"YOU'VE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!"

Wei Wuxian woke with a start. Lan Zhan was sitting on the edge of the bed, glaring at the door as if Jiang Cheng would sense his annoyance from the other side.

"What's happening?" Wei Wuxian asked, clutching his pounding head as he sat up. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so awful after drinking.

"Some of our group are missing," Lan Zhan said tersely. "We discovered it this morning. There was no evidence of a struggle."

An anger unlike any he'd felt in a very long time swept over him.

"How mysterious," Wei Wuxian said sarcastically. "I bet I can guess who's gone."

"I'm sure you know one of the three."

"Three?!"

Lan Zhan nodded. "Sect Leader Nie, Advisor Luo, and Yu Qingqi."

"What?! How?! Why?!"

"I don't know."

Wei Wuxian jumped out of bed, ignoring both the wave of nausea that hit him and Lan Zhan's insistence that he continue to rest. He strode to the door, threw it open, and stepped outside.

At the end of the hall, he could clearly see Jin Ling and the Lan juniors gathered in the dining area. But, he could hear Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen too. It seemed that Wei Wuxian was the last to wake.

"Guess who's gone," Jiang Cheng growled at him as he joined them.

"Lan Zhan told me," Wei Wuxian replied, surprised that he sounded nearly as angry as Jiang Cheng did.

"He's probably laughing to himself right now. Unbelievable."

"He was afraid," Lan Xichen said quietly. "He's been afraid this whole time. Maybe it's best that he went home."

"Tch."

Wei Wuxian cast a glance at Jin Ling and noticed that he was rolling a jade object between his fingers.

"What's that?" he asked him.

Jin Ling glanced up. That look… the set of his jaw and flare of his nostrils… he made the exact same expression that Jiang Cheng did when he was trying not to show that he was upset.

"It's her necklace," he said stiffly, "Luo Qingyang's. She left it. And she left this."

He passed Wei Wuxian a scrap of paper. He turned it over and read what had been hastily scrawled on the other side.

Don't seek me out. Please accept this as my resignation.

He turned it over again just in case he'd missed something the first time. But, he hadn't. That was all that it said.

"Huaisang is one thing," Wei Wuxian said, giving the note back to Jin Ling. "Those two are quite another. They wouldn't have left if it wasn't for a good reason, would they?"

"I don't know," Jin Ling muttered.

"Like I said," Jiang Cheng said hotly, "you should use a storm gate. You're the only one here who would be able to find Advisor Luo."

"She told me not to," Jin Ling said. "And… I don't know if I can."

His voice shook with hurt and fury. Wei Wuxian could understand that. Jin Ling felt betrayed. Of course it would be hard for him to link to his advisor now.

What the fuck was going on?

"Well Huaisang didn't tell us anything," Wei Wuxian interrupted before Jiang Cheng could continue hounding Jin Ling. "I think that means hunting him down is fair game."

Jiang Cheng smirked. The others looked nervous.

Regardless of how they felt about Wei Wuxian's use of the term 'hunting', all eyes found their way to Lan Xichen.

"How about it, Zewu-jun?" Wei Wuxian prompted him. "I think you're the only one here who could."

Lan Xichen dropped his gaze to the floor. "Is it not better that he be away from all this? He's not a warrior."

"He could have left a note too," Wei Wuxian insisted. "How do we know that he's not in danger?"

"I don't think he's in danger."

"What?"

Lan Xichen wouldn't look at him. "I don't think he's in danger. I think he left."

There was something about him… something about the way he stood and the way he spoke, bracing himself. He was hiding something.

"Do you… do you think he left because he was scared?" Wei Wuxian asked.

"I… don't know."

Oh. Oh.

If Wei Wuxian's realization was correct, they were going to have a problem.

"Xiongzhang, please," Lan Zhan said, startling Wei Wuxian who hadn't noticed he was standing behind him. "It's important that we find him."

Lan Xichen nodded. There was a tightness around his eyes, like he was wincing.

"I know," Lan Xichen murmured. "I just don't think I can find him for you."

"Fuck," Jiang Cheng breathed. "You don't trust him either, do you?"

"I don't know. Ever since Guanyin Temple, I – I don't know."

Wow. And Wei Wuxian had thought the least likeable person in their group had been Jiang Cheng.

Zidian began to pop and snap on Jiang Cheng's finger. Wei Wuxian instinctively stepped back toward Lan Zhan.

"He did it on purpose," Jiang Cheng said. He clenched his fist. "That little-! HE DID IT ON PURPOSE! HE DIDN'T WANT US TO BE ABLE TO FIND HIM! HE-!"

When Jiang Cheng caught sight of the look on Lan Xichen's face, he fell silent. But from the violet glow of his hand, it was obvious that he was still livid.

No one spoke for a time.

Wei Wuxian's gaze wandered to the shattered glass on the floor and the broken chair leg nearby. He started to wonder if there were enough of them left to protect the kids.

Although Luo Qingyang and Yu Qingqi hadn't originally been a part of their group, their help had been invaluable as they got closer to Nightless City. And they'd proven themselves exceptionally devoted to protecting not just Jin Ling, but Sizhui and Jingyi as well.

Hell, Luo Qingyang had carried Jiang Cheng to safety even though she despised him!

