05.00am Sunday

The dark corridor suddenly lit up with hundreds of tiny LED lights embedded into the floor and ceiling.

Lan Zhan looked around in wonder as rooms came into view, all separated by glass walls.

Treasures from every single worthy period of history were separated by country, and it looked like every piece was a priceless artifact.

Vases from the Ming Dynasty, great urns with elaborate lids, hand painted depicting famous scenes from the past, made even more glorious with the addition of gold leaf. Antique mirrors carefully facing away from the doors, adhering to the old Feng Shui rule of no conflicting energies being reflected back, their gilt frames polished to a preserved shine.

He saw gold masks from ancient Egypt, painted with red and blue stripes in their shaped hair, an even older sarcophagus, a broken piece of stone with hieroglyphs carved into the surface, goblets and crudely fashioned plates made out of solid gold.

There were music boxes, combs and antique brushes complete with inkstones and rolled up parchment. Beautiful kimonos and hanfus made from luxurious silk brocade, patterned with cherry blossoms and little people having tea.

Dragon tea sets for traditional wedding ceremonies and old furniture.

Lan Zhan had no doubts that many of the desks and cupboards he saw held secret drawers and shelves within the old wood.

Porcelain and bone china teapots, cutlery, antique chopsticks and plates, bowls with hand painted scenes of exquisite beauty...

Lan Zhan appreciated everything they saw, but all throughout, there was a countdown going on in his head, and he was ever aware of their time running out.

Wen Zhuliu, still under the spell of his Compelling, moved forward with an exact idea of where he was ordered to go.

Lan Zhan was beginning to worry, though.

The fact that every wall was made out of glass left him feeling exposed and out in the open. If anyone were to suddenly come here, there was no way they couldn't be spotted. The best thing he could do would be to hurry things along and find what they had come here for.

He wondered how big the HeartStone was going to be, whether or not Lan Zhan would be able to lift it.

Ever since Wei Ying had read about it, the HeartStone had become something to be curious about. It was extremely important to both sides of this conflict.

So it probably wouldn't be kept out in the open for anyone to see or take.

Wen Zhuliu makes his way to a metal cupboard.

The round handle has a clicking mechanism, and he can hear the sliding of the cold metal on the other side of the door, before it opens.

There are many shelves, filled with miscellaneous items, but Lan Zhan is most curious about the piles of papers.

He recognises the writing; it belongs to Wei Ying's grandfather.

He had stared at the characters for two gruelling days, and the strokes were so familiar, he would have known the handwriting anywhere.

They don't belong here.

Not in the possession of the people who killed him.

Lan Zhan doesn't question it, he grabs as much documentation as he can, and carefully ties up the loose script sheets so that they're in a compact smaller shape, wincing because they're fragile and shouldn't be treated this way.

Meanwhile, Wen Zhuliu presses his thumb to another fingerprint scanner, and the back of the metal cupboard slides across to reveal a glass case. It was about the size of his palm.

Wen Zhuliu reaches in and lifts the lid, taking out a round disc. It has the heart shape gouged out in its centre, like Wei Ying's heart shaped locket, but inverted, because there are definite engravings on the inside. The outer edges are misshapen but smooth, as if the hand that created it was too intent on getting it right instead of aesthetics.

Could it really be that simple? Just by Wei Ying putting his locket into this stone, would it truly activate it?

It was quite literally a heart stone.

Wen Zhuliu presses it into his palm,

A powerful ripple of energy spreads from that single point of contact, a contrast of cold metal against the soft flesh of his palm, and the sudden heat Lan Zhan can feel all across his skin.

There's no time to process though, because a concealed door opens right next to them, and in walks Wen Chao, with his scantily clad girlfriend hanging off his arm, whinging about something.

"ChaoChao....you promised!" She pouts in what is supposed to be a cute gesture, but Lan Zhan is really feeling the second hand cringe.

"Go and find Wei WuXian and Baoshan Sanren, give them this." Lan Zhan mutters in a low voice, discreetly handing Wen Zhuliu both the papers and the HeartStone. "No one else. Do it now. Don't get caught!" He uses his best compelling voice.

"A-Jiao...."

