Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! Enjoy this next chapter :)

Beta: JeanGirl

- Chapter Start -

Jiang Cheng and Nie MingJue made good time, reaching Cloud Recesses in under two and a half hours. Despite the very early hour, there were half a dozen cultivators at the main entrance. Jiang Cheng wasn't surprised since the Twin Jades and a noted elder were away. He too, had ordered a tighter guard around Lotus Pier in his absence.

The brief note HanGuang Jun had dashed off, each word annoyingly picture perfect, and stamped with the Lan seal, was enough to sent two female cultivators hurrying off to the guest quarters.

With no elders in sight, the others crowded around and started asking questions about what happened, why were they asking for Wen Qing and not one of their own healers, and who needed her help. Jiang Cheng ignored them all, forcing an impatient Nie MingJue to answer one or two questions before insisting that the rest was confidential.

That caused a somewhat awkward silence with the Lan cultivators exchanging peeved glances despite their polite expressions.

Wen Qing and Wen Ning appeared a few minutes later, the former looking alert despite being woken up in the middle of the night. Paying no mind to the curious cultivators crowding around them once more, Nie MingJue gave a brief explanation of what happened.

Wen Qing's delicate eyebrows went up at the mention of an unknown, fast acting poison and a resigned sigh left her lips at how it was originally meant for Wei WuXian.

"Let's go," she said. "Every minute is precious even with Madam Jin's assistance."

When Jiang Cheng and Nie MingJue hovered their blades in the air, she held out her hand to the latter. Jiang Cheng pressed his lips together and ignored the pang in his heart.

"Sect Leader Jiang?"

Stepping onto Sandu, he turned to scowl at an uneasy Wen Ning.

"If you fall off, I won't stop to rescue you," he warned. "We are racing against time."

"Ah. Of course."

"In that case, Wen Ning," Wen Qing spoke up, "make sure you hold on very tightly to Sect Leader Jiang."

Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth, ears burning as he rose into the air with Sect Leader Nie and two Lan cultivators who would escort them for the first half of their journey to Lanling.

- o -

An hour later, after their Lan escorts left them to return to Cloud Recesses, Jiang Cheng felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It wasn't due to Wen Ning's hands tightening on his shoulder and waist, but the feeling that they were being followed.

The hand on his shoulder tightened a little more.

"Sect Leader Jiang, look behind you," Wen Ning said in his ear.

Turning his head, Jiang Cheng saw a group of black figures tailing them on swords, each one armed with bows and arrows. His stomach twisted at the sight. He should have known that Jin GuangShan wouldn't give up so easily.

"Out fly them?" Nie MingJue called. It wasn't a question.

Jiang Cheng nodded.

"Hold on," he told his passenger, too keyed up to feel anything at the sight of Wen Qing wrapping both arms around Sect Leader Nie's waist.

Forcing a burst of spiritual energy into their swords, they shot forward. Wen Ning yelped and clutched Jiang Cheng much the same way as his sister. Jiang Cheng refused to let that register in his mind either.

They left their pursuers behind, but Jiang Cheng soon heard a sound that made his blood run cold and his heart stutter in his chest - the 'twang' of several taut bow strings being released.

For an unforgivable instant, he was relieved that the Ghost General was standing behind him and would provide protection with his dead body. Then he realised it also meant that Wen Qing was Nie MingJue's shield, and relief turned to gut churning fear.

If they couldn't out fly their pursuers, they would have to land somewhere to fight. Jiang Cheng wasn't looking forward to it, not when they were so pressed for time and the two siblings were unarmed.

"A-jie!"

Jiang Cheng's head whipped around. Despite carrying a heavier passenger, he had pulled ahead of Nie MingJue by several feet. Nie MingJue's cleaver Baxia was both heavy and cumbersome, and unlike Jiang Cheng, he hadn't spent days on end racing swords with a daredevil like Wei WuXian.

It was only a matter of time before they were hit.

True enough, Nie MingJue gave a grunt of pain, body jerking as an arrow embedded deep in his right shoulder, just beside Wen Qing's hand. With a small scream, she snatched her hand away and flailed - Jiang Cheng's heart attempted to vault out of his throat - before grabbing Nie MingJue's left shoulder.

"Faster!" Jiang Cheng roared. Oh, this wasn't good. They didn't have arrows to shoot back. They were standing on their only weapons. Well, he had Zidian. Fortified with spiritual energy, it could easily lash out thirty feet - right now, he felt he could make it a hundred with all the rage and panic building up inside him.

But they would still need to land first.

Scanning the ground below for an optimal place that would provide some cover, he didn't register Wen Ning's grip tightening on his shoulder or the legs tensing behind his own. It wasn't until Sandu wobbled that Jiang Cheng whipped his head around again. His soul almost left his body at the sight of Wen Ning launching himself into the air, snatching two arrows aimed at Wen Qing's back and kicking away a third heading for Nie MingJue's head.

Jiang Cheng's short lived horror turned to relief and then back to horror again when Wen Ning, still gripping the two arrows in his hand, plummeted head first to the ground. Catching a glimpse of Wen Qing's white face, eyes huge and mouth opened in a silent scream of terror, Jiang Cheng cursed and pointed the tip of Sandu in a steep, almost vertical drop that would have made Wei WuXian green with envy if he had witnessed it. He reached out his left arm and flooded spiritual energy down it and into his legs as he braced himself.

