A/N: The Tortoise of Slaughter incident from Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, from the quill of Lan Zhan the Bard.

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The days passed peacefully among the serene mountains of Cloud Recesses. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan had been married for just over two years now. Lan Zhan was having to learn to share his Wei Ying with almost everyone in Cloud Recesses. Wei Ying's cute bunny smile, cheerful nature and a complete lack of sense of self-importance made him a delight to be around. Everyone from Shushu Lan Qiren, Xiongshang and other Elders, down to senior disciples, all flocked to Wei Ying, demanding a piece of his time and attention. Shushu wanted to discuss Jiang swordplay. Xiongshang was inquiring about Jiang Cheng's hobbies. Senior disciples invariably had pesky talismans that wouldn't work and of course, only the Yiling Patriarch could fix them!

Lan Zhan had drunk so many jars of vinegar that even the bland Gusu breakfast congee had begun tasting sour and bitter! Many a day, Lan Zhan didn't get to see Wei Ying at all, for he himself left for Sect duties while Wei Ying was still sleeping and Wei Ying would return from night hunts long after Lan Zhan's bedtime.

"Daddy! Father! Father!" A chorus of young voices broke his reverie. Jin Ling was here? The only person to call the formidable Second Young Master Lan by the name 'Daddy' rushed into the courtyard of the Jingshi and flung his arms around Lan Zhan in a very Wei Yingesque display. "Jin Ling, when did you arrive?" asked Lan Zhan mildly, patting the teen's head.

The other two voices calling "Father" were of course Lan ShiZui and Lan JingYi, who entered in a more dignified manner and bowed to the correct depth meant for a revered parent, and promptly destroyed that stately scene by also flinging themselves at Lan Zhan! Luckily, Lan Zhan had firmed up his stance after Jin Ling's onslaught, otherwise their sons' exuberance usually resulted in the parent, mostly Wei Ying, and the three teens, tumbling to the ground in one undignified, giggling, happy heap!

It was dusk and Lan Zhan had just returned from a full day at the Sect Offices. Wei Ying was out another night hunt. Lan Zhan's heart throbbed with the ache of separation and his dimmed eyes were not missed by the trio.

After chatting for a long time catching up with Jin Ling about his activities at Koi Tower and a recent visit to Lotus Pier, Lan Zhan finally said, "It is Haishi*, time for bed everyone!" There was a flurry of groans and protests. With long faces, the boys flung down bedding and prepared for sleep. Lan Zhan snapped his fingers and all the lamps in the Jingshi snuffed out.

After about half an hour of tossing and turning in the dark, someone sat up, clicked their fingers to light a lamp.
"Jingyi! What happened?"

"Can't sleep!"

"ShiZui, I wish Baba was here!" Jin Ling sounded morose.

"Boys, what's the matter?" asked Lan Zhan, seeing all of them sit up.

"Father, we all miss Baba!" ShiZui gathered his courage and spoke on behalf of the trio. What no one was prepared for was the sudden misting of Lan Zhan's eyes! As he turned away, he gruffly said, "Me too!"

Jingyi ran to Lan Zhan and said, "Father, come sit with us! The triangle on the bedding opened up into a square and Lan Zhan found three young pairs of eyes looking at him. Jin Ling said, "If Baba were here he'd tell us stories to chase the sadness away."

Settling down on the rugs, Lan Zhan began to see where this was going. The boys huddled around and ShiZui snapped his fingers at the fireplace. A small fire leapt up, much to everyone's astonishment. Lan Zhan looked at ShiZui and raised an eyebrow.

"I have been practicing" began ShiZui,

"With Baba!" finished Lan Zhan, with a real, full smile. "Your Baba feels strongly about carrying on your Wen heritage," Lan Zhan observed. ShiZui's smile was one of satisfaction and achievement.

"Storyyy...." whined JingYi, unimpressed by ShiZui's ignition act.

"Alright," Lan Zhan acquiesced, for he could never, ever sleep without interlinking hands with his Wei Ying.

"Father, we want to hear about Baba and you!" This was a fairly common demand from the boys.

Surprisingly, while Wei Ying blushed and stuttered while recounting their many escapades, Lan Zhan was proud and outright vocal about his Love! "What would like to hear?" asked Lan Zhan. There were murmurs as the boys discussed the offer. Lan Zhan idly strummed the Wangji and predictably, his fingers plucked out the well known and well loved opening notes of WangXian!

"I know!" cried Jin Ling in excitement. "Father, tell us how you composed WangXian for Baba!"

"Nice!"JingYi propped his chin on his elbow and settled in.

