Lan Xichen practically threw himself off Shuoyue when he reached home. He'd remembered halfway through his flight that Meng Yao was still at the banquet in the Unclean Realm, but he hoped he would be safe there. He was fairly certain Meng was a common enough surname that Lan Xichen's use of it shouldn't put Meng Yao in danger. If Meng Yao stayed in Qinghe and kept his head down, Lan Xichen thought he would be safe.

As for the people in their village, however…

Lan Xichen stumbled into the house, his heart still pounding. Perhaps it would have been better if he'd just stayed in Qinghe. He probably would have been dragged before the Wens and killed, but perhaps he could have negotiated some sort of protection for his village. He couldn't protect them singlehandedly, after all, not if an army came. He still had nightmares about the way the Wen soldiers had cut down every Lan cultivator they came across, and those people had been trained and able to defend themselves. The people in Lan Xichen's village couldn't.

Lan Xichen took a shaky breath, trying to calm himself. He wouldn't be any good to anyone if he panicked. He wrapped his arms around himself tightly, the way he often did to hold himself together, and found that one of the sleeves from his outer robe was missing. He remembered something catching it as he fled, and he remembered how Wei Wuxian had told him he couldn't promise the seam wouldn't rip if someone tugged on it.

The thought of Wei Wuxian made Lan Xichen's heart skip a beat as his panic returned. Wei Wuxian had brought him to the banquet. Many people, including Nie Mingjue, had seen the two of them together. Wei Wuxian had a husband and siblings, and if anyone suspected that he knew Lan Xichen better than he'd said…

There was a chance, of course, that Wei Wuxian had known who he was all along and had brought him to Qinghe to lure him into a trap. Lan Xichen found himself hoping that was true. At least it meant Wei Wuxian and his loved ones wouldn't die for Lan Xichen's own mistakes.

How many times had Meng Yao told him he shouldn't keep his forehead ribbon with him? How many times had he told Lan Xichen to tuck it away with his robes? And yet Lan Xichen had stubbornly kept it, worn it around his wrist where anyone could see it if they looked. He hadn't even taken it off when he went to Qinghe, which he knew was most likely enemy territory. His sentimentality would be the death of him. That wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't also going to be the death of so many others.

Lan Xichen went to bury in his face in his hands, only to realize he was still wearing Wei Wuxian's mask. He took it off with shaking hands and set it to the side. He'd thought the mask would protect him, when Wei Wuxian first told him the banquet was a masquerade. He'd thought it would keep him safe. He'd been a fool.

Lan Xichen closed his eyes and forced himself to take a slow, even breath. He held it for a moment, then exhaled it equally slowly. After a few repetitions, he felt his mind begin to clear, if only partially. That had to be good enough. If he were going to protect anyone, he had to be focused, but he also had to act now.

He had to assume the worst. There was a chance, however small, that Nie Mingjue wouldn't give him up to the Wen Sect, but Lan Xichen couldn't bank on it. There was a chance that Wei Wuxian wouldn't tell anyone where he lived, but Lan Xichen couldn't bank on that either. He had to assume the Wen Sect knew where he was, and they knew exactly where to go to find him. He had to assume they were coming.

He remembered how the dancing flames reflected in Wen Xu's eyes as he burned the Cloud Recesses down, and he felt like he might be sick.

Lan Xichen squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to focus. Wen soldiers were likely already on their way. An army couldn't move as quickly as he had on his own, but considering Lan Xichen was only one man, he doubted they were sending a full army. A few cultivators, most likely. Enough to be sure of their victory over him. Enough to terrorize the village, if he were missing when they arrived. Enough to slaughter the village, he suspected, even if he gave himself up.

Would going down fighting help, he wondered? He would be unlikely to win, but if he could take down enough of the Wen soldiers, perhaps they wouldn't have the numbers to destroy the village anymore. Or, perhaps, they'd be even more vengeful out of spite. Either option seemed possible. Lan Xichen wished he could just know, wished he could see the threads of the future and know which one would provide the most favorable outcome, but that was impossible. All he could do was do the best with what he was given. All he could do was try.

Then, there came a knock on the door.

Lan Xichen stared at it, horrified. He doubted the Wens would knock, but who else could it be? Who else-

"Gege!" a voice called through the door. "Gege, let me in, quickly!"

