"No, I can't do this."
Jiang Cheng halted suddenly. Xichen, who had been walking close to him, followed suit. The others in their group turned to look at them, bewildered.
"Can't do what?" Xichen asked.
"I have to go to Jinlintai," Jiang Cheng said. "Jin Ling is in serious trouble. I could see it."
"Oh thank goodness!" Wei Wuxian cried, throwing his head back in exaggerated relief. "Let's go help him then."
Jiang Cheng scowled. "I'm not going with you."
Wei Wuxian put his hands on his hips. "Might have slipped your notice, but you've been travelling with me this whole time."
"Yes, but I'm not going to travel alone with you."
"I'm not travelling alone with you either," Wei Wuxian said cheerfully. He skipped over to Wangji and hugged his arm tightly. "Lan Zhan is coming with me, aren't you?"
Wen Ning looked as uncomfortable as Xichen felt. He was picking diligently at the bark of a nearby tree, doing his best to ignore the pair of them.
Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng's fury was about to boil over. He twisted Zidian back and forth on his finger, his jaw tightly clenched.
"Oh yes," Jiang Cheng said sarcastically, "let's just forget about Xue Yang and all of us can run off to Jinlintai together. That makes a lot of sense."
"Well I need to come with you so I can make sure that talisman is working," Wei Wuxian said, pointing at the jade pendant that hung around Jiang Cheng's neck. "And like we've already established, neither of us is travelling alone with the other one.
"So," Wei Wuxian went on, "it's either we all go to Jinlintai, or we ignore the fact that Jin Ling looked absolutely terrified before he left and we continue on the Xue Yang mission."
Xichen couldn't argue with that logic. If Wei Wuxian went with Jiang Cheng, Wangji and Wen Ning were sure to follow. That would leave only Xichen to continue looking for Xue Yang, which wasn't a great idea since he didn't know much about Xue Yang and how he'd gotten so powerful in a short span of time.
Plus, he was also worried about the boys and couldn't convince himself that he wouldn't end up running off to Jinlintai too, putting the Xue Yang mission on complete hold despite how badly he wanted to finish it and return to seclusion.
It was too dangerous to send Jiang Cheng by himself. But there was also no way that Jiang Cheng was going to allow Wei Wuxian alone to accompany him.
It seemed that all was lost. Their group was going to put everything on hold for Jin Ling.
Just then, he thought of a solution.
"I can go with him," Xichen offered. Everyone looked at him, puzzled. "I will be able to monitor his condition and bring Sect Leader Jiang back if his talisman isn't working."
"I don't-" Wei Wuxian started to say.
"Great idea," Jiang Cheng interrupted. "Everyone wins. Let's go."
Jiang Cheng started to walk off into the woods, but Xichen lingered a moment longer.
Wei Wuxian was staring after Jiang Cheng, expression unreadable.
Would he call him back? Would he insist on going with him? Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian had been on bad terms ever since before Wei Wuxian's resurrection, but their bond had been strong before. It wasn't impossible that he might still feel some remnant of protectiveness over his former shidi.
However, he never called to him and Jiang Cheng didn't turn back. Wei Wuxian simply watched him disappear.
Xichen wished he knew what to say, but he didn't. So, he followed Jiang Cheng into the trees, the two distancing themselves from Wei Wuxian's group until they could no longer be seen.
"We shouldn't use a portal," Jiang Cheng said, immediately jumping to business. "We don't know what Jin Ling's situation is and it may be better to arrive more discreetly."
"I agree."
"I have a transportation talisman," Jiang Cheng went on gruffly, pulling the slip of paper out of his robes. "Which of us shoul-?"
Without a word, Xichen took the talisman from him, gripped his arm, and activated the spell by throwing it to the ground. The paper burst into blue flames and the world around them became a blur. Their robes and hair didn't move an inch, but it felt as though they were spinning and flipping through space.
Xichen concentrated hard on where he wanted to go: the front gates of Jinlintai.
When the spell was complete, the ashes of the paper drifted about their feet.
Trees surrounded them. And just past the edge of the forest were fields and a dirt road that meandered off toward the horizon.
They hadn't quite reached the gate – or even the outer city – likely because the talisman didn't have that much range to give.
"Do you still have any qi left?" Jiang Cheng asked. His face was a little green.
"Some," Xichen replied.
"Impressive."
