For No Cradle Lasts Forever

The woman sitting on the SID couch was young, wore white tai chi clothes, and there was something very much off about her. Upon seeing Zhao Yunlan arrive, she rose. “Greetings. I come from the Rigel Spaceship Rental Corporation. You appear to have crashed one of our spaceships into your planet.”

Whatever his flaws, Zhao Yunlan was pretty sure that he'd remember crashing a spaceship, no matter how drunk he might have been at the time. “I think you have the wrong person.”

“Ah. Then, do you know of potential eyewitness accounts?”

“I'll see if I can dig some up for you. How long ago was it?”

She consulted some unseen thing to her right. “Twelve thousand four hundred and eighty-three orbits of this planet around its star ago.”

“Twelve thous-” Zhao Yunlan took a deep breath and felt a headache come in. Everyone save the energy beings was out of office after Shen Wei was rescued from Dixing, so he'd have to wait unconscionably long before pawning this woman off on someone else. “They're called years, and we only live for a hundred or so at most. Anyone who saw it is long dead.”

“How ... inconvenient that you drop like mayflies.” Her lips said something completely different to what sound actually came out. It was more than a little disconcerting.

“Well, them's the breaks. Maybe you could ask an archaeologist?” Wait. Dixingians and Yashou were technically space aliens, perhaps this really was related to his jurisdiction. “Does your spaceship have a homing beacon? What sorts of things was it carrying?”

“That is how I know it is in this region of the planet.” She rose from the couch and strode over slowly. “Now, I only want the spaceship, but in only a few hundred of your years, representatives from – a far-off star system – will arrive to demand back the descendants of the escaped slaves.”

Zhao Yunlan's eyes narrowed as he realized what, exactly, the implications of that were. “It's been twelve thousand years. Can't they let it go?”

“We-we will never accept slavery!” Sang Zan said. Wang Zheng fiercely agreed with him.

“Besides, how could they tell the slaves' descendants from the local populace?” Zhao Yunlan added, recalling his father's wild goose chase for some method with which to distinguish Dixingians from regular folk. In body temperature, coloration, and bodily needs, they were identical.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Shen Wei arrive. He couldn't help the smile breaking on his face as he greeted Shen Wei.

“Oh, it's easy,” the woman said. “Kneel.”

Shen Wei fell to his knees.

The woman shrugged. “It's easier for their masters to call on the – taint, but anyone who can operate a spaceship can give simple orders.”

“Monster!” Sang Zan hissed.

Zhao Yunlan had other concerns, like whether Shen Wei was all right. He immediately went to his side and knelt down. “Shen Wei? Shen Wei, are you all right?”

Still breathing, but face blank and body unmoving. Zhao Yunlan took in the odd outfit – a jacket on top of a blazer, exposing all of Shen Wei's delightful collarbones – and reconsidered Shen Wei's willingness to talk politics. Then again, this display must've killed the mood completely.

“Please release him from the mind control,” Zhao Yunlan said to the woman.

She waved her hand in the air before her as if blindly groping for the doorknob. When she finally found something, she frowned. “Interesting. This one was already under someone else's mind control.”

“Explain,” Zhao Yunlan snapped, staring into Shen Wei's now-blank eyes.

“It's the difference between a unit that's been given a goal but is otherwise autonomous and a unit whose every move is controlled. I control his every move; someone else has told him to achieve some goal and made him serve that with every fiber of his being.”

“So ... you're saying he wouldn't have had the free will to do anything unrelated to his goal?” Zhao Yunlan asked, dread rising in his stomach, but perhaps-

“Yes,” the woman said.

The floor collapsed from his life. Every smoldering look, every smile, every morning cuddle, all a lie in service of some unknown goal. While his stomach and world were in freefall, Zhao Yunlan grasped at the final straw. “Is it recent?”

The woman waved her hand a bit more and frowned again. “Starting from a formative age. I don't know how fast you mature.”

From a formative age. Crap. For all their acquaintance, Shen Wei had been mind controlled into achieving some goal. Maybe he'd sat as a mute observer to his actions, trapped in his body, trying to scream but unable to. Maybe he wouldn't remember any of it. Zhao Yunlan didn't know which would be worse. His eyes burned with brimming tears. He hadn't cried since he was a youth, but the thought of all his love being fraudulent, every word a lie, every act of Zhao Yunlan's performed on an unwilling participant would've made even the strongest of men cry.

“Shen Wei,” he choked out between sobs. His forehead fell to Shen Wei's shoulder and he pulled him into an embrace. It might not be desired by the person whose body had been turned into a puppet, but all those nights and days had been oh so real for Zhao Yunlan. The one time he opened his heart, it ended like this. “Shen Wei. I'm sorry. I love you.”

“Yunlan?” Shen Wei's confused voice came from the side.

Zhao Yunlan immediately drew back, and sure enough, at the door was a befuddled Shen Wei dressed in a very Shen Wei-like manner. He looked between the Shen Weis, identical save for their clothing, and let out a very undignified noise of confusion.

“Tell us your name,” the woman ordered the kneeling Shen Wei.

“I have forgotten it,” kneeling Shen Wei said.

Nonplussed, the woman continued, “What do they call you?”

“Ye Zun.”

“So, our great villain, the man behind the man, orchestrator of the plans to steal the Hallows ... is himself just a mind-controlled pawn?” Zhao Yunlan asked to get his thoughts into order, then had to explain what was going on to Shen Wei, who'd only just arrived.

Shen Wei looked like he'd been punched in the face. Very slowly, he knelt before Ye Zun and stared at his face as if searching for something. “Didi,” he finally said, and okay, Zhao Yunlan would have to take that up with him later. “I'm sorry.”

Ye Zun didn't react.

“Could you release him?” Zhao Yunlan asked.

“He'd go back to his original mission,” the alien woman said. “You mentioned some things called the Hallows?”

“They're immensely powerful and ancient devices,” Zhao Yunlan warned her but led her to the lab. Shen Wei followed them, Ye Zun following them obediently enough when Shen Wei dragged him and the woman let him follow.

The Longevity Dial, Mountain-River Awl, and Merit Brush sat silently under the blinking blue lights above. They did not glow, give visions, or in any other way appear out of the ordinary.

The woman stared at them for a while. She waved a hand at and looked to her side as if operating some technology unseen to everyone else, then declared, “Yes, those are slaving tools of the ¤#¡-°@. They're based on common galactic technology for repair of mechanical AI tools, altered by the ¤#¡-°@ to be of use on their organic AIs.”

“Organic AIs,” Shen Wei flatly said.

“That's the official designation. You don't count as sentients under galactic law, so keeping you as tools doesn't count as slavery.”

“But you just called the Hallows ‘slaving tools’,” Wang Zheng said.

The woman sighed exasperatedly. “It's – look, I'm not going to debate terminology over translation software not certified by legal authorities. Suffice to say that I'm likely the only person on the planet who legally counts as sentient.”

Zhao Yunlan's ears perked up. “Ah? Is there anything we could do to change that?” Dixingians and Yashou very likely hadn't looked like they currently did when they arrived on Haixing, so a case could probably be made that their sentience should be independently evaluated, and hopefully they could avoid a future of enslavement. Humans getting ranked as sentient would also likely be necessary for the future survival of the species's autonomy.

“Look, I'm a rental recollections agent, not a lawyer, okay?” the woman said. “And I'm not going to give any legal advice through a hastily put together translator module. I would, however, suggest being proactive on the sentience appeal thing. And getting a – lawyer.”

It wasn't advice so much as telling them to get advice, but Zhao Yunlan knew how to play the social games. “Thank you for the suggestion, Miss...”

“You cannot pronounce my name,” the woman said. “In the absence of technology to alter your means of sound production, you may refer to me as ‘Li Si’.”

“Li Si. Right.” Zhao Yunlan was struck by the oddness of the situation. “So, these are tools for controlling slaves? If so, why would the slaves bring them with them on their grand escape?”

Li Si twitched her fingers and Ye Zun swung around like a particularly alien puppet. “Perhaps we could figure out through finding his controller.”

Zhao Yunlan watched Shen Wei work open the door to Dixing. It seemed as if it were taking more time and effort than the first time Zhao Yunlan had seen him do it, but that might just be the recent torture in Ye Zun's hands. Ever since Zhao Yunlan had regained his eyesight, it was as if Shen Wei's lifeblood were being drained from him, and the captivity hadn't helped.

“There,” Shen Wei said.

“Definitely an entry port to a spaceship of ours,” Li Si commented, then walked in like Dixing were not a danger at all, but rather a return home. Perhaps it was to her. Ye Zun obediently followed at her side.

Shen Wei and then Zhao Yunlan stepped through the portal. It was dark, as it always was, and no-one tried to murder them, which was always a plus in Zhao Yunlan's book.

Li Si made a disgusted noise. “It's full of dirt! This will incur significant cleaning fees.” She did something on her invisible portable computer – likely adding to the situation report – then diddled with something in a slightly different location. “The ship's battery is a bit low, but it should be enough to make a diagnostic. After that I can be more certain of the magnitude of fines.”

“Who's paying?” Zhao Yunlan asked, well aware that the magnitude of fines would no doubt be much more than the SID budget.

“The person responsible for taking the ship from the ¤#¡-°@ homeworld, or descendants.” She turned back to Ye Zun and played her fingers in the air as if tugging at threads. “Now, let's see if this works. That direction, I think?”

They set out in the indicated direction, hampered by the fact that even if Dixing City wasn't quite on a grid, it still had houses and walls in their way, so they had to walk around a circuitous route to get out of the city and to Ye Zun's pillar.

Once there, Li Si made Ye Zun sit down on the steps of the cracked pillar. Her attention was commanded by something else, however, and she frowned at the invisible whatever it was. “Could be worse.” She intently used what was probably the spaceship control panel. “There. There's a significant power drain beneath this pillar. Let's see what it is. Step back, please!”

They all took a step back, and then another, and then Shen Wei preemptively dragged Ye Zun far away from the rapidly forming sinkhole. Zhao Yunlan was still in control of his own legs and immune to the local brand of mind control, so he stayed a bit closer to the edge. No doubt Shen Wei would love to drag him back as well, but standing next to Li Si should be safe enough.

From the depths of the sinkhole a large translucent cylinder emerged. It was perhaps three meters long and a meter in diameter, and inside was something that resembled in part a naked mole rat, in part a wispy cloud of fog, and in part a buttress of a dam.

A rumble just at the lower limit of human hearing, half sound and half feeling, rang out from the cylinder. Zhao Yunlan took an involuntary step back.

“Aopihglklah of the Opaweihrfoa, you are guilty of twenty-three rental contract violations, including but not limited to failing to return the spaceship within the time specified in the contract and causing major structural damage to the hull,” Li Si said, like witnessing the cylinder's contents were the most normal thing in the world. Perhaps it was to her. “Based on the Jjyxhivinkom/Rehpulruihko Agreement and sub-section 6.2.56.587 of the rental contract, I am allowed to confine you to your life support pod and cut off your communications with the outside world until such a time that you can be delivered before a contract breaches tribunal. I am confining you starting now.”

At a tap of the air, the cylinder dimmed and sank back to the ground. Zhao Yunlan let out a suppressed shudder. “Ah... was that – person – one of those slave-owners?”

“No,” Li Si answered. “He is from a completely different species, though he rented the ship for a journey to the ¤#¡-°@ homeworld. Occasionally, people think they can steal it, or just get so lost they might as well have tried to steal the ship.”

“Why do you think he took a bunch of slaves with him and headed here?”

Li Si shrugged. “Fuck if I know. Maybe he wanted his own slave colony? He's definitely responsible for the contract violation damages. Don't worry, you won't be charged.”

“It is nice that we don't have to pay for having an asshole crash a spaceship into our planet!” Zhao Yunlan agreed, then asked the question he'd been building up to. “What about the people living inside the spaceship? I assume you're taking the spaceship away?”

“Of course I'm taking the spaceship away! The self-repair will take some time, and I absolutely don't want any of the people currently in it, so please have them move to the surface while the ship is repairing itself. I'm also leaving all this dirt behind, but that's simpler to dump.” She turned around. “Let's see what those two are doing.”

Shen Wei and Ye Zun were squatting against the city wall. Ye Zun was still unresponsive in his brother's grip.

“Didn't you seal off that guy completely?” Zhao Yunlan asked. “Shouldn't Ye Zun be free of mind control?”

“He's still under my control, I think.” Li Si waved her hand in Ye Zun's vague direction under Shen Wei's quizzical gaze. “The link to that Opaweihrfoa has been broken. Releasing him now.”

Ye Zun thunked to the ground as if he'd fainted.

“Look, it's not like I take control of people often,” Li Si defensively said. “I didn't aim to hurt him, okay?”

“Didi?” Shen Wei asked and shook his brother's shoulders. “Didi?”

An inhuman groan came out of Ye Zun. He pushed at the ground until he could sit up, Shen Wei helping him every step of the way. It was as if he were some caricature of a teenager who'd grown into an adult body overnight and now had no clue how to make these new limbs move.

Zhao Yunlan joined the squatting party. “Hey. Ye Zun. How are you?”

“Ghnnghbleargh,” Ye Zun said. He swallowed and attempted speaking again. “Whuh?”

“Are you in any physical pain?” Zhao Yunlan started his checklist of how to get information out of disoriented interviewees.

“...No?” Ye Zun said. He then figured out how to raise his head and squinted at Zhao Yunlan. “Who are you?”

“I'm Zhao Yunlan, Chief of the Special Investigations Department, Master of the Guardian Treaty. How much do you remember of your time being mind controlled by that guy?”

“I didn't pay attention,” Ye Zun said, voice still wavery. “What's the point of paying attention if I can't affect anything? For ten thousand years I was stuck in a pillar while he used my mouth to manipulate people. I was just a flesh puppet at best.”

Zhao Yunlan sighed. “Okay. So you were mind controlled for ten thousand years. What were the circumstances under which it first happened?”

Ye Zun resettled himself and blinked a bit. “The first? My brother sold me off to a Dixingian warlord with mind control powers because I-”

“What?! That's not what happened!” Shen Wei exclaimed. “While you were unconscious, he tossed me off the cliff, and when I found my way back up, you were gone. I searched for years. I thought you'd died!”

“Really,” Ye Zun said, sceptical.

Shen Wei shot a glance at Zhao Yunlan, which was interesting, then pressed a finger to Ye Zun's temple. He must've done something, as Ye Zun's head snapped back and he let out a small oh of enlightenment.

“When did you start to get controlled by that guy over there?” Zhao Yunlan prompted.

Ye Zun snapped his head back towards him and toppled over. After Shen Wei had helped him up, he said, “Old boss got his hands on the Hallows, tried to absorb them, failed, then tried to kill me but the Hallows gave me the power of eating people so I killed him first and gained his powers and life force, except that I got taken over by a new master who didn't ever let me go even to toy with me.” He stared at Zhao Yunlan challengingly before breaking into a coughing fit.

“Didi!” Shen Wei said and sent a tendril of dark energy at him.

How much of Ye Zun's tale was the truth and how much was a lie carefully crafted to get out of responsibility was an open question. Nevertheless, it was an open question best addressed topside where Zhao Yunlan could put other things in motion. “Okay. Are you in condition enough to go to Haixing?”

Ye Zun breathed raspily. “I miss the Sun.”

“I'm taking that as a yes.” Zhao Yunlan rose. “Okay, let's go back to Haixing. Let me help carry your brother.”

The journey back to the portal didn't take as long as the way to the pillar, even if Ye Zun had forgotten most of his skills in walking and had to take frequent breaks to double over coughing besides. Shen Wei looked even more worn while opening the portal, but they still made it through.

She floated in the aether.

It was the same multicolored aether she'd floated in for all the time she'd been floating. In the blink of an eye, she'd left her world and its anchors behind and was now floating unmoored.

The aether's splotches of color moved. It was impossible to say whether it was due to her moving or to whatever was causing the color slowly flowing.

She floated in the aether, unable to alter her surroundings.

Zhao Yunlan stumbled getting out of the portal, but recovered before Shen Wei's concerned grip could steady him. “I'm okay.” He took a deep breath to shake out the last of the portal weirdness, then led them to the Jeep.

While Shen Wei looked like the same Shen Wei he'd been when he went down and Li Si still had some sort of tendency to make the eye slide off her, Ye Zun looked a bit different now that he was free of the mind control. The glasses had disappeared and his hair was now black and waist-length, and the clothes stolen from Shen Wei's closet didn't quite fit anymore – Ye Zun was skinnier. The difference was likely all muscle.

Zhao Yunlan outlined the action plan on the way back. “Our dear friend Li Si wants her spaceship back, so we need to move the Dixingians out. This means getting them citizenship here on Haixing and then getting them to move. What do you think, Shen Wei, if we tell everyone that they're free to come to Haixing with legal permission, would they come?”

“Most would, eventually. They would likely not trust you at the start.”

“Makes sense,” Zhao Yunlan sighed, remembering his father's idea of how to run the SID. “Getting the bureaucracy into gear will take some time. Maybe you could start by making official our current interpretation of the Treaty? ‘Anyone who doesn't use Dixing powers to break laws can stay.’ “

“I'm not sure how such an official announcement from the Black-Cloaked Envoy would go down,” Shen Wei said, “but I'll see what I can do.”

“Oh, and fair warning, the Envoy will likely have to turn up for lots of boring meetings on the minutiae of how to arrange the matter.”

Shen Wei's expression grew pinched. “How necessary is it?”

“I'd like some Dixingian representative there, too, if only so I have company in shooting down any shitty suggestions. And a live reminder of your humanity. I guess you could delegate it, or come as Professor Shen the law-abiding Dixingian, but the bigwigs would be happier if an authority were present in person.” Zhao Yunlan turned onto Bright Street. “Li Si, how long do we have before you leave with the spaceship?”

“Get it done within – six months – and I will be happy, but I'm a good guy, I can wait a few – months – more doing repairs if it means you have less trouble.”

“Thanks!” He pulled in to the SID. Guo Ying was at the gates with some ministry goons, having what must be an awkward argument with Guo Changcheng. “Actually, that guy is important in the government. Could you come up with some huge-ass fine that would be slapped onto the government if they refuse to accept the Dixingians?”

“There is one, but it would not hold up in galactic court under these circumstances,” she said.

“That's okay, I just need it as a stick to wave around. Oh, and my job would be much easier if you could corroborate my story.”

“Of course,” Li Si said.

“Great.” Zhao Yunlan took a deep breath, ran his hand through his hair, and exited the car. “Vice-Minister Guo, you're here! How convenient!”

Vice-Minister Guo, fully aware of the shit the SID was in, looked skeptical. “Convenient?”

“This way, I can give a preliminary report to the ministry immediately!” Zhao Yunlan smiled winningly. “In short, the attempted invasion has been stopped, but other things must be taken care of instead. In full, I was just today approached by Miss Li Si-”

“Greetings,” Li Si said, looking just as off as she had when Zhao Yunlan first saw her. “I come from the Rigel Spaceship Rental Corporation. One of our spaceships was crashed into your planet.”

“-and we went to find the spaceship.” Zhao Yunlan paused for effect. “It turns out, the spaceship in question is Dixing, and the original renter who wished to steal it was behind the attempted invasion. He was using advanced technology to mind control Dixingians into doing his bidding and subjugate the planet. Miss Li sealed him into his life support pod so that he can't mind control people anymore.”

Vice-Minister Guo stared first at Zhao Yunlan, then at Li Si before nodding. “And what things must be taken care of instead?”

“Well, there's bound to be bureaucracy,” Zhao Yunlan said. “And...”

“There are people living inside our spaceship,” Li Si said in a frosty tone. “If they are not moved to the surface, your civilization will incur a hefty fine.”

“I see,” Vice-Minister Guo sighed. “Chief Zhao, what do you think is the advisable course of action regarding the Dixingians?”

“Full citizenship,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Let them be the equals of common people before the law. I'll set up a task group to come up with suggestions that build on that.”

“This will be very unpopular amongst the upper echelons,” Vice- Minister Guo warned him.

Zhao Yunlan sighed. “I know, I know. I'll start writing my full report today, but I thought it best to update my superiors that they could stop worrying about Ye Zun or potential invasion forces.”

Guo Ying nodded. “I'll go discuss this at the ministry. May your report be timely.” He and his minions departed for the ministry.

There was no time for Zhao Yunlan to sigh in relief, however. He beckoned Shen Wei and Ye Zun out of the car and marched in past Guo Changcheng to find Chu Shuzhi talking to the energy beings. “Lao-Chu! You're in charge of the Dixingian citizenship committee. Ask Shen Wei about his catch-and-release projects; I'm sure some of them would like to join. Shen Wei, could you please brief him? I have a report to write.” He charged past an aghast Chu Shuzhi into his office, leaving the trouble of explanations on Shen Wei's shoulders. He'd come out and clarify once this report was done, but it needed to be sent off immediately and given his full attention.

Zhao Yunlan slaved over the report for hours and took a nap on the armchairs in his office immediately after sending it. When he woke up, it was long past dusk.

The SID's main room, however, was full of life. Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng were sitting at the head of the table, around which were Wang Yike, Zhang Ruonan, Ye Huo, and few others Zhao Yunlan didn't recognize. Shen Wei was off to the side, conversing with Li Si in low tones while supporting his brother's dozing form. The rest of the SID personnel lurked at the edges of the room.

Right. Time to organize some more things. “Da Qing, Zhu Hong. We're throwing out the Treaty and negotiating a completely different agreement for Dixingians, so we might as well poll the Yashou, too. Go gather the tribal leaders and ask if they would be okay with Yashou being considered equivalent to Haixingians in front of the law, with them being named as a group against which discrimination is illegal.”

Da Qing and Zhu Hong exchanged a look. “When's the deadline?” Da Qing asked.

“As soon as possible. We want to send a coherent message to Xingdu Bureau right from the start.”

Da Qing and Zhu Hong exchanged another look. “We'll go talk to them in the morning.”

Zhao Yunlan shrugged. “Sure.” He turned to the congregation of Dixingians. “Is it going well? Do you need anything?”

“Perhaps some qualified legal advice?” one of the new people said. “I'm only a third-year law student.”

Indeed, that would be useful. “Sure! Go consult with anyone you deem necessary, though I'd prefer that you keep the number of people who know about Dixingians to a minimum. I want to keep it under a lid until we have a suitable public announcement. What's your name, anyway?”

“Lu Shuoxin,” he said.

Zhao Yunlan filed it away for future reference. “Thank you for taking the time to help with the Treaty renegotiation. All of you, please come to me or the Envoy if you have any concerns.”

Everyone nodded and turned back to their work. Zhao Yunlan took a deep breath and left them alone.

Next task: hosting Li Si. “Miss Li, do you have a place to stay?”

Li Si turned to him. “This body doesn't need food, drink, or sleep in any form you could recognize. If you want me off your neck, I have the small flitter I arrived in, and also the spaceship I'm here to retrieve. If I'm not here and you need me, just shout ‘Li Si’ loudly.”

“Did you bug the SID?”

She tilted her head a few degrees more than a human would've found comfortable. “I have left nothing inside. It is – imagine a microphone pointed at the building.”

“Ah yes, advanced alien technology.” Zhao Yunlan sighed. “Shen Wei, how's your brother?”

Shen Wei looked troubled. “He ... has forgotten how to walk.”

Ten thousand years of constant mind control while also locked inside a pillar, added on top of intermittent mind control from a formative age. Yeah, it made sense Ye Zun would have little idea of how to use his voluntary muscles. “I think we could call Doctor Cheng tomorrow and ask her if she knows any physiotherapists.”

