Wei Wuxian sauntered through the forest, swinging the chocolates bag in one hand, twirling Chenqing in the other. "Lan Zhan, ah, Lan Zhan, such a considerate gentleman. Chocolates to the person who nearly chopped your arm off? You really must be the weirdest person I've know, Lan Zhan..." he talked to an imaginary Lan Zhan as he shuffled across the woods. "Not a word throughout all the party. I thought you were angry with me. But then you caught me, even if you didn't even see me falling..."

He gasped. "Eh, right! How come he even saw me falling? Right in his arms, as always," Wei Ying sighed. "Lan Zhan, you're such a... heartbreaker..." he heaved a long and loud sigh, thinking of the golden eyes cutting through the darkness to stare into his, twinkling with reassurance and protective instinct.

"It's like that ending bit in a waltz, where the girl falls into the guy's one arm," he chuckled. "Weird..." finding himself bathing in the moonlight when he approached a clearing, he looked up and beamed at the moon. "The night is fine, won't you dance with me? Hahahahahahahahahahaha, I don't even have anyone to dance with," he shook his head. "Flirting all the time, and still don't have a girlfriend. All because of you!" He shouted at the chocolate bag.

"Ey? Chocolate? No, no, Lan Zhan......

........Huhhhhh? L– Lan Zhan? What am I... Aish, you're making me go CRAZY! You could have come tonight, maybe I wouldn't be so unhinged then! Lan Zhan, can't you just come along for a little date, at least?"

He stopped in his tracks.

"D– D– Date? What. The. Hell?" He banged Chenqing on his head. "Wei!" BANG!" Wu!" BANG! "Xian!" BANG! "Get-him-out-of-your-head!" Bang-bang-bang!

"Chocolate. That should do the trick," he nodded eagerly and popped a chocolate into his mouth. "Mmm! Delicious as always!"

For ten minutes he roamed around, looking for a target, like the maverick he was, munching on chocolates happily.

"Ah, the last one," he sighed, digging into the bag and bringing it out. "Hm? Why does it feel................ hollow?"

He held the chocolate to his ear and shook it. The chocolate itself was a massive bunny, so it was possible for something to be carefully hidden in the centre. Sure enough, he heard something rattle against the chocolatey walls of the chamber within. Grinning with curiosity, he held it by two ends, ready to snap it apart.

Shrrrrriiiiiiiiiiieeeeeek!

"Ah? Oh man, you'll have to wait," he patted the mysterious Choco Bunny and dumped it into the bag, stuffed the bag in his sleeve, and swung Chenqing readily, fingers curling and unfolding, ready to call on whatever talisman he could use.

A fascinating beast, dark blue fur shining in the starlight, back as deep blue as the night sky above, walked into the clearing, baring its teeth at Wei Wuxian, bright purple eyes shimmering like amethysts filled with demonic energy.

"Ooh, a Midnight Fury?" He grinned at the demonic panther. "This should be easy," he mumbled to himself and tucked Chenqing into his belt for the moment, unsheathing Suibian to attack.

The gleam of the metal infuriated the panther and it pounced on him. Wei Wuxian twirled away, slicing Suibian down its back as it crashed into a tree. The demon screamed in pain and Wei Wuxian ran forth, shooting to hit the chest this time.

But just when he had gotten close enough, the beast rolled away and slashed its paw at him.

Claws scraped at his body, robes tearing near his knee, leaving a bruise on his left knee. Flinching and biting his lip, Wei Wuxian stood on his feet and gripped Suibian tighter. "Fine, then, all out it is," he growled, waiting for the demon to take the first move.

The panther seemed to be irritated by him, so it lunged at him again. Demon and cultivator swirled around in a spiralling battle, each ready to tear the other apart. While fighting with his sword in one hand, Wei Wuxian finally gained enough mental strength to focus on using his right hand for a different task. He waved his hand behind his back, flourishing it in a circle, drawing up an immobilising talisman. Over and over until he had at least five ready. When the moment arrived...

Smack!

He missed the first time, and the talisman fell to the ground, crushed by the beast's feet.

Slap!

The second slithered off of its silky fur.

