"Beware, Xue Yang is alive!"

"-spotted outside of Yunmeng-"

"-matches old wanted posters. Down to the last detail!"

As he travelled through Gusu, he heard the rumors. It seemed news had spread before Jiang Cheng could deliver it himself.

But that didn't mean he shouldn't confirm that news had been received by the right people.

They had no idea what Xue Yang could be up to. He hadn't been seen since his presumed death in Yi City. Which meant that he'd been alive for quite some time and could have gotten up to any amount of trouble since then.

It didn't bode well that he'd been seen now. He had to be up to something.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Jiang Cheng said, out of breath from the brisk pace he'd kept.

It was the middle of the night. Activity in the Cloud Recesses had long since died down, though there wasn't normally much activity to begin with. Only the distant sound of rushing water and the songs of insects could be heard outside.

Lan Xichen looked up from his books.

His pretty face was paler than usual. His eyes were dull.

"I didn't expect to be here," Lan Xichen said, "but I don't have much choice today."

Jiang Cheng folded his arms. "Have you already received word of Xue Yang, then?" he asked crossly.

"I have."

"Then what the hell did I run up here for?"

Lan Xichen smiled, but his smile was nothing like it used to be. His expression didn't touch his eyes. Jiang Cheng had never seen him like this.

"I don't know why you would have run here, even if we Lans had not yet received the news," Lan Xichen said calmly. "Xue Yang is not an imminent threat according to our sources. Have you heard differently?"

Jiang Cheng frowned. "Well… no…"

"So why were you running?"

His brain went blank. He hadn't paused long enough to consider that question himself. He'd simply gone to Gusu as soon as he'd heard.

"I don't know," Jiang Cheng said hotly. "Guess it doesn't matter anyway."

Lan Xichen stared at him intently for a time. Though he wanted to, Jiang Cheng refused to look away. He was convinced that Lan Xichen was trying to read him the same way he effortlessly read his brother. So, surely the way to keep this from happening was to glare at him.

"I guess it doesn't," Lan Xichen said, glancing back down at his books before rising to his feet.

It was at that moment that Jiang Cheng recognized the handwriting on one of the parcels lying atop Lan Xichen's littered table. The thin, elegant penmanship of the late Jin Guangyao covered the page like cobwebs.

Jiang Cheng wouldn't have recognized it at all if he'd not received so many letters from him checking in to make sure he could give Jin Ling different gifts, presumably to buy some amount of control over Jin Ling's wild behavior.

You're so enraged only because your heart has finally felt a twinge of guilt…

Jiang Cheng curled his hand into a fist and twisted Zidian back and forth on his finger.

Lan Xichen seemed to notice this. He shifted the parcels to conceal the one from Jin Guangyao.

"Will you be heading back to Yunmeng, or was there something more you desired from me?"

"What?" Jiang Cheng asked more harshly than he'd intended. But he processed what Lan Xichen had said before the latter could repeat himself and went on, more softly, "I wanted to know whether or not Lan Wangji had returned to the Cloud Recesses."

Lan Xichen gave another false smile. "He and Wei Wuxian are still abroad."

"Right."

Lan Xichen studied him for a moment. This time, Jiang Cheng turned away.

"Would you like me to send for them?"

Jiang Cheng frowned. "Why would you suggest that?"

"You seem worried."

"About what?"

"You tell me."

Jiang Cheng folded his arms and levelled an unamused look at Lan Xichen. He didn't know what game he was trying to play with him, but Jiang Cheng wasn't in the mood.

"My mistake," Lan Xichen said. "I must have misinterpreted."

He strode to the doorway and turned back to face Jiang Cheng again. "It's late. I can send for someone to make up a room for you so that you don't have to travel in the night."

Jiang Cheng waved away the offer. "No need. I have matters to attend to back at home."

Lan Xichen nodded.

It was at that moment the sound of hastened footsteps could be heard above the quiet ambience of the Cloud Recesses. Jiang Cheng lightly touched Zidian before peering out the doorway into the night. He sensed Lan Xichen at his shoulder.

"Jiujiu?" came a familiar voice. "Has Lan Qiren told you anything about Hanguang-jun? Lan Jingyi didn't know anything… as usual."

A teenage boy clothed in yellow appeared in the mist. His sharp but delicate features bore a striking resemblance to his grandmother, Yu Ziyuan, and made his look of impatience all the more effective.