Without those two women, Wei Wuxian wasn't sure that the five remaining adults would be enough to shield the boys from the horrors that undoubtedly awaited them in Nightless City.

Jiang Cheng moved to put a hand on Jin Ling's shoulder.

"Will you go home now?" he asked. "You're already injured. You've come along this far. Why don't you go home and heal. Take your friends with you."

"No!" Jin Ling shouted, shoving his uncle's hand off of him. "Stop trying to send me away! I told you! I feel better! Luo Qing-!"

"And she's gone now," Jiang Cheng said sternly. "She's not here to help you."

"I don't need her help! I can do this on my own!"

Jiang Cheng's eyebrow twitched. "Jin Ling, please," he said, voice tense. "Please go home."

Jin Ling crossed his arms. "I'm staying. Stop asking."

Jiang Cheng balled his hands into fists. Wei Wuxian was curious to see whether he would use force to make his nephew do what he wanted.

Surprisingly, he merely inclined his head.

"You are as stubborn as your father," Jiang Cheng said. When Jin Ling puffed up with pride, he added, "It was his most annoying trait."

"Hey! You-!"

"And you two," Jiang Cheng said, ignoring Jin Ling's protests to turn his attention to the Lan juniors, "are you staying?"

Rather than immediately state that they were, Jingyi cast a sideways glance at Sizhui.

Each day, Sizhui had looked worse and worse. Even just standing there, he was trembling. Wei Wuxian desperately hoped that they would decide to go back home where it was safe.

Sizhui rolled his shoulders back and stood up tall. Wei Wuxian's heart fell before he'd even answered.

"We will stay, Sect Leader Jiang," he said. "We want to help."

"Are you sure?" Lan Xichen asked. "This is beginning to look like it will be more dangerous than we originally thought. There is no shame in going home. I think all of us here would prefer that you three were safe."

Before Sizhui could say anything, Jingyi nudged his arm.

"We're not even to Nightless City yet," Jingyi said, "and you already look… like this."

"The people that I care about are here," Sizhui replied firmly. "I'm staying."

Wei Wuxian felt a rush of affection as he looked first to him and then to Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen. He didn't stop there, though. Very briefly, he glanced at Jin Ling before looking at Jingyi again.

It all would have been very cute if it hadn't meant that Sizhui was going to be risking his life for them.

How annoyed could he really be though? At their age, Wei Wuxian almost certainly would have done the same thing.

It might turn out all right. He would ask Wen Ning to watch over the three of them.

"Great," said Jiang Cheng shortly. "Fantastic."

"The kids have made up their minds," Wei Wuxian said with a shrug. "We'd better get moving if we want to have time to set up camp outside of Nightless City."

However, all four adults (Wei Wuxian included) continued to stand exactly where they were. They eyed the three boys as if staring alone could make them reconsider.

"Uh, all right," Jin Ling said, turning slowly to face the hallway to their rooms. "Let's go then."

As soon as he headed off to gather his things, everyone else did the same.

Wei Wuxian caught Jiang Cheng's eye before he'd turned to follow Lan Xichen. There was an understanding shared between them. An understanding that should have been reached long ago, at the beginning of the whole Xue Yang ordeal. It was something they'd pretended was true, but hadn't been until that exact moment.

They were on the same side. Unshakably. Undeniably.

It would probably only last until everything at Nightless City was settled. But they were going to work together because that was the only thing that was going to keep Jin Ling alive.

For a moment – just a moment – some of the crushing pain of the miasma had lifted from Wei Wuxian's chest.

The seven of them gathered their things and readied themselves for their last day of travel. Lan Zhan commented again on how feverish Wei Wuxian looked and offered to carry his things for him, but Wei Wuxian refused. So, Lan Zhan resigned himself to shooting worried looks in his direction instead.

When they all headed outside and started down the path to Nightless City, an odd feeling grew beneath Wei Wuxian's skin and down his spine.

"Has anyone seen Wen Ning?" he asked once they'd travelled far enough that the inn was out of sight.

"No," Sizhui said as everyone started to look around. "I had wondered where he was too."

"Ghost General!" Jingyi shouted. "Ghost General, where-?!"

"Stop that!" Jiang Cheng hissed. "We are too close to Nightless City for you to be doing something as-" he paused as if rethinking his words, "-as dangerous as that."

Jingyi bristled but one look from Lan Zhan made him shrink down and mumble an apology.

"We should spread out and search for him," Jin Ling said resolutely.

He pivoted and started to march off into the woods, but Wei Wuxian caught his shoulder.

"Wha-?!"

"We still have a long journey ahead of us today," Wei Wuxian said. "We shouldn't delay here. Who knows how much more dangerous the road will be?"

"But," Jin Ling said slowly, "what if he's hurt?"

A sad smile pulled at the corners of Wei Wuxian's lips. Months ago, this boy would have given anything to destroy Wen Ning. Now, he worried about him as he would worry for a close friend. Wen Ning would have been very touched.

"Few have the power required to deal lasting harm to Wen Ning," Wei Wuxian said as Jin Ling threw his hand off of him. "He is either delayed because he's protecting us, or he decided to accompany Huaisang or Luo Qingyang and Yu Qingqi. No matter which it is, I trust him."

"Really?"

