Wei Ying tugs on his sleeve.

Then he lifts a hand to Lan Zhan's cheek.

"You're so beautiful, my love."

Lan Zhan gazes at Wei Ying, noting his flushed face and how he keeps blinking because he can't see straight. He wants to whisk him away from here, keep him safe forever... but he knows he has to get answers first.

So he looks back at the woman.

"I repeat, what did you do to him?"

"Nothing he didn't do to himself. He just had a glass of Emperor's Smile. Just one!" She sighs and aims a look at Xiao XingChen.

"Coffee." Then she turns to both Lan Zhan and Wei Ying. "Sit." She gestures to the comfortable looking leather seats, again set in a circular pattern, and moves the decanter and glasses away from where Wei Ying can touch them. "Honestly, I expected any member of my family to hold their own against a few drinks, but he implied not having any at his home because of the child. Or children, as is now the case."

Her clever silver eyes appraise Lan Zhan, noting the way his arms protectively guide Wei Ying to sit opposite her. Xiao XingChen goes to stand by the fireplace, stoking it with the poker.

It's a ruse of sorts; since the fire is merrily crackling by itself. He's within reach, should the need arise. New vampires are not to be trusted, a well learned lesson for both of them.

Lan Zhan watches her back, hackles still risen because how can he trust these strangers? Everything he knows about them is detrimental to a good opinion of them.

They took Wei Ying, and he still has to find out why, and upon finding Wei Ying in a less than great condition, doesn't make this any better.

Her eyes might be similar to Wei Ying, but Lan Zhan cannot see the galaxy of stars in hers. Her eyes do not remind him of the darkening sky just before a storm, of clouds heavy laden and bright with lightning strikes. Her eyes don't make him fall in love again, and again.

Wei Ying is Wei Ying, and that is all there is to this.

Another young lady comes into the room and puts a cup of strong aromatic coffee in front of Wei Ying, and a cup of tea in front of Lan Zhan.

"Thank you, A-Qing." The lady says to her, and it's a dismissal, one that is obeyed. "Make him drink that, and then we can talk."

"Who are you?" Lan Zhan asks her.

He shifts Wei Ying on his lap so it's easier to offer him the cup of black coffee.

"Drink?" Wei Ying asks him, as if he's asking if he has to.

There's so much innocence on his face, his beautiful silver eyes free from ulterior motives. As Lan Zhan nods and helps him consume what is guaranteed to sober him up, Lan Zhan wonders whether it's this quality which draws him towards Wei Ying.

He's so good with children, too. And perhaps it's because they share the same kind of wonder with the nature of the world.

The lady finishes the rest of the wine from the decanter, now looking pensively back at them.

"My name is Baoshan Sanren. And as you've probably guessed, I am Wei WuXian's grandmother," she says quietly. "And this," she picks up Wei Ying's locket, the tarnished heart resting in the centre of her palm while the slender chain spills through her fingers. "It's a key."

"To what?" Lan Zhan asks her.

"We don't know, at least, not exactly," she sighs. "I suppose I should start at the very beginning. A long time ago, not much was known about vampires. Even now, there's so many rumours that the truth gets buried. Which is good, make no mistake." She stands up to pace. "I was a cultivator in ancient China, and I lived in Yiling. There was a place called Burial Mounds, and it was filled with resentment energy. It was not a good place; people tossed their dead in there without a proper burial, so you can imagine how bad it was.

"At the time, the search for immortality was high. The fashion, if you like. It was well known that if one mastered meditation and found a way to balance their meridians, then they could cultivate to immortality. I met and married one such man." She looks lost suddenly, wistfully younger than her years.

"Who was he?" Wei Ying is finally sober enough to ask relevant questions.

"A rogue cultivator. Your grandfather hated the politics behind the sects and saw no reason why he should join any of them. We settled in Yiling, and we were quite happy there. Until one night, when my husband was called away to an emergency night hunt. A jiangshi* (*Chinese Vampire) was causing a problem by sucking out the qi from night travellers. He managed to subdue the Jiangshi, but a fierce corpse attacked him when he was already weak. It dragged him to the Demon-Quelling cave where there was a blood pool. It tossed him inside and left him to die.

"My husband was already immortal and he did not die. He came back to me after a week of going missing. I knew something was different with him; nothing that I could put my finger on and say, that's it, that's why you've changed. But he stayed out later at night, and then he began to eat meat when previously he had loved simple fare.

"But he just couldn't settle. Nothing seemed enough for him, and one night, we dual cultivated. In the heat of the moment, he bit me. Well, after that, he was just fine. And a few weeks after that, I learned I was pregnant, and that I too, was a vampire." Baoshan Sanren comes back to sit down in front of them.

"How did you survive? What did you do for nourishment?" Wei Ying is leaning back against Lan Zhan's chest, their fingers of both hands tangled tightly together.

"Both of us were reluctant to feed from unwilling participants. There was no telling on what could happen, either to us or them. So we fed each other. There were more benefits to this than you can imagine." She winked at Wei Ying suggestively and he made a face back at her.