"A-Yao," Lan Xichen breathed, almost tripping over himself in his haste to open the door. "A-Yao, what are you doing here? I-I thought-"

"I was in Qinghe, but I heard whispers about you," Meng Yao said. He looked flushed, and there was another cultivator behind him, wearing robes that looked almost like something a Lan disciple would wear. "I knew I had to get back here as quickly as I could."

"How did you do it?" Lan Xichen whispered. "How-"

"This is Su Minshan," Meng Yao said, gesturing at the cultivator behind him. "He was a guest disciple of the Lan Sect when it was attacked. He managed to survive. When he heard you were in danger, he wanted to help."

"Su Minshan," Lan Xichen breathed. The cultivator did look familiar, now that Lan Xichen looked at him more closely. "I recognize you. Although, my apologies, did you go by a different name back then?"

"I went by my birth name, Su She," Su Minshan replied.

"Yes, of course. I remember," Lan Xichen said, nodding slowly. "How did you survive?"

"Gege, we don't have time to discuss this right now," Meng Yao interrupted. "When we left, Chifeng-Zun was sending a message to the Wen Sect. If they're not already on their way here, they'll be here soon. We need to move."

"But what about the people in the village?" Lan Xichen protested. He ignored the part of him that gave a pang at the thought of Nie Mingjue giving him up. He'd liked to think… But that was foolish, and he had to focus on reality. "You said yourself that the Wen soldiers won't hesitate to kill them all if they think they've been hiding me. If we leave-"

"Do you think they'll be any safer if you stay?" Meng Yao countered. "We need to run, as fast as we can."

"Where can we go?"

Meng Yao and Su Minshan shared a glance. "I spoke to my father at the banquet," Meng Yao finally said. "I believe he might be willing to help us."

"Your father?" Lan Xichen repeated. "You think Jin Guangshan will go against the Wen Sect for my sake? I doubt it, A-Yao. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't put his whole sect at risk like that, and I couldn't ask him to."

"Then we'll figure out something else," Meng Yao said. "But for now, we need to leave. Let's gather up all the food and supplies we can carry. Quickly!"

Lan Xichen obediently went to the kitchen, gathering supplies. Meng Yao followed him over while Su Minshan remained by the door, probably keeping watch.

"I'm sorry," Lan Xichen said quietly. "I should have listened to you, A-Yao. You told me that going to the banquet in Qinghe was a bad idea, and I went anyway. I was foolish, and I put us both at risk."

Meng Yao offered him a slight smile, but it was drawn and too small to show his dimples. "It's alright, gege. We were never going to be able to hide here forever."

"You don't have to stay with me," Lan Xichen added. "No one knows about any connection between us. You can run if you want, and start over somewhere else. I'll take care of myself."

"I'm not leaving you," Meng Yao replied, more fiercely than Lan Xichen would have expected from him. "You're not going anywhere without me."

Lan Xichen did his best to smile. "Thank you."

"Of course," Meng Yao agreed. "Why don't you go change your outer robe to something less noticeable? Your… look might attract attention."

Meng Yao probably had a point. Lan Xichen shucked off his outer robe and went to put it back in the chest where it belonged, but he couldn't help but hesitate a moment before putting it down. Now that he'd lost his forehead ribbon, he didn't want to lose anything else from his home. If he left the robe in the chest, he would probably never see it again.

"Gege, let's go!"

Lan Xichen put the robe down and grabbed his usual one, pulling it on instead. He'd never see his old robe again, but that was alright. There were many things that were more important than an old robe. His life was one, and the life of Meng Yao was another. He'd leave the robe behind to keep them safe a million times over.

He did grab the qiankun pouch full of the Lan Sect's treasures and shove Liebing inside, then he tied it to his belt. His uncle had told him to keep that safe, so keep it safe he would. He'd carry it with him for as long as he could.

"Gege!"

"Coming!" Lan Xichen called, joining Meng Yao and Su Minshan outside the house. Su Minshan stepped onto his sword and held out a hand for Meng Yao to join him, and Lan Xichen quickly stepped onto Shuoyue.

"Where are we going?" Su Minshan asked.

"Far from here," Meng Yao replied. "Let's go in the direction of Lanling for now. Not to see my father," he told Lan Xichen quickly, apparently sensing the incoming protest, "but just because it's as good a direction as any."

