chapter Text

“Thank you?” A-Ying says, because she is unsure if it is a snub or a genuine compliment. The young man, Lan, judging from his robes and forehead ribbon, gives her a smile and formal bow.

“Forgive my late introduction. I am Lan XiChen of GusuLan. It is my pleasure to meet the Young Miss.”

“A-Ying greets Young Master Lan.” Behind her, she can feel Wen Qing radiate with pride at her flawless greeting. After all, Wen Qing had spent a solid 15 minutes making sure her greetings were no less than admirable.

“If you would allow me, I would like to introduce the Young Miss to my younger brother. He is quite shy, but I promise he will make a good companion.”

A-Ying does not know much about Lans. She knows about Wens, obviously, Nies, Jins, and even Jiangs because of the memories of Lotus Pier. But this is her first time meeting a Lan and it makes her wary. She had heard from her Baba that they were serious people that wore the lightest of colors and always adorned forehead ribbons. She thinks that she heard Mama and Er Ge talk about Madam Lan and her two sons, and how they pitied her, but other than that, she knows nothing.

“Is he nice?”

“Very much so, Young Miss.”

“Can A-Ning, Xuan Ge and Sang Ge come with me?”

“By all means, feel free to do so.” A-Ying spins around and smiles up at her brothers and Wen Qing. “I know you have to help Mama and Baba today, so A-Ying promises to be good and stick with A-Ning, Sang Ge, and Xuan Ge!” 

They look hesitant to leave her, but they know that, somewhere, blending into the shadows, Wen ZhuLiu is watching and guarding her. There is no reason for them to fuss over her this much when such a capable person is already protecting her. Sighing, Wen Xu nods his head, crouching down to kiss A-Ying’s cheek and pat Wen Ning’s head before he turns and walks in the direction his father and mother are in. Wen Chao and Wen Qing follow suit, with Wen Qing kissing both Wen Ning’s and A-Ying’s cheek before trailing to follow Wen Xu.

“Then, shall we?” Lan XiChen smiles, looking expectantly at Wen Ying. Nodding, A-Ying is about to follow, but Jiang YanLi quickly calls her name.

“Young Miss Wen, if you would be so kind, would you spare me some time later? I’d like to properly thank the Young Miss.”

“It’s okay! There's nothing to thank A-Ying for! But if you wanna play later, A-Ying would very much like that!” Wen Ying hears a soft chuckle from behind her, and she turns to find Lan XiChen hiding his mouth behind his sleeve.

“Forgive me for laughing. I just found Young Miss Wen very charming,” he explains. 

“Charming?”

“Yes, charming. The Young Miss is so very bright and outgoing, it truly warms the hearts of all those that witness it.”

A-Ying tilts her head and thinks that Lan XiChen speaks very seriously. Too seriously. He acts like an adult. But she's pretty sure he's not an adult. He looks like he's Da Ge’s age, and Da Ge is definitely not an adult. 

“Okay,” she responds, because she has no other words. She nods too, in the hopes of convincing him that she fully understands his words and isn't confused by him. He gives her a glance, one that looks awfully similar to Qing Jie when she catches her doing something naughty but lies that she wasn't doing anything.

“Shall we, Young Miss Wen?” 

Waving goodbye to Jiang YanLi, she starts to follow after Lan XiChen, her three companions moving with her. Xuan Ge walks in front of her, A-Ning walks next to her, holding her hand, and Sang Ge walks a half step behind. The three boys are wary of Lan XiChen, and even though they're children, if the Lan tries to do anything, the other three are surrounding her, so there will be time to protect A-Ying.

“Where are we going?” A-Ning asks as Lan XiChen walks further away from the crowd of people. 

“My younger brother strongly dislikes loud environments. Chief Cultivator Wen allowed him to rest here temporarily, so that he would not be overwhelmed.” Walking further into the guest courtyards, A-Ying has a feeling she knows exactly where they were headed to. 

“This is where Auntie stays! She helps people feel better! She's a hero!” 

“She certainly is. She was very kind to let my brother stay with her, and for this kindness, I cannot thank QishanWen enough.”

“Healers do not work for thanks,” a stern voice retorts, turning the attention of the small group. A-Ying and A-Ning  immediately sprint  into Wen ZhenZhen’s embrace, laughing loudly when she smothers them both in kisses.

Lan XiChen is slightly caught off guard by the abrupt change between her words and actions, but he supposes that it is most likely normal for family to soften in the presence of each other. After all, he is the same with WangJi.

“Xiongzhang.”

XiChen tears his eyes from the warm scene and watches as WangJi approaches warily, eyeing the group he had arrived with.

“WangJi, did you go out for a walk with Healer Wen?”

“Mn. She was letting me see the flowers.” He clenches tighter to the bouquet of flowers he is holding and XiChen pats his on the head.

“Do you like them? I planted them with A-Ning and Qing Jie!” Lan WangJi jumps slightly at the loud noise and turns to glare at the perpetrator, but stops dead in his tracks as the sight he is greeted with.

-

When he first arrived at Healer Wen’s courtyard, the first word to come to mind was “familiar.”

Her courtyard was familiar, but not because he had been there before. The stern, but not unkind voice. The calm, quiet, clean atmosphere. The polite, restrained air. It was all very reminiscent of the Cloud Recesses. It was so familiar that he did not feel even the slightest bit of discomfort when his uncle and brother left him there to go attend to sect duties.

“My A-Ning and A-Ying are around your age. It would have been nice to have them accompany you, I’m sorry they couldn't be here,” she had said. WangJi thought quite the opposite. Most kids his age were too noisy. They would have been bothersome, it was best that they were not here.

For the most part, WangJi just sat there as Healer Wen went about organizing the medicine in the cabinets. He was content to do so, but after a while Healer Wen must have worried that he had grown bored, so she suggested a walk in the gardens.

“Our A-Ying loves pretty things, so my brother makes sure every garden is blooming with wonderful flowers,” she explains as she walks, WangJi trailing a step or two behind her. Indeed, the garden is very beautiful. He fleetingly thinks that it would be nice to bring some for his mother, but he thinks it would be rude to ask, so he doesn’t. 

Maybe it’s because Healer Wen is similar in seldom asking for things or because she has raised children of her own, but she notices his lingering gaze on the flowers and promptly picks a couple of varying types and hands it to him.

“Our A-Ying would be happy to share her flowers with you.”

WangJi does not know this A-Ying, but he feels doubt at that statement. A Young Miss that would be happy to share her things with a stranger? Unheard of. He’s met many Young Misses when he’s visited other sects, or when they have visited the Cloud Recesses, and many of them were very stubborn. But he didn’t say anything and gratefully took the flowers, giving her a polite “thank you”.

They round back to the front of the courtyard when they hear voices chattering lively. WangJi recognizes XiChen’s voice, but not the others.

“This is where Auntie stays! She helps people feel better! She's a hero!” someone says in a voice too loud to be polite.

“She certainly is. She was very kind to let my brother stay with her, and for this kindness, I cannot thank QishanWen enough.”

“Healers do not work for thanks,” Healer Wen retorts, looking extremely dignified for all of 2 seconds before she is crouching down, embracing two children and placing kisses on their faces.

Loud.

“Xiongzhang.”

“WangJi, did you go out for a walk with Healer Wen?”

“Mn. She was letting me see the flowers.” He suddenly feels a little silly to be seen holding a bunch of flowers, but he tightens his grip and swallows down the embarrassment. XiChen likely notices this and softly pats his head, a show of comfort.

“Do you like them? I planted them with A-Ning and Qing Jie!” Why is this voice so loud? WangJi turns to tell the person that it is against the rules to speak so loudly, but before any words leave his mouth he’s frozen in place.

“And you three did such a wonderful job,” Wen ZhenZhen praises. Wen Ning goes shy at the praise, but Wen Ying basks in the feeling of compliments.

“Really? Are they helping people get better faster? Does Auntie remember to give some to all her patients? Do they like it?”

“Our A-Ying is especially lively today.” Wen ZhenZhen tapped A-Ying’s nose gently, causing her to giggle. 

A-Ying? The A-Ying that ZhenZhen had mentioned before? The one that WangJi had assumed would be spoiled and rude? This was that A-Ying?

“Young Miss Wen, this is the brother I mentioned earlier. WangJi, greet the Young Miss,” XiChen said, nudging WangJi ever so slightly.

WangJi knows how to greet people. It’s part of the many rules and manners he has been taught ever since birth. But right now, he can think of nothing. His greetings do not come naturally like they usually do, and he fears he may offend her before she smiles wide at him.

“Hi! I’m Wen Ying! You can call me A-Ying!” 

“WangJi,” he replies, even though he knows XiChen had already said his name. 

“That’s a pretty name! Pretty name for a pretty GeGe!”

His face feels like it’s burning. If it were proper, he would have long turn around and fled, but it is not, and he has already allowed himself to ignore propriety too many times today. From behind him, he is sure he feels XiChen smile wider.

“Should I call you WangJi Ge? Or Ji Ge?”

“Zhan Ge,” he says softly, because he doesn’t really want the others to hear. Only A-Ying.

“Zhan Ge?”

“Mn. Lan Zhan. My birth name.” 

A-Ying knows the importance of this. She knows that him allowing her to call him by this name is something that is not normal. They are strangers, after all. But she doesn’t want to pretend to be mannered and insist on calling him properly. After all, that was never her how she was, as both Wei Ying and Wen Ying.

“Okay, Zhan Ge. You can keep calling A-Ying, A-YIng.”

WangJi stays quiet for a little while longer before he slowly raises his arm and offers her the bouquet of flowers he is holding. This is stupid, he thinks, these are her flowers in the first place. But she doesn’t act like it. She acts like he has climbed the highest mountains and suffered immeasurable hardships to bring her these flowers. She accepts them and beams at him and looks at him like he’s her hero and he puffs his chest just a little. Not because he is proud. It is forbidden to show excessive pride, after all. He just wanted more air.

“Thank you, Zhan Ge! A-Ying loves these flowers!”

“Obviously. You’re the ones that planted them,” ZiXuan quietly mumbles, but no one really pays attention to that fact.

WangJi and A-Ying in particular pay no mind. They look like they are off in their own world, and the others around them politely chatter amongst themselves, allowing the two to daze for just a while longer. 

Wen ZhenZhen steals another glance at A-Ying at chuckles, then leans down to whisper to Wen Ning.

“A-Ning, remind me to take some medicine to your uncle later.”

“Medicine? Is Uncle sick?”

“He will be when he hears about A-Ying’s adventure today.”

Chapter Text

As it turns out, it is not Wen RuoHan that needs the medicine, but instead Wen MeiXiu. 

“My lady,” he tries to say, but it is overlapped by the distressed voice of MeiXiu.

“A Lan, RuoHan! A Lan ! I’m aware that not all Lans are so extreme, and that it is not the child’s fault, but still! The son of that man . Absolutely not! I will not have my Little Sun be associated with such a man!”

“My Lady, they are but children. A-Ying could simply be having a passing fancy. There is still much time before marriage could even be considered.”

She hates that he is choosing to be calm and rational. It's making her calm down, too. Huffing, she finally sits down on the bench next to him and picks up her chopsticks, poking at the dishes laid in front of her. RuoHan places her favorites in her bowl without thinking much of it.

“Whoever she chooses will have to marry into the Wen Sect,” Meixiu huffs, finally beginning her meal. 

It’s not impossible, RuoHan thinks. As Chief Cultivator and one of the five major sects, A-Ying’s position as his daughter is particularly high up. If she chooses a Young Master from a lesser known sect, he can pull some strings and have him marry in. If he is a regular cultivator, or perhaps not even one, then it is certain that he will be marrying in. As for the other four major sects…

Jin ZiXuan is betrothed to Jiang YanLi, so the Jins are no worry. A-Ying does not seem too fond of the Jiangs, so that is also of no concern. Her bond with both Nie brothers were that of siblings, no doubt, which only left the Lans.

Should she choose Lan XiChen, that would prove most difficult. He is Sect Heir, after all, and one of the Twin Jades of Lan. Which leads to the final problem.

  Lan WangJi. The child himself is not a problem. When RuoHan had met him, he seemed very polite and mature, a pleasant child indeed. But he is a Twin Jade of Lan (a title that Wen RuoHan thinks puts far too much pressure on the poor kid), and the Lan Sect would never willingly let him marry into the Wen Sect. 

“You told me it is far too early to even consider marriage, but you’re thinking about it right now. I know it.” His wife’s mumbles snap him out of his thoughts and he gives her an apologetic smile.

“Forgive me, My Lady, I simply didn't want you to worry any further.”

She huffs, but since the intent was kind, she lets it go.

“I wonder what our babies are doing,” she muses. “I miss them terribly.” 

“Wen Xu is nearly 13,” he points out.

“He will always be a baby in my eyes. Him, Chao-Er, and A-Ying will always be my babies.” 

“I am sure they are fine at the Unclean Realm. The Nies are virtuous people, they will not let harm come to our children.”

She still worries. She had allowed her three children to travel to the Unclean Realm, Wen Xu to build Sect relations, Wen Chao to learn arts from Nie HuiSang, and A-Ying simply to play. Logically, she knows that it is unlikely they will be hurt, Wen Xu is there for politics, and Wen Chao there for poetry and painting, but A-Ying is high spirited. She will likely try to train with the people there, and she might even get into some trouble because she is unable to stand still. 

“Even if she kicks up a fuss, Xu-Er, Chao-Er, and the guards they have taken with them will not let her be harmed.”

She finally relaxes and decides that, instead of worrying, she will focus on finishing the embroidery she plans to give A-Ying when she gets back from her visit.

-

Wen Xu is panicking. He has endured many strenuous forms of training and lessons in his preparation to one day take over as Sect Leader and Chief Cultivator, but this is a situation he is not prepared for, and he is panicking.

“Do something,” Wen Chao hisses, obviously equally, if not more, panicked than Wen Xu is.

“Little Sun, please-”

“I miss Mama and Baba,” she sobs, cutting off Wen Xu’s words. “I miss Mama and Baba. I want to see them.”

“Little Sun, we head home in two days, we’ll see A-Niang and A-Die then, if you can wait just two more days-”

When she cries harder, he stops talking and resorts to hugging her tightly, lifting her into his arms and gently trying to coax her into stopping her tears.

Ever since she was a baby, A-Ying had never had trouble sleeping. Sure, she would occasionally be a bit fussy and refuse to go to bed, but as soon as her head hit the pillow, she would sleep soundly, never waking from her sleep and only opening her eyes when morning came.

Maybe it is because it is the first time she has traveled outside of Nightless City, or perhaps it is because she has never been separated from her parents for so long, or maybe even a combination of both, but tonight, she had shot awake in the dead of night and began crying furiously. She had ran all the way to Wen Xu’s quarters in tears, and collapsed at his door, sons wracking her body. He had immediately woken and tried to calm her, but to no avail. The noise has also alerted Wen Chao, who quickly fired off some orders to whichever Wen guard had come running at the sound of the Young Miss crying.

Usually fairly well behaved, Wen Xu and Wen Chao had no idea how to calm her down when she was so distressed, and they feared that she would make herself sick with how much she was crying.

“... Zidian… Wild dogs… blood and broken bo…” Between her hysterical sobs, Wen Xu and Wen Chao were able to make out those words. It does not give them the whole picture, but it gives them a piece of the puzzle. A-Ying has had a nightmare, and if they have heard the word Zidian correctly, it involved Madam Yu of Lotus Pier. 

“Young Master, Second Young Master. Perhaps it would be a good idea to move our return date to tomorrow,” Wen ZhuLiu offers, bringing the ribbon that Wen Chao has asked for. Wen Chao takes the ribbon, shooting a quick “thank you” at ZhuLiu before he darts behind Wen Xu, coming face to face with A-Ying.

“Little Sun, look! It's your ribbon! The one A-Niang gave you! This is the symbol that A-Niang loves you and that she's always with you,” he says, presenting the ribbon with both hands.