“Physiotherapists?” Shen Wei blinked.

“It's like ... guided exercise to target something specific. In his case, getting voluntary muscle control up and working.”

“That would be useful.” Shen Wei looked at his brother's sleeping form.

In sleep, Ye Zun looked disturbingly like Shen Wei. They were easily distinguishable awake, but as they seemed to be identical twins, they would obviously look, well, identical to some extent. When the conscious slumbered and left the face uninhabited, the similarity of architecture was apparent.

“You know, I think your brother has the right idea,” Zhao Yunlan said. At Shen Wei's questioning look, he pointed at the windows. “It's bedtime. Want to go home?”

Shen Wei looked meaningfully at Ye Zun. “I think we should wake him up before we move him.”

Considering Ye Zun's issues, it was the right choice. Zhao Yunlan let Shen Wei shake Ye Zun awake and helped manhandle him into the car. A slow drive home later, they repeated it in reverse for a Ye Zun who looked slightly out of it and lethargic.

Next problem: where to put him. “Uh, Shen Wei, did you have any plans for the sleeping arrangements?”

“I ... suppose Ye Zun could sleep on the couch?” Shen Wei led his brother to the couch and set him down. “Good night, didi.”

“Don't leave me,” Ye Zun whined. He clung to Shen Wei's jacket.

Shen Wei looked beseechingly at Zhao Yunlan. Zhao Yunlan sighed. “Fine, I can sleep on the couch. You two take the bed tonight. We'll revisit this tomorrow.”

It took some extra effort to wrestle Ye Zun out of his clothes and convince him to let go of Shen Wei long enough that Shen Wei could do his evening ablutions, but then the twins were ensconced in Zhao Yunlan's bed, warm and cozy, while Zhao Yunlan was on the couch. He really should've bought that larger bed; then he'd at least have the pleasure of falling asleep somewhere that smelled of Shen Wei, even if he'd have to share with Ye Zun.

Morning came and Zhao Yunlan discovered a crick in his back. Then his phone beeped and he rolled off the couch and into the coffee table. He swore loudly and tried very hard not to resent Ye Zun too much.

Da Qing had texted with confirmation that the meeting with the Yashou elders was scheduled for tomorrow, and there was a ministerial summons for Zhao Yunlan in three hours, to which he was highly encouraged to bring the Black-Cloaked Envoy. Okay. He could do this.

“Shen Wei, we have to be at Minister Gao's office in three hours, and you need to represent all of Dixing,” he called out.

“Please get up, didi,” Shen Wei said. Ye Zun did an excellent impression of Zhao Yunlan on a weekend morning until Shen Wei quite literally kicked him out of bed.

Shen Wei cooked a quick breakfast that they all gobbled up. Zhao Yunlan ran through the plan for the day: go touch base with the task group at the SID, summon Li Si, put together an action plan of dealing with the ministry, go speak with Minister Gao and try to convince him that Dixingians were people worth protecting. Maybe he should try to find as meek and harmless a Dixingian as possible to try and prove his point.

Mindful of the ministry run, Zhao Yunlan put on slightly more formal clothes than usual – today's jeans had zero artful tears – and a dapper leather trenchcoat to give him confidence. He stretched his hands above his head. “I'd tell you to dress up, but you're always dressed up anyway, and you have to turn up as the Envoy besides.”

“My brother needs clean clothes,” Shen Wei replied.

Oh yeah, he did. “Can he borrow yours?”

Shen Wei very pointedly glanced at the door. “I ... would rather not portal right now.”

Ye Zun couldn't go out the door in his underwear, and yesterday's clothes had mysteriously vanished somewhere. With a sigh, Zhao Yunlan took off his trenchcoat and bundled Ye Zun inside it. “Okay. To the other apartment we go!”

The hallway was empty of witnesses. Ye Zun was dressed for a walk of shame, or perhaps for being a victim of human trafficking mid-transport, and being pushed barefoot across the hallway by two fully dressed people. Thankfully, Shen Wei found the keys quickly and they could escape from hypothetical prying eyes.

Next to the wardrobe in his bedroom, Shen Wei asked, “What would you like to wear, didi?”

“Something soft,” Ye Zun said.

“Just pick something,” Zhao Yunlan suggested.

After some rummaging, Ye Zun came out with cream-colored corduroy trousers that had off-white velvet paneling on the sides, a well-worn brown t-shirt with a cracked print of a pink heart on the front, and an oversized green hoodie that was either elaborately patterned or creatively stained. The shoes were navy suede and perhaps the best-fitting piece of the ensemble. Zhao Yunlan raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Shen Wei.

Shen Wei looked chagrined. “They're from my undergrad days.”

“I see,” Zhao Yunlan said, and if he squinted at Ye Zun, he could almost see Shen Wei in the ensemble. Though Shen Wei had likely already had his musculature in undergrad; it wasn't like the university's requirement for tenure had a minimum requirement for pushups.

After Ye Zun had been dropped off at the SID – he hadn't wanted to let go of Shen Wei, but like Da Qing, he was bribable with food – Zhao Yunlan sat in the car with Shen Wei and Li Si. “So. Let's go over the strategy.”

“Do meetings with superiors usually require elaborate planning on this planet?” Li Si asked.

“My dad will be there, and he hates Dixingians, as do a bunch of other people,” Zhao Yunlan sighed. “So we need a plan to get an ethical resolution wrangled out of them.”

Zhao Yunlan and Li Si were led by an anonymous aide not to Minister Gao's office, but to a larger and more opulent meeting room. Here, too, a portrait of the first Lord of the Guardians presided over the proceedings.

It really was laid out like an interrogation room: his father, Minister Gao, Minister Song, Vice-Minister Guo, and a few other bigwigs sat at a mahogany table, all facing Zhao Yunlan and Li Si. Apparatchiks dotted the walls.

“Good morning,” Zhao Yunlan said. “May I summon the Black-Cloaked Envoy?”

The bigwigs traded glances. “Summon him,” Zhao Xinci said.

Zhao Yunlan took the incense and its pot from his pockets and lit it. The smoke wafted up from the container through the latticework lid, mellow and languid, indistinguishable from regular smoke until it started to gather in a cloud and darkened the room.

Abruptly, the smoke spread to become a haze that filled the room. Shen Wei portaled in from the nearby park he'd been waiting in. The lights did not flicker and no hailstones heralded his arrival. The smoke dissipated into nothing.

“Lord Envoy! Welcome!” Zhao Yunlan said, then ran through the introductions. That done, it was up to the Haixing authorities to open the meeting.

Minister Gao coughed. “Chief Zhao. Yesterday, you suggested that – Dixingians – be given ... full citizenship?! Can't they just be taken back home instead?”

“The Rigel Spaceship Rental Corporation is not a charity, and I am not a taxi driver,” Li Si said. “The people currently living inside the spaceship should be evacuated while the spaceship repairs itself. Afterwards, I shall take the spaceship and dump all the soil within into the space it is displacing. Do not worry, I can make my way out without disrupting your civic works or civilization.”

“I formed a preliminary task group to solve the matter of Dixingians,” Zhao Yunlan hopped in. “So far, they have looked at the legislature. Haixing's criminal laws are written to be means-agnostic, so murder is murder, whether it would be done with an axe or a Dixing power. If we make Dixingians citizens, the laws will apply to them appropriately.”

Shen Wei drew a breath and spoke in his measured Envoy voice. “Dixing finds the suggestion acceptable, provided that the law is amended so that discrimination based on whether a person is human, Dixingian, or Yashou is illegal.”

Zhao Xinci frowned, Vice-Minister Guo bit his lip, Minister Song looked thoughtful, and Minister Gao made a churlish moue. “If Miss Li cannot take them home, perhaps she could dump them in the ocean?”

The temperature of the room immediately dropped five degrees. Save Zhao Xinci and Minister Gao, all the people at the table glanced at each other awkwardly.

“Genocide will solve none of your problems,” Shen Wei hissed with barely repressed rage. “Do you think no Dixingian lives undiscovered on the surface?! Do you think no Dixingian has a power that would let them save themself from whatever fate you wish to condemn them to?! Do you think they would lie quietly after the treatment they and theirs had received?!”

“I'm not tossing them into the ocean,” Li Si said. “They'll be deposited on the surface, alive and well, and if you try to make them stay in the spaceship when it starts moving, the Rigel Spaceship Rental Corporation has under the Jjyxhivinkom/Rehpulruihko agreement the right to fine you upheld by galactic law.”

Zhao Xinci sat forwards in his chair. “Why were the Dixingians brought here?”

Li Si shrugged. “Who knows? I didn't ask Aopihglklah of the Opaweihrfoa, who rented the spaceship, but he is not one of their people. They were originally slaves of the ¤#¡-°@ before-”

“Is slavery legal where you are from?” Zhao Xinci asked.

“No. The slaves of the ¤#¡-°@ – please remember that I am working through an automatic translation software – don't count as sentient under galactic law. They are legally no more slaves than a toothbrush is.”

“So we could enslave them ourselves?” Minister Gao asked.

The temperature dropped another five degrees. “Sir, slavery is illegal on Haixing,” Vice-Minister Guo said.

“The legislation has all been written with only humans in mind,” Minister Gao said. “With aliens walking among us-”

“Perhaps I should clarify,” Li Si said. “Of the living beings present in this room, under galactic law, the only one who counts as sentient is I.”

Silence fell upon them. Zhao Yunlan wracked his brain for ways to gently rerail the conversation into ways to make a pleasant fate befall the Dixingians.

He was saved by Minister Song. “Since the only possible end is Dixingians living with us, we should prepare for it. Consider your request for increased SID funding granted fourfold, Chief Zhao. I suggest you build a jail to contain those whose powers would allow them to enable escape from a regular one.”

“Certainly, Minister Song!” Zhao Yunlan said, trying very hard not to faint from the sudden increase in budget. He'd highballed his request so he could still have something after being talked down, and now he was getting four times that sum. This was a miracle. He was probably dreaming.

However, Shen Wei did not strip off his clothing and hop into Zhao Yunlan's arms to congratulate him on the funding, and instead said, “I believe my presence here is no longer necessary. I will go attend to my other duties.” The Envoy disappeared into a portal.

The senior bureaucrats eyed each other. Zhao Yunlan made a note to thank Minister Song very well to compensate for how Minister Gao was glaring at him.

Zhao Xinci – or perhaps Zhang Shi – looked at Zhao Yunlan impassively. “I believe this concludes our meeting. Inform us when you have something to report.”

Zhao Yunlan left the room with Li Si and left his higher-ups to their own battle. The same aide who'd led them to the room led them out of the building.

In the car, Zhao Yunlan could finally exhale and relax. “Well. That ... went.”

“Sorry for causing an excursion into slavery.”

“No, it's- At least we agreed not to do it.” He sighed. “Thanks for standing up for living beings who don't even count as sentients. It must be funny to support ants' rights.”

“Just because something is legal does not mean that I find it moral,” Li Si said. “And while there is a gaping chasm between us, it is more akin to the distance from human to hamster than from human to ant.”

Zhao Yunlan started the car and pulled out of the parking. “So we're all cute vertebrates that you're helping because you find us adorable.”

“Tell me,” Li Si said, “if an ant came to you and asked you for help, would you help it?”

“...yeah,” Zhao Yunlan said after a moment of speculation. “If only because it'd give me a real whopper of a story to tell. And I guess there's no reason for me to not help the ant? And it was quite plucky to ask someone almost incomprehensible to it for help.”

“Exactly. And no doubt your world is full of tales of animals coming to you and your opposable thumbs with their injured bodies, hoping that the humans they've seen around often would remove the whatever-it-is that was hurting them, or call a vet, and finding their hopes founded.” She gazed out the window. “Part of the training for galactics who function in multispecies environments is scrubbing out any residual fear of the alien. That obviously extends to more than just those species considered sentient by galactic law.”

Zhao Yunlan nodded. “Makes sense.” Perhaps he shouldn't judge aliens by human standards – even if Dixingians were oh so very human – but he was growing to like Li Si. Too bad he couldn't recruit her into the SID.

When they arrived at number four Bright Street, Zhao Yunlan announced the new funding and supported Da Qing through his fainting spell. The Dixing task group was on a break, but would reconvene in the evening once Lu Shuoxin and the other college kids were done with classes for the day. Shen Wei had a lecture to hold but would come afterwards. In the meanwhile, since the spying expedition had become obsolete, Zhao Yunlan would have to un-fire Lin Jing so he could drag his ass over here and use that mind full of cutting-edge dark energy research to build a prison that could contain any Dixingian.

Wang Zheng's stamp got a workout over the day, granting the newcomers the ability to cross the invisible threshold of the protective barrier around the SID. Zhao Yunlan introduced everyone to Doctor Lin, newly commandeered from Professor Ouyang's team courtesy of Minister Song, gave Lin Jing free rein to hire anyone else who'd done research on dark energy, and dove in to help Wang Zheng and Zhu Hong with the reams of paperwork. He approved the hire of a new secretary and the commandeering of personnel from the Haixing Department of Supervision to handle paperwork off-site. Loath to interrupt the Dixingians currently reading through the legislature and hashing out ways to organize a mass migration, the next step would have to wait for Shen Wei's arrival.

When Professor Shen finally arrived – through the door, looking annoyed – Zhao Yunlan rose to greet him. “Shen Wei!” Shen Wei paused, sought out Ye Zun with his eyes, and walked to Zhao Yunlan, leading them to Zhao Yunlan's office.

“I asked Doctor Cheng about the physiotherapy,” Shen Wei said. “Ye Zun needs an official identity for that.”

“That makes sense, yes,” Zhao Yunlan said. He hadn't thought about it, but yes, of course Ye Zun would eventually need an identity – it wasn't like he could mooch off Shen Wei's identity card. “I'll arrange it. There'll be a bunch of Dixingians getting new IDs soon enough, better get him in before the rush.” He winked.

Shen Wei exhaled. “Thank you. I ... told Doctor Cheng that we were from Dixing, as well as the basics of the situation. She took it well and suggested therapy for Ye Zun.”

“He could probably do with some,” Zhao Yunlan agreed. He sat on the corner of his desk. “Actually, there's something I'd like to ask of you. At some point, we'll have to make the existence of Dixingians official, perhaps with an announcement. That'd be best coupled with Dixingians giving some sort of interviews that'd reassure people that Dixingians really are human. Could you send the message down your grapevine? Anyone who has no criminal record, whose power isn't too terribly alarming, and who's willing to be a face of Dixing.”

“You'd be better served asking those convened outside.” Shen Wei smiled. “Surface Dixingians generally do their best to avoid me. I'll ask. Perhaps it'll get down the grapevine.”

“Oh, I'll ask our gaggle of Dixingians to send word out, too, when I'm kicking them out for the night.” He took a quick look out through the blinds. Everyone was occupied with something else, and no sounds came from the library upstairs. He pulled Shen Wei towards him and angled his face for a kiss.

Shen Wei let himself be pulled but hesitated at the last moments. Zhao Yunlan let him too take a look through the office's glass walls and then, at last, they were kissing.

It was a torrid downpour of passion, the monsoon rains after a drought, all the desires they hadn't had the time to indulge in over the busy months compressed into mere minutes. Teeth scraped against lips and tongues entwined in a desperate, futile bid to merge into one.

Shen Wei stepped away first. Zhao Yunlan took pride in the way he had to swallow and the hoarseness in his voice as he said, “I need to go back to the university for my experiments. I'll be back in the evening. Please take care of Ye Zun.”

“Will do,” Zhao Yunlan said and watched Shen Wei leave, all the things he hadn't said spinning around him.

Well. The world wasn't going to right itself without help.

Zhao Yunlan walked out of his office and found Ye Zun sitting on the floor, leaning against Chu Shuzhi's desk. It took some searching: Ye Zun was obscured from most vantage points.

“Hey. Ye Zun.” Zhao Yunlan crouched next to him.

Ye Zun didn't answer. He kept gazing off into the distance, dead to the world. Zhao Yunlan waved his hand in Ye Zun's field of vision and called his name until he blinked and turned his head.

“We need to get you an official identity,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Is your name really Ye Zun?”

“No,” Ye Zun said.

“Do you want your official identity to say ‘Ye Zun’ or your original name?”

“I don't remember it,” Ye Zun said. He looked at the wall and Zhao Yunlan feared he'd dissociate again, but he continued, “I don't remember what it was, but gege and I are brothers. I guess we had the same surname.”

“Would ‘Shen Yezun’ be acceptable?”

Ye Zun smiled, and for a moment even Guo Changcheng would've looked like a raincloud next to him. “Yes!”

Reeling, Zhao Yunlan patted his shoulder. Ye Zun flinched. Note to self: don't touch him. “Then I'll make you officially Shen Yezun, the esteemed Professor Shen's twin, so you can interact with the medical establishment.”

“Thank you,” Ye Zun said, still happy.

Zhao Yunlan went to put in the request. Ye Zun went back to staring at the wall, reverie only broken by his occasional coughing fits. He really would have to find something for that kid to do.

Shen Wei was in the middle of cleaning up when one of the Regent's smoke puppets appeared in the lab, probably breaking some safety regulation. He was certain it hadn't gone through the chemicals usage orientation, for one.

“Speak,” he ordered after a quick glance confirmed that there was no-one around.

“The Regent urgently requires your presence, Lord Envoy,” the puppet said.

Shen Wei sighed. Of course. So much for spending the evening with Zhao Yunlan and Ye Zun. “I'll be there soon.”

“I shall inform the Regent.” The puppet bowed and vanished.

Shen Wei methodically went through the rest of his experiment clean-up, then walked to the portal. It was thankfully not that far away.

Previously, he'd have portaled straight from some corner of the university to the Palace, but his dark energy was waning, and he wanted to reserve his all for whatever surprises the Regent may have in store. Walking would express some contempt via displaying a gross devaluing of the Regent's time, but it was the best Shen Wei could do. Besides, perhaps this would help cement the Black-Cloaked Envoy's position of authority in the Regent's mind.

Opening the portal was much harder than it should have been. Shen Wei coughed blood onto the ground, then carefully wiped it all off before stepping through.

In the palace, the Regent immediately greeted him. “Lord Envoy!”

“Lord Regent,” Shen Wei replied. The greetings were his least favorite part save for what followed them. “You had a matter which required my input.”

“Oh, yes!” the Regent said. He paused dramatically. “I hear that there will be a new Treaty, which you've started to negotiate?”

Might as well get this over with. “Dixing is a spaceship, and its owners want it back. All the populace must emigrate to the surface. The Haixing authorities' cooperation has been enlisted.”

The Regent nodded in some mimicry of a harmless old man that didn't properly conceal the manipulative machinery ticking in his mind. “I see! But ... where will all we Dixingians go? After all, Haixing is full of Haixingians.”

“There is space. Dixingians will be brought through Dragon City and given official identities. Most will likely stay, but they'll be free to move to other cities.”

“Don't you think this would be quite a shock to Dixingians?” the Regent asked. “After all, it is entirely unlike what they're used to...”

Shen Wei raised an eyebrow, not that the Regent could see it from behind the mask. “It seems you have your own suggestion?” He wished Zhao Yunlan were here: Shen Wei could handle this situation well enough, but Zhao Yunlan was better and would enjoy the process besides.

The Regent paused tactically. “Lord Envoy, not all Dixingians are as adaptable as your esteemed personage. Don't you think they should perhaps have an arrangement more like the Yashou have?” Shen Wei stared at him until he continued, “We aren't used to being in contact with the outside world. Don't you think an isolated mountain valley might be better? We could have a new Dixing, organized in a way as familiar to us Dixingians as possible.”

I want to hold on to my power and influence come Hell or high water, Shen Wei mentally translated. “Many of Dixing's people have risked life and limb to go to Dragon City. I would not deny them the opportunity to accomplish their dreams on such slight reasons.”

The Regent put on a mulish expression that spelled trouble. “That would, of course, cause additional complications for the people of Dixing. But the Black-Cloaked Envoy is very busy on the surface. Captain Shao, if you'd please escort him to the portal?”

“Yes, milord,” Captain Shao – a woman – said. “This way, Lord Envoy.”

Shen Wei followed her. He didn't recall any women in the Palace Guard, certainly not as its Captain, though it had been a while since he last paid attention. “I don't recall you from my previous visits,” he said once they were outside the Palace proper.

“I was promoted after the execution of Palace Guards weak enough to fall to Ye Zun's mind control,” she promptly said. “Prior to that, the Regent did not see fit to station me anywhere public.”

“Execution?!” Shen Wei snapped his head to look at her.

“The Regent did not want any witnesses to his humiliations at Ye Zun's hands. Susceptibility to mind control was a handy excuse. He had them tortured to death.”

A chill took over Shen Wei. No, he definitely couldn't let the Regent maintain his current system any longer than necessary.

He licked his lips. “And what did you think of the mind control episode?”

“I was immune,” Captain Shao said. She shrugged. “If it were only this, I might buy that Ye Zun a drink. With all the other shit he's tossed us in, however...”

“Actually, Ye Zun was himself being mind controlled by an – alien – who was the one who originally rented this spaceship,” Shen Wei said, deciding he didn't particularly care what she might bruit about. He wanted to clear Ye Zun's name as best he could, and that required telling things. At least this secret didn't have ten thousand years of peace hanging on it.

Captain Shao looked at him consideringly. “Ah. And why are we giving the spaceship back to this – alien?”

“Not this one; the company he rented the spaceship from came to retrieve it.”

She nodded. “I am glad of this chance to bring our people beneath the Sun.”

“You will be fully equivalent to citizens of Haixing and get to live in Dragon City.”

“Even if the Regent resists with all his might?”

With a flat voice, Shen Wei said, “It would of course be best if he didn't-”

“I'll see what I can do.” They'd arrived at the portal. Captain Shao turned to him and asked, “May I?”

“Of course.” Shen Wei stepped through the portal to Haixing, mind reeling at the unvoiced promises.

The Dixing focus group had long been sent home for the night when Shen Wei reappeared, though Lin Jing was for once chasing inspiration and voluntarily doing overtime, and Wang Zheng and Sang Zan were of course always haunting the building. Driving back, Zhao Yunlan noticed that Ye Zun seemed to have a better grasp of sitting up today.

“The ID should be here tomorrow morning,” Zhao Yunlan said.

“Call the University when you have it, and I'll arrange things with Doctor Cheng.” Shen Wei turned to his brother, who was sitting next to him on the back seat and gazing out the window. “Tomorrow you can go see a doctor so you can engage more with reality.”

Ye Zun very slowly turned his head. “But reality hurts. I just want to stop coughing.”

“A doctor can help with that as well.” Shen Wei shot a glare at Zhao Yunlan.

Zhao Yunlan tried to figure out what he'd failed – ah. The coughing. It hadn't interrupted their slumber last night, but it had been very present today at the SID. “Are you feeding him with dark energy? His cough is much less pronounced when you're around.”

Shen Wei glanced at Ye Zun, who had taken a leaf out of Li Si's book and was tilting his head in an uncomfortable angle. “I ... suppose.”

They arrived at the apartments. Ye Zun shuffled up the stairs decently enough and ate dinner with a spoon once they determined that chopsticks didn't currently work for him.

“About beds,” Zhao Yunlan said.

“Yours will not fit the three of us,” Shen Wei said.

“I'm not sleeping on the couch again.”

Shen Wei stood up and portaled off. Zhao Yunlan and Ye Zun traded a look.