"I haven't spoken to Lan Qiren," Jiang Cheng answered. "I've been speaking with Zewu-jun. And no, he doesn't know where Hanguang-jun is either."

Jin Ling's gaze flicked to Lan Xichen briefly. He was visibly surprised to see that he'd emerged from seclusion, but he hid this surprise quickly.

"I didn't know Jin Ling was with you," Lan Xichen said, stepping forward. "I thought he would be busy with his own clan business."

"He is," Jiang Cheng replied while Jin Ling shifted uncomfortably. "He had come to Yunmeng on business. When he heard about Xue Yang, he wanted to come to the Cloud Recesses with me."

This was not entirely true. When Jin Ling had heard the news of Xue Yang's survival, he had indeed insisted on coming with to the Cloud Recesses so that he could ask his friends if they knew where Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were. He'd seemed very concerned about Wei Wuxian's safety, but he no doubt thought that he'd hidden this concern well.

He had not, however, originally been in Yunmeng on business.

The past few months as the new leader of the Jin Sect had taken a toll on him. When Jiang Cheng had visited him in Jinlintai, his nephew had been on edge and couldn't seem to find the time to talk to him for longer than a few minutes at a time. Jiang Cheng had suggested that Jin Ling leave management to a trusted official for a time and return to Lotus Pier. Jin Ling had hesitated at the offer but eventually accepted.

On the trip back to Yunmeng, Jiang Cheng had watched his nephew relax more and more. He slept for half the day once they'd arrived at home, leaving Jiang Cheng to wonder if he should have been checking in on Jin Ling more often.

Jiang Cheng wasn't going to tell Lan Xichen any of this, especially since Jin Ling had initially worried about what people would think if he abandoned his duties.

His fears were justified, after all.

There would be people who would assume Jin Ling wasn't ready for his new position. Jiang Cheng didn't know if Lan Xichen would make that assumption, but he wasn't going to let Jin Ling worry about what the leader of the Lan Sect thought of him.

Lan Xichen furrowed his brow at Jiang Cheng's explanation, but he didn't pry.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for the night?" he asked. "It's no trouble."

"Yes, thank you," Jiang Cheng said. "We should be going. We'll be in touch if anything new develops with Xue Yang. Please inform me if Lan Wangji returns to the Cloud Recesses."

"Certainly."

Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling bowed to Lan Xichen. Then the two of them stepped outside and together they started across the courtyard.

They hadn't gone more than a few steps, though, before Jiang Cheng stopped in his tracks and looked back.

"Jiujiu?"

Lan Xichen wasn't looking at them, but he hadn't returned to his table either. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes downcast. Perhaps it was a good thing that Xue Yang's return had brought him out of seclusion. He looked terrible. Doing something productive might provide a distraction for him.

Jiang Cheng wondered if he should say something to him. He and Lan Xichen didn't have a close relationship. They couldn't have said more than a few words to one another each time they'd met.

What would he say? He was sorry for his loss? But he wasn't. Jiang Cheng wasn't sorry Jin Guangyao had died. He only wished he could have taken him out of the world himself.

So, he didn't say anything. He put his hand on Jin Ling's shoulder briefly and then took the lead.

But again, he stopped in his tracks. This time for a very different reason.

Where is Wei Wuxian? Tell me now and maybe I'll let you rest.

Wen Chao's words had come from nowhere. Jiang Cheng looked around, hardly daring to believe what he'd heard.

Suddenly an invisible force cut across his chest.

He dropped to his knees, unable to draw breath.

"Jiujiu?"

Jin Ling's worried face swam in and out of view. The rafters of Lotus Pier appeared before him out of thin air. Jiang Cheng's body stung horribly everywhere.

"Jiujiu, what's wrong?" he heard Jin Ling ask. He sounded far off. "Zewu-jun! Zewu-jun, help us!"

Someone snatched a fist full of the front of Jiang Cheng's uniform while another, different hand lightly touched two fingers to his neck.

"This is serious," Lan Xichen said from somewhere overhead. "It's a good thing you two hadn't made it very far yet."

Jiang Cheng brought his hands to his throat, gasping yet somehow still unable to breathe.

"Sect Leader Jiang, can you hear me?"

I could be nicer if you'd tell me where to find Wei Wuxian. Wouldn't you prefer that this stop? I mean, I'm not going to let you go. I'm going to take your golden core and kill you no matter what, but everything that happens between now and then is up to you, really.

"You are not choking," said Lan Xichen's disembodied voice. "Try to relax."

