The glowing butterfly lands on Lan Zhan's open palm and transforms into a parchment paper.

"Is the Zewu Jun?" Wei Ying asks hopefully. 

Lan Zhan shakes his head. "It's Jiang Cheng." The light bearer states and starts reading the letter.

Lan Wangji, 

We have reached Lotus Cove, and all is well at our end. But I am worried about your brother. Though Meng Yao is his sworn brother, he knows that he has already betrayed Zewu Jun's trust. I am afraid that some calamity has befallen your brother. 

Lan Zhan stops and caresses a spot on the paper in his hands.

"Is that it?" Wei Ying questions, and Lan Zhan hands over the letter to him, "The writing here, " he older man points at a spot where the writing is blotched and adds, "what do you make of it?"

Wei Ying's brows knit, "Lan Zhan, I think Jiang Cheng was crying while writing this." The Yiling patriarch pauses and shakes his head in confusion, "But why? Jiang Cheng is not that sort of man." He wonders aloud.

"Read ahead," Lan Zhan instructs, and Wei Ying starts reading.

I can't feel your brothers presence. I tried it with his headband too. I sensed nothing. I am worried about him, Hanguang Jun. I think he needs you right now. Please find him. I beg you.

Jiang Wanyin. 

Wei Ying looks up from the letter and catches Lan Zhan's eyes. A look of understanding passes between them as both of them recall how Jiang Cheng had risked his life for the older Jade, without caring for his safety, in the wee hours of the morning.

"Lan Zhan, are you thinking what I am thinking?"

"Jiang Wanyin is in love with my brother." Lan Zhan confirms, voicing both their thoughts.

"Well, I must admit that I did not see that coming. But now that I think about it, the signs were there. We just missed them."

Lan Zhan nods, "No wonder the bond worked so flawlessly. Clan leader Jiang must have had these feelings for brother, for some time now."

"Stupid fuck." Wei Ying mutters under his breath and folds the paper before putting it inside the front of his robes.
"Lan Zhan, Jiang Cheng has the headband, I think I can use my skills to track down Zewu Jun if I can get my hands on it."

"Can't you use mine?" Lan Zhan questions, making Wei Ying smile, "I am afraid not, since we are bound, your headband's loyalty, just like Bichen's, has shifted to me. Zewu Jun, however, is technically a free man. At least, for now. His headband is his most personal thing; I am hoping that his connection with it may help us track him."

Lan Zhan nods and voices his thoughts, "Wei Ying, we don't have enough time to make it to Lotus Cove and back." The light bearer pauses and looks at where he had bid farewell to his brother, "And brother took a path which would only lead him further away from Lotus Cove. I am worried that we might not get to him in time."

Wei Ying is silent for a few minutes. He closes his eyes and tries to take stock of the situation. Then it comes to him; an idea. He opens his eyes and smirks. "Lan Zhan, I have got it!" He exclaims, and runs to where Su She is lying bound and unconscious.

"What is it, Wei Ying?" Lan Zhan follows his husband, who is crouching next to the unconscious clan leader.

"Lan Zhan, Su She knows how to teleport." Wei Ying pauses and looks at his husband hesitantly, "I know what I am going to suggest may not be... "

"Do it." Lan Zhan cuts in, "He doesn't deserve to be given a choice." Lan Zhan adds uncharacteristically.

Having no time to spare, the Yiling patriarch gets to work. He uses the power of Ying iron and empathy, to get the information he needs, out of Su She's mind. He goes a step further, and probes deeper into the man's soul as well, whilst Lan Zhan plays a calming tune on his zither.

When Wei Ying is done, he stands up. "We need to hide him in the cave and seal it."

The two men carry the unconscious clan leader to the cave and seal it.

Thereafter, Wei Ying takes out two parchment papers out of his robes. He nicks his finger and draws similar symbols on both of them and hands one to Lan Zhan, "Lan Zhan, hold me."

"Mn?"

"Why, my husband, don't you want to hold me?" The younger man teases, winking at his husband.