Her wails dim to steady crying, which leads to soft sniffles as she gazes longingly at the ribbon. She stretches her hand forward a little and Wen Chao happily places the ribbon around her wrists, tying a neat bow as he lets the long ends cascade with Wen Xu’s hair.

“A-Ying must have been really scared, huh? I know it must have been really scary, but our Little Sun has us, okay? We’re here, and we’ll protect you. We’ll make sure not a hair on your head is harmed, and we’ll also make sure that you safely get to see A-Niang and A-Die again soon. Okay?”

Wen ZhuLiu must admit, when he had first met Wen Chao, he had feared that he would grow to be a rude, useless, and tyrannical man. He had done nothing but bully those beneath him and berate those above him. But ever since Wen Ying had come to Nightless City, he had begun to change. It was slow at first, truly the bare minimum of not abusing his subordinates, but it eventually began to avalanche into him stopping his tyranny all together when Wen Ying had learned to speak and she had told him that doing those things wasn't very nice.

He listened. He stopped. And he had worked hard to become a hero to A-Ying.

Holding her hand, he soothes her further, speaking calming words to her until her tears have stopped and she is resting her head on Wen Xu’s shoulders, eyes drooping from exhaustion.

“If you are tired, sleep. Da Ge and I will be right here while you sleep. I will hold your hand and never let go.”

“Promise?” she slurs, halfway in her dreams.

“I promise.” And then she is submerged, back into her land of dreams. Wen Chao doesn't even dare dream of breaking his promise. They shuffle back to the bed, laying her down gently, then sit on either side of her, Wen Chao never letting go of her tiny hand.

“Wen ZhuLiu, you may return to your quarters. Thank you for your hard work, get some rest,” Wen Xu says, turning slightly to look at him.

“Thank you, Young Master. Young Master, Second Young Master, please get some rest as well.” Although he says so, he knows they probably will not. They will probably diligently keep watch over her the entire night.

As ZhuLiu leaves, the two brothers are plunged into silence, the only sound heard being A-Ying’s gentle breathing.

“Hey…” Wen Xu starts.

“Yeah?”

“You were… You were pretty cool back there. The words you said to her. They were nice. You got her to calm down pretty quick. It was clever thinking.”

It's flooring to hear Wen Xu say these words. By no means is he a bad older brother, oh no, he is very kind. But he is also strict, and Wen Xu hadn’t been very soft on Wen Chao either.

Wen Chao gets it, why Wen Xu is like that. It's just how they've always been as brothers, and Wen Chao doesn't really mind because it's comfortable that way. But this praise is nice, he can't deny, and he knows it is heartfelt because Wen Xu is like their father in that he does not give false compliments.

“It… It wasn't really anything grand,” he mumbles, awkward to receive praise he’s not sure he deserves.

“Give yourself credit. Even if there weren't fireworks and gold scattered everywhere, it was still pretty amazing.”

“Th… Thank you, Da Ge.” Wen Xu reaches over and pats Wen Chao’s head. Wen Chao doesn't bat it away or even scowl. He smiles, feeling that finally, he has done something right.

True to ZhuLiu’s predictions, they do not get a wink of sleep. Morning arrives, and A-Ying slowly pries open her eyes. They're a little swollen from the crying, but other than that, she seems fine.

Glancing down at her hand that is still in Wen Chao’s, he is about to ask if she wants him to let her hand go when she speaks, her voice slightly cracking.

“You didn't let go, right?”

“Not even once, Little Sun.”

“Thank you, Er Ge. A-Ying loves you.” 

No one says anything when A-Ying does not let go of Wen Chao’s hand for the rest of the day.

-

They do not head back for Nightless City earlier than planned. A-Ying says she is fine now, as long as her brothers are next to her always, and they comply easily. Nie HuiSang notices that she is not as lively today, and discreetly slips her some candy when no one is looking. Sect Leader Nie even indulges her and lets her sit in the room while he discusses with Wen Xu about things a Sect Heir should know, and how to deal with stubborn old men when he is eventually Chief Cultivator. 

“I’m sure you’ve heard all of this from your father already,” he muses.

“Some I have, some I have not. A-Die believes in listening to the voices of many, rather than listening to the few. He says it brings more wisdom, and better prepares me.”

“A wise man.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“It is simply the truth, no need for thanks. Your father is far wiser than many of the cultivators in our generation. It is why there are no qualms about his position as Chief Cultivator. Just imagining those fools Jin GuangShan, QingHeng-Jun, or Jiang FengMian holding the position of Chief Cultivator shortens my life by 10 years.”

Wen Xu wonders if it is okay to name those people so directly, but he figures that no one in the Nie Sect will rat out their Sect Leader, and him and A-Ying will certainly not say so, so he doesn’t worry about it further.

“I will take this wisdom with me, Sect Leader Nie. I thank you for your hospitality over these past few weeks. The Wen Sect will remember this kindness.”

“Enough, Wen Xu, it is odd to have my son’s friend speak to me in such a way. Speak freely, just like Little Wen over there.”

At the mention of her, A-Ying cheerily waves from her place on her brother’s lap, giving a bright smile. Wen Xu smiles, bending down to whisper something into A-Ying’s ear before she jumps up and runs out the room, chanting “candy!”

“Then, Uncle Nie, I would like to ask you something not related to my responsibilities.” He nods his head, telling Wen Xu to continue. “What does Uncle know about the Madam of Lotus Pier?”

Nie RenShu closes his eyes and shakes his head, a frown appearing on his face. 

“That woman is the only reason I pity Jiang FengMian.”

“That bad?” Wen Xu asks, forgetting propriety for the moment.

“Even worse. As a fighter, I thought I could respect her, but it became obvious that not even that could earn my respect. When she heard that the child of CangSe SanRen and Wei ChangZe was probably still alive, she sent servants to scour the area she thought the child might be, and every child that matched the description was dragged to Lotus Pier and beaten. She tried her best to cover her evil deeds, but word leaked when a visiting Sect stumbled upon the child’s bloody body. No matter how you try to cover things, the truth always prevails. Using such a spiritual weapon on a child, it’s disgraceful and a waste.”

Wen Xu clenches his hands, trying to not show how much these words are affecting him. Harmless, defenseless children. Had A-Ying not been found by Wen RuoHan and matched the description, would she also be beaten like that? He decides that, although he is curious to know the details, he can not bear it if A-Ying does match the descriptions. 

“Would any Sect take Lotus’ Pier side if the Madam saw harm?” 

“Maybe the Jins, since Madam Jin is her sworn sister. But, even then, others would probably rejoice.”

Wen Xu will not do anything. He is supposed to be a hero for A-Ying, and heroes do not harm other people carelessly. Which is why he will not harm Madam Yu. Yet.

Chapter Text

A-Ying nearly trips in her rush to reach Wen RuoHan and MeiXiu faster.

“Mama! Baba!” She throws her entire body forward, knowing they will catch her, and they do. RuoHan sweeps her up into his arms and peppers her face in kisses before leaning down a little so that MeiXiu can embrace her and do the same.

“Our Little Sun, we have missed you very much,” he says, letting her rub her face on the front of his robes.

“A-Ying really missed Mama and Baba too.”

“Xu-Er, Chao-Er, we have missed you terribly,” MeiXiu cooes, embracing her sons and planting kisses on their cheeks.

“We’ve missed you too, A-Niang, A-Die.”

“Da Ge and Er Ge are A-Ying’s heroes! A-Ying had a really bad dream and A-Ying was so scared, but Da Ge and Er-Ge helped me! Er Ge held my hand every second I slept and even when I woke up too! And Da Ge held me!”

RuoHan and MeiXiu, while slightly concerned about her nightmare, beam with pride at the news that their sons have acted so mature.

“Indeed, Little Sun! Your brothers are heroes!”

“And for that, we are so proud,” Wen RuoHan finishes, sending his sons a sincere look that makes them go shy.

“It’s just what we ought to do,” Wen Chao mumbles, but he cannot hide the fact that he is pleased. 

“Oh, don’t be so humble, Chao-Er. A-Ying is never wrong, after all. Come, let us have a feast tonight! In honor of your return home, and your brothers’ heroism!”

“Can we invite Auntie and Uncle and Qing Jie and A-Ning?”

“Of course! They are family, it is only natural!”

Wen Ruohan asks one of his aides to relay to the kitchen that a feast would be prepared tonight. He leads his family to the main garden, the one that A-Ying loves with all her heart, and settles them at the pavilion.

“Now, what adventures have my Little Suns had while in the Unclean Realm?” MeiXiu questions, her eyes twinkling. 

“I’ve learned lots from Uncle Nie, and sparred with Nie MingJue as well. It was very educational, as well as enjoyable.”

“Nie HuiSang and I tried painting fans, and he showed me some poetry as well. I have lots more to learn, but I’m happy that my start was with someone so knowledgeable.”

“A-Ying played a lot! She got to ride on Jue Ge’s shoulders and Sang Ge gave me the fan he painted! We played hide and seek too!”

RuoHan and MeiXiu play close attention to their stories, not wanting to miss a single thing. A-Ying is talkative, as always, so neither of them find it odd when Wen Xu and Wen Chao do not speak too much, but when RuoHan glances at them as she tells the story of the last 2 days in Qinghe, he notices them sharing a knowing look with each other. Something is wrong, he thinks. It is his fatherly instincts telling him that something is off.

“My Lady, did you not have something prepared for A-Ying?” he asks. MeiXiu claps her hands together, remembering the embroidery she had finished, and looked at A-Ying.

“Little Sun, come with Mama, she has something to give you.”

RuoHan carefully hands A-Ying to MeiXiu, making sure that she has a safe grip on their daughter before he pulls back.

“Escort them to their rooms,” Wen RuoHan says to his aides that linger a little further away. When his wife and daughter are no longer in sight, he turns to his sons. “What is the matter?”

“A-Die,” Wen Xu starts. “I think the nightmare A-Ying had is not a normal one.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s only a guess, but when she came to find us after her nightmare, we could discern a few words. Those words were wild dogs, blood, broken bones, and… Zidian.”

“Zidian? Yu ZiYuan’s spiritual weapon?”

“Correct. Father must be well aware of the reports of Madam Yu’s recent activities near Yiling.” Wen Xu waits for his father to nod his affirmation. “I thought it odd that A-Ying knew of Zidian, even though she has never met Madam Yu. I thought, maybe, a servant had let it slip about what had happened to those children, but after thinking some more, I found it unlikely. The servants adore A-Ying, and would never mention something so random in front of her.”

Wen RuoHan rubs his chin, processing this information in his head and carefully turning it over one, two, three times. The part about wild dogs also confused him. A-Ying had never seen a dog in her life, or if she had and exhibited signs of fear, surely someone would have reported it to him.

“Have you tried asking her more about the nightmare?”

“No, we haven’t. Wen Chao thought it too soon and too careless to bring it up to her at this time.”

“Good,” he comments, nodding his head. “We can find out more later. The two of you have done well. Come, you must be tired from your journey. Rest a little before dinner.”

“Thank you, A-Die,” the two chorus. They take their leave, and Wen RuoHan waits a moment before he stands, stretching his limbs, before he heads off in the opposite direction. He gets lost in thought while he walks, and before he knows it, he is at his destination, the infirmary almost acting as a soothing balm on his worried thoughts.

“Da Ge,” ZhenZhen greets, not looking away from the medicine cabinet she is organizing.

“ZhenZhen,” he greets back.

“I thought you would be attached to A-Ying’s side.”

“She is with MeiXiu, probably resting.”

“Wen Chao and Wen Xu?”

“Off to rest before dinner.”

“Your children are safely home, your wife is smiling radiantly no doubt, and yet here you are, sulking in my infirmary.”

“I am not sulking,” he weakly retorts, moving to sit at the edge of one of the beds. Careful to stay out of her way as she works. “Merely worried about something my sons have told me.”

He explains to her the situation, face growing darker as he continues. At some point, ZhenZhen stops, eyes growing distant. She doesn’t turn around to face him, but she gives her undivided attention, clinging to his words.

“YunMeng has grown shameless,” she spits out, setting down a jar of medicine harder than she needs to. “As Chief Cultivator, what do you plan to do?”

“Nothing. There is no way I can intervene in this matter as Sect Leader Wen or Chief Cultivator.”

“She is abusing her powers as a cultivator.”

“Indeed. But it is within the means of her own sect, and since no children have died, we have no room to intervene as leaders.”

“What is the point of being Chief Cultivator when it does not even give you the right to save the innocent?”

ZhenZhen takes a deep breath and tries to calm her rising temper. She thinks she is seeing red from how angry she is becoming. Such a despicable person is allowed to escape any punishment? It was ridiculous. Such a lowly person did not deserve to be called Madam, nor peacefully exist within the cultivation world.

“I often ask myself that too. It troubles me that not even this title can assure the safety of the innocent. Even with this title, I can't assure the safety and happiness of my family. It truly feels useless.”

She quietly thinks that, while her and RuoHan were very different people, they ended up very similar in this aspect. This undying and unwavering love for their families, it was so present in both of them that it made ZhenZhen think “if nothing else, this is the sign that we are indeed siblings.”

“When the time is right, send my niece and nephews here. I want to check on them. Both their physical and mental health.” Wen Ruohan nods and stands, a sign that he is leaving her to work in peace. 

“One more thing, ZhenZhen. We’re having a feast tonight. A-Ying insisted that all of us be there, so make sure you finish your work on time. Knowing how she is, she won't eat a bite until you, brother-in-law, A-Qing, and A-Ning arrive.”

He turns and leaves the room, and if ZhenZhen cannot contain her smile, neither of them talk about it.

-

A few days after the Wen children return home, A-Ying gets a letter from Lan WangJi.

“It's from Zhan Ge!” she screams, running to find someone, anyone really, to tell the good news to.

“You’ll trip if you run that fast,” Wen Chao fusses, hovering close to her in case she really does lose her balance.

“I got a letter!” 

“Is that so? Is it from Nie HuiSang or Jin ZiXuan?”

“Neither!”

“Hmm… then, is it from MianMian? The cultivator from the Jin sect that ZiXuan introduced us to?”

“No, but I got a letter from her last time Xuan Ge sent me a letter!”

“Then… Lan-”

“Yes! It's from Zhan Ge!”

Wen Chao quietly hopes that his mother does not hear about this. He fears it may be bad for her health.

“I hope I get to see him soon,” she mumbles, beginning to look just the tiniest bit sad.

“I’m sure there will be an opportunity for you two to meet in the near future,” he quickly says, hoping it is enough to lift her spirits.

“Really?” she questions hopefully.

“Really.”

The near future turns out to be a few months later, when Wen RuoHan tells his wife and kids that they will be traveling to visit the Jin, Lan, and Jiang sects.

“All of us?” MeiXiu asks, looking quite shocked.

“All of us,” he confirms.

“For what reason exactly,” Wen Chao follows.

“It has come to my attention as Chief Cultivator that some sects have been mishandling their power as cultivators. To check that no rules are being broken, I am personally going to confirm the situation myself. As the three of you have recently visited, Qinghe, I felt that it was clear of any charges, considering my sons themselves have given me a positive report on their stay.”

“Then, A-Die, who will take over sect duties while you are traveling?”

“Not to worry, Xu-Er. ZhenZhen is aware and willing to fill in my position during my absence.”

“Zhan Ge!”

“Yes, Little Sun. You may see your friend during the trip.”

“This sounds well and fine, RuoHan, but… Lotus Pier.”

When MeiXiu brings up that glaring question, everyone glances at A-Ying. Surely he wouldn't want their Little Sun to go to such a place, correct?

“I wanna go to Lotus Pier.”

Wen Xu chokes on nothing and Wen Chao drops a pair of chopsticks that weren’t even his. 

“Why would our Little Sun like to go to Lotus Pier?” MeiXiu asks, making sure her voice is as gentle as it can be.

“Hmm… Young Miss Jiang is there.”

The Wen brothers start to insist that if she would like to see Young Miss Jiang, they can invite her here, it does not have to be A-Ying that travels to see someone. MeiXiu nods her head in agreement, though she does not verbally contribute, since the constant stream of words from her sons are enough that she cannot get a word in.