Xichen thought he could detect a hint of jealousy in his voice. Transportation talismans were expensive to use in the spiritual sense. Most people would have been almost entirely sapped of strength.
Xichen, however, wasn't. He had used a decent portion of his power to transport them, but not the same fraction that others would have needed.
His instinct told him to smile kindly at Jiang Cheng to diffuse any ill feelings, but he remembered how adamant Jiang Cheng had been about not doing that. So, he simply shrugged.
They weren't within the walls of the city, but they could see that lovely golden tower that scraped the sky and stood above everything else…
…and they could see the smoke.
"A-Ling," Jiang Cheng breathed.
Without any hesitation, he jumped onto Sandu and took off toward the city.
Xichen followed him, now acutely aware of how much qi he'd used to transport them there. He had enough left, but he would need to use it sparingly.
Jiang Cheng dismounted and sprinted through the open city gate. Pieces of the heavy wooden door lay charred and smoldering on the cobblestones. The surrounding stone walls were mostly intact, but the buildings that were supposed to be sheltered inside them had been smashed into ruin.
A half-standing establishment here, a ransacked shop there, the crushed face of a child's porcelain doll poking out from beneath a pile of rubble – so many sad, familiar sights flashed by as they ran. Shockingly, Xichen didn't see any bodies in all the wreckage. In fact, they met no one until they reached the stairs of Jinlintai.
Jiang Cheng wrenched Sandu from its sheath again and began to hack through the enemy soldiers mercilessly. They all wore uniforms of different colors. Some wore red with white accents, some dressed in almost entirely green, and still others wore a midnight blue. There were various crests represented, many of which Xichen didn't recognize. They were all from very small clans. That much was clear.
Jiang Cheng was sparing no time to investigate. Anyone who didn't bear the white peony insignia upon their chest or a vermillion mark on their brow was cut down. Xichen had drawn his own sword but barely had to swing. Jiang Cheng's pure wrath and drive had carved a wide path for them as they continued up the stairs.
The use of Zidian would have made things easier. Jiang Cheng could have touched the whip to the ground and blown away ten men at once. But he never released it.
More than once, a Jin disciple would engage them in battle. The first time it happened, Xichen worried that Jiang Cheng may kill them in his haste to reach his nephew. But he didn't. He blocked a few times and announced himself as an ally.
It never took long to convince the Jins that they were friendly, but it still slowed them down considerably to have to fight with everyone.
At the top of the steps, Jiang Cheng suddenly whirled around. He grabbed Xichen by the shoulder and pulled him over to a wooden door with a metal lattice inlay.
"They attack anyone who doesn't look like them," he said, leading the way inside of what looked like a small barracks. "We need to look like them. A-Ling will probably prefer that anyhow. Here, put this on quickly."
He tossed Xichen a Jin uniform. The finely woven fabric moved over his fingers like water. Their clan really was well-financed.
Xichen, confused, looked up to see Jiang Cheng, back to him, hastily changing into a yellow uniform of his own. Figuring he didn't want to be questioned right now, Xichen simply did as he was told. He folded his Lan robes neatly and placed them on a bench in the corner of the tiny room.
"Your hairpiece?" Xichen said.
Jiang Cheng frowned and reached up, fingers brushing the violet fabric that gave him away as a member of the Jiang Clan. He ripped it off, throwing it on his pile of clothes. He also took his hair down and retied it. Though he still used his purple ribbon, changing to a ponytail took away any doubt that he was a member of the Jin Clan.
Xichen paused for a moment. Then, very deliberately, he reached up and removed his Lan headband and his metal hairpiece, placing them on his pile of belongings.
"Here," Jiang Cheng said, holding out a black ribbon for him.
Xichen took it and hurriedly pulled his hair into a ponytail too.
"Do I look like a Jin?" he asked Jiang Cheng.
Unexpectedly, that simple question pained him.
"Definitely," Jiang Cheng said, already eying the door. "Me?"
"Absolutely."
"Great. Let's go."
And then they were back in the fray. As Jiang Cheng closed the door behind them, Xichen noticed a flash of orange light, revealing the array that secured that small barracks. As long as one of blood relation or one with a token of admission were to try the door, it would be unlocked. Otherwise, none could enter.
Xichen's mind went to Wei Wuxian and Mo Xuanyu, realizing that this meant that Wei Wuxian could open this door. He wondered how many other places in Jinlintai were protected by the same kind of magic and whether or not Jin Ling was aware of who he'd given access to.