"Fine," Lan Xichen agreed, although he wasn't sure he liked that idea. "Su-gongzi, if you grow tired from carrying yourself and A-Yao, we can move him to my sword."

"I can manage," Su Minshan replied. "Let's go."

They took off, and Lan Xichen did his best not to look down. The village, he hoped, would be alright. There was nothing he could do for them, not really. Meng Yao had made that clear. He couldn't fight the incoming Wen cultivators on his own, after all, and even with the help of another trained cultivator like Su Minshan, his victory wouldn't be assured. That was, of course, assuming Su Minshan even wished to help. If Lan Xichen had to fight alone, he would fail, and the villagers would die anyway. The best thing he could do for them was to be long gone once the Wens arrived and hope they were left alone.

He should never have gone to the banquet. He should never have ignored Meng Yao. He should have stayed put and kept himself safe, and in extension, kept everyone else safe as well. He should have been smarter. But there was nothing Lan Xichen could do about it now except fly and hope, and so fly and hope he did.

"A-Yao, don't you think we're too close to Lanling?"

For the most part, Lan Xichen had been letting Meng Yao direct them in their attempt to flee from the Wen Sect. Given that they'd stayed ahead of them for nearly two days, it seemed Meng Yao was capable of keeping them safe. The problem was, he just kept going closer and closer to Lanling, and the closer they got, the less safe Lan Xichen felt. The great sects all mostly kept their distance from each other, but the Jin Sect was traditionally allied with the Wen Sect. If that were still the case…

"Don't worry, gege," Meng Yao assured Lan Xichen, as he had every time Lan Xichen had voiced any concern about where they were going. "I'll make sure we're safe."

Lan Xichen watched Meng Yao move to the front of their little group and felt a surge of helpless frustration. "Su-gongzi," he asked in an undertone, turning to Su Minshan, "do you think we're safe this close to Lanling? Is Jin-zongzhu allied with the Wen Sect?"

"No," Su Minshan replied. There was always something that sounded almost derisive in his voice when they spoke, but Lan Xichen assumed he was overthinking it.

"Do you think we're safe, then?" Lan Xichen asked.

"Meng-gongzi knows what he's doing," Su Minshan said shortly. "We're fine."

Something about Su Minshan didn't exactly fill Lan Xichen with confidence, but he felt ashamed to even think such a thing without reason. Su Minshan had been a Lan guest disciple, and he'd survived when so many hadn't. He still hadn't told Lan Xichen how exactly he survived, but Lan Xichen fully understood the reluctance to talk about it. He didn't like to discuss or even think too hard about that day either. If Su Minshan wanted privacy, Lan Xichen would give it.

But there was still something about him that rubbed Lan Xichen the wrong way. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was there, and he couldn't quite manage to set it aside.

He'd have to trust Meng Yao, though. Meng Yao was the only person he could trust. There was no one else who was safe in the way that Meng Yao was, who was dependable in the way that Meng Yao was. There was no one else Lan Xichen had quite the same faith in. At least, not anymore.

"We'll stop here for the night," Meng Yao announced, coming to a stop. "Minshan, do you have the food?"

Su Minshan pulled a qiankun pouch out of his sleeve and handed it to Meng Yao. Meng Yao opened it and handed out the cold steamed buns that Su Minshan had bought in the last marketplace they had passed. Lan Xichen took his and slowly began to eat, but that didn't stop the uncertainty churning in his stomach.

"Are you sure we should stop here?" he asked. "I think we can press on further."

"We've been walking all day, gege," Meng Yao replied. "And not all of us have golden cores to sustain ourselves with."

The uncertainty was immediately joined by guilt. Of course Meng Yao would be more tired than Lan Xichen or Su Minshan. Of course he'd need a break. Lan Xichen still wished they could go further, but he understood why they couldn't.

Unfortunately, that didn't do anything to counter the concern he had regarding where exactly they were going.

"A-Yao, what's your plan to keep us ahead of the Wen Sect?" Lan Xichen asked tentatively. "Now that they know I'm alive, they won't stop coming."

"We have to get far enough away from them," Meng Yao replied. "Qishan is to the west, so we must go east. I think we should go to Dongying."