While A-Ying does wish to see Young Miss Jiang, there's another reason that she doesn't vocalize. She does not want to go to Lotus Pier. He wants to go to Lotus Pier. Wei Ying misses it, for some odd reason. He considers it home, for reasons she doesn't quite understand. She thinks that, maybe, when she finally dreams of the memories of his life past 9 years old, she will understand, but he had not shown her yet. It was too soon for such a small child. When she was older, he would explain.

“A-Ying wants to go to Lotus Pier,” she pouts, knowing this is the trick to getting them to comply. “Nothing bad will happen to A-Ying. Her brothers are heroes, and they protect her!”

And then they cave, agreeing that it wouldn't be impossible to visit Lotus Pier if she agreed to stick by their sides.

“We depart next week. Little Sun, do make sure you don't forget to pack your shoes this time.” A-Ying smiles, and does not promise anything.

Chapter Text

“You must be crazy to even think of bringing my daughter to Yunmeng, Wen RuoHan.” He has not heard her call him in such a tone in many years. It makes the tiniest bit of fear run through his body.

“Our daughter, My Lady, and because she is ours, it means I will never let any harm come to her.”

“The location, the year, the age, the appearance. You know as much as I do, maybe even better, that our A-Ying fits the description Yu ZiYuan is targeting. And the way Jiang FengMian looked at her, she might very well be the daughter of CangSe SanRen and Wei ChangZe.”

Wen RuoHan very much loves how quick witted his wife is. It is what caught his eye in the first place, after all. He will never forget the sight of Wen MeiXiu tackling Wen ZhenZhen out of the way when a fierce corpse had suddenly charged at her from seemingly nowhere. But, in this very moment, he wishes she was not so sharp.

“It is very likely,” he affirms.

“Then why are you dragging our baby into the very place where her presence is loathed? She even admit to ZhenZhen that she often has nightmares of Lotus Pier without her ever even visiting the place! Will this not scar her more?”

“We must destroy the root of the problem, My Love. If we do not rid Yunmeng of that wretched woman, A-Ying will live her entire life in fear. We must get rid of it.”

“Then rid of it without bringing it before A-Ying’s eyes!”

RuoHan wishes desperately that he could do that. But when ZhenZhen had spoken to him after examining A-Ying, she had said that A-Ying needed to see for herself that there was nothing to fear. And RuoHan had no doubts about that. A-Ying had always been one to never just accept an answer and move on. She needed to witness it with her own eyes to believe it. Wen MeiXiu knows this as well. She is A-Ying’s mother, after all, and she passes most of her days doting on her daughter. There is no way she does not know. This is her emotion seeping into her logic, clouding it and amplifying her anger.

“Trust me, MeiXiu.” The anger slips out of her, and she sighs, putting a hand to her head.

“If anything happens to A-Ying, I will pay it back tenfold.”

“And I will help you.”

-

The first stop is Lanling. They are greeted properly by the main family, and while the adults talk, ZiXuan discreetly slips a pouch of treats to A-Ying. He had heard from HuiSang about how A-Ying seemed a little sad during her visit to Qinghe, so he had promised to take especially good care of her during this visit.

Putting his finger to his lip in a silencing motion, she nods her head and tucks away the pouch in her robes. The children are dismissed, and Wen Xu, Wen Chao, ZiXuan and A-Ying leave to ZiXuan’s courtyard. When they arrive, the propriety falls away and they begin to talk loudly, the conversation random and consistent. 

“And then Jue Ge scolded Sang Ge for a long time! And A-Ying tried not to laugh, but it didn’t really work, and then Jue Ge scolded me too for also doing it! But it wasn’t as long, and it was funny.”

The others listen, Wen Xu laughing at the memory, and Wen Chao looking the smallest bit stressed at the recollection. ZiXuan is a mixture of the both, tears of laughter leaking out of his eyes, yet not forgetting to tell A-Ying to not do something so risky in the future.

“It sounds like you had a lot of fun in Qinghe, I’m glad. I had hoped to travel there, but some… problems occurred.”

“What kinda problems?” Zixuan shifts when he hears her question. He takes a glance at Wen Xu and Wen Chao, then straightens his back and gives her a reassuring smile.

“Just some sect problems. There was something in Yunping that my father has to take care of.”

“Is it all better now?”

“Mm. A-Ying doesn’t have to worry about anything.”

Wen Xu and Wen Chao share a look. They know they will have to find time to speak to Jin ZiXuan in private, but it will be difficult to be away from A-Ying.  The opportunity presents itself eventually, a few days after their arrival in Lanling. The 4 of them are lazing in ZiXuan’s courtyard when A-Ying’s eyes begin to droop, and Wen MeiXiu arrives in a timely manner, whisking her away for a short nap. 

“Time is limited, so I will be blunt,” ZiXuan starts. “My mother and I went to Yumeng, and while we were there, the children that I saw that were beaten looked awfully similar to A-Ying. My mother may be Madam Yu’s sworn sister, but she still knows that this is wrong. She tried to reason with Madam Yu, but we can tell she is too far gone. Mother knows that all she can do is keep the engagement between me and Young Miss Jiang, so that we can eventually take her out of Lotus Pier and keep her safe.”

Wen Chao sighs heavily and flops back onto the soft grass. He makes a sound that sounds awfully like a whine and the other two kindly pretend like he is not doing whatever he is doing.

“Yunmeng has gone insane,” Wen Xu comments, realizing that the situation was urgent enough for Madam Jin to let her very young son to know what was happening. 

“Not Yunmeng, Madam Yu,” Wen Chao corrects.

“After a certain point, there’s not much difference,” ZiXuan retorts.

“Dangerous way of thinking, Young Master Jin. The people are innocent, suppressed under the thumb of her tyrannical rule. We cannot blame them for a single person’s sin, nor can we assume their roles in this mess,” Wen Chao reasons, pushing up into a proper sitting posture, pretending as if he had not just rolled in the grass. It would be more convincing if a few stray blades of grass had not clinged to the back of his robes and hair. Wen Xu leaves them there.

“You sound awfully like a Lan elder right now.”

“Do not compare me to those hypocrites, Da Ge. We both know they don’t deserve the praise they receive.”

They leave behind talk of Yunmeng and move onto other conversation. By the time A-Ying is up from her nap, the remnants of talks of Madam Yu have long since faded into the wind. 

The rest of their time in Lanling passes smoothly, A-Ying never waking up in a crying fit like she had in Qinghe. When the Jins send off the Wens, Jin ZiXuan looks at her for a moment before he slowly opens his mouth and gently says “stay safe, A-Ying.”

-

His wife and sons do not say it out loud, but he can tell from their pursed lips that they believe the stop in Yunmeng should be saved for last. A-Ying needs more time to prepare, they seem to say with their eyes. But they trust in RuoHan, so they do not speak such thoughts and compliantly follow him to the docks of Lotus Pier. 

“Chief Cultivator,” the Jiangs greet. “We are honored to host you and your family.”

Wen MeiXiu, who is holding onto A-Ying, subtly pushes A-Ying’s face a little deeper into the fabric of the front of her robes. She knows Yu Ziyuan will still be able to see her, but still. 

The Wens greet back, perhaps a little less courteous than usual, but no one mentions it. After all, everyone is aware how word has spread and that the fate of the sect rests upon Wen RuoHan’s words. They’re shown to a courtyard, and Wen RuoHan unconsciously glances around for the sight of blood. He is relieved and sceptical when he does not see any.

A-Ying, who had been sleeping since before they arrived, still does not wake, so MeiXiu lays her on her bed before sliding in after her.

“Rest well, My Heart and my Little Sun.” MeiXiu sleepily smiles at RuoHan as he strokes her hair, then drifts off to sleep. When he exits the room and goes to where Wen Xu and Wen Chao are resting, he finds them lying on their beds, feet hanging over the edge and one shoe missing from Wen Chao. Their eyes are closed as they sleep, telling RuoHan they are tired, but continue to carry on their conversation, apparently unaware that their father had entered the room.

“You probably have the best chance. You're a smooth talker, good at politics, and around her age. She would probably talk comfortably around you quicker.”

“Da Ge, just admit that you're too lazy to talk to her.”

“I would never be lazy when it involves protecting A-Ying. I’m simply looking at this from a strategic view.”

“Then come up with a better strategy, because that one can make her wary and guarded. It's too random if I just go up to her and try to befriend her.”

“Isn't that how friends are normally made?”

“Wouldn't know, I don't have any.”

“Wen Qing, Mianmian, ZiXuan, and HuiSang would be upset to hear you say that, Chao-Er.”

There's a slight pause in the conversation before Wen Chao picks it up again.

“They don't count. Wen Qing is family. Mianmian, ZiXuan, and Huisang are beloved younger siblings.”

Wen Xu smirks, but since both their eyes are closed, Wen Chao doesn't see it. He feels it, though.

“Stop smirking.”

“I’m not.”

“Liar.”

Wen RuoHan knows they’ll bicker if he does not make his presence known now, so he clears his throat, and the sight of both the boys nearly falling face first off the bed and scrambling to look presentable is definitely comedic.

“My sons. Make sure to place a silencing tailsman next time you discuss strategies.”

“Yes, A-Die.”

“I will make sure to do so next time.”

There’s silence as Wen RuoHan looks at his sons and they look back, probably waiting for him to impart some wisdom or other on them. 

“We’re in a war zone, my sons. Be careful, do not get caught, and do not alert the enemies.”

“Yes, father.” And with that, Wen RuoHan leaves his boys to rest as he wanders Lotus Pier.

Chapter Text

Wen RuoHan misses his wife dearly. He always does when he is away from her side, and, even though she is resting in her quarters not too far away, he so desperately wishes she were here right now. The reason? This awkward tea time he is having with Jiang FengMian.

For heaven’s sake, please say something, he thinks. Jiang FengMian looks like he has a lot to say, but he isn’t, and it’s driving RuoHan mad.

“Chief Cultivator, might I ask about your daughter?”

Ah, there it is. The question they’ve both been waiting for. RuoHan admits that he’d thought Jiang FengMian would ask in a roundabout way, not this straightforward attack. But it is fortunate that he is just as proficient in defense as he is at offense. 

“My Little Sun is the light of our lives, I don’t think there is anything more to be said.” There is a diplomatic smile on both their faces, but a chill lies in the room at the answer. It is not what Jiang FengMian wants, maybe even needs, to know.

“The Young Miss indeed shines brightly. I was simply curious as to who had the misfortune as to lose such a treasure before the Wens were blessed with her.” 

“I found her on a road during my travels. Much time passed before I deemed no one would claim her, so I took her home. I have never met the ones who gave birth to her.” Truths. Complete truths.

“My, is that so? I ask the Chief Cultivator to share the secret location with me, should I ever hope to find such a blessing for my own family.”

He can almost hear MeiXiu’s voice in his head, snapping that the family of Lotus Pier did not deserve such blessings. He almost nods in agreement before he remembers that she is still resting with their Little Sun. He sets his tea down, afraid that Jiang FengMian will notice the way his hands tremble in anger at this brazen act.

“Perhaps it was Gusu? Maybe even Qinghe,” he bluffs, and he knows the other man has a suspicion, but no way to confirm it. 

“Is that so? I will make sure to keep my senses sharp the next time I am around there.”

When he won’t even keep his senses sharp for the children his wife abuses? Pathetic. The conversation makes him angrier and angrier.

“As you wish. By your leave, I will return to my wife and children.”

“Of course, Chief Cultivator. I will have a servant escort you when it is time for dinner.” With a final nod, Wen Ruohan leaves the room in a swish of red and white robes, doing his best to suppress his anger. 

-

A-Ying wakes up with Mama still resting peacefully next to her. She is careful to not make any loud noises, and slowly buries her head into her mother’s side. She smells just like the flowers from the gardens at Nightless City, and it comforts her turbulent thoughts.

Lotus Pier. She was finally here. There is excitement, for Wei Ying’s return home and for the potential to befriend Young Miss Jiang, but there is also dread. Fear. Terror. She is almost lost to her thoughts when a soft thud outside of the door and whispers invade her thoughts. She hears a boy’s voice, so, thinking it might be Da Ge and Er Ge, she quietly slips out of the bed and creeps toward the door. She manages to stealthily slide the door open, eyes never leaving Mama to see if she stirs, and when she finally steps outside, her back to the world, and closes the door, she turns to find two people that are most certainly not Da Ge and Er Ge in front of her.

“Hi?” At the sound of her voice, Jiang YanLi offers a gentle smile and a bow while Jiang Cheng huffs and crosses his arms. It’s only when Jiang YanLi clears her throat and sends him a look does he greet properly.

“Young Miss Wen, forgive us for disturbing your rest, us two simply wished to check that everything about your stay was comfortable.”

She talks like an adult. Just like how Lan XiChen talked. But she’s younger than him. So, it’s even weirder for A-Ying to see her act so proper. 

“You can call A-Ying Wen Ying. She doesn’t mind,” she says, hoping it will clear up the awkward atmosphere. 

“If the Young Miss would allow me to do so, I would be deeply honored. Please, feel free to call me YanLi Jie”

Jiang Cheng makes a sound like he doesn’t like that, but another stern look from YanLi has him quiet and obedient again. If A-Ying were to be brutally honest, she would very much like for Jiang Cheng to leave. She does not care for him, not at all, and he is probably the rudest person he has ever met. But Wei Ying does not think the same. He is calm next to him, if a little hesitant, but does not despise his presence, so A-Ying doesn’t try and shoo him away.

“Then, YanLi Jie, can I ask you something?” 

“Of course, Young Miss, I will answer to the best of my ability.”

“Do you know how to make lotus root and spare rib soup?”

Jiang Cheng’s head snaps to look at her so quickly he gets whiplash. He momentarily groans and presses his hand to his neck before he opens his eyes and looks at her. She didn’t think she would draw such a big reaction out of him, and seeing him react like this alarms her.

“You know what that is? Do they have it in Qishan?” he asks, a little skeptical, but not hostile.

“No, they don’t. We don’t have any lotus in Qishan, but I think Baba will bring some back home with us. I think he wants to add it to the gardens.”

That’s a lie. Anything to do with Yunmeng was rotten in her father’s eyes. He had started speaking of Yunmeng in disgust a few months ago, but she’s not sure exactly what spurred it. All she knew was that he didn’t like it here, but Wei Ying missed the lotus flowers here, and so A-Ying planned to bring some back and try to grow them in her gardens. So that he had a piece of Lotus Pier even though he didn’t live there anymore. Knowing she could not say such things out loud, she fibbed and said her father wanted them.

“Well, it is Yunmeng’s honor to have hosted a flower that has gained the Chief Cultivator’s fancy,” YanLi smiles. “And to answer Wen Ying’s previous question, it is true that I know how to make the dish, and if you would like, I could even prepare it by dinner. Although, I am not sure it is good enough to present in front of the Chief Cultivator’s family.”

“Of course A-Jie’s soup is good enough! It’s the best soup in the world!” Jiang Cheng rages, but then goes still again when YanLi places a hand on his shoulder.

“Little Sun!”

A cry from inside the room A-Ying had exited stops further conversation. A-Ying calls a happy “Mama!” and the door bursts open a second later, a slightly disheveled Wen MeiXiu standing before them. She immediately drops to her knees and collects A-Ying in her arms, stroking her daughter’s hair while taking deep breaths to calm herself.

“My baby, please do not leave without a word like that, okay? Mama was so, so worried.”

“Yes, Mama. A-Ying’s sorry,” she says, voice muffled. 

YanLi and Jiang Cheng watch, shock evident on both their faces. YanLi’s expression smoothens into a smile quickly, though. This is a mother’s affection that they have never experienced, they both think quietly. Jiang Cheng looks envious for a second or two before it changes into grumpy neutrality. He has A-Jie, after all. So what if he doesn’t have anyone else?

“A-Niang, A-Ying!” two voices cry from a little further away. Heads turn to see Wen Xu and Wen Chao sprinting towards them.

“We heard A-Niang call for A-Ying. We were afraid something happened,” Wen Chao says, right shoe still missing from his foot. 