"I must have told him a thousand times to change the arrays," Jiang Cheng said when he noticed Xichen still staring at the door. "His Jin grandfather's sordid past lends such broad selectivity that I'd bet almost half the cultivation world could prance right in."
Xichen mouth twitched, but he quickly shook his head. It would be inappropriate to react to that comment.
"Let's go," Jiang Cheng said.
Xichen followed him. It was strange to see Jiang Cheng's long black hair streaming behind him and not bound tightly against his head. He hadn't ever known how long it really was.
The two of them raced through the great doors of Jinlintai that stood as tall as trees. They were now cracked in several places and the brass latch in the center had been broken entirely. The enemy clans were swarming around the foyer.
Even though they had made it this far, the Jins greatly outnumbered the intruders.
Swords flashed and the cries of battle filled the air. Although Jiang Cheng would kill any who dared to attack them, he had ceased his offensive and was scanning the crowd.
After only a few minutes' search, he rushed off. Xichen followed him, pushing back those who dared to approach and doing his best to conserve what power he had left.
Jin Ling was ahead of them, a mere twenty meters away. He, Sizhui, and Jingyi were working together to hold off anyone who tried to make it past the foyer. A pretty woman dressed in pink fought near them. Xichen recognized her as Jin Ling's newest advisor, Luo Qingyang.
She had serious skill. It was mostly through her efforts that the four of them held the line. She twirled and slashed in a style that echoed that of many clans. The boys mostly blocked against the attackers until she came around to finish them off.
However, she wasn't always fast enough.
An opponent in blue sprinted toward Jin Ling. Jiang Cheng sped up, but it was clear that he and Xichen weren't going to make it before they clashed.
The enemy soldier swung fast at Jin Ling's head. Jin Ling ducked and in one fluid motion, he plunged Suihua into his opponent's chest, burying it nearly up to the hilt.
Xichen saw Jin Ling's mouth form the words 'oh god' while blood poured over his hands. He was staring, white-faced, into the eyes of the dying man across from him.
Xichen and Jiang Cheng came to a halt beside him. Jin Ling didn't seem to notice they were there.
"I killed him," he breathed. "He's not some corpse. He was alive and I killed him. Oh god."
It wasn't the first time that Jin Ling had stabbed someone. Many had witnessed him plunge Suihua into Wei Wuxian months ago. And he'd been similarly shocked after doing that.
This was a little different though. Wei Wuxian had ultimately survived that wound. This man would not.
"Step aside," Jiang Cheng ordered, one hand on his nephew's arm while the other brandished Sandu.
Puppet-like, Jin Ling did what he was told, taking Suihua with him. The enemy soldier choked up blood and fell to his knees. Jiang Cheng drew back his sword. Xichen watched him, unsure what he was going to do.
And then, in the blink of an eye, he had removed the man's head from his shoulders. Xichen took a surprised step backward.
Jiang Cheng spun Jin Ling around to face him, his expression stern.
"I killed him," he said resolutely. "You only stabbed him. Got it?"
Xichen was both alarmed and strangely moved by this display. After years of witnessing the terrible things he would do for his family, Xichen was reminded in that moment of how Jiang Cheng's devotion could be a (somewhat) good thing in the right context.
Jin Ling nodded, his skin deathly pale. Xichen expected Jiang Cheng to wrap his arms around his nephew and never let go. He didn't, though. Instead, he pushed him back to stand behind him and readied Sandu for the next opponent.
"Why are you here?" Jin Ling asked dazedly. "And why are you dressed like that?"
"What do you think? We like the style?" Jiang Cheng snapped. "We're dressed like this so you don't try to send us away for interfering as members of different clans. As for why we're here, you should be happy we came and stop asking questions."
"I don't need your help," Jin Ling said, regaining some of his normal ferocity. "I have this under control."
"Under con-?!"
Xichen cut in before Jiang Cheng could say something he might regret.
"You've done very well," Xichen commended. "It looks like you evacuated the city before any outside forces arrived. That was good thinking."
Jin Ling puffed up a little at his words.
Sandu rang out loudly as it clashed with a new opponent. Although Jiang Cheng was in the middle of fighting, from the way he held his head, Xichen could tell he was still listening.
"It doesn't look like you need our help," Xichen went on, "but we're already here. Would you allow us to fight with you to finish this?"