"Dongying?" Lan Xichen repeated in shock. "Isn't that a bit far?"

"As you said, the Wen Sect won't stop coming. We must go far away from them to be safe. Since you don't wish to go to Lanling to ask for my father's help, we don't have another option."

Meng Yao hadn't mentioned his suggestion to ask Jin Guangshan for help since he'd first made it. Lan Xichen had thought it was dropped. But there was something about the way Meng Yao mentioned it now, like he thought Lan Xichen was being absurd not to take him up on it…

"Do you really think your father would help?" Lan Xichen asked. "It would put his entire sect into danger. I don't want to endanger anyone else."

"The Jin Sect is powerful enough to hold its own," Meng Yao replied. "Isn't it, Minshan?"

"It is," Su Minshan agreed.

"And as I told you, I spoke to my father in the Unclean Realm. I didn't mention you or your situation, but I believe he'd help."

"Is it fair to ask that of him? Is it fair to put all of Lanling in danger?"

"I believe my father can make his own decisions. He is a sect leader, after all. He knows what's best for him and his people."

"I don't mean to be condescending, I just-" Lan Xichen trailed off, feeling his throat tighten. Every time he thought of going to Koi Tower to beg for help from Jin Guangshan, he just thought of what the Wen Sect would do if they found out he was there. His mind took memories of the fallen bodies in the Cloud Recesses and turned them into predictions, replacing white robes with gold and the Cloud Recesses' gravel pathways with Koi Tower's luxurious corridors. He couldn't risk bringing that sort of destruction down on another sect.

"I think we'd be safest if we left the cultivation world entirely," Lan Xichen stated. "You're right, A-Yao. We should go to Dongying."

For a moment, Meng Yao's smile seemed to tighten, but the illusion disappeared in a moment, and Lan Xichen decided he must have been imagining it. He was agreeing to Meng Yao's plan, after all. There was no reason for Meng Yao to seem displeased by that.

"Dongying it is, then," Meng Yao agreed. "It might take a while before we can get there, though. We'll have to get together enough money for the boat ride there."

That made sense, of course. They'd used up much of their savings getting Meng Yao his new robes for the banquet in Qinghe. Still, the thought made Lan Xichen's stomach give another sickening lurch. There was no easy way they could quickly make enough money for the trip, especially considering the fact that Lan Xichen himself couldn't be seen by anyone. Depending on how much the boat ride would cost - and depending on if Su Minshan planned to go to Dongying with them - it could take them weeks, if not months, to gather up the necessary funds.

"What do you think is the quickest way to get it?" Lan Xichen asked.

"I think we should go to a big city this time, not a small village," Meng Yao decided. "We can blend in with the crowds, and it should be easier to find work."

"But isn't it a risk?" Lan Xichen countered. "If I'm seen-"

"We'll make sure you aren't."

"But if you fled Qinghe right when I did, will anyone be looking for you?"

"There's still no reason for anyone to connect the two of us," Meng Yao replied soothingly. "It'll be fine. Trust me."

And Lan Xichen wanted to - he wanted to - but he couldn't help but think…

"Gege," Meng Yao said. "I've kept you safe for three years, haven't I? I've kept you hidden. Trust me to do it just a little bit longer."

"I trust you, A-Yao," Lan Xichen relented. He took a deep breath, then turned to Su Minshan. "Su-gongzi, how long do you intend to stay with us?"

Su Minshan and Meng Yao shared a look. "I don't know yet," Su Minshan said after a moment. "I don't know if I'll go to Dongying with you."

"You don't have to," Lan Xichen quickly assured him. "I'm sure you have a life here. You don't need to give that up for us."

"I know," Su Minshan replied. "I haven't decided what I'll do yet."

The decision, Lan Xichen was certain, couldn't be an easy one to make. If Su Minshan had managed to make a life for himself after the attack on the Cloud Recesses, of course he wouldn't want to leave it. Lan Xichen wondered if he had made a life for himself, or if he'd lived in similar fear to Lan Xichen himself. He wondered if Su Minshan had faced threats from the Wen Sect due to having been a Lan guest disciple, or if he'd managed to avoid them thanks to his unrelated family name. Lan Xichen hoped he'd been safe, but he also knew his uncle had kept records of all the guest disciples. If the Wen soldiers had found those records…

But then again, they'd burned everything down. He still remembered the flames, still saw them in his nightmares. They wouldn't have been able to find any records at all, not after the fire was done with them.