“Thank the gods,” Wen Xu breathes out, kneeling next to his mother and sister. MeiXiu extends her arm so that it rests across Wen Xu’s shoulders, pulling into her side in a hug. Wen Chao moves to stand behind his mother, placing a hand on her shoulder and sending a smile at A-Ying from where she sits on MeiXiu’s lap, before he turns and sends a diplomatic smile to the Jiang siblings. 

“Forgive us,” he begins to say. “We must have caused an awful racket. It is disgraceful as guests to disturb our generous hosts so rudely.”

“Not at all, Second Young Master. In fact, it is partly our fault, I believe. We were checking to see that the guest quarters had everything needed when we made some noise outside of Madam Wen and Wen Ying’s room, disturbing the Young Miss from her slumber. She came to check the noise, and I’m afraid when the Madam eventually stirred to an empty bed, it was quite frightening. I apologize for our behavior.”

“Miss Jiang need not apologize,” he waves off. 

“Oh, please, do feel free to call me YanLi. Second Young Master is around my age, and I would be honored if he did not call me so formally.”

Wen Chao shifts a little, and YanLi almost mistakes it for discomfort at her brashness. An apology is about to slip past her lips, but Wen Chao gives her a faint smile, one that is not nearly as fake as his diplomatic one, and replies:

“YanLi. Feel free to call me Wen Chao.”

Wen Xu catches Wen Chao's eyes and gives a knowing smirk, to which Wen Chao responds by tugging on Wen Xu’s hair. It’s childish, and they bicker a little, but the sight is undeniably warm, and even though Jiang Cheng loves his A-Jie to bits, the feeling of jealousy manages to worm its way into his heart again. No one at Lotus Pier plays with him like that. No one talks to him like that. And he wants.

“My brother and I shall take our leave now. There is still much to do before supper, after all. I look forward to seeing you all again later. Then, Madam Wen, Young Master, Wen Chao, Wen Ying, we shall take our leave,” YanLi says, offering a proper bow to them. Wen Chao bows on behalf of his still sitting family, and then YanLi leads Jiang Cheng out of the courtyard.

“The children of Lotus Pier seem nice,” is what MeiXiu offers, rising to her feet with A-Ying in her arms. Wen Xu follows suit, and the four of them enter the room. Wen Chao moves to slide the door shut, but he spots Wen RuoHan in the distance and waits by the door to greet his father. 

“Did you rest well, Chao-Er?”

“Yes, A-Die, brother and I have rested well.”

RuoHan pats his head gently before entering the room and closing the door behind him.

“Baba!”

“My Little Sun has risen! How wonderfully timed,” he says, walking towards the bed, then patting Wen Xu on the shoulder and kissing MeiXiu’s forehead before finally leaning down to kiss A-Ying’s cheek. 

“A-Ying and Er-Ge made a new friend!”

“Is that so, my Little Sun?”

“Mmhm! YanLi-Jie was very nice. And Jiang Cheng was… not mean.”

It’s the best she can offer. She won’t lie about liking him or him being friendly, but he wasn’t nearly as rude as she had anticipated him to be. 

“I’m glad to hear that the Jiang children have manners.” 

The “unlike their mother” goes unsaid. Wen MeiXiu finally seems to realize that her and her children look rather unpresentable, and she calls in some personal Wen servants to help them get ready before dinner. Wen Xu, Wen Chao, and RuoHan leave the room, and MeiXiu is left with her daughter and some servants.

“Little Sun,” she hums, pulling her daughter closer to personally place a pin in A-Ying’s hair. “Tonight, and for the rest of our stay at Lotus Pier, stick close to us. Do not stray, do not wander, and do not, under any circumstances, be alone with Madam Yu.”

A-Ying nods her head, and MeiXiu smiles, pressing a kiss to her forehead with a soft “good girl” and swiftly stands to head to the dining hall.

RuoHan and the Wen brothers are already waiting for them outside, and they move to stand on either side of A-Ying, Wen Xu is on her left, and Wen Chao is on her right. A-Ying reaches out her hands, and they quickly grab hold. 

“Just like when we were in Qinghe, do not let go,” she says. Wen Chao nods and squeezes her hand in a comforting way. 

Dinner feels like a warzone. It is filled to the brim with false pleasantries and jabs disguised as compliments. It’s hostile, awkward, tense, and A-Ying doesn’t like it. She focuses a little too much on the food in front of her, and to the untrained eye, it looks a lot like she is just very well behaved. But her family and the entourage that are traveling with them know the Young Miss too well, and they praise her in their minds for making sure the attention is not drawn to her. She almost makes it through the entire meal without anyone noticing her until the soup is brought out.

“I apologize that it was served so late, it had to boil a while longer, Wen Ying. I do hope you’re not too full to try my dish,” YanLi says, entirely unaware of the atmosphere. 

“You made it for me?”

“Of course, after we talked about it, I thought you would be pleased to try it. I hope it is to your liking.”

A-Ying gives her a smile, hoping it masks the way her heart is still racing because she feels Madam Yu’s glare on her, and accepts the bowl Da Ge has poured for her. He helps her eat it, not because she is bad at eating neatly, but because it gives him an excuse to block Madam Yu’s line of sight, and she gratefully eats it.

“It’s very good!” she praises. “YanLi Jie is very good at making soup! A-Ying tried to make soup once and it didn’t turn out very well.”

“My, our daughters seem to be fast friends, Chief Cultivator. Perhaps they will grow to be sworn sisters in the future,” Jiang FengMian smiles, either ignoring or oblivious to the radiating hatred Madam Yu is exuding. 

RuoHan does not know if there is a good response to that, so he just smiles and doesn’t say anything. MeiXiu raises an eyebrow, but nothing more.

“A-Ying can’t cook like YanLi Jie can, but she’ll try to make something that Jie will like! I’m good with flowers.”

“It suits you, Wen Ying. You’re so beautiful, it looks like flowers are always blooming around you!”

A-Ying preens a little, and Wen Xu finally feeds her the last bite of soup, making sure to carefully dab the corners of her mouth with a napkin. Madam Yu glares in her general direction for the rest of the meal.

The children are dismissed first, A-Ying being carried by Wen Xu, with Wen Chao and YanLi walking side by side and Jiang Cheng in front of Wen Chao and YanLi, but behind A-Ying and Wen Xu. A-Ying peeks over her brother’s shoulder and sees that Jiang Cheng is already staring at her. She blinks, but he just continues staring at her, face void of emotion. 

“You… You have a very nice family,” he finally says. 

Everyone can hear. They’re so close it would be impossible if they couldn’t. But they know Jiang Cheng is not talking to them, so they do not react, and they pretend to be oblivious and let A-Ying and Jiang Cheng talk.

“I do. A-Ying is very lucky to have been found by such a nice family. They protect and love A-Ying.”

“How do I get that?” Wen Chao knows Jiang YanLi pauses when Jiang Cheng asks that. He feels pity for them, he truly does. Doomed to a life of arguments and emptiness the second they were born as children of Madam Yu. Fate was truly cruel sometimes. 

“Is Young Master lonely?” A-Ying asks, and the older three are waiting for Jiang Cheng to snap in the way they have all witnessed before. But it never comes. 

“Yes. Very. I’m… I’m really grateful and happy to have A-Jie. But someday she’ll leave to Koi Tower and never return. And A-Jie is loved by many, and I’m just… not. So, how do I get what you have?”

He isn’t mad now, but Wen Chao and Wen Xu fear that one wrong word from A-Ying will send him into a rage. Wen Xu grips tighter to A-Ying and Wen Chao puts his guard up, just in case. 

“I don’t know how to give you everything I have. But A-Ying doesn’t mind sharing.”

“Sharing?”

“Mmhm. You can be friends with A-Ying, and she’ll help you make friends with Xuan Ge and Sang Ge. And Da Ge and Er Ge will play with you like they play with A-Ying, and Mama and Baba will help you like they help A-Ying. And she’ll even let you plant flowers in Nightless City with Qing Jie and A-Ning. Does that sound okay?”

They walk in silence for a while, Jiang Cheng continuing to stare at her, and it isn’t until they’ve almost reached the guest courtyard that he answers her.

“That sounds… very okay.”

“Then it’s settled. Starting today, Young Master and A-Ying will be friends.”

“You can call me Cheng Ge. If you want.”

“You can call A-Ying A-Ying. You too, YanLi Jie, you can call me A-Ying.”

It’s the first time either of the two acknowledge the others ever since Jiang Cheng started the conversation. YanLi beams and thanks her profusely, insisting that she call her A-Jie in return. Even Jiang Cheng smiles, not even trying to hide it. And when she falls asleep later, A-Ying dreams of shooting kites with Jiang Cheng. 

After that night, Jiang Cheng and A-Ying become fast friends. A-Ying does not forget the sight of Jiang Cheng turning away when Madam Yu had whipped Wei Ying, but she knows that Wei Ying does not hold a grudge. He seems to know that things are quite different now than when they were in Wei Ying’s life, so he accepts Jiang Cheng with a settled heart. 

They eat lotus seeds and play with the disciples their age, and A-Ying teaches Jiang Cheng how to smile. He doesn’t really take to it immediately, but he has worked his way to giving a small smile to people to show people he isn’t mad. The servants at Lotus Pier can feel the shift. They feel A-Ying’s presence like it’s the soft warmth of the sun after months of rain. Like the comforting heat of warm quarters after spending hours in the cold. She melts the frigid cold of everyone at Lotus Pier. Everyone, except Madam Yu. 

“That menace. I have no doubt that she is the child of that wretched woman,” she grits out, YinZhu and JinZhu quietly standing behind her. They share a look, but do not say anything, for fear of angering their master further. “I want her dead.”

The twin maids stiffen where they are standing. Even if they had not enjoyed the child’s presence at Lotus Pier, this was far too drastic. Not to mention, that was the daughter of the Chief Cultivator. If she even so much as threw a lotus seed at the child too aggressively, Wen RuoHan would have grounds to sever her head. A sick part of the maids almost wishes that a Wen will hear what Madam Yu says about Wen Ying. Not because they take joy in speaking ill of a child, but because then they will deal with Madam Yu accordingly, and they will no longer have to worry about serving such a cruel and unforgiving master.

“Tonight, make sure that no one sets foot in my courtyard. Put up silencing tailsman and assure that when I am done, you are ready to dispose of a body.”

They have no doubts about whose body she is referring to. JinZhu begins to tremble the slightest bit, but a definitive “yes, Madam,” from YinZhu diverts Madam Yu’s attention. They are dismissed, and as soon as they are out of earshot, JinZhu grips YinZhu’s arm and stops them both dead in their tracks.

“We have to tell somebody. We must warn the Wens at once.”

“That is suicide, JinZhu. They will also have our heads for being accomplices.”

“So, what? We live out our lives as monsters who allowed the sun to be shot from the sky? What kind of life is that, YinZhu?”

“The tragic life of servants who are nothing more than tools for their masters,” she hisses back. “Do you think I enjoy this? Do you think I want to live like this? Following the orders of some madwoman that gets off on beating children? Of course I don't. But what else can we do? We have nowhere to go, and no one to help us. This is all we’re here for.”

JinZhu hates it. She hates it so fucking much. But YinZhu is right. And even if JinZhu is ready to die to atone for these sins, it doesn't mean YinZhu is. Even in death, JinZhu would not be able to rest well if she knew that she were the reason YinZhu died so unfairly. So, she rids the idea of warning the Wens.

“That's it, then? We truly have no other choice but to let her hurt the child?”

YinZhu doesn't answer, but her silence itself is already damning. It conveys all the thoughts YinZhu has but does not dare to speak. 

“If we must atone in our next lives for these deeds, then let us face it when the time comes,” JinZhu says, then walks away.

-

A-Ying is dreaming of Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng causing mischief in town. They run around, chasing each other, and loudly talking to the street vendors, bragging about their latest accomplishments in training and such. It is a most pleasant dream, but she's suddenly rudely awakened by a sharp slap to her face.

No one has ever hit A-Ying before. Sure, there had been times when she accidentally ran head first into someone's legs because her head was in the clouds, but this sharp slap is intentional, burning, seething with hatred. She cries out and is snapped from the haze of sleep instantly.

“Daughter of that bitch, no doubt,” a voice snaps, and A-Ying knows this feeling, knows that voice. It is her worst nightmares coming true. “You should have died along with that whore mother of yours. What was the use of living and making my life harder?”

A-Ying has many thoughts about that statement, but the words won't leave her. Words were her best weapon, but right now, she is tongue-tied, no sound coming out, and her silence just makes Madam Yu angrier. She slaps A-Ying on the other cheek, drawing tears from the girl's eyes.

“What's more is you dare step foot in Yunmeng, ordering my daughter to cook for you and my son to entertain you. How dare you, when you are nothing more than the daughter of a whore! You have the nerve to enter and shame my family so! Acting as if my children are your servants!”

A-Ying finally finds her voice.

“My friends. Not servants, frie-” Another sharp slap cuts off her words.

“You are not worthy to be their friends,” Madam Yu seethes to A-Ying. “You are, and always will be, below my children in every way.”

The sound echoes, and even though YinZhu and JinZhu have almost finished putting up silencing talismans, they hesitate to seal off the area at the front when they hear the sound. YinZhu stops. She looks at JinZhu, and she can see that pain on JinZhu’s face, as if she is the one being beat. And then her loyalty, which had weakened and wavered when her Madam began bringing back those poor children and beating them within an inch of their life, is severed. Broken and shattered. She snatches the tailsman out of JinZhu’s hand and tears it apart, leaping to the next wall over and doing the same with the talisman that had already placed.

She turns to JinZhu, fire and determination in her eyes, and says:

“Apologies. Our time to atone in our next lives has come quicker than I thought. Fetch the Chief Cultivator.”

JinZhu is shocked before a relieved smile spreads across her face, and then she hightails to the guest courtyard while YinZhu finishes tearing down the tailsmans and then runs to wake the healer.

Inside, Zidian sparks to life. Ah. It truly is her worst nightmare coming to life, A-YIng thinks. The fear creeps in, and even though it paralyzes her body, she can not help but think she is so very sorry towards Wei Ying. She had promised him that nothing like that would ever happen again, yet here they are. And A-Ying is much younger than Wei Ying was when he first got whipped by Zidian. So it truly is too pitiful for poor Wei Ying. She braces herself, squeezing her eyes shut and praying someone, anyone will come and care about her life and death.

“No!” someone screams, and A-Ying is startled to hear that voice hear. Zidian had already been swung, and, unable to stop the whip when he throws himself in front of A-Ying, Madam Yu slices Jiang Cheng’s back.

A-Ying stares in horror as Jiang Cheng’s pale face enters her view, marred with immense pain and panic.

“Cheng Ge!”

“Are you okay?”

That’s a stupid question. Jiang Cheng has just taken Zidian to the back and he is bleeding profusely, and yet, here they are, him asking her if she's alright.

“Why did you do that?” she cries, scrambling to try and remember the medical procedure Auntie and Qing Jie had taught her in case of emergencies. 

“I couldn’t let my friend be hurt,” he gets out, and then promptly passes out from the pain, overwhelmed by it since he is so young.

Madam Yu stares in horror as her son bleeds, but even then, it doesn't seem enough for her to stop. She screams at A-Ying, saying it is her fault that Jiang Cheng got hurt, and that really, A-Ying should be grateful for the swift death Madam Yu will give her. Madam Yu lunges for A-Ying, but before she can get too close, a sword is lodged into her right arm.

“You dare to lay a hand on my daughter.”

A-Ying turns to find MeiXiu positively radiating with hatred towards Madam Yu, someone’s sword in her hand, and Madam Yu’s twin maids standing at the entrance of the room. They must have gone and warned Mama, A-Ying thinks, and she finally lets herself bawl. People are here that care about her life and death. Wen RuoHan and his sons appear a moment later, drinking in the scene before them before RuoHan moves to stand between Madam Yu and the children, absolutely livid.

When the twins see Jiang Cheng bleeding, they quickly rush to retrieve him, ready to rush him straight to the medical wing, and at the same time Wen Chao and Wen Xu rush to A-Ying.