Jin Ling folded his arms, looking aloof. He was the spitting image of his uncle.
"I guess it couldn't hurt, as long as you don't use Zidian. Everyone will know you're here, then."
With one quick slice, Jiang Cheng felled his opponent. He then whipped around and took the ring off of his index finger, thrusting it into Jin Ling's chest.
"I haven't used it thus far," he said. "You take it and use it if you're in a tight spot. No one would mistake you for me, even with Zidian."
Jin Ling slowly closed his fingers around the ring. "I don't know how to control it."
"Don't control it then," Jiang Cheng said. "Make sure there's no one nearby that you don't want to hit."
Jin Ling was very pale again, but he slipped the ring on and took a ready stance.
Fortunately, it looked as though he would have no need to use it. The battle around them was dying down. Many of the Jins had pushed the enemy to the center of the foyer and were picking them off one by one, demanding that they surrender.
Jin Ling stepped out from behind his uncle and made his way toward the commotion. He held his head high and walked with an air of confidence, but the tremoring of his arms and legs did not escape Xichen's notice.
Jingyi and Sizhui followed him, not bothering to hide their exhaustion. Their shoulders slumped, and their faces, drenched in sweat and speckled with blood, were solemn.
Xichen wanted nothing more than to take all three of them away from this, to send them to bed to sleep for as long as they liked, and to make sure they had good food to fill their bellies when they awoke.
But they weren't so far from adulthood now, and proving themselves to those around them had become something of an obsession for all three, though they showed it in different ways.
So, he followed them over to the crowd quietly. Xichen stood back as they worked to take control of the situation, ordering the Jin disciples to start subduing their enemy and taking prisoners to stand trial. Jingyi was finally using his naturally loud voice for something useful. They were doing a good job of reigning in the chaos.
Until someone decided to detonate their golden core.
A blinding white-gold light erupted from the edge of the crowd. The people nearest didn't even have time to scream before they were blown away or simply reduced to ash. The energy wound its way around the room, moving further and further outward as it went like a great serpent.
Xichen was barely fast enough. He used what was left of his qi and channeled it along his meridians to concentrate all of it across his skin.
When the blast hit him, he felt the searing heat but wasn't burned. He was, however, thrown backward several meters.
Somewhere beside him, he heard Jiang Cheng grunt as he was also lifted off his feet. Xichen looked over at him once they'd landed to make sure he was all right. Though winded, he seemed relatively unscathed, unlike many of the unmoving people around him.
Jiang Cheng sprang back up immediately.
"A-LING!" he screamed.
A block of ice slid into Xichen's stomach. Jin Ling, Sizhui, and Jingyi had all been closer to the blast than they had. The boys would have had to block against more power and would have had to react more quickly.
He scrambled to his feet, slipping a little in a pool of blood on the floor. Jiang Cheng had already found his nephew by the time Xichen stood up.
Jiang Cheng dropped to his knees and cradled Jin Ling in his arms, speaking so softly that Xichen couldn't hear him from where he was. Moving closer, he could see that Jin Ling's eyes were closed.
Admittedly, that was a better sign than if they'd been open.
He'd expected scorched robes and blistered skin at the very least, but Jin Ling – aside from his unconscious state – appeared mostly unharmed. There was only a slight reddening of the right side of his face and neck that was barely visible beneath the layer of ash that covered most of him.
How had he survived?
Xichen looked around for Jingyi and Sizhui, now hopeful that they, too, had somehow managed to avoid the worst of the explosion.
He didn't have to look far. Jingyi and Sizhui were lying side by side next to Jin Ling.
Xichen knelt beside them and checked both their pulses and meridians. Satisfied that they were stable, he continued to investigate, wondering how they'd been strong enough to withstand the blow.
They were both unconscious and many of their bones were broken. Their once white Lan robes were blackened with soot, as were the rest of their bodies, hands included. However, their hands were stained in a very odd pattern. Their palms were clean and there were a couple spots along their knuckles that were clean as well.
Suspicious, Xichen looked closer at Jingyi and saw that his left hand was completely dirty, but his right was not – the one that lay near Sizhui, their fingers almost touching.
Not daring to interfere with Jiang Cheng and his nephew, he inspected Jin Ling from afar.
His left hand had the same strange pattern. And though he couldn't see the right, Xichen was willing to bet that it did not.
