Luo Binghe came out of the cave, only to meet with the reunion of two brothers. He rigidly turned to look at their opponent, "...this is?"

Lan Zhan introduced, "My brother."

"ZeWu-Jun is my title." Lan Xichen smiled. The three couples and him had all pulled their cloaks off, revealing the familiar faces beneath the hoods. "I'm the Clan Leader of GusuLan, also Wangji's elder brother. Thank you for taking care of my brother and brother-in-law." He clasped his hands and bowed.

The remaining of the three couples bowed back rigidly.

Who knew, all along, they were fighting against people with the same good intentions.

The three couples introduced themselves. After the introductions, Shen Qingqiu asked, "Were you the one who lit the blue fire?"

Lan Xichen denied it. "My powers aren't so strong."

The three couples coughed. They felt the blue fire pressing down their chest, with the smoke clogging their throat. "We need to extinguish this fire..."

Hua Cheng stepped out. His face was cold and indifferent.

His lips parted, then blew a puff of air.

The remaining cultivators watched, perplexed and dumbfounded, as the blue fire was washed away into absolute thin air. They all thought that the blue fire was something unbeatable, however, Hua Cheng just blew once lightly and the fire was diminished! It looked like... the Ghost King definitely mustn't be reckoned with!

"...this fellow cultivator, you're really powerful." Lan Xichen was at a loss for words.

"Hua Chengzhu, you really showed off this time!" Wei Wuxian laughed.

Hua Cheng arched an eyebrow. He remained indifferent to the praise.

Slowly, Lan Xichen turned to the direction of the cave. "When I arrived at the origin of the fire, I found a few villagers hiding in the cave. Their village was burned down in the fire. Afterwards, I heard your footsteps, and coincidentally thought that the culprit decided to come after their lives. That was why I was guarding and fought against you guys."

The three couples understood his intentions.

Originally, Lan Xichen was planning to visit Jiang Cheng. He arrived at Yunmeng Jiang, then saw the fire and was alerted. He thought it'd be helpful to extinguish it, but couldn't because of how strong it was. Instead, he found innocent villagers hiding inside the cave. Unwilling to leave them behind, Lan Xichen joined them inside the cave.

However, he heard footsteps coming their way. He thought that the footsteps belonged to the enemy, and planned to defend from them. That ended up with him fighting against the three couples.

"I don't know if we're close to the actual culprit or not." Lan Xichen spoke solemnly. "I'm going to check up on the villagers in the cave. It's best if I bring them to Lotus Pier and ask if Clan Leader Jiang would allow them to take refuge."

Shen Qingqiu fanned himself. "I'd like to see the villagers as well."

The others agreed with him.

Lan Xichen understood and brought them to enter the cave. He snapped his fingers, then set a small flame of fire, which just levitated above a finger.

The darkness inside of the cave had brightened up.

The three couples could finally see what was going on inside of the cave.

Inside the cave was a group of scalded middle-aged women, men, young folks, and one child. All across their skins were burned wounds from the fire. They shuddered and hugged each other in a circle. Smoke and ashes were smeared across their cheeks.

"H-How is it outside?" A man groaned.

By his side, a woman cried, "We're all going to die! My relatives all died in the fire..." She sobbed several rounds of tears, which spilled down her cheeks.

Lan Xichen tried to soothe her, "The fire is extinguished. It is gone. You guys won't die."

The woman continued crying. It was as if she couldn't hear him.

"We'll bring you to Clan Leader Jiang." Wei Wuxian began. "He's the leader of Yunmeng Jiang. He'll decide if you guys can take refuge in Lotus Pier."

A spark of hope was set aflame in the villager's eyes. They began discussing with each other in hushed voices, with a spark of passion in their expressions. Even though their home was burned within the hazardous blue fire, there was a chance that they could get themselves a second home!

Suddenly, a child caught Xie Lian's eyes.

The child was a young boy, about the age of a teenager. His entire body was covered in cloaks, as if he wasn't feeling hot yet. A hood coated his head, donning him so that nothing but his eyes showed. His skin were completely covered. Even worse, his eyes possessed not the look of a child... but the look of a soulless and traumatized one. It was as if he'd been stripped of his childlike personality.

This boy was colourless and as pale as a doll. He barely moved, as if he couldn't properly control his limbs and body. The young boy was being embraced in a young lady's arms. The young lady thought that the child needed comforting, regardless of his lifeless appearance.

Xie Lian eyed the young boy, "Is he alright?"

