Thread by @YukineLuna

#femWangXian
She startles awake, screaming Lan Zhan's name. The burning smell still fresh in her nostrils, she jumps off the bed.

"Wei Ying?"
She almost tackles the person who called her, burying her nose in a soft chest.

"Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan" She chants urgently, trembling.

"I couldn't find you! There was fire everywhere, and I couldn't find you!" Wei Ying cries, fat tears running her flushed cheeks.

"Don't worry, it's all over now." The other tells her shooting her back.
And then, she sees it. The white ribbon billowing around her figure.

And she remembers.

Lan Zhan in white robes she's never seen, surrounded by others in white. The spiral cloud pattern adorning their clothes, their finger wide forehead ribbons wavering in the air.
Gusu Lan Clan.
*Cultivators*
Lan Zhan was a cultivator. She *lied* to her.

Or more correctly, Wei Ying never asked. She brought Lan Zhan at her home and Lan Zhan killed grannie. She saw her when Lan Zhan's pierced grannie's chest with a sword she's never seen her carrying.

Wei Ying screamed in horror that time. She does it again now, stumbling back.

Lan Zhan looks concerned. How dare she?
Wei Ying wants to rip her face, her heart, her everything. She's burning with hatred and despair.
She launches forward, nails transforming in deadly claws.
"How could you? I trusted you!! And you killed them all! How could you!?"

Lan Zhan easily catches her wrists, locking them away from her face.
She states solemnly: "They must die. It was their destiny as human eating Yao."

Wei Ying looks stricken. Because she could understand that. She left the mountains for that same reason and rarely returned.

What she couldn't forgive is the fact that she, herself, brought Lan Zhan over, when she found her in the woods near granny's village. She opened the barrier and let her in.
And Lan Zhan wiped out the whole village and set it on fire.

Wei Ying wants to kill her.

Someone rushed over form the ruckus, more white robes enter Wei Ying's vision.
"HanGuang-jun!" They sound alarmed.

"Mn."
Lan Zhan doesn't even turn over, her gaze unwavering on Wei Ying's face.

"Shouldn't we dispose of her?" They're pointing their sword at Wei Ying.

"She's never killed." Lan Zhan states, as a matter of fact

"I'll rectify this as soon as you release me!" Wei Ying grits out of her teeth.
If a gaze could kill, she would have already exterminated them all.

Lan Zhan's impassive when she says: "You can't win."
That, Wei Ying

Knows too. She recognised her title. HanGuang-jun, one of the most capable cultivator on their era. The one who'll surely ascend as celestial being. The one they already address like a immortal.
Maybe this quest will be her last call as a mere human and the heavenly trials

Will roar for her. Not that Wei Ying cares. Anymore.

They've exchanged vows and bowed to each other in front of the entire village. They've received granny's blessings. Lan Zhan is her bride, her wife. And she killed the very people who celebrated their union.
Wei Ying's eyes

Are prickling with furious tears.

"You'll come with me." Lan Zhan whispers to her ears.

Somehow Wei Ying yanks free from her grip and snatches a sword from one of the other two Lan Cultivators, much to their horror.
She points it to a still unimpressed Lan Zhan and smiles.

Her tears are running wild now.

"You won't gather any peace from this. I won't permit it. I'll never be your bride. I won't be the tool for a truce between Yao and humans."

Lan Zhan raises an eyebrow at that.
Wei Ying moved quickly but she's been faster. Before she could

slit her own throat, Lan Zhan's already gripped her wrist and knocked her unconscious.

Wei Ying met her a month ago on her way to granny. Although she wouldn't call those mountains home anymore, they're still the place she's grown up for 100 years.
Detached from mortal realm, it was her little paradise, where she played and talked to every creature that hold a

soul. Many could take a human form, but some still preferred to wander in their original body.
Her favourite spot was the pond, where she was nurtured for 50 years, until her metamorphosis, surrounded by a ocean of fireflies. It's was otherworldly beautiful.

Those fireflies were the condensation of the mound's spiritual energy and they *loved* her very much. She was the only one who could see them because they'd scatter into sparkles as soon as they sensed any other presence. They nourished her with the purest spiritual prowess.

CW: kidnapping, rape, human eating, sexual slavery, grooming

She left the mountains after she found out how the villagers sustained themselves. She's seen some human child upon them, she even played with some of them when they were growing. And then she only heard them scream

Cw: human eating, sexual slavery
When they were consumed carnally or sexually. she's seen the granny who cared so much for her leaving the mountains in a much younger and enticing form. And smelled human blood on her after she returned.
Wei Ying knew what they did. And couldn't

cope with it. So she left and only visited from time to time, because she still cared.
She found Lan Zhan wandering in the woods during her last visit. A human so beautiful that she couldn't take her eyes off of her.

Although she didn't know how her akin lured their victims, she couldn't bear to watch a human falling into the abyss.
So she stepped out from the shadows and spoke to that ethereal girl in light blue robes.

"I'm seeking for a pond." The human said, when she asked what brought

Her there. She looked deadly serious, determined, like she were on a mission.
Not many knew about the existence of that place, since it was well hidden in the mountains. You had to cross grannie's village to reach there. No human ever survived such a journey, as far as she knew.

Wei Ying studies her cautiously. She was neither an idiot or a naive unknowing one. She was well aware of the fact that a human so deep in the mountains was a suspicious presence.
But when Lan Zhan told her that she was looking for a very rare herb that only grew by the pond,

She couldn't help but believe her. Maybe because she didn't sense any spiritual power on that human girl or because she looked so pristine that deception could never be a trick she'd play.
"You can't go there alone." She said.

"Will you help me?" The other pleaded.

That's when Wei Ying found out she can't deny that person, for some reason.
So she came up with an idea and took Lan Zhan through the barrier that concealed the Yao realm from outsiders (humans) sight.

Lan Zhan must have smelled deliciously to her akin, because as soon as they've reached the village, many tried to touch her.
"Such a pure soul."
"A-Ying has the best taste."
"You've finally grew up, A-Ying!"
It wasn't an exaggeration to say they were drooling.
Wei Ying gave

them a dazzling smile when she announced that Lan Zhan was her bride. It was unheard of, and even frowned upon. Yao and humans couldn't possibly mate. But she was her mother's daughter so it wasn't so surprising.
Lan Zhan didn't even flinch.
Grannie took their hands fondly

And asked many questions about how they've met. Wei Ying felt bad about lying but she also didn't want to cause Lan Zhan's death. If she didn't claim her, others would just snatch the fragile human and consume her in any way they felt like. Lan Zhan was truly alluring.

It was a long way to the pond. It's took them almost half a day. Lan Zhan found the herb, but the flower she needed would only bloom on full moon nights. It would occur in 20 days. They decided to stay in the village for the time being. Now she'd find Lan Zhan oddly calm and

Curious about their population. what they did? Do they gather sometimes?
Now she'd pick up all those signals. But then, she cheerfully answered that everyone would come home for the monthly festival on full moon.
It was ok. Lan Zhan was a common folk. She didn't know how her akin

Fed. Or so she thought.
She was different from all the other humans she met. Quiter, more beautiful, so funny to tease.
Wei Ying's heart fluttered with fondness and adoration. She was in love.

Yao were creatures so acted quickly on their feelings
Grannie knew.
She always knew everything about Wei Ying. That's the reason why she left her go and told her to join the Jiangs, a big Yao clan who lived in YunMeng in peace with humans.
So she gave them her blessing.

Grannie was happy to celebrate their union during their monthly festival. Everyone in the village was thrilled to congratulate them.
They drank their tea, performed every step of a marriage in front of the villagers, who's seen Wei Ying growing over the years. They were happy

Wei Ying gave Lan Zhan an inverse scale from her original body as a token of her love.
And then...
On their wedding night, a fullmoon night, where all the villagers where feasting over food and wine, Lan Zhan asked her to collect the magical flower from the pond, so they could

descend the mountains the day after to visit her new in laws and Wei Ying complied cheerfully.
What Lan Zhan didn't know was that Wei Ying could succeed in much less alone. So when she returned with the flower and a gift for her wife, she found the whole village burning and

Cultivators *EVERYWHERE*. She saw them slaying her akin, collecting their cores. She run into the fire, screaming in fear for her wife. And then she saw Lan Zhan. In white robes she couldn't place, holding a sword she couldn't recognise and everything was a blurry memory later on

Wei Ying startled awake yet again, tears running on her cheeks.
"A-Ying!" Jiang YanLi rushed over her.
The familiar features soothed Wei Ying, for an instant she thought that everything was just a nightmare.

*I'm sorry for the slow updates, but real life is very engaging here (3demanding kids).

And then she heard *that* voice.

"Wei Ying."

"You shouldn't be here, Lan-GuNiang." It was the first time Wei Ying heard her Shijie talking in such harsh way. Well, Lan Zhan deserved it.

Wei Ying refused to look at her, hiding her face in JYL's neck.
"I need some privacy with my meimei." She stated.

"I'll be outside. Wei Ying and I will take our leave as soon as you're finished, Jiang-GuNiang."
Wei Ying flinched. What was that?
"I won't!" She shouts.

But at the end, they couldn't do anything to prevent it.
Lan Zhan went to the Jiangs with Wei Ying's inverse scale, a well known token of love for her species, am item that she could never obtain without Wei Ying's consent. But that was before she slaughtered her village.

Madame Yu heard no reason. She never liked the existence of that place anyway. Sooner or later, those primeval beings must meet their fate, she said.
They bargained an alliance with the cultivational world, by handing them Wei Ying.
She couldn't understand. Nobody in Lotus Pier

Hunted humans, why should they be danger, only because they were different? But that was the unfair world they were living.

She's seen her fair buck of human atrocities in her long existence, to not trust them by nature. Especially those who cultivated a spiritual path and elevated themselves with higher morals than commoners. Those were the worst, in Wei Ying's experience.
More the the compassion

they devoted to their akin, more cruelty they'd reserved to other beings.
In Wei Ying's eyes, cultivators like Lans weren't any different from the villagers who sustained on humans. It was only the circle on life.

The Jiangs were Wei Ying's second family. Her human father grew up in Lotus Pier and served the family until he met her inhuman mother.
Wei Ying wouldn't put them in danger even if they've sold her off. Twice.
"Mother told her the whereabouts of the mountains and how to get in."

JYL sobbed. "She's too powerful, A-Ying. She forced us into our original form. All of us. And we were withering."
As Lotus Pier's inhabitants were mostly flowers, Wei Ying could just imagine how easily Lan Zhan would've wiped them out, if so she wished.
Wei Ying trembled.

How could *any* human be this powerful?
It really was unheard of.
"Lan-GuNiang told mother that she'll grant us a perpetual truce if..." JYL sobs. Wei Ying doesn't understand. Lan Zhan could just take her wherever she wanted, since she passed out. Why asking the Jiang? Just to

Make sure she wouldn't run? Force her into submission?
She is indeed fond of her second family but how could she just forgo revenge?
Why should her?
Then she learns that the Lan Clan has also promised a place among Cultivational World for them, so they'll never be hunted again.

*I wasn't sure where this brainrot was leading, now I know. It will feature #darklanzhan of sort, forced marriage, warprize wwx, monsterfucking and I don't know what else.
I'll tag accordingly.
Finishing the coming week, I promise.*

Wei Ying is silent during the whole journey to Gusu. All her lively chatter has died the moment she saw grannie's chest pierced by Lan Zhan's sword.
Lan Zhan. The woman who deceived her, to whom Wei Ying's shown her true form, because she loved and trusted her.
Wei Ying is

hollow now. She wants Revenge but she can't sacrifice her second family to that, so she accepted the Lans' terms.
They want a heir from her.
So she'll marry the current Clan Leader, Lan XiChen, Lan Zhan's older brother.
That's what she thinks.

And she's relieved at the thought, since she couldn't bear any intimacy with the very slaughterer of her village.
Wei Ying isn't naive, she knows that grannie and the others weren't innocents. But neither are the humans.
What she can't forgive is the deceit, how Lan Zhan

tricked her and the role she unconsciously played in the massacre. If Wei Ying didn't tell Lan Zhan everything about grannie's village, the Lans could never have succeed to wipe it out at once. She's sure of that.
So now she's set her mind on playing out her role, so she can get

back at Lan-GuNiang in the future, once she's secured a position in Lan Clan by siring them their requested heir.

GuSu is a beautiful place, rich of rivers and lakes.
The Lan Clan's residence is situated on some remote mountains, among clouds, like a true celestial palace.
She can sense an overflowing stream of spiritual energy somewhere deep within, like the pond where she was nurtured

into adulthood.
Everything in the residence looks pure and pristine, from the walls to the tiles, the cobbled footpaths and the wooden aisles.
Wei Ying feels strangely familiar with the place, like she's been there in another lifetime, aeons ago. Which is impossible.

Creatures like her can't take part in the circle of reincarnation. That's the rule.

She parts ways with Lan Zhan then moment they enter the gate.
Wei Ying is lead to the guest quarters by two maids. She must be cleansed prior the meeting with the Elders, they say.