"Gege," Meng Yao said, in a tone that seemed to indicate it wasn't his first time doing so. "Are you paying attention?"

"I'm sorry, A-Yao, were you saying something to me?" Lan Xichen asked, trying to smile.

"I was asking who would take the first watch," Meng Yao said. "It seems perhaps you shouldn't."

"I can take the first watch," Su Minshan offered.

"I'll take second, then," Meng Yao replied. "Gege, do you mind taking the third?"

"Not at all," Lan Xichen replied. They wouldn't start moving until at least an hour or so after he'd naturally wake anyway, so waking a few hours earlier than that wouldn't be too great a hardship. "Su-gongzi, do you have the bedrolls?"

Su Minshan pulled another qiankun pouch out and retrieved from it two bedrolls. Meng Yao took one and Lan Xichen took the other, laying them down on the ground next. Su Minshan said near their heads, his sword in his lap.

"Get some sleep," Meng Yao told Lan Xichen as he crawled into his bedroll. "Minshan will make sure we're safe."

"I know," Lan Xichen agreed, slipping into his own bedroll. He laid Shuoyue next to it, the hilt near his hands. He'd have to be able to draw it quickly if he needed to.

"Goodnight, gege."

"Goodnight, A-Yao."

Lan Xichen closed his eyes and did his best to sleep, even though it was a bit earlier than he usually did. He'd used enough energy that he was tired, but he wasn't sure he was quite ready to sleep yet.

Soon enough, though, he was, and he was just drifting off when he could have sworn he heard Meng Yao's voice ask, "Should we send the message to my father yet?"

When Lan Xichen woke the next morning, he'd forgotten about it entirely.

Meng Yao, Lan Xichen knew, was doing his best to keep them all safe. He was also doing a very good job of it. He'd managed for three years, after all, and now, he was deftly keeping Lan Xichen away from any place where he might be recognized. He was doing everything he could to make sure that no one caught them. Lan Xichen began to worry less about how close they were growing to Lanling. Meng Yao could clearly keep him safe, and if he thought Lanling would be alright, then perhaps it would be.

But as it turned out, even Meng Yao wasn't infallible, because later that day, as they grew closer and closer to Lanling, Wei Wuxian caught up with them.

Su Minshan noticed him first, reaching for his sword. Meng Yao and Lan Xichen followed his gaze, and Meng Yao's expression hardened while Lan Xichen felt his own soften. He knew there was a high chance Wei Wuxian had betrayed him, he knew that Wei Wuxian could quite possibly be working with the Wen Sect now, but he was still glad to see him alive. He was glad to know this was one person, at least, who hadn't been hurt by Lan Xichen's own stupidity.

"Meng-xiong," Wei Wuxian said, bowing to Lan Xichen and ignoring the other two entirely. "Or, I suppose, Zewu-Jun."

"Wei-gongzi," Lan Xichen replied, inclining his own head. "How did you find us?"

"Well, trust me, it wasn't easy," Wei Wuxian said. "I had to basically invent a new tracking talisman, and inventing talismans is hard. Oh, by the way…" He pulled a familiar ribbon out of his sleeve. "This is yours."

"Thank you," Lan Xichen said, taking the forehead ribbon from Wei Wuxian. He reached up and tied it around his head for the first time in years. He'd been discovered, after all. There was no point in hiding any more, and wearing the ribbon again felt like he was reclaiming the only bit of home he had left. "And inventing talismans may be difficult, but you seem to be skilled at it. I'm sure this new talisman will be very helpful to others in the future."

Wei Wuxian nodded. "Yeah, hopefully." As he spoke, his fingers twitched, and a golden butterfly fluttered out of them and into the air. Su Minshan tried to slice through it with his sword, but he missed. Lan Xichen didn't even bother trying. If Wei Wuxian were here, it was already too late.

"Who are you calling, gongzi?" Meng Yao asked, his voice sickly sweet.

"My husband," Wei Wuxian replied. "He really wants to see you, Zewu-Jun. He'll be jealous I found you first."

"I will surrender to you, so long as you leave my friends untouched," Lan Xichen said, gripping Shuoyue's sheath tightly.