As soon as his hand closed around the back of Wen Ning's robes, they jerked to a jarring halt, Jiang Cheng's shoulder burning with the added weight. Gritting his teeth, he slowed his descent until they landed on the ground in a small forest. Wen Ning stared owlishly at the arrows in his hand before looking up at Jiang Cheng.

"Sect Leader Jiang, I'm already dead. Why did you-"

"Shut up!" Jiang Cheng barked at him. His legs were trembling. He hadn't thought. He had allowed panic to govern his actions. One look at Wen Qing's face and he had - stupid! It was lucky he hadn't injured himself or it would have been doubly stupid.

Nie MingJue and Wen Qing landed just moments later, the latter taking several stumbling steps to throw herself at her brother. Jiang Cheng tore his gaze away from them.

"Sect Leader Nie, take Wen Qing and go. They'll need a few minutes to find us. I'll give you two cover."

"I'll help," Wen Ning volunteered, patting his sister on the back.

Nie MingJue shook his head.

"I will hold them off," he insisted. "You take the healer to Lanling."

Jiang Cheng shook his head as well.

"I have Sandu and Zidian," he tried again.

Nie MingJue hefted Baxia with a single hand.

"My Baxia will suffice," he growled.

Wiping her cheeks, Wen Qing turned to stare at them before looking at Wen Ning who gave a nervous smile and shrug.

"Sect Leader Nie, Zidian is better suited for medium range attacks," Jiang Cheng tried again.

"There are trees all around us. Baxia won't fail me," Nie MingJue insisted. Indeed, the enormous cleaver seemed eager to taste blood, its softly vibrating blade now encased in a dull red hue.

"Neither will Sandu," Jiang Cheng said, exasperated.

"Men," Wen Qing muttered, rolling her eyes.

"They will catch up to us in a minute. Go!" Nie MingJue ordered.

Jiang Cheng huffed and gave up. Sect Leader Nie gave a new meaning to the word stubborn. Letting Sandu hover in the air once more, he stepped onto it and held out his hand to Wen Qing. Then he realised that she would still be vulnerable to arrows if she stood behind him.

"Stand in front of me," he told her.

"I can't maneuver a sword. I'm a Healer," she replied as if to a dense child.

"I know," Jiang Cheng snapped. "I will direct us. You just put your arms..." The rest of the words refused to come out. He gestured to his own chest, ears heating up when Wen Qing's round eyes turned to the size of saucers.

"What?! Her voice went an octave higher.

"Maiden Wen, please," Nie MingJue spoke up with barely held back impatience. "GuangYao's life is at stake."

Eyes narrowing, Wen Qing tipped her chin up and held out her hand. Jiang Cheng shifted back a step and pulled her onto Sandu, facing him.

"I'm sorry," he muttered and saw her roll her eyes again.

"Tell this to anyone and I'll stick a hundred needles into you," she warned.

"Of course."

"I'm only agreeing to this because Jin GuangYao saved Wei WuXian from poison."

"Of course."

She squinted suspiciously at him before inching closer and wrapping her arms around his waist. Her hair smelled like flowers. Gah, now was not the time to think of such things!

"They're here, go!" Sect Leader Nie snapped.

Sandu rose into the air and an arrow flew past, tearing Jiang Cheng's sleeve. Cursing, he sent them zooming upward at a speed that made Wen Qing shriek. As soon as they cleared the treetops, he pointed Sandu in the direction of Lanling. Another arrow flew past, missing his arm by inches. He heard Nie MingJue's roar below them followed by Wen Ning's and found himself praying... that they would be fine... that they would arrive in time to save Jin GuangYao... that he would always feel Wen Qing's arms around-

"Oi, Jiang Cheng!"

Jiang Cheng blinked. That was not what or who he had prayed for although the sight before him was one that made him weak kneed with relief.

HanGuang Jun stood on Bichen, white robes fluttering in the wind, expression as stony as ever despite the speed with which they were traveling. Wei WuXian was wildly waving an arm behind him, his other arm around his fiance's waist.

"Jiang Cheng, we're here!"

"Wei WuXian!" Jiang Cheng snapped. "What took you so long?!"

"Where's Sect Leader Nie? Is that Wen Qing? What happened?"

They drew closer and slowed down, almost drawing abreast.

"Wen Qing, are you injured? Are you sick? Jiang Cheng didn't show off any flying tricks, did he?"

"Idiot," Jiang Cheng growled. "Who was the one who got A-Jie sick when he took her for a ride on Suibian?"

"That was only once," Wei WuXian protested and squinted. "Then why are you hugging Wen Qing?"

"Idiot!" Jiang Cheng's face felt like it would catch on fire. "Can't you see that she's hugging me? Gah!"

That earned him a hard shove in the chest that almost made both of them topple right off Sandu.

"Whoa, no lover's quarrel while in midair, please!"

"Shut up!"

"Sect Leader Jiang, there's no time to lose," HanGuang Jun spoke up with a long suffering air. "Where is Sect Leader Nie?"

"Holding off a dozen masked assassins with bows and arrows below us," Jiang Cheng replied. "He insisted that we go on ahead."

"Wen Ning is with him," Wen Qing added.

Jiang Cheng blinked when he realised she was now standing behind him. Wait - when had she edged around him?

"Go help them," he said. "We'll be fine."

Grinning, Wei WuXian shook his head.

"I have faith in Wen Ning. They'll be fine. Our job is to make sure Wen Qing gets to Koi Tower in one piece. And you too. Come on, let's go!"

- Chapter End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter and stay safe :)