Lan Zhan watches as Wen Chao, completely oblivious to his presence, nuzzles his girlfriend, slipping his hand into her dress. She shivers exaggeratedly, pressing herself closer to him, and then they're kissing.

Lan Zhan angles his body so that Wen Zhuliu can slip out of the room unnoticed, while he scans the room for a weapon, anything.

He's both disgusted and embarrassed by the noises those two have begun to make, and as he the anger take root, Lan Zhan lets it grow, flooding his system.

The low growl that leaves his throat is one that is unintentional, saturated in wanting revenge.

He's got Wen Chao here, in a room where he cannot escape.

And the angrier he becomes, he can feel his canines coming out, and when he looks down at his fingertips, they have transformed into sharp, lethal looking talons.

By the time he's done with this slimy excuse of a person, a waste of space really, only one of them will be leaving this room alive.

The second growl that leaves his mouth is louder, and this time, it has the power to grab their attention, and the happy couple split apart like a clap, with a screech from the female.

Wen Chao looks even more crazy than before.

His eyes are red rimmed and bloodshot, his pupils blown making his eyes look completely black.

Lan Zhan can see a faint dusting of a fine white powder coating his upper lip and around his nose, and the same is true for Wang LingJiao, who wipes it off with the back of her hand, cheeks red at being caught when she sees him looking.

The cruel smirk, an overconfident lopsided grin, and Wen Chao advances.

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

CONTENT WARNING: GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND BLOOD

Wei Ying stopped.

Baoshan Sanren pauses in her hurry, and looks back at him.

They've just entered and she's about to question him when shots zing past them, making them bend and twist for cover. The blasts reverberate against the walls, echoing in layers as armed guards take up a defensive position right in front of them, and there's nowhere to hide because a long empty corridor stretches in front of them.

Two guards at the end, one standing and the other, on one knee, aiming straight at them.

No indecision mars her face as Baoshan Sanren grabs one sword from her back, the black one and rotates it, twirling it menacingly, as she plants herself between the threat and Wei Ying.

And then she goes for it.

Sprinting at a fast speed, Wei Ying sees only a blur of white as she mounts the wall like an experienced parkour runner, her sword an electric arc of onyx beauty as she slashes through the air, and both the guards are dead, their heads rolling away before they know what's happening.

Wei Ying was frozen, unable to move.

It was different seeing graphic violence on screen, and seeing it happen right in front of you.

"WEI WUXIAN!"

Suddenly, she's right in front of him, blocking him from seeing those bodies, and all that blood, her hand on his shoulder shaking him lightly.

He snaps out of it, blinking away his daze.

"Er...sorry, grandmother."

"That's okay. Are you alright?"

Wei Ying can see the innate kindness in her silver eyes as she makes sure of this, even as he's aware of more gunshots around them and the flurry of cloth as Xiao XingChen, A-Qing and a few others race past them to tackle the next threat behind them.

"Just, I wasn't...but I'm okay now." Wei Ying shudders once, steeling himself for what is to come.

He looks down and sees red splatter on her white dress, and when she follows his gaze, she grins helplessly.

"Maybe I should've worn black." She shrugs and takes his hand, making him run next to her.

"It's the element of surprise," she mutters under her breath.

"Yes, grandmother." Wei Ying is too busy pulling himself together, his shock at what just happened right in front of him, and his own reactions at the forefront of his mind.

Maybe it'll be easier if he doesn't look at the bodies, or the horrible dash of red quickly turning darker as the blood dries.

"Why did you stop, back there?" She jerks her head back to where they'd entered.

"Didn't you feel it?" Wei Ying asks her, and his free hand finds the locket around his neck.

"Feel what?" She's sharper now.

"The pull," he tries to explain.

It was indescribable, a magnetic force suddenly yanking him, all of him, towards something. A fist wrapped around his body, pulling him in a certain direction. They were going the right way, so he had time to process this.

"What pull?" She's worried about him.

"I can't explain it, it was like someone tying a rope around me and pulling me forward. Well, to the left, like through the wall," he tells her quickly. Wei Ying is frustrated at himself too, because he can't find the right words.

They've come to a crossroads, a junction that separates into three directions.

Dim lights illuminate the greying concrete walls, stretching out away from them. They can hear stomping feet and muffled orders nearby, and another wave of fighting is imminent.