He smiled to himself as he tore off a piece of his expensive Jin uniform and began to wipe their faces clean.
By his best guess, the moment they'd realized their dire situation, the boys had reached out to each other and shared their spiritual energy, each hoping to protect the others.
Sizhui scrunched his face as Xichen continued to clean it. The fact that he was the first to awaken helped to confirm the theory. Having been the one standing in the middle, it was likely that the protective energy had failed to spread evenly across all of them and had been more concentrated over him.
"Zewu-jun?" he said, his voice terribly hoarse.
"You're all right," Xichen said softly. "Don't try to move."
Sizhui gasped suddenly and tried to sit up against Xichen's advice. Xichen firmly but gently held him down.
"You have sustained many injuries," he said even though Sizhui was now acutely aware of this fact. "Please lie still. Wangji will be very upset if anything happens to you."
And yet, Sizhui was growing more concerned and restless by the second.
"How are they?" he asked.
"Who?"
"They must be fine," Sizhui said with a sigh. He rested his head on the floor again. "You wouldn't be so cavalier otherwise."
Xichen only smiled. He brushed a few loose strands of hair out of Sizhui's eyes like he used to do when he was younger. Then, he moved over to Jingyi to start cleaning him up.
Luo Qingyang was restoring order somewhere in the distance. From her commands, it seemed none of the enemy clan members had survived the golden core detonation.
No more rounding up prisoners. Just tidying up the mess.
"Tell the people down the hall that it's safe to come out," she said.
Xichen looked up to see a Jin disciple bow to her and run off through the archway the three boys and Luo Qingyang had been guarding earlier.
When he returned, he did not come alone.
Old and young, able and feeble, merchants and beggars all followed behind him. Jin Ling and the others had not only evacuated the city before the enemy arrived, they had offered shelter within Jinlintai.
This was the same Jinlintai that did not often allow those of the lower class to approach the front stairs, much less the tower itself.
Xichen imagined that Jiang Yanli would be very proud if she could see her son now.
"-Sect Leader Jin?"
He'd missed the first part of whatever had been said, but the mention of Jin Ling caught his attention. Beside him, he noticed Jiang Cheng perk up too.
"He's… indisposed," said the Jin disciple who had been instructed to lead the people out of Jinlintai. "You are not permitted to speak with him."
Xichen found the pair who had spoken.
The young and frustrated-looking disciple was bent at the waist, leaning down to talk to a stout elderly woman. The posture seemed unnecessary, even condescending in Xichen's opinion.
"Well I don't need to speak with him," the woman said cheerfully. "I'd like to give him something."
Xichen noticed Jiang Cheng wrap his arms a little tighter around his nephew.
By her dress, the woman did not appear particularly wealthy. Her clothes were of a very thin shabby material. Her hands were gnarled, worn from years of manual labor. Nevertheless, she turned around and picked up a basket of fruits and assorted trinkets from behind her, holding it out with a warm smile.
"I don't need to speak," she said again. "But might I be allowed to deliver this to him in person?"
The Jin disciple laughed in her face. "You think a gift like that will be useful to someone like him? He could buy a million of those if he wanted to! Hell, even I could buy at least a hundred!"
Xichen was appalled by the disciple's behavior, but the elder continued to smile and said, "I know that. But I can't afford a million of these baskets. I can only afford to give him one. My gift is one of appreciation, something the young master can't buy but has certainly earned. Now where is he?"
The disciple continued to smirk and crossed his arms, unwilling to answer her. But his eyes flicked to where Jin Ling lay for just a moment.
"Thank you."
The elder sidled off, heading toward Xichen and the others. Jiang Cheng glowered at her as she approached.
"No, you can't go over there!" the disciple yelled.
"Stay back," Jiang Cheng said, hugging Jin Ling to himself.
The elder's face fell upon seeing Jin Ling's unconscious form.
"Is he all right?" she asked.
"I said stay away!"
"Please, Sect Leader Jiang," Xichen said, keeping his voice low so others wouldn't hear his name. "I don't think she means him any harm."
"Then she can stand right there and set her basket down."
The old woman bowed. "As you wish. Would you tell the young master when he wakes that his people are grateful for what he's done for us? We cannot remember a time when a clan leader has allowed common folk into the tower for any reason except to show their wealth."
