Never Let You Go, Again

44: Who's the Fairest of them All

"Hanguang-Jun! Where's Hanguang-Jun?"

Wei Wuxian sat there obstinately to watch how Lan Zhan handled it.

Lan Wangji stood up and walked over to the woman. Wei Wuxian was amazed to see he didn't even hold her up when she was about to fall, but sent forth a wave of energy to help her back up. He chuckled secretly, thinking how Lan Zhan could be so cold. He really does only touch me, Wei Ying grinned.

"What is it?"

"Hanguang-Jun, my husband. My husband was killed. Tortured to death! Please, please slay that thing for me! Before it leaves more women widowed..." her voice was feeble, clearly from crying for help for days. Lan Zhan didn't seem to be helping her calm down well enough so Wei Ying rushed to her, held her up by the elbows and let her lean on him. When her knees had stopped wobbling, he held her by the arm and supported her. "Mother, come sit."

The old lady nodded and walked with him to his seat. He kneeled beside her, pouring out a cup of water. "Here, Mother."

"Thank you, child," the woman sobbed and sipped the water. She looked up to see who the good child was to find a man in black and a smiling face beaming at her warmly. She felt a lot calmer. Sighing and breathing deeply, she soothed herself down. "Child, you are..."

"Wei Wuxian, Mother."

The 'Mother' didn't recognise this name. But when she saw Hanguang-Jun sitting beside the said Wei Wuxian, smiling softly at the latter's thoughtfulness, she blinked as understanding struck her. Of course, how had she not noticed!

White, black.

White headband, red ribbon.

White sword with blue carvings, black flute with red tassel.

Cold and yet gentle like snow, warm and yet powerful like sunshine: one melting the other.

Softest silver, sharpest scarlet: auras of the divine.

Two smiles, equally bright: one angelic, the other cherubic.

Wasn't this how the Nie sect leader's ballad described the famous couple? The Great Duo? Hanguang-Jun and Yingxiong Laozu?

The 'Mother', despite her plight, smiled at the two husbands. "Bless your lives, Immortals, thank you for coming. Yingxiong Laozu, Hanguang-Jun, can you help me?"

The two nodded, both with resolve not second to the other.

**********

"So, A-Zhan, you think it's the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

"Mn."

Wei Ying knocked aside a branch hanging from a tree, obstructing their path. They were walking through a thicket that led to the region where the old lady was from. They had spotted her house on the way, and were headed deeper in to find the demon.

"Why do you say so? What made you think it's a Nine-Tailed Fox?"

"Seduction."

"Exactly. That's exactly what I thought. The old woman said her husband was tortured to death. And she wasn't just upset, she was angry. Clearly, the demon had been a tease. Seduction is its trait."

"Death is its fate."

Wei Wuxian laughed. "A-Zhan, nice rhyming."

"Mn."

"And judging by the old lady's expression, it's a female. Female Nine-Tailed Fox in human disguise?"

"Mn. Immortal."