Seeing that he's looking at them, the young lady spoke up, "I think he's suffered quite a shock at his young age. At first, I thought he was sick, but he wasn't heating up."

Xie Lian asked gently, "Are you his mother? Or perhaps his elder sister?"

The young lady tilted her head. She had a heavy coat padded across her body, making her figure undetectable. "Actually, we're merely acquaintances. I was picking some herbs out in the woods, then ran into this little boy during the fire."

Shen Qingqiu's eyes thinned. "Are you with the villagers?"

The young lady denied it. "No, I'm here to visit Lotus Pier as a tourist."

The villagers agreed to her words. "Yes. We found her staying in the cave with that boy, and decided that this would be a safe place to stay away from the fire."

Listening to that, the three couples understood the situation. "Don't worry. We'll bring you all to Clan Leader Jiang and see what he'll do with you." Lan Xichen smiled politely. "Although Clan Leader Jiang appears quite scornful and rude at first, he's actually kind and sincere. I'm confident that he'll do anything for the people of Yunmeng Jiang."

Hearing that, the villagers appeared quite happy. "We're saved!"

And yet, the little boy huddled in the young lady's arms... he showed no reactions.

The group of villagers comprised of about twenty people. When they entered through the gates of Lotus Pier, they managed to gather a lot of people's attention towards themselves. After all, they appeared so auspicious when following after the prominent figures of Lan Xichen, and the three couples.

"Up ahead is the residence of Clan Leader Jiang." Wei Wuxian introduced to them. "Remember to be respectful when seeing Clan Leader Jiang. You must first kowtow three times..."

He continued blabbering his mouth about the rules, which nobody knew if they were true or false.

Finally, they stopped before a door, which was guarded heavily by the Yunmeng Jiang disciples. Upon seeing Lan Xichen, the disciples bowed respectfully. "You may enter."

They knocked twice on the door, then opened it.

The three couples and Lan Xichen entered, only to be greeted with the sight of Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling at a deadlock and standstill. The pair of uncle-nephew sat across the table, and shot looks of daggers at each other. By Jin Ling's side was Lan Sizhui and Jingyi, who was exposed to the tense atmosphere.

The two GusuLan junior disciples had tried to comfort Jin Ling. They massaged his shoulders and soothed him with soft words.

"Don't be mad at Clan Leader Jiang anymore..."

"Come on, cheer up."

"We can go walk Fairy together tonight."

Jin Ling ignored them. He sat arrogantly, glaring at Jiang Cheng across the table. The latter noticed his glare, so Jiang Cheng shot them back. The pair of uncle-nephew shared the same kind of arrogance and pretentious attitude, so they appeared to be sculpted from the same mold.

Lan Sizhui understood the tension. He gently rubbed Jin Ling on the shoulder, occasionally playing with the ornaments strung around his robes. "We can go eat tanghulu's together again."

"Don't think about the bad things."

"Senior Wei and the rest will be fine."

He was ignored by Jin Ling. Pouting, Lan Sizhui took ahold of Jin Ling's slender hand. He held it like it was a precious artifact, admiring its unblemished surface. He kneaded a finger, then fumbled with the thumbs. "If you continue being this way to your Uncle, Clan Leader Jiang will worsen your punishment."

Jin Ling took his hand back, harrumphing.

Inevitably, beneath his locks of chestnut brown hair, his two pearly ears turned into a shade of crimson red. He puffed some air into his cheeks, feeling the blood rushing to his cheeks.

Jin Ling's mood wasn't so great.

He'd been ordered by Wei Wuxian to send a message to Jiang Cheng, and tell him about the blue fire in the woods. Jin Ling expected Jiang Cheng to send troops to extinguish the fire. Who knows, Jiang Cheng didn't even do anything! He just sat there and didn't issue any orders.

Jin Ling was shocked. How come his Uncle isn't taking action?

Later on, he became impatient. What if the enemy was too difficult for the three couples to take on? What if they are in danger?

There is Hua Cheng... the mind-blowing and powerful man in red. He easily makes Jin Ling speechless and terrified, but keeps him from doing dumb things.

There is Xie Lian... the gentle mother who doesn't know how to make dishes. Just by being in Jin Ling's sight, he can make the latter feel softhearted and warm.

There is Shen Qingqiu... the peerless Peak Master. He appears distant and untouchable, yet actually has a loudmouth. This makes him especially relatable to Jin Ling.