That one word from Jiang Cheng was enough to make the skepticism of the group evident. Even Sizhui had a slight frown on his face, though Wei Wuxian expected it had less to do with trusting Wen Ning and more to do with his concern for Wen Ning's well being.

"You could call him, couldn't you?" Jin Ling asked, his gaze lingering on Sizhui. "Just to be sure he's all right, you could use Chenqing to call for him."

"I'm not going to do that."

"Why not?" Jiang Cheng demanded. "You've done it plenty of times before. Why do you hesitate now?"

Wei Wuxian folded his arms. Were they all going to fight over this? They were so close to the end. For it all to fall apart now would be… just his luck, honestly.

"Because I told him that his freedom was his own," Wei Wuxian said. "I've controlled his fate for far too long."

As Jiang Cheng opened his mouth to argue, a shield of white moved between him and Wei Wuxian.

"He said he wasn't going to call him," Lan Zhan said. His sonorous voice rang with warning. "The matter is settled."

"Every time with you," Jiang Cheng hissed. "You don't even agree with him. You're doubtful too. But, you just follow along behind him without question."

"Jiang Wanyin," Lan Zhan said testily.

"Lan Wangji."

They stared each other down, backs rigid and arms clamped firmly at their sides, while Lan Xichen and Wei Wuxian glanced nervously between them. Jin Ling, Sizhui, and Jingyi all took a few steps off the path, distancing themselves.

"Going to fight me, then?" Jiang Cheng asked through gritted teeth.

Wei Wuxian's eyes went wide as Lan Zhan's fingers gravitated toward Bichen. Jiang Cheng reached for Zidian as well.

"Please," Lan Xichen said with an air of exasperation. "Would you two please-?"

It was time Wei Wuxian defended himself. He didn't need Lan Zhan to do it for him.

While Lan Xichen was talking, Wei Wuxian stepped out from behind Lan Zhan and moved to stand between him and Jiang Cheng. Everyone quieted. The looks of bewilderment that greeted him made Wei Wuxian a little self-conscious, but he spoke with as much false confidence as he could muster (and he could muster quite a lot).

"If I call for Wen Ning, and he's trying to help us," Wei Wuxian said, "Then I would have pulled him away from that and may bring more trouble our way. I don't think he abandoned us. Whatever he's doing, I think it's important and I'm not going to impose on his freedom just to prove it."

Jiang Cheng shifted. Wei Wuxian worried that he was going to interrupt him, but he never did.

"As difficult as it may be, could all of you trust me?" Wei Wuxian asked. "Just this once?"

The silence that followed made Wei Wuxian perspire even more heavily than he had been.

"Tch, fine," Jiang Cheng said at last, much to his relief. "If you're wrong though-"

"You'll break my legs?"

"I'll break every bone in your body."

Wei Wuxian gulped and smiled sheepishly. "Noted."

Lan Xichen inclined his head and spoke very softly. "I hope you're right."

Me too, Wei Wuxian thought as he bowed to Lan Xichen.

With that, they were off again. The tension in the air was palpable. Sizhui kept looking up at any sound, even those made by their own party. Each time, though, he was disappointed.

Wen Ning never returned to them.

They walked until the sun clung to the horizon. It was becoming unbearable to move forward. The miasma only grew stronger with each step. Wei Wuxian was certain his heart was going to be ripped to shreds by the time they reached their destination.

No corpses crossed their path along the way. It was suspicious for sure, but Wei Wuxian was thankful nonetheless. Even the least affected among them – Jin Ling and Jingyi – were faltering in their stride. They would have stood little chance if they'd encountered mobs like they had before.

And when at last they saw the grand gates of Nightless City before them, with the lofty twelve-ridged roof of the Scorching Sun Palace easily visible over the wall bathed in a strange fog, the seven of them let out a collective sigh of relief.

Sizhui lowered himself shakily onto a nearby stone. Jingyi crouched beside him.

"Now all we have to do is kill Xue Yang," Wei Wuxian said brightly, looking around at their exhausted faces. "Easy!"

Oh fate loved to make a fool of him!

As soon as he'd finished speaking, his knees wobbled and then buckled beneath him. Lan Zhan caught him before he could fall, but he was too late to save him from embarrassment.

A smirk spread across Jiang Cheng's face, and he opened his mouth to say something (probably something rude), but before he could, he too became unsteady on his feet. He grabbed the branch of a tree beside him.

Although he didn't fall like Wei Wuxian had, he was embarrassed enough to shut his mouth.

"We should set up camp," Lan Xichen said, his voice strained. "Maybe not here."

"There was a glade that way," Jingyi offered, pointing back down the dirt path.

"Good idea."

Jingyi perked up a little with Lan Xichen's praise. He stood and offered his hand to Sizhui.

Lan Zhan lifted Wei Wuxian the rest of the way up to place him back on his feet. As he did so, however, Wei Wuxian noted how his normally sturdy arms trembled around him.

"Are you all right?" Wei Wuxian whispered.

"Mn."

Leave it to Lan Zhan to act tough when he was in pain. Wei Wuxian made a mental note to try not to be as much of a burden to him.

They meandered back to the forest clearing that Jingyi had mentioned. It took a long time to set up the tents that the Lans had brought. Wei Wuxian fumbled anything he tried to help with.

Night fell as they worked, making the project even more difficult for them all. Luckily the moon was large enough to allow them some light to see. But, by the time they'd finished, no one wanted to do anything but sleep.