“If the two of you would be so kind as to take A-Ying to the medical wing first, it would be greatly appreciated. I have some business to attend to that A-Ying need not worry herself with.”

“Yes, A-Niang,” Wen Chao replies as A-Ying is scooped into Wen Xu’s embrace and the three of them sprint out of the courtyard.

“My maids have betrayed me,” Madam Yu observes, anger overriding the pain from being stabbed.

“They have chosen morals over blind obedience,” RuoHan snaps, disbelieving that she could be angry even now. 

“A betrayal is still a betrayal, regardless of intention! And to abandon me for such a thing as that daughter of a bitch-”

“That is my daughter, you absolute imbecile. And after tonight, you will never forget.”

Wen MeiXiu has not fought in many years. After she married and had her two sons, she simply found more pleasure in playing with them than wielding a sword. But, Wen MeiXiu was not one of the best cultivators of her generation for nothing. Her body and her sword remember the feeling of facing an enemy, of having to rid of the obstacle in front of them. Zidian is strong, as is the Violet Spider, but Bǎohù Zhě is the sword that has been passed down from MeiXiu’s mother, and it is not an easy opponent to defeat. 

There is panic that seeps into Yu ZiYuan’s face when she realizes the Wen MeiXiu is going easy on Yu ZiYuan, toying with her, mocking her. Each time she lands a jab, it is in a place not fatal, but certainly painful, and at this rate, she is not sure whether she will bleed out and die miserably like this. 

Wen RuoHan knows better than to take the kill from MeiXiu. It is courtesy among hunters, after all. He sits back and lets his wife have her fun, and a sick happiness shines in his eyes. Confident that MeiXiu has everything under control, he pokes his head out and tells one of the servants to fetch Wen ZhuLiu. The man had not used his core melting abilities in a while, and RuoHan thought it the perfect time for his aide to brush up on his skills.

When ZhuLiu arrives and bows in front of RuoHan, MeiXiu thrusts her sword into Madam Yu’s thigh, reveling in the way Madam Yu collapses on the floor and cries out.

“My Heart, apologies for interrupting you, but I have brought ZhuLiu.”

MeiXiu whips around with a wide smile on her face, approaching the two men while flicking off the blood from her sword. 

“Apologies to disturb you night like this, ZhuLiu.”

“Not at all, Madam. It is my utmost pleasure to bring justice in honor of the Young Miss.”

“Excellent. Someone, bring a healer. Have them on standby to bandage that woman’s wounds. Do the absolute minimum so that she does not die, but do not help her feel better,” MeiXiu commands, turning to face the disgraced Madam on the floor. “I want her to live a long life regretting the day she dared to even lay eyes on my family.”

-

Nearly the entirety of Lotus Pier is woken, it seems. After news of the sect heir being whipped, along with the attempted murder of the daughter of the Chief Cultivator, A-Ying supposes it is only natural that they were plunged into chaos.

“A-Ying, our Little Sun, I-”

“You came to save A-Ying. You're A-Ying’s heroes,” she sniffles out. She clings tighter to their hands and raises them to her bruised cheeks, rubbing against them gently before Wen Chao tries to lightly scold her for touching her wound. It doesn't work. His voice shakes too much.

A-Ying thinks they're silly. It's not even a wound, really. She's probably gotten worse from running into Nie MingJue’s leg. The man has rock solid calves. But she doesn't say these things out loud, because she knows they will just fuss even more.

Watching his younger sister, Wen Xu feels like a failure all over again. She had been taken right under their noses, hurt, and almost killed. He is nowhere near worthy enough, and it tears him up inside, drives him near crazy. How could he call himself an older brother when he let this happen?

Wen Chao thinks the same things as Wen Xu does, but he tries to smile through his turmoil. He knows that A-Ying is hurting and shaken, and that she will try and comfort them even if she is in pain, because that is how kind and selfless she is.

“A-Ying has nightmares sometimes,” she confesses. “Nightmares about a life where Da Ge and Er Ge and Mama and Baba do not find A-Ying, and she is left all alone until someone eventually finds her. But they don't love A-Ying like A-Ying’s family does, and they're sometimes very mean to her. And in those nightmares, A-Ying is always scared that no one will care if A-Ying goes poof! Gone! But… A-Ying isn't very scared of that anymore.”

There's a very genuine, happy smile on her face, and it is so very out of place in the entirety of things. But Wen Xu and Wen Chao cling to it, cherish it, are so very thrilled to see it, even though they want to tell her it is okay to cry if she is sad.

“A-Ying isn't scared anymore. And she is really happy, because she has people that really will care if A-Ying goes poof. A-Ying always knew it, that Da Ge, Er Ge, Mama, and Baba would care very much if it happened. But, now that A-Ying has been saved from the nightmare by her family, she really is so happy.”

Wen Chao’s smile cracks, wavers. It's upsetting, really, that the smile he has so carefully built up over the years is cracking like this. But he can't help it. His Little Sun is always the exception. So, he lets the smile slip, and he buries his face into A-Ying’s hand that is being held by both of his, and presses a light kiss to their clenched hands. Wen Xu moves so that A-Ying is nestled into his lap, and Wen Chao and him sit shoulder to shoulder. Eventually, Wen Xu moves his arm so that it brings Wen Chao into his side, hugging him tightly, and Wen Chao leans into it gratefully.

It is how RuoHan and MeiXiu find them. They have obviously tried to wash themselves a little, and Wen Xu notices that they are wearing different robes. MeiXiu joins them on the bed, hugging her children, and leaning down so that she can kiss the top of A-Ying’s head. RuoHan kneels next to the side of the bed A-Ying is closest to. He checks her face himself and notices that she is smiling so genuinely.

“Little Sun?”

“A-Ying’s whole family are heroes,” she tells him, positively beaming. MeiXiu and RuoHan look absolutely baffled, looking at Wen Xu and Wen Chao and asking them with their eyes if A-Ying is terribly traumatized to be acting this way.

She tells them what she told her brothers before. About the nightmares. About the fear. About how she isn't scared anymore. About how she is so incredibly happy.

“Is the monster gone now?” she asks, eyes glimmering with hope.

“The monster is gone now,” MeiXiu cooes, planting a kiss on her daughter's nose. “The monster will never bother you again.”

A-Ying’s eyes light up like the morning sun, bright, radiating, blinding. MeiXiu catches her when she throws herself forward to give her a hug. 

“I knew Mama and Baba would always catch me,” she giggles, burrowing into her mother’s embrace. That night, the Wen family stay in that room together, on that bed, a strange calm sweeping over them. The storm had passed

-

The Wen siblings get to visit Jiang Cheng the next day. MeiXiu and RuoHan do not get to go with them, because they have to deal with the aftermath of yesterday night, but they place toys in the hands of their children and tell them to thank Jiang Cheng properly. When they arrive, he is awake and talking happily to Jiang YanLi, similar to A-Ying in how he is strangely cheerful after such a traumatic event. 

He is so engrossed in his conversation that he does not notice them enter until Wen Xu speaks.

“Young Master Jiang. On behalf of my family and the entirety of Qishan, I would like to show my deepest gratitude for protecting A-Ying yesterday.” Jiang Cheng makes a funny noise when the three siblings kowtow to him. Well, Wen Xu and Wen Chao kowtow. A-Ying crouches on her knees, obviously unaware of what is currently happening. 

“Hey, instead of doing that, you can just call me Jiang Cheng. Young Master Jiang makes it sounds like we're strangers,” he mumbles, ears red and eyes glued to his hands on his lap. 

Jiang YanLi helps them to stand, giving them a conflicted smile.

“As a Jiang, I apologize on behalf of Madam Yu for her shameful actions. It is truly Lotus Pier’s shame to have such a person running around.”

It does not escape anyone how YanLi addresses her as Madam Yu. Wen Chao shifts, and, after some debate, decides to drop the diplomatic facade he so often dawns. 

“YanLi, really. It's no one's fault but her’s. Don’t… Don't blame yourself for that mess.”

She nods, obviously relieved that the Wens do not act cold after last night’s incident, and moves aside so that A-Ying can move closer to Jiang Cheng’s bedside.

“Does it hurt?”

“No, not really,” he bluffs, then puffs up his chest. “I’m a man! Men don’t hurt so easily.”

“Silly, Cheng Ge, even men feel pain. Qing Jie and Auntie told me so!” 

A-Ying places the toys on Jiang Cheng’s lap and his eyes light up before his cheeks turn pink and he looks away from them. 

“Toys are for kids.”

“No, they’re not. Toys are for people that deserve nice things! Baba said so.” Jiang Cheng gives her a look from the corner of his eye, obviously very intrigued. 

“The Chief Cultivator said so?”

“Mmhm. He also said that Cheng Ge is gonna get a hero’s welcome when he visits Nightless City!”

Jiang Cheng isn’t really sure what a hero’s welcome is, and admittedly A-Ying doesn’t either, but it sounds mighty important, so he preens at the news and beams at YanLi.

“I’m getting a hero’s welcome, A-Jie!”

“My! My brother is so honorable! Truly the pride of Yunmeng!”

“He’s one of the Twin Prides of Yunmeng!” A-Ying cheers, to which YanLi gives her a confused glance.

“Twin Prides?”

“Mmhm! A-Jie is one of the Twin Prides and Cheng Ge is the other. Two heroic siblings who defend the peace of Yunme-”

“A-Ying,” YanLi gently interrupts her. “I’m honored, but I’m afraid you’re mistaken. I have poor cultivation, and I’m also a girl. I am not a Pride of Yunmeng.”

A-Ying gets ready to protest, but it’s surprisingly Wen Chao that does so in her place.

“Cultivation can be worked on. Even if you don’t cultivate, who’s to say you’re not a Pride? Word has traveled to every corner of this earth about how the Young Miss Jiang is kind and virtuous, a true model citizen. Your reputation alone is enough to make you a pride.”

“Your words are kind, but-”

“I am not being kind. I am being honest. And the matter of you being a girl, well, I am sure you know of many powerful women. In fact, I dare say that the most feared and respected person in Nightless City is a woman, my very own Aunt,” the Wen siblings give a small laugh at the mention of their beloved Aunt. “And her cultivation is certainly not terribly high. She much prefers medicine and the like. But, yet she is still one of the Wen’s sect most acclaimed members. Miss Jiang… YanLi. I ask you again, why should you not be a Pride?”

A-Ying and Jiang Cheng nod vigorously at Wen Chao’s words, showing their agreement, and YanLi feels her confidence, usually so small and broken, begin to swell a little. She mimics the way Jiang Cheng sometimes puffs out his chest and she sets her gaze forward, a new fire showing in her eyes. It is small, and feeble, but with enough care, Wen Chao is sure it will grow and set the world ablaze someday.

“There is… No reason I should not be a Pride.”

“Precisely. And should you require assistance to further expand you title as a Pride of Yunmeng, the Wen sect is willing to lend it.”

Wen Chao has never made friends before. They have been chance bonds built by his sister’s previously existing friendships. But, now, sitting there in the infirmary of Lotus Pier and discussing potential strategies for future studies as A-Ying and Jiang Cheng pester Wen Xu to tell them more stories, he feels like he has made his first friend.

-

Madam Yu is banished from Yunmeng and shunned from the cultivation world. Jiang FengMian agrees that the punishment is adequate, and even says he is willing to accept punishment for his crimes of allowing such behavior. Said punishment is sending Jiang Cheng and Jiang YanLi to Qishan for a year. They will be sent after the Wens return from Gusu, still planning to keep their promise of a visit to a certain Jade in Cloud Recesses to A-Ying.

Admittedly, the “punishment” is Wen Xu’s idea. He expresses that he wishes for the Jiang children to be checked by Wen ZhenZhen, both physically and mentally, and that he believed it would benefit Jiang YanLi greatly to further develop her cultivation at a place like Nightless City that was not littered with bad memories. 

JinZhu and YinZhu kneel in front of Madam Wen and the Chief Cultivator and tell them that they accept death as their punishment with a determined glint in their eyes. MeiXiu lets out a snort.

“We are not so foolish as to not repay the kindness of saving our baby, even if it did come a little late. Your punishment is to follow the Twin Prides of Yunmeng to Qishan when the time comes,” MeiXiu says, waving them off when they repeatedly kowtow at her feet.

“My Lady is very kind,” Wen RuoHan says when they are finally alone, his posture immediately becoming slouched. She tuts at him, but smiles.

“As far as the rest of the world knows, all those involved in Madam Yu’s crimes have been cruelly punished. As long as it becomes known that the consequences for their actions were a heavy debt to pay, that is enough. And, for all that I am concerned, the guilty party has been properly punished. She will live the rest of her life without a golden core, no money, and no standing. It is just.”

Wen RuoHan pulls her into his arms and rests his chin on the top of her head. 

“Our children seem awfully fond of the Twin Prides.”

“Our children have loving hearts that take to those that reciprocate their generosity.” 

“We are terribly lucky.”

“Indeed we are.”

“My Pride, Wen Xu. My Dignity, Wen Chao. My Little Sun, Wen Ying. My Heart, Wen MeiXiu. I am truly happy.”

Chapter Text

It takes a bit of time to get Jiang Cheng to tell them why he was at the former Madam’s courtyard that night. At first he had sealed his lips, shaking his head and looking incredibly stubborn when they tried to ask. It takes a lot of coaxing from the Wen siblings and YanLi to get him to finally say it.

As it turns out, the children Yu ZiYuan had taken would have died, had Jiang Cheng not found them in time. He told them about how, ever since the first child was dragged there, he had seen and waited for when she would leave to quickly go to them to try and help.

“YinZhu and JinZhu were always forced to follow her. They guarded the doors and had to leave when she left, or it would be seen as them disobeying. So, no one was left to help the kids, and it seemed like it really hurt. I woke the healer and got them treated so it wouldn’t hurt as much.”

Jiang Cheng does not have a mother. He’s felt this ever since she became so obsessed with finding some child in Yiling, when she let hatred consume her to the point of neglecting him and A-Jie. This is what he told himself repeatedly when he saw that woman raise Zidian at A-Ying, his first friend, the only person besides A-Jie to smile at him and offer him a hand when he was so painfully alone. It’s what he repeated to himself when he woke up in the infirmary and realized that it is A-Jie tending to him personally, and he feels it even more when the Wen siblings visit and Wen Xu and Wen Chao pat his head and tells him he did well.

But, at this very moment, when he is recalling the past, he wishes he did have one. Someone that will hug him while he recalls horrors, and tell him it is alright when he’s done. He knows A-Jie will do it, she is kind like that, but he feels sorry that she’s forced into this role because they do not have parents that will do their jobs.

“May I hug you?” a gentle voice asks, and Jiang Cheng’s eyes snap up to meet the face of Madam Wen. She is smiling a most gentle smile, and Jiang Cheng recognizes it as being so similar to A-Jie’s. 

“Uh… yes,” he says, and he wants to kick himself for sounding so dumb. She gently pulls Jiang Cheng into her arms, just like he has seen her do with A-Ying, and he’s tense for a second before he relaxes. It is so nice, so comforting, so… motherly.

“You did well. You have been very brave. Rest now, it’s all okay,” she hums, and he can’t help it when tears burn his eyes. 

In that moment he recalls what A-Ying had said to him not too long ago, on that walk from the dining hall to the Wen guest courtyards. When she had heard him speak of his loneliness and yearn for the things she had, and she had replied with a soft “I’ll share it with you.” She really keeps her promises, he thinks, and let’s Wen MeiXiu stroke his hair until he falls asleep.

When he wakes up after that, Wen RuoHan, the Chief Cultivator himself, is by Jiang Cheng’s bedside, and truly, for a short moment, he thinks his heart stops beating. 

“Chief Cultivator,” he says, trying to sit up for a proper greeting, but Wen RuoHan gently stops him, a hand resting on his shoulder to keep him lying down.

“No need,” he reassures. “Formalities are only for the unfamiliar. You are my daughter’s savior, such things are no longer needed.”

Jiang Cheng feels his face heat up, and he silently thinks that the Wen family is awfully good at making him shy and flustered. 