"Any chance you could skip the personal details? You are my grandmother..." Wei Ying shudders.

"I'm only telling you the important parts!" She cackles loudly, and they see Xiao XingChen roll his eyes.

Lan Zhan can tell where Wei Ying got his mischievous side from. But he's paying more attention to her, because not only is this fascinating, but since he is also a vampire now, he's personally invested.

"But we thought we were the only ones. Nature has a way to secure her survival, and the natural evolution of humans occurred in the most bizarre way. Yiling lay close to Qinghe and Qishan. And there were others who were actively pursuing immortality, but they wanted to cut corners and find an easier way. Wen Mao was one such cultivator.

"He was ruthless in his search, and he accidentally found the blood pool. Of course, he experimented and became a vampire too, only he was far more bloodthirsty than my husband and I. He began killing more prey than he needed to survive, and the common folk lived in fear of being caught by him. They campaigned to have him killed, and my husband volunteered.

"That was the last night I saw him alive."

"But I thought he was immortal?" Wei Ying whispers, mindful that it was her husband, and his own grandfather he was talking about.

"When one's head is severed from one's body, I would imagine that no amount of divine grace can keep the soul in that home any more. But I retain the hope that he will come back to me in a new body, with his thoughts and memories intact."

"Won't that be weird, though?" Wei Ying says, making a face. "I mean, you're like hundreds of years older than him...just saying."

Baoshan Sanren glared at him, unwilling to carry on talking about that.

"So why can I not sense you?" Lan Zhan asks her. "I could sense other vampires." He looks pointedly at Xiao XingChen.

"It's all about the blood," she explains. "My daughter, your mother, she was a pure blood. But she fell in love with a human, and she refused to turn him. He had no desire to be like us, and your mother respected his decision. In case you didn't know, the Balkan myths call your kind Dhampirs. A kind of hybrid mix of Vampire and Human."

"But then, why is he sick? It doesn't make sense." Lan Zhan argued.

"Sick? Why? What's wrong with him?" She's suddenly leaning forward in her seat and looking way too sharp for someone who has drunk a whole decanter of wine.

Wei Ying lets Lan Zhan explain about his condition, and how the doctor had done a biopsy on him, and how they were waiting for the results.

"We can check that now." She stands up abruptly. "Let's give some of your blood to the people in the lab, and we'll be able to give you immediate results. Well, until we finish talking."

"But grandmother, they said the results can take weeks to determine." Wei Ying says, standing up.

"That's because public health labs are snowed under with cases. Plus, we have billions of dollars worth of high tech equipment, not to mention hand picked excellent scientists working for us. I personally guarantee the results."

Wei Ying looked at Lan Zhan.

"What do you think? I don't want to do another biopsy."

"Then you don't have to." Lan Zhan promises him. He turns the glare onto the grandmother.

"Both of you are so sweet together. And who said anything about a biopsy? Our equipment is way better and far more specialised to detect any abnormalities. I can vouch for our results with my experience in this field." Baoshan Sanren sounds much kinder, suddenly. "We only need a sample of your blood."

Lan Zhan squeezes his hand, and when Wei Ying turns to look at him, Lan Zhan says firmly, "only if Wei Ying wants to." His beautiful golden eyes are soft when they're looking at him, but become infinitely cooler when he glares at Baoshan Sanren.

"Oh, of course!" She laughs prettily, so far removed from the same person who chugged down strong wine just a few moments ago.

"Alright. Stay with me?" Wei Ying replies, smiling when Lan Zhan kisses his forehead.

Lan Zhan hasn't come to terms with almost losing Wei Ying yet, and as a result, he's feeling a lot more clingier. That's not to say they're not always touching back home, but here, every touch is tinged with desperation. He's not going to think about it yet, though.

They're already following Baoshan Sanren towards a separate lab. Here, they are alone. She discreetly punches numbers into a keypad, taking care not to let the code show. But Lan Zhan has already seen the numbers since he's a full head taller than her, and a few inches taller than Wei Ying. He averts his eyes when she glances back.

Lights come on automatically as they walk in.

Baoshan Sanren puts on a white lab coat and safety goggles, leading them to a spotless white counter where a complicated piece of machinery rests. She switches it on and it hums quietly, settling down after a few minutes.

In the meantime, she yanks open an invisible drawer and pulls out needles, disinfectant and small vials.

Wei Ying shudders involuntarily, and buries his face in Lan Zhan's shoulder.

"I can't believe you're scared of needles," she laughs gently. "Your boyfriend is far more dangerous than this."

"I love Lan Zhan. That's the difference." Wei Ying defends himself as she preps his arm. Just to distract himself from the inevitable prick, he looks around. "Are we under something? Where does the electricity come from?"

She hums to herself and Lan Zhan thinks she might be deciding on how much to tell them.

Or whether it's the truth, or lies.

So far, he thinks she's been fairly honest with them; that's the only reason why he's not voicing any doubts so far, about what she's doing now, and everything she's told them so far.