"We should eat," Lan Xichen said. "We'll need strength for tomorrow."

Jin Ling and Jingyi groaned. Wei Wuxian would have done the same if he'd had enough energy to do anything more than breathe.

Across from him, Jiang Cheng was moving stiffly, as if in pain. His face shone with sweat in the moonlight. Wei Wuxian reckoned that he himself didn't look much better.

Packs opened with quiet resolve. Lan Xichen tried to start a fire for them, but ended up dropping the flint onto the pile of dried twigs the boys had gathered when he tried to strike it.

"I hope we adjust to this quickly," Lan Xichen said, staring sadly at his failed task. "Otherwise, this fight is going to be…"

Whatever he had been about to say, he didn't utter it.

"Zewu-jun."

Jiang Cheng spoke softly as he offered the dropped flint. Lan Xichen took it, a slight crease forming in his brow.

"Thank you, Sect Leader."

Jiang Cheng nodded and sat back down, not looking at Lan Xichen even though he was seated across from him.

Wei Wuxian was confused by their awkward exchange, but he didn't have the strength to try to riddle it out.

He leaned his head against Lan Zhan's shoulder, cursing himself for having to rely on him even when he'd just told himself that he would try not to.

Lan Zhan didn't seem to mind. He wrapped one arm around Wei Wuxian's waist and rested his cheek atop his head.

We're supporting each other, Wei Wuxian told himself. No need to feel bad.

Sizhui slouched forward, his hands pressed against either side of his head. Jin Ling watched him for a time. Then, slowly, he untied the clarity bell from his belt and reached across Jiang Cheng to offer it to him.

"What's this?" Sizhui asked.

"Take it," Jin Ling said gruffly.

"I… appreciate the sentiment, but I'm not sure that it'll help."

"Maybe it will and maybe it won't. It's not like it'll weigh you down to take it."

Sizhui deliberated, brow scrunched. So, Jingyi reached out, took the bell from Jin Ling, and forced it into Sizhui's hand.

"Take it," Jingyi said sternly.

Wei Wuxian glanced over at Jiang Cheng, who hadn't moved an inch since Lan Xichen had gone back to trying to light a fire for them. He was watching the boys with an odd expression on his face. Try as he might, Wei Wuxian couldn't figure out what he was thinking behind those unwavering gray eyes. He was quite certain he'd never seen him look like that before.

"Are you sure, Jin Ling?" Sizhui asked, also shooting a quick look at Jiang Cheng.

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure," Jin Ling snapped. "Stop making a fuss."

"Okay. Thank you."

Sizhui tied the clarity bell to his belt without another word. He did look a little better after he had, but Wei Wuxian wondered if that was from the bell or if he was just pleased to see how much Jin Ling cared about him.

"Jiujiu, don't," Jin Ling said firmly as Jiang Cheng started to remove his own clarity bell. "I won't take yours, so don't bother."

Jiang Cheng furrowed his brow, though not in anger. He was worried. But he was letting Jin Ling make his own decisions, so he didn't push him. He let his hands fall back into his lap and drew in a deep breath.

With one last clank, Lan Xichen finally succeeded in setting the twigs before them ablaze. The rush of light and heat sent a sudden wave of pain coursing through Wei Wuxian's body.

He tensed, recalling the cries of battle and smoke so thick in the air it suffocated him. His fingers dug into Lan Zhan's thigh before he could stop himself, but Lan Zhan didn't complain.

He never did.

He just pulled him a little closer and hummed so quietly that only Wei Wuxian could hear.

Thunk!

"Ow! Why would-?! Lan Zhan, wait!"

Out of nowhere, Jiang Cheng had chucked something at Wei Wuxian. It struck him right in the center of his forehead and fell to the ground. But, not before Lan Zhan had already started to reach for Bichen.

He paused, however, as Wei Wuxian had requested.

Lying on the ground, nestled between his feet, was a shiny something. Wei Wuxian reached down to pick it up and was surprised to find a clarity bell.

"Jiang Cheng," Wei Wuxian breathed, unable to keep the shock and confusion from his voice, "I can't take yours either."

"It's not mine, idiot," Jiang Cheng growled, flashing the tassel of his own clarity bell at him. "It's yours."

Wei Wuxian frowned. His eyes drifted toward Lan Zhan. He didn't wear the bell that Wei Wuxian had given him such that it could be seen. Lan Zhan thought it would be considered rude for him to wear something so important to the Jiang Clan. It was hidden under his outer robe. But it was definitely there.

So what was this one that Wei Wuxian held in his hand?

"This isn't mine," he said.

He reeled his arm back to return it to Jiang Cheng, but the withering glare that Jiang Cheng directed at him gave him pause.

"It is," Jiang Cheng said hotly. "Don't give it back."

Wei Wuxian looked down at the little metal sphere in his hand.

It really couldn't have been his, though. The clarity bell that he'd lost when Wen Chao had dragged him off to the Burial Mounds had been kept by Lan Zhan, and Lan Zhan still had it. The replacement bell that Yanli had given him upon his return from the Burial Mounds had certainly been destroyed along with Wei Wuxian himself.

The bells were tough, but they weren't indestructible. That one had been obliterated.