Approximately ten seconds before Zhao Yunlan would've come to the conclusion that Shen Wei had been so outraged that he'd forever forsaken all of Haixing, Shen Wei portaled back into Zhao Yunlan's living room, this time with his own bed in tow. It made a bit of a mess as it popped into existence.

“My Shen Wei is the best,” Zhao Yunlan exclaimed. “Here, let me take the other end.”

Together, they maneuvered the bed next to Zhao Yunlan's bed. It wasn't quite the same height or firmness, but it was close enough.

“You're in the middle,” Zhao Yunlan declared to Shen Wei as he flopped down on the mattress.

Shen Wei sighed exasperatedly. “Yunlan, we still need to wash the dishes. Get up and help Ye Zun brush his teeth. I got him a toothbrush.”

“Sure.” Zhao Yunlan rolled out of bed – not as difficult as it might have been; after all, it did not contain a Shen Wei – and did as instructed. Ye Zun's teeth got cleaned at least a little bit, and his baffled expression was entertainment enough.

Then it was bedtime, and Zhao Yunlan could curl up around his wonderful Shen Wei. There would be no sexy touching to finish this day or start the next, his Shen Wei was curled up around Ye Zun instead of him, and the boundary between the beds was situated awkwardly at his arm, but he got to bury his nose into Shen Wei's skin and inhale that wonderful scent, and for that, Zhao Yunlan was indescribably happy. He even slept well.

Zhao Yunlan woke for the first time when Shen Wei climbed over him in the early morning. Despite Shen Wei escaping his grasp, he fell asleep again to a warm pillow that smelled of his favorite Dixingian. He woke for the second time when his nose got whiff of breakfast and his stomach rumbled.

“Good morning, Brother Black,” Zhao Yunlan yawned out as he stretched. “I hope you slept well.”

Shen Wei snorted. “I slept the prior night.”

While humans had circadian rhythms that were at the very least in shouting distance of 24 hours, Dixingians had more variation. Shen Wei's was 48 hours, where he'd under regular circumstances sleep for six hours or occasionally more every other night, then take fifteen-minute catnaps at irregular intervals during the intervening time. He could be enticed into cuddling on the bed until Zhao Yunlan fell asleep, though, and given Ye Zun’s return, these were not regular circumstances by any means.

Zhao Yunlan carefully poked Ye Zun's shoulder. Awake, but woolgathering. “Breakfast!”

Ye Zun sighed pointedly and rolled over. He'd been put in some of Zhao Yunlan's spare clothes for the night; Zhao Yunlan didn't quite know what to make of his hot boyfriend's identical twin wearing his clothes.

After a breakfast of baozi stuffed with eggplants and sesame seeds, Zhao Yunlan noticed that Shen Wei had dumped all of his casual wardrobe, including the things he must've only worn as an undergrad, onto Zhao Yunlan's couch. Ye Zun was again instructed to pick his outfit for the day.

“Can I just wear these?” Ye Zun asked.

“Didi, those are pajamas,” Shen Wei sternly quashed the idea.

Ye Zun sniffed and fished out an actual pair of ripped jeans and that bright blue thing that looked like it couldn't quite decide whether it wanted to be a button-down shirt or a jacket and thus resembled some delivery firm uniform instead. Zhao Yunlan had to clasp his hands behind his back to stop himself from slapping the items out of Ye Zun's hands and teaching him how to dress himself.

Shiny new identity cards were waiting at the SID for Ye Zun, so Zhao Yunlan took an extra detour to drop him and Shen Wei off at Dragon City Hospital. Confident that the medical establishment could at the very least make Ye Zun not his concern for a while, he drove back to the SID to spend a day frantically worrying about other things.

“Eureka!” Lin Jing shouted from the lab.

Zhao Yunlan decided to wait at least another five minutes before entering the lab to wait out the inevitable explosion. Da Qing and Zhu Hong, on the other hand, were sitting at the table with some handwritten texts in front of them. “How were the Yashou leaders?”

“They wanted to spend yesterday deliberating, but did make a decision,” Da Qing said. “Everyone's okay with the anti-discrimination clause and regular Haixing citizenship instead of the complex situation with the Treaty provisions, Ya Qing especially.”

“Fourth Uncle wants some reassurance that the traditional snake lifestyle can continue,” Zhu Hong said.

The lands of the Yashou tribes had been allocated to them by the Treaty. “Obviously they'll get to keep ownership. Your uncle and the rest of the snakes can live just like they always have!” Zhao Yunlan took a deep breath and cleared the matter from one mental to-do list to another. “Thanks for taking care of that. I think the Dixing task group's handling the Treaty abolishment and changes to Haixing law; inform them of the necessary provisions when they convene. Wang Zheng, when are the Dixing task group people coming in?”

“Lu Shuoxin called this morning to say that he and at least two of his law school professors are coming over at three,” Wang Zheng said. “From what he said, I think the professors might be descending upon us in force as word spreads through their grapevine.”

“Make sure to order refreshments for them,” Zhao Yunlan said. No explosions had come from the lab, so perhaps it was safe to enter. “Zhu Hong, Da Qing, help Wang Zheng with the permits and paperwork.”

The lab was intact and free of explosion detritus. Lin Jing was excitedly pontificating about a coffin-like metal box two meters tall with a base one meter square. Guo Changcheng hung on to his every word; Chu Shuzhi looked as unimpressed as usual.

“It seems our intrepid scientist has discovered something,” Zhao Yunlan said.

“Yes! Boss, this is a prototype cell. It should suppress usage of Dixing powers within it. If it's successful, I'll start seeing how to make larger holes in it so we could just line a cell with the material.”

“So what's stopping you?”

“Lao-Chu doesn't want to cooperate,” Lin Jing grumbled.

“It doesn't have air holes,” Chu Shuzhi said.

The walls were solid, but the edges had gaps in them and the entire thing was only held together by the corners. “Could you drill some holes in it?”

Lin Jing made a face. “It might interfere- okay, okay, I'll do it!” He dug out a power drill from the mess on the tables.

“Lao-Chu, once it has sufficient air holes, go in and test it. Lin Jing, if it holds a Dixingian, test it on Da Qing as well. We might get Yashou customers in the future. Xiao-Guo, you're in charge of taking notes.” Zhao Yunlan escaped the upcoming noise of making holes in metal.

For a moment, there was nothing but blessed nothing on his todo list. A Dixingian-proof jail was in the works, the law school professors would be coming in later, the Yashou knew what they wanted, and Ye Zun was currently somebody else's problem. That left him with Li Si, sitting at Chu Shuzhi's desk.

“Do you have anything to occupy your time while the spaceship repairs itself?” Zhao Yunlan asked her.

“I brought – reading material,” she said. She shrugged. “I was prepared for a planet barren of life. My spaceboat has lots of things to entertain me, though you're entertaining as well.”

Zhao Yunlan sat on the table. “So, what's galactic entertainment like? Can you show us?”

“You ... would find it incomprehensible. Mostly.” Li Si looked awkward. “And you couldn't open the storage format.”

“If you want to show it, I would like to see!” Zhao Yunlan said. Then, mindful that cultural works could function as propaganda, he continued, “Hey, would you like some local media? We have text-based stuff – books – and audio and visual and audiovisual things.”

Li Si tilted her head. “Sure. Do you have any recommendations?”

“Let me get you a thingy with everything in electronic format,” Zhao Yunlan said, very conscious of how he had scant few of his favorites on paper and did not wish to part with what he had. Besides, webnovels were more and more of a thing, and Li Si might enjoy them. He'd have to ask Lin Jing and the rest for their recommendations.

Offering to grab lunch was the perfect opportunity to get a fancy e-reader for Li Si. Deciding that his team needed some compensation for the upcoming long days, he grabbed a larger than usual variety of dumplings and pancakes.

When he pulled in with the Jeep, the professors of law were still away, but the professor of bioengineering was present with his brother. “Shen Wei! Anything new?”

“The psychologist recommended that he keep a journal,” Shen Wei said. “Perhaps you could try teaching him how to use those computers for it?”

“Lord Envoy, let me,” Chu Shuzhi immediately volunteered. At Zhao Yunlan's quirked brow, he said, “There is still time before the committee convenes.”

Zhao Yunlan shrugged. “Sure, but let's eat lunch first. I brought dumplings, pork and cabbage, as well as pancakes. Food!”

The debate between “university cafeteria” and “eating with the SID” was clear on Shen Wei's face, but in the end, being in close proximity to Zhao Yunlan and Ye Zun won. They all happily stuffed their faces, even if Da Qing complained about the lack of fish.

When Shen Wei was leaving, Zhao Yunlan followed him out the doors. “Hey. I know you're concerned, but maybe you could let Ye Zun practice telling things himself?”

Shen Wei stared at him, then sighed and looked down. “I ... did the talking with outsiders when we were small.”

“Old habits are hard to break,” Zhao Yunlan sagely agreed. “Perhaps next time you bring him to the therapist's, you could ask what you could do to best support him?”

“Perhaps.” Shen Wei sighed again. “I have a class to teach soon, and experiments after that, but could you come to my office at the university in the evening? Alone.”

Alone could mean either of two things, and since it wasn't accompanied by immediately, it would be the pleasant one. Zhao Yunlan flashed his winning smile. “Of course! How could I make a great beauty like you languish unattended?”

Shen Wei snorted fondly, looked at his watch, and walked without a word to the side alley he used for his portaling needs. Professor Shen was a good teacher, and that included preparing ahead on how to provide the students with their daily provender of new knowledge.

Indoors, Chu Shuzhi was at work with Ye Zun, and no explosions literal or metaphorical greeted Zhao Yunlan, so he went to the computer in his office. Through means fair and foul he downloaded those of his favorites he could find, converted them to a format the reader would recognize, and transferred them to the reader. Then he did the same for those classical works he recalled, starting from the Six Great Masterworks and ending with The True Story of Ah Q and other more modern stuff he recalled from his years-ago lessons.

If the universe ever were to let him grow bored, perhaps he could revisit the classics. He'd taken up science fiction just to fulfill his father's mandate of reading more while pissing the old man off with the inappropriateness of the subject matter – and ended up enjoying a fair number of the works.

Almost three. Zhao Yunlan got off his butt and walked back into the main room. The webnovels and such could wait for later.

The person he was seeking was now sitting on the couch. “Li Si! Here's the fiction I promised. I'll add some webnovels onto it later, after I've asked the team for their recommendations.”

“Thanks,” Li Si said and took the reader. She stared at it for a moment before starting to operate it.

If only teaching Shen Wei how to use technology were this easy, Zhao Yunlan lamented in his head.

“Fiction?” Ye Zun asked.

“Uh, yeah?” Zhao Yunlan said, interrupted from his thoughts. He turned to Ye Zun, who had turned every single atom of attention onto Zhao Yunlan. It was the most concentration Zhao Yunlan had seen him exhibit after being released from the mind control. “It's when you make up a story and write it down, and people read it and find it entertaining.”

“Writing fiction is allowed?” Still the same mesmerized expression.

“Of course!” Zhao Yunlan shrugged. “The SID will not forbid you.”

Ye Zun's face lit up like a droplet-covered world in the sunlight after rain. “Thank you,” he absent-mindedly said, deleted the few words he'd written, and started banging away as fast as he could with his inexperience at using pinyin and keyboards.

Zhao Yunlan looked at Chu Shuzhi. Chu Shuzhi shrugged; Zhao Yunlan shrugged back.

“Lin Jing's cell works on Dixingian and Yashou alike,” Chu Shuzhi volunteered. “He's now making a more ethical version. Changcheng is helping.”

Zhao Yunlan nodded. “Good.”

Then the clock struck three and they were descended upon by a gaggle of law professors, trailed by a meekly apologetic Lu Shuoxin. Wang Zheng welcomed them all in and brought out the refreshments she'd stashed away.

“Good afternoon, professors!” Zhao Yunlan said. He'd better schmooze with them a bit. “Thank you for coming. Now, you've surely heard about the situation, but let me give you a rundown-”

Zhao Yunlan attended this meeting of the Dixing committee because if half a law school had turned up, the boss had better smile politely and thank them for their time. They all sat at the table, drinking tea and debating, until well past dinnertime, at which point hunger drove them home with promises to continue discussing this intriguing scenario later on. No doubt they were all seeking the fame and glory that would come from advising the government on something as big as this.

After everyone was dismissed for the night, save for Wang Zheng and Sang Zan, who couldn't leave, and Ye Zun, who was still typing furiously, Zhao Yunlan told Wang Zheng to order Ye Zun some food and set off to the university. He considered taking his motorbike – freedom and boundlessness, just him and the city – but he was supposed to bring Shen Wei back with him, and Shen Wei hated motorbikes, so the Jeep it was.

A stop at a takeaway place later, Zhao Yunlan arrived at Dragon City University. A smile crept up on his face when he saw the light was still on in Shen Wei's office.

It didn't take long to get indoors and to the right corridor. He knocked on Shen Wei's door.

When it opened, Zhao Yunlan smiled winningly and said, “I heard Professor Shen would like a ride?”

“Indeed. In more ways than one,” Shen Wei replied. “If Chief Zhao would be so kind as to remove every single article of clothing on him?”

Zhao Yunlan chuckled and wagged a finger, but he locked the door behind him and placed the takeout bag on the floor. “The good professor drives a hard bargain,” he jokingly said to a Shen Wei who was drawing the blinds, “but who am I to decline?”

The jacket hit the floor first. Then Zhao Yunlan stepped out of his shoes, tossed off his shirt, and finally shimmied out of his jeans. Shen Wei actually licked his lips at that.

“Enjoying the view?” Zhao Yunlan asked, fully nude in front of his clothed lover, and stretched lasciviously.

“It is a challenge to keep my hands off you,” Shen Wei confessed, still hungrily giving Zhao Yunlan a once-over.

“Oh, but you don't have to.” Zhao Yunlan winked and arranged himself on the floor as invitingly as he could manage.

“Indeed.” Shen Wei pulled a single-use sachet of lube from his trouser pockets and tossed it onto Zhao Yunlan. He unbuttoned and folded his shirt and trousers without looking, then hungrily descended onto Zhao Yunlan.

The lube ended up on Zhao Yunlan's dick, and then Shen Wei sat on that and pinned Zhao Yunlan's wrists to the ground and rode him hard. It was everything Zhao Yunlan had missed, between Ye Zun in their bed and Ye Zun mind controlled into wreaking havoc, and Zhao Yunlan would encourage each and every instance of Shen Wei getting this demanding.

It didn't take much time for both of them to come, full of pent-up arousal as they were. Shen Wei released Zhao Yunlan's wrists and panted heavily.

“I brought takeout,” Zhao Yunlan suggested.

“Soon,” Shen Wei said. He swallowed. “Do you have more lube?”

“There's some in my wallet.”

“Fetch it, then,” Shen Wei ordered and rose up. He stretched his quivering legs.

It was a very large turn-on to watch come and lube drip down Shen Wei's legs. Zhao Yunlan swallowed his suddenly dry mouth and felt his dick twitch with renewed interest.

He mutely handed the sachet of lube to Shen Wei. Whose cock was already at half-mast. This would be a wonderful, wonderful evening.

Shen Wei smiled deceptively sweetly. “If Chief Zhao would be so kind as to bend over my desk?”

“Certainly!” Zhao Yunlan said. His spine objected when he rose – Shen Wei's office floor was hard – but bending over the desk with his legs appealingly parted was excellent at reducing his refractory period to nothing.

The sound of plastic ripping, and then Shen Wei was pressing lubed fingers into Zhao Yunlan. He squirmed a bit and relaxed and let the fingers poke and prod him until they were replaced with something larger.

“Yes, good, please,” he breathed, and let himself be pushed against the desk and moan.

This round lasted longer than the previous one, but it, too, ended soon. This time, neither of them was up for a repeat anytime soon.

Zhao Yunlan slithered off the desk and slumped bonelessly on top of Shen Wei, who was also catching his breath on the floor. He smiled winningly. “Hello, beautiful. Would you like some dinner?”

“A moment,” Shen Wei said. He mopped them up with some cleaning supplies he must've stashed into his desk specifically for this purpose, which, nice. Ten out of ten, would fuck the hot prof again just for the level of preparations.

A quick text to the SID's night crew to make sure Ye Zun was also getting fed, and Zhao Yunlan was free to enjoy his dinner in his underwear. He snapped apart the disposable chopsticks and dug in to his noodles.

“I've missed you,” Shen Wei said between bites.

“Perhaps we could do our best to delegate stuff, so that we might have some private time together?” Zhao Yunlan decided to push his luck. “Schedule Ye Zun's therapy appointments so that we can have a private lunch at home?”

Shen Wei sighed. “There are things I can't delegate. Dealing with the Regent, no matter how annoying, requires my presence. My university career cannot be delegated without ending it. Dixing's-”

Zhao Yunlan held up a hand. “I understand. Just – try to delegate what you can? There's neither need nor benefit to you burning yourself out.”

Shen Wei made a noise of agreement, then complained a bit about the Regent's recalcitrance in between bites of noodles. Not too seriously, though – it seemed even Shen Wei didn't have the wherewithal to be annoyed at the world after he'd gotten laid so spectacularly.

After they'd finished eating, Zhao Yunlan happily bundled Shen Wei into the Jeep and drove back to the SID. Even Shen Wei looked content as he looked out the window. A little bit smug, even.

At the SID, Ye Zun was still happily making the keyboard clack. When they walked in, he started coughing. Shen Wei rushed to his side to quell the hacking sounds with a small stream of dark energy.

When Ye Zun stopped, Shen Wei said, “It's good that you've obeyed the psychologist's instruc- What's this?”

“It's fiction,” Ye Zun said. He innocently blinked his eyes at Shen Wei.

“The psychologist told you to write a diary,” Shen Wei said.

“But this is much more fun,” Ye Zun whined.

Shen Wei glared at him. Zhao Yunlan cut off the upcoming protest by saying, “Maybe we could discuss more in the morning? Ye Zun, save your novel and let's go home.”

“Save?”

Of course. Zhao Yunlan sighed. “Wang Zheng, teach him how to save things for later.”

“Yes, Chief!”

A bit of boggling at the computer interface later, and they were on the way home. Shen Wei was still annoyed at how Ye Zun had been led off the path of following instructions, but he'd no doubt calm down soon, even if Zhao Yunlan's favorite method of distracting his wonderful boyfriend was unavailable.

It was one of Shen Wei's sleeping nights, so when they curled up in bed he actually fell asleep. The presence of Ye Zun put a damper to any further amorous ambitions, but hey, he'd had his beloved earlier today. He could deal – even if he really wanted to get Ye Zun a bedroom of his own as soon as humanly possible.

The morning started just like previous ones in this new routine: Shen Wei woke up at his usual time to do breakfast preparation in the darkness, Zhao Yunlan woke to the smell of food and pulled a daydreaming Ye Zun out of the bed with him, they ate, and Ye Zun put on a ridiculous outfit. This time his bad sartorial choices were a long green coat from Zhao Yunlan's closet, Shen Wei's one black t-shirt, and truly horrendous trousers that looked like they belonged on a dowdy senior citizen who took sadistic pleasure from torturing the youth with his choices in trouser cut.

As they were pulling out to the street, Shen Wei said, “Ye Zun and I have a mutual therapy appointment today.”

Zhao Yunlan nodded. “Is it at the hospital?”

“Yes, but a separate building. I think you need to take a different entrance?”

Given that Shen Wei had never driven anywhere in his life and barely did anything but teleport, his instructions were as usual worse than useless. Nevertheless, they made it there early enough that Shen Wei and Ye Zun wouldn't be terribly late for their appointment.

Zhao Yunlan, however, was late for work. He parked carelessly in front of the SID and hopped out of the car.

At the front door of the SID stood Hua Yuzhu, Sha Ya, and a third woman, leaning on the wall and nervously pacing. Da Qing was in the doorway chatting with them.

“Morning!” Zhao Yunlan said. He pointed at the woman he didn't know and said, “Ah...”

“I'm Xuan Shi,” the the woman said. She rose from where she'd been leaning on the wall. “You were looking for volunteers to reveal their Dixing powers.”

“Indeed we were!” Zhao Yunlan said. “Please, come in to discuss.” As she hadn't received the stamp of access yet, he put a hand on her shoulder and led her into the SID.

The discussions were best held at the table, with Sha Ya and Hua Yuzhu present as mental support. Wang Zheng brought tea unprompted.

“So, Miss Xuan, you were willing to tell the world you're from Dixing?” At Xuan Shi's nod, he continued, “What's your power?”

“It's removing stains off clothing,” Xuan Shi said. “I inherited it from my mother; she runs a laundry I work for. My father has super strength and works on a construction site. None of us has done anything bad.”

Zhao Yunlan nodded. “Good. Now, you won't have to do it alone, we'll recruit other volunteers-”

“May I also volunteer?” Hua Yuzhu asked.

“Ah...” One count of associating with a criminal, one count of trying to prevent some trees from being chopped down, nothing on camera. “We can record the video interview, and later check if anyone's recorded a complaint about you. Sound good?”

Hua Yuzhu nodded. “Thank you.”

“Has Lin Jing arrived yet?” Zhao Yunlan called out to Wang Zheng.

“I'm here! I'm here! Please don't cancel my bonus!” Lin Jing yelled from the doorway.

“Such excellent timing!” Zhao Yunlan said. “Here we have our first two volunteers for the public interview. Set up the recording equipment and let's get started!”

“Sure, boss.”

While Lin Jing was dragging around the camera and stand, Zhao Yunlan went over what he wanted to see in the speech: name, age, profession, how long they'd been living in Haixing, Dixing power, how the Dixing power had been useful to society. Then the reassurances that they wouldn't release them if there were under five interviewees unless the interviewees actively requested it.

By the time he was done with his spiel, Lin Jing had finished setting up. “Done!”

“Okay. Who's first?”

Xuan Shi cleared her throat. “Let me.”

A bit of fiddling with the camera later, everything was ready. Zhao Yunlan held his breath as Lin Jing pressed Record.

“Hello, everyone. I'm Xuan Shi. I'm twenty-six years old and I work in a laundry. I'm Dixingian, but I've lived on Haixing for as long as I can remember.

“My parents came up here because they wanted a better life for me and my brother. Dixing doesn't have light. It also doesn't have schools, or hospitals, or any technology. My father uses his super strength to work on construction sites and my mother uses her Dixing power of removing stains in her laundry. My brother and I both inherited her power, so now we work there as well, rescuing expensive or emotionally significant clothing from hard to remove stains. I hope to find a nice man to marry and make enough money to support my parents when they grow old.” She smiled gently. “Thank you for taking the time to listen to me. I hope you found it enlightening.”

Deafening silence. Lin Jing came to his senses and stopped the recording. “That was good!”

“I don't think I can deliver as good a performance,” Hua Yuzhu said.

“Ah, don't undersell yourself,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Besides, it's important to have as many as possible, so people know that there's more than one law-abiding Dixingian in the city.”

“I understand,” Hua Yuzhu said. They set up again, and she spoke about her power of making flowers grow, how she'd wanted to come visit Haixing to see if it really was as green as they were told, and stayed here in awe of the nature. She didn't use her powers much at her job, but it gave her bouquets an extra oomph if necessary and ensured repeat customers.

They went over the videos together, got approval from the Dixingians to publish them, and then let the women go to their jobs. Lin Jing went back to diddling with the power-suppressing cell prototype.