Lan Zhan sighs, "Wei Ying... "

Wei Ying raises his hand and stops the light bearer in the middle of what's undoubtedly going to be a lecture on how to behave, and says, "I know what you are going to say, my Fuddy Duddy. But I am not flirting with you right now... Well, scratch that, I am flirting with you, but that's not all I am doing." Wei Ying explains, and adds, "Hold me so that we can transport ourselves to Lotus Cove."

"So you know how to do it now?"

"Yes, and I have found out something else as well, but right now, I need you to hold me." Wei Ying instructs.

*Lotus Cove*

Jiang Cheng hears a knock on the door and a young disciple enters. 

 "Clan leader, Aunty Yenay has asked for your presence in Master Wei's old chamber." The young man informs.

Though a little surprised, Jiang Cheng nods and dismisses the messenger, and heads to Wei Ying's room.

Arriving there, he is surprised to find Wei Ying and Lan Zhan waiting for him with Yenay.

Walking over to his senior brother who looks a little pale, Jiang Cheng questions, "When did you get here? And what happened to you!? Where is Zewu Jun?"

Though Jiang Cheng's question is directed at Wei Ying, it is Lan Zhan who answers. "We don't have time to explain the whole thing. Wei Ying teleported us here. But instead of us ending up in your chamber, we ended up outside Lotus Cove. Thereafter, we took the secret tunnel to Wei Ying's room. Luckily, we bumped into Aunty here. She suggested we hide our presence for now."

"Since when can Wei Wuxian teleport!?" Jiang Cheng questions, but then shakes his head as if changing his mind, "Nevermind, what's wrong with him?"

As soon as the question leaves him, Wei Ying sways on the spot and holds Lan Zhan's arms for support, "Jiang Cheng, that's not important... " Wei Ying replies in between labored breaths. "Zewu Jun may be in trouble. Lan Zhan can't feel his presence either... You have his headband, we need that to track him."

Jiang Cheng nods, and wordlessly removes the Lan headband from around his neck and hands it over to Wei Ying. But it is Lan Zhan who takes it. "What now?" He asks his husband.

"Let's perform the ritual here itself. That way, our presence here will remain a secret." He tells Jiang Cheng, before turning to Yenay, "Aunty, make sure we are not disturbed." He instructs the old woman, and looks at Lan Zhan, "You and Jiang Cheng will sit facing each other." He instructs and the two men do as told. 

"Jiang Cheng, Lan Zhan, I need both of you to think about Zewu Jun." Wei Ying looks at Lan Zhan, "Place the headband here." He gestures to the floor between them, and closes his eyes.

"Lan Zhan, place the silencing spell over the room." He orders, taking out his flute. He is about to put the flute to his lips, when Lan Zhan stops him, "Are you up for it?" The light bearer questions, searching Wei Ying's eyes.

Wei Ying smiles, "I am fine. Just a little drained. I can do this. Besides, we don't have a choice, do we now?" 

 Lan Zhan purses his lips. He knows what Wei Ying had said was true, and he knew that they were out of options but still, he did not like this plan. He did not like to put his soulmate in danger. He did not like it one bit.

"Fine. Do what you need to do." Lan Zhan agrees, and Wei Ying smiles.

"Lan Zhan, spill a drop of your blood in the middle of the headband, once I start playing. Hopefully, you will see images of places that Zewu Jun has threaded; remember them. Since he is most probably in Yunmeng or around it, once you know the exact spot, I will help Jiang Cheng see the images. That way, if you don't know the place, Jiang Cheng might." Wei Ying finishes the instructions, and immediately starts playing.

As instructed, Lan Zhan cuts his finger and a few drops of blood, land on the headband. Thereafter, both Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng close their eyes and try to concentrate on Zewu Jun.

Soon, images start flashing in Lan Zhan's mind, and he tries to make sense of it all. A few minutes pass before Wei Ying stops and puts Chenqing away.

"Lan Zhan, did you see him?" Wei Ying asks, and Lan Zhan snaps his eyes open.