"I won't tell you where he is!" Jiang Cheng hollered.

Wen Chao sneered above him, a whip wrapped loosely around his hand. Wen Zhuliu, dressed in black robes, stood next to him.

You're going to tell me one way or another.

His boot came down hard on Jiang Cheng's chest. There was a sickening crack, and his next breath brought with it a wave of pain.

"Stop…" Jiang Cheng groaned.

"It isn't real," a calm voice said from nowhere. Did he know that voice? "Wake up. You can pull yourself out of this if you try. Concentrate."

What did that mean? There was no way out of this. He was too weak to run and he certainly wasn't sleeping. A dream couldn't hurt like this.

I'll stop when you give me what I want.

"I won't."

Then why don't you try begging me? Beg me to show you mercy.

"No. Fuck you."

"Listen to me. This isn't real. You can wake up if you focus."

Wake up? How?

Wen Chao beckoned Wen Zhuliu forward. The Core Crusher obliged, stretching out his claw-like fingers and setting them alight with crimson qi.
Jiang Cheng knew what was going to happen next. He would never forget how it felt to have his core destroyed. That memory was burned into his head forever…

Memory?

"Jiujiu, wake up!"

He would know the voice of Jin Ling anywhere.

This wasn't real. Wen Chao was long dead.

Wen Zhuliu's stoic face began to twist and warp unnaturally. The torn remnants of the violet lotus banners melted from the walls. The wooden ceiling above gave way to the night sky.

"Jiujiu?" Jin Ling said. "Can you see me?"

He started to wave his hand in front of Jiang Cheng. Watching it made him dizzy. Jiang Cheng caught Jin Ling's wrist to make him stop.

"Do you have any idea how annoying that is?" he snapped.

Relief washed over Jin Ling's face. He sheepishly averted his eyes and mumbled a half-apology.

"Good. You've returned to us."

Jiang Cheng looked over to find Lan Xichen kneeling next to him. When he shifted, he was mortified to realize that he was supporting his head. Lan Xichen must have tried to catch him before he could fall backward onto the stone, though Jiang Cheng didn't remember falling at all.

"Yes, I'm fine," Jiang Cheng said quickly, sitting bolt upright.

How embarrassing to faint in the Cloud Recesses! And from a memory nearly two decades old!

Bad dreams and occasional difficulties breathing – those were things he was used to now. Jiang Cheng hadn't suffered from anything like what had just happened for years.

Why now?

"I don't know how," Lan Xichen said, "but someone was tampering with your core."

"What?!" Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling exclaimed in unison.

"It's not a method that I'm familiar with," Lan Xichen said, "but I could sense outside interference."

Raw terror gripped Jiang Cheng's heart.

"Would something like that require one to have… precise knowledge of another's core?" he asked.

Lan Xichen tilted his head. He didn't seem to understand the question, which Jiang Cheng supposed was a good thing. It also meant he was unlikely to get the answer he wanted.

"I suppose you might need to know how powerful the target core was so you could anticipate the level of resistance," Lan Xichen said. "Unless you're powerful enough not to have to worry about it."

Jiang Cheng's blood ran cold. Did someone else know that the core he carried wasn't his own? No one aside from himself, Lan Wangji, Wen Ning, and Wei Wuxian had given any indication they knew this.

He found himself hoping that Wei Wuxian or Wen Ning had decided to randomly target him, though he knew there was slim chance of it. He wasn't even sure Wen Ning could do that sort of cultivation as a corpse.

Lan Xichen got to his feet and held out his hand for Jiang Cheng. He took it and brushed himself off as Jin Ling stood as well.

"I have an idea that may help to protect you from another attack," Lan Xichen said, setting off back toward the elegance room. "I must also strongly advise against travelling. I cannot guarantee your safety and there will be no one to help you on the road."

Jiang Cheng frowned and glanced at Jin Ling, who was watching him like he might faint again at any moment. His sense of humiliation intensified.

"I will accept your remedy, but my nephew and I can't stay," Jiang Cheng said, following Lan Xichen inside. "We both have clans to run."

Lan Xichen pulled out a scrap of paper and a paintbrush, and began to construct an elaborate talisman. Jiang Cheng was knowledgeable in the area of warding, but this was a complicated design that even he had some trouble following.

"Didn't you leave someone temporarily in charge while you journeyed here?" Lan Xichen asked without looking up.

Jiang Cheng scowled. "Of course I did."