“Just did what anyone would do,” he mumbles, tugging at the sleeves of his clothes so he has something to do. “It’s not a big deal.”

“My, young hero, is that truly what you believe? How fearsome it is, for someone as young as yourself, to believe it is normal to throw themselves in front of one of the deadliest weapons in the world for a friend they made but not a few days ago.”

Well, when he says it like that, it does not sound very normal at all. It sounds very brave, very grand, very… stupid. 

“Had it been me, my sons, or my wife, I would have understood. We are her family, we are older, we have been blessed with a priceless treasure with her in our lives. We would have understood if you did not risk yourself like so to protect her.”

“I wanted to,” Jiang Cheng admits. It’s silly how much he spills to the Chief Cultivator about his feelings, but the words flow so easily out of his mouth that he does not have time to stop himself. “A-Ying is my friend. My very first friend. I- she- … She shared with me. Even when I wasn’t nice to her. She helped me even when she didn’t have to. I know she knew about Madam Yu, about how she would glare at A-Ying and she hated it especially when she came close to me and A-Jie, and she still found me to play with me. She didn’t care about anything else except helping me. And so I wanted to do the same. Not because I felt I had to, but because I really, really wanted to. So that she knew I would also save her when she needed her.”

“How the youth grow so quickly these days,” RuoHan chuckles. “I mistook Young Master as a grown man just now. I imagine having to protect your sister here in Lotus Pier has forced you to grow rather quickly. Admirable, but, Young Master Jiang, we are here now. You do not have to force yourself to be so mature anymore.”

It’s a weight lifted off Jiang Cheng’s shoulders. He knows. He’s known. For the longest time, Jiang Cheng has pushed himself to be the adult that his parents refused to act like. He protected A-Jie and she protected him, because they were all the other had. Sect Leader Jiang and Madam Yu threw them aside and told them to learn to swim or drown, and that is how he and A-Jie have lived for the entirety of their lives. 

“Will… will you really help me and A-Jie?”

“You have my word. Should the two of you ever require assistance, do not hesitate to reach out to Qishan. We will respond swiftly.”  He relaxes, truly relaxes and lets the tension and pressure slip from him for the first time in his life.

-

A-Ying only untangles herself from YanLi and Jiang Cheng when RuoHan informs her that the Jiang siblings will be visiting Nightless City after the Wens return from Gusu.

“Really?” she asks, eyes bright.

“Yes, Little Sun, they will be staying with us for a period of time. Now, please, Little Sun, let us head to Gusu. After all, I am sure Lan WangJi is eagerly awaiting-”

A-Ying gives a loud gasp as she realizes that she has kept her poor Zhan Ge waiting, and then, with a reluctant gaze, she kisses YanLi’s cheek and hugs Jiang Cheng before bounding into her mother’s arms.

“We will be waiting for your arrival in Qishan, a proper welcome ready for the Twin Prides of Yunmeng,” MeiXiu smiles. Jiang Cheng blushes and YanLi raises her head a little higher, just as Wen Chao has been teaching her, and with that as farewell, the Wens set off to Gusu.

A-Ying is restless for most of the trip, and she only calms down when Wen Xu snatches her into his arms and teases that he won't help A-Ying avoid scoldings at the Cloud Recesses if she doesn't sit still. She squeaks and immediately sits still as a statue in her brother's lap, fidgeting every now and then from excitement. 

“Little Sun, would you like to stop in Caiyi Town? I heard it is filled with exciting things,” Ruohan says as they get closer and closer to Gusu.

She nods her head and when they arrive in Caiyi, she tugs on Wen Chao’s hand and urges him to follow her to the closest stall. She flits around and looks at everything the vendors are selling, and she finally looks at RuoHan with expectant eyes when she finds two rabbits carved from jade. 

“Baba, please, can A-Ying have that?” she asks, pointing at them. Of course she can have them, he thinks. She can have the whole damn town if she wants it, really, but RuoHan tucks away that thought and pulls out money to pay for the figures. He hands it to A-Ying, she uses both hands to hold it, and she squeals in delight.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes! Very much!”

She doesn’t let go of the rabbits, even when they are ascending the mountain to Cloud Recesses. MeiXiu warns her to watch her step, and A-Ying nods, being extra careful so that she does not trip and break the jade. When she eventually tires and pouts at RuoHan to be carried, they pick up the pace and arrive at the entrance in no time. Just as it had been in Lotus Pier and Koi Tower, the main family is there to greet them, and A-Ying musters all the restraint she has to reciprocate a proper greeting and not launch herself at Lan WangJi.

“Wen Xu, it has been a while,” Lan XiChen greets, to which Wen Xu offers a smile and returns the sentiment.

“Indeed, Lan Huan. I was surprised when MingJue informed me that you would not be able to make the trip to Qinghe when my siblings and I previously went.”

“How upset I was when I could not make it. I had been looking forward to it, but certain circumstances prevented me from visiting.”

A-Ying knows she should wait until these pleasantries are over. She should wait until Da Ge is done talking to Young Master Lan and she should wait until Mama and Baba excuse her and her brothers and Sect Leader Lan dismisses Lan WangJi and Lan XiChen, but A-Ying’s patience is so limited that she hands the rabbits to MeiXiu and launches herself at Lan WangJi.

“Zhan Ge!” she greets, clinging to his arm. “A-Ying missed you.”

“Missed A-Ying too.”

Wen Chao almost mistakes Lan WangJi as unmoved, but the glaring red that dusts his ears lets everyone know that he is greatly affected. Lan Qiren, from beside Wen RuoHan, looks very much like he would like to scold A-Ying for inappropriate behavior, but a look MeiXiu sends him makes the protests die on his tongue. RuoHan tells his children they are free to go, as long as they listen to Lan XiChen and Lan WangJi and behave, but before they leave, MeiXiu whispers into her sons’ ears to not let A-Ying get close to Qingheng-Jun. They nod before leaving, making sure that they take turns to hold onto A-Ying’s hand tightly.

A-Ying is most definitely breaking some rules, such as the “excessive noise is forbidden” rule, but neither Lan Xichen or Lan Wangji bothers to remind her, and when a Lan disciple passes by and gives a look to A-Ying, Lan Wangji just glares and that seems to be the end of it. 

“And we made friends with Yanli Jie and Cheng Ge at Yunmeng, and they were very, very nice to A-Ying! They’re going to visit A-Ying at Nightless City! I can’t wait!”

Lan Xichen guides them to the Hanshi, conversing easily with Wen Xu and Wen Chao. He mentions how Cloud Recesses are preparing to receive guest disciples for the lectures, and how Wen Xu will soon be old enough to attend, though they’re unsure if he’ll go, considering Qishan has not sent disciples in many years. 

“Perhaps my father will have a change of heart. After all, he sent us to Qinghe to learn from Sect Leader Nie, I see no reason as to why he would oppose my studying in Gusu.”

Xichen gives him that smile, telling Wen Xu that he’s been caught in his lie. Wen Xu smiles back, not apologetic, but telling Xichen that the lie is necessary while here in Gusu. It is not a secret that Wen Ruohan strongly disapproves of the Lan Elders, as well as Qingheng-Jun. He thinks that they are too frigid, too controlling, too hypocritical, and there is a completely different rant for Qingheng-Jun that Wen Xu deems too blunt to try and summarize to Xichen. The probability of Ruohan letting any of his children study at Cloud Recesses is about as high as Wen MeiXiu letting A-Ying marry out of the Wen sect.

“Who knows? Father treasures experiences to prep us, both good and bad ones,” Wen Chao says, more to himself than to the others. Xichen has a servant fetch tea for his guests, and he watches as A-Ying flits around the area, drinking in the minimal, but definitely beautiful, decorations of the Hanshi. 

“Do you like it?” Xichen asks as A-Ying stares at a painting on his wall. It is depicting a woman, so very beautiful, surrounded by flowers and smiling serenely. 

“She’s very pretty,” A-Ying murmurs. “Is she a fairy?”

“Not quite,” Xichen replies, shooting a look at Wangji, urging him to continue.

“Mother,” is what he says, short, but definitely informative. 

“Ah,” A-Ying hums. “So that’s why Young Master Lan and Zhan Ge are so pretty.”

Lan Wangji’s ears heat up again and his finger twitches, which does not seem like much in the eyes of others, but in Xichen’s eyes, it is the equivalent of Wangji having a full-fledged meltdown. Xichen does not laugh at Wangji panicking, but it is almost a sure thing. Wangji levels him with a look , and a strained “xiongzhang,” and Xichen turns to continue his conversation with Wen Xu and Wen Chao.

“Did Zhan Ge’s Mama plant the flowers from Nightless City next to the gentians?”

“Mn. Mother followed A-Ying’s instructions and the flowers grew well. Mother is very happy.”

“Then A-Ying is happy!” Wangji blinks a few times at the sight of A-Ying’s beaming smile, and then he reaches into his sleeve ( not fumbling, the Jade of Gusu does not fumble ), and pulls out a blue gentian. Just like the time in Nightless City when he had clumsily handed her the flowers, she lights up, leaning in very close to Wangji and gushing about how beautiful the flower is. “Zhan Ge brought this flower just for A-Ying?”

“Just for A-Ying. Only for A-Ying.”

Wen Xu makes an awfully funny noise when A-Ying dives to give Wangji a hug. Xichen gives a gentle “oh my” and Wen Chao chokes on the sip of tea he had just taken. At first, Wangji freezes and does not move to reciprocate. A-Ying frowns and moves to pull away, but that is when Wangji moves to wrap his arms around A-Ying, letting his cheek press into her hair. 

“Thank you,” she says softly.

Wen Xu looks very much like he would like to march over and pull the two apart, but Xichen purposefully strikes up a conversion with him, and even though Wen Xu knows he’s being led into it with ulterior motives, he allows it, since A-Ying is not in danger and seems happy. 

“Isn’t it wonderful that they have become such close friends?” Xichen asks, and Wen Xu hates that shit-eating grin the Lan Sect heir wears. Wen Chao has regained his composure from his earlier surprise, but his words don’t seem to really come at the moment. Which sucks, considering his words are his best weapon. “I wonder how Wangji would look with a little red in his wardrobe.”

There are many ways Wen Xu can interpret that. The two most likely translations of that particular sentence is the indication of wedding robes, or maybe red mixed with his usual white robes, which would be the Wen sect colours. Wen Xu decidedly does not want to think about either of those things. Although, admittedly, an annoying part of his mind whispers that A-Niang would be more relaxed to hear that Lan Wangji would join the Wens instead of A-Ying joining the Lans. He quickly abandons that train of thought. 

“It’s unlike you to be so hasty, A-Huan,” he says, trying to make it clear that the subject should be dropped. 

“Apologies, I did not realize such a trivial thought would cause trouble.”

The bastard is not at all sorry. 

“Da Ge,” A-Ying calls, having ended the hug with Lan Wangji, much to the boy’s disappointment. “Da Ge, hug?”

It’s completely random, and the Lans look very confused when A-Ying does this. But Wen Chao and Wen Xu knows what it means when she asks for hugs out of nowhere with this particular tone of voice. It means that her love is overflowing and she doesn’t know where to put it and what to do with it. So she wanders around and looks for someone that looks like they need some love. She’ll go to someone, anyone really, that looks stressed or sad or maybe even just a little tired, and she’ll stretch out her arms and smile and ask sweetly “hug?” and everyone automatically accepts.

“Ah, was Da Ge’s face really so bad,” Wen Xu chuckles, walking over and scooping up A-Ying, tucking her head into the crook of his neck.

He sees Lan Wangji look slightly jealous, and Wen Xu feels ridiculously victorious. That is a child, Wen Xu reminds himself. He should not feel so pettily happy about the fact that A-Ying has given this hug to him and not Lan Wangji. But reason has never really been present when it came to A-Ying, so Wen Xu just continues to feel smug, even as he sweeps to take a seat by Wen Chao.

Wen Chao gives him a look, one that tells Wen Xu that he can clearly see his pathetic celebration over this very young child, but Wen Xu just taps Wen Chao’s forehead with a teasing affection and the younger one drops it. 

“The three of you truly do make a heart warming picture,” Xichen compliments. “I’ve never seen such a loving family.”

Something flashes on Xichen’s face. Wen Xu has only just had time to have the suspicion that Xichen, his friend of many years, may be sad before A-Ying squirms out of her brother’s hold and stands in front of Xichen, arms spread wide and that radiant smile on her face. 

“Hug?”

Out of everyone in this room, A-Ying is least familiar with Xichen. She has spoken to him at the discussion conference in Qishan, and she knows her Da Ge is close with him, but Xichen had an air about him that is very serious and very adult, so she did not interact with him often, finding the gaps in personality jarring. But A-Ying never turns her back on someone that might need her, so here she stands, offering the Young Master Lan a hug.

For a fleeting second, he looks like he moves to reject the offer (respectfully, of course), but A-Ying’s smile dims a little when she thinks that someone doesn’t want her hug, and Wangji glares ( honest to God glares ) at the mere thought of someone making A-Ying cry, so Xichen reaches out to hug her. 

He gets it. Why the Wens and nearly everyone familiar with A-Ying is so charmed by her. Hugging her is an immediate comfort, a gentle reminder that, even if things weren’t great, someone would come and make them okay soon. Of course, he had thought fondly of A-Ying, as she had so graciously extended her hand to Wangji when he had no friends. But his thoughts shifted subtly from “someone to thank because she is treasured by Wangji” to “someone to treasure because she is so kind.”

“All better?”

“Mm, all better. Thank you very much, Young Miss Wen.”

“You can call A-Ying A-Ying.”

For a second, Xichen expects her to follow up with a “because you’re Da Ge’s friend” or a “because you’re Zhan Ge’s brother.” But she doesn’t say those things, as if she sees no reason to preface this decision. As if she truly just sees him as someone important to her, not by extension, but to her directly. The thought is oddly touching. 

“Well, A-Ying, I see it only fair that you call me Xichen Ge in return. Does that sound okay?”

“Xichen Ge,” she parrots, testing the feel of it. She smiles and plops down next to him, still repeating “Xichen Ge” while she begins to think. 

Why does Baba and Mama seem tense in Gusu? Is what she thinks. The people she has met are very nice, and, usually, as long as people are nice to A-Ying, Mama and Baba are nice to them back. Mama and Baba are technically still being nice, but A-Ying can tell they don’t want to be. They’re not as cold as they were to Madam Yu, but that doesn’t say much because the former Madam inspired the worst in most people.

“Zhan Ge, what do you do for fun here?” she asks, because if she gets Mama and Baba to do something fun, they’ll feel better.

“Read. Music. Meditate. Cultivate.”

WangJi knows that his answer is wrong when A-Ying starts to pout, bottom lip jutting out and cheeks puffing slightly. It is a very cute face, Wangji admits, but he does not wish to be the source of her displeasure, so he shoots a look to Xichen for help, but, like the traitor Xichen is, he just laughs and pats A-Ying’s head. Wangji is not jealous that A-Ying lets Xichen pet her head.

“Can find something fun for A-Ying.”

“Really?”

Hopeful eyes are turned in his direction and he immediately nods his head. Uncle has repeatedly drilled the importance of not making promises you are not certain you can keep, so when he nods his agreement, it drives him to accomplish his task that much more. He sits and thinks for a while, wondering what could possibly entertain A-Ying when an idea pops into his mind. He stands and excuses himself, letting them know that he would be back soon before quickly leaving the room. The Wens are a little confused and Xichen is slightly curious, but they all just patiently wait and enjoy their tea while waiting for Wangji to return.

It does not take him long. He enters the room (definitely does not burst into it) holding two fluffy rabbits. Before Xichen even has the chance to ask where he got them, A-Ying excitedly squeales “bunny!” and launches herself in Wangji’s direction. 

“For A-Ying,” he says, sounding just the taddest bit smug.

“Da Ge, Er Ge look! Zhan Ge got me bunnies!” she says, as if they are not sitting 3 steps away. Wen Chao gives a tired sigh, and Wen Xu resolutely looks at Lan Xichen, as if it is his fault that Lan Wangji has brought the rabbits. 