Wei Wuxian scrutinized the imposter in his hand. Closer inspection revealed that it was different from most other Jiang Clan bells. Instead of having a nine petaled lotus engraved into the silver, the flower was formed from silver filigree. And rather than a purple tassel attached to the end, this one was adorned with crimson instead.

He had never seen this bell, much less owned it.

And yet, there was something familiar about it.

There was a very particular shape to each strip of metal. He'd only seen one person achieve a strip of filigree so thin. Any finer, and the silver would almost certainly have snapped. No one else would ever have pulled the wire so taut, but it's hard to stop when twisting and pulling and striking with a hammer are done not to achieve a final product, but to relieve pent up frustration.

He'd never seen this bell, but he'd seen this craftsmanship before. It was hard to forget Jiang Cheng's impossibly intricate filigree designs, especially since it was one of the few things that he'd done better than Wei Wuxian had (and he hadn't even been trying to compete).

"I don't understand," Wei Wuxian murmured, turning the little bell over in his fingers. "This makes no sense. Where did this come from?"

He wasn't speaking loudly enough for Jiang Cheng to hear. He wasn't that stupid. Making a big deal of this, especially since it was more than lending some help – it was a gift that had been purposefully crafted for Wei Wuxian by Jiang Cheng – would be a death sentence.

Whatever was going on with Jiang Cheng, his random acts of kindness were not to be mistaken for forgiveness. They also weren't to be taken as a sign of friendship.

They were just on the same team now. That was it.

"This definitely isn't mine," he said, "but I guess it'll do."

"Tch."

Though he'd sounded annoyed, Wei Wuxian noticed Jiang Cheng's shoulders drop by a centimeter or two. He was happy with Wei Wuxian's answer.

There was a dullness to the pain he felt now. It wasn't a huge change, but it was noticeable, like the edge of a knife that took three slices to cut through when it used to take only one.

"Thank you," Wei Wuxian whispered to the bell as he tied it to his sash.

They all ate their meals in relative silence. A few times, Jingyi tried to start a conversation, but no one had the energy to respond with more than a couple of words. Even Jin Ling seemed unable to help entertain him. Ever since giving his bell to Sizhui, he sat a little stiffer than before, his expression pensive.

Before long, they were all trudging to their assigned tents.

The Lans had four tents between them, but their party had only bothered to pitch three. One was for Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling. Another was for Lan Xichen and Jingyi. And the last was for Lan Zhan, Wei Wuxian, and Sizhui.

"You two are feverish," Lan Zhan said, holding the tent flap out of the way for Sizhui and Wei Wuxian. "You should take medicine."

Wei Wuxian flashed him a smile and pressed his palm against Lan Zhan's forehead.

"So should you," he said. "You're sweating too."

Lan Zhan took his wrist and pulled his hand away from his face with a glare.

"Take medicine," he insisted shortly.

Wei Wuxian ignored him, dismissing his concerns with a wave of his hand.

"We all need medicine," Wei Wuxian said, gingerly lowering himself down on the mat beside Sizhui, who was already curled up under his sheet. "If we all take it now, there may not be enough left for actual injuries."

"These are actual injuries," Lan Zhan insisted. "I can feel… I know you feel old battle wounds now too."

"And yet, my legs and back are not actually broken and my blood remains within my body," Wei Wuxian retorted. "There is nothing for the medicine to heal."

"Please, Wei Ying."

"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian said firmly, "I know you hate to watch us suffer. It hurts me just as much to see how you wince when you move or to see the terror in Sizhui's eyes. But we have to survive this. And if we're going to survive, we shouldn't waste supplies on something that isn't going to kill us."

"If we don't sleep, we may make fatal mistakes tomorrow."

"If we can't sleep, we can use some of the suan zao ren that your brother shared with us. Is that good enough?"

"Mn."

"Good."

And they had to do just that.

Sizhui kept jumping at every sound he heard outside. Lan Zhan couldn't lie on his back to sleep like he normally did. So he too had difficulties getting comfortable.

Wei Wuxian didn't want to fall asleep.

Tired as he would be tomorrow, his dreams were reaching a point where he could hardly bear to face them. Better to be tired than to be tired and miserable.

So, when Lan Zhan finally sat up and mixed some of the herbs in with water to share with them, Wei Wuxian pretended to drink it. He was closest to the entrance of their tent and it was pitch black inside, so it was easy enough for him to chuck the remedy out onto the dirt when Lan Zhan was distracted by Sizhui.

Soon enough, his Lan family had drifted off into an uneasy slumber, leaving Wei Wuxian alone to stare up at the darkness above him, where he knew the tent canopy to be.

He wondered why he was so anxious about tomorrow. He'd faced worse things before with less apprehension. It made no sense to him.

"Don't leave me," Sizhui mumbled in his sleep.

Wei Wuxian turned over on his side to look at him, but it was so dark in their tent that he couldn't see a thing. He felt around on the ground until he found Sizhui's hand. He took it in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm right here," he whispered, knowing full well that he wouldn't hear him. "Don't be afraid."

Sizhui continued to mutter things, though Wei Wuxian could no longer understand what he was saying.

He listened hard to see if Lan Zhan was saying anything, but there was nothing to be heard aside from Sizhui.

That is, until Wei Wuxian heard the snap of a twig outside.

He sat bolt upright and strained his ears. This time, he heard the soft rustling of fallen leaves.