Jiang Cheng maintained a ferocious demeanor but nodded curtly. The elder beamed at him as she set the basket by her feet. She then bowed again, this time to both Jiang Cheng and Xichen.
The Jin disciple caught her shoulder and started to haul her back toward the others. She didn't fight him, even as he pushed her.
"What are you doing?"
"Jin Ling!" exclaimed Jiang Cheng.
His nephew had awoken and was staring at his disciple and the elder, confused and aghast.
"Why are you shoving that woman?" he asked. His voice was so strained, it made Xichen's throat hurt just listening to it.
"I – well – she-" the disciple stammered. "She was trying to get close to you with a basket of who knows what! I was trying to protect you."
Jin Ling pressed his soot-covered hand to his forehead, wincing. He shifted a little. Jiang Cheng held him tight.
"Don't move too much," he said, his voice the gentlest Xichen had ever heard it. "You're very hurt."
"On behalf of all of us from the lower city," the elderly woman said, without moving any closer to Jin Ling, "I would like to thank you for taking us in."
Jin Ling looked away from her quickly. Xichen was willing to bet that had he not been mostly covered in ash, his cheeks would have been quite pink.
"There's no need to thank me," he said quietly.
"I disagree," the elder said. "Please accept my gift."
She turned to go back to the group that was still filing through the door. Jin Ling called after her, saying that he didn't need the basket and that she should take it with her. But, the elder continued on her course without responding to him, even when he asked for her name. She seemed to be pretending not to hear him.
Just then, Jingyi shifted under Xichen's hand.
He looked down to find the Jingyi's pretty brown eyes not quite focused on him. Xichen worried that he might have sustained a more serious head injury than he'd first thought, but after checking his meridians again, he confirmed that was not the case.
"How do you feel?" Xichen asked, noticing as Sizhui tried and failed to turn toward him.
Jingyi didn't respond at first. He kept staring into the distance. Gradually, tears began to seep from his eyes and his blank face turned to one of anguish.
"What's wrong?" Xichen asked, brushing back Jingyi's dark hair. "Do you need medicine for the pain? I may have some with me."
"I… killed someone, Zewu-jun."
His words sent a pang of sympathy through Xichen's heart. He remembered what it was like during the Sunshot Campaign. The faces of the people he'd killed then had long since run together, replaced by some unidentified phantom that still haunted him sometimes.
And Jingyi and Sizhui were even younger than he'd been.
Sizhui groaned. He took Jingyi's hand, and the hurt in Xichen's chest eased a little when he saw that his theory had been correct. The soot marks across their knuckles fit together perfectly.
"It's going to be okay," Xichen murmured. "That scar will fade too."
Around them, Luo Qingyang continued moving things along. The foyer was halfway back to normal. Piles of rubble and debris had been pushed up along the walls. The injured were being carried from the room on sheets strapped between thick bamboo poles.
Most importantly, no one paid any mind to the five cultivators who hadn't moved an inch since the explosion.
Xichen wondered whether Luo Qingyang had specifically instructed the others not to disturb them.
He wiped away Jingyi's tears. Sizhui now appeared equally grief-stricken.
"The same?" Xichen asked him.
"Yes," Sizhui breathed.
Xichen was overwhelmed by his own thoughts. Maybe if he and Jiang Cheng had been a little faster, this wouldn't have happened. At least Jiang Cheng had been able to do something for Jin Ling in the moment.
Why had these other clans attacked in the first place? They were in a time of peace. This shouldn't have happened. Why had this happened?
Oh, Wangji and Wei Wuxian were going to be very displeased to hear that the boy they'd adopted as their son had gone through such an ordeal.
"We'll talk about it, okay?" Xichen said. "After we get you somewhere to rest, we'll talk."
"I don't want to," Jingyi sobbed.
Xichen gathered him in his arms. He did his best to move him as little as possible, but Jingyi still grimaced.
"I don't have enough qi to carry you too," Xichen said to Sizhui. "I'll have to carry each of you separately."
"I understand," Sizhui said. "Take him with you first."
Xichen glanced over at Jiang Cheng. Not once had his eyes left his nephew, but now that Jin Ling was awake (and complaining about his uncle's presence), Jiang Cheng met his gaze.
"Will you stay here while I take Jingyi with me?" he asked.
"You want me to keep an eye on your other junior?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"If you would."
Jiang Cheng gave a nonchalant shrug. "Do you know where to take him?"
"I am familiar with Jinlintai."