Wei Wuxian looked stunned. "What- Surrender? Why would you- I think we're having entirely different conversations here. Why do you think you need to surrender?"

Lan Xichen blinked. "Are you not here on the Wen Sect's behalf?"

"The Wen Sect?" Wei Wuxian repeated. "You think- But-" He turned to Su Minshan. "You fought in the Sunshot Campaign. How the hell does he not know-"

"The Sunshot Campaign?" Lan Xichen repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"You actually don't-" Wei Wuxian shook his head in disbelief. "I mean, I kind of wondered, given what you said before, and given the fact that you, you know, were still in hiding, but are you seriously telling me you don't know what the Sunshot Campaign was?"

"We should go, gege," Meng Yao said, his voice tight. "He's just trying to delay us, don't you see? He sent off that butterfly. He probably has reinforcements coming."

"I told you, that butterfly was just to alert my husband," Wei Wuxian replied distractedly. "Zewu-Jun… Do you know anything about what's happened in the cultivation world since the attack on the Cloud Recesses?"

"Gege-"

"There were survivors," Wei Wuxian interrupted, immediately gaining Lan Xichen's undivided attention. "Over half the Lan Sect survived. They went to Lotus Pier, and then, when the Wen soldiers came attack the Jiang Sect, we were prepared, and we were able to fight them off. We sent messengers to the Unclean Realm and Koi Tower and some of the minor sects, and we formed an alliance against the Wen Sect. We fought them in the Sunshot Campaign, and we won. We deposed Wen Ruohan. No one is coming after you. You're safe."

"You… defeated the Wen Sect?" Lan Xichen repeated slowly. "What about my sect? You said there were survivors. What happened to them?"

"Gege, he's just trying to delay us-" Meng Yao began, but Wei Wuxian interrupted him again.

"They went back to the Cloud Recesses and rebuilt it. But they never gave up hope that you were still alive. We all knew the Wen Sect would have bragged about it if they'd caught you, after all. We've been trying to find you."

"'We'?" Lan Xichen repeated, feeling as if he were detached from his body.

"We," Wei Wuxian repeated. "Zewu-Jun, your family is alive. Your uncle is leading the sect in your absence, and your brother-"

"Wangji?" Lan Xichen breathed. "He's alive?"

"He's my husband," Wei Wuxian said with a helpless little laugh. "He's on his way. He's been looking for you for a very long time."

"Gege!" Meng Yao snapped, grabbing Lan Xichen's arm. "He's lying. He's just spinning a story to keep us here so we don't leave before his reinforcements arrive. You can't trust him."

Lan Xichen looked down at Meng Yao, then over at Wei Wuxian. He wanted to believe Wei Wuxian, he desperately did, but that would mean that Meng Yao had lied to him for years. That would mean he'd been tricked, and he'd been kept from his family, and he'd been played for a fool. That would mean he couldn't trust the one person he thought he could.

"We should run," Meng Yao said, apparently seeing Lan Xichen's indecision on his face. "If we move quickly enough, we might be able to get out of here in time."

"Zewu-Jun, I swear to you, the only person coming is Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian said. "He never gave up hope that you were alive. He missed you. Please don't leave before he gets here."

"Gege-"

"I can't run forever, A-Yao," Lan Xichen said, hardly aware if he were weary or hopeful or wary or afraid. "You can leave, if you wish. I won't."

Meng Yao's expression froze into an unreadable mask, but Lan Xichen had the sudden but distinct feeling that he was furious. "After everything," he said, his voice icy, "this is how it ends?"

"A-Yao-"

"Wei Ying?"

The voice wasn't quite the same as Lan Xichen remembered, but he still knew it in a heartbeat.

The first thing Lan Xichen noticed when Lan Wangji stepped into view was that he had grown. He looked to be the same height as Lan Xichen himself, whereas before he'd always been just a little shorter. He looked steadier, more settled in himself. He carried himself like a warrior.

Seeing him there - seeing him alive - was like a punch through the heart.

Lan Wangji looked to Wei Wuxian first, then scanned the other three. His mouth twisted slightly as he looked at Su Minshan, then his gaze slid past Meng Yao, and then it stopped on Lan Xichen. His eyes widened, and even though other people always seemed to find Lan Wangji hard to read, Lan Xichen knew exactly how he felt. It was, after all, about the same thing Lan Xichen was feeling at that moment himself.