Zhao Yunlan stared at the door. He'd been the SID chief for three years now, and his father had been chief for over a decade before that, and still there was a community of Dixingians who'd avoided prying eyes and managed to claw out a living without papers. It was inspiring, really – even in a hostile environment, life found a way, like the weeds growing through cracks in the concrete and flora flourishing in areas humanity had had to quarantine for decades due to spills of dangerous chemicals.

The phone rang, jerking him from his thoughts. He listened to the conversation with one ear.

“The ministry wants you to come over immediately,” Wang Zheng said as she set down the receiver. “They've sent a car.”

“I'd better get going, then?” Zhao Yunlan shook his head. “Help Ye Zun open that story of his if Shen Wei drops him on us again, and if Shen Wei asks, tell him his presence might be counterproductive.” He was not going to subject his wonderful Dixingian to more arguments on how his kind should all be killed, enslaved, or worse.

At the ministry, Zhao Yunlan was once again brought before a grand panel of bigwigs who disapproved of him. His father was the one opening the meeting this time. “While we hear you have displayed admirable dedication to the legal process of granting Dixingians citizenship, the mass transfer of Dixingians will generate attention. How do you plan on hiding it?”

“I don't,” Zhao Yunlan said, ignoring the rebuke. “A lot of people already know about Dixing and it is human nature that someone will blab eventually. If the people hear about it from the gossip media, that will make them distrust the government and fear Dixingians as monsters. If we make an official announcement instead that our downstairs recluses of neighbors have to move up here, then the populace will return to business as usual much faster and they will not start to distrust or doubt the government.”

Minister Song lightly cleared his throat. “And Dixingians and their powers?”

“We have power-suppressing handcuffs and our prototype cell for Dixingians is almost ready. Additionally, we're compiling a set of video interviews of Dixingians who've volunteered to speak a bit about how they came to Haixing, what their powers are, and what they do for a living. We'll release them online after the announcement so that people can get some extra reassurance that Dixingians are just like us and they don't need to panic.”

“But they're not ‘just like us,’” Minister Gao said.

Zhao Yunlan shrugged. “If you cut them, do they not bleed? They can fall in love, break their hearts, raise children, contribute to society, sacrifice themselves for the greater good, and care about each other just like we do.”

“We will discuss this later,” Zhao Xinci – no, Zhang Shi – said. “Please submit a draft of your announcement speech by noon tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.” Zhao Yunlan had not been given a chair, so his exit was simply walking out at being dismissed.

Once the ministry car had dropped him off at the SID and driven off, he sighed. Well, better get to work with that speech.

Ye Zun was still somewhere else, but Lin Jing was bouncing with joy. Before Zhao Yunlan could ask, he said, “Boss! Boss! I figured it out! I have a humane cell that suppresses Dixing powers!”

“Great. Send the plans to Minister Song's office and ask for an architect to draw up the plans for the prison.” Wait, they needed a prison and office space and meeting rooms. Zhao Yunlan grimaced. “No, scratch that. Send the plans to me instead and I'll send them on with instructions on what else we need.” The construction would require some time; they'd have to see whether it was ready by migration day. If not, Lin Jing would have to set up holding cells within the SID's current building. But that was a worry for tomorrow – now, Zhao Yunlan had architectural requirements to specify and a speech to write.

Shen Wei was grading in his office when it came. At first, he thought it was another of the Regent's shadow puppets, but at closer look it was instead a bird made of powdery snow. It looked like a seagull or fulmar. Cautiously, Shen Wei let it in.

“Greetings,” it said. “I am Bao Xuehu.”

“Is this a puppet with a pre-existing speech it will give, an autonomous puppet, or a means of direct communication?”

“Direct communication,” Bao Xuehu said. “I am with Captain Shao Fenglei of the Palace Guard. The birds are my eyes, ears, and mouth.”

“A convenient power,” Shen Wei remarked. Aesthetically pleasing, too. Under better circumstances he might've attempted to acquire it. “Captain Shao aired a desire for all Dixingians to live in the sunlight as full citizens of Haixing. How has the Regent reacted to that?”

“He has pontificated about how Dixingians will of course need security in these troubled times, and wants simply to transfer this prison of misery to the surface without reform. He has talked up the need for continuity and stability to the Lord of Dixing, though the Lord likely doesn't comprehend, trapped in his chair as he is.”

“He won't get to confine Dixingians like that anymore,” Shen Wei vowed.

“He is attached to his power and knows that if he parts from it, all the masses he has trod upon will rise up to destroy him. Thus, he would do anything to save his skin – but some skins don't deserve to be saved.”

Shen Wei pinched his lips. “You suggest assassinating him.”

“Death is the only means by which to remove him.”

Shen Wei was a general from a bygone era. His core competence on the front of politics was stabbing people who were trying to stab him, not intrigue beyond what happened in his faculty full of socially challenged people. Had it not been a terrible idea diplomatically, he'd have called upon Zhao Yunlan to help with the problem, except that while Zhao Yunlan might've had more experience of metaphorically cut-throat backstabbing politics, he likely didn't have any experience with assassination plots, either. If he had, though, Shen Wei would've added him to the circle of conspirators, damn the implications.

“What do you do in Dixing?” he asked to cover the silence while he thought.

“I'm an archivist,” she promptly responded. “I trawl through the most obscure of Dixing's records and experiment with the limits of dark energy and its uses in my spare time.”

Shen Wei decided he liked her. “The Regent is constantly surrounded by Palace Guards. Do you plan to assassinate him by his own guard detail?”

“He is too paranoid to allow guards to associate with each other,” Bao Xuehu replied. “We cannot recruit the other guards openly. He has thrown guards into prison for excess camaraderie under a pretext, and openly advocates for the Captain and Lieutenants to bully those beneath them like he bullies those over whom he has power until they snap. Once it went far enough a recruit killed the Lieutenant in charge of him.”

“Then you plan to arrange an accident,” Shen Wei said, steadfastly ignoring a twinge of guilt at his part in ignoring and thus perpetuating this structure.

“It'll take time,” Bao Xuehu warned. “The Regent doesn't leave the Palace often, and the Palace staff are kept under the tightest rein. But there will come a day during which he will walk beneath a heavy object or above a hole in the floor and not live to tell the tale.”

“I will ensure that his plans won't reach Haixing, and the new Treaty will not follow a single one of his wishes,” Shen Wei said. “That said, assassinations are illegal. Unfortunately, I am very busy with my duties in Haixing and thus cannot stop you.”

“Thank you, Lord Envoy,” Bao Xuehu wryly said. The bird melted into a pile of dark energy that dissipated into the wind.

Shen Wei sat back in his chair and sighed. He wanted to keep the Regent out of the negotiations. Zhao Yunlan wouldn't invite him in, but the Regent might try to contact Haixing directly, which meant they had to hurry up with the lawmaking so as to cut him off.

And talk to Zhao Xinci and hope he got Zhang Shi. He was already getting a headache just thinking about it.

That would have to happen later, though – today, Shen Wei had experiments to run. And he really did need to get the grading done before his lab reservation.

Zhao Yunlan surfaced from his work in the evening. The architectural requirements had been sent onwards for a few rounds of planning and review, and the speech would be short and sweet and was mostly written already. Wang Zheng and Sang Zan were present as always, Ye Zun had appeared to type things up on the computer, and Li Si was reading things sprawled on the couch.

“Shen Wei said he'd portal in once his experiment was done,” Wang Zheng said.

“Thanks,” Zhao Yunlan said. He supposed he could use the time for something constructive, but his brain desperately needed some time off and a good night's sleep. He sat down on the couch at Li Si's feet and stretched.

The minutes ticked by. Li Si looked up from the reader. “While the concept of this story was interesting, it is thankfully forbidden by galactic law.”

“Which story?”

“Taking Care of God. Seeding places with life with the aim of using them as retirement homes is forbidden. Interfering with unsettled worlds' evolution is also forbidden, and so are a bunch of other minor – crimes – committed by the God People.”

It took a moment's searching, but Zhao Yunlan did find it in his mental index of stuff he'd read. “What do civilizations do when they age, then?”

Li Si sighed. “They don't really senesce, unlike that story and others have speculated. It's more of a gradual oscillation in how much the civilization is focused on interacting with others, plus an oscillation in populace. Once they reach the interstellar stage, civilizations tend to get merged into the galactic civilization, which tends towards the steady state save when new civilizations merge. Sometimes there are splinter groups that work towards singularity or uploading themselves into computers or something, but most of the time they don't make a significant dent in the population of any species's population. Well, there was that one time with the Kaaaaaaaaaaaaa'atttk where the entire main world was taken over by an upload cult, but those are freak occurrences, not the rule.”

“No growth?” Zhao Yunlan asked. “No expansion? No intrepid explorers?”

“In a post-scarcity society where everything comes to you at the snap of your fingers, most people prefer to stay at home and actualize themselves and build communities.”

“But not you.”

Li Si snorted. “I'm the crazy one with a taste for adventure. My – relatives – were very upset when they heard I'd go seeking about the galaxy.”

“I'm curious – you're smart and inquisitive, surely you could've had better job opportunities than going to rental retrieval. Or is it a highly respected career?”

“My automated translator module hasn't been certified and it's only been cobbled together by a context-based neural network instead of true translations,” Li Si warned him. “Any inconsistencies in this conversation are due to that, as it is not up to the task. That disclaimed, there aren't that many opportunities for travel, as even post-scarcity has its limits. The galaxy is mostly mapped beyond the need for surveyors, and this way I get to travel to all sorts of exciting places and stay there for longer than the time to set up a planetary reconnaissance probe. Download the latest entertainments, meet new beings, see new sceneries, be a tourist on company dime.”

Zhao Yunlan shook his finger at her. “Truly a genius!”

Li Si laughed in a manner a distant observer might even consider human. “I'll be sure to tell my superiors about your opinion. But tell me, how does your project go?”

“The jail and judiciary for Dixingians is being built, and my speech on Dixingians that I'll deliver to the general public is mostly written.” Zhao Yunlan slumped into the couch as he ticked things off with his fingers. “The legislation that'll replace the Treaty is being looked over by a bunch of profs from a highly considered law school. The Yashou have been included. I'll have to ask Shen Wei about how to best break the news to the Dixingians – or maybe consult lao-Chu or some other Dixingians on the street. The process of granting IDs to the immigrants and the logistics of that still needs to be arranged. Then there's the matter of Dixingian culture and how to make them feel at home here, which I haven't even had the time to start thinking about.”

“That is a lot of planning,” Ye Zun said, suddenly paying attention to his surroundings.

“I'm sure I've forgotten something,” Zhao Yunlan sighed. He let the couch swallow him even more. “But now, I need sleep. Where's your brother?”

Dark energy crackled in the room. Like a gift from the gods, Shen Wei arrived, looking moderately frazzled in his suit.

“Speak of the angel!” Zhao Yunlan instantly regained enough vigor to bounce up and throw himself at Shen Wei. “Let's go home.”

Shen Wei blinked a few times in confusion but didn't drop his grip on Zhao Yunlan's shoulder. After a few more minutes to shepherd Ye Zun into the car, they were finally on the way home to Zhao Yunlan's bed. He wasn't even looking forward to anything but sleeping.

Zhao Yunlan awoke to Shen Wei kneeing him in the ribs while climbing over him to make breakfast. To the clarion calls of the few songbirds that braved the built environment he lamented the fact that it was now always him getting climbed over instead of Ye Zun. After a nutritious breakfast of vegetable baozi, Zhao Yunlan dropped Shen Wei and Ye Zun off at the university. Apparently Doctor Cheng would later come pick up Ye Zun and in the meanwhile Shen Wei wanted to make all of his students faint by exposing them to paired preternatural pretty.

There was a man calmly waiting at the SID doorstep. Zhao Yunlan sized him up. Medium height, slim, decent but not exceptional looks.

“Hi,” he said. “I'm Shang E. I'm not sure if I'm what you're searching for, but I'm from Dixing and haven't committed any crimes.”

“What's your power?”

“Tentacles.” Shang E winked. “I always did want to be an adult video actor, but Dixing wasn't public knowledge, so...”

Zhao Yunlan nodded. “Right. Well, you'll have to come up with a more family friendly pitch for your tentacles, but sure. Come in!”

The miracle continued and Lin Jing was already at work, so setting up the filming session didn't take long. Shang E gave a brief yet cheerful account of himself and his arrival to Haixing, then lifted his shirt a bit at the back to demonstrate his tentacles growing out from next to his spine and gave a spiel about how they helped him carry awkwardly shaped objects. He finished by waving at the camera with his tentacles, which was endearing.

Zhao Yunlan saw him out and watched him disappear into the human masses. He considered asking Shen Wei about maybe acquiring Shang E's power of tentacle manifestation, but Shen Wei had perhaps too much on his plate to consider sexy powers. Maybe after everything was done.

Or never, considering how vanilla Shen Wei was about certain things. And in a contest between adventurous fucks and a happy Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan would always choose the latter.

Once he'd walked back inside, Zhao Yunlan took stock of the situation. He had to finish the speech on Dixingians, and then there were a bunch of tasks that waited for other people's presences. Wait, he'd promised Li Si that he'd get her some webnovel recommendations. That he could delegate now. “Lin Jing!”

Lin Jing very hesitantly peeked out. “What is it, boss?”

“Our alien friend Li Si should be given some souvenirs of Haixing culture. I've given her the classics, but I'm not up to date on webnovels. Send me the full files of some stuff you'd recommend.”

“Uh... You're really asking me to go through all my favorite webnovels at work and send you the downloads?” Lin Jing asked.

“Indeed!” Zhao Yunlan spread his arms. “I am a compassionate superior, out to give my subordinates tasks they excel at. Get to work!”

“Yessir!” Lin Jing said, downright bouncing to his workstation. If only Zhao Yunlan could consider his own task as pleasant as that.

Zhao Yunlan finished the speechwriting after a short excursion to greet the law profs, sat back in his chair, let out an inhuman groan, and rubbed his eyes. Then he recalled all those memos about how sitting killed you and got up to walk around his desk a few times. His spine popped when he stretched.

The speech was good enough, Zhao Yunlan thought when he sat down and reread it. His higher-ups would insist on changing everything, anyway; no point in being too sedulous in his penmanship. He pressed Send and went to check on the motley collection of Dixingians and law professors currently consuming tea and snacks out of the SID's recently-expanded budget.

When he strode into the common room, the law professors descended upon him like they had descended from their academic aeries, and yakked his ears off in a cacophony of voices. He held up a hand, and when that didn't work, coughed until the law profs shut up.

“Could I get the simple version?” he asked.

Ten minutes of progressively less and less jargon-y versions later, the law professors finally managed to hit upon something understandable by humans. The gist was that they would be done by the end of the week – so, during next week – even if it'd need a few extra pieces of supporting legislation. And apparently the anti-discrimination legislature already in place was easy enough to amend technically.

“That sounds great,” Zhao Yunlan said. “I am grateful that such esteemed professors would give their time to the cause of integration. I hope our cooperation will continue to be solid.” Then he convinced them that they wanted to go home and sleep and let him think.

He lounged on the couch. It was blessedly quiet and he had nothing screaming for his attention.

That state of affairs lasted for forty seconds before it was broken by Shen Wei teleporting in. Zhao Yunlan waved but decided to laze about a bit more. Shen Wei was perfectly capable of letting Zhao Yunlan know if something was his responsibility.

Shen Wei walked to the end of the couch. He looked very adorable upside down. “Could you please take care of Ye Zun? I have an article to write.”

“Of course,” Zhao Yunlan said. He patted Shen Wei's arm, as it was the only thing in reach – well, save the groin, but Shen Wei wouldn't appreciate groping that in public – and he wanted to touch his lovely Dixingian. Even if he was too exhausted to rise from the couch.

“I'll come back in the evening,” Shen Wei said. He gave Zhao Yunlan's shoulder a pat, then disentangled himself and teleported himself back to the university.

Zhao Yunlan sighed wistfully at the weaving maid to his cowherd who once more departed for the other side of the Milky Way. Oh, how unfair it was, to have this divine perfection in his life as his beloved yet have no time to be together!

Relaxation ruined, he swung himself up and off the couch. “All right. Let's do something slightly different!” he called. “As kind and gracious hosts, we really should provide Li Si with some material to read. Lin Jing has collected some webnovels already, but I want the rest of you to participate as well.”

His underlings looked at each other. “Sure, Chief,” they echoed.

“What's a webnovel?” Ye Zun asked.

“It's a work of fiction released originally on the internet, through one of the common web marketplaces for such things, and readers pay to unlock chapters.” Zhao Yunlan stretched. “So, get to work. Lin Jing, what've you got already?”

“I have the top 50 most popular works from the horror, mystery, and detective sections,” Lin Jing eagerly explained. “I've also added the rest of my reading list past and present, which mostly has horror and mystery things, plus the works of Midnight Moonlight, who writes historical intrigue.” Lin Jing sighed. “Too bad his latest is still in progress.”

“I can get you the rest of the chapters,” Chu Shuzhi said. “As well as the unpublished next one.”

“Can your puppet strings rip out unwritten works from authors' skulls?!” Lin Jing asked with hair-raising enthusiasm.

“No, you idiot, I wrote them.”

“You- Oh my god,” Lin Jing said, then proceeded to oohh and aahh and squee over Chu Shuzhi's literary talents, of which there were apparently many. Everyone else rolled their eyes, Chu Shuzhi included.

At the first available pause, Zhao Yunlan interrupted it. “Right. You know what you have to do, so get to work downloading your favorite webnovels.”

That seemed to steal the wind from Lin Jing's sails and everyone managed to shuffle off to do something that might in this case even be what Zhao Yunlan ordered them to do. He discreetly pulled Chu Shuzhi aside. “Since you're an esteemed webnovelist, maybe you could provide Ye Zun with guidance on publishing?”

Chu Shuzhi stared at him flatly. “Webnovels and traditional publishing are two different beasts. Ye Zun's works are much better suited for the latter; he's too experimental for the mass market of webnovels.”

“But surely you can give him some advice?” Zhao Yunlan leaned closer and deployed his best weapon. “After all, he's the Envoy's little brother.”

At the mentions of the magic words “Envoy” and “little brother", all of Chu Shuzhi's resistance melted. “I will do my best,” he said.

Zhao Yunlan clapped him on the shoulder. “Great!” he said. “Ye Zun, I leave you in Chu Shuzhi's gentle care.” With that, he sodded off to his office to take a nap.

He did manage perhaps fifteen minutes before Minister Gao tragically interrupted him by sending a car to fetch him. With some finger-combing, he managed to look artfully disheveled, rather than like he’d just woken up from a nap.

Again, he was marched into a meeting room, though this time there were fewer apparatchiks lining the walls. His father was absent, but some ministers, Ministers Gao and Song included, sat at the mahogany table. Vice-Minister Guo sat on a chair somewhat afield next to his equivalents in other ministries.

Minister Gao started the meeting. After the introductions, he archly said, “I have recently learned that there are almost nine hundred thousand Dixingians coming up. Chief Zhao, do you not realize how much this would disrupt the labor market?”

“I ... am convinced that the esteemed Ministers have an idea on how to tackle this,” Zhao Yunlan said. It would probably be shitty, but perhaps he could convince them out of it if he started with flattery. “Won't they drive up the services economy simply by appearing?”

“We'll almost double Dragon City's population!” Minister Gao said. “We cannot just stand by.”

“Some could be sent on to nearby cities?” Zhao Yunlan suggested. He knew that wouldn't happen; the Haixing-level power balance was determined by the registered population, and Minister Gao and his ilk would not sign anything that spread the power to their neighbors. Dragon City would never be Haixing's largest city, but the Dixingian influx might help add some interest in the city. Just as urbanization had emptied most of the countryside, its second coming was emptying the smaller cities to the capital. Dragon City was a historical port city, at the junction of river and mountain and a large bay of the Southern coast, but it was also far away from most other things, and few people were interested in moving there. It'd last for this generation and the next, but the demographic projections beyond that were alarming.

“We were thinking we should limit the damage and restrict Dixingians to certain segments of the labor market,” Minister Gao blithely continued. “That way, the construction industry, say, would reap the benefits of the surplus labor without destabilizing the very underpinnings of our economy.”

Well, fuck. “I-”

“We invited you here to ask which industries these Dixingians might be able to contribute to with their Dixing powers.”

Zhao Yunlan drew a deep breath. “On every axis imaginable, Dixing powers run the gamut. Some have the power of super strength, but others have the power of learning. There are no universal qualities of Dixing powers, and other than that, they're people like us.”

The Ministers, foiled, looked at each other and their notes. “That complicates the situation,” Minister Gao said.

“I wonder if we even need to arrange such things at our level,” Minister Song said. “After all, all of us contribute to the economy without a Dixing power between us. They have no degrees and thus will be folded under the laws governing degreeless laborers.”

Zhao Yunlan nodded. “Ah – there is also the question of the Dixingians who're already here. Most of them already work in the secondary industries, but some work in law or academia or the services. Informing them they must cease their professions and go work in the mines might be very disruptive for certain subfields.” He hoped no-one would connect the dots to Shen Wei.

Uncertainty reigned on ministerial faces. “But if we don't guide them, where will they go?” one of the other Ministers asked.

“I suspect most will happily go into primary or secondary industries, as well as set up some small service industries targeted at their own community,” Zhao Yunlan said.

“It seems the situation is fully covered by existing legislature,” Minister Song said. “Perhaps we should discuss the labor investments this migration would enable.”

“The earlier suggestion of opening a new mine in the mountains looked promising,” another minister said.

“You may leave,” Minister Gao told Zhao Yunlan.

Zhao Yunlan bowed and made an exit. He very intentionally only sighed once he was out of the ministry building and on the other side of the car as the chauffeur.

At least he'd managed to avoid that landmine. Hopefully the upcoming SID website and the interview videos on it would help convince the powers that be that Dixingians were people, too, and there was no reason to restrict their lives, nor a way to do so ethically.

Over the next days, a baker's dozen of Dixingians willing to represent their species hesitantly came to the SID's doorstep and were welcomed in. The ministry grumbled and quibbled at Zhao Yunlan's wording, but after the Black-Cloaked Envoy arrived to inform them that Chief Zhao's original wording was perfect, they agreed to let Zhao Yunlan do his own thing. Zhao Yunlan was left shaking his head at his dear Shen Wei's partiality.

The day after, he was accompanied by the head of Dragon City University's Law department to deliver the law proposal. Zhao Xinci looked like he approved of his son's thoroughness, which meant that it must've been Zhang Shi in charge.

A young couple with a baby stood at the SID's doorstep. The husband was pacing nervously; the wife rocked the baby.

Zhao Yunlan walked up to them and held out his hand. “Afternoon! I'm Zhao Yunlan, head of the SID.”

The husband awkwardly stared at the hand. “I'm Jiao Yuan. I hear you wanted to video interview Dixingians?”

“Yes. Please, come in!” He noticed the man's gloved hands and very cautiously put his hand on Jiao Yuan's clothed shoulder to usher him through the barrier.

The sound of a Dixingian hitting the barrier came from behind them, followed by a baby crying. Jiao Yuan let out a sound of anguish. Zhao Yunlan firmly held his shoulder so he wouldn't try to run and looked back.

“It seems Mengmeng needs some help with the door,” the wife said.

“Certainly,” Zhao Yunlan said and walked back out. “And you, Madam...?”

“Fu Congxue. I'm human.” She smiled.

“Then let's help your little Mengmeng visit the SID.” He winked and flashed Fu Congxue a winning smile. Ushering in a baby through the barrier was a bit awkward, but Mengmeng could be coaxed into grasping his forefinger so Yunlan could bring him through. It was adorable.