"The place they have him, it was down there, according to A-Yu," she points down the long corridor next to them.

"But we have to go that way!" Wei Ying pointed to their left.

A-Qing pulls out her phone and opens the app to Mo XuanYu's link, the blueprints of this underground maze, and Xiao XingChen does the same with tracking app, and the red dot appears, at first down the corridor where Baoshan Sanren had pointed, and then after it refreshed, the red dot changed to where Wei Ying was pointing.

But before they can decide what to do about where they've got to go, more soldiers arrive, surrounding them on three sides. If they want to go anywhere, they have to get through these people first.

There are only fifteen soldiers in all, a mix of guards dressed in the black uniform of the Wen Laboratories Corp and with varying red stripes on the shoulders of their clothes, marking their position in ascension.

Immediately, Baoshan Sanren attacks and her side of warriors display the same confidence and skill, dispatching these people to their maker in a timely fashion. White blurs so fast with black, that Wei Ying thinks he's looking at a Yin and Yang symbol, but the live action version.

Five minutes later, they're all dead, and the warriors are wiping their blades clean.

White clothes are no longer spotless, a macabre tie and dye pattern blooming on all their clothes. Wei Ying is the only one who looks marginally alright, since his clothes are of a deep wine colour.

He hadn't had time to change, back at Baoshan Sanren's place, and sometime in between leaving there and now, Wei Ying had ditched his frilly black tie somewhere. He was just loosening the top button of his dress shirt, when the painting they were standing next to, opened up like a door.

Wei Ying steps back in surprise.

A man dressed in simple clothes, black trousers and a white shirt, walks up to Wei Ying.

"Are you Wei WuXian?" He asks.

Wei Ying nods, noticing his glazed eyes and the paleness of his features. The pull is extraordinary now, a physical tugging towards him, tangible energy crackling between them.

And then the stranger presses the HeartStone into his hands with a bunch of tied papers.

"Who are you?" Baoshan Sanren demands. "Who gave these to you?"

They watch as his dark eyes momentarily clear as soon as he lets go of the items, but then as Baoshan Sanren compels him once more, he gives in to her strength of mind.

"My name is Wen Zhuliu. Lan WangJi gave these to me, to give to Wei WuXian and Baoshan Sanren." And then he waits.

"STAND DOWN!" A fierce yell has them on high alert as Baoshan whips around, her sword in hand immediately, facing the new threat.

Twenty guards part to allow a leering, cocky Wen Xu swaggers to a halt, aiming his Glock right at Wei Ying.

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

Lan Zhan decided at the last minute not to use a weapon.

He had never fought with his bare hands before, and certainly not with the intention to kill. To use his own hands to kill Wen Chao afforded him a satisfaction that calmed him down to think rationally.

He had to keep an eye on both of them, because to underestimate Wang LingJiao at all could lead to his downfall.

So he didn't back away as Wen Chao approached, sporting a mean, cocky smile.

"How did you break free?" He taps his chin. "I guess Uncle Zhong is getting lax in his old age."

Lan Zhan remains silent, watching him.

He feels alert and exhilarated.

There's a freedom here which comes from letting go of all control, and he realises, he can.

"It's a good day to die, wouldn't you say?" Wen Chao turns to wink at his girlfriend, who is avidly watching them.

"Is that how you feel?" Lan Zhan says, getting ready.

Each movement of Wen Chao seems to be a coiling of a spring, tightening and tightening until it snaps.

"I didn't know you were a comedian. Ever thought about a career in stand up?" Wen Chao pauses, only a few feet away from him. "But I guess it's too late for that now."

That's all the warning Lan Zhan gets,

Talons out, Wen Chao lunges.

He snarls, aiming for Lan Zhan's face, but Lan Zhan is ready. A single well-timed punch in the centre of Wen Chao's face is enough to stun him, and Lan Zhan wants to teach him a lesson.

When was he going to get another chance like this again?

Wen Chao stutters back but his recovery is faster, and he's a lot more aware when he faces off once more.

"You could have just died, so I'm wondering, how do you feel about that?" Wen Chao gestures with his hand towards Lan Zhan's body. "Is this how you should be thanking me?" He goads, his tone full of glee.

"You wanted to kill me? So you couldn't even do that," Lan Zhan does feel smug about that, but he's still angry. "I was happily living my life, and you destroyed that!"