There was no mistaking it. Someone was in their camp.

Wei Wuxian released Sizhui's hand, taking care not to wake him in the process.

He then quietly crawled out of the tent and sat hunched in front of the entrance like some sort of very strange looking guardian creature.

The moon lit the glade well enough, but he didn't see anything at first. Wei Wuxian already knew that it couldn't have been Xue Yang. They had placed many extremely powerful warding talismans around their camp. More than that, Wei Wuxian couldn't sense any demonic presence.

He stared into the dark until his senses began to play tricks on him. Branches looked like fingers and the wind carried threatening whispers.

And then, just when he'd told himself he'd made it up – that the miasma was making him paranoid – he saw a thin figure move out from behind Jiang Cheng's tent and skirt quietly around the smoldering embers of their firepit.

"Damn it, Jin Ling," Wei Wuxian whispered angrily at him.

Jin Ling stopped dead in his tracks and whipped around. "Why are you not asleep?" he demanded.

"Why are you not asleep?" Wei Wuxian countered.

"You know well why."

"Great. We understand each other. Now learn some common sense, get back in your tent, and pretend to be sleeping before someone else hears you walking around out here!"

Even in the dark, Wei Wuxian could see Jin Ling put his hands on his hips.

"I'll be quieter," Jin Ling said. "You can't make me do anything."

"Want to bet?"

The hesitation that followed his threat was amusing.

"What are you going to do?" Jin Ling said. "Hit me?"

"I've done it before, haven't I?"

"…you're not going to hit me this time."

"No," Wei Wuxian admitted. "But I am going to send you back to your tent one way or another."

"Don't."

He was taken aback by the sudden firmness of his voice.

"I'll stay within the perimeter of the talismans," Jin Ling went on. "I'll be quiet. Leave me be."

"You really don't want to go back to bed, do you?"

Jin Ling didn't answer except to drop his shoulders a little bit.

"Are you having nightmares now too?" Wei Wuxian asked.

"No, I – well, yes, but that's not it."

"What is it then?"

"It's none of your business," Jin Ling said in that irritating, self-important way of his.

"Is your uncle asleep?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

Jin Ling huffed in annoyance. "Yes, he is. Now will you leave me alone?"

"It just…" Wei Wuxian trailed off. When he spoke again, he chose his words carefully. "I'm surprised he's able to sleep here. I'm not."

"Maybe he's better than you are," Jin Ling snapped.

Wei Wuxian chuckled quietly. "If that's how we determine skill, then you're better than all of us."

Jin Ling replaced his hands on his hips. "You think that's so unlikely?"

Wei Wuxian couldn't help but roll his eyes. This kid was shameless! There wasn't a modest bone in his body.

"If the skill were something like being as troublesome as possible, I'd say you have a good shot," Wei Wuxian said. "Cultivation is a different matter. You can't expect to be at the same level as the rest of us."

"If it weren't the middle of the night, I'd hit you for saying that."

"You would try."

Jin Ling clicked his tongue. "Whatever. I'm not out here to talk to you. Why don't you get back in your tent?"

Shijie, I care for this boy, Wei Wuxian thought, scowling while he watched Jin Ling cross the camp to sit near Zewu-jun's tent. He's your blood and I would protect him with my life. But why couldn't you have lent him a little more of your own spirit and told that peacock to keep his to himself?

Deciding it was pointless to heckle Jin Ling further unless he wanted to wake everyone else, Wei Wuxian turned his attention toward Jiang Cheng's tent.

It didn't make sense that after trying so hard to stay awake that night with Huaisang, Jiang Cheng would fall asleep so easily here. Rest couldn't come much easier to him than it did Wei Wuxian.

No, from the edginess in his voice to the way he'd avoided answering questions, Wei Wuxian suspected that Jin Ling had something to do with it. He wouldn't have had to try very hard to trick Jiang Cheng into drinking or eating something with suan zao ren. It just didn't seem like something Jin Ling would do.

But why then did Jin Ling want out of that tent so badly? Wei Wuxian had believed him when he'd said it wasn't because of his own nightmares. But he couldn't make anything else make sense.

Goodness! What was he doing? There was no point agonizing over any of this!

Jin Ling was a spoiled child. The ground was probably uncomfortable or the air too chilly. He would pout about it outside for a while and then go back to bed. Wei Wuxian needed to stop wasting energy on pointless investigations and start conserving it for the morning.

Feeling annoyed with himself, Wei Wuxian had turned to crawl back to his covers when he heard a strange noise.

It sounded a little like a wounded animal, but there hadn't been any animals in this area for many li, except that bird he'd seen the other night.

He looked back at Jin Ling. His silhouette was positioned exactly where it had been before. It didn't seem like he'd heard anything.

Wei Wuxian waited…

… and then he heard it again – a small noise, barely audible. But he was sure he wasn't imagining it.

Silently, he crawled toward it, listening hard.

"Stop."

Wei Wuxian froze at the sound of Jiang Cheng's voice. For a moment, he was terrified that he'd spied him lurking outside his tent.

But then he realized that there was no way he could have seen or heard him from where he was. The opening of his tent was pointed away and Wei Wuxian had been exceptionally stealthy.

Was something in there with Jiang Cheng? Was he in danger?

