All eyes turned to HuaiSang. Wei Ying and I knew that he was the one who had precipitated Jin GuangYao's fall. Baochen seemed to imply that he was behind it.

"Baochen, what do you mean?" asked my love.

"When you were young and we were watching you, we were also interested in those around you. Lan Wangji, of course, but also your brother Jiang Cheng and Nie HuaiSang. You were inseparable. Always getting into impossible situations! When we were looking for someone to act as a trigger, we had two choices. Jiang Cheng or HuaiSang. We ruled out your brother because his anger was too strong. We focused on HuaiSang who, despite appearances, was much stronger than he looked.

"Why didn't you choose Lan Zhan?" my soul mate asked.

"Because of the bond between you. Once you returned to the world of the living, we knew you would need time to readjust. Without your golden core, you needed effective protection and especially someone who knew what had happened during your 16-year absence. Someone we could trust completely. Someone who would give his life for you! For 16 years I looked after Lan Wangji. I got to know him. I must admit that the year we spent together was as beneficial for him as for me. I never had a child. But during that year, I felt like I had a son! Baochen winked at me and I felt the warmth come over my face and go to the tip of my ears. Wei Ying looked at me suspiciously! I had to refocus the conversation on HuaiSang!

"So, you chose HuaiSang?". Baochen looked at me with a smile and resumed his story

"Yes, I had discovered that behind this facade of frivolity, there was a courageous and determined person. After Nie Ming-Jue's funeral, I intentionally left the book on mind control through music in your brother's things. And when you were tidying up his room, I caused a gust of wind to open it to the right page. I counted on your intelligence to figure it out and it didn't fail. That day, I saw the look on your face when you greeted Jin GuangYao who had come to give you his condolences! I knew that I had chosen the opponent of the Chief Patriarch well. You are as good a comedian as he is, but you are a man of honor. You don't look for trouble in others, but if they look for you, or harm those you love, you act! I counted on that. I have guided you without you even realizing it! I put you on the track of Sissi and Bicao. A week before your rebirth Wei Ying we caused trouble to attract the Lan Clan and Lan Wangji in particular. The day before we released Baxia's spirit, we knew that you and Lan Zhan would overcome it without any problems.

"The sacrificial scars on my arm?" asked Wei Ying.

"They were part of the contract with Mo Xuan Yu.

"How did you find Baxia?" asked HuaiSang.

"That was a long time ago, Wangji, do you remember the events of Zibo?"

"Mnn..." I nodded.

"The spirit we were hunting was Baxia's, but I managed to steal it and replace it with another without you knowing! I was afraid for a moment that you had seen me make the substitution!

"I thought I saw you slipping something into your sleeve, but I thought I was wrong when you took out your gloves!" Baochen smiled.

"With you I always had to be on my guard! You have more than once, given me cold sweats!"

"And Wen Ning?" my love asked.

"While Baoshan was busy freeing your mind, I was in charge of freeing Wen Ning. I wanted to keep him close to me while I figured out how they controlled him, but you called him without realizing it when you took control of the two puppets at the Mon Mansion. As for the rest, you all did very well! I just had to intervene when Lan Wangji sent a message to HuaiSang about his brother's body after the events in Yi.

"You have been manipulating me all along?" said HuaiSang.

"Yes, we wanted to give you your revenge too. We made choices, I assume them, since Baoshan is no longer here to make them. I apologize to all of you for manipulating you like we did. But, Jin GuangYao was a formidable opponent. I often thought that it was a pity that he had this miserable life! I think that if he had agreed to stay with you Lan Xichen at the time he escorted HuaiSang to YunShen Buzhi, things might not have turned out this way! He probably wouldn't have become that monster.

"Baochen, why did Baoshan want to give me her golden core?" my soul mate asked.

Baochen looked at us with a sad smile.

"The use of the 'dragon heart' has diminished her life. That's why she hardly ever left the Sanctuary. After putting your spirit back into your body and later recovering half of the Yin Hufu, she had almost no strength left. She was not sad to die. She had a full life. In her last days, she wanted to make up for the harm we had done to you unintentionally. She knew that you had no more gold core and that the transfer was possible. Years ago I had met Wen Qing. I knew his work. When peace returned, I approached Wen Ning. I told him everything, including that Baoshan was planning to bequeath his gold core to you. They met at your wedding."

"Our wedding? But I didn't see you," I said.

"Yet here we were, Baoshan was dying, but she was determined to see you get married. It was proof that we had succeeded. That the sacrifice she had made for you was worth it! That night I had to take her back to the Sanctuary in a hurry because she fainted. Later on I asked Wen Ning to join us to recover the core.

"That was a month ago!" I said.

"But a few days in the Sanctuary! For us your wedding was a few days ago! I know that everything I just told you must be difficult to accept, but I wanted you to know," he hesitated for a moment.

"There is one last thing, one last hope from Baoshan. She not only gave you her golden core to make amends, but she also hoped that you and your husband would agree to become the guardians of the Sanctuary. It takes powerful people with a pure heart to watch over this place. I am not asking you to become one right now, but in a few years. When you have enjoyed life in the outside world. I ask you to think about it. In the meantime, I will assume the position of Baoshan.

There was silence in the room. Wei Ying stood up, looked at all of us and left without saying a word.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)