Baby still hanging on to his finger, Zhao Yunlan led the procession to the SID's main room. Jiao Yuan kept glancing at him like a knife were being twisted in a wound.

“So you wish to tell everyone you're from Dixing,” Zhao Yunlan said. “What's your power?”

“Everyone I touch experiences excruciating pain,” Jiao Yuan quietly said.

That would explain a lot. “And thus you wear gloves.”

“And thus I wear gloves.”

“Right. Lin Jing!” Zhao Yunlan called out. “Bring the camera! We have a volunteer!”

Setup didn't take long, as they'd had lots of practice. As Lin Jing was finishing the focusing, Zhao Yunlan whispered into his ear.

“You can start now,” Lin Jing said and retreated.

Jiao Yuan took a deep breath. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am Jiao Yuan. I'm just a regular salaryman with a wife and a son – except that I'm from Dixing.

“I'm sure you've heard from lots of Dixingians whose powers are useful and socially beneficial or simply cool. I wasn't that fortunate. Everyone I touch experiences excruciating pain.” He smiled sadly and lifted his hands. “So I wear gloves.

“Everyone at work thinks I'm a hypochondriac and they look at me askance when I don't shake hands and keep my gloves on all the time, but that I can bear with. The thing is”–he swallowed–“I have an infant son. And he'll never feel his father's touch. Because the only thing that can bring him is pain.” Tears beaded in the corners of his eyes.

Lin Jing returned from the lab and gave Zhao Yunlan what he'd been sent to fetch. Zhao Yunlan thanked him and sat down next to Jiao Yuan. “Mister Jiao?” he softly said. “We've made bracelets that can suppress Dixing powers. Would you like to try?”

Jiao Yuan looked at Zhao Yunlan like he'd been promised salvation from self-made doom. “Yes.”

Zhao Yunlan handed him the bracelets – a modification of the power-suppressing handcuffs that Lin Jing had made upon remembering Wang Yike's case – and helped him snap them on. They were clunky, but no longer obviously resembled handcuffs, and worked.

With the cuffs on, Jiao Yuan removed his gloves with shaking hands. Zhao Yunlan calmly offered his hand as experiment; Jiao Yuan's shook so hard he could barely reach out.

Nothing. Just a warm human hand and an utter absence of pain.

“Go hug your son,” Zhao Yunlan gently said. With a final comforting pat to Jiao Yuan's shoulder he retreated from their attention.

Fu Congxue hurried over and grasped her husband's hand, and Jiao Yuan cradled her face, and then little Mengmeng was handed over to his father. Jiao Yuan was openly sobbing in joy as he gently stroked his infant son's face. Fu Congxue was overwhelmed as well, and had her face half-buried in her husband's shoulder.

The slight crackle of dark energy from the side caught Zhao Yunlan's attention. He went to intercept Shen Wei before the happy family could be interrupted.

Shen Wei looked confused and Ye Zun baffled. After Zhao Yunlan had steered them away from the main table and into the office, Shen Wei asked, “What-”

“Dixing guy whose power was causing pain to everyone he touched came over with his wife and kid, we gave him power-suppressing bracelets, and now he gets to touch his baby without causing the kid agony.” Zhao Yunlan shrugged. “Sometimes the nice thing is easy to do.”

“What will he have to give in exchange?” Ye Zun asked.

“Absolutely nothing,” Zhao Yunlan said. “We are doing this out of the sheer goodness of our hearts.”

Shen Wei looked thoughtful. “So Wang Yike could also benefit?”

“The bracelets are just modified handcuffs. They're a bit bulky at this point, but we'll see about making ones that look less like manacles.”

“I'll see about tracking her down so she can get a pair.” A small smile played at the corners of Shen Wei's lips as if he were delighted at a weight rolling off his shoulders. He turned to look at the happy family.

The happy family had gotten off the couch, and Lin Jing was now showing them the recording on the camera. Little Mengmeng was still ensconced in his father's arms.

“We got all of it on camera,” Lin Jing told Zhao Yunlan when he rejoined them.

All of it. That would be a very powerful little clip of a Dixingian experiencing very human emotions, as well as advertisement for power-suppressing bracelets for those who'd need them. Zhao Yunlan asked the family, “May we show the whole thing?”

Jiao Yuan and Fu Congxue looked at each other. “Yes,” Jiao Yuan said. “Thank you.”

“Ah, no problem, really,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Keep the bracelets. We'll get a website up soon that'll inform you of any bracelet upgrades. The next versions will be less obtrusive.”

A while more of thanks, and the young family headed out the door, baby ensconced in a very cuddly father's arms. The SID waved goodbye to them.

“Don't you worry that if you make knowledge of the bracelets public, wearing them will become mandatory?” Shen Wei asked.

That was indeed a potential complication. “We'll cross that bridge when we get there. And we're going to make them as unobtrusive as possible so it wouldn't be possible to pick someone out as Dixingian due to their wristwear.” Wait, hadn’t they gone over this with the legal team already? “One of the stipulations of the new legislature is that no-one can demand any measures solely based on Dixingianness, so requiring Dixingians to wear the bracelets would be illegal. They’ll remain optional.”

“They are a convenient invention,” Shen Wei agreed.

“I'm sure Wang Yike will be pleased once she's returned to the surface. She can finally properly hold hands with Teacher Zhang.” Shen Wei had frozen awkwardly. Zhao Yunlan leaned conspiratorially and whispered in a scandalized voice, “Is Brother Black trying to tell me that he started his catch and release program early?”

Shen Wei sighed but didn't deny it. “I'm sure she and others in her position will be happy.”

“Do you know where she lives?” Zhao Yunlan asked. “We have another few pairs hanging around. We could turn up with a present.”

An hour later, Zhao Yunlan pulled up his motorbike in the driveway of the little suburban house. It was a nice little building with ten single-floor units piled two high and five abreast amidst greenery; Wang Zheng and Zhang Ruonan lived on the ground floor at one of the ends.

“Which unit was it?” Zhao Yunlan asked.

“The one at this end,” Shen Wei said, white-knuckled and still more than a bit put out over the method of transport.

“Let's go ring the doorbell, then!” Zhao Yunlan hopped off the bike and opened up the cargo container beneath the passenger seat once Shen Wei had slowly slid off.

The door was a nice mahogany brown and the doorbell modern. There weren't any steps, Zhao Yunlan noted. Convenient, given that Zhang Ruonan had needed a wheelchair when they'd last met.

Footsteps. Zhao Yunlan smiled and waved at the door-eye.

The door opened a crack, too narrow to see who it was. “What is it?” Wang Yike's voice asked.

“The SID has been working on power-suppressing bracelets, and just today I heard that you were still on Haixing, so I decided to make a delivery.” Zhao Yunlan added a wink for good measure, even if Wang Yike couldn't see it. Somewhere behind him, Shen Wei sighed.

Wang Yike opened the door. “Power-suppressing bracelets?”

“That's right!” Zhao Yunlan strode in, Shen Wei on his trail. “Put them on, and they should suppress your powers fully. This version is still a bit bulky, but we'll be releasing updated versions in the future. The upcoming SID website will tell more.”

“The SID website,” Wang Yike repeated.

“Things are about to change a lot,” Zhao Yunlan explained.

Zhang Ruonan rolled in on her wheelchair. “Yike? Oh, Professor Shen! You even brought flowers.”

“They're for Wang Yike to test out the power-suppressing bracelets,” he said.

Zhao Yunlan deposited the bracelets into Wang Yike's gloved hands and helped Zhang Ruonan along as she ushered them to the kitchen. He considered taking over teamaking, as Wang Yike's hands were shaking much too much to handle hot water safely, but that'd be too rude even for him and it would be best to keep this visit short.

The bracelets clicked around Wang Yike's wrists and she very hesitantly removed her gloves. She reached out to brush her fingers against a flower blossom.

Nothing happened.

She poked it again, and again, and took hold of it more strongly and squeezed the small bouquet with both hands. The flowers weren't adversely affected.

“It works,” Wang Yike whispered. “It really works.”

“Indeed.” Shen Wei held out his hand. “Please.”

Zhao Yunlan bit his lip. He knew Shen Wei wasn't as strong as he had been when he'd fought off Wang Yike, but the bracelets should hold and Shen Wei should be able to resist enough to back off if they didn't.

Wang Yike started by hesitantly brushing her fingertips at Shen Wei's, then when that caused him no harm, touching in truth and then holding his hands in hers. When that didn't affect Shen Wei at all, either, she threw herself at Zhang Ruonan. “Jie!”

“Yike,” Zhang Ruonan said, voice broken. Her shaking hands rose to Wang Yike's hair, pulling her closer, and her lips parted for Wang Yike's. The two of them were lost from the outside world, rejoicing in this opportunity for pleasure and Wang Yike's newfound freedom from fear, celebrating by sucking each other's faces off.

Zhao Yunlan looked at Shen Wei. “We're busy, so we'll show ourselves out. Have a nice day!”

Zhang Ruonan and Wang Yike made vague noises of acknowledgement. Zhao Yunlan shrugged and led his Dixingian out by the shoulder.

Outside, putting his motorbike helmet on, Zhao Yunlan said, “Teacher Zhang's departure must've hit you hard.”

“Indeed. They still haven't hired a replacement.” Shen Wei's hid his put-out expression inside his helmet.

“Do you think one of the Dixingians coming up might be able to help her?”

Shen Wei paused. “I am ... unsure. I'll ask around once I have the time.”

“My dear professor, so very busy. Let's get back to work, eh? Be sure to take the opportunity to cling to me.” Zhao Yunlan winked.

“Drive slower, then,” Shen Wei grumbled. Zhao Yunlan chose to interpret that as an exhortation to extend their clinging time rather than as a commentary on his driving skills.

The next days Zhao Yunlan spent following up on the bureaucratic process that'd grant incoming Dixingians their papers and talking them into setting up a test station that Dixingians already on the surface could come to to get better papers. Shen Wei kept hopping over to Dixing to do his official Dixing things, but did fulfill his promise to spread word of the opportunity to acquire official papers among his network of surface Dixingians, for a few trickled in to test the systems.

All of Dixing must be crackling with anticipation, Zhao Yunlan thought on the eve of his scheduled announcement. They'd agreed to head to Dixing soon after to give Dixingians their official announcement.

The problem was that there was nothing for Zhao Yunlan to do at this stage. He was terribly bored and pacing around his desk, cordoned to his office to not disturb the people actually working.

But there was someone else who had nothing to do. “Li Si!” he shouted.

A few minutes passed. Zhao Yunlan considered that maybe she'd meant only the common area, or he was interrupting a wank session, but she appeared in her usual disconcerting way at the very edge of his vision and sat down on one of the armchairs in an uncanny fashion.

“I wanted to talk about the mind control,” he said when it was clear she wouldn't start the conversation. “And whether that guy's told you anything more about what the hell he was doing, and whether there'll be any more consequences from that.”

Li Si nodded. “A selection of his Space Weibo posts were sent after me, as were more detailed reports from the ¤#¡-°@ homeworld. Aopihglklah of the Opaweihrfoa was an open admirer of the ¤#¡-°@, which was the reason he gave for renting the spaceship, though he claimed it was to appreciate their organic AI technology. What he really planned in his chats was to play god on some unsettled planet, so he ransacked a farm that bred organic AIs, stuffed them in the spaceship, and headed off in a random direction without many settled planets so he could find a place to colonize.”

“How'd he make the original slaves look like the locals?”

“Altering the corporeal form is very easy,” Li Si said. “One could even say – easy.”

“He didn't ask their opinions, did he.”

“I don't think he saw them as creatures capable of having opinions.”

“Right.” Zhao Yunlan exhaled. “So, how do we remove the – taint, wasn't that how you called it?”

“I'm a rental recollections agent, not a – ^’&/@£Ʒ,” Li Si grumbled. “I have no clue how to do that.”

Zhao Yunlan stared at her pitifully.

“I'll ask an acquaintance,” Li Si sighed. “If only because you are the cutest hamsters and most daring ants I have come across.”

“This cute hamster thanks you from the bottom of his heart,” Zhao Yunlan said.

Li Si did something that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike laughing. Eh, she was their alien benefactor; he'd grant her some slack.

There were other things he'd meant to investigate but hadn't had the time for. “You remember how Ye Zun claimed he'd been checked out the whole time and was innocent of the crimes committed in his name? How believable is that? After all, that slaver guy was still using his form and voice.”

“You're the cop,” Li Si said. “And the one who's associated with Dixingians for longer. Is it believable?”

“I was asking more on the technical side. You know, whether it was scientifically plausible.”

Li Si slouched back in the armchair. “The story he gave doesn't run contra to my knowledge of the universe. Aopihglklah of the Opaweihrfoa was not particularly creative, and there's a whole phenomenon of using a form the locals are familiar with.”

“Thank you.” He unwrapped a lollipop and stuck it in his mouth. “One last thing. What is your real name?”

Li Si blinked unfocusedly. “It is-”

A fugue played by raindrops falling on a forest floor. Whalesong from the depths. Halcyon bells ringing at the edge of a secluded monastery's mirror-calm pond.

“It's beautiful,” Zhao Yunlan whispered.

Li Si shrugged. “It is considered quite ordinary in my home; my – relatives – wanted to give me a name everyone would immediately recognize.”

“Does it mean anything?”

“For my people, names are what they are – so a picture of a leaf means a leaf, the sound of rain means rain. Other peoples use aesthetically appealing noises, colors, or patterns.”

Zhao Yunlan nodded. “How do you treat each others' names in interspecies contexts? I assume that, say, a species whose names are inkblot patterns might not be able to say your name properly. Do you use assumed appellations or assistive devices or translation software?”

“Depends. Translation software when it's convenient – auditory names in another's auditory speech, a standard system of placeholder names – and assumed names otherwise. ‘Li Si’ is me extending the placeholder system; the translator automatically translates it into my authentic name.”

“Sounds useful.” Zhao Yunlan momentarily distracted himself trying to imagine how such a translator system would work for more visually oriented languages. Squirting ink onto a plate? No, ink-squirting species lived in water, so their languages would probably be three-dimensional.

“I have made it through more of your works of fiction,” Li Si continued. “The works involving uplift into sentience of dolphins and spiders were intriguing, but such processes are forbidden by galactic law.”

“Galactic law sounds very forbidding. Is anything not forbidden?”

“Collecting lost rental spaceships isn’t,” Li Si deadpanned. Or perhaps she was being sincere. It was hard to tell with her, alien as she was. “The stability of society depends on just and comprehensive laws, and galactic society is old enough to have legislated for pretty much all situations.” She paused. “Though if choosing to affect uplift through the nanovirus method, it might take a long time before discovery. Planets that have life capable of experiencing pain, versus nociception, are banned from settlement, and usually multicellular life means no-one gets to look. Thus the crime would not be discovered until the species left its rock and joined the galactic community.” She tilted her head, then bared her teeth. “Or through spaceship navigation records. We’re required to check them. One better own the spaceship one uses for it.”

“Is Miss Li perhaps advising us on how to get away with such a deed?”

Li Si tilted her head more. “Oh, certainly not; I am a perfectly law-abiding sapient being!” She tilted her head the other direction. “Though since you’re not legally sentient, and certainly not bound by galactic law as you are not part of the galactic community, it would be an interesting legal case for the legal beings.”

“Would committing such crimes help with our case for sentience?” Zhao Yunlan asked, genuinely curious.

“Fuck if I know,” Li Si said. “The literature might help more; it displays a talent for speculating on the future and inserting oneself into the minds of alien others.”

“Science fiction for the sentience courts; got it.” He smiled wryly. “Perhaps I should go reread some of my favorites.”

“It is good relaxation,” Li Si agreed. “Shall I leave you to it?”

She probably had some reading of her own to do. “Sure,” Zhao Yunlan said.

Li Si disappeared in a mind-bending optical illusion, leaving him alone in the room.

Well. He didn’t actually have anything else to do. He hunted down a download to a collection of short stories, then read it on his phone until he had something actually pressing to do.

The next morning, Zhao Yunlan sat in front of the SID emblem. He was wearing a suit that miraculously still fit, and felt approximately five times as official as usual. He regretted every choice of wording in his speech as he read it off the teleprompter.

“Good evening. I am Zhao Yunlan, Chief of the Special Investigations Department. The SID is a department that deals with special cases, as its name suggests. These cases usually involve Dixingians or Yashou people.

“Who are the Dixingians and Yashou, you ask? Quite straightforwardly, they are people. Like you, they feel happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy. They suffer heartbreak and lose their virginity. They're real living people. They might have come from another planet and have powers and abilities different to others, but that doesn't mean they're not people.”

Zhao Yunlan paused. “For millennia, they've lived apart from us, the Yashou in remote and secluded forests and Dixingians in their own underground polis. Now, however, the underground home of the Dixingians is becoming uninhabitable, and Dixingians must migrate en masse to the surface. Some of you might have caught wind of the preparations at this end. This will be a large undertaking, as Dragon City's population will increase in size by more than half at least temporarily, but I trust that we can all work together and come out of this better for the experience.

“You might have concerns about this all-new type of person appearing in Dragon City. As it happens, some Dixingians have been living in Dragon City already. We asked volunteers to speak about their experiences living as Dixingians in Dragon City. The videos are on the SID website. You will quickly see that they are just like us.” He smiled. “So. Please be kind to your new neighbors, and patient when they get lost in an unfamiliar city. Thank you for your time.”

The Ministry goon in charge of the video recording nodded. “Good. Now, let's record another few takes-”

Four hours of almost nonstop recording later, the Ministry goon had enough takes to send to the committee that'd decide which of them looked the best and could be showed as an early evening public service announcement. Zhao Yunlan grabbed the amusedly waiting Shen Wei and rushed off to Dixing, where there would be no cell signal and the Ministry couldn't importune Zhao Yunlan about more takes.

Shen Wei had trouble opening the portal. Compared to the first time Zhao Yunlan had seen him do it, it took over twice as long and looked to actually strain him. Zhao Yunlan decided to bring it up later.

In Dixing, Zhao Yunlan was still in his damn suit while Shen Wei was in his Envoy robes. At least one of them would be recognized.

People gawked at them from a respectful distance. Ye Zun – or rather, the alien mind controlling him – had done his part to make tensions run high in Dixing, but with that gone, people were listless and off-balance. With a bit of provocation, the pot would be ready to explode.

At the palace, the Regent immediately sidled up to them. “Lord Envoy! Chief Zhao! So formally dressed.”

“You know why we are here,” Shen Wei brushed him off, and okay, the preliminary stuff he'd mentioned in his office all those days ago must've been very wearying to him if he was that snappish. “Have you set it up?”

“Oh, yes, yes, I have,” the Regent said and ushered them forwards. Some Dixingians walked in from the sides. Of course they'd do this with Dixing powers.

It'd be a nice and official backdrop – An Bai was behind them, being all Lord of Dixing-y – and Zhao Yunlan stood up straight next to Shen Wei. Would it be bad manners to appear taller than the Envoy? Ah well, it wasn't like he could slouch on camera or get Shen Wei heels on this short a notice.

Zhao Yunlan spied a very familiar bartender with very technology-based recording equipment, too. Good. Zhao Yunlan wasn't sure whether the Regent would try to pull something sketchy.

The woman in charge of the broadcast channeled her Dixing powers, and suddenly they were displayed on the sky above Dixing. An involuntary wowed sound escaped Zhao Yunlan.

“Greetings, citizens of Dixing,” Shen Wei began. “Ten thousand years ago, we agreed to return to the spaceship that brought our ancestors here so as to not overburden Haixing's resources after the meteor strike.

“Now, however, things have changed. Haixing has fully recovered and blossomed into prosperity, while the spaceship has degraded with time. Most pressingly, the spaceship's owners want it back. We will all have to move to Haixing.” He looked at Zhao Yunlan.

“Don't worry,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Haixing authorities will provide you with official identities and connect you with housing and employment opportunities upon your arrival. Your children will go to school, and you will get to go to the hospital when sick. Please don't look directly at the Sun, though, however amazing you might find it; you’ll only damage your eyes.”

“Be kind to the Haixingians who've welcomed us into their midst,” Shen Wei said. “Do not harm anyone, do not cause public disturbances, and if in doubt, ask. You will be given the contact details of people to whom you can turn.

“Setting up all of this has taken and will still take time. We came here today to tell you to pack and will come to tell you when the bureaucracy is ready to welcome you. Please act in an orderly fashion. Haixing will take in everyone.”

“In brief,” Zhao Yunlan said, “welcome to Haixing. We'll tell you when the red carpet is ready.” He pulled out the props from his pockets. “Please excuse me for my assistive device; not all of us can generate fire from our fingertips.” He winked and flicked his lighter. Flame rose from it to the corner of the Treaty, and the piece of paper slowly burned away, dark flecks drifting off in a breeze that could've only been provided by a very unimpressed-looking Shen Wei.

“Let this be the dawn of a more peaceful era,” Shen Wei concluded. A small jerk of his hand, and the woman cut off the broadcast.

“That went well,” Zhao Yunlan softly said. “Don't you think?”

Shen Wei fixed him an unimpressed look. Definitely not thrilled about the Treaty-burning, then.

“Lord Envoy, Lord Guardian,” the Regent came to say. “Perhaps you'd like to stay-”

“Our duties demand our presence in Haixing,” Shen Wei interrupted him. Definitely pissed off at the Regent and desiring zero amount of his company. “Lord Guardian, please.” He dragged Zhao Yunlan back to the portal.

Her technicolor void was acquiring objects. First little flakes of color that floated, now the miscellanea of life hovering in the distance.

She wasn't sure if they'd been there from the beginning or if they'd only just arrived. If they'd gradually, slowly, drifted around, before this, then she wouldn't have noticed them.

Or she was hallucinating.

In any case, there was still nothing she could do but wait.

They stepped into Haixing. It had taken Shen Wei less effort to open the portal from the Dixing side, but it was still a far cry from the effortless wave of the hand Zhao Yunlan had first seen from the Black-Cloaked Envoy.

It was still a few hours before the scheduled time slot for the announcement on Haixing's side. There was no-one in sight. Zhao Yunlan calmly said, “I notice you've had more and more trouble using dark energy lately. What's the matter?”

Shen Wei froze like a deer in headlights. He pulled his mouth into a fixed little smile. “I've been healing Ye Zun every now and then. Perhaps I should try to ration my energy better.”

“No, starting from before that,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Starting from- Fuck. Shen Wei, what did you actually do to heal my eyes? Did you know this would happen?!”

“I-” Shen Wei started. “...No. I did not know.”

Zhao Yunlan sighed and tried to get his emotions under control. It wasn't that he'd love Shen Wei any less if he didn't have powers, but... Shen Wei was Dixingian, the Envoy, had lived his whole life with powers and used them habitually. He'd have to reorganize his life if his powers gave out. “Did visiting Dixing help?”

“Not noticeably. Though...” Shen Wei swallowed and wrestled with himself.

Please tell me the truth, Zhao Yunlan thought.

Shen Wei didn't look at Zhao Yunlan. Score. “Haixing energy got into me and I can't seem to keep it from gradually displacing my dark energy. In Dixing, the process slows.”

“If we sucked out the Haixing energy somehow, would your dark energy come back?”

“Maybe?” Then Shen Wei looked at Zhao Yunlan and smiled politely. “I'll do my best to fix it; you need not be concerned.”