Surely not. They'd taken every precaution. Wei Wuxian didn't sense anything sinister nearby and there wasn't so much as a spark from Zidian in sight.

But could he be sure? Was he certain that he knew every trick up this huli jing's sleeve?

"Damn it," Wei Wuxian muttered as he crept forward.

Every fiber of his being told him to turn around and go to bed. He and Jiang Cheng had silently agreed to work together for Jin Ling's benefit, but this wouldn't end well if Wei Wuxian invaded his space for nothing.

"Please let there be a demon…"

Tentatively, he reached out toward the tent flap and pulled it aside.

Pitch black darkness greeted him… and strangled breathing?

"Jiang Cheng," Wei Wuxian hissed. "Are you all right?"

He didn't say anything, but there was the sound of something shifting in the grass. Jiang Cheng groaned.

"Are you awake?" Wei Wuxian asked.

He mumbled an incoherent string of nonsense. The five words that Wei Wuxian did hear – 'my sister', 'don't', and 'isn't real' - didn't tell him anything except that Jiang Cheng almost definitely had to be asleep.

Wei Wuxian hesitated for a moment longer, senses on high alert, just to be sure.

But the tent was empty. There was only Jiang Cheng fidgeting in discomfort on the ground and Wei Wuxian sitting by the exit, wondering how he could stay asleep despite his obvious distress.

There was no way that he hadn't taken something for sleep.

Wei Wuxian turned to leave.

"Stop!"

He froze instantly. The lucidity and volume of Jiang Cheng's voice held Wei Wuxian in place. As a purple glow brightened behind him, he braced himself for the paralyzing sting of Zidian. He raised his hands slowly to shield his head.

But nothing happened.

"Wei Wuxian?" Jiang Cheng croaked, sounding surprisingly not angry.

"It's me," Wei Wuxian answered, turning around cautiously.

Jiang Cheng was sitting up, his face scrunched in agony. Every part of him was tensed except one of his arms that hung limply by his side. Lit by the violet glow of Zidian, it was hard to tell the color of his skin, but his expression of shock made Wei Wuxian suspect that he would have been as white as snow were he lit by sunlight instead.

"What are you doing here?"

There was a touch of anger in his tone now.

Well… no, not anger. More like suspicion.

"It sounded like you were hurt," Wei Wuxian said. "I thought you needed help."

"Oh," was all he said in reply.

Maybe it was all he could say. He really did seem to be in a great deal of pain.

"Do you?"

"What?"

"Do you need help?" Wei Wuxian asked.

"No," Jiang Cheng breathed. "Get out."

"I think it's the miasma."

Jiang Cheng glared at him silently. Zidian's steady crackling in the grass put Wei Wuxian on edge, but it wasn't enough to make him leave… yet.

"Are these old wounds?" Wei Wuxian asked, gesturing toward where he clutched his side. "Wounds from things that have already happened?"

Jiang Cheng looked away from him. He nodded curtly.

"I think," Wei Wuxian continued, "that when you sleep, you focus on it more. It makes the pain more real to you."

"Why aren't you…?"

He trailed off. Whether it was because he couldn't think of what to say or had become too uncomfortable to say it, Wei Wuxian didn't know.

"I haven't slept," Wei Wuxian said simply. "I haven't focused on it as much."

As a matter of fact, he was actively trying to ignore the burning in his skin. Of course he would be stuck with the sensation of dying for hours on end. That was just his luck.

Jiang Cheng seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"Even so," he said, "shouldn't you feel worse than I do?"

Wei Wuxian shrugged. "It's a theory. I don't actually know anything."

"Do you ever?"

"That's rich coming from you."

He was wary of Zidian's dull purple glow, but wariness had rarely spared him from his smart mouth.

However, Jiang Cheng just shook his head in mild annoyance. He was probably in too much pain to hit him anyway. From the looks of it, he wasn't doing a very good job of blocking it out.

Wei Wuxian took the little red-tasseled clarity bell at his waist and rattled it.

"Why did you give me this?" he asked. "When did you find the time to make it?"

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. "You really think I made that during this journey? It's a wonder you were ever named grandmaster of anything."

"I don't know."

"It doesn't matter. Stop asking questions."

"But you admit that you made it?" Wei Wuxian asked slyly.

"What did I just say?"

"You made this specifically for me. Admit it."

Zidian snapped ferociously. Violet sparks lit the inside of the tent as well as a lantern might have.

"The miasma must have addled your mind," Jiang Cheng snarled. "Or you have a death wish."

"If I had a death wish, I don't think I would go to you," Wei Wuxian replied with a smirk. "I can't imagine you'd make a very clean job of it. Might even set some hounds on me."

Zidian's light wavered for a moment, and then grew brighter.

"You're about to find out," Jiang Cheng said darkly.

"Well," Wei Wuxian said, holding up a finger, "before you kill me, let me ask: how do you feel now?"

Jiang Cheng furrowed his brow. His hand meandered back up to his ribs, but the rigidity of his movements had gone.

"Very clever," he growled reluctantly as Zidian darkened.

"That's why they call me a grandmaster," Wei Wuxian said smugly.

"Get out."

"Fine."

Wei Wuxian backed away, but then thought better of it and swept the tent flap aside once more.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jiang Cheng snapped. "I said get out."

"Yes, well," Wei Wuxian said, picking at the edge of the canvas awkwardly, "for what it's worth, thank you."