One corner of Jiang Cheng's mouth turned downward. He looked awkward, like he felt guilty for asking.
"I'll stay here," Jiang Cheng said.
"No you won't," Jin Ling butted in. "You should go back to help Wei – the others."
Xichen stopped listening to them. He lifted Jingyi, apologizing profusely when he cried out.
Luo Qingyang watched them go.
The foyer was as repaired as it was going to be for the moment. Few people remained in the wide space. Xichen's footsteps echoed on the stone floor.
He carried Jingyi to the guest rooms of Jinlintai, neither of them speaking the whole way. Pretty window curtains, sheer and almost weightless, fluttered in their wake. The palace was immaculate. After standing amid the destruction in the foyer, the opulence of these hallways and rooms was jarring.
"I don't want to talk about it," Jingyi whispered as Xichen set him down on the bed.
"I'll be right back," Xichen answered, covering him with a sheet.
He left and repeated the same thing with Sizhui. Again, he and his junior didn't say a word to one another as they travelled. Jiang Cheng followed him, carrying Jin Ling despite his bitter protests.
"Put me down! I can walk!"
"With two broken legs? Are you fucking kidding me?"
"People are going to think I can't do anything on my own! I don't need you to rush in for every little thing!"
"What part of this was little?!" Jiang Cheng's voice was so loud in the empty corridor that Xichen feared the palace guards would come to take him away as an intruder. "You were in battle with several other clans! You nearly died! Have you lost your mind?!"
"This was my business! People won't take me seriously if you keep butting in on Jin affairs to save me!"
The two of them were starting to get on Xichen's nerves, though he, of course, would never show it. How did they put up with one another? They were always at each other's throats.
He'd originally wanted the three juniors to share the same guest room so that they could stay together, but now Xichen found himself hoping Jiang Cheng would take his nephew elsewhere so that Jingyi and Sizhui could get some proper rest.
"Hardly anyone outside of Yunmeng knows my appearance well enough to know who I am without my uniform," Jiang Cheng argued. "Now stop being a brat and lie still."
"I think people will be suspicious of the Jin disciple who carries me around and follows me everywhere I go!"
"Would you rather I ask Luo Qingyang to carry you?"
"If you do that, I swear-!"
Xichen slipped into Jingyi's room and closed the door behind him.
Glad to be away from the bickering family, he set his mind to tending to his.
"Thank you, Zewu-jun," Sizhui said with a weak smile as he was lowered onto the bed next to Jingyi's.
This guest room was one often used to house children who came to visit the palace. There were few decorations in an effort to keep things from being broken. Only a nightstand between each of the two pairs of beds and a large wardrobe filled the space.
Jingyi watched Xichen apprehensively.
"Neither of you have to talk about anything that happened if you don't want to," Xichen said. The two boys sighed in unison. "But I do want you to promise me something."
"What is it?" Sizhui asked. Jingyi tensed under his sheets.
"Promise me you'll talk to and be there for each other," he said. "You can heal from this, but that doesn't come as easily to those who hide everything inside, believe me."
A pause. And then…
"We promise, Zewu-jun," Jingyi and Sizhui said.
"Thank you."
Xichen left them a communication token on the nearest nightstand so they could reach him if needed and instructed them to sleep for a few hours. When they inquired after the Xue Yang mission, Xichen waved them off and said it was something to worry about later. They reluctantly let it go.
He made to leave but turned around again in the doorway.
Jiang Cheng and his nephew were very similar. And that meant it was very likely that Jin Ling would be too proud to seek out what he needed.
Jiang Cheng might be beyond saving, but maybe Xichen could do something about Jin Ling.
"One more thing," he said.
"Yes?" the boys replied together.
"Please make sure to look after Jin Ling too," Xichen said. "He pretends to be stronger than he is. Whether or not he realizes it, he needs the two of you. Can you promise me that you'll look out for him?"
"Yes, Zewu-jun," said Sizhui.
"We'd planned on it," said Jingyi.
Xichen beamed at them before excusing himself. He was beyond proud. He still remembered how frustrated little Jingyi had gotten when he couldn't figure out any of the classic Lan instruments. Or how anxious and determined six-year-old Sizhui was to live up to Wangji's expectations.
Now looking at them, they had grown into exceptional young men who cared deeply about the people around them. Xichen was honored to have had a hand in raising them. It was a privilege to call them family.