Zhao Yunlan stopped in his tracks. “Shen Wei. Of course I need to be concerned! You are”–the love of my life–“one of my people. We're both busy, but I could delegate it to Lin Jing. Hell, lao-Chu might know something. Or you could ask one of the surface Dixingians you trust.”

“Let's go back to the SID in time for the broadcast,” Shen Wei said, and it wasn't a yes but it also wasn't a no, which was a lot for someone of Shen Wei's constitutional inability to ask for others' help. Zhao Yunlan would have to take it – for now.

At the SID, there were no ministry goons, Wang Zheng was ready to press the button that'd make the SID webpage go live, and everyone else had set up the couches and chairs so they could watch the announcement on the evening news. Even Li Si had turned up.

“How did it go in Dixing?” Guo Changcheng asked.

“What food are we going to order for the evening?” Da Qing asked.

“Dixing went well, and there'll be no fish for you,” Zhao Yunlan said and he flopped down onto the couch, serenaded by Da Qing's complaints.

“The reactions in Dixing will take some time to coalesce,” Shen Wei said as he elegantly sat down beside Zhao Yunlan. “Though unless they grow suspicious, they should be appreciative of the chance to live on Haixing.”

“What about the ones who want to stay?” Chu Shuzhi asked.

“No-one wants to stay there, it's dark and miserable,” Ye Zun said. He was wearing a green corduroy t-shirt with purple polka dots on it, a studded belt, and jeans so ragged even the most fashion-forward of youth would've thrown them in the trash. It seemed he had decided to sublimate any residual hatred at the universe into searing people's eyes off with his choices of clothing. The real wonder was that Shen Wei had at one point thought that sort of clothes were acceptable.

“Lots of people call it home,” Chu Shuzhi carefully said, “and when one's home is the darkness, adjusting to the light can be hard. Especially if one's natural circadian rhythm is not the twenty-four hour cycle of the Sun.”

Zhao Yunlan remembered Chu Shuzhi at the start, grumpy and sleep-deprived and ridiculously sensitive to sunlight. “Wang Zheng, note that the Dixingians should be told where to find blackout curtains and sleep masks. And any jetlag cures wouldn't go amiss.”

“Please excuse him; we were born on the surface,” Shen Wei said and rose to drag a sulking Ye Zun to the couch.

Zhao Yunlan noticed that Ye Zun was wearing squared toe sneakers. He needs to express himself, he repeated in a mantra and counted to ten to cut off the urge to stage an intervention.

“Can we have pork chop with rice cakes?” Ye Zun asked.

“Of course,” Shen Wei agreed on the SID's behalf. “Is there anything else you would like?”

“Dried fish,” Da Qing said, and then the rest of the SID added their orders as well. Zhao Yunlan sighed at the expense, but their budget had just been increased. And it was a seminal evening.

While Shen Wei was fussing over his brother, Zhao Yunlan beckoned Li Si over. “Do you think Dixing powers stem from the taint?” he quietly asked.

Not quietly enough, it seemed. Everyone froze and stared at him, then Li Si.

“Fuck if I know,” Li Si said. “As I mentioned earlier, I'm a rental recollections agent, not a – ^’&/@£Ʒ.”

“So you have no clue, truly?” Zhao Yunlan pressed.

“They might be one and the same, they might be utterly unrelated, they might be tangled up but untangleable by a competent – ^’&/@£Ʒ.” She moved her shoulders in a shrug. “I'll ask my acquaintance to consider it on the way and upon arrival.”

“To choose between the powers I have grown with and liberty ... that truly is a sadistic choice,” Chu Shuzhi said.

“Li Si said her acquaintance would fix it, right?” Guo Changcheng stuttered. “Surely it can be fixed, and one removed without neutralizing the other?”

“There is also the question of what'll happen to dark energy once Dixing is taken away,” Shen Wei said. “Dixing is after all the source of dark energy-”

“Wait, so that's what you call dark energy?” Li Si said. “Please pardon my translator module, it has not been officially certified. Anyway, dark energy is likely the nanobots the ship uses for microrepairs and – hwyityyöyt – so you need not worry. Nanobots are cheap as dirt; any not inside the ship at takeoff can stay.”

There was a collective sigh of relief from the Dixingian and Yashou contingents. “And if Dixing and Yashou powers are just the ability to manipulate these nanobots in certain ways, do you think the taint can be removed without affecting that ability?” Zhao Yunlan asked.

“As I said, I'm not a – ^’&/@£Ʒ, but maybe,” Li Si said. “At least it sounds plausible?”

“Is it possible to give humans the same ability to manipulate the nanobots?” Lin Jing asked.

“Ask the – ^’&/@£Ʒ who comes,” Li Si grumbled. “Maybe? I don't know, I am a mere rental recollections agent who enjoys travel and weird shit.”

“The broadcast's starting,” Wang Zheng interrupted them.

All attention was turned to the screen. It started with the early evening newsreader telling the world that there was an important announcement from the government, and then the scene switched to Zhao Yunlan officiously sitting before the SID emblem.

Zhao Yunlan cradled his face in his hands. He looked like a ridiculous mid-level bureaucrat with delusions of grandeur.

The speech came out decent, at least, even if he suddenly had second thoughts about inserting the reference to Dixingians having virginities they could lose the moment Da Qing complained, “Boss, did you really have to boast about getting it on with a Dixingian? Also, I did not want to know that about your sex life with the Envoy!”

“Sexual behavior is an important part of most people's lives,” Shen Wei primly said. “It is important that humans know that Dixingians are similar to them in this respect as well.”

“What's sex?” Ye Zun asked, bringing the conversation to a screeching halt.

“Da Qing, go hold sex ed for the Envoy's little brother,” Zhao Yunlan said. The damn cat would at least not shy away from the mechanics, even if he'd need some tempering. “Xiao-Guo, make sure he doesn't screw up or show any actual porn.”

“Yes, Boss!” Guo Changcheng said while Da Qing merely made a face.

Shen Wei watched with great concern as the two of them led Ye Zun off to a corner of the room and started gesticulating at him. Zhao Yunlan patted his knee reassuringly.

“Do you have any preferences on what to do with the slaving tools?” Li Si asked.

“Can you destroy them?” Zhao Yunlan asked. “If not, could you take them with you, if they help enslave the populace?”

“I can destroy them decently,” Li Si said.

Shen Wei rose abruptly and dragged Li Si off to have a hushed conversation. Shen Wei looked insistent, Li Si's eyebrows rose on several occasions, and Zhao Yunlan couldn't eavesdrop on them properly due to some Dixing power thing Shen Wei did.

The phone rang, loud in the quiet room. Wang Zheng answered it. “Haixing Department of Supervision wants to know the pageviews for the videos,” she said.

“Wait a sec,” Lin Jing said, then rattled off some numbers. Jiao Yuan and his family's moment of happiness were the most popular, to no-one's surprise.

After that, the SID waited on tenterhooks as the occasional call came in from elsewhere in the bureaucratic system and the talk shows started speculating on Dixingians. Zhao Yunlan never did hear what Shen Wei so urgently had to tell Li Si about the Hallows.

Professor Zhou walked into work with lots of questions on his mind. This project had been Professor Ouyang's idea, and while he'd originally gone along in an effort to achieve academic fame and glory, last night's speech by the Chief of the Special Investigation Department hinted that funding would soon only be found elsewhere. Besides-

“They are just like us.”

Professor Zhou walked into the lab to find Professor Ouyang and that student of Shen Wei's – Li Qian, that was it – already there. “Did you see Chief Zhao's broadcast on Dixingians last night?”

“Utter bollocks,” Ouyang Zhen said. He snorted. “You and I both know Dixingians are defined by their Dixing powers. Obviously they're nothing like us!”

They were creatures who lived in the pitch darkness, deep underground, so of course there would be no evolutionary pressures for them to be human; quite the contrary, in fact. Not to mention that they were aliens of completely different genetic stock. They would more likely resemble Ediacaran biota than man.

But Professor Zhou had always been an experimental scientist. “Li Qian, when you were involved in that debacle, did you see any Dixingians?”

“Y-yes.”

“What did they look like?”

“I saw three,” Li Qian said. “Two tried to kill me, and the third one took them both away. The first one was some sort of shadowy man-shaped mass, whose power was probably something to do with either that or making blades appear in his hands. The second one looked human, and his power was telekinesis of some sort. The third...”

“Nothing contradicts the hypothesis that they are using dark energy to create the illusion of human appearance,” Ouyang Zhen interjected. “And that the ones in those propaganda videos are the ones most capable of appearing human.”

“The third came to arrest the other two,” Li Qian continued. “He froze time, hopped out of a portal to Dixing, and had a blade on a pole which could channel some sort of ice powers. He looked sort of like a handsome out of place cosplayer?”

“You've met the Black-Cloaked Envoy?” Ouyang Zhen asked. “How was his relationship with Chief Zhao?”

Li Qian gulped and shrank in on herself. “They ... got along with each other?”

“That's enough, Ouyang Zhen; she only saw one conversation a long while ago,” Professor Zhou said. “And for the smoothness of all the official things, isn't it good that the Envoy and the Chief of the SID get along with each other?”

“Not if the SID Chief is being mind controlled!” Ouyang Zhen said. “Li Qian, there is a video on the internet that someone took.” He rattled off some search terms. Li Qian found the video. “See that figure walking next to Chief Zhao? Who is that, and why is he there if not for evil purposes? In every recent video of Chief Zhao outside official appearances, he has been accompanied.”

Professor Zhou thought Professor Ouyang was being unnecessarily paranoid, but still, best play along a bit. He leaned in to watch the grainy video on Li Qian's screen. Indeed, there was someone to Chief Zhao's left, mostly hidden by shadow and camera angle, but there was the pattern of walking and the occasional sleeve-

“That's Shen Wei,” Professor Zhou said. “He let himself be hired as a consultant for the SID some time ago. I told him it was a terrible decision for his academic career, but he did it anyway out of some sense of duty. You both know his character.” He considered whether to air the probably-true guess on Shen Wei's romantic entanglements. He settled for, “They're close.” Ouyang Zhen and Li Qian would either figure it out or they wouldn't.

Ouyang Zhen let the matter lie, but he'd always been too stubborn for his own good. Professor Zhou foresaw several equally pointless arguments in the future.

The fact was, the official stance was now that Dixingians were equal citizens. One didn't climb as high in the academic world as Professor Zhou had without having a keen nose for the official opinions on which funding depended. Ouyang's studies were risky: depending on the approach, they might be well-funded or abruptly shut down. At the very least they would need an ethics review and permission forms. With the way Ouyang would phrase them and the way Ouyang had run them, they'd be shut down as unnecessary. Best disentangle himself from it now. He already had some project ideas of his own – this mass migration to the surface would give unprecedented opportunity to recruit into a genetic survey of Dixingians, for one.

Indeed, it was an excellent opportunity. He also had the requisite connection to the SID Chief via Shen Wei. Professor Zhou was a kind man; he'd use this project to rescue Shen Wei back into academia and secure his cooperation by extracting Li Qian from Ouyang's sinking ship.

It was an excellent plan. Professor Zhou was smug when he walked off to arrange a meeting with Shen Wei.

Shen Wei's first memory was someone telling him his father had died.

His life had been a life of loss. His father to an illness, his mother to a landslide, his grandmother to old age, his world to the meteor, his brother to a villain, countless comrades to war, Kunlun to a wormhole, then his world again, this time to the unstoppable hands of time. As such, he had no knowledge of sustained, close bonds beyond the one love he felt for Zhao Yunlan. On occasions, he'd fantasized of parents, but he knew his desperate dreams of youth had little bearing on the real deal.

The world had played a cruel joke on him in more ways than one when it woke him up from the ground's embrace. One aspect of the joke was that, even if a father would forever be out of his grasp, it had given him a mentor.

Alas, Shen Wei was no more that simple youth, and had turned into a fugitive from the scrutinizing light. He was a soldier, a time traveler, a Dixingian – and no one must ever know. Not even the reasonably kind-hearted Professor Zhou who'd taught him the joy of discovery and eagerly led Shen Wei onto the path of science.

Thus the occasional fantasy of a loving father turned into fantasies of an accepting mentor; Shen Wei confessing his true concerns and Professor Zhou being able to advise him on Dixingian politics, on learning to stop charting exit routes from every room he entered, on learning to live in the loud-bright-fast modern era he'd woken up in. In his daydreams, Professor Zhou was nothing but accepting and had useful advice to give.

In reality, Professor Zhou considered Dixingians not human, and in any case, Shen Wei couldn't take the risk. He waited at the drinking establishment's door in the same manner as he always did.

Professor Zhou's taxi arrived. Shen Wei helped him out and let himself be ushered into the building.

It was a decent place: the tables were in secluded nooks and the waitstaff discreet. Shen Wei ordered tea and endured the now-familiar ribbing from his mentor. After the past weeks' disruption, it was like returning to a home one had been rudely stolen from.

But nothing good could last. Professor Zhou said, “Change is coming to Haixing, but you must know all about it already.”

“Indeed. It's been quite busy at the SID, but it should be over soon enough. I hope everyone can settle into a peaceful new normal.”

“Ouyang is very concerned about Dixingians,” Professor Zhou sighed. “He doesn't trust the videos on the SID website because they might be a biased representation of Dixingians at large. Thankfully we had Li Qian to give us some firsthand information and tell us that Dixingians do indeed mostly look human.” He sipped his drink. “But you're the expert – what are Dixingians like? I heard the SID even had one on its staff.”

Shen Wei clenched his hands under the table. They're like me, he wanted to say. I'm one. But he couldn't risk that blow to his identity, or his relationship with his mentor. “They are in essence human, with all the variation inherent in it. Chief Zhao put it better than I could.” An apologetic smile. “What did Li Qian think of her experiences?” He raised his teacup to his lips. The green tea today was surprisingly good.

Professor Zhou leaned over the table and winked. It was a bit early in the night for that, and then he whispered, “Truth be told, I'm a bit afraid she might run off with the Black-Cloaked Envoy. Apparently he's quite handsome-”

At that moment, Shen Wei's brain caught up with what Professor Zhou was saying, and he spewed the contents of his teacup all over the table. “What?”

“Concerned about a Dixingian stealing off with your prize cabbage?” Professor Zhou jovially asked.

“No, it's – Li Qian should find someone her own age, whose career is compatible with hers,” Shen Wei floundered, desperately trying to ensure Professor Zhou wouldn't think he objected because he was prejudiced against Dixingians.

Thankfully, Professor Zhou only nodded sagely. “You always did have her best interests at heart.” He glugged down more of his drink and leaned over again. “She's currently working for Ouyang's secret research project, which will likely be shut down soon due to lack of ethics board approval. You should rescue her back into academia before it's too late.” He shook his head and leaned back. “It was fine when Dixingians didn't officially exist, but now, if what I hear about Ouyang's sample collection and research methods is true...”

Shen Wei was struck with a vision of Li Qian, cutting up a screaming Dixingian with a saw under Zhao Xinci's tutelage. “And Li Qian?”

“She's only been doing the computational parts and cell cultures, don't worry,” Professor Zhou said. “Ouyang has kept any potentially ethically unsavoury things under tight wraps; even I've only recently caught wind of it. How fast he gets shut down depends on how protective Minister Gao is of the project.”

Minister Gao had on multiple occasions made plain that he didn't consider Dixingians people. “I think the project will be shut down quietly around the time the Dixingians come,” Shen Wei ventured.

“Oh, of course, you hobnob with the ministers as well!” Professor Zhou lifted his cup for a toast. “For my wonderfully successful student!”

“For my thesis advisor, without whom I would never have risen to such heights,” Shen Wei easily responded, clinking his teacup with Professor Zhou's baijiu and downing it in familiar routine.

“You always had a way with words, making an old man feel misty-eyed!” Professor Zhou declared.

Shen Wei ducked his head and smiled. They discussed the details and results of Professor Ouyang's project of trying to generate some method of giving humans Dixing powers. It was a risky goal with potentially life-threatening side effects, even if one only knew about dark energy's effect on cells and not of the potential that they'd be turning themselves into slaves. Shen Wei had in a spare moment asked Li Si to puppet him around, and it was not a fate he would wish on his worst enemy.

“But there's one thing I meant to ask you,” Professor Zhou asked when he was inebriated enough to sway a bit. “Does Chief Zhao treat you all right? His speech included a mention that Dixingians can lose their virginities, as if he were bragging about taking one. Is he two-timing on you with a Dixingian?”

Suddenly, insisting that the Haixing authorities not edit a word from Zhao Yunlan's speech felt like a bad idea, but while time travel must exist, the timeline was sacrosanct. “He treats me well,” Shen Wei warily said. Same-sex attraction was moderately taboo and discussing it felt like a minefield, though at least some of that was Shen Wei not knowing the modern rules of that game. “I have nothing to object to.”

“Good, good.” Professor Zhou drank more ethanol. He stared at Shen Wei, and some of Shen Wei's unease must've showed, for he continued, “It's all right, it's obvious. Suddenly, my prize cabbage starts mentioning him constantly, and even lets himself be lured away from academia into a consulting position!” He wagged his finger. “Ah, Shen Wei, Shen Wei. It's obvious how much happier you are now that you've met him, but don't let love lure you away from your calling. If he loves you, surely he'll be supportive of your career? And if you desire to spend more time with him, you can just move in together.”

“Thank you for the support,” Shen Wei said, trying to figure out how a regular human would react to this.

“I'd be a bad mentor if I didn't support you in questions of work-life balance,” Professor Zhou said and paternally patted Shen Wei's hand.

In that moment, Shen Wei was struck with the urge to confess everything, roll over his hand and summon a ball of dark energy and say, I'm Dixingian.

Is the SID Chief kind to you? Professor Zhou might ask, or perhaps he'd say, Ah, so that's why you never mentioned any family and had troubles fitting in during undergrad! Or-

“The baijiu here is really good,” Professor Zhou said. “You should take up drinking, Shen Wei, you're really missing out. Even a sip for politeness!”

The moment shattered. Shen Wei let himself settle into the comfortable call and response of this familiar argument.

Later, the evening ended and Shen Wei escorted Professor Zhou to a taxi. No Zhao Yunlan sat on the curb with a stomachache – he was at home and probably sleeping – so Shen Wei walked to a deserted alley and opened a portal home.

He coughed up blood on the floor.

Zhao Yunlan snuffled in his sleep but did not wake. Neither did Ye Zun, curled up on his other side. Shen Wei breathed a sigh of relief as he cleaned up the stain.

There was a note on the dresser. It read, “Snacks in the fridge. Help yourself.”

Shen Wei opened the fridge to find that there was, indeed, some silken tofu in there. He ate the provided offering to get the taste of blood out of his mouth, then started quietly cleaning the kitchen. He'd slept last night and his brother was already asleep; he had no need to curl up in bed.

One of Bao Xuehu’s messenger snowbirds came to visit. Shen Wei didn’t have any updates to give, which he felt perversely guilty about. He watched the bird flutter out the window and stared after it.

Zhao Yunlan woke up to Shen Wei making a fragrant sauce. For dumplings, probably.

Sure enough, when Zhao Yunlan rolled out of bed, he saw a pile of dumplings ready to cook. “What did I do to deserve you?” he asked half-jokingly.

Shen Wei paused for a moment. “Exist,” he finally declared.

“Then I must be the luckiest sentient in the galaxy,” Zhao Yunlan said, and tried to come over to kiss the chef. Shen Wei sent him off to brush his teeth.

Zhao Yunlan drove to work with Shen Wei riding shotgun and Ye Zun obediently sitting on the backseat. He didn't put on the radio lest the talking heads be emitting plaintive cries of woe related to the Dixing situation. Let the twins get a few more moments of peace before they had to analyze others' reactions.

The SID held the usual Thursday morning shift. Wang Zheng and Sang Zan were present, of course, and so were Lin Jing and Zhu Hong. The rest would come in later. Li Si was standing at Lin Jing's side.

“How's the media?” Zhao Yunlan asked.

“The fear and backlash has started, but the censors are trying to damp it down. Cong Bo's helping them,” Lin Jing said. “I think it'll simmer for a few days more and then tail off until the Dixingians start arriving.”

Zhao Yunlan sat on the table. “Makes sense.” He unwrapped a lollipop and swirled it around in his mouth a bit. “Zhu Hong, you recognized the Longevity Dial. Do you know what the Guardian Lantern looks like? Maybe we could locate it and give our dear Li Si a set to deal with.”

“Yes!” Zhu Hong said and started sketching out something on the back of a takeout menu.

“Brother Black, I can't believe you spent months with the Longevity Dial hanging from your student's neck and didn't even notice,” Zhao Yunlan said without even looking at Shen Wei.

Shen Wei sighed without further commentary. Hey, it was true.

“It looks like this,” Zhu Hong said presented the piece of paper.

The Guardian Lantern looked disturbingly familiar. In fact-

Zhao Yunlan swore. “Okay, I know where it is. Follow me!”

As he led them on the trek to the storage room upstairs, he told them about how he'd inherited a lot of crap when he'd inherited the SID from his father and that he'd packed them all in storage upstairs. Somewhere inside, there was something that looked a lot like the Guardian Lantern.

Shen Wei did some probing with dark energy. “That box,” he said, and sure enough, the Guardian Lantern lay within.

“I can't believe it was in the SID building all this time,” Lin Jing said.

“How did your father even get his hands on it?” Wang Zheng asked.

“I'll ask him later,” Zhao Yunlan lied. “Come, let's go downstairs.”

Li Si, who had up until now been silent, asked “What do you wish to do now?” as they stepped off the bottom step.

“Okay, so now we have all of the Hallows,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Can you start destroying them?” The Dixingians and Yashou might still be vulnerable to just anyone's commands without them, but at least their destruction would make mass control harder.

He turned to consider the four Hallows. It was a bit incredulous to think that his father had found the Guardian Lantern and then used it as a paperweight, but considering the nature of his father, it wasn't that surprising that he'd intentionally have hidden something he knew Dixing was searching for.

The Guardian Lantern lit up, and the other three Hallows hummed audibly from the lab. “Uh, Shen Wei?” Zhao Yunlan said and stepped back. “Li Si? The Hallows are doing somethi-”

He felt a terrible lurch in his gut as something sucked him upwards. His guts felt like they were being twisted to oblivion, and his ears rang with white noise and Shen Wei's despairing shout of “Zhao Yunlan!”

Emboldened by his prior conversation with Shen Wei, Professor Zhou strode into the SID. He'd done a fair bit of thinking about Dixingians and come to the conclusion that even if they were in their true forms eldritch abominations with too many tentacles, he would be willing to mentor any on their path of science. In fact, if they were non-Euclidean knots of tentacles, that might even give them certain advantages in labwork. He simply had to announce his intentions to the SID, and perhaps inquire about the state of Dixingian public education.

He arrived upon a tableau of perfect stillness. The few people present all stared mutely at a point in the air above the table.

Professor Zhou cleared his throat. “Is Chief Zhao available?”

All eyes turned to him. “Uh ... no,” the longest-haired woman eventually said.

“Shen Wei?”

“Also no,” the same woman said.

Professor Zhou sighed. “I don't suppose any of you is available?”

“We are all busy dealing with the current crisis,” Ouyang's prize student said.

“Tell him I'll return tomorrow to discuss integration of Dixingians into higher education. After all, their educational system must be different-”

“It doesn't exist,” a third person said with a slightly rasping voice.

“It doesn't exist?!” Professor Zhou spluttered. “But how-”

“Dixing doesn't have any schools,” the man said. Now that Professor Zhou took a better look at him, he saw that he looked a lot like Shen Wei, had Shen Wei grown his hair long and dressed in a garish oversized sweater and ill-fitting pants. “There are private tutors, but nothing more.”