*please just unseen the typos 😇

Wei Ying's roamed in the mortal world for several decades while during her training with the Jiangs, so she can tell those Lan maids are uncommonly quiet.
She has to carve the words out of them while they dutifully disvest her for a bath.

The ritual will last 3 days and 3 nights.
They'll soak her in the purest water, rub her skin with the most exquisite unscented oil and serve her the most effective medicinal meals and highest quality of fertility tea.
Neither of that made any sense to Wei Ying.

Didn't they know she wasn't human?
Conception worked differently for her and no amount of tea will help them if she wasn't willing. Unless one has her... Scale.
Wei Ying shivered.
"Is the water too cold for GuNiang?"
She reassured the maid with a brief smile.

She should be safe, shouldn't she? Lan Zhan is a girl and she's marrying the Clan Leader. There's no way that scale will come to use.
By the time the maids have rinsed her and wiped her dry, the night has already descended.

They dress her with the finest and softest undyed

fabric she's ever touched, a caress to her unblemished skin, now even more diaphanous under the rail of moonlight across the round wooden window, carved in distinguished details.

The medicinal meal is as terrible as its name suggests. Bland and bitter, it consists in the

greenest and healthiest vegetables Wei Ying has ever seen. And the soup has an awfully herbal smell. Is that an apothecary? Or an extravagant torture by Lan?
Luckily Wei Ying doesn't need food, unlike humans. She enjoys eating from time to time, but it's not a necessity.

Otherwise she'd perish from that venomous bitterness!

Her power shouldn't be used for such trifles but she's sure the maids will fuss if she doesn't eat. So Wei Ying swifts her hand and all the bowls are instantly emptied, like she's devoured the meal (as if!).

Once the maids retreat the tray, they lit the incense on the low desk,where they've also placed various books she should read. She's supposed to meditate and go to bed.
When she's alone again, Wei Ying summons the flower herb she collected that fateful night. She preserved it

with her magic, it's still blooming after days, all roots intact.
Maybe she could plant it somewhere, she reasons.
She needs to find a pond, which is an easy task for her. She can sense all water sources, since it's her element.
Leaving her quarters is suspiciously simple:

The Lans haven't placed any Yao containing spell. They really think she's human. Not that she wouldn't easily break out any restrictions.

Following her senses, Wei Ying enters the woods and finds her destination soon after. It isn't near her quarters but she's not walking.

The sight of that pond deep in the woods is so painfully familiar that Wei Ying startles, at first.
Then she recognizes the figure in there.
It's Lan Zhan. Gloriously naked.
Wei Ying holds her breath, heart rabbiting in her chest.
*RUN* a voice in her head screams.
She should

listen to her instincts, but the other isn't facing her and her discarded, dutifully folded robes are within reach.
Although she doesn't want to go any nearer to that woman, Wei Ying can't forgo the chance to take back her scale.

She moves very carefully, not making a sound.
When she's almost touching the first layer of that neat pile, she freezes.
Lan Zhan is looking at her, impassive like the last time, hours ago.
Naked, hair down, droplets running on her alabaster skin, she's like an illusion.

Wei Ying gulps, unable to take her eyes off her.
She can understand why she felt to charmed by that woman, but that's not what captured Wei Ying's attention.
Something is shining on Lan Zhan's left breast. That's *her* scale. Bewildered, Wei Ying staggers back and flees.

Or so she tried.
The grounds disappeared after one step and she finds herself flying towards the pond. Before she can react, Lan Zhan had already pinned her against a rock by the bank, all her clothes vanished.
This is ridiculous! Wei Ying wants to yell.

She may not be as powerful as that woman but she's still a magical creature and there's no way a mere human should be able to capture her like an easy prey.

She tries to wriggle free from Lan Zhan's grasp, in vain.
She can understand why she couldn't succeed the last time, at granny's village, but she's in a pond now! The water is her element!
But reality sucks like that.
And that infuriating woman just watches her, unimpressed.

Is that a glint of amusement what she sees in the other's eyes?
"Let me go!" Wei Ying snarls.
Lan Zhan cocks her head: "Why should I?"
Since her face is within reach, Wei Ying bares her fangs and bites. At her shoulder. And she couldn't *sink* in her flesh. It feels like solid

jade.
"You've trespassed the wards." Lan Zhan breathes evenly near her ear.
Their bodies are pressed so close that Wei Ying can feel her hard nipples.
Modesty is a human concept foreign to Wei Ying but she can't help the flush that's expanding from her cheeks.

"I have not!" Wei Ying snaps unclenching her teeth.
Their nipples brush at her motion.
"S-stop moving!" She yells.
"I am very still." Lan Zhan is indeed just holding her wrists over her head.
Oh, well Wei Ying can play that game. She's not almost 300 yo for nothing. So she

Places her knee between the other's legs and presses up.
Lan Zhan doesn't react.
They just stare at each other for an endless instant.
Wei Ying has read all kind of books in her long existence, she knows about dual cultivation, although they only described such exchange

Between yin and Yang.
Her kind indulge in such activities with their human prey and some cultivators do engage in such activities with her akin as cultivational tools.
They're both yin, what can even happen between two women?

So Wei Ying feels safe, she just wants to frustrate Lan Zhan.
What she receives in return is a shift in Lan Zha's stance, who's now pining both her wrists with one hand while the other has descended on her breast, squeezing it hard. Before she can even register the movement,

Lan Zhan is mauling her neck, fingers groping viciously on her soft meat, hips snapping forward. She was grinding on her leg!

Wei Ying is frozen in place, her mind blank. They married each other back in granny's village. She knows what married couples do.

But she did not know what married women could do.
They only exchanged some shy kisses and hugs. Lan Zhan was so pristine and proper that Wei Ying never thought about carnal intimacy could happen between them, as she looked detached from such urge, like herself.
It was all fake.

She feels so stupid and dumb, but if Lan Zhan thinks that she'll just let her have her way, then Wei Ying will show her otherwise.
So she presses harder in her heat.

The feeling of Lan Zhan's pussy is soft and foreign on her leg. So, so hot, even in that freezing pond.

She screams when Lan Zhan twists her nipple and mouths the other breast.
Wei Ying wants to free her hands and repays her, but they're still firmly caged in Lan Zhan's hold.
She's not embarrassed. Not at all!
She never experienced arousal in her life, so when she shivers,

Goosebumps spreading on her skin, Wei Ying blames the coldness surrounding them.
Still, she can't ignore the heat in her tummy and the sensation on Lan Zhan's tongue on her skin, nor her teeth. She doesn't know how much time passes. Her nipples are are sore, she's squirming.

When a *moan* escapes her throat, Wei Ying stiffens, eyes opening wide. When has she shut them?
She feels funny, sort of confused. Her body is demanding something she can't address.

When Lan Zhan's fingers brush her swollen heat, Wei Ying finally understood what's happening.
"Ah! Don't!" But it's too late.
Lan Zhan is merciless in her ministration.
She growls at the feeling of Wei Ying's wetness. She's so so slick, ripe for the harvest.
Lan Zhan spreads

her puffy lips, and run her fingers, gathering her slick. She circles the engorged nib, sending sparkles under Wei Ying's lids, who's shut her eyes again. Her mouth still working on her breast, Lan Zhan avidly touches places Wei Ying's never explored before.
She doesn't know

when her body is out of of the water, draped over the rock.
She doesn't register her hands are free to wonder on the stone, as Lan Zhan has descended over her mound with her mouth working her tongue through her folds.

Her mind is a mess, her body on fire. Every nerve combusting in an unbearable heat.
Lan Zhan's hands on her breast feel like claws. The stimulation in too much for her to process.
Wei Ying can't breathe.
Then, she feels something hot swirling through her entrance. It's too

Long for a human tongue.
"S-stop! I'm... It's weird! Ah!"
She convulses into the first orgasm of her life, in a shout. And passes out. The last image she gathers before slumber is the shimmer on Lan Zhan's shoulder.

A dragon.
She gave her scale to a *dragon.*

*ugh, I totally forgot to tag dubcon, don't hate me.*
*Everything is dubcon here, I'm warning you now.*
*Not labeling it as noncon because they don't follow human morals here, not WangXian al least.*

The following morning Wei Ying wakes up her bed, with no memory of her

encounter with Lan Zhan.
Her skin unmarred, she feels strangely refreshed, like after a good rest.
She goes through the remaining two days of the cleansing ritual without venturing out, the medicinal flower long forgotten.
Her maids are quiet as ever, although she can feel

their hands indulging on her skin, when they rub it with that special unscented oil.
Somehow Wei Ying feels restless, like she's craving for something, which is ridiculous. Maybe she just misses some good liquor? That's the only worldly pleasure she indulges in.

She doesn't like their touches. Wei Ying feels exposed, overly sensitive. She flinches many times under that tactile stimulation. She knows something is off about herself but can't place that odd sensation.
Somehow she endures through those excruciating baths.

The day of her meeting with the Elders, Wei Ying feels raw, uneasy, like something dangerous is drawing her.
It should be impossible. She's the inhuman being among humans. Well Cultivators. But she shouldn't feel threatened.
Then, they lead her into an empty room.

It's pristinely decorated, as per Lan's aesthetics, like the robes they've carefully draped oh her.
The instant they've closed the doors, Wei Ying can sense a teleportation array activating. It's too late to escape.
When she opens her eyes again, she's underground.

It's a cave. A very large one, from what Wei Ying can discern. Tall rocky walls enclose a huge pool, or more likely, a undergoing lake. A narrow gape on the top is the only source of light.
33 figures stand sternly on the rocky bank, while other 3 are right in front of her.

/Dragon pool/ 龙潭
Are the first words that creep in her mind.
There's no way out.

Wei Ying can only stare at Lan Zhan and the two men at her sides. One is surely her brother. The other is way older, regardless of his appearance. Maybe their father?

"The bride is here."

That man states, right arm stretched out, inviting her.

"She's human."
"Why are we here?"
"She's Lan Huan's bride, then."

The Elders sound disappointed.
Wei Ying is even more confused. She clearly isn't human. How can they be so ignorant?
Before she can voice any reprimand,

Lan Zhan is already at her side, a hand resting on the small of her back.
"She's my bride." Lan Zhan states.

A chorus of disapproval is now roaring in the cave, voices echoing over and over.

"She isn't adeguate!"

"A human girl cannot match!"
"This will be the end of our celestial bloodline!"

Wei Ying can feel Lan Zhan's heated grip.

She really to wants to flee but she's also helpless, unable to move, as if she's under a spell.

Lan Zhan patiently waits for the Elders to calm down, impassive, unmoved.

When silence descents again, she speaks in that low tone of hers: "She is more than adequate."

Wei Ying is restless now, squirming with all her might, heart in her throat.
She has an idea of what's happening and doesn't want any to be there at all.

Dragons are extinguished, it was common knowledge!
The last one had been sighted almost a thousand years ago!

"I shall show you." It's all Wei Ying hears prior sinking in the freezing water, Lan Zhan's hold firm on her wrists, pining her against a smooth rock.
If feels like a déjà vu.
Wei Ying stiffs, speechless. Her instinct is demanding her to run, sensing danger all over.

She shivers, stomach cramping achingly.
Somehow she spits: "You!"
Lan Zhan just stares at her: "Yes."
And then, much to her horror, Wei Ying is shifting.
"No! Stop it!" She screams with her every muscle, trying to fight the process.
In her long existence, Wei Ying had shown

her true form only to granny and Lan Zhan. It was a privilege she must grant only to her most precious ones.
She never revealed herself to her second family, not even to her beloved shijie! And there she was, shifting in front of all those strangers!

Furious in her desperation, Wei Ying snaps forward, teeth already morphed into sharp fangs, aiming Lan Zhan's throat. Much to her astonishment, she doesn't find tender flesh to sink in, but solid, jade like, shell.
"Show them how perfect you are." Lan Zhan breathes in her ear.

When Wei Ying glares at her, she meets a pair of golden globes, narrow pupils, silver blue scales around her temples, two icy blue antlers shining on her head. Lan Zhan's upped body is naked now, like herself, a black scale with red shimmer glowing of her left breast.

Unable to stop her metamorphosis, Wei Ying can only feel her nails enlogating into claws and her legs slowly melting in a shiny, breathtakingly beautiful tail, covered in black and red scales.
She roars, utterly humiliated but unwilling to submit.

She really gave her scale to a fucking *dragon*!
Wei Ying wants to scream, or laugh hysterically. Or maybe both.
When Lan Zhan wraps her tails in a vicious grip with her own, Wei Ying can only whimper.
Dragons were her only natural predators. Or more correctly, masters.

She's out of the pond now, trapped in Lan Zhan's grip, her back exposed to all the others in the cave.
They can see her fins and her precious tail. They can recognise her original form.
The Elders sound incredulous yet amazed, when they can finally talk.

"A JiaoRen!"
"LingYu!"

"The perfect mate to a dragon!"
"A true miracle."
"A very fine specimen too."
"I see, I see, no wonder she didn't reek of any Yao aura."
"A divine beast from ancient time is indeed the perfect womb for our precious lineage."