There is Luo Binghe... the annoying "self-asserted" Demon Lord. He is annoying and racks Jin Ling's brains, but... Jin Ling admits that without him, Jin Ling would feel like something is missing from his life.

Then, there is Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji... they are his uncle and uncle-in-law. Wei Wuxian taught him the importance of having no pride, making apologies, and thanking people. Lan Zhan made him understand that a person can have many different sides to themselves, regardless of what is shown on the surface.

Throughout his time of being with those "babysitters", Jin Ling felt like he found himself a new family. If they're gone from his side, would he be casted aside like how Clan Leader Jiang did to him?

But then, all of a sudden, the door opened and he saw-

"Wei Wuxian!" Jin Ling blurted. His eyes opened from shock. He thought that this shameless Yiling Patriarch had long passed away!

It turned out that Wei Wuxian is proving to him... that death truly can be avoided... even five times. First from the Burial Mounds, second from the Bloodbath of Nightless City, third from the Discussion Conference at Koi Tower, fourth from the Guanyin Temple... and lastly from this blue fire incident.

Wei Wuxian waved at him. "Yo, kiddo."

He turned to look at Jiang Cheng, who had long expected of his safety. Truth be told, Wei Wuxian demonstrated to him of the three couples' strengths long ago at Cang Qiong Mountain. Those one hundred and fifty demons were all slaughtered by them. That was enough evidence of their strength. Therefore, Jiang Cheng wasn't worried for them.

Jiang Cheng just wanted someone to take care of his nephew during his absence.

Suddenly, someone caught his eye. Lan Xichen smiled politely, taking a seat next to Jin Ling. The two junior disciples of GusuLan, Lan Jingyi and Sizhui stepped aside.

"We've taken care of the fire." Lan Xichen bowed. "Along the way, we've found some victims whose village was burned down by the blue fire. If it is alright with Clan Leader Jiang, would it be fine for them to take refuge in Lotus Pier?"

Jiang Cheng set his eyes on the villagers.

The villagers all tensed up (aside from the young boy). They were all in a dire state. They lost families, lost their home, and lost comfort. The only thing they haven't lost was hope.

Jiang Cheng's eyes landed on Lan Xichen. This man always wore a calm facade.

He always appeared perfect. Nobody knew what thoughts or emotions were spiralling inside this man's heart. If best, Jiang Cheng wishes to never witness the man's downfall.

"Do what you please." He spat off-handedly.

The villagers hurriedly dropped on their knees. The abrupt shift and noise had shocked Jiang Cheng, who speechlessly watched them kowtow their forehead on the floor.

They kowtowed and banged their forehead hard against the floor.

They were so grateful.

For once, Jiang Cheng understood what it means to gain the favour of his own people... through kindness and not through cruelty.

The tip of his ear turned a shade red before returning back to normal.

"We have some spare huts and residences around the streets. You can accommodate yourselves there." Jiang Cheng ordered.

The villagers kowtowed more before being ordered to stand them.

They were dismissed. Alongside them, the three couples took their leave as well. Only Lan Xichen, the two GusuLan junior disciples, Jin Ling, and Jiang Cheng stayed in the room. They all looked at each other, with tension multiplying in the atmosphere.

Finally, Lan Xichen sighed. "Why don't you clear the misunderstanding first, Clan Leader Jiang? It isn't fair for your nephew to experience such a shock, after all."

Jiang Cheng fell silent. He then reached out a hand.

His hand landed on Jin Ling's ruffle of hair, kneading them in his palm. Disregarding his nephew's speechless appearance, Jiang Cheng began to explain.

"Su Nan!" The tanghulu shopkeeper and his wife found their son.

Their son was the young boy in the young lady's arms. Su Nan still held that soulless look in his eyes, unmoving even before his parents.

"Thank you so much for protecting him!" The wife cried to the young lady.

The young lady shook her head. "It's nothing."

In the background, the three couples watched them. They looked at the tanghulu shopkeeper and his wife. The husband and wife... still seemed distant. It appears that they still haven't made up.

The family reunited in the rain, but the line in between them became more apparent.

CoolCool-Aid: There is no Little Theatre today. Why? How come? It's because... this is the calm before the storm—okay, I'll stop scaring you guys (¬‿¬)

Anyways, in this chapter, we welcome Lan Xichen/ZeWu-Jun! Speaking of names, when reading MDZS, the most confusing part for me were the names.

I often thought Lan Zhan, Lan Wangji, and HanGuang-Jun were different people.

Oh, and don't even get me started on Nie Mingjue and ChiFeng-Jun...