“And you are Shen Wei's ...”

“Brother,” the man confirmed. He blinked at Professor Zhou as if he were surprised that someone had identified him as Shen Wei's relative.

A mission opened up before Professor Zhou. While the brother had a better sense of dress – none of his clothes looked to be scavenged from an actual dumpster – he was still not suitable for polite society. Professor Zhou had civilized the older brother; he could surely civilize the younger one as well. “You look terrible in those clothes; let me take you shopping. Don't worry, I'll pay.” The man blinked. “Unless you have something else?”

“No, he hasn't,” the woman with the shortest hair said. “Off you go.”

Professor Zhou spent the afternoon taking Shen Wei's brother to the stores, finding out his name (“I forgot, but people call me Ye Zun,” which was a very interesting phrasing), his preferences in clothing (soft things that didn't constrict his throat), and how he and his brother grew up (“separated”). The picture painted was intriguing, and he had a growing suspicion that Shen Wei wasn't a village boy lying about growing up in the city like he'd previously assumed, but that he'd instead grown up belowground.

“All right, now let's head back!” he said once Ye Zun's arms were full of shopping bags. As exercise was good for the soul, they walked.

Halfway there, they were walking through an alleyway and a crow flew at them. Professor Zhou was just about to dodge when the crow turned into a woman.

“Ye Zun,” the Yashou woman said inquiringly.

“Ya Qing,” Ye Zun replied. He curled in on himself. “I ... am not what you thought me to be. I was-” He broke down coughing.

Professor Zhou and Ya Qing both went to Ye Zun's side and supported him through his fit. “Do you need to sit down?” Professor Zhou asked.

Mutely, Ye Zun nodded. Set on the ground, he soon continued, “I was being controlled by the Hallows. Now I'm finally free.”

“And what of the plans?”

“I guess you could talk to Zhao Yunlan and ask to include Yashou reforms in the Dixingian reforms.” Ye Zun shrugged. “The Hallows are evil. I'm tired.”

Ya Qing stared at him. She finally seemed to take in the sitation around them, shopping bags and Professor Zhou. “Who are you?”

“I'm Shen Wei's thesis advisor and scientific mentor,” Professor Zhou said. “When Shen Wei came to me as a young undergrad, he looked like he'd clothed himself by going dumpster diving. I taught him how to write scientific articles, how to dress professionally, how to use a can opener, how to operate a microsc-”

“You taught the Black-Cloaked Envoy how to use a can opener?” Ya Qing asked.

“Why yes, he had never encountered one in his- Wait, the Black-Cloaked Envoy? Ye Zun, is your brother the Black-Cloaked Envoy?!” Professor Zhou asked.

“The Black-Cloaked Envoy is your brother?!” Ya Qing asked.

“Uh, yes?” Ye Zun blinked. Then he had another coughing fit.

The Black-Cloaked Envoy, fearsome protector of the Treaty, arbiter of justice ... as a lost undergrad in Professor Zhou's laboratory, napping between experiments. Wearing a green hoodie three sizes too large. Asking for advice on hairstyles. Utterly at sea in the modern world.

Professor Zhou decided that he, too, had to sit down and think. No wonder Shen Wei hadn't wanted to join Ouyang Zhen's project, and had always seemed even more otherworldly than the average academic. There was only one matter-

“If the Envoy signed the Treaty ten thousand years ago, why is he so young?”

“He slept,” Ye Zun said.

“He always did have the ability to fall asleep whenever,” Professor Zhou agreed, though usually all it took to wake Shen Wei up was someone existing in his vicinity. “How did he sleep for ten thousand years?”

“The Hallows,” Ye Zun said.

“What are the Hallows?” Professor Zhou asked. Ouyang Zhen had his own ideas, but Professor Zhou wasn’t sure he’d trust Ouyang Zhen’s opinion on anything anymore.

“Some sort of alien tool things.” Ye Zun shrugged. “You saw them on the SID table. They're evil.”

Professor Zhou considered Ye Zun. “How do you know they're evil?”

“Because,” Ye Zun said, “ten thousand years ago, they seeped into my mind and took it over, and condemned me into a prison where I spent ten thousand years, mutely staring into the darkness, unable to so much as ask for help.” He'd drawn his lips back in a snarl.

Indeed, ten thousand years – over a hundred lifetimes – of torment was not something a moral being would subject anything to. Professor Zhou patted Ye Zun's shoulder paternally. “But now that your brother's gotten you out, you can enjoy the sunlight in peace.”

“He didn't get me out,” Ye Zun hissed. “He left me to rot and moralized at me when he deigned to visit Dixing, all about repentance and such and he did jack shit to get me out! He didn't even consider that his precious Hallows could do bad! He didn't so much as lift a finger at the alien mind controlling me through them! He didn't search hard enough for me when we were children!” Ye Zun was interrupted by another coughing fit, this time accompanied by tears.

“...I'll take my leave,” Ya Qing said, turned into a crow, and flew away.

Professor Zhou folded Ye Zun into an embrace and patted his back. “Shen Wei always was bad at some things,” he conceded, then made sympathetic noises.

Gradually, Ye Zun unwound and unspooled his plaintive tale. Orphaned, afflicted by the meteor, kidnapped by some evil villain, habitually mind controlled... Ye Zun's torments were too numerous to properly comprehend.

“Is Shen Wei being good to you now?” Professor Zhou asked. If the answer was negative, during their next meeting, he'd bring up in no uncertain terms that this was no way to treat a family member.

“He feeds me, clothes me, and takes me to the doctors.” Ye Zun snuffled. “Does that count?”

“It's a good place to start. Ask for more if you think you might like more,” Professor Zhou said. “But what's keeping Shen Wei and Chief Zhao busy, if I might ask?”

“The Hallows ate Zhao Yunlan and gege jumped right in after him,” Ye Zun bitterly said.

Ah, so that was the matter. Professor Zhou pushed Ye Zun off and said, “Then let's go to the SID to take a look. Help an old man up, would you?”

Zhao Yunlan fell to the sidelines of a battle. After a few moments spent re-filling his emptied lungs, he observed the battle going on. It took him approximately five seconds to identify the Black-Cloaked Envoy, who then very conveniently had his mask knocked off. It took him another few seconds to aim and fire at the guy they were fighting against, but then the enemies retreated, only for Shen Wei to not recognize him and sod off with his injured men. After a moment reeling on the hill, Da Qing found him, didn't recognize him either, and dragged him to the Alliance Headquarters, where Zhao Yunlan was given an actual briefing.

So the Hallows have brought me ten thousand years into the past, Zhao Yunlan thought, and recalled seeing Shen Wei. Okay, a bunch of Shen Wei's general ... stuff related to him might make more sense with a time loop thingy. Then Ma Gui lied his ass off about the Hallows, and they didn't even have alcohol here, so Zhao Yunlan set about fixing that.

The smallest amount of positive attention made this Shen Wei start following him around like an overly affectionate puppy. It was super cute. Too bad the young Da Qing was already his cranky adult self instead of equivalently malleable.

Ma Gui and Fu You had mentioned a further transmission from the future, so Zhao Yunlan knew he must be sent back after a short enough time that he'd still be recognizable. After just under a month of holidaying, he and Shen Wei managed to steal back the Hallows, which then promptly sent him back into the space outside of time.

Not before he saw Shen Wei attacked by Ye Zun, though. The present-day Ye Zun had claimed to be completely under the control of the alien, but that didn't quite jibe with his behavior just before Zhao Yunlan was sucked out of that time.

In the space outside of time, Zhao Yunlan found Shen Wei – his Shen Wei, whom he'd met at the university – with tears in his eyes. “Ten thousand years,” Zhao Yunlan choked out.

“You're here,” Shen Wei said, finally reunited with the person he'd fallen in love with.

Zhao Yunlan insisted they watch a bit longer – he wanted to see Da Qing survive and be okay – and witnessed Shen Wei slumber under the soil before being awoken into the alien world of the present. He discreetly reached out to squeeze Shen Wei's hand and asked him to bring them back to their time, where Li Si waited to destroy the Hallows.

They fell onto the couch in an undignified heap. Around them, Wang Zheng, Sang Zan, Lin Jing, Zhu Hong, and Li Si let out sighs of relief.

“Where's Ye Zun?” Shen Wei asked.

The employees looked at each other. “Professor Zhou took him clothes shopping,” Lin Jing said. “Uh, Professor Zhou wants to discuss Dixing's schools?”

Zhao Yunlan glanced at Shen Wei. No alarm. Okay, good; they could sit here and plan destroying the Hallows a bit.

“So, I time traveled into the past for a month,” Zhao Yunlan started. “Ma Gui and Fu You claimed they'd met me before, so I'll have to re-visit them soon I guess. Or give them a transtemporal call? Is that a thing the Hallows can do?”

All eyes turned to Li Si. “Fuck if I know,” she said.

“We'll play this by ear-” Zhao Yunlan felt a weight on his shoulder and turned to look.

Shen Wei had fallen asleep on him. He must be exhausted from all that wormhole travel. Zhao Yunlan adjusted his head, slung an arm around him for security, and continued planning.

“Sleeping on your shoulder? He really must trust you!” someone said.

Shen Wei clung to the strands of darkness that still cocooned him, but they eluded his grasp. The blanket of sleep dropped and exposed him to the glaring light. He blinked muzzily.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” Zhao Yunlan smiled down at him, warmer than the Sun.

Shen Wei lifted his head from Zhao Yunlan's shoulder to discover that Ye Zun had returned with Professor Zhou and a ludicrous quantity of shopping bags. He scrambled to his feet. “Professor Zhou. Welcome.”

“There are some things I'd like to discuss with you,” Professor Zhou said, and Shen Wei's stomach plummeted. That was the exact same tone he'd used when he'd wanted to pull Shen Wei aside and tell him he was screwing up majorly, usually in fulfilling the requirements of modernity. “Perhaps we could discuss things in private while the rest of the SID discusses the Hallows?”

“The garage should be private enough,” Zhao Yunlan remarked and patted Shen Wei's leg.

Shen Wei led Professor Zhou to the garage. What had Ye Zun told him? Shen Wei tried consoling himself with the fact that at least Professor Zhou still wanted to talk to him, and under circumstances that gave Shen Wei at least a modicum of privacy.

“So,” Professor Zhou said, scanning his surroundings, “first. Do they know about"–he held out his hand and scooped the air while looking at Shen Wei meaningfully. At Shen Wei's baffled expression, he repeated the gesture, then changed tracks. “While out with Ye Zun, we ran into a woman called Ya Qing, with whom we had an ... interesting conversation.” Shen Wei had a dawning realization of just what gesture Professor Zhou had tried to imitate. “But before we go into the details, is it safe to speak here? Cameras?”

“The SID knows it all,” Shen Wei said. It was true, now: Zhao Yunlan knew all his secrets, had gazed into the darkest depths of his soul and found it adorable, had gladly returned to Shen Wei and his secrets which had on several occasions almost crushed everything they had beneath them.

“I admit it's a bit mind-boggling to hear that my prize student is the Black-Cloaked Envoy,” Professor Zhou said without even a modicum of trepidation, “but you're still the scion of science whom I raised in my lab. Nothing needs to change between us. – Unless you're unhappy with the present situation?”

“No, I – am not unhappy,” Shen Wei rushed to say. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. “I thought you'd be more shaken,” he said, then swallowed again. His voice was in great danger of wobbling. “At having a Dixingian in your lab.”

Professor Zhou sighed. “Oh, Shen Wei. I admit I'm not the most enlightened of old men, but you're my favorite student. How could I be anything but proud of you?” He reached over to pat Shen Wei's shoulder. “Besides, it was obvious that you weren't the city boy you claimed to be. I originally thought you were from some distant little farm in the country, but this makes more sense. I must say you've adapted admirably for someone from ten thousand years ago!”

A hazy film had settled over the world. Shen Wei blinked, but couldn't dispel the tears. “I-” he choked.

Professor Zhou pulled him in, and then Shen Wei found himself sobbing against Professor Zhou's shoulder while his back was patted. “Shh, it'll be all right. If the Dean is unfair to you, I'll back you up, and Chief Zhao must have political connections.” Professor Zhou paused. “Did you join the SID willingly, or did Chief Zhao pressure you? Or was it due to your tasks as the Envoy?”

“I just wanted to be Professor Shen,” Shen Wei choked out, trying to quell his tears and steady his voice but failing. Also, that had been the wrong thing to say, what if Professor Zhou thought negatively of Zhao Yunlan- “It's not Zhao Yunlan's fault,” he continued. He wasn't being very coherent. “I'm exhausted,” he said, which was at least true.

“No wonder you didn't wake up as easily as you usually do,” Professor Zhou said. He still had that reassuring mentor tone of voice of his, like he had merely explained to Shen Wei how can openers worked and was now soothing Shen Wei's hackles about not knowing about can openers before that moment.

Shen Wei huffed a pale imitation of a laugh. He'd stopped crying, but he didn't quite trust himself to talk yet. He straightened and tried to smile reassuringly.

Professor Zhou looked at him appraisingly. “Shen Wei,” he slowly asked, “how old are you? In truth.”

It was not what Shen Wei had expected him to ask. “I don't know,” he admitted. “My parents died when I was young, so I'm unsure of that end as well, and I don't know how the stasis affected my aging.”

“You were young when you started at my lab,” Professor Zhou said. “And before that, you were a general fighting a war.”

“Yes?” Shen Wei blinked innocently a bit before realizing Professor Zhou probably wished for some timeline of Shen Wei's pre-university life. “My first memory is of my father dying of an illness, and my mother died not that long afterward in a landslide. We were taken in by our grandmother, but she died before we were ten, and then the meteor hit. Ye Zun and I were separated in the following years, and then while I was searching for him, around puberty, a bunch of people mistook me for – a figure of myth, I guess. So I was suddenly in charge of them, and it all snowballed from there. I tried to be worthy of their devotion.” Shen Wei smiled. “I'm not sure how Dixingian development compares to humans', but I suppose I'm roughly the age I officially am?”

Professor Zhou exhaled through his teeth in that manner that revealed that he was suppressing something and about to circumlocute his way into achieving what the direct approach couldn't. “Your brother hasn't had the chance to experience much of Haixing. You should take him to the park, or play with some Legos with him.”

By which Professor Zhou was trying to say that Shen Wei should go to the park and play with Legos. Nevertheless, he had a point about Ye Zun. “I'll see about taking him once we're less busy-”

Pain yanked at his chest. He coughed up blood.

Zhao Yunlan watched Shen Wei and Professor Zhou disappear into the parking garage. His curiosity was piqued, but hopefully Shen Wei would part the veil of secrets he habitually wound around himself and confide in Zhao Yunlan at least a little bit.

“So, destroying the Hallows,” he eventually said to Li Si. “Can you do it here, or do you need to take them elsewhere?”

“I should be able to do it here,” Li Si said. “Let me try.” She waved her hands in a manner almost, but not entirely, unlike the way Shen Wei did when doing dark energy stuff.

“I think you activated the video call feature,” Lin Jing said.

Sure enough, a little video screen had popped up in the air. “Fu You! Ma Gui!” Zhao Yunlan said.

“You know our names?” Ma Gui asked.

Ah yeah, he must've called a time that came before his visit. “Yeah, see, I time traveled into your near future?” he started explaining, then gave some vague reassurances that they'd win their war.

The connection flickered. “What was that?” Fu You asked.

“I guess we're almost out of time?” Zhao Yunlan said. He wanted to say more, say that the Hallows were evil and that their next big villain was being mind controlled, but the timeline was the timeline, and he'd rather not cause any paradoxes by altering it. Shen Wei must've been so stressed during their every conversation. “Good luck. Always have back-up measures in place.”

Ma Gui looked like he was about to respond, but the connection gave out. The Hallows stopped glowing and seemed to almost huddle together on the table against Li Si's continued destruction attempt.

“I think I will have to change my approach,” Li Si declared, picked up all the Hallows into her arms, and started compressing them.

“Shen Wei!“ Professor Zhou shouted in alarm.

“Stop!” Zhao Yunlan ordered Li Si and vaulted over the couch back to get to the garage.

Shen Wei was kneeling on the floor, doubled over in front of a puddle of blood. It was growing, too, with the last droplets still falling from Shen Wei's mouth.

“What happened?” Zhao Yunlan demanded.

“I don't know,” Shen Wei said. “It was ... sudden.”

Sudden, and happened exactly when the Hallows were being destroyed. “You used the Longevity Dial to fix my eyes.”

It took Shen Wei longer than usual to realize, but he caught on. “A connection is not impossible.”

“Should I continue?” Li Si asked.

“Yes,” Shen Wei said insistently.

“In the main room,” Zhao Yunlan said, “while you're lying on the couch.”

Shen Wei set his mouth but didn't object. He carefully rose and walked out of the garage to the couch in even steps that looked much, much too controlled. Zhao Yunlan very determinedly didn't say anything.

“I'll start again,” Li Si said after Shen Wei was lying on his side on the couch in a manner Zhao Yunlan approved of with his head in Zhao Yunlan's lap.

“Go ahead,” Zhao Yunlan said, idly stroking Shen Wei's hair. Shen Wei seemed like he'd fall asleep at any moment.

Li Si made a motion that could charitably be called a nod, then restarted her compression thingy. She wasn't actually touching the Hallows, Zhao Yunlan noted, merely using her arms to guide something, or signal that she wished to crumple them like an ecologically irresponsible teen might crumple a can.

Abruptly, Shen Wei curled up and started coughing up blood. Zhao Yunlan realized he should've insisted this connection thing be investigated, but then he was plunged into darkness.

Just as soon, the darkness lifted. He blinked around him.

“Done,” Li Si said. She levitated a pellet of metallic-looking material. “It's hazardous waste. I hope you don't mind me taking it away.”

“Deal with it as you see fit,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Shen Wei?”

“I am unharmed,” Shen Wei said, and the happy tone of his voice was the only thing that made Zhao Yunlan not fuss about the blood on his lips and on Zhao Yunlan's jeans.

Come to think of it, since the Hallows were a tool of evil, it was not inconceivable that they'd been constantly draining Shen Wei of his dark energy, thus leading to the weakening Zhao Yunlan had noticed. “Wanna go home to sleep it off?”

Shen Wei thought for a bit, then agreed. He got to his feet easily enough and let Professor Zhou fuss at him a bit and made arrangements to meet the following morning at the lab Professor Zhou had been working in. He then turned to Zhao Yunlan again, said “Let's go home,” and portaled them both to Zhao Yunlan's apartment.

For approximately five microseconds, Zhao Yunlan considered Ye Zun, then decided that Ye Zun could fend for himself. He could order a minion to bring Ye Zun over after Shen Wei had fallen asleep, if necessary.

“Yunlan,” Shen Wei said, face against Zhao Yunlan's neck, gripping like mad. “Yunlan.”

Zhao Yunlan ran a hand along Shen Wei's back. “I'm here.”

Shen Wei sighed. “I wasn't sure you'd come back,” he whispered.

“How could I not come back with you waiting for me?” Zhao Yunlan murmured into Shen Wei's hair.

A wheezed chuckle. “Yunlan,” Shen Wei said, voice more open and exposed with yearning than Zhao Yunlan recalled ever hearing it. “I need you,” he whispered.

“I will give you anything you need,” Zhao Yunlan promised with all his heart.

“I need you,” Shen Wei said, hands clenching at Zhao Yunlan's jacket.

Zhao Yunlan kissed Shen Wei's hair. “I'm yours forever, Shen Wei; you're never getting rid of me.”

“I need you,” Shen Wei repeated, turning his head to kiss at Zhao Yunlan's neck.

Zhao Yunlan caught on to what Shen Wei wished for and slowly led Shen Wei to the bed while his neck was nibbled on, then undressed them. Shen Wei leaned into his touches, worn out and too tired for his masks. Zhao Yunlan removed the glasses and gently placed them on the bedside table.

He gently pushed Shen Wei onto the bed and stripped himself. A sudden pang of wrongness flooded over him as he worked the modern buttons and zippers and elastic, temporal dislocation at being rudely dumped into modernity after a month's jaunt in the furs, toggles, and ties of the past.

Naked, Zhao Yunlan climbed onto the bed where Shen Wei opened for him like a flower for the Sun and curled his limbs in a loose embrace around Zhao Yunlan. “Yunlan,” he breathed, like Zhao Yunlan were his only salvation from the encroaching dark.

“Hi,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Do you want to sleep?”

“Not yet,” Shen Wei very pointedly said.

Zhao Yunlan got the hint and got out the lube. With Shen Wei so pliant and relaxed, it was easy to slip in a lubed finger and listen.

Shen Wei made the most wonderful of noises: the smallest of whines at Zhao Yunlan going further away so he could finger him, little stutters of breath when Zhao Yunlan breached him, tiny mewls when touched just right. A smile rose to Zhao Yunlan's lips as he reflected on just how lucky he was to have this wonderful, precious, beautiful man by his side, letting down his guard and being open and vulnerable and so very very trusting.

When Zhao Yunlan replaced his fingers with his dick and thrust in, Shen Wei exhaled, like one might at the end of a long day as one returns home. “Shen Wei,” he breathed, wishing he could tell Shen Wei just how much he felt but struck dumb by Shen Wei's everything.

An attempt at laughter that was more of an exhalation, and Shen Wei pulled Zhao Yunlan in, showing his usual love of skin contact. Zhao Yunlan found himself with his face in Shen Wei's neck.

Where else could one want to be? “Oh, Shen Wei,” Zhao Yunlan said, and all his usual articulateness fell from him as he rocked into Shen Wei. He repeated the name he'd given and Shen Wei had accepted, imbuing it with as much emotion as he was able to. Perhaps Shen Wei could hear this peak of the iceberg of feelings Zhao Yunlan had towards him.

I'm never letting go, Shen Wei, he hoped his tone would say. I love you, Shen Wei, he hoped to convey, even if the words died before his tongue.

“Yunlan,” Shen Wei whispered back, mouthing at Zhao Yunlan's forehead and ear.

“My xiao-Wei,” Zhao Yunlan said.

Shen Wei came, arching his back and curling his toes, tossing his head back with a choked moan, dragging Zhao Yunlan over the precipice with him. Zhao Yunlan's whispers of Shen Wei's name stuttered to a stop as he fell.

It was dark outside and the stars blinked on one by one. The warm light of streetlamps and the Moon's cold glow competed to give Shen Wei's slumbering form a gentle wash of light.

How could one not fall in love at such a sight? Zhao Yunlan had thought that it wasn't possible to love Shen Wei, love anyone or anything, more than he'd loved Shen Wei a month ago – earlier today – but it seemed that if to love was to fall, Zhao Yunlan would plummet forever to the depths of the Earth.

Very gently, Zhao Yunlan wiped them off with the soft washcloth Shen Wei had insisted on stashing at their bedside for just this purpose. He tugged the curtains closed and curled up around his favorite being in the entire Universe.

The swirling colors shimmered started strobing, giving her a headache.

After a short while, she felt a lurching feeling in her gut, and the lights blinked off. She fell onto rough soil.

Shen Xi rubbed her eyes. No change. Had her release rendered her blind?

After sitting still for a while, she thought she could make out a hazy glow. She shrugged – perhaps it was very dark here, perhaps her prison had simply been very bright – and waited.

A while later, the glow turned into lights that framed buildings some distance away. Since she had nothing better to do, she slowly walked towards them.