Wei Ying wants to rip their tongues. Who wanted to be their perfect womb!? Not her!
"But you are." Lan Zhan whispers, tightening her grip.
When their nipples brush, Wei Ying can definitely recognise the feeling.
She freezes.
Lan Zhan looks infuriatingly satisfied.

Bursting in outrage, Wei Ying is dropped into the cold pond before she could voice any of it.
She's darting in the waters, surged by her instincts alone.
*Quick! Faster, bat your tail faster!*
It's an ancient call, something embedded in her bones.
She's rushing for life.

The pond is deep, so much that light can't reach it's very depth.
There are crevices and caves underwater, but Wei Ying isn't looking for a place to hide, she's seeking a way out, a river, an upperflow, anything.
She finds nothing.

No amount of humanisation can completely erase her primeval traits, so when Wei Ying catch a swirl behind her, she knows exactly what's happening.
/A mating race./
She doesn't need to look behind her recognise her suitor.
She can sense their aura, crystal clear.

Lan Zhan has fully switched to her dragon form, claws plowing in the waters, tail twirling sinuously, jaws open wide, determined to catch her prey.
Wei Ying can't escape her. She's deeply aware of that fact. But she also can't surrender without fight. It's carved in her soul.

So she springs in the inexistent flow, snapping her tail furiously, like she holds a chance
And then, when she's almost colliding against a rock, something has snatched her tail, dragging her below.
She's pinned onto the muddy bottom by a pair of sharp claws on her shoulders.

Wei Ying knows she can't resist, she's aware that any struggle will only incite the dragon's natural instincts. To pin her harder, to claim her faster. She does it regardless.
Tail hurling violently, she's stirred up so much mud that the water had become cloudy.

It's disgusting in her mouth.
Lan Zhan just let her, seemingly impassive, but deeply amused. Her mate is such a brave fighter. They'll have wonderful offsprings.
She's immensely content of her choice.
And now, it's time to claim her.

Suddenly, Wei Ying is dragged on the surface, eyes shut from the abrupt light.
When she opens them again, she's rendered breathless by the vision of Lan Zhan's magnificent dragon features.

Although Wei Ying's seen many magic creatures in her life, Lan Zhan just looks so powerful, distant and pristine with her pale, glowing irises, translucent icy blue scales and antlers. Divine. A being from ancient, forgotten times.

CW: dubcon, monsterfucking between a dragon and a siren, non human genitalia, public sex, proceed with caution.

(I've never thought I'd write anything like this. *Hides under a rock)

The vast cave is overflowing of spiritual energy. Senses heightened in her original form, Wei Ying catches a low humming coming from various crannies in the rocky wall, where the Lan Elders are sitted in lotus position.
They've erected a barrier that insulates the entire place

from the external world, for both sides' sake.
Dragons are feral in their matings, and since they can control the weather, it would be catastrophic if their last divine creature summoned a thunderstorm or a tornado by mistake.

Although all the Elders are deeply concentrated in the spell, Wei Ying can't help the indignation flaring in her.
Why must she endure such humiliation? Her real body wasn't meant to be exposed to the sight of many! Her mate should've known better!

The realisation of her thought startles her.
How can she still think about Lan Zhan as her mate? Has she gone mad?
"I am you mate." When a voice resonates directly in her mind, Wei Ying's attention is drawn back to her capturer.
A dark scale is shining intermittently in scarlet

scarlet light and pale blue hurls on their chest, in correspondence of their upper claws. Mesmerized by that twinkling rythm, Wei Ying finds the sight strangely familiar, but her memory is hazy.
If only she could touch her scale...
Wei Ying is stretching out a hand when

the dragon's just bent their head and is *licking* her neck with the tip of their tongue, like they're tentatively savoring her or maybe calibrating the pressure they can exert in such contact.
Soon enough, they're lapping large stripes from Wei Ying's collarbone to her cheek.

Lan Zhan is currently twice longer than Wei Ying. Although her true from is much bigger, she's settled on a perfect size to mate with the JiaoRen in her grasp, without hurting her. Possibly.
She's wrapped her slender yet sturdy tail around Wei Ying much lusciously meaty one,

coaxing her into relaxation. She's swirling her scales against Wei Ying's own, leading her onto a sinuous dance.
The sensation is heady for both of them. Wei Ying's never been touched by anyone, neither in her human form and much less her original one.

She never thought she'd engage in any physical intimacy, in either of her features. Until she met Lan Zhan.
And even when she's disclosed her true self, she never thought Lan Zhan would touch her scales like that.
The feeling is so encompassing that Wei Ying's melting into it.

Have her scales always been so sensitive? Wei Ying thinks distantly, a low heat simmering throw her limbs as the dragon continues to lap at her jaw, near and near to her lips.
She opens them, letting Lan Zhan in.
Her skin is prickly, strained, too tight on her body.

She's burning.
What's happening?
Her body seems to recognise that feeling, like something familiar, but her mind can't catch up.
She's confused, even a little scared.
Everyone feels too much yet not enough.
She "craves", but isn't hungry."
"It is your heat." Lan Zhan tells her

Wei Ying glares at her in outrage. Or she thinks she does. Pupils blown wide, she's actually gazing at Lan Zhan languorously.
It's ridiculous, she burts in her mind.
She isn't a beast! She never cultivated inappropriately and she wasn't suffering any life threatening wounds!

She doesn't even know what a heat entailed, since granny taught her how to stay in health and never lose control.
She's been nurtured by the purest spiritual energy, there wasn't a inch of opening in her core. And yet, there she was.

Now that Lan Zhan has addressed it, she can recognise the liquid heat in her belly, how her body is attuned to the dragon's touch, who's enthusiastically exploring her mouth.
Lan Zhan's spit is sweet on her tongue, hot in her throat. Wei Ying can feel it coating her stomach.

Her head spinning, Wei Ying's nipples are proudly erect in the cold air. She desperately needs to touch them but when she tries, her wrists are pinned above her head. *Again*
Despite the humanlike features of her upper body, she's far from fragile, her skin still unmarred even

after all Lan Zhan's rough handling.
But that's still not a reason to have her nipples pinched by some damned sharp claws. Wei Ying is adamant to protest when the other swirls the slim and fluffy

very end of her dragon tail, wraps it around her breast and *squeezes*.
At the same time, the tongue in her mouth retracted swiftly to descend of her chest and twirl around her other nipple.
Any word Wei Ying was going to voice is shattered into a long, beautiful moan.

Mortified by her own sound, Wei Ying bites seal her lips, hard. She can't stop squirming, trying desperately to fight the sensation, only to expose even more of herself to Lan Zhan's touch.
She hates being caged against a rock, her hands above her head. But her body keens, much

to her frustration. It's like her flesh knows what's coming and even welcomes it. Even if her mind cannot accept it.
It's like a déjà vu.
It is, indeed. But she doesn't remember.
When Lan Zhan's free claw runs little circles on her belly, she whimpers.
Wei Ying shivers.

She can feel her scales rubbing against the dragon's.
When soft pads brush again a foreign place in front of her tail, below her navel, Wei Ying mewls, head snapping in shock, eyes open wide.
What was that?
She's shocked to see a feature she can't recognise on herself.

There's an opening on her tail, where her scales have parted.
"Ah!" Wei Ying can't hold her voice when Lan Zhan runs her fingers over there again, claws retracted.
She's so sensitive it's overwhelming.
"S-stop! It's... It's weird! I don't... Ah!"
But Lan Zhan doesn't relent.

Somewhere in her mind, a voice is telling that's her slit, that's her body has opened up, ready for the coupling.
Then Lan Zhan's tongue is poking at her entrance and Wei Ying can't think anymore.
She's never felt anything like that. She's burning from the inside, pleasure

rippling through her limb weave after weave.
It's so unbearable that it frightens her.
Lan Zhan's tongue feels so good inside her that Wei Ying is melting into a puddle. She doesn't know when her arms are free to move again. In her haziness, Wei Ying finds herself holding

the dragon's antlers for dear life. And when the tongue is gone, she feels horribly empty.
"Please..." She whines.
Lan Zhan is licking her face again. Reassuringly. Wei Ying is so dazed that she doesn't register when their tails have disentangled.
And then, something much

bigger than a reptilian tongue is rubbing against her engorged, sensitive entrance.
She shouts when the ridged flesh pierces through, not in pain but in outsraugh pleasure.
It's like she was born for that.
She doesn't know when tears have started running on her cheeks, nor

where the pearls falling in the pond have come from. She has never cried in her original form.
When more tears escape from her rims, more pearls drop in the surface.
Oh, she thinks distantly, they come from me.

And then Lan Zhan starts moving and she can't think anymore, the last shred of coherency dissipated by the blazing flames devouring her whole.

Unable to exert any more control, Wei Ying is screaming in her siren voice.
She's never done it before, as it could deafen or kill

Cw: blood
Common humans wouldn't survive a single note.
When her inhuman voice pierces into Lan Enders' skull, they whimper in pain, blood spilling from their ears. They're forced to cast a sound excluding spell, in order to hold up the original ward.

None of them can hear

what's happening in the pond, nor they're willing to open their eyes and look.

If any outsider catched the roaring growls with those piercing screams in the cave, they'd assume a beast is fasting on it's prey and maybe scared to death.

Lan Zhan is rutting furiously into her siren's heat. She feels so good around her. Everything about Wei Ying is intoxicating. She still remember her taste from their last encounter, but Wei Ying is even more delicious in her original form.
She didn't know what it would be to

mate her as a dragon, and now she's addicted. She can't, doesn't want to ever stop fucking Wei Ying.
They were made to melt into each other.
Lan Zhan roars when she feels Wei Ying convulsing on her cock, clenching tight. It's so so good.
She takes her on the rocks,

the in midair, when Wei Ying arches her back in yet another orgasm, they sink underwater.
Wei Ying's tears transform into glowing pearls, surrounding then like starlight.
Lan Zhan has never been so alive.

Night follows the day, and then it's night again.
Time is meaningless

She drinks up Wei Ying's screams of pleasure, which are melodies for her ears. She wants to swallow her whole. She's bewitched by the siren's glamour. Her skin, her scent, her wetness, everything about Wei Ying is so alluring that Lan Zhan can't have enough.

It's like her primeval soul is vibrating in their union.
Wei Ying's cried so much that the bottom of the pond is glowing, covered in pearls.

Nonetheless she doesn't feel exhausted at all.
They've circled so much spiritual energy that she's drowning in a neverending pleasure and fulfilment.
She's replenished, nourished.
Wei Ying takes everything Lan Zhan gives her, in her womb, down to her throat.

She accepts it all.
Anguish, hatred, desperation can never reach her again.
Wei Ying's cocooned in pure joy, an epiphany of ecstasy, like she's been scattered into stardust and then reborn yet again, with the only propose to love Lan Zhan and become her perfect mate.

Waters have parted in the pond, swirling in tendrils around them. It's not a storm, but a dance. Like it's worshipping the two bodies entangled at the centre of the vortex.
But something is still missing, Wei Ying thinks. She wishes she had human legs to wrap around the dragon's

scales. She wishes she could swallow her whole.
She wants to...
"Kiss... I want to kiss you..." She moans when Lan Zhan bullied both of her cocks into her slit, her arms locked around the dragon's head.
"Lan Zhan... I want to kiss you." She begs.

Thus Lan Zhan morphs, so their lips can catch each other.
Oh, Wei Ying is happy, so happy now.
She holds Lan Zhan in her arms, dearly, skin brushing skin.
And she knows now, that she's loved that soul from the origin of the time.

They kiss, and they kiss, and they kiss, fingers intertwined, body still melted into the other's.
Love is unknown to Lan Zhan, a mere human construct that's only a burden compared to one's duties.
But Wei Ying has been so good to her that she can't help indulging her.

Tenderness is something Lan Zhan can smoothly simulate, now that the frenesy has somewhat subdued to a bearable level. It's been so easy, back in the village, when they shared those sweet, chaste kisses.
She rolls her tail, leisurely, cocks deeply buried in Wei Yin's heat,

slowly taking her apart, cuddling her in endearment.
She can clearly feel a new existence had formed inside Wei Ying. Lan Zhan's never been so sure of anything in her life. So now they can slow down and quench their thirst for each to their heart content. Well, mostly to hers own

Seven days later, when the wards have eventually dissipated, Lan Zhan emerges from the cave with an exhausted, human, Wei Ying in her arms.
Nobody beside the ones in the underground pond knows the truth about the Lan bride.
She'll marry Clan Leader Zewu-Jun as a common human.

CW: memory alteration

Wei Ying wakes up to a white ceiling.
When she sits up, she whimpers holding her head. It aches, very bad.
All memories regarding Lan Zhan are gone.
Although she knows something is amiss, she listens quietly to what the white robed healer says.

She's in Cloud Recesses, that she remembers.
She's there to contract a marriage that will seal peace and prosperity to her second family.
When has she hit her head meanwhile? Was it even possible to hit her head so badly? Wei Ying always thought she had a very hard skull. Maybe

she destroyed the rock when she fell. Must be so.

When the healer leaves, a very handsome man entered the room. He introduces himself as Lan Huan, her intended and the current Clan Leader.
Wei Ying recognises his face.