"Xiongzhang," Lan Wangji whispered. "It's you."

"Wangji," Lan Xichen breathed. "Wangji, you're alive. I- I thought-"

Lan Xichen wanted to rush forward to his brother, but before he could move, Su Minshan did, grabbing Lan Xichen's arm and pulling him back. Lan Wangji took a step forward, and Wei Wuxian tried to do the same, but then he went very, very still.

And behind him, Meng Yao tightened his grip on the guqin string that lay across Wei Wuxian's throat.

"A-Yao, what are you doing?" Lan Xichen demanded. "Wei-gongzi is no threat! Let him go!"

"No threat to you, perhaps," Meng Yao said. His voice was even and calm, but there was a sense of simmering fury underneath. Su Minshan's grip on Lan Xichen's arm tightened. Lan Wangji reached for Bichen, and Meng Yao pulled at the guqin string until a red line appeared on Wei Wuxian's throat. Lan Wangji froze. "But he is a threat to me."

"How is he a threat to you?" Lan Xichen asked, trying desperately to keep his voice steady. "If what he told us is true, and it seems to be-"

"I have been keeping you safe for years," Meng Yao interrupted. "I have been keeping you housed and fed. Do you know why, gege?"

The endearment made a shiver run down Lan Xichen's spine. Something was very, very wrong here, and he had a sinking feeling it had been for longer than he knew. "Why?"

"There are two main reasons. First, because I care for you, and I wished to keep you safe and with me. You can't blame me for that, can you?"

"You lied to him," Wei Wuxian said, his voice sharp if slightly breathless. "You've been lying to him all along."

"You're not part of this conversation," Meng Yao said, pulling on the string a little bit more.

"A-Yao, let him go," Lan Xichen begged, at the same time that Lan Wangji took a step forward. Su Minshan was still holding on tightly to Lan Xichen's arm, but Lan Xichen thought he could probably break his grip if he tried. First, though, he wanted to understand what was actually happening here.

"What was the second reason?" he asked desperately, trying to keep Meng Yao's attention on him and away from Wei Wuxian or Lan Wangji. "You said there were two reasons. What was the other?"

"You know who my father is," Meng Yao replied. "You know that I want to be acknowledged by him. But my father will not acknowledge a prostitute's bastard without a reason. I knew I had to something important. I tried to find something to do during the Sunshot Campaign that would prove my worth, but I couldn't. But I didn't give up hope. I bided my time. I waited for the perfect moment. And this? Finding and protecting the Lan Sect heir? Bringing him to my father so he could be the one to return him to the cultivation world? This would have been enough!"

"Is that why you lied to me?" Lan Xichen asked. "To keep me with you? To keep me from wanting to leave?"

"You're an acknowledged son," Meng Yao dismissed. "Your parents were married when you were born. Your position has never been in jeopardy."

"And so you kept it from me?" Lan Xichen countered. He could feel anger bubbling up inside him. It was an unfamiliar sensation, and not one he particularly enjoyed, but he couldn't stop it. "You kept me from my family, because you could not be with your own? You helped me when I ran. If you'd told me the truth and I'd been able to return to my sect, I would have advocated on your behalf. I would have given you a position among the Lan Sect, if I couldn't convince your father to acknowledge you. I would have supported you, A-Yao."

"I had to do it myself," Meng Yao disagreed, shaking his head. "I had to prove that I was worthy. I had to prove it."

"Why did you wait so long? You could have brought me to your father years ago. Why wait until now?"

"The Sunshot Campaign ended less than a year ago. Until it was over, going out with you was too risky. I couldn't have kept you safe and with me. And after the war, I had to wait for the right moment. I couldn't just bring you to Lanling. My father wouldn't see me there. I had to wait for a moment where I could see him on my own terms. The banquet in Qinghe would have been perfect, if you hadn't gone too."

Lan Xichen shook his head, trying to reconcile the Meng Yao he'd known for years with the Meng Yao in front of him, ready to slice through Wei Wuxian's neck. "What was your plan? Once you brought me to your father? I would have discovered your lies quickly, if I'd rejoined the cultivation world. What were you going to do about it?"