Tsk, how do I...................... Soft spot. There should be a less furry soft spot near its back or chest, he nodded to himself and focussed on the demon's body while ceaselessly ducking and parrying and clashing claws with sword.

They fought and chased their way through to the centre of the clearing, onto which most of the moonlight fell, a bright white beam sparkling bright. Wei Wuxian quickly found a tufty ring of fur fringing a beautiful white mark on the dark blue skin. There we are, he smirked. He skipped a few steps back and leapt up onto a tree branch, hastily placing Chenqing at his lips to blow the Lan melody of 'Cleansing' he had studied while in school.

Immediately, the beast came to a standstill, dazed and entranced by the music. The instant he did, Wei Wuxian leapt down from the tree, catapulting towards the unaware beast, and slamming all three remaining talismans on its back. Landing deftly on his feet, he crossed his arms and watched smugly as the beast fell to the ground with a loud 'Thud!'

Raising Suibian to finish it off once and for all, he walked forth. But as soon as he did, a sharp pain shot up his leg, agony blossoming from the gash in his knee. "Argh! Damn it, this is karma for hurting Lan Zhan in the leg," he groaned, collapsing to the forest floor, legs splayed, hands clawing at his knee. He decided to pass a bit of spiritual energy into the wound to heal it a bit so that he could finish what he started, so he scooted backwards. When his back slammed against a tree, he bent his leg and saw to his knee.

Little did he notice the immobilised beast's violet eyes flaring bright and one of the three talisman's on its back tearing itself up under the burn of the demonic energy radiating from its body.

Another few minutes passed, with Wei Wuxian panting and huffing in pain as he tried to treat his leg.

A second talisman popped off.

A slow growl that had been building up in its body burst out loud as ever, shrieking clamorously, rising to its feet as the third talisman shattered.

"What the..." Wei Wuxian gasped in horror. His sword and flute were both still where he had fallen, a few feet away from him. He reached out to snatch them closer. But the beast wasn't wasting any time this time around; it plunged forwards at the injured man.

Rustle, rustle. Crash! Thud! Flash!

Wei Wuxian blinked several times, stupefied by what had just happened. Rustling leaves, someone jumping out of the thicket, hopping down from a tree to land on the ground, slicing a bright white beam through the beast's neck, cutting it clean off.

A sword, with a bright white glare.

A cultivator? He looked up, squinting at the person who had kicked the head of the beast away nonchalantly and was now walking towards him. Wei Wuxian finally caught Suibian and Chenqing in his hands and staggered up. Just when he stood, his knee gave way again and he stumbled backwards, head dropping to smash against the tree.

Plop! He fell right into a pair of wonderfully strong arms. He looked up at the face of the man who had caught him. Cutting through the darkness, the man looked down at him, concern glowing in his dark brown eyes.

This scene... in his hands... eyes gazing into mine... I'm getting a familiar feeling...

"Lan Zhan?" He mumbled.

"Who?" The man asked. His voice was deep, wonderfully sweetly deep. Warm and inviting, appealing and breathy. Unintentionally seductive.

"Er... s– sorry, just someone else I know," Wei Wuxian shook his head, quickly standing upright again, two feet away from the man, ears red-hot. What was it about this man that made him squirm inside? He was a MAN!

"I see. Are you alright?"

"Mn," Wei Wuxian nodded, crimsoning helplessly, staring at the dewy grass.

"What's with your leg?"

"Oh, nothing much." Wei Wuxian looked at the eyes scrutinising him through the darkness. Not gold like Lan Zhan's. A dark and beautiful chocolatey brown. "Just a little injured, a claw hit me. I'll get it treated when I get home, thank you for asking."

"You have a healer at home?"

"Lotus Pier."

"I see," the man smirked. 

Oh my God, that smirk! Aish, Wei Wuxian, come to your senses, he's a man! You're a man! What are you swooning for?!

"So you're a Jiang. I say, how's your Elder doing?" The man casually swiped his sword along his sleeve to wipe off the blood. "Terrified to death, I hope not? Fellow must be 'cultivating' by just planting crops now," He chuckled softly, sending shudders down Wei Wuxian's sweating spine.

"Elder?"

"Oh, you didn't recognise me?" The man grinned and stepped into the bright beam of moonlight.