But something about his eyes is off? The thought flashes in Wei Ying's mind.

Lan Huan has a reassuring kind smile, like he's never seen any malice in his life. Wei Ying feels strangely safe in his presence. Then she catches the pendant adorning his waist.

It's a scale of hers. A reverse one, even.
Past Wei Ying must have been very invested in that marriage, if she gave it away.
Current Wei Ying wants to laugh hysterically.
Granny must be proud of her boldness.
A behaviour worthy of a Yao, who adapts quickly to any predicament.

The man talks a lot and has a pleasant voice.
He seems happy to have her there. Happy to marry her.
Wei Ying is relieved. Maybe her past self didn't act too hastily. Maybe she's chosen well.

Then Lan Huan produces a huge pile of books for her education as the future Lan Furen.
Wei Ying squeaks.
"I'm just a tiny, little, ignorant Yao. Is this really necessary?"
Lan Huan laughs in fondness.
"You'll be asked to attend many formal and less formal occurrences as

Lan Furen. These texts will help. Take your time. No need to rush."
It's surprisingly easy to be endeared to Wei Ying. Just like his sister told him.
If only Lan Zhan were capable of love...
Lan Huan dispels that thought immediately. It's pointless.

He's been worried when his sister left CR for the task, as Lan Zhan should never meddle with such mortal issues. She wasn't meant for. But he knew Lan Zhan was also bound her loyalty to the clan.
He was even more worried when she returned with a human, announcing her as Lan bride

His concern only grew when she stated that Wei Ying wasn't human but a existence from ancient times like herself, who's grew up with BaoSan SanRen's bloodthirsty tribe.
But then she also said that Wei Ying was a pure being, with a core so pristine, cherished by Heaven and

Earth. The kind that could create life from the void. Perfect to carry her dragon heritage.
When Lan Zhan explained her plan, Lan Huan felt uneasy.
Secrecy wasn't new in Lan Clan, as they must hide and protect their dragon bloodline from the world over the centuries.

But... deception?
"It's better if she forgets about me." Lan Zhan looked determined after their long mating in the dragon pond.
Lan Huan did not understand, at the time. Now that he's seen how lively Wei Ying is without the anguish haunting her features, he can get it.

What his sister did to BSSR's village was unavoidable. Still, she couldn't give Wei Ying up due to her duties to the Clan and their precious bloodline.
Life can be just so cruel.
"Rest well, Wei-GuNiang. Your family will be here tomorrow." Their wedding was due in 2 days.

Lan Huan left Wei Ying's quarters with a heavy heart.
He can honour the girl as Lan FuRen and make sure the cultivational world respected the truce Lan Zhan offered to Lotus Pier.
But he couldn't offer the truth to Wei Ying, which was... Dreadful.

Their marriage would only be a facade and she'll never know who she truly spent her nights with.
Wei Ying promised so eagerly to protect their secret, only asking to never show her true form to anyone else in return.

He feels guilty.
Lan Huan sighed.

*whatever it's called that situation where you're married to one and bed with another, but don't know it, it's what's happening here. Is it even infidelity if your husband setted it up?*
*Don't ask me why this is so fucked up, I really don't know.*

Alone in her room, Wei Ying looked at the books. Lan Clan rules and ladies manuals.
She's already studied the latter ones while roaming the mortal world, out of curiosity. She's even been a noble woman's handmaiden, once, when she sneaked into the imperial palace.
Lan Huan's

Kind demeanor resembled so much her shijie's that Wei Ying couldn't help from whining a little in front of him.
He felt like a big brother to her.
Maybe she'll never know what falling in love feels like but she's positive that she get the best out on her current situation.

How hard can a marriage be in face of peace to her kind? She's witnessed the hardships the Jiang Clan faced for so long and their weariness about cultivators that she was more than happy to improve their predicament.
So, what if they asked her a baby or two? Wei Ying can do it!

Their wedding is magnificent as expected from one of the most prominent Clans in cultivational world.
Under her red veil Wei Ying's served tea to Lan QiRen, Auntie Yu and Uncle Jiang.
Jiang Delegation blends exceptionally well among human, like they've always belonged there.

She's proud of the role she's played there. Now they'll never need to hide again.
Wei Ying wishes she could have poured tea for her granny too, but one can only harbour such silly dream in their mind.
She doesn't remember that she's done it, indeed.

Her husband never morphs in front of her. Not even in their wedding night.
He's surprisingly passionate in their coupling, yet considerate.

Every night she waits inside the HanShi and when the gong signalling curfew echoes, she finds herself in a underground cave, her dragon

husband waiting for her.
They must couple in their true form in order to create dragon babies. Her original body is strangely attuned to that serpentine form of her husband's. Maybe it's just her primeval instincts, Wei Ying thinks.
In broad daylight, Lan Huan is nothing but

respectful and appropriate. They've never even shared a kiss with their human lips. Not that Wei Ying has any desire doing so.
She feels guilty for how much she's relieved from Lan Huan's apparent reserve. She can play her role but can't feign love, although she's fond of him.

Six months later, Wei Ying is pregnant. Or, more correctly, her pregnancy had finally reached human stage.
What she doesn't know is that, during all those nights, Lan Zhan has nurtured their baby with her spiritual energy, slowly coaxing it into human life.
Lan Zhan has also

replenished Wei Ying's core with the purest energy she gathered in the underground pond, so that she wouldn't suffer any foul symptoms.

Now Lan Zhan can finally interrupt her seclusion and resume her usual tasks.
CR is quietly celebrating when she steps in the training yard. Everyone, from younger disciples to older Cultivators, look delighted at the news of their FuRen.
It seems Wei Ying has entered their hearts

while Lan Zhan was busy underground.
She isn't surprised at all.
Her mate is truly a remarkable existence.

Wei Ying is dying. Not that she's physically in pain or anything, but one can die from boredom.
Ever since the healers confirmed her pregnancy, they've forbidden her every

source of joy. No running, no jumping, no more dives into the freezing pond she found in the forest and no way they'd let her venture outside CR.
Even Lan Huan, who used to indulge her every whim has become overly protective. Wei Ying wasn't made of glass!

She wasn't even suffering common pregnancy illness, ok? It's not like she's a human anyway! And it was a whole dragon growing in her tummy. Her FuJun* should have known better, Wei Ying screams in her mind.

*A way to say husband

Lans seemed very determined to treat her as a human, concealing her true nature even among themselves, thus Wei Ying decides follow through.
She can still stroll inside the CR, and visit the library pavillion, where she may develop all the ideas roaming in her mind, with the

help of all those ancient scrolls. There were many spells that could be improved with little effort!
And now what she didn't have to attend any occurrences, she has tons of time.
If she couldn't work with her body, Wei Ying will just exert her mind. Otherwise she'll go insane.

So Wei Ying acts immediately. She has access to any section of Lan's library. Today she ventures into the innermost one, where she's seen many interesting scrolls from the time Lan Huan showed her the place. Only a small number of people were allowed there.
Wei Ying stops

when she catches familiar Lan robes, one that only direct descendants of the main branch wore. Why is her husband there? Isn't the Clan Leader attending the usual clan's business?
Something is off about his posture though. She's never seen Zewu-Jun sitting so straight

as if he's a statue.
His hair is strange too, adorned only with a simple white jade hairpin she's never seen. It looks... Feminine?
Wei Ying blinks when a pair of pale icy irises locks on her.
Oh, It's a girl. Ugh, a -carbon copy of her husband- pretty girl. Only frostier.

She must be the sister-in-law Wei Ying's never had the chance to meet! The one who started spiritual seclusion right after her marriage.
She beams at the girl. Finally, a peer she can befriend with. Just like the ladies back in the Imperial Palace!

Don't get her wrong. They are all very polite to her in CR, she's well respected as Lan FuRen. Lan Huan is a very courteous husband and her maids are kind and attentive. In Wei Ying's knowledge of human society, her marriage is a very fortunate one, as kindness and respect is

the most one can get.
She's seen much worse arrangements when she roamed back in the years.
But as much as he's a passionate lover in his dragon form, Lan Huan is very distant in the day, like they were two whole different people.
So she knows that fondness is all there will

ever be. She wished to have someone to talk to, someone that wouldn't be restricted from her status as clan leader's wife.
And now that person in right in front of her! A very beautiful one, too.
So Wei Ying approaches Lan Zhan and the story repeats itself, as if leaded by the

invisible threads of fate.

Lan Zhan hadn't thought she'd meet Wei Ying so soon. She was aware they would run into each other, sooner or later, but library pavillion wasn't the place she'd expected it to happen.
After seeing Wei Ying smiling at her again, Lan Zhan can finally

admit she's missed it.
Her siren is cheerful and loud, like she used to be.
Altering her memories was the right choice, Lan Zhan is sure of it now.

"Hi! Nice to meet you!" Wei Ying chirps.
"Mn." Lan Zhan looks at her impassively.

"Um, are you A-Huan's sister?"
The way she

calls her brother has Lan Zhan furrowing. Inappropriate. Way too intimate and... casual.
"You should address him appropriately." She states.

"Ah? But I'm his wife?" Wei Ying isn't an idiot. A spouse can use birth names within family! But the other doesn't relent.

The girl is way too pretty and young to be such a stick in the mud.
How could Wei Ying not mess with her?
She sits at her side.
"How should I call him then, ZhanZhan?"
Lan Zhan stares at her.
"What? Aren't you my little sister, Lan Zhan? ZhanZhan is a perfect way to ca you!"

Wei Ying is leaning over the low table.
"Or do you prefer ZhanEr? XiaoGuZi* is way too formal, don't you think?"

*Little sister in law

"XiaoZhanZhan is cute too."

Eyes twitching, Lan Zhan diverts her gaze from Wei Ying. She really missed that.

"Hey, don't ignore me!"

From that day on, they'd casually run into each other in every corners or CR. It's like they're inexplicably drawn together by some invisible force.
Sometimes they talk, other times Wei Ying just shouts her name, waving at her joyfully.
Sometimes Lan Zhan stares at her from afar

Sometimes they work in silence in the library. Wei Ying has developed many useful talismans, easy to activate even for the most inexperienced cultivator. She seems fond of the juniors.
Lan Zhan's seen her multiple times on the training yard.
Then, one time, she's seen her with

brother.
"FuJun." Wei Ying calls him softly.
They look like the perfect couple. Lan Huan's fondness for her is visible and Wei Ying is glowing in her pregnancy.
Lan Zhan can't explain why the scene upsets her. She planned that.
She asked her brother to marry Wei Ying, so

The girl will be honoured in her important task of giving an heir to Lan Clan. She didn't want Wei Ying to be secluded like her mother, or hidden away like some dirty secret.
She wanted her to live out in broad light and conduct a normal, peaceful life.
She should stay away.

But as much as she tries to, Wei Ying's determined to stick with her, like her body is craving for her presence.
Like it knows who is the one entangling with her every night.

When Wei Ying starts to crave food, they also start to share meals.

"Whyyyyyy..." Wei Ying whines,

stabbing a piece of very green and bitter veggie with her chopsticks.
"Manners."
Lan Zhan graciously deposits some vegetables in Wei Ying's bowl.
"Why am I craving for such awful tastes?" She moans, biting the leaf.

"Do not speak while eating." Lan Zhan recites.
And then

"You're carrying a Lan."
Wei Ying can't suppress her indignation: "Do you really like these, XiChen too?!"

But it's my baby, the one you're carrying. Lan Zhan doesn't say.

Wei Ying's nearness is too heady, dangerous.
She's very tactile. She touches Lan Zhan all the time.

"We're sisters! I've always wanted a meimei*! Oh, but don't tell jiejie, ok? My Shijie is still my favourite jiejie. You're my favourite meimei!"
Wei Ying would chirp holding her hand or wrapping her arm.

Lan Zhan must exert all of her control in order to keep her instincts at

bay.
She doesn't possess that girl.
She can have her in their pond, but not out there, where anyone can see.
But Lan Zhan wants. She wants so much she feels guilty towards her brother and the arrangement she enforced.

Then Lan Huan reassures her: "I don't mind, A-Zhan. A-Ying is a little sister to me. You know this marriage has only been a necessity."

Yes, a façade for the clan and the world. Because Lan Zhan is female and she couldn't be the one providing an heir. Not with another woman.

*meimei is little sister.

Luckily, her clan seems to welcome their closeness.
HanGuang-jun has finally made a friend. They say.

Friend. Sister.
It's what Wei Ying says too.

While Lan Zhan wants to devour her and make her scream. Even in daylight.
She does it in the pond.

Then, 5 months into Wei Ying's human pregnancy, there's the celebration banquet. And Lan Zhan knows she'll never talk to her again.
It's never meant to last.

That night, she wrapped her tail around a weeping, silent siren and cuddled her to sleep.

Wei Ying is catatonic the whole day after. She doesn't eat, doesn't speak, doesn't move.
The words of a boy with some resemblance to Lan Zhan replaying repeatedly in her ears.
"HanGuang-jun is my hero and my life saviour! She wiped out BSSR'S entire den in order to save us."