"Then they can take care of things a while longer while we sort this out."

"I don't-"

Jin Ling lightly touched Jiang Cheng's arm, a harmless act but one that put Jiang Cheng instinctively on edge. It still felt like only yesterday that he'd been caught by Wen Chao.

"Jiujiu, please listen to Zewu-jun," Jin Ling said, staring imploringly at Jiang Cheng. "I can check in on Lotus Pier and then return to Jinlintai to make preparations to hunt down Xue Yang. Let me take care of things."

Jiang Cheng couldn't believe it. Mere days ago, he'd taken his nephew away from Jinlintai to give him respite from his numerous new duties. And now, Jin Ling was already trying to return to double his own workload?

"I won't hear of it," Jiang Cheng said, turning away. "We'll return to Lotus Pier together and sort out what to do from there. I trust that Zewu-jun's talisman will be more than sufficient protection for me."

Lan Xichen set aside his paintbrush and examined each line of his creation. Seemingly satisfied, he held out the paper to his guests.

"Well," Lan Xichen said as Jiang Cheng took the talisman from him and attached it to the inner lining of his robes, "this method is unfamiliar to me. I can't guarantee anything."

"You're a skilled cultivator," Jiang Cheng retorted. "I don't need your guarantee to trust your abilities."

Lan Xichen smiled weakly. "You give me too much credit."

"Regardless, my nephew and I will be leaving."

"Wait."

Though irritated and wholly prepared to dismiss whatever new line of reasoning Lan Xichen had prepared to convince him to stay, Jiang Cheng paused as requested. Lan Xichen pulled out two more pieces of paper and began to paint the same talisman on each of them. When he was done, he offered one to Jin Ling.

"We don't know who will be targeted next," he explained as Jin Ling gave him a confused look.

Jin Ling accepted the talisman and secured it to the inner lining of his robe just as Jiang Cheng had done. Lan Xichen took the final talisman for himself.

"Will you really not consider staying?" Lan Xichen asked.

"Goodnight, Zewu-jun," Jiang Cheng answered testily.

"Goodnight, Sect Leader Jiang."

Although Lan Xichen allowed the matter to drop, Jin Ling wasn't going to give up so easily.

He seized Jiang Cheng's sleeve as he was turning to leave and opened his mouth to argue.

But he didn't have the chance.

Zidian activated suddenly, without any conscious effort from Jiang Cheng. Jin Ling immediately released him and jumped back.

Jiang Cheng didn't allow the whip to even unfurl fully. He contained it again almost as soon as it had loosened.

Still, Jin Ling gaped at him. He'd never drawn Zidian on him before.

"Don't argue with me," Jiang Cheng said harshly, trying to make it seem as if Zidian's activation was a dramatic but intentional warning. "We each have our own clan to run – you, me, and Zewu-jun. You know the importance of those duties."

The corners of Jin Ling's mouth drew downward very slightly before he looked away. To Jiang Cheng's surprise, he didn't try to argue with him again.

"Technically," Lan Xichen said quietly, "I don't have a clan to run."

"But aren't you out of seclusion?" Jin Ling asked. "Wouldn't that put you back in charge?"

"I am out of seclusion temporarily," Lan Xichen explained. "I haven't reclaimed my title."

Jiang Cheng couldn't argue with that decision. It was clear from his broken countenance that Lan Xichen wasn't ready to return to his responsibilities.

It angered him to see how Lan Xichen was now. He knew he'd been close with Jin Guangyao, but Jin Guangyao didn't deserve such mourning.

It was bad enough that Jiang Cheng had to tell Jin Ling off for defending Jin Guangyao when they both knew he was a liar and murderer.

But Lan Xichen was many years older. He shouldn't have been so easily devastated by someone so worthless.

"In that case," Jiang Cheng said, "we will be reaching out to Lan Qiren with any updates on Xue Yang."

Lan Xichen gave another empty smile. "I understand."

Jiang Cheng's finger twitched. "Jin Ling and I will be taking our leave."

"Please travel safely."

They bowed to Lan Xichen and he bowed back. Jiang Cheng put his hand on his nephew's shoulder, guiding him toward the exit perhaps more forcefully than necessary. Jin Ling didn't protest, though.

"One more thing," Jiang Cheng said, coming to a stop in the doorway and glancing back.

The corners of Lan Xichen's lips predictably turned upward again. "Yes?"

"Stop smiling at me when you don't mean it."