Wei Wuxian gasped, loud and long this time.

Red undershirt, plain black robes with a blackish-red pattern of flames bordering the collar and sleeves, crimson belt around his waist. Shimmering white skin. Long, jet-black hair as silky and smooth as velvet, flowing loose behind his back. And of course, the mask. Black with scarlet silk thread woven into designs of mandalas on fire.

"You're.... D– D– D– Dark Knight!"

The Dark Knight smiled warmly and bowed low. "Heiguang-Jun. Which, might I add, translates into Dark Light Lord, not Dark Knight, whoever came up with THAT," he laughed, his voice a gentle, amorous and almost erotic tinkle that rang through the air. "Pleased to meet you. If you're alright, then I shall get going?"

"Erm... Heiguang-Jun..." Wei Wuxian felt like dancing right now, he was the happiest fan ever! "Thank you for that," he pointed to the slain beast. "Saved my life, you did."

"That's just something I'm here to do," Heiguang-Jun nodded courteously. "No need of thanks."

Argh, what a heroic man. Of course, saving lives is what he's here to do! Wei Wuxian squealed inwardly. "But I do owe you... Should you ever face danger some day in the future, which I pray wouldn't happen," he saluted. "I vow to protect you!"

Heiguang-Jun smiled subtly. "Well, you seem stubborn on that, I can't change your mind..."

"No, you can't," Wei Wuxian beamed and pulled out his chocolates bag. "This has one Choco Bunny inside. You can have it. Not enough for saving my life, but... Chocolate is life!" He laughed.

The man nodded his thanks and took the pouch, laughing along with him in that same sensuous jingle of a voice.

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul I met you," Wei Wuxian gave him a thumbs-up. "Or they'll ask me about you to try and hunt you down, won't they?"

The man nodded.

"Then don't you worry! Trust me!"

"Thank you, then," he nodded again and turned away. "Goodbye, gongzi!"

"Goodbye and thank you, Heiguang-Jun!" Wei Wuxian skipped and hopped away, the wound in his leg, the mysterious object hidden in that chocolate, all having been forgotten. Nothing but measly worthless burdens lost to the whirlwind of his fluttering heart. 

Eek! The Dark Knight is so... good-looking, amazing, skilled, all of it! And wow, I thought only Lan Zhan, Zewu-Jun and Chifeng-Zun had arms so muscular!

Come to think of it, the fellow has a lot of similarities to Lan Xichen: charming wide smile, polished skin, velvety black hair, brown eyes, deep and gentle voice, all of it! Just that Zewu-Jun would never be the sort to walk around without his headband, Wei Wuxian laughed.

Sheesh, I sound like one of Heiguang-Jun's fangirls!

Laughing at his silly heart, he skipped his way back home. 

**********

Back in the clearing, Heiguang-Jun chomped on the Choco Bunny, studying Wei Wuxian's immobilising talismans on the beast. When he reached deeper into the chocolate, he found his teeth hitting something rock-hard. Dropping the object onto his hand, he lifted it up to the sky horizontally, letting the moonlight dance inside the bright jewel.

The object was nothing but a brooch. One that you could attach onto a hair ribbon at the back of your head. A glistening diamond, fuchsia at the top melting into lilac at the bottom, a flat diamond with its back surface lacquered with the purest silver, a little clasp showing where it would secure onto a hair ribbon.

Indeed, it was a shame Wei Wuxian had not seen it. 

Heiguang-Jun held the brooch to the moonlight, pursed his lips and sighed. He popped the remainder of the chocolate in his mouth and collected a bit of the Midnight Fury's blood as it was possibly medically utilisable venom, and walked away from the woods to go to sleep, hair brooch clasped in his hand. 

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A/N: 

The brooch would have looked like this...

Isn't LWJ the best at gift-choosing? 🥰 Utter shame that idiotic WWX gave it away. 💔

Anyways, here's a glimpse at Heiguang-Jun's mask! 

And for anyone curious about the Midnight Fury [BTW,  I just realised that's the name for Toothless in How To Train Your Dragon ahahaha, but this guy's a panther, OKAY?] 

Thassall for today! Hope you guys are enjoying the book so far!

❤︎ WXLL