She stares in the void, feeling hollow. Is this grief? She wonders.
What's worst is the fact that she can't even blame Lan Zhan. Wei Ying can understand. At some length.
Once in a blue moon, granny's tribe would attack young cultivators, to absorb their core and soul. It's

the trick they used to conceal their deeds from the Heavenly Laws.
Newly formed cores suited their goal the most, hence they only hunted inexperienced junior disciples.
It was only a matter of survival.
Every time it would only end in a bloodbath, followed by a siege from very

angry pars and relatives of the victims. Which would only spill more human blood.
Granny's defences have always been indestructible.

Wei Ying had witnessed one, and left the mountains soon after. As much as she loved the villagers, she couldn't bear it. But she didn't stop it.

She, who didn't sustain on human flesh nor human energy, could not understand. Like one couldn't force a tiger to eat grass.
Thus she left and joined Jiang Clan, Yaos who cultivated the right path, and didn't feast on humans.
She could understand why Lan Zhan slaughtered granny's

CW: vomit
Tribe to save her pars.
But, why was she there? Why must she marry into the very clan that killed her family?
Did they know?
How could they not know?

Wei Ying throws up.

Tears prickling in her eyes, she gazes at the firefly lamp she made when she found a jar of them in ber belongings. She doesn't remember when she collected them. She only assumed she visited grannie before her arrangements with the Lans as they were the very fireflies her

Mountains would gift her every time.
There's also the flower she's plant at the pond in the forest. It came from her birthplace.
Wei Ying's never given much thought about how her husband knew of her true identity. He held her scale. He must have seen her true body prior their

marriage. The more she ventures in that thread of thoughts, the less it makes sense.
Is she a warprize of some sort?
Is that a punishment because she never spoke up for the victims?
Her stomach is revolting.
There is only one way to disclose the truth.
She must talk to Lan Huan

If any of the kindness he showed her were true, then he will also grace her with the truth.

Wei Ying staggers out of HanShi. She's never felt so weak in her life.
That dragon pregnancy is really draining her. Or maybe it's because they haven't dual cultivated the last night.

Inside the YaShi, Lan Huan is frantically, for Lan standards, talking to his sister.
"Brother must not upset her any further." Lan Zhan states sternly.
"A-Zhan...".
"Brother must lie."
"..."
"You mustn't endanger the baby."

They immediately stop talking when Wei Ying arrives.

She looks exhausted.

"FuJun, HanGuang-jun."
A well mannered Wei Ying is a rare sight inside CR.
Lan Huan can't help the discomfort pervading his heart.
Lan Zhan is impassive as always when she nods back.

"I have to talk to you. Both"
She sounds steady, despite her pounding

heart.
Wei Ying doesn't sit down. She stands in the center of the room, like in a formal audience.

"BaoSan SanRen was my granny."
They do not flinch. Wei Ying's heart sinks.
Then, Lan Huan says. "A-Zhan just informed me."

Wei Ying frowns. "You didn't know?"
Then she stares

at his side. "But you did."
Lan Zhan bears her gaze. "Mn."

"You killed her."
"Yes."
"You knew where I come from."
"Yes."
Lan Zhan's steadiness is so infuriating that Wei Ying can't even breath. She starts shaking.

"Have... Why?" She doesn't even know what she wants to ask anymore.
Nonetheless, Lan Zhan answers with real phrases.
"I met you when I was in BaoSan SanRe's village. You helped me when I was in need. I offered alliance with Lotus Pier to repay your kindness and brought you

back here so you could sire us an heir."

It all makes sense in Lan Zhan's speaching.
Wei Ying doesn't yield.
"Repay my kindness?" She bits out. "A marriage to the clan which slaughtered my entire family?"
"A-Ying..." Lan Huan is reaching out.

"Stay back!"

"Brother was not aware. Do not vent your anger on him." Lan Zhan reprimands.

"Oh, so I should only be angry with you, mighty HanGuang-jun?" Wei Ying snaps back. Then, sorrow breaks her voice.
"In this my punishment?"
She lowers her head.
"Because I never stopped them?"
Lan Huan

can't take it anymore.
He speaks very carefully.
"A-Ying... No, it's not like that. You're not responsible for what they did."

"Then, why?"
Why her? They had every right to save their juniors. Wei Ying isn't so unreasonable to deny that.
She really could understand. Granny

attacked first. Lan Clan only did what is was necessary to save their juniors. Boys so young that Wei Ying saw them still as kids. She will never forget the joy that illuminated their faces during the banquet. So young and hopeful and bright. 50 children just woken up from a

year of slumber, that was the time they needed to recover and fully reconnect with their stolen cores and souls.
It had been possible only with HanGuang-jun's powers.

That was all very understandable.

But her being there is such a cruelty. She may not be human but she harboured their same feelings.
Are dragons different?
Lan Huan looks exactly as human!
Then, is Lan Zhan made of ice? She's the one who took her there and omitted a very important information.

Then, a realization hits her like a punch in the gut.
It must be that.
That would explain why her sister-in-law flinched every time she touched her and why she was always so stern with her. It wasn't shyness, like she assumed.
Wei Ying's stomach churns harder.
"Do you hate me?"

And Lan Zhan just stares at her, like she can't process that question.

"I care about you." It's the truth.
She does care. She's even positive about fact that she'd showed it, all those months together.
The confused look on Wei Ying's face tells her otherwise.
"Care?"

Wei Ying seems incredulous and furious, again.
"You cared so much about me that you made me marry your brother? So much that you took my memories away, - don't deny it! There's no way I hit my head and only forgot that *you* killed granny!"
She's screaming like that day.

"I'm pregnant with my enemy's child." Wei Ying continues, tears flowing on her cheeks.
She stops Lan Huan from speaking.
"I couldn't mourn them because you took my memories away." She accuses.
Then, she turns to Lan Huan: "And now, I can't even hate you, because you didn't know."

"A-Ying... Please. A-Zhan acted upon our clan's best interests. She didn't want... She didn't want to upset you." How could he explain that her sister doesn't have feelings, without exposing her? Lan Zhan only does what's necessary.

Their clan's best interests?
Wei Ying breaks,

even breathing hurts now.
"What about me, then? Just because I'm a perfect womb for you, am I not entitled of my own feelings?"
Her bump feels hot.
"How could you do this to me?" She glares at the still impassive Lan Zhan.
The world is spinning. Wei Ying passes out.

*Because I'm a horrible person
CW: nonconsensual somnophilia

The dragon sinks deeper in her siren's slit, her sleeping form still pliant in her grip, despite their many activities. They're underwater, bubbles swirling around them.
She carefully nurture those limbs with

her spiritual energy, like she's been doing, every night, from their first coupling.
Wei Ying's energy vibrates with hers, and twirls into Lan Zhan's meridians.
They've exchanged so much energy that they've blended perfectly.

"Was I wrong, brother?" She asked Lan Huan, earlier.

Her brother looked devastated.
Like he couldn't even begin to explain where she's done wrong.
Human interactions were truly too hard to understand.

She snaps back to reality at Wei Ying's whimper.
"...stop... Don't touch me..." And then, her conscience is drifting again.

Wei Ying floats in drowsiness the rest of the night. A tail is gently wrapped around her, caressing her barely visible bump. Something is whirling underneath her navel, in a perfect mimic of the touches on her skin.

If possible, Lan Zhan would've taken her memories again, but now that Wei Ying is carrying dragon blood and flesh, she's also become immune to her powers.
Lan Zhan truly thought she was doing the best. She gave Wei Ying another family to love, since she owed her one.
She kept

her safe, as the Jiangs didn't hesitate to sell her off.
She made her the most respected woman in GuSu, even among the cultivational world, as his brother's wife.
Everyone in CR cherished Wei Ying.

Lan Zhan must admit that she underestimated Wei Ying's emotions. She presumed her grief would dull with time. Even the most emotional humans stopped mourning their dead after a a year. Some of them only put on a farce.
She wanted to spare her that passage.

And, in her knowledge, beasts like herself and Wei Ying were
often meant to take down their own parents in order to set a new leadership.
Luckily, that isn't their case.

Wei Ying wakes up to her husband's concerned face for the first time in their marriage.
Lan Huan always left the HanShi before her awakening, dutifully following his clan leader's schedules.

"How are you feeling?"
She's fine, physically speaking. Way better than yesterday.

"Would you like breakfast?"
Well, that's new. It only took a meltdown to have her husband actually behave as one?
But Wei Ying is indeed hungry and the bitter fragrance (ew) of her new favorite soup is luring her from behind the screen. That Lan baby was truly s monster!

She eats in silence.

"I'm sorry, A-Ying." Wei Ying doesn't look up.

"I'm sorry we must keep on dual cultivating for the baby's sake."
Wei Ying slams her chopsticks on the table.

"There is something I want to show you. Would you come?" Lan Huan asks is his soothing voice.

The place Lan Huan leads her is a little hut in the middle of nowhere, secluded from the rest of CR.
Gentians blooming in the courtyard, it doesn't mend well with Lans' tastes.

It was his and Lan Zhan's birthplace, where their mother lived until her last day.

Despite years of disuse, it's well preserved, although there are still some traces of burns on the white walls. Wei Ying can feel the power still lingering on those scars. A thunderbolt. The divine punishment kind.
Heavens punished someone there.

"The night A-Zhan was born, Heavens casted a Divine Punishment. It ripped her heart out of her tiny chest, taking her feelings away. A-Zhan doesn't understand human emotions. She can't even learn. Heavens ruled A-Zhan to pursue only one purpose in her life: The balance of the

world. She can't derail from that path." Lan Huan sighs, looking in the distance.
Then he meets Wei Ying's eyes.
"She really meant no harm, when she decided to take you here. I understand your hurt, A-Ying. You have every right to feel wronged.

I acknowledge your wrath, your hatred, your everything. I can't ask
your forgiveness. But I hope the truth will help you to move on and let your anguish go.
When your BaoSan granny ambushed our juniors, A-Zhan only followed her call, as a duty to both our clan and to the Heavens.

It was time for that tribe to meet its end as there isn't a place for them in the New World." Wei Ying glares at him. She already said she understood that.
Despite his conflicted looks, Lan Huan carries on.
"She also must grant us an heir. In almost a century, we never found a

suitable bride, until she met you."
Wei Ying gasps. "How old are you?" She blurts out before she could stop herself.
Lan Huan answers in a small smile.
"102. Age doesn't matter to our cursed line."
Still way younger than me, Wei Ying doesn't say.

Focus Wei Ying! This little story doesn't change anything!
"So what if she got struck by a thunder a 100 years ago?" She snaps back at Lan Huan.
He looks thorned.
Suits him right.
"I'm not mad for marrying you." If those Lans are so dumb, she can out some sense in them.

"I remember I agreed, somewhere between the holes in my memories."
Wei Ying is deadly determined to make her point.
"What I can't understand, is the reason why she took my memories away. You can't say it was necessary. I already agreed."

Not to everything, Lan Huan can't say.

Not in the way it was necessary, he doesn't voice that either.

Their predicament is very... Complicated. How could he explain without disclosing everything?

Wei Ying sighs.
"What's done, is done. Don't look like I'm going to slit your throat or that sister of yours. I'm not a

murderer."

Lan Huan stares at her in awe.
"Revenge won't bring granny back. I don't even wish for it." She confesses.
Granny had it coming, like all the others in the village. It was only a matter of time.
"But I want to mourn them. And I want to stay away from your sister."

Wei Ying isn't new to mourning. She's experienced it when her noble lady died, inside the thick wall of the Imperial Palace.
She doesn't know if it's the correct way to mourn her akin, but it's the only one she's learnt.
White silk billowed in the wind in her new private quarter.

Wearing the simplest white robes, made of the roughest fabrics available in CR, Wei Ying shut herself in her room.
A week after, she disappears.

When Wei Ying opens her eyes, she finds herself deep in the woods, still dizzy from the teleportation spell.
I'm really a fucking genius! She boasts in her mind.
Unbreachable wards my ass!
Wei Ying can swear to Heavens, she just wanted to try her new array. It's not her fault

If it worked at the very first attempt. Lans really overestimate themselves, mph!
She's left a note, just in case, so there shouldn't be any problem. Probably.
Not that she cares. Not anymore.
She's behaved for a whole year already, for the sake of an unworthy bunch of liars.

*trying DESPERATELY to finish this for Wei Ying 's birthday and not being hijacked by the "plot"

That unbelievable husband of hers was an ass too. Was it really necessary to fuck her every night into oblivion? Although Wei Ying *does* like the physical pleasure, she also asked

to try other ways to nurture their baby for the time being. The dragon's only become even more *frenzied* and made her come over and over night after night! And Lan Huan still doesn't touch her in daylight, keeping up his damned courteous façade, like it wasn't even him

in the pond! The audacity!
You're a crazy horny beast, my dear husband! Don't pretend! Mph!

Fireflies have risen from the grass, distracting Wei Ying from her silent rant. That familiar and soothing scene quickly dispelled all her annoyance.
No more thoughts about Lan asses!