"Wei Ying, I saw brother, but he is was not conscious. I didn't recognize the surroundings." He says, his face shrouded in panic.

"Lan Zhan, calm down." Wei Ying looks at his brother, "Jiang Cheng, hold Lan Zhan's wrists, and I will help you see what he has seen." Wei Ying instructs once again.

Jiang Cheng holds Lan Zhan's wrists, and the cultivators do as Wei Ying commands.

Wei Ying chants a spell, and a glowing string connects Lan Zhan's mind to Jiang Cheng's.

A few seconds later, Jiang Cheng opens his eyes, "I know this place. It falls on the border of Yunmeng and Lanling. There is a temple not far from it. We took Jiejie there when she was expecting."

"Wait !" Wei Ying interrupts. He takes out a paper and draws a symbol on it and shows it to Jiang Cheng, "Is this the patent symbol of the deity?"

Jiang Cheng's eyes widen in recognition, "Yes. This is it. How did you guess?"

"Fuck! " Wei Ying mutters under his breath, "This is where Meng Yao has hidden Clan leader Nie's head. I saw it when I probed Su She's mind. But that's not the most worrying thing."

"The most worrying thing is that Meng Yao has trapped Clan leader Nie's soul in his head." Wei Ying adds.

"No... " Lan Zhan whispers, shaking his head in disbelief.

Jiang Cheng feels like he has missed something, "We already knew he was dead. Why is it worrying?"

Wei Ying sighs, "Clan leader Nie was a proud and brave cultivator. He was the best of all Nie cultivators. And Nie cultivators have been known not to keep their calm even in normal circumstances; and here we have a man, who was not only betrayed, but brutally beheaded by his own sworn brother. Then, instead of giving his soul a proper funeral, his lifeless body was preserved, and his soul was trapped for over ten years. On my visit to Lanling, when I had looked into Clan leader Nie's soul, I had sensed rage and unrest. If the soul was to be set free, it would become almost impossible to tame it and set it free of its resentments." Wei Ying concludes.

"Wei Ying, do you have reason to believe that the clan leader's soul might be tampered with?"

"Lan Zhan, Meng Yao is at his wits end. He is scared and probably panicking right now. He might be feeling betrayed as well. I think he may try to use Clan leader Nie's soul to get back at us. I won't be surprised if he is at the temple right now." Wei Ying guesses.

"Wei Wuxian, do you think Meng Yao will try to harm Zewu Jun if he finds him before us?" Jiang Cheng voices his thoughts, and Wei Ying nods, "Maybe as a last resort. If there is one man Meng Yao respects, it's Lan XiChen, and until recently, the feeling was mutual. But now, if Meng Yao feels that Zewu Jun has betrayed him too, by not standing with him, then it is possible that he might try and harm Zewu Jun."

*The Temple*

Meng Yao runs outside and asks his guard to look for suspicious activity around the temple. 

 'Senior Brother's soul has been set free. Who could have done it? And why? Su She was the only one who knew about it. Maybe I should try to call it back.' Meng Yao wonders, but almost immediately, he shakes his head trying to clear his head. 'That's not a good idea. It would be hard to tame it. It is better if it wreaks havoc elsewhere and gets captured. The Yiling patriarch is the only one who can do that... Maybe, not even him... " Meng Yao's mind doesn't dare to finish the thought. For the chief cultivator knows, that even Wei Ying, was no match for the restless, resentful spirit of his oldest sworn brother.

{Note :- That's it for today's update. Please let me know how you guys liked it.
If you come across any errors (grammatical or otherwise) please let me know.

I will update this book before the end of the week.
'Mine' will be updated next week... Hopefully.

On another note, one of my Meimei's Erus555  has started her very first novel 'Us against the world'. It's an original cultivation novel. Presently a prologue and two chapters are up. I am mentioning it here since it blew me away. Please give her book a read, I can promise that it will be worth your while.

Please Vote for this update if you have enjoyed it.

Thank you for reading.
Have a nice day.}