Shen Wei woke up after the Sun, which was very much unlike him. He was still tired, and had Zhao Yunlan's warm weight as a comfortable and comforting blanket, so he delayed the inevitable a few more minutes, but his growling stomach forced him to gently extricate himself from Zhao Yunlan's embrace and start breakfast. Something large, he decided, and ideally quick.

Three omelets in, he realized he'd left Ye Zun at the SID yesterday and almost dropped his spatula into the pan. His brother had just grown to trust him again, and now he'd jeopardized all that. Oh, fuck.

“Morning, beautiful,” Zhao Yunlan muzzily called out. “What's for breakfast?”

Shen Wei realized he'd eaten all the omelets and they'd run out of eggs. He was still ravenous. “I'll make some noodles.”

“Sounds good,” Zhao Yunlan said and promptly went back to sleep.

Shen Wei sighed. He chopped up vegetables and some meat and tofu into the noodles, then ladled out one large portion for himself, one portion the size of Zhao Yunlan's breakfast, and one portion into a portable container that he'd present to Ye Zun as an apology. “Breakfast is ready,” he called out, and Zhao Yunlan crawled out from beneath his covers to inhale the noodles.

“How is Ye Zun?” Shen Wei asked while he was washing the dishes. He wanted to go back to bed and sleep, but he had a class and office hours to hold, and he'd promised Professor Zhou he'd come visit Li Qian.

Zhao Yunlan did some twiddling with his mobile phone. “He was a bit miffed, but he slept on the SID couch well enough. Oh, and you need to teleport me to the SID; the car's still there.”

“Ah. Yes.” Shen Wei dried the last of the bowls, picked up the noodle container, and reached out to Zhao Yunlan. “Shall we go, then?”

“Of course,” Zhao Yunlan said with a wide grin, one of his jackets slung over his shoulder. It was Shen Wei's favorite: the dark blue coat with white contrast stitching that Zhao Yunlan had worn on his first trip to Dixing.

With Zhao Yunlan's hand safely ensconced in his, Shen Wei called on his powers and ripped a purple-black hole in space-time. It was easier than it had been, now that the festering wound of light energy the Longevity Dial had left was gone and his body could slowly but surely start replenishing his reservoirs of dark energy.

“Gege!” Ye Zun called out. He looked a bit groggy but not too badly affected.

“I brought you breakfast,” Shen Wei said. “Sorry about leaving you here; I was ... tired.”

Ye Zun looked wary but accepted the peace offering of food. He took the offered chopsticks and started eating the noodles without saying anything. Shen Wei's heart hurt and he kicked himself for causing this backslide in their relationship.

The large clock on the wall tocked. It was almost time for his meeting with Professor Zhou – he really had slept in.

Shen Wei took his leave and ripped another hole in space-time. He walked to the mouth of the deserted alleyway and waited for Professor Zhou with five minutes to spare.

Exactly a minute before their scheduled appointment, Professor Zhou arrived on foot. “Always so punctual,” he said with a smile, and Shen Wei let himself believe that just maybe their agreement to let everything be as it had been would work, and the weight of revelations wouldn't break their relationship beneath it.

“How could I make my mentor wait?” Shen Wei asked.

They chatted lightly on their way to the high-security building, where Professor Zhou talked Shen Wei in on the pretext of showing him the lab for recruitment purposes. A surprisingly large amount of security later, they were finally in the lab room.

“Professor Shen?” Li Qian said.

“Hello, Li Qian,” Shen Wei said. “I hope you're doing well?”

“I- Yeah. I've enjoyed the chance to get back into research.” Li Qian fidgeted awkwardly. “Will you also join Professor Ouyang's group?”

Shen Wei joined her in the awkwardness and considered how to best phrase this. He settled for, “Given that the research here needs to pass review by an ethics board due to Dixingians now being recognized as full-fledged citizens, it might be best for your career if you did your thesis elsewhere.” He swallowed. “There'll always be a place for you in my lab.”

“Oh.” Li Qian blinked in confusion. “Oh! Yes, I, thank you, Professor Shen! Though ... I guess Professor Ouyang would have to hunt up all prior subjects and make them sign consent forms. That sounds very laborious and time-consuming, yes.”

“Not only that, but ... some of them ... might not have survived,” Professor Zhou said, obviously troubled.

“What?!” Li Qian spluttered. Horror took over her face.

“It was necessary,” Professor Ouyang's voice boomed from the door.

The three of them pivoted to look at him. He looked enraged, and a human shouldn't have been able to speak with such loudness. Certainly not Professor Ouyang, who, while never particularly quiet, hadn't ever been particularly loud, either, and was uninterested in voice projection lessons.

It was Professor Zhou who spoke first. “You know full well it was not,” he lectured, as if Professor Ouyang were but a troublesome undergrad.

“He injected himself with the trial serum a few days ago and has been unstable since,” Li Qian whispered while Professor Zhou continued his lecture. Shen Wei smiled and nodded at her.

“Dixingians are human, and you make your lab techs murder them just so you could progress faster! You disgust me!” Professor Zhou yelled.

“Who told you?!” Professor Ouyang shouted.

Professor Zhou didn't answer, and instead continued his lecturing. “The scientific method depends on the openness and replicability of results! You cannot simply hide your unethical means forever! And look at yourself! Due to your hubris, you have doomed yourself with your self-injection, and doomed your project to being shut down with your unethical subject acquisition!”

“They're monsters, Professor Zhou! By killing them, I did us all a favor!” Professor Ouyang turned to Li Qian. “And you! Li Qian, Shen Wei, do you truly stand with someone so deluded he would-”

“Yes,” Li Qian said without hesitation.

“Traitors!” Professor Ouyang shouted in his now-booming voice and came straight at them with his superhuman strength.

They were cornered – Shen Wei might've been able to slip out had he been alone, but it would be very hard with Li Qian, and Professor Zhou was too old to keep up. There was only one option for survival Shen Wei could think of. He submerged himself in his powers and called forth one he hadn't used for millennia, letting it pulse through him and extend the natural dark energy flowing within him.

Professor Ouyang bounced against the invisible wall, but Shen Wei felt the shock of the impact. Definitely inhumanly strong. Was the Treaty still valid, and whose jurisdiction would Professor Ouyang fall under? Was he still human?

Another frustrated charge at the wall. Shen Wei decided that whatever it was, he'd rather alert Zhao Yunlan. “Li Qian,” he asked, “do you still have Chief Zhao's telephone number?”

“I'll call him,” Li Qian said, jolted from her shock by something to do.

Professor Ouyang made a third charge at the boundary before realizing it was futile. “You,” he accused. “You're from Dixing.”

There was nothing he could say, so Shen Wei said nothing. To the side, Li Qian was explaining the situation to Zhao Yunlan.

“Ouyang Zhen, please calm down,” Professor Zhou said. “Too quick a temper is not good for anyone. Especially now that you have super strength. With great power comes great responsibility!”

“He's on the way,” Li Qian said. Shen Wei doubted whether his two seniors were paying attention to the words of a mere postgrad, but he could smile and thank her.

“Do you not see yourself?” Professor Ouyang yelled. “Your student must have bewitched you! All those years, he lied to you, for what purpose? All Dixingians are born criminals, up here only to steal our prosperity!”

“You're wrong!” Professor Zhou said. “Shen Wei is-”

“That – Dixingian – is a monster, that's what he is! We must take a stand lest Dragon City and all of Haixing be overrun with monsters!” Professor Ouyang threw himself at the wall again; the impact resonated unpleasantly in Shen Wei's bones. The power hadn't been meant for sustained use, but he had no other options.

“He's my prize student, not a monster!” Professor Zhou declared, more incensed than Shen Wei had ever seen him. “He's a perfectly rule-abiding member of the scientific community who has never harmed anyone!”

“You dare call him ‘rule-abiding’ when his very presence here is a violation of the Treaty? He's not supposed to be here, he's supposed to be down in the darkness with the rest of them!” Professor Ouyang charged the wall. It held, but Shen Wei was left wishing that Zhao Yunlan would arrive sooner rather than later. “The Dixingians flaunt the rules more and more blatantly by the day! Your ‘student’ should've been sent back long ago! The Black-Cloaked Envoy, supposedly an arbiter of justice and enforcer of the Treaty, is nothing more than a farce, remiss in his duties!”

Another attempt at the wall that rattled Shen Wei's body. It must've rattled his mind as well, for he was tired, tired of lying, tired of listening to Professor Ouyang's tirade, tired of hiding – and Professor Zhou already knew, and Li Qian likely would be fine after a moment's thought – so he did what was always harder than it should be, in Haixing, and called a completely different power forth.

“Which of us has been remiss in his duties?” the Black-Cloaked Envoy asked. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw Li Qian and Professor Zhou take half-steps back. In front of him, Professor Ouyang was dumbstruck.

Shen Wei reached out and summoned his yutoudao as easily as breathing. Like all those months ago on that rooftop, he slammed its butt to the ground and frost encased Professor Ouyang's legs. If he could escape, Shen Wei would figure out something else, but it should be enough to keep Professor Ouyang contained long enough for the SID to turn up.

“Tell me, Professor Ouyang,” he continued, “which of us has been remiss in his duties? I have captured and brought to justice Dixingian criminals as stated in the treaty, cooperated with the SID, and worked tirelessly for social reform in Dixing. I also know well what a professor's duties include. Tell me, have you fostered learning in the next generation? Brought social benefit with your-”

“Special Investigations Department, everyone freeze!” Zhao Yunlan's voice came from the door.

Shen Wei did not so much rein himself in as deflate. Nevertheless, he was still the Black-Cloaked Envoy, supposed to be infallible. “Chief Zhao. Please excuse my overstep; Professor Ouyang was attempting to murder humans using superhuman strength gained from his incomplete experiments. I suspect the serum he injected himself with also made him more ... unstable than usual.”

“Right.” Zhao Yunlan nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. “Brother Black need not be concerned, we will deal with him. Calling us was definitely the right choice.”

Shen Wei nodded, still holding on to his Envoy persona, no matter how much he might want to succumb to the stress and exhaustion of the past weeks and collapse into Zhao Yunlan's arms. That could wait until the evening, when they had covers to hide beneath.

The SID took Professor Ouyang away. When the door closed, Shen Wei sat down in a very conveniently placed chair that hadn't been there before and let himself fall back into his civilian clothes. Distantly, he recognized the physical symptoms of overwhelming dread.

“Professor Shen?” Li Qian asked. “Are you all right?”

“I think I should get a cellphone,” he said. He'd seen and heard of people sending little intimate messages to their lovers using them. Now, he wanted nothing more than to send Zhao Yunlan an electronic kiss and perhaps receive a hug back.

“They are very convenient,” Professor Zhou said. “Shen Wei, perhaps you should rest a bit? Resisting Ouyang's battering must have been taxing.”

Shen Wei glanced at his watch. “I have a class soon. I'll have to leave first.” He clambered back onto his feet, and because he truly was in a hurry, he summoned a portal to his office. Professor Zhou and Li Qian were left blinking after him.

The lecture materials were, as usual, on his desk. It was simple to grab them and refamiliarize himself with his intent by glancing at them on the walk to the lecture hall. He walked into a room full of students, not a minute early and not a minute late. By his own standards, it was tardy, but after today's events it'd suffice.

“Good afternoon,” he began. “Today, we will talk about CRISPR as a tool that revolutionized bioengineering. Before that, however, does anyone have any questions?”

A student's hand shot up. The girl, Chi Yin, often had questions and was a bit of a worrywart; she'd likely ask after the course implementation again. At his nod, she asked, “Professor Shen, what do you think about Dixingians?”

Shen Wei did not break the chalk in his hand, but it was a near thing. “I...”

“Aren't they those mutants you gave that public lecture on?” a student asked. “They must be scary monsters.”

“They're abominations,” another student piped up. Nods of agreement spread from around him. “They have superpowers they'll use to harm us, we shouldn't be letting them up into our Haixing. They'll destroy the social order-”

“Is that what you think of me?” Shen Wei said and immediately regretted it. Why hadn't he found someone with memory wiping powers to learn from? He wanted nothing so much as to sink into the ground and be forgotten forever. He supposed he could portal away, but-

Right. The lecture. He cleared his throat and said, “Now, on to CRISPR.”

His hand and voice shook, and it was perhaps not his best example of pedagogy, but he made it through the two hours allocated. He dismissed the class, gathered his papers, and walked to his office as if piloting himself from a distance. The sensation was not dissimilar to how it had felt to be mind controlled by Li Si. His students' eyes burned on his back.

No matter how much he might wish to portal home, or perhaps call Zhao Yunlan and be picked up, he still had his mandatory office hours. He very gently set himself down on his chair and wracked his brain for something he could do – appear to do – in his distracted state.

The students' graded exercises of the fortnight. Right. He wouldn't grade them, but he could take a look.

Midway through the second essay on lethal recessives and how they often were codominant in a beneficial way, someone knocked on his door. “Come in.”

It wasn't whom he thought it would be. Instead, the person who came in was a boy who'd been silent the whole time he'd been in Shen Wei's classes. Fan Juecong, that was it.

“Professor Shen,” he said. “Thank you.”

Shen Wei frowned. Students didn't come to his office hours to thank him for lectures, and Fan Juecong hadn't visited him before.

“Thank you, Lord Envoy,” Fan Juecong continued.

All the blood in Shen Wei's veins froze. “How-”

“I visited my father in Dixing, and he dragged me to a bar. I saw you come and search for someone, then transform into the Black-Cloaked Envoy when they were rude to you.” He looked at his toes and shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I'm sorry I didn't speak up.”

“It's – not your fault.” No matter which incident he spoke of.

“Thank you for standing up for all of us.”

Shen Wei squirmed in his seat. “It is my duty.” He did his best to look busy. Fan Juecong got the hint and excused himself, leaving Shen Wei in blessed solitude.

That didn't last long. Chi Yin shuffled in, obviously on the brink of tears.

“Other people's opinions aren't your fault,” Shen Wei pre-empted her apology. The Dean must've heard of the situation by now. Shen Wei should probably be freaking out about getting fired due to the Dean's panic, unless the laws forbidding discrimination against Dixingians had come to force already. He should be having more concerns than he currently did, at any rate.

“I didn't know,” Chi Yin sobbed.

Shen Wei leaned forward in his chair. In the most soothing voice he could muster, he said, “Of course you didn't. I kept it a secret for a reason.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Other people's opinions are not your fault,” he repeated. He was rapidly running out of ability to deal with other people's feelings gracefully. His greatest desire was that Chi Yin suddenly discover a pressing need to go to the washroom, but he had not acquired such a power, either. Why couldn't Zhao Yunlan appear in his office when he was needed?

Another student knocked on the door. Chi Yin must've had some awareness of manners and Shen Wei's likelihood of continuing this conversation in a constructive fashion, for she politely took her leave between her sobs.

The next one in – Shen Wei's stomach sank with dread. Qiao Gaiwu had been the one to call him a monster. Others had continued his roll, but he had started it.

“Professor Shen,” Qiao Gaiwu asked in a soft voice, “are you really from Dixing?”

He sounded contrite enough. Shen Wei, weary enough to be reckless, called forth dark energy into his palm and let it swirl there for a moment. He closed his hand and dismissed the energy. “Does that answer your question?”

Qiao Gaiwu stared at Shen Wei's closed hand. “I'm sorry,” he eventually said. “I was wrong.” He swallowed. “I shouldn't believe everything the sensationalist media writes.”

“Criticism of sources applies to news as well as scientific literature,” Shen Wei said, glad to have an actual lesson he'd harped upon already to cling to like a lifeline.

“I'll – let you get back to marking,” Qiao Gaiwu said. He retreated with his head bowed. No doubt he'd lick his wounds. Perhaps he'd even learn something.

Shen Wei stared in anticipation at the door, but no-one else came. With a deep exhale, he went back to staring at the papers.

The door opened once more. The dread in Shen Wei's stomach instantly evaporated when he saw it was Li Qian. After a moment to think, he recalled he'd wanted to go over her original research plan to see how it should be updated and dug it out. “We can go over your original research plan-”

“Professor Shen, are you all right?” Li Qian asked.

“I'll manage. I've survived worse.” He smiled in a manner he hoped was reassuring. He didn't know whether today counted as worse than the sideways looks and hushed whispers some of the more Treaty-critical Dixingians gave him, but he had pulled through insults and insinuations before.

“I can hold the rest of your office hours if you want to go home and rest,” Li Qian offered, and it was so very tempting, but-

The door opened again. Professor Zhou strode in. “Shen Wei, you really should go home; you look terrible.”

“I still have office hours to hold, and next week's lectures-”

Professor Zhou waved him off. “I'll hold next week's lectures for you. Were you really planning on lecturing while you're attending to the Dixingian immigrants?”

Shen Wei deflated. “What would the Dean think?” he finally croaked as a last protestation.

“I'll take care of that if he comes to bother you,” Professor Zhou said. “Now, go home and sleep. Why don't you call that Chief Zhao of yours? He's nice to you.”

It wasn't even three yet. “I won't bother him.” Shen Wei gave Li Qian instructions to comment upon her research plan and the preliminary grading rubric for the essays, then said his goodbyes and called a portal to bring him home.

Standing in Zhao Yunlan's living room, he felt lighter, as if telling his secret weren't just the minor convenience of not having to hide his powers and the annoyance of people voicing their discriminatory attitudes, but instead removing a stone he'd never realized was around his neck before he shed it. Feeling as if he would float away from the world, up onto the sky and the cosmos beyond it, he put one foot in front of another, originally meaning to go inventory the kitchen for dinner-making but finding himself at their bed instead.

The bed was soft and smelled of Zhao Yunlan. Shen Wei fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

“Shen Wei?”

Shen Wei stirred. Zhao Yunlan's voice was as always honey to his ears, capable of waking him from slumber. Opening his eyes revealed the man above him. Shen Wei reached up and grabbed the conveniently located collar and pulled Zhao Yunlan into a kiss.

A throat was cleared to the side. Shen Wei turned his head, saw Zhao Xinci at the doorway next to Ye Zun, and dragged himself fully to alertness.

“My son insists on going forth with this idiocy, and now the Black-Cloaked Envoy himself is down for the count,” Zhao Xinci said. He shut the door behind him. Ye Zun crept away from him.

“While I do not need as much sleep as humans, I do still need some, and thought to get a surplus under my belt before next week's bustle,” Shen Wei said, straightening himself and ignoring the embarrassed heat on his cheeks. “You must excuse me for not knowing visitors were coming.”

Zhao Xinci, who had almost certainly invited himself, scoffed. “Let's hope your attack of sentiment won't destroy everything I have worked for,” he said to Zhao Yunlan and departed.

Zhao Yunlan sighed pointedly and sat down on the bed. “Li Qian texted with what happened at the university. Sorry about Dad, he ... insisted on accompanying us. We got takeout?”

Shen Wei looked around. Ye Zun lifted up a white plastic bag. “Thank you,” Shen Wei said. “I'll get-”

“No, stay there,” Zhao Yunlan said. “I'll set it up. We can have dinner in bed!”

Shen Wei was sceptical, but it turned out that eating dinner in bed did work, provided one was willing to let Zhao Yunlan prop oneself up with pillows. He sighed and let Zhao Yunlan fuss. He didn't think he looked that bad, but the pillows and concern were comfortable.

“Ge?” Ye Zun said in an unreadable voice, chopsticks hovering over the takeout carton. “Why did you leave me?”

“I ... was awake the whole time I waited for Zhao Yunlan in the wormhole,” he hesitantly admitted. A quick glance at Zhao Yunlan revealed he'd frozen. Shen Wei hoped he could salvage the situation with both his brother and his lover, though it was hard to finesse one's way though a conversation with both of them present. “I was too tired to think clearly. I’m sorry.”

“You jumped in the wormhole and left me,” Ye Zun insistently continued.

Oh. “I knew you'd be safe here,” Shen Wei said. “It was Zhao Yunlan whose fate I didn't know.”

“All my life everyone else has been dust compared to you, gege, yet to you, others have always come before me in your heart.” Ye Zun pouted.

“It's possible to care for several people at once, you know,” Zhao Yunlan said, rescuing a Shen Wei who had been struck speechless. “I care for Shen Wei, and for my cat Da Qing, and the rest of the SID, and you, and my father, even if he does his best to make it hard.”

“You care for me?” Ye Zun asked suspiciously.

Zhao Yunlan shrugged. “Of course! Shen Wei cares a lot about you, and I care about Shen Wei, ergo I also care about my dearest brother-in-law.”

“I think you mean your only brother-in-law,” Ye Zun said.

“That's beside the point.” Zhao Yunlan sighed. “It's not a competition. We're communal species; everyone cares for multiple people. You have your brother, and the people who like your brother enough to care about you by extension. Once you start interacting more with the external world, you'll get more people who care about you for your own sake.”

Ye Zun regarded him suspiciously for a moment, then sighed in defeat. He sulkily munched his pork.

Zhao Yunlan pulled out his phone. “Coast's clear, get your fat butt over here,” he said once whomever it was – likely Da Qing – had answered. “I have dried fish.” Definitely Da Qing.

“About to demonstrate how it is possible to care for multiple people at the same time?” Ye Zun asked archly.

“I care about you, and I think you could do with a cat butt on your lap right now,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Purring does wonders for the soul.”

“If you say so,” Ye Zun doubtfully said, then returned to his food.

Da Qing arrived through the window while they were finishing up. He changed back to his human form and immediately demanded the fish. He and Zhao Yunlan had what felt like a familiar and well-worn conversation that Shen Wei was too tired to pay attention to.

He let Zhao Yunlan take away the trash. He realized his glasses were crooked from him sleeping on them; he removed them, fixed them with dark energy, and set them on the bedside table.

Sleeping would be more comfortable without so many clothes. Shen Wei rose, yawned, and changed out of his suit into pajamas. He was aware of Zhao Yunlan ogling him, but tonight he didn't want to do anything but sleep. Preferably in bed.

He did make it through brushing his teeth and walking back to bed. “Good night,” he said, and burrowed beneath the covers.

“I still have some bureaucracy stuff to look at, so get started on the sleeping without me,” Zhao Yunlan said and kissed Shen Wei's forehead. “Da Qing, go purr on the twins, would you? I'm sure Ye Zun will give you skritches.”

Da Qing argued back a bit, but Shen Wei didn't have the energy to pay attention. Ye Zun crawled into bed and Da Qing turned up in cat form, imperiously demanding pets Ye Zun happily provided. Shen Wei fell asleep to the sound of purring. He stirred but did not wake when Zhao Yunlan slipped beneath the covers and gently placed his arms around Shen Wei's sleeping form.

Shen Wei woke up to sunlight filtering through the curtains. He spent several more languid moments luxuriating in Zhao Yunlan's embrace before Zhao Yunlan stirred, his cue to get up and make breakfast for four.

The smell of congee woke up Ye Zun and Da Qing and had Zhao Yunlan roll out of bed with a thoughtful expression on his face. Shen Wei didn't pay it much mind while he served congee and tea, as he was still tired enough to only want to curl up in Zhao Yunlan's arms and beg for a re-do of the sleeping portion of the night.

After they were done, Zhao Yunlan said, “Right, Da Qing and I will go to the office; you two can stay here.”

“I'll come help,” Shen Wei quickly added.

“Shen Wei.”

“Dixingians are my responsibility-”

“You're tired out of your mind and had a crappy day yesterday,” Zhao Yunlan said. “I think you deserve some rest.”

You'd just make mistakes we'd have to expend precious time to fix