When they surrounded her with their gentle light, she felt a rush fondness.
"Hi, I'm back." She tells them, raising her hand.
Many flickers gather about her fingertips.
Wei Ying smiles for the first time after that banquet.

She wasn't sure her array would work, but with the dragon's power inside her, she broke out easily from Lan Clan's wards, with the help of her firefly lamp.
Wei Ying wanted to visit the Mountains and see. She must ascertain with her own eyes.
After a brief greeting, she starts

walking. The village isn't far form where she'd landed.
Soon after, she glimpses the first buildings. They're not in decay like she's anticipated, like empty houses waiting for their inhabitants to come back.
The more she ventures in the deserted village, shreds of vision

flash in her eyes, like some remnants of the past.
There's been a fire, she's sure of it. She can still sense the heat, and her screams echoing all over. Wei Ying furrows, temples pulsating in a piercing ache. Then, in front of what used to be her granny's house, she sees her.

Pristine, immaculate HanGuang-jun, right arm stretched out, a sword trespassing a bloody chest. Fire raging around them, many shadows flash by.
Wei Ying blinks and the scene dissipates. The village is silent and motionless again.
She waits.
Nothing happens.

Wei Ying takes a deep breath, connecting with her inner core.
Spiritual power flowing in her veins, she raises her arms, drawing two prefect arches in the air. When her hands descended, an ancient ward is glowing gloriously again, shielding the whole village from the world.

Eyes shut, Wei Ying searches every crannies under that invisibile dome. She finds nothing. Not a lingering soul, nor any resentment. Like violence never took place there.
So she searches deeper, only to find the remnants of a very powerful exorcism and Lan Zhan's aura.

Her family has trespassed, into the circle of reincarnation. They will live different lives, as humans.
How could a mere human yield so much power? Why hasn't HanGuang-jun ascended to Godhood yet? It should be impossible.

But is happended.
Wei Ying feels... Relieved.

She doesn't know what she'd have done if they were really trapped there, demanding revenge.

"I'm an ungrateful unfilial shit." Wei Ying says the pure air.

The beginning of this journey, for those who missed it

https://twitter.com/YukineLuna/status/1574120563164995584?t=2CPzounmdz3ruMcBxpyQlQ&s=19

In CR, Lan Zhan is restless.
She can tell the very instant Wei Ying disappeared, since they're deeply connected.

"I'll come back. Don't look for me." States the brief note Wei Ying's left behind.
It's unacceptable. Her mate, heavy with her child, has left their home.

How could them expect her to be calm? Does her brother not understand that Wei Ying shouldn't be apart from her? It's dangerous, not safe. Their baby might consume her if Lan Zhan doesn't provide with more spiritual energy. Wei Ying's lifeless body is something she doesn't

want to see.
Lan Zhan tells her brother as much.

"She'll come back. Let her be, Lan Zhan." Respect her wishes for once, Lan Huan doesn't say.

He's detected his sister's greediness only recently, much to his dismay.
Lan Zhan acted after instincts he's never glimpsed before, like a possessive feral beast.
The way she refused to forgo her nightly activities was unbecoming for her usual, composed self.
Wei Ying is a

whole person, with her own fierce will, not some rare, lifeless, treasure to hoard in her dragon's fauces.

Lan Huan sighs: "Let's wait. If A-Ying isn't be back by tomorrow, I'll talk to Shufu."
Despite her unwillingness, Lan Zhan agrees. She needs her brother to persuade the

Elders. Otherwise, she can't leave. She's never loathed her bounds to CR like now, but that's what it is.
So Lan Zhan spends the night trying to locate Wei Ying's whereabouts, although she already has an idea.
Snuggling twisted on the thick pearl bed at the bottom of her pond,

Lan Zhan meditates.
Her siren doesn't cry easily like in the beginning, but she still shreds a fair amount of tears every night.
She should really send some pearls to her clan's healers,

as they hold powerful properties and are highly sought after as ingredients for magical elixirs.
But she doesn't want to.
They are hers to hoard, hers to admire.
They prove how well she loves her siren.
Bubbles surrounding her dragon form, her conscience roams far away.

Deep in the mountains, Wei Ying is twirling happily in her native pond. Cold water caressing per scales, she didn't know how much she missed that kind of freedom.
No one chased her. No claws pinned her against the nearest surface to mate her.
Like it used to be.

Her belly is much more visible now, like she's bloomed in mere 7 days.
Usually Wei Ying doesn't have any time to cuddle her bump in her original body, thanks to that horny husband of hers. This is a very welcomed news too.
She smiles fondly at her navel, fingers circling

delicately.
It has a different shape from when she's human. Way bigger, if one asked. And oval shaped. Like a giant egg.
She's still drawing circles when something moves inside her.
Wei Ying brightens up. "Oh, hi."
Her baby was greeting her!

She loses herself underwater, pampering her belly, cuddled by the flow. She doesn't know when she drifts into a dreamless sleep.
She's floating in the void, nothing can hurt her there.

Wei Ying wakes up to an unbearable pain, like she's being ripped apart.
When she looks

At her belly, she knows something's gone terribly wrong.
How many days has she slept?
She was twice bigger now.
"Argh!" She curls over herself, holding her tummy. Stupid, stupid idiot! She forgot time flew differently at her pond and fell asleep like the total idiot she is.

Wei Ying sprints to the surface, dragging herself over the bank. Much to her horror, she finds out she's unable to shift, her meridians empty, like she's been drained out.
With no legs to walk, she's trapped in the pond.
When her now enormous belly churns, she can recognise

two protruding heads. There are two dragons inside her!
Ok, Wei Ying tries to calm down, she's helped her lady delivering her baby, it shouldn't be much different, right?
But she doesn't have any idea of how her original body works. Prior her encounters with the dragon, she

didn't even know she had a slit!
After some deep breaths, Wei Ying decides she must regain some physical strength first.
"Help me..." She whispers to the forest.
As her beloved fireflies surround her almost immediately, she's aghast to find out her body won't accept the usual

flow of energy. Her babies are refusing it, demanding their dragon father's.

"Help A-Niang." She tries. But they don't relent, keeping the mountain's purest power out of her body.

Wei Ying is suddenly afraid that she won't make it, she'll die there with her unborn children.

CW: mention of mutilation

She never meant to endanger them. Although she doesn't really like the clan she's married in, her babies are innocent souls.
Determined to save them at any cost, Wei Ying thinks that, maybe, she should cut her belly and set them free.
She can feel

CW: mention of asphyxiation

them desperately trying to get out of her womb, like they're suffocating.

How much have they develop in such brief time? Or has she slept for months?

CW: mention of death
She doesn't have time to dwell about that now, so she raises her hand, sharp claws glistening in the cold night.
If she must die to save her babies, so be it. She only hopes that whatever divine prowess usually marks a dragon's birth, it will bring Lans there

and save her children.
Maybe Heaven will grant her some mercy for sacrifice and give her a second chance, like HanGuang-jun has granted to her family.
It wouldn't be bad.

The instant before Wei Ying acts, a thunderbolt is roaring in the cloudless night and a huge dragon

made of light is scorching the skies.
Then the wards she's restored shatters into flickering stardust.
Wei Ying can't believe her eyes. Has her husband gone mad? Anyone in the

world must have seen that!
What about their secrecy? How will them explain such display?

Much to her dismay, the one rushing to her isn't Lan Huan but a very dishevelled Lan Zhan.

Wei Ying can't help but think that she's never seen the other woman in such unseemly condition.

"Wei Ying." Lan Zhan actually shouts.
She's never heard her shouting either.

Lan Zhan looks desperate when she carefully takes her out of the pond.

"I care about you." She said, that day. Wei Ying didn't believe her.
Now she thinks she can.
It's a pity they must part so soon.

"Lan Zhan..." She murmurs, "there are two."
The other looks stricken.
Wei Ying carries on. "Help them. You must help them. They're in pain."

As if she's eaten sand, Lan Zhan bits out: "You are the in pain."

Wei Ying smiles faintly. "It doesn't matter. Help them, quick."

*one.

Her belly is stretching impossibly, like it's going to rip at any time.
Wei Ying whimpers in Lan Zhan's arms, who's holding her so very cautiously, like she's going to break.

"Shall I..."
"Do it. Whatever it's necessary. Do it."
Wei Ying prepares herself for more pain

but she finds soft lips pressed against hers, instead. And a soothing hand on her scaring bump.
She's too weak to push the other away, nor she wants to do it.
Lan Zhan kisses her like she's precious.
And Wei Ying melts.

Then there's a tongue in her mouth and a warm flow of spiritual energy is slowly sliding into her, washing the pain away.
Her babies are instantly lulled into quietness.
They kiss for a time so long that Wei Ying thinks she might actually have died, and trespassed to afterlife.

Lan Zhan is silently seething in self-hatred. If only she acted sooner!
She'll never forget the sight of Wei Ying's miserable form, so worn out because of their babies, after only 7 days apart.
She left CR right after Shufu granted her permission, and reached the mountains in

a day, only to be stuck outside the wards. She really underestimated Wei Ying's powers, Gusu Lan has much to learn from her.
She tried every trick to breach in, despite knowing it was futile. That time, when she took BSSR down, she successfully completed her task in time only

thanks to Wei Ying's intervention.

She waited for 3 days, worry creeping in her soul, using up all her clan's dispelling techniques to no avail.
She called for Wei Ying, whispering to her scale, again and again, restlessness growing each minute, until she couldn't wait any

further.
Her mate was in danger somewhere deep in the forest. She must find her immediately.
Her clan will understand. Or they will not, Lan Zhan doesn't care.

It's taken half of her powers to destroy the shield and now she is slowly exhausting her dragon core to restore

Wei Ying's empty meridians so she can shift to her human form and stop their babies' abnormal growth.
She knew she must nurture their children every night but wasn't aware how much they needed her to grow at a safe pace for her mate.

She wants to hit herself.

The Elders would probably be horrified by her intentions. Trembling all over, she pushes more of her energy in Wei Ying's body, who's finally regaining a human shape.
She must finish before her clan arrives.
She can't forsake Wei Ying for the babies.
She must save them all.

Maybe she's done a mistake: a human body could never sustain such a change without any physical damage. Wei Ying's belly is twice bigger than the last time she's seen her, 7 days ago. Her skin is stretched at its limits, like it could tear at any contact. Too exhausted to stay

awake, she's drifted into unconsciousness again, brows still tightly furrowed in pain.

For the first time in her life, Lan Zhan's scared. Heart pounding in her chest, she does the only thing come to her mind.
Interrupting the kiss, she shouts her eyes to concentrate.

She must connect with her core, and coax her ZhenQi (true breath/qi/energy ) out of her body.
She's willing to share her life with Wei Ying in order to save her.

Mouths barely apart, Lan Zhan watches her mate taking her ZhenQi, features slowly relaxing in her slumber.

Some images flash in her eyes, like she's already seen that scene, somewhere in the past, maybe even multiple times. Wei Ying unconscious in her arms, she desperately trying to get a hold of the last shreds of her life.

When Lan Zhan blinks, something wet oozes from her lids.

Viscous and hot, slowly tracing her cheeks.

She's run out of time.
She knows it's dangerous.
She knows she shouldn't.
She does it regardless.
Bleeding for her qiqiao, Lan Zhan forces more of her true breath in Wei Ying's limbs and collapses, arms clutched around the other.

*from

An ocean of fireflies flutter around them, then inside Wei Ying's body, restoring her anew.

This is how Lan Elders find them, curled over each other, like long lost lovers.

Wei Ying wakes up to a familiar white ceiling. She's cocooned in soft sheets, on a sturdy wooden bed.
Not only is she alive, but she's also still pregnant, her babies happily swirling in her bump. Wei Ying is flabbergasted.
Then... She remembers the kiss. And Lan Zhan.
Lan Zhan!

"FuRen!"
It's only when her maids rush inside the room that Wei Ying discovers she's screaming.
"Lan Zhan!"

The girls try to calm her down.
"FuRen, you shouldn't move."
"HanGuang-jun is fine."

Holding her huge belly, Wei Ying is already getting off the bed.
"Where is she?"

The maids exchange a look.

"Our healers are treating her." Says a newly arrived Lan Huan.

"I must see her."
He sits on her bed. "You should rest, A-Ying." He looks tired.

"I must see her." Wei Ying repeats.

Lan Huan sighs: "She can't receive visits right now."

She can barely maintain her human shape, he doesn't say.

Hands clutching her belly, Wei Ying begs: "I... I need to see her. Let me be stubborn just this time, FuJun."

Lan Huan delicately touches her shoulder, removing a strand of hair: "I'm afraid I must disappoint you, A-Ying.

She's still unconscious."

"I can help!" Wei Ying blurts out.
Lan Huan studies her, then he dismisses the maids.

When they're alone, he signs again. "A-Ying... the Elders... are very upset about her action. She'll be grounded for the time being."

Wei Ying snaps up: "Because she saved me!?"
Then, something flashes in her mind. "Oh, because she exposed herself."
Lan Huan's eyes narrowed.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not an idiot. The babies calmed down with her energy. She must be the dragon in the pond, uh?"