It's one thing to trust virtual strangers and simply self preservation not to.

"This facility lies under the National Parks and Rec building. The visitors section, to be more specific. There are high functioning solar panels on the roof of the building which provide our power, and that way, no one asks awkward questions. We have our own generator, too. Just in case. Okay, we're done."

She's so professional about this, that Wei Ying thinks she's done this before.

"How old are you?" He blurts out.

And then he's blushing more than a virgin bride.

"Sorry, grandmother."

She stops what she's doing suddenly, clutching at the edges of the counter and blinking furiously. She's breathing heavily, too.

"Do you know how long we've been looking for you? And now you're here," she whispers. "My ears have thirsted to hear you say that."

Wei Ying cannot help himself, and he slides his arms around her. He's crying, too.

This moment is so overwhelming for both of them.

At last, she squeezes him one more time before leaning back and wiping his face tenderly.

"I was alone for such a long time," he tells her. "I didn't think I had any family left alive."

She strokes his cheek lovingly. Her eyes drift towards the red ribbon in his hair and she sighs.

"There's so much I have to tell you. I bet you don't remember much about when you were young?"

Wei Ying shakes his head.

"Then let's do this quickly." She lets go of him and pours a few drops of his blood onto a clear plastic disc. She inserts it into a metal sliding drawer which closes as it senses the disc. "We can let this thing do the important stuff by itself and come back later. Let's go."

************

Baoshan Sanren has brought them into a mini theatre. Reels in tin canisters line the walls and she goes to a locked glass cabinet to remove one such item. She slides the reel into the player and turns the lights off.

Wei Ying was very much impressed when they entered this hidden room.

The walls are black and the floor matches the red velvet chairs. Their feet sink into the rich carpet, and the whole place seems steeped in luxury. Gold curtains swish aside to reveal a white screen, and it lights up as the room is pitched into darkness.

These are very old photographs.

And it's a slide show.

"Your mother didn't marry until about a hundred years ago, and we waited and waited for you to be born." Baoshan Sanren tells them. "We only got the news about twenty six years ago that I was now a grandmother. They visited us a couple of times."

On the screen, Wei Ying sees replicas of the people in his locket. His mother always seems happy and laughing, her silver eyes full of mischief and fun. Her hair was always tied up in a ponytail or a bun, always secured with her trademark red ribbon.

One of Wei Ying's fingers wraps around the end of his own ribbon, while his other hand grips Lan Zhan's hand tightly, as if by letting go, he will float away and all of this will have been a dream.

This sense of surrealism hasn't left him, not since he heard that music playing in Xiao XingChen's car.

"Grandmother?" Wei Ying enjoys saying that word.

It's his, as much as she is his last remaining relative, and he wants to say it as much as possible. How strange that such a small thing could give that much joy to both of them?

"Hm?"

Wei Ying can feel her brilliant gaze on his face in the dark. But he has so many questions, all of them piling up in his head like a cluster of shiny marbles, not staying still at all, and running into each other.

"What was that music? The one that Xiao XingChen was humming to himself? He was playing it in his car, as well. Why does it seem so familiar?"

"Mn. For me as well." Lan Zhan says, speaking after a long time of silence.

This, all of this, meeting his maternal family and finding out about a past which he had no idea of, this was all for Wei Ying. Lan Zhan wanted nothing more than to support him, and protect him.

"You know it too? How?" Wei Ying squeezes their hands.

"I am not certain, but I think my mother used to sing it for me." Lan Zhan says.

"That's more than me." Wei Ying sounds wistful. "I can't even remember that much before the Foster homes. And then the Jiangs."

"We have a lot of catching up to do." Baoshan Sanren tells them. "But I can tell you that this song that you both seem to know, was my daughter's favourite lullaby. She used to hum it all the time."

Her fingers press on the button to move past the current pictures. There are many of them, all preserved on this film of slides. Baoshan Sanren tells them that she has digital copies stored away on the cloud as well as on memory sticks, "just in case".

There are many photos, and some with celebrities of the past.

Wei Ying's parents seemed to be quite the social butterflies, and there are many photos. Wei Ying wants to pay attention, but his eyes are growing heavier by the second.

And then, just as they're about to close, he jerks upright in his chair.

"Grandmother, go back! One more picture!" He sounds so excited.

She does as he wants, and then three pairs of eyes are staring at one old photo.

Wei Ying's parents are there, of course.

But there is an all too familiar fountain with a dragon and a wizard holding a staff to attack the animal.

"Lan Zhan!" Wei Ying turns his eyes to his boyfriend, who seems just as shocked to see this photo.

"Your parents visited my home." Lan Zhan says softly.

And then Wei Ying says, "what is she pointing at?"

***********

A/N

Dear beautiful Readers,

I can't help myself!!! Please don't hate me, I have an incurable cliffhanger disease, hehe...

What do you think of the story so far?

And what do you think Cangse Sanren is pointing at?

I'd love to hear your guesses.

In the meantime, have lots of chocolate and think away!

Charlie