"Then you should have kept your nose out of our business!" Wen Chao grunted, lunging again, and this time he swipes his hand across Lan Zhan's arm, tearing through the soft black robe.

But Lan Zhan was able to drag his right hand across Wen Chao's ribs, tearing the fabric and earning a hiss of pain.

Wang LingJiao screams.

Wen Chao examines his wound, venom leaking from four cuts, oozing yellow and definitely looking disgusting.

"Is that your best shot?" He baits Lan Zhan.

"Not at all, I'm going easy on you," Lan Zhan tells him confidently.

His Kung Fu was in tiptop condition, and it'd been a while since he had the chance to spar with anyone.

Wen Chao hisses at the intended insult and attacks with a flying kick, but Lan Zhan moves out of the way, and clotheslines him. Wen Chao's feet land against a priceless urn, smashing it into pieces, and angrily his canines come out. He's ready to bite Lan Zhan for real.

"I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to drain you of your venom. Then I won't have to keep taking the medicine," he retorts, flying into the air to attack from above.

Lan Zhan snatches a vase from the pedestal closest to him, and throws it straight at Wen Chao's face, which is getting more scratched as this fight continues. Then he performs a drop kick, with a foot sweep that lands Wen Chao on the floor.

Lan Zhan attacks him this time, and after getting in a few punches to satisfy himself, he straddles Wen Chao and begins to choke him.

But Wang LingJiao grabs a ceramic bowl and hits Lan Zhan on his head, hard. It's enough to make him see stars, and it gives Wen Chao the opportunity to slash across Lan Zhan's chest.

He barely registers the pain, incensed enough to want to put an end to this right now.

Lan Zhan roars, a primal sound that comes from the depths of his soul, and it has Wen Chao scrambling back on his feet.

Lan Zhan goes after him, dodging everything Wen Chao grabs to throw at him, but his downfall arrives when he throws a sword at Lan Zhan, who catches it midair and manages to unsheath it, and in one single slash, Wen Chao's head rolls off his shoulders, cleanly cut off.

A mix of discoloured fluids spew everywhere, and Lan Zhan steps back, utterly disgusted.

He looks around, gathering his bearings, and realises that Wang LingJiao was nowhere to be seen.

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

"You think bullets can stop us?" Baoshan Sanren laughs at Wen Xu scornfully.

"Not you, maybe. But him?" Wen Xu fires anyway and Baoshan Sanren slices the bullet clean in half, and in retaliation, she throws the pieces up in the air to whack them back at Wen Xu in anger, using her sword like a racquet.

He just barely dodges, but gives the order to fire to his subordinates. A volley of bullets fly towards them, and Wei Ying has never seen anyone's swords move so fast, helicopter blades of efficiency sending sparks everywhere, as metal hits metal.

He remembers the Holy water bombs that Da Tuzi had given him, and he starts lobbing them at Wen Xu, who's distracted, because Xiao XingChen has been edging closer and closer to him.

Wei Ying's aim is sure and precise, and he actually lands one on Wen Xu's face; immediately the skin blisters as he screams in agony.

There are too many people opposing them here and it's a hazy blur of black and red uniforms clashing with white shadows eagerly ripping into the less superior fighters. At least twenty minutes pass before no one is left standing in their way.

The first chance Wei Ying gets, he's examining the HeartStone. And just looking at it, he recalls the words of his grandfather, in the coded texts.

"'Activation of this device will happen automatically, once the item has returned. The owner will be able to control the degrees of the dead, depending on the gestation period.'" Could it really be that simple?

Wei Ying examines the inside of the heart in the stone, and realises that it bears the coat of arms, and then he remembers the secret storeroom under the fountain. When they wanted to gain access, they needed fresh blood.

His, to be exact.

Baoshan Sanren is right next to him, and her sword, Heping, is right there. Wei Ying runs his thumb across the sharp blade, and for a second he doesn't feel a thing. His red blood wells through the cut, and he lets a few drops fall on the side of the locket with the coat of arms. Then he slots it into place and now the HeartStone is fixed to the locket securely.

It hums against the bare skin of his chest, and Wei Ying closes his eyes.

Power surges through his body and it's like being struck by lightning.