“They’re very nice, A-Ying,” Wen Xu says, still glaring at Xichen. 

“I did not realize that the Cloud Recesses had rabbits,” is what Xichen offers. 

“Why does it not surprise me that your brother has found something you did not know lingered in your home just for A-Ying’s sake?” Wen Xu sighs, feeling like he can hear his mother laugh at the absurdity of the situation. 

“Can we name them?” A-Ying asks Wangji, to which he nods. “How about Yingying and Zhanzhan?”

It surprises Wangji enough that he almost drops the animals. Seeing that he is unreliable, A-Ying reaches out to take the rabbits into her arms, to which he relents and makes sure her hold is firm before pulling back. 

“They are nice names,” he chokes out, and the Wen brothers look very much like they wish the ground would swallow them whole. It, fortunately, does not happen.

With Xichen’s approval, they allow the rabbits to hop around the Hanshi, letting them explore the place while Xichen muses outloud how it will take a great deal of convincing to let Lan Qiren allow the rabbits to stay. 

“What if he doesn’t let the bunnies stay?” A-Ying asks, hugging Zhanzhan closer to her.

“Then A-Ying may take them to Nightless City with us,” Wen Chao answers easily, knowing MeiXiu and RuoHan would never deny her anything. 

They stay in the Hanshi until it is time for dinner. When they rise to leave for the dining hall, Xichen allows the rabbits to stay in the Hanshi until the details of their stay are sorted out and the five of them begin the stroll to meet the others at the dining area. 

The atmosphere is weirdly chilly when they arrive. A-Ying has no idea why, but she seems to be the only one clueless. Wen Xu and Wen Chao tense and Xichen and Wangji freeze, and A-Ying so desperately wants to know what’s wrong but she is more focused on telling Mama and Baba the exciting gift she got today.

“Mama! Baba!” she runs towards them, and the two adults break their cold stare with a mysterious Lan man to stare lovingly at their daughter. 

“Little Sun, you seem to be in high spirits,” Ruohan notes, pulling her into his lap and leaning over so A-Ying can still cling to Meixiu. 

“Zhan Ge gave A-Ying a gift! A precious gift!” By now, the four boys still frozen in the doorway have snapped out of their trance and have moved to take their respective places, although the Lans do look slightly pained to do so. “He gave A-Ying bunnies! I named them Yingying and Zhanzhan! And they’ll always be together!”

A gentle chuckle floats into A-Ying’s ears, and it is almost as beautiful as Mama’s. A-Ying peeks over and she sees a very familiar face. She tilts her head in thought before realization hits her and she perks up immediately. 

“Zhan Ge and Xichen Ge’s Mama is here, Mama! She’s very pretty!”

Madam Lan gives her a radiant smile, as beautiful as the moon light, and she can see Zhan Ge’s features on that beautiful face. 

“This must be the Young Miss Wen. She’s as lovely as the rumors say.”

“Indeed, Madam,” Mama says gently, letting A-Ying know that Mama likes Madam Lan. “She is our shining sun, a true ray of hope in dreary times.”

“How beautiful,” Madam Lan sighs, turning so that she looks lovingly at her children. “I often feel the same about my children as well.”

Lan Qiren looks like he would like to argue about something she said, but exactly which part he would like to argue about is unknown to A-Ying.

“The Young Miss Wen truly is very interesting,” says the man that A-Ying still doesn’t know. The cheery mood drops considerably when he speaks, and Ruohan hugs A-Ying a little tighter. 

“Sect Leader Lan’s words are similar to Sect Leader Jiang’s.”

It’s a double jab, Wen Chao notes. His mother has known word of the events of Lotus Pier have reached Cloud Recesses, even with their supposed “no gossip rule”, and many have noted Sect Leader Jiang’s compliance in his former wife’s crimes. Turning a blind eye. The first jab. The second jab is in the way she clearly mocks his title as Sect Leader, and even though it is disrespectful beyond words, no one dares point it out. Not only because Meixiu is a scarily powerful person, but because she is right is her mockery.

Madam Lan looks oddly happy about Meixiu’s jab.

“It is a truly rare occasion for Sect Leader Lan and Madam Lan to join us. I wonder what brought about this… momentous occasion,” Wen Xu wonders outloud.

“The Chief Cultivator and his family have graced the Cloud Recesses, how could we slight our guests by not even showing our faces?” he replies.

Ruohan would very much like to retort that he seemed to have no problem slighting every other guest in this way, and that Ruohan would have even preferred that type of slight if it meant never having to see this man’s face ever again. But he does not, because there are children in the room, and even if Wen Xu and Wen Chao would remain unaffected and A-Ying would just be confused, the Lan children might be wounded by the words thrown around, so he bites his tongue. 

Dinner is quite after that, following the Lan rules to a t. Not even A-Ying has the courage to break whatever tentative truce is created by the silence. She obediently sits on her Mama’s lap and eats as neatly as she can, only mumbling twice about how bland the food is. Just like in Lotus Pier, the children are dismissed first, but Wangji and Xichen seem hesitant to leave. They keep stealing glances at their mother, as if they do not want to leave her side.

A-Ying decides that she has behaved a fair amount today. She was very good during dinner, so she’ll let herself be very rude. For the greater good.

“A-Ying wants Madam Lan to carry her to bed! A-Ying wants the Fairy!”

The Wens know that this is very unusual behavior from her. They know that she is acting, but to accomplish what exactly, they can only speculate. They do not move, since it is their daughter that has made the first move. They must wait for the Lans to make their move first. 

The Lan Elders and Lan Qiren look incredibly angered. Under different circumstances, the Wens might marvel at the shade of red and purple their faces turn. But now is not the time. Madam Lan, thankfully, looks very happy by this request. As if she were hoping to be bossed around by A-Ying like this. It’s an odd thought, so A-Ying doesn’t dwell on it. Sect LEader Lan sends a cold look her way, but Meixiu glares back with at least twice as much force, and he looks away. 

“Please, Madam Fairy?”

The Lans move to protest, but before they can, Madam Lan has swept out of her seat and in front of A-Ying, stretching her arms out to her in an invitation. The smile she sends to A-YIng is very blinding. It is very similar to Xichen’s smile. 

Quickly giving a kiss to Meixiu and Ruohan, A-Ying slides into Madam Lan’s embrace, and urges her brothers and the Lan brothers to leave the room. Make haste, is what she says without verbally saying it. They scramble to their feet and bow, before speedily exiting the area and creating more distance between them and the dining hall. 

“A-Ying is sorry for being rude. She didn’t mean to,” she whispers into Madam Lan’s robes as their group focuses on gaining distance. 

“My A-Zhan has spoken most fondly of you. I know that you meant no harm in your words. You are as intelligent as he says,” she praises.

An embarrassed “Muqin.” is heard from Madam Lan’s right and Lan Wangji is there, trailing next to them like a lost duckling. 

“Down, please,” she says, and Madam Lan pauses her steps to gently place her down. A-Ying immediately goes to Wen Xu and says “Up, please!” and he complies, no longer in a hurry to get to his quarters, and hugs her. 

“Was my embrace awfully uncomfortable,” Madam Lan teases.

“No, Madam Fairy’s hug was very nice. But Madam Fairy can’t give Zhan Ge and Xichen Ge a hug if A-Ying is still in her arms,” she says as if it were very obvious. 

Madam Lan needs no further prompting. She drops to her knees and pulls her children into her arms, hugging them as if she never wants to let go. A-Ying knows that this is a precious moment that’s meant to be shared by those three alone. So, she whispers to Wen Xu and Wen Chao “sleepy” and they quietly slip away to allow them this moment.

Xichen sees them leave from over his mother’s shoulder, and while he doesn’t call out, he reminds himself to thank the Wens a thousand times later. There, in his mother’s embrace, in some random garden, with his beloved brother next to him, he thinks he’s ascended to the heavens. It is not their monthly visit, and it is not in the gentian house, and he is so, so happy. 

“My sons, my beautiful children. How joyous I am that you are happy.” Her voice is shaky with barely repressed cries, and Wangji is afraid of how his voice will sound because he knows he is not succeeding in holding back his tears. He is still young, after all. “I feel the rumors are true. The Young Miss Wen brings happiness wherever she goes.”

Wangji manages a nod at that. Xichen makes a noise of agreeance, but a small, annoying part of him asks “what of when she leaves?” When A-Ying returns to Qishan, they will be forced into their previous lives, but much more miserable, knowing this happiness could be attained in her presence. A crazy, irrelevant piece of information makes its way into his thoughts. How the Wens were to bring the Jiang children and the maids of the former Madam to Nightless City under the disguise of punishment. He knows better, especially because he knows what type of people the Wens are. They are offering protection to those poor people. It’s completely irrelevant information, except… is it really?

“Muqin,” he calls shakily. “Muqin, what if… What if you could be free again? And still see us?”

Madam Lan loosens her grip slightly so that she can look properly at her eldest son’s face. It’s not simple curiosity, this question. It is with intent. He is planning something. 

“Of course, it would be nice, A-Huan, but it is not-”

“The Wens. We are in the Wen’s favor. They are smart and noble, they can help! And we… we can still be together. They will not bar us from you.”

Madam Lan looks around nervously, afraid someone will hear Xichen’s words and punish him for even daring to give voice to them. She looks back at him and shakes her head. Do not say such things out in the open, is what she conveys. He deflates, but nods in understanding. The thought does not leave him, however, and Madam Lan can tell in the way that his eyes do not lose that glimmer. She thinks it’s a good look on him, that look of mischief and excitement, but she worries what consequences his plan might bring. 

But she has hope. In her son. And in her old friend, Wen Meixiu. She knows that Meixiu is honorable, and if anyone tried to harm A-Huan, Meixiu would do her utmost to defend him. This hope and belief she puts into Meixiu is the reason she does not discourage her son, does not try to persuade him out of whatever plan he is making. It is why she waits and hopes.

-

Wen Ruohan does not look completely shocked when Lan Xichen requests a private audience with him and Wen Meixiu. He raises an eyebrow, but it seems more like he was surprised at how quickly Xichen had sought him out. 

“Forgive me, Chief Cultivator, for disturbing your afternoon, and for speaking of issues that do not concern me, but this one has heard of the plans for the Prides of Yunmeng and two former maidservants to travel to Qishan soon.”

“That is untrue.”

“Pardon?” Xichen looks up at Ruohan. Untrue? The rumors were wrong?

“He means it is untrue that it does not concern you,” Meixiu clarifies. “For if it truly did not concern you, you would not be here in front of us, correct?”

“Madam Wen is as smart as my mother has told me.”

“She flatters me.”

“Tell me, Xichen. What is it you wish from us?”

Xichen takes a deep breath at Ruohan’s question and gathers his courage. 

“My mother. Please, take her with you to Qishan.”

Chapter Text

HI! Unfortunately, this is not an update (it's coming soon, but I just quit my job bc I was being like emotionally abused there, and I am honestly still shaking from the experience and my anxiety is through the roof) but! I came here to ask 2 things!
1. If anyone is fluent in English and has a strong grasp on the language, and also has time, I am very interested in having a beta reader!
2. If anyone knows of some fun group chats (whether for this fandom or not) and/or is looking for a friend, I could really use a distraction right about now!
If anyone is interested in either of these two things, comment down below and I'll either send you my discord or something and we can talk about it!
Again, sorry about no update!

Chapter Text

Before she was Madam Lan, the prisoner of the Lan sect, a sinner, and the shame of an entire city, she was just Zhang Xiuying. She had been a disciple of a small sect, but had eventually become a rogue cultivator, wandering wherever her feet and heart pleased. Her travels had eventually led her to Qishan Wen, where she had stumbled upon a night hunt of some sort. She does not have time to tell some female disciple to watch out before she is sharply tackled away by another female cultivator. 

There’s a sharp “oof!” from the one who had been tackled, obviously unsuspecting of the impact, but the one that had lunged had made sure to roll the landing to decrease the impact from the ground. From a few paces away, a young man sputters out a laugh after witnessing the sight, but quickly disposes of the fierce corpse before turning to fight the rest. 

Without thinking, Xiuying joins the fight. The three cultivators are surprised by her sudden appearance, but they’re too busy to say anything about it. With the four of them combined, they’re a remarkable team. The one that had been tackled earlier prefers her talismans, the one that had laughed at the tackle preferred his sword, and the one that had tackled is a combination of the two, effortlessly switching back and forth between her sword and talismans that Xiuying cannot keep up with what the cultivator is using at any given moment. 

The fight ends fairly quickly, and the four of them look at each other, not really knowing what to do now that there was no longer any danger. 

“Zhang Xiuying,” she introduces herself. “Rogue cultivator that was merely passing by Qishan. Apologies for intervening in your night hunt.”

“Don’t apologize, the help was greatly needed,” the man says. “Wen Ruohan. And this is my sister Wen Zhenzhen. The Wen sect thanks you for your help.”

There is not a soul in this world that does not know these two names. The genius children of the Chief Cultivator, one of them destined to be the next Chief Cultivator when the time is right. Wen Zhenzhen, with her magical healing hands and her natural gift in strategy, and Wen Ruohan with his accomplishments in battle and politics. Together, they are unstoppable. 

“Apologies for tackling you earlier, Young Miss Wen,” the remaining cultivator says, giving a formal bow. 

“Ah, you three were not previously acquainted?” Xiuying asks, shocked. They seemed so natural together that she had assumed… 

“We have yet to have the pleasure,” Ruohan responds, eyes never leaving the woman. 

“Wen Meixiu. Although I did live outside of Qishan. My parents wandered.”

“Young Miss Wen, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Wen Zhenzhen gives Wen Ruohan a look and he swipes at his sister, but she dodges in time. It does, however, end in them bickering, and Xiuying and Meixiu look on in amusement. 

“The geniuses of the Wen sect, huh?” Meixiu says, and Xiuying cannot help the snort that escapes her. Truly, standing in front of the pair like this, the rumors are obviously different from reality. When Wen Ruohan starts chasing Wen Zhenzhen in circles, Meixiu and Xiuying promptly share a look before bursting out into laughter. It’s so ridiculous, they think, but it is the start of a blooming friendship between the four. 

Meixiu and Xiuying end up accepting an invitation from the Wen siblings to go back to Nightless City. They usually don’t stay too long in cultivator areas, opting to stay where civilians resided and needed the most help, but they enjoy the company of the Wen siblings and with each other, so they accept the offer and the four of them travel back together. It does not take long for them to fall into a routine together. 

The Wen siblings rise first, attending to their responsibilities and beyond, and a few hours after they have risen, Meixiu and Xiuying gradually join them and assist in any way they can. Meixiu and Ruohan come up with plans to help the people and sometimes scheme about how to get some old, cranky sect leader to go along with plans that benefit the people and not just their greedy self interests. Xiuying and Zhenzhen tend to the injured, and when needed, devise strategies for when Meixiu and Ruohan go into battle against evil spirits and other malicious beings. The four of them always gather to take lunch and dinner together, and when the day is done, they will sit in Zhenzhen’s courtyard and drink tea and share stories until they are too tired to continue. 

The routine continues like that for a long time, none of them ever growing tired of it, and all of them loving every moment. When Ruohan officially begins to court Meixiu, and Zhenzhen begins taking interest in a certain promising cultivator, Xiuying is overjoyed. Her friends are finding their happiness, and nothing makes her more ecstatic. Truthfully, she never  plans to marry. She would much rather spend her days in Nightless City, surrounded by her found family, and eventually care for the little ones they will have. It is all she wants, but her friends worry about her, worry that she is giving up something to stay with them. So, to ease their minds, she declares she will go on a month-long trip, and do nothing but wander and play.

They are hesitant to part with her, of course. She is their dear friend, their sworn sister. But it is for her happiness, is it not? So, they send her off with hugs and a few tears, and the promise that she will return soon. Xiuying sets off, already counting the days until she can return back to her home and her family, but fate is cruel, and she never gets to return.