Wei Ying chuckles at her husband's surprise. "You're a bunch of sick weirdos, you know, my dearest FuJun? You're lucky I'm not some frail human maiden."
Wei Ying leans over to whisper at his ear: "But I must admit some humans can do much worse in order to gain some heirs."

Like hiding a whole human in their marital bed, or taking multiple maids and dispose of them after the births.
What's a fake marriage to hide their real dragon? Lans are a bunch of amateurs.

Straightening up, Wei Ying grins: "No wonder my FuJun never touches me in daylight."

Truth to be told, she's relieved that Lan Huan isn't the one who fathered (mothered? does it matter?) her babies. It would have been so weird!
She was surprised at first, she won't deny it, then all made sense.
No wonder Lan Zhan took her memories away! But couldn't they just

ask? It's not like she'd refuse!
Since the Lans have worked so hard to keep their part of the bargain, Wei Ying doesn't feel mad at all.
Just a little amused, maybe. So much troubles for such trifles, mph!
She's a Yao, not a naive girl. She understands many things!

And since she's a Yao, Wei Ying must repay gratitude when she's been recipient of it. She's a good Yao, not an ungrateful one!

"So, since I already know, can I see her? She's shared her true breath with me, I can help her recover much faster than any of your healers."

Lan Huan studies her: "Are you not upset?"

Wei Ying cocks her head: "So what? Don't you know? Yao folks are weak to kindness. Although she deceived me, she also saved me, gave my family a second chance and grant peace to my people. I'm not unreasonable like you think."

Well, Lan Huan can't really argue that. After some deep pondering, he relents.
He'll seize any chance to quicken Lan Zhan's recovery, as their healers aren't very confident about the outcome.
"Take my hand." He offers.

Wei Ying isn't surprised to find themselves underground.

Since Lan Zhan is the dragon who mated her, the pond is the only place in the whole CR that can be of any help, as she's lost much of her essence.
Wei Ying can feel the dragon's powers simmering in her core.

Like any proper Yao, she discerns kindness from grudge very clearly.

She will help Lan Zhan, then she'll give her a piece of her mind, later.
Wei Ying doesn't care about any other Lan nonsense.

Although she is mentally prepared, the scene at the pond hurts.

An unconscious Lan Zhan is draped over the stone bank, surrounded by many Elders, who

are trying to restore her meridians with their spiritual powers.
A limp dragon tail is visible in the water.
She's glowing in a faint haze, like her body's struggling to keep her energy inside. Like it can drain her up completely once it's all scattered.
Just how much has she

damaged her core? If they can't stop it, she'll probably regress to her beast shape and start her cultivation anew.

Wei Ying can't allow that.
Supporting herself in Lan Huan's grip, she approaches the group as quickly as her heavy belly permits.
The Elders aren't pleased.

Like they don't approve of her presence there. Wei Ying is ready to fight. Luckily, Lan Huan intercedes, stepping in front of her: "Please honourable Elders, listen to my FuRen. She holds A-Zhan's ZhenQi, blood and flesh. Her assistance may be very effective."

They exchange a look. The Elders have been exerting themselves for 3 days and 3 night, with no apparent improvement.

"How would you do that?" They inquire.

Wei Ying's growing impatient. She doesn't have time for that nonsense. If she wanted, she can throw all of them out with a

Single swipe of hand, since that's literally their nest.
But she can't risk any interruption for what she must start.
The problem is that she can't really explain it in a way humans can understand. Creatures like her act on instincts and adjust progressively. She just knows.

Still, she tries: "I'll know once I touch her."

The incredulous look on their face is almost amusing, as if their healers could heal anyone prior physical examination!

Then, one of them, a female named Lan Yi, asks Lan Huan: "Do you trust her?"

"I do, ZengZumu."
*Greatgranma

Lan Yi nods, her eyes landing on Wei Ying behind her great grandnephew.

"Come, please."
The other Elders reluctantly make space for her when she approaches.

Lan Zhan looks fragile, like never in her life. Wei Ying puts a hand on her forehead, eyes shut.
Their surroundings

dissolve, it's only Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, connecting their souls.
She knows what to do, wisdom brimming in her skull.
She leans over, whispering ancient, forgotten words. And then, she kisses Lan Zhan.
Her mouth tastes of blood, hers, from her heart. She feeds it to her mate.

Why was she ever mad at Lan Zhan? She doesn't remember it.

The scene feels so intimate that the others divert their eyes.

Wei Ying stays like that for a long time, until Lan Zhan's body has stopped glowing in that eerie haze.
She holds the pliant body in the most tender

embrace.
"Leave... Please." Wei Ying breaths, and shifts into her siren form, dipping in the waters with her dragon mate.

The pond glows when she wraps her tail around Lan Zhan, a steady flow of spiritual energy sinking in Lan Zhan's core.
Wei Ying can clearly feel their

babies swirling inside her, like they're also trying to heal their dragon mother.
Now, in the depths of the waters, Wei Ying knows that Lan Zhan truly cares.
She gave up herself in order to save them all. Not only their babies, but also her.

"Come back to me." She whispers.

But Lan Zhan doesn't wake up.
Wei Ying stays in the cave, never letting her side.
She can only draw a small amount of blood from her heart to feed the other, day by day.
Lan Huan checks on her at every meal.
The Elders have erected a shield, so no one will disrupt her.

Wei Ying doesn't know what's happening outside the cave. She's not aware of flow of the time.
There is only Lan Zhan.
She devours every meal, for her babies' sake, but she doen't feel hunger or tiredness, since her to devoted mountains have nourished her to the brim, that time.

The pregnancy progresses much faster in her siren form. 30 days after her arrival in the pond, 33 days in Lan Zhan's slumber, Wei Ying knows she's ready to give birth.
It's nothing scary or dangerous like that time on the mountains.
Her babies are safe, they can connect with

both of their parents, although one is still roaming in the realm of the unconsciousness.
Lan Zhan's complexion looks healthy now, like she's simply asleep, enjoying her dreams.
Somehow, Wei Ying knows that she'll wake up when their babies are born.

Thunderstorm rearing in the skies, Wei Ying gives birth to two healthy, male dragon babies.
They swirl out of her like nothing and, in a blinding flash, they morph into two newborns in Lan Zhan's arms, who's startled awake at the last, most powerful thunder.

Wei Ying smiles

faintly. She'll impress that image in her mind for the eternity, she thinks, before sinking into the void.

Like in a reversed scene, now Lan Zhan is the one awake while Wei Ying sleeps in a neverending slumber.
She's back in her chamber, cocooned in soft sheets.

Much to Lan Zhan's desperation, the healers can't tell the cause of her prolonged unconsciousness.
Her core is fine, her meridians brimming with energy, yet Wei Ying won't awake.

She misses her shijie's visit. She's still sleeping when JYL marries to a very respected

cultivator, a year after.
She misses the riot in Lan Clan, when other cultivational clans have demanded an explanation about the dragon's apparition.
She also missed the way Lan Zhan showed herself to the world and set a new environment for their babies, no more secrecy needed.

She doesn't see how human and Yao are now living in apparent peace and reciprocal respect, ruled by 3 dragons.

5 years later, Wei Ying wakes up to a stranger in her room.

"I've finally found you, jiejie."
The unfamiliar face tells her and then, she's back in the void again.

Cursed bond.

Wei Ying floats in her dreams, two words echoing over and over. She weeps through her memories.
Past, present, she remembers everything.
Yet she can't recall what's her current reality.
Heavens wanted them apart, yet their bond draw them close. In every life.

She died miserably in each of her reincarnations, like neverending a punishment.
What was her sin? What started it all?
That, she can't remember.

Scenes of unknown versions of herself pour around her. It's overwhelming.
In each of her life, she's met Lan Zhan.
A cursed bond

She can still feel Lan Zhan's hands on her throat, her sword piercing through her chest, flames burning her skin. How many times has she died?

She loved, she hated, she despaired. Over and over, in a endless loop.
Until she was only an empty shell.

What was their sin?

Wei Ying is wavering in the wind or more correctly, she's swinging? Like someone in carrying her while rushing through the woods.
She catches faint screams behind them, and the heat of a blazing fire.

"...Lan Zhan?" She mumbles, still unable to open her eyes. But the scent

is wrong.
"Don't worry, jiejie. I'm taking you back home." Is that a smirk?
Can you even hear a smirk?
She tenses up, still unconscious.

When Wei Ying finally awakens, she's pinned on the ground, at the centre of a bloody array, fireflies swirling furiously around her.

She takes a deep breath, finding her meridians again, after such a long time. Wei Ying snaps her fingers, and sits up, muscles working just fine, without any trace of dizziness.

"So, you're awake." Someone is leisurely crouched on a flat rock, right in front of her.

Wei Ying sighs. She really doesn't have time for that shit. Whoever is weaving her fate, must be a very boring god, since all her lives have followed pretty similar paths.

But when she tries to break out of the array, she's puzzled to discover she's actually unable to do so.

Uh, she's good, Wei Ying thinks, fearlessly.
Maybe she'll die miserably this time too, but it doesn't really matter.
When you've faced the whole multitude of lives you've had, death is just part of the circle.
Nonetheless, Wei Ying doesn't wish to contribute, even unwittingly,

to any plan the other has set up.
She would also have a word with Lan Zhan, first of all, and take a look to their babies, since she's never had the chance.
Although they've lived so many existences, this is the first time they'd sired children together.

Truly a cursed bond.

"You're so quiet, jiejie. Do you like your cage?" The girl smirks at her.
She feels... familiar, which should be impossible, as Wei Ying is sure they've never met before.
But the power she can sense..
"You're granny's disciple."
The girl grins wilder, showing her sharp canines

"She told you about me." Wei Ying shifts on the ground.

"Oh, don't misunderstand, jiejie. Master was very fond of you. Unlike jiejie, she would never harm you."

Jumping down from the rock, the girl is now standing right out of the circle of the array.
"I only asked if

there weren't any way to exploit these Mountains' overflowing energy. Master said only the cherished one could. And then I saw you, jiejie."
She was there, 5 years ago.
"I thought you died, just like the others. But you came back, pregnant with their child."
The girl's placed

her hands on the outer circle.

"Isn't it just fair that you help us, now?"

The array is glowing in scarlet light. Wei Ying can feel it coaxing her meridians, luring her energy away, towards its caster. A very smart solution, indeed.
With Wei Ying as medium, she's secured an

endless source of the purest prowess.

It took her 5 years to find Wei Ying and burn CR down.
The dragons were trying to mold a new world, one in which those like her couldn't live. How dare them?
Why must she give up her nature?
Thus she gathered an army of her akin, those

who escaped the slaughter, and started a war.
With Wei Ying in her hands, she's sure they can win.
When the girl raises her hands, many other figures appear in the clearing. Wei Ying isn't surprised to see cultivators or commoners among them.

She knows what comes next.

Like all the other times, Lan Zhan will be forced to choose between her and duty.
Wei Ying's tired of that recurring storyline.
What huge debt she owed the Heavens, she wonders and quickly dismisses the thought.

That war was stupid.
But necessary to enforce the change.

Thunderbolts roaring in the sky, 3 dragons twirl over the clearing, quickly descending on the crowd, only to be blocked by a very powerful shield.
Granny really taught her well, Wei Ying considers. Body locked on the ground, an endless flow of energy sinking in her limbs,

only to pour out right after, her mind has started to drift away.
It's not painful, not in the physical way. She just feels awfully empty and nonexistent.

"Hi, baobei." She mutters, when she catches the smaller dragons in the sky.

Is she silly if all she thinks about is how

she aches to hug them and hold them close?

A fierce battle will start soon, but she doesn't really care.

She looks at her mate, trying to focus on their current story.
Deception, betrayal, hurt. Lan Zhan bowing with her in front of granny, Lan Zhan wiping out the village.
Tenderness, lust, affection. Lan Zhan holding her precious, Lan Zhan sinking in her body, Lan Zhan kissing her.

Their children.
Wei Ying blinks when her huge babies smash against the wards.

"No..." she murmurs, "you hold my powers. You can despell it."

But she's trapped in a bloody array, her voice can't reach them.

"No..." Wei Ying struggles on the ground. She still remembers the last time a dragon breached those wards.

Luckily, Lan Zhan stops them, shifting into human shape.
Wei Ying stares at her, as she dissolves the shield.

"Jiejie really is a traitor. You even taught her about

our wards." The girl doesn't sound worried at all, not even when an horde of Lan Cultivators descends on them.

Swords clashing all over, the Lans soon discover that their enemies can rise from death.

Wei Ying can merely watch from her cage, feeling distant, incorporeal.

Burn them. You must burn them to ashes.
Unfortunately dragons don't breath fire as they are water creatures, like Wei Ying herself.
She's desperately trying to connect with her limbs, when two pairs of arms clutched around her.
"Muqin!"
"A-Niang!"
How are her children so big?

"Oh, hi..." She breaths heavily, placing her hands on their backs.
Wei Ying can't really tell human's age by appearance, but they definitely don't look like 5yo. Maybe 9 or even 10.
How have they them aged so quickly?
Her heart twists in sorrow.
She's missed so much.