"What?"

"The bell. It helps."

His expression shifted to something softer for a moment. His voice, however, was as prickly as ever. "Get out."

"Right, right, I'm going."

Wei Wuxian backed away again. He jingled the bell at his waist as a goodbye.

It had the desired effect.

Wei Wuxian effortlessly ducked under the shoe that Jiang Cheng hurled at him.

He left before the shouting could begin (if it was going to start at all).

He'd gone maybe five steps before coming practically face to face with Jin Ling as he rounded the corner.

Wei Wuxian nearly leapt out of his skin. It wasn't often that a junior could sneak up on him.

"You could announce yourself before running into me!" Wei Wuxian hissed.

"Is he angry?"

Wei Wuxian screwed up his face in confusion. He couldn't see Jin Ling's features in the dark, but he couldn't imagine his question was serious. Hadn't he heard Jiang Cheng throw the boot at him?

"Jiang Cheng? Angry?" Wei Wuxian said sarcastically. "No, never. He's as friendly as he was the day I met him."

"Not with you," Jin Ling said with an exasperated sigh. "Is he angry with me?"

Ah, so he had tampered with his uncle's food or drink.

Pride from his father, temper from his uncle, and a good heart from his mother. Where this scheming side of him had come from… well, Wei Wuxian wasn't going to be the one to suggest it.

"Oh. No. I don't think he knows what you did," Wei Wuxian said.

"What do you mean by that?"

Wei Wuxian pursed his lips even though he knew Jin Ling couldn't see his disapproval.

"You asked me if he was angry with you and thought that I wouldn't know what there was to be angry about?" he said. "You need to be careful, Jin Ling. You underestimate others a little too much."

"You're not going to tell him, are you?"

"No," Wei Wuxian said firmly. "You thought you were helping."

Jin Ling exhaled in relief. "I don't think Jiujiu would see it that way."

"I think that depends."

Though he couldn't see him well, the slight shift in his weight conveyed Jin Ling's puzzlement. Or maybe Wei Wuxian was projecting onto him.

"Hm."

"Good night, Jin Ling."

"Good night."

Wei Wuxian crawled back into the black maw of his tent. But both Sizhui and Lan Zhan sounded so uncomfortable that he was tempted to crawl right back out of there. It felt wrong to wake them since they'd chosen sleep. But Wei Wuxian couldn't bear to listen to their hurt.

"Wei Ying…"

He felt around for Lan Zhan and tucked his hair behind his ear when he'd found him.

"I'm still here," Wei Wuxian murmured, "so dream of something happy."

"Where did you go?"

"You're awake?"

"Mn," Lan Zhan said, taking Wei Wuxian's hand in his. "Where did you go?"

"I… had to check on something," he said, deciding it was better to avoid the topic of Jiang Cheng when Lan Zhan was already feeling unwell.

"Mn."

Lan Zhan shifted again. Assuming he was trying to get comfortable, Wei Wuxian ran his fingers through his hair and lightly across his forehead, the way Lan Zhan had once told him he liked.

"Was everything all right?"

"Hm?" Wei Wuxian said, brow furrowed. His hand froze in place.

"When you left," Lan Zhan elucidated. "Is everything all right now?"

"Ah."

Wei Wuxian resumed his playing with Lan Zhan's hair.

"Maybe not everything," he murmured. "But it's better than it was."

"Mn."

Lan Zhan reached up to wrap his arms around his waist.

"Stop," Wei Wuxian hissed at him, gently trying to pry him away. "Your back - you're going to hurt yourself."

"Then lie down," he said.

"Okay."

Wei Wuxian lowered himself onto the grass. Lan Zhan wrapped the covers around his shoulders and drew him in close, groaning a little from the movement.

"I could have done that myself," Wei Wuxian muttered. "You don't need to do everything for me."

"Mn."

He rested his chin on Wei Wuxian's head and inhaled deeply. Not thinking, Wei Wuxian wrapped his arms around him, causing Lan Zhan to tense again.

"I'm sorry."

"No," Lan Zhan said, catching his arms before he could pull away. "It's not real. You are. Stay."

Wei Wuxian hesitated, trying to think of a different way to hold him so as to cause less pain. But Lan Zhan just pulled his arms back around him again.

"Okay," Wei Wuxian whispered.

Lan Zhan didn't respond except to pull him ever closer until Wei Wuxian rested against the warmth of his body.

It's not real. You are.

In the quiet of the tent, Wei Wuxian was left to wonder how much longer Lan Zhan's statement would remain true. Time and time again, it seemed that Wei Wuxian was destined to an ill fate. He hated to think that he might leave the man beside him alone for a second time.

The boiling in his skin reached a new height. Wei Wuxian bit his tongue in an effort to swallow the scream that had risen up in his throat.

"Don't think of that," Lan Zhan mumbled as he began to softly trace the curve of his back. "Dream of something happy."

"Okay."

Wei Wuxian focused instead on his breathing and thoughts of clouds and flowers and his schooling back before everything had started.

He and Lan Zhan barely slept that night, but they did find more respite together than they would have alone.

With the threat of tomorrow looming over them, Wei Wuxian thought their rest, minimal though it was, still an impressive accomplishment.

Tomorrow, they would return to the place where it had all come to an end.