-

It had, admittedly, been their biggest regret. Worrying that Xiuying would not be happiest in Nightless City, they encouraged her to travel. But it was that damned trip where she encountered trouble and was taken by that bastard Qingheng-Jun, and they had never seen her since. Never seen her on her wedding day, never saw her after the birth of Xichen, and never by her side when she needed them most. She is just as beautiful as they remember, but it pains them to see her trapped in such a place. So many emotions flit through Ruohan and Meixiu when they see her sitting in the dining hall, but they settle on anger when they realize what is happening.

They are being taunted and threatened. It is some Lan bastard’s sick way of saying “look! We have someone precious to you and we are torturing her! And you can't go against us or we’ll hurt her and her sons!”

Meixiu only gets through dinner by having the steady weight of A-Ying on her lap. It grounds her and reminds her to not do anything. Not now, at least.

Xiuying joins for dinner the next night too. And the night after that. And the night after that too. It truly is just like a hostage situation, and the Wens would very much like to steal Xiuying and her sons away and then burn the Cloud Recesses to ash. But they endure, and decide in the middle of their fourth night that they must speak to her privately.

Ruohan notes vaguely that it is unbefitting of the Chief Cultivator and his wife to be climbing into someone’s quarters through the window like this, but he reasons that nothing is truly improper if it involves saving the innocent.  When Meixiu softly thuds onto the wooden floor, Ruohan follows, and then they're face to face with the woman they’ve considered their sister for so long, and Meixiu cannot help but cry.

“Xiuxiu,” she whimpers, running to embrace her.

“A-mei,” she cries back, and then they are a mess of tears and bone crushing hugs and Ruohan awkwardly hovers by the window, trying to give them some semblance of privacy until Xiuying looks straight at him.

“How long has it been, and you won't even hug your sworn sister? I am wounded, Ruohan.”

She still jokes in that deadpan way, and Ruohan wants to keel over from laughter, but he is eager to have his second sister in his arms, so he decides he’ll hug now and die of laughter later.

“We’ve missed you.” We’re sorry.

“I missed you all too.” Don’t be.

They stay like that for a while, and when they move to sit around the table, Meixiu never lets go of Xiuying’s hand, afraid she'll disappear in front of her very eyes, just like in her nightmares.

“Leave with us,” Meixiu blurts out, because she knows she never needs to have tact with Xiuying.

“A-Huan has spoken to you already, I assume.”

“Yes, but admittedly, I was thinking of kidnapping you and your sons regardless of whether Xichen had spoken to us or not.”

“That could not possibly be good for Ruohan’s position as Chief Cultivator.”

“Fuck the Chief Cultivator role.”

“Yeah, fuck the Chief Cultivator role.”

“Are you allowed to say that, Ruohan?”

“It is because I hold this title that I am the one most qualified to say this, Xiuying.”

For a second, it is easy to forget the pain of their separation for these past years. They fall into their usual back and forth so easily that it's almost funny. But there are pressing matters to attend to, so they force themselves to stay on task and focus.

“We all know the Lans will not let me go so easily.”

“We are working on it. Xichen is planning, I am sure you realized that already. This is a good opportunity for him to work on strategy. He has until the day after tomorrow, and if he does not come up with a suitable plan, we move to the second plan.”

“There is a second plan, A-mei?”

“Faking your death and smuggling you into Qishan.”

Xiuying can't help but laugh loudly at that. It is so ridiculous, and so very Meixiu. It's comforting to know she has not changed much since they last saw each other.

“Zhenzhen was always the better strategist,” Xiuying teases, wiping away a tear of laughter.

“She will be overjoyed when you come back with us. A-Qing and A-Ning will love you as well. Zhenzhen’s husband has prayed for your safe return every day since you left. They will be glad,” Ruohan says.

He does not say “if you come back with us” because it is no longer an option. Not for Ruohan, not for Meixiu, and most certainly not for Xiuying. Being away from her family and Nightless City for so long has caused her immeasurable amounts of pain, and she longs for home. There is no other option but success.

-

Xichen seeks out Wen Chao’s help. He had thought of seeking out Wen Xu, but Wen Xu is much better suited as acting as a distraction, occupying the Lan Elders and Lan Qiren with false interest in their three thousand rules and their awfully hypocritical teachings. 

“You owe me many meals for this,” Wen Xu had mumbled into his ear before once again luring away the attention from the elders so that Xichen could slip away with Wen Chao undetected. Xichen silently thinks that he owes all the Wens a considerable amount of debt for all they have and are currently doing for him, but he tucks that thought away for later.

“Getting Madam Lan out of Gusu is nothing short of a miracle,” Wen Chao had said bluntly. “But it's a miracle we have no choice but to make happen, isn’t it?”

Wen Chao knows to not waste time. As soon as silencing talismans have been placed around the Hanshi and the doors and windows are properly locked, Wen Chao spreads out parchment, picks up a brush, and begins writing.

“They are keeping Madam Lan in Gusu because of some supposed crime she committed. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence can see there is more to the story, but I assume the Lan Elders would more readily keel over and die before admitting they were wrong. Which means reasoning with them is out. We can pretend we're just as stupid as them and suggest we take her back to Qishan for punishment, but they would probably question why it is any of the Wen Sect’s business, even if A-Die is Chief Cultivator. There are problems there, but also some potential in this plan, so let's set it aside and come back to it later.”

As Wen Chao lists idea after idea, Lan Xichen increasingly is grateful they are not on opposing sides. Wen Chao has a knack for strategy and shines with intelligence when he speaks of defeating an enemy. It’s scary and awe-inspiring at the same time.

“Ideas, Er Ge?” Xichen snaps out of his thoughts at Wen Chao’s call. Er Ge… It feels nice. 

“If the Chief Cultivator could rightfully call Muqin to Nightless City, that would be the best option.”

“There are two options for that. She is a family member or she has committed a crime against the Chief Cultivator personally. Any other choice is filled with potential room for error.”

“Muqin is not family to them… Yet,” Xichen says, delighting in the way Wen Chao’s eyes narrow at the insinuation of being in laws in the future. “And she would never commit a crime against such kind people. Muqin is kind and honorable.”

“I know that. We all know that. But the Lan Elders don’t know that.”

Xichen doesn’t like the way Wen Chao says that last part. 

-

“Fake a crime?”

“This is awfully backward,” Meixiu says in response to Xiuying’s question. “But it is what my Chao-Er and Xichen have concocted, apparently.”

“And you are… agreeing with them?”

“We are willing to try it. We think that there is no harm, and that if it goes wrong, there is no harm in going with Meixiu’s original plan.”

Xiuying misses Zhenzhen terribly. 

“This is really the strategy we are going with?”

“Well, I highly doubt Gusu Lan will see sworn family as real family, given how pretentious they are. If we can not reason with them and we cannot fight them, what else can we do?”

Xiuying has never hated the no alcohol rule more than she does now. Some wine would very much help her deal with this madness, but alas, not a single drop is to be found in Gusu. 

“This is insanity.”

“Indeed, but it is a plan, nonetheless,” Ruohan retorts. “But perhaps it is so insane that it might just work.”

“Zhenzhen would shudder to hear you speak that way.”

“She will forgive me if it means having you back with us in Nightless City.”

Truly, Xiuying is willing to give almost anything to go back. She wants it, needs it, but the only thing that gives her pause are her two sons. If she left, what would happen to them? Would she be able to see them? And how often? Would they be hurt?

“Xiuying,” Meixiu calls, reaching out so that their hands are clasped. “You should have more faith in Xichen. He is a gentle soul, yes, but he is still your son. He has your knack for… strategy.”

The glint in their eyes lets them know how it is just a tad more than strategy. Heavens forbid one of the Twin Jades of Gusu scheme anything, absolutely not. That is far beneath them. It is simply a… less conventional strategy than most are used to.

“They will be safe, yes?”

“Guaranteed.”

With a deep breath, Xiuying gathers every last ounce of courage and replies, “then let’s begin.”

-

Xiuying had prayed to the heavens last night. She had prayed for something, anything to present a better opportunity in front of her. She did not want to have to look Ruohan and Meixiu in the eyes and belittle them, insult them. Even if it was acting, it hurt her heart. 

Maybe it is because A-Ying has always been the blessing everyone has prayed for, or maybe the universe has decided to have mercy on Xiuying for the pain she has suffered, or maybe it is sheer, dumb luck that no one ever wants to just shut up and listen to her, but the miracle happens.

It happens in the afternoon, a few hours before when they were originally going to follow Wen Chao and Lan Huan’s crazy plan. It’s purely by accident, that Xiuying and Meixiu are at the right place at the right time, or that A-Ying’s footing is just as a young child’s should be, or even more so that her doting brothers and father are not close enough to catch her in time. 

A-Ying trips. A-Ying trips and that is not a big deal. She trips and scrapes her palms and slightly bruises her knees, and Xiuying and Meixiu move forward to comfort A-Ying when her lower lip wobbles and a huddle of Lan Elders pass by at that moment. 

There is no way to suggest that Xiuying has anything to do with the fact that Wen Ying is on the ground, eyes watery and small sniffles escaping her mouth. There is nothing to even point to the fact that Xiuying is anything but worried that the girl is hurt. But, just as they always do, the elders blame her.

“You! You absolute disgrace! To have hurt the Chief Cultivator’s daughter! You are deserving of death!”

It’s just one of the many shouts and splutters that are aimed at her, and she moves to protest when Meixiu’s arm shoots out and stops her. They share a look, and Xiuying can tell: It’s happening now, go with it, is what Meixiu says. And even though it is so stupid and so insane, she places her faith in Meixiu and shuts up.

“To think that the Lan Sect is lacking in such manners that its Madam can push around children as she pleases!” Meixiu starts, and it’s so over the top and so exaggerated that Xiuying almost wants to laugh. Ah, Meixiu has not grown out of the dramatics over the years. Good.

“Madam Wen, we beg your pardon! We will see to it that she is sentenced heavily and will never act out in such a way agai-”

“Silence! Impertinence!”

“But,” A-Ying says “Madam Fairy didn’t-”

“My dear A-Ying,” Meixiu cries, dropping to her knees so that she and A-Ying are eye level. “You need not worry anymore. Mama will protect you.”

Her and A-Ying share an intense look, and A-Ying seems to understand the unspoken message because she just throws herself into Meixiu’s arms and tries to look as pitiful as possible. She succeeds. 

“With all due respect, Madam Wen, this is a Sect issue that we can sort ourselves, if you would just allow us to-”

“A sect issue? When my daughter is the one injured? How bold of you! I see that the respect for the Chief Cultivator’s family is only this much!”

Meixiu lays it on thick, and if any of the Lan Elders had been observant enough, they would realize that she had decidedly not paid as much attention to A-Ying as she normally would if someone had wronged her.

“After all that has happened at Lotus Pier, you Lans should be much more grateful that I will be ever merciful and take your Madam Lan back to Qishan and educate her myself!”

And there it was. The angle they had been aiming for, their hidden card shown to the opponent. There is a slight pause as the Elders struggle to think of their next move when Ruohan makes his timely entrance.

“Ruohan! There you are! Our daughter, disrespected and our name besmirched! I insist that the punishment be given by me personally, but the Elders have no respect for the wife of the Chief Cultivator! Is it not preposterous?”

To his credit, Ruohan does not miss a single beat. He knows better by now, having fought side by side with his wife for many years. He can read her cues and pick up on her story without having to even look into her eyes. 

“Surely our family is due more respect than what we’ve been shown,” he agrees. “My Lady shall be granted the right to punish Madam LAN as she sees fit.”

The Lan obviously do not concede without some protest. Even if Wen Ruohan is the Chief Cultivator, and even though they had publicly condemned Madam Lan in front of everyone, they did not want to let her go. Bury her, hide her, and maybe they would forget their shame. But Ruohan and Meixiu had an even stronger conviction on bringing her to Nightless City, and so, it is with much too much noise and probably dozens of Lan rules broken that they’re granted the right to bring her back to Nightless City.

-

Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji will not be going with their mother. Wangji is decidedly very upset about this, and Lan Xichen also feels a little longing at the thought, but he knows better, knows that this was his goal, and that this was what was best. 

“Wangji,” Xichen calls patiently, but Wangji shakes his head, the closest to childlike that Wangji will get, and refuses to let go of A-Ying’s hand.

“If Muqin cannot stay, then A-Ying should stay.”

Xichen tries very hard to convince Wangji that no, Young Miss Wen cannot stay, she and her family are due back at Nightless City, and they are to stay here, but Wangji is adamant in his clinging to A-Ying and even after much time has passed, they still have not gotten anywhere. 

“Zhan Ge,” A-Ying starts, leaning in close so that she can whisper into Wangji’s ear. “A-Ying will be back. I’ll sneak back here when Da Ge visits Xichen Ge!”

The idea is utterly ridiculous, and not very probable at all, but it does soothe him slightly. He has a promise, A-Ying’s word, and isn’t that as sure as a blood oath? 

Madam Lan had been escorted to Nightless City ahead of the Wen delegation, at the adamant insistence of Madam Wen, and Madam Lan had only had enough time to pack a few spare robes and kiss her children goodbye, a whispered “we will be reunited again” before she was swept away. Her quick exit had left Wangji more than a little distraught, and had caused him to cling even more fiercely to A-Ying than ever.

“If A-Ying promises to return to me…”

“A-Ying promises! A-Ying promises on her favorite ribbon that A-Ying will come back for Zhan Ge!”

There is a strange exasperation in Xichen when his many attempts at gentle persuasion and reassurances did not even hold a candle to A-Ying’s single spoken promise. But he supposes that it’s better that Wangji listens to anyone at all, so he lets it go and muses over the possibility of having A-Ying as actual family one day, and sends the Wens off with a gentle smile.

It’s to be expected that Qingheng-Jun returns to his seclusion, possibly more furious and hateful than before, but Xichen and Wangji do not have the capacity to bring themselves to feign care. They leave Qingheng-Jun to his own bitterness, and Wangji and Xichen continue their routines in the Cloud Recesses as they had before.

-

Wen Zhenzhen uncharacteristically abandons all propriety and sprints to the front of Nightless City. Two Wen Sect members are there, escorting the exact person Zhenzhen had craved to see for so many years, and before she knows it, she’s throwing herself into her arms and nearly bawling her eyes out where everyone can see. Xiuying does not make nearly as much noise, but she certainly does return the embrace with vigour and silently chokes down her own sobs as she soothes her friend.

“It is long overdue, but I have made good on my promise to return home,” she says to Zhenzhen, and Zhenzhen has a hard time deciding whether to hit Xiuying for taking her so long or fall at her feet kissing the floor because she is so grateful. 

“Mother?” a beautiful voice calls out, and Zhenzhen turns to find her daughter standing there, hand clutching her younger brother’s, and looking at her and Xiuying with bewilderment. 

“A-Qing, A-Ning, come closer. Meet your Aunt Xiuying,” she calls, extending her hand to her children. They move closer, and Wen Qing’s senses are as sharp as ever because she notices the Gusu Lan robes and the striking resemblance she bears to that one boy that clings to her precious cousin A-Ying and she knows. 

“Madam Lan,” she greets, because she is sure that is what is due to the Madam of one of the Great Five Sects, but a look at the two older women tell Wen Qing that it is not the right way to address her. It is not desired. “Aunt Xiuying,” she rectifies, and the response to that is much warmer.

Wen Ning follows her lead and greets and bows their new Aunt, and then they are swept into the familiar rhythm of having an adult coo over their chubby cheeks and their doe eyes and smooth skin. 

“Beautiful, as I’ve always expected your children to be, Zhenzhen,” she praises, and Wen Ning goes very red at the praise. 

There is more idle chatter before Zhenzhen falters, squeezing Xiuying’s hands with hers and finally asks the question that has been hovering in her mind for so long. 

“Xiuying, my brother and Meixiu have not given me the details, and while I suppose all that really matters is your return, I must still ask…”

How?

Zhenzhen suddenly finds that she has not the courage to voice the question, but Xiuying has never needed many words to understand her sworn sister. 

“My my, Zhenzhen,” she smiles. “Don’t you know your niece has the ability to make the sun rise?”