"My father and I would have figured out something," Meng Yao replied. "We would have made a plan. This could have gone so smoothly."

"What is your plan now?" Lan Xichen asked, feeling his chest tighten.

"I won't hurt you, gege," Meng Yao assured him, which was both no answer at all and a horribly, horribly illuminating one.

Lan Xichen looked up at Lan Wangji, hoping they could still understand each other the way they used to. He dipped his head in a barely noticeable nod. Lan Wangji blinked slowly in response.

"I am grateful for your protection," Lan Xichen told Meng Yao. "I am grateful for your aid. But you told me my family was dead. You kept me from them and lied to me for years. I… I cannot forgive you for that."

Meng Yao smiled tightly. "I should have known one such as you could never care for one such as me."

"Give in," Lan Xichen urged. "Release Wei-gongzi. There's no reason for this to end in violence."

"Oh, gege," Meng Yao sighed, "there's no other way for it to end."

Lan Xichen closed his eyes and took a long breath, then he spun out of Su Minshan's grasp before he knew what was happening. Lan Wangji surged in to engage Su Minshan's sword, and Lan Xichen pulled out Shuoyue and pointed it at Meng Yao. He tried his best to keep the tip from trembling.

"Give in," he begged. He almost called him A-Yao, but the endearment stuck in his throat. "Please."

"Why don't you give in?" Meng Yao countered. "I've done so much for you. I've helped you for so long. Will you not let me do this one thing? Will you not help me to gain my rightful position with my father?"

"Your father can't be trusted at all," Wei Wuxian remarked. "It seems you can't either. Honestly, as awful as Jin Zixuan is, it's a miracle he didn't turn out worse, being related to all of you."

"Gege," Meng Yao said again, ignoring Wei Wuxian entirely, "why won't you help me?"

"Let Wei-gongzi go," Lan Xichen ordered, trying to channel the voice his uncle always used when making commands as the acting sect leader. "Let him go, and… and you can go free. No one needs to know what you've done. I don't want to fight you. I don't want this to end with blood. Just let Wei-gongzi go."

"I can't," Meng Yao said, shaking his head. "I've come too far to turn back now. You must understand that. I can't turn away. I have to see this through."

"Please don't make me do this," Lan Xichen whispered. Shuoyue trembled in his hand. "Please don't."

"You don't have to do anything, gege," Meng Yao assured him. "Sheathe your sword. Give in. Let me have this. Just let it go."

Lan Xichen took a shaky breath. He couldn't, he couldn't- But part of him wanted to lay down his sword, to let Meng Yao win. He didn't want to fight. He didn't want to be in this situation at all. If that was the only way out…

And then there was a flash of silver, and a pained cry, and the guqin string fell slack and useless as one of Meng Yao's hands tumbled to the ground, severed at the wrist. Wei Wuxian twisted away as Lan Wangji lifted Bichen's bloodied blade to Meng Yao's throat, holding the tip a bare inch away.

"Surrender."

There was a certain wildness in Meng Yao's face for a moment, something Lan Xichen had never seen before. Behind Lan Wangji, Su Minshan lay unmoving on the ground. Lan Xichen didn't know if he were still alive or not. Either way, he would be unable to help, and apparently Meng Yao came to the same conclusion, because slowly, he knelt on the ground.

"I never meant to hurt you, gege," he said quietly. "No matter what I did, I never meant to hurt you."

Lan Xichen sheathed Shuoyue and crouched in front of Meng Yao until their eyes met. "You may not have meant to, but you still did."

Lan Wangji put a hand on Lan Xichen's shoulder, and Lan Xichen reached up to take it in his own. Lan Wangji tugged him upright, then pulled him into an embrace. It had been years since Lan Xichen had last hugged his brother, even before the Wen Sect's attack; Lan Wangji had never been particularly fond of physical contact, and out of respect for that, Lan Xichen had kept his distance. But as Lan Wangji held him, Lan Xichen clutched his brother tightly, clinging to him like he would never let go. To be entirely honest, that idea didn't sound too bad to Lan Xichen at all.

"Xiongzhang," Lan Wangji whispered in his brother's ear. "It is over. Let us go home."

Lan Xichen smiled slightly, his face still buried in Lan Wangji's hair. "Yes," he agreed, "I'd like that very much."