She's still inhaling their scents intensely, when she hears *her* voice.

"Wei Ying." All the images from her memory assemble into the woman standing in front of her. She's always been achingly beautiful.

"Lan-"
But a voice interrupts her, "What a sweet family reunion!"

"Xue Yang." Lan Zhan's eyes narrowed.

"Welcome to my humble home, HanGuang-jun!" She chirps, spreading her arms.
"Jiejie must really love you, since she even shared her blood with you. I'm so glad!" Xue Yang is smirking eerily.

"Get out of here!" Wei Ying shouts, but

it's already too late.
The array is made of her blood.

"Oh, don't bother, jiejie. They were trapped the very moment they stepped in. Am I not generous? You missed so much of your family. Now you can chat to your heart's content! Ahahaha!"
She discards to the side, dodging

Bichen just in time.
So, the array can bind them physically but not their spiritual swords.

"Oh, you're so rude." She pouts, leaping away.
"I must entertain my other esteemed guests now. Let's play again later!"
Her hysterical laugher echoes for a long time.

Bichen chases her all the way back, unable to catch it's target, so it beheads other Yaos.

That's it, Wei Ying thinks. The girl, Xue Yang, must be an idiot if trapping her with Lan Zhan is the best plan she's mastered.

That's the quickest way to end that stupid battle.

But the sword doesn't return, nor Lan Zhan stops her attacks, controlling her weapon from afar, with a steady flow of spiritual energy.
They try to lure Lan cultivators away, dislocating their fighting ground. Luckily, the later are quick to catch up their enemies' plan.

Soon after, the Lans are enclosing around the array's invisible dome.

Each time a fallen enemy arises, Wei Ying feels an awful pressure inside her. She can't talk, all she can do is hug her children, who are visibly worried. She reassures them with a faint smile.

"HanGuang-jun!"
"FuRen!"

Wei Ying is almost surprised to hear them addressing her.
Some are injured, some are tired. 5 hours have already passed. They won't last forever.

"They regenerate slower when beheaded." Lan Zhan states, Bichen finally in its sheath.

Zewu-Jun isn't among them.

Healers rush over the injured while others resume the attacks. Now they all aim for the necks.

"Lan Zhan..." Wei Ying whimpers. You know what you must do. She doesn't voice it.

Of course Lan Zhan knows. But she doesn't want to. So she ignores her

and summons a thunderstorm instead.

She's aware that it's not as powerful as it would be, in her dragon form, but she has to try, nonetheless.
She strikes many, then they arise.
The pressure in Wei Ying is unbearable. She shuts her eyes, gasping.

Many hours rush in a daze.

Arms clutched around her children, whose name she has yet to learn, Wei Ying doesn't see other Cultivators coming to their rescue. She can certainly feel their enemies increasing in number and the flow of prowess in her limbs has reached it's peak.

When she can open her eyes again, everything is motionless around them. The skies have cleared up, showing a bright,bloody moon. Xue Yang floating in midair, she smirks at Lan Zhan.

"Oh, my dear friends. Why should we fight? It's futile, as you've already ascertained"

She

spreads her arms, palms up.
"May I invite you to join me? We'll mold a new world, together. The power of these lands is rich and endless. In exchange, I only want the Lans. Slay every Lan in existence and you'll all be part of the future. Otherwise, you'll all die here."

"You'll be the dying one!" Someone in green robes roars.
And swords are clashing again.

It's too much. It's overwhelming. Wei Ying's conscience leaves her body, wavering over the huge clearing, scattered with thunder burns.
And blood.

Images of an ancient past overlaps in front of her. She fought beside Lan Zhan, in a war so distant that humans didn't exist. The Origins and the Chaos.

She's even older than these mountains, Wei Ying realizes.
She looks at her past self, slaying demon after demon.

She watches as she crumbles, dyeing the waste land with blood.
No wonder these peaks loved her. She nurtured them to life.
Then, she sees the origin of everything, the sin they must atone, life after life, until the debt is paid. So they can meet again, once it's over.

/I promise this will finish soon! I can't believe I've been hijacked for a month by this thread. 😳/
/Going to bed now, though.

Linking the beginning again

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Good night 🌃

In that past so faraway, Lan Zhan is crying, shoulders trembling jerkily.
White robes stained crimson, she's hugging Wei Ying's strenghless body for dear life.

"I can't live in a world were you don't exist. She sobs.

Wei Ying breathes, stroking her tears away: "Don't cry, ZhanZhan..."

But she can't soothe her. She's meant to dissolve into the Void, like every deity at the end of their existence.
Back to the Chaos, to create new beginnings.

"I'll turn into the wind and never leave your side.

She can't promise that. They're both aware.
But there's nothing Wei Ying can do.

"You'll see me in the rain, and every snowflakes. Don't cry, my little ZhanZhan..." But her dulled eyes are brimming with tears too.

When Wei Ying catches the anguish of her pastself, she's swept

away by all the love and desperation she felt back then.
And still, there was acceptance, because that was her fate.
When her dying form scatters into a million sparks, she already knows what happens next.
With a inhuman howl, Lan Zhan shatters into pieces too. And follows her.

"NOOOOO!!! Wei Ying is desperately trying to catch some flickers with her immaterial hands when she's forcefully pulled back to her body, away from that illusion. She finds herself shouting in the reality too.
"Wei Ying!" Lan Zhan has rushed over her, visibility worried.

Wei Ying hurls in her arms, away from their startled children.
"ZhanZhan, ZhanZhan, ZhanZhan!" She chants, sorrowful, like she's drowning.

She holds her tight, filling her lungs with Lan Zhan's scent. Face buried on Lan Zhan's chest, Wei Ying listens greedily to her heartbeats.

But that's not nearly enough. She pushes Lan Zhan on the ground, straddling her waist and clashes their lips together, kissing the life out of her.

The two children have covered their eyes while others have shifted their gaze back to the battlefield.

Wei Ying doesn't care.

She only cares about Lan Zhan's lips, her breath, the heat in her mouth, their tongues tangling in a frenzy.

Wei Ying feels furiously helpless.
Why? Why? Why?! She screams in her mind.

Heavens' mercy is such a cruel thing.
They only wanted to return to nothingness together.

Yet here they are, thrown in the wheel of the reincarnation, forced to hurt each other over and over again.
Since Lan Zhan couldn't let her go, and even neglected her duties towards the World to follow her, she's been doomed to betray, kill, and forsake her beloved in every

life.
And only after they've fixed all the imbalances caused by Lan Zhan's early departure, they'll finally become free and meet again, as their original selves.
Heavens' granted them an eternity together, but at what costs?
What did they force her kindest ZhanZhan do?

When she detaches herself from Lan Zhan's lips, Wei Ying is calmer, determination seeped deep inside her.
She knows what must be done. This time she'll take care about it by herself.
"Hi, my beautiful ZhanZhan." She smiles to a quite flabbergasted Lan Zhan. Her ears are

flushed pink. How cute.
But this is not her ZhanZhan, although she can still recognise some tiny hints.
She kisses her forehead, her lids, her some, her jaw.
"Wei Ying?" Lan Zhan doesn't know what's happening. Of course she doesn't.

Wei Ying rolls aside, still dizzy

from the spell binding her.
She looks over the fighting ground, and knows that she can't delay any further.

Wei Ying takes a deep breath, turning to her children.
"Come here." She says, spreading her arms.
As awkward they may feel, having witnessed their mothers' affection,

they promptly rush over, burying in her lap. Wei Ying giggles. It's the most beautiful and endearing sound they've ever heard.
"And what would be the names of these lovely boys?"

"Lan Yuan!"
"Lan Yue!" (Joy)
They chirp almost in unison.
Wei Ying pats their heads, so tenderly.

"They're very good names."
It must be cruel to leave them so soon...
Lan Zhan is cautiously studying her every move.
"Hold us, Lan Zhan?"
So, for an feeble instant stolen in the chaos of a bloody battle, the family reunites.
And then it's gone.

Wei Ying shifts, murmuring

something to the kids. And they both fall asleep.
"Wei Ying..." Lan Zhan chokes, realization freezing her veins.
Wei Ying gently strokes their babies cheeks.
"You wouldn't want them to see."
And kisses them.

"A-Niang loves you. But I have to go."

"Wei Ying!" Lan Zhan pleads

"I wish I had more time. But life just sucks, you know?" She places a hand on Lan Zhan's cheek, in a mirror of that distant past.

Someone is screaming in agony, the air reeks of blood. Time is up.

"I'll wait for you in the place we met." She can promise that, now.

Lan Zhan stares at her, uncomprehending, helpless, lost.

"You'll come, right? You'll always come back to me."
By the time she mutters those words, Wei Ying is already bleeding from her mouth.

"Wei Ying!!!"
Lan Zhan frantically hugs her, trying to push some spiritual energy

in her, to heal any invisible wound. But it doesn't work.
Lan Zhan is horrified to find out that Wei Ying's crushed her core.
The only way to stop everything, what she's aware she must do, sooner or later, but couldn't.
Wei Ying did it for her.
"Promise you'll come."

"I- I promise." She stutters, trembling hard. Her throat feels raw, her heart is thundering in her chest.
From the very moment Lan Zhan's seen that array, she knew this would be outcome but didn't want to give up.

Cw: character death (temp)
"You'll live and come back to me." Wei Ying smiles for the last time.
This Lan Zhan can live on without her.

And, just like that, she's gone.

Lan Zhan's vision blurs, she feels her limb growing and growing, until a dragon is raging through the skies.

Lan Zhan is convulsing in sorrow. She's just lost her mate. She wants to wipe out anyone responsible of her death.

Panic have spread in the clearing, where the yaos and their allies sensed a rush cut to the wonderful spiritual energy that secured their invincibility. They're

falling, one after another, too frenzied by their temporary immunity to back off in time. Nothing protects them when swords cut their heads off. Nothing regenerate when their limbs fall off. Nothing can save them from the dragon's rampage.

It's surprisingly easy to wipe them out, now that they've lost the protection of the Mountains.

So, on that bloody moon night, the world got rid of the last human hunting Yaos and their despicable human allies is a single battle.

When Lan Zhan finally descends in her human form again, she's weeping, like the sky.
Rain pouring from stormy clouds, Heaven itself is mourning the dragon's loss.

Spiritual power surging form the lands, all their casualties are back to life, the injured healthy again.

Holding no memories of their past, Lan Zhan can't really understand what happened, but she intimately knows that it's Wei Ying's making.
Her last gift, her blessing, for a world that must change.

/You'll live and come back to me./
That, she can do.

When Lan Zhan takes

her mate's lifeless body in her arms, she feels a faint pat on her head.
/You did well./ The rain whispers to her.

"Not well enough to keep you." She murmurs back.

But she must carry on.

CR is already adorned in white silk, when they return, victorious.
They do not celebrate. They mourn.
Lan Zhan knees in the ancestral hall, beside Wei Ying's coffin, and prostrates, 3 times. Wei Ying is buried as Lan Er-FuRen, HanGuang-jun's spouse.

Lan Yuan and Lan Yue are miserable in their grief. They shared so little time with their A-Niang, the tenderness of her kisses still lingering on their cheeks.
It's the last time they shift into human form.
When they're not helping their dragon mother in her tasks, they curl up

On the pearl bed at the bottom of the pond.
Lan Zhan doesn't know love.
She feels her in the gentle spring breeze, she hears her laughter in each drop of summer rain, she's enveloped in her warmth when leaves dance in fall and recognizes her in each snowflakes swirling in winter.

If this is what mortals called love, then it's what she felt.

50 years is the time the world needed to reach a new balance. This new world doesn't need dragons anymore.

Along with her children, she's cleansed every source that could threaten the harmony they've fought for.

Brother got married, their Clan will prosper even without their dragon lineage. Lan Zhan is finally free from her duties.

Then, in a winter night, she blinks awake. Her hands are winkled, fragile, like she's aged all at once. When she sits up, white hair enter in her vision.

When she touches her face, she finds rugged skin. So, it's time.
She gets off the bed, looking out of the window. It's snowing outside.
For the first time in her life, Lan Zhan doesn't get dressed. She walks into the courtyard barefoot, leaving clear imprints on the crunchy

ground. Her limbs are heavy, but she doesn't care.
Enveloped in swirling white flakes, she reaches out a hand.

"You've come..."

A thunder descends from the sky, so bright it illuminated the whole sky.
That night, the last three dragons in existence disappear from the mortal world.

Someone upon the clouds, on a throne made of pure light, smiles.

"Lift the seal on ChenQing Peak." They breathe.

Wei Ying wakes leaning against the thick trunk of a millennial plum tree, red blossoms wavering in the breeze, some petals have landed on her shoulders, covered in soft, white silks.
When she looks down, Lan Zhan is sleeping peacefully in her lap, two little dragons curled right

in front of her beautiful face.
She strokes her hair, so very tenderly, until Lan Zhan stirs up.

When she opens her eyes, she meets the brightest smile.

"Welcome back, my ZhanZhan."

~The End~

Awww. I'VE FINISHED!!!
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

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