"How come I have never heard this one?" grumbled ShiZui.

"This one is Baba's favourite, all the kids in Koi Tower have heard it!" Jin Ling claimed proudly. Even Lan Zhan was surprised at that!

Strumming Wangji, Lan Zhan began,

"Those were troubled times! In the days preceding the Sunshot Campaign, the Qishan Wen Clan reigned supreme. Wen Ruohan, their leader, was experimenting with resentful energy openly!" Lan Zhan intoned.

Explaining to the expectant faces watching him, Lan Zhan continued:
"All the Sects had to send their Heirs and Head Disciples for indoctrination by Wen Chao, the arrogant and brash youngest son of Wen Ruohan.

Wen Chao, like many others before him, had heard of the mysterious Tulu Xuwanwu*."

"But Father, wasn't Xuwanwu a Divine Beast? What would Wen Chao want with such a creature?" Lan ShiZui asked.

Lan Zhan, never one to pass up an opportunity to add to their knowledge, said cryptically, "But this Tortoise was not that Tortoise!"

"What do you mean, Father?"
The boys' curiosity resulted in Lan Zhan retelling the story of the Tortoise of Slaughter.

"Nearly 400 years ago," began Lan Zhan, "there lived a Divine Beast in the North Sea called the Xuwanwu. There was another Beast, a Yao*, that was a Demi-Xuwanwu. It was a Monster that had killed and eaten hundreds of Cultivators! A group of brave Cultivators decided to hunt it down, but it disappeared, probably went into hibernation!"

"Wen Chao wanted to use the Heirs and disciples, both for their skills and as bait to locate the Tulu Xuwanwu."

"One day, he took the whole group to Dusk Creek Mountain to search for the Xuwanwu. At this point I used to avoid your Baba. He used to annoy me every chance he got!" Lan Zhan stopped, looking at the boys' shocked faces.

Jin Ling sat up in outrage, but ShiZui, the peacemaker, put an arm around him and dragged him down. "Pffftt...Can't you see how Father misses Baba now, even more than we do? They love each other, Silly!"

"Father, Baba once told me you sang for him in the Xuwanwu's cave! Did you? Please, do sing for us!"

Inexorably drawn to Wangji, Lan Zhan nodded and tuned the guqin, that lithely slid into position under Lan Zhan's long artistic fingers. Gently at first, then with increasing strength and passion, Lan Zhan's voice soared from the Jingshi.

Most of Cloud Recesses was asleep. Those who weren't heard the ethereal melody, the sublime notes and the heartfelt lyrics, as Lan Zhan sang

'A Ballad for My Beloved'

"Dark and gloomy is the cave
The wait for rescue is long
I am quite alone here, save
A Boy's flute playing a song!

Trials and tribulations aplenty
A thousand things gone wrong
Trapped far underground with twenty
Bows and arrows, strings tied long

Face to face with adversity
Xuwanwu's a mythical monster!
Unearthing the creature's a necessity
Wen Chao is but a gangster!

Wei Ying

Chirpy, cheerful, gay and loud
Always restless, never proud
Brilliant mind, whirlwind pace
Bringing chaos, of shame, no trace.

Beautiful eyes, silver that sparkles
Angelic smile, my heart hurtles
He is always around, pesters me
When he's not, need festers in me

Compulsive rule breaker, always tardy
Punished everyday, for his company I'm greedy
Reading, writing, imposition is done
Even then, he will have his fun!

I have tried to avoid him, forget him, escape him
Been rude and icy, riled him, provoked him
He never gets angry, only sometimes sad
When that happens, 'tis I who feel bad!

He's a thorn in my side
What have I done to deserve him?
'My Dear Friend' he cried
Whenever I espied him

Talking twenty to the dozen
Followed by Nie and Jin Xiyuan
We're at the underground pool
Monster not found, Wen lost his cool

The wildly jealous Wang Lingjiao
Antagonized by pretty Mianmian
Ordered that she be used as bait
Strung up bleeding, horrible fate!

Attacking Mianmian, the Wen brand sizzled
All around, arrows whistled
The Boy pushed her aside
On his pristine chest, the fiery metal fizzled

His chest singed, my eyes smoked!
His pain muted, my voice choked!
His breath gasped, my lungs stuttered!
His burn deepened, my heart siezed!

Why does his pain affect me?
That he ignores his suffering
His smile never faltering
His courage does impress me!

He cornered vile Wen Chao
Whose minions escaped the cave
The islet they stood upon
came alive,
The danger is grave!

The Tortoise of Slaughter stands unveiled
The Wens all flee, their plans derailed
Climbing up the cavern, ropes are cut
For the young scions, escape routes are shut.

A maple leaf floats past me
I don't remember such a tree?
Whence came this leaf underground?
There is another way out, it can be found!

Jiang Cheng dived in cleanly
Found the exit from the cave
One by one the youngsters leave
Except for Wei Ying and me.

Like a dappled moon, besieged by rain
An arrow hit Wei Ying, he winced in pain
Enticed by blood, Xuwanwu attacked him
I pushed him aside, heeding my heart's whim

Save him! clamours my heart,
I did! assures my brain
I pay no heed to my bitten leg
I focus instead on His pain!

The underwater passage blocked
The tortoise shell is impenetrable
Trapped underground, our gazes locked
He cannot look away, I am damned if I will!

Strange is the pull, soft his gaze
My heartbeat thunders, beautiful his face
His side bleeds out, not his grace
Expression of pain, not a trace!

He treats my wounded leg
Bracing it with arrows
Packing it with herbs
The bleeding soon curbs

Three days and three nights have passed
No hope of rescue from outside
'Kill the tortoise', an idea he tossed
'Let's attack it from the inside!'

My heart is loth to see him go
I long to keep his attention
His plan is sound, just might work
Once outside, I fear losing this connection!

Inside the tortoise shell
my Wei Ying
Found corpses and a strange sword
Strong resentful energy, fit for slaying
While I assassinate with my Lan chord

Attacking in tandem
We slew the Beast
Thrashing at random,
It destroyed the passage to the east

We're safe now,
But trapped in the cave
Our energy is sapped,
His wound now I lave

The smile has dimmed
The breath has faltered
My eyes red rimmed
My heart is shattered

Ignoring his own wounds
With herbs he cured me
Feverish his brow yet
With words, he lured me

"Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan
Sing me a song!
Don't you dare give up,
Rescue will come before long!"

His hope, his spirit
His zest lay diminishing
His head on my lap
My heart lay languishing

Passing him spiritual energy
I gave him everything I could
This Boy who lay now silent
Mattered more than he should!

"Lan Zhan, sing me a song"
Cried Wei Ying in pain
"I will, you stay strong!
I will sing till you wake again"

The first time I saw him
At Cloud Recesses' gate
My whole being froze
It must have been fate

Piercing gaze, so full of life
My heart butter, his smile a hot knife
His warmth tangible, his energy high
The ice in me melted, whenever he was nigh

I had locked up my heart
Thrown away the key
The tumult of emotions
Kept far away from me

No one could near me
Most others did fear me
Only this boy didn't, dear me!
He was determined to like me

I didn't like him, believe me
I couldn't escape him, someone relieve me
In quiet chaos, my feelings deceive me
The herbs, his love, that he used to greave* me

Blinded by rules, what a fool I have been
I saw his antics, his feelings unsaid
I saw his mischief, his pain unfelt
I heard his laughter, his tears unseen
Lying pale on my lap, fever unbroken
My Love battles for life, his heart unspoken!

Calling to my spirit,
'Sing for me' he said
This song is for him
My heart, my Beloved

Fate has been cruel
Snatched one love from me
This time I won't let go
Let the Heavens come, try me

No matter how long
No matter how hard
I will bring you back to me
Breaching every guard

No one for me but You
My soul has been telling me
A hundred lives come anew
I won't be parted from thee

I will sing for you, my Love
I will sing this, Our Song
I'll sing till my voice is gone
Till this dark night turns to dawn

Listen, Wei Wuxian,
Listen to WangXian
Listen, my Love, for
I'm singing our song!

Come back to me,
Waking you my goal..
For I am your Music
You are my Soul!"

*******

The boys fell asleep, their hearts full, as Lan Zhan smiled at them, tucking blankets around them.

Lan Zhan folded back his wide sleeve, dipped his quill into the inkwell, and wrote with infinite care on the scroll in front of him, chronicling the song of how he fell in love with Wei Ying.

As Wangji continued playing WangXian, the unmistakable notes of the Chenqing merged mellifluously with Wangji and a slim pair of arms enclosed Lan Zhan in an embrace that stole his breath!

"Wei Ying!"

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A/N:

The poem 'A Ballad for My Beloved' has been previously published in Fluffy WangXian Oneshots by @NebulusCharlie.

* Haishi: 9 pm, traditional Chinese time term.

*Yao: Mythical beasts, that had awareness, powers and techniques just like human cultivators.

*Tulu Xuwanwu: The Tortoise of Slaughter.

*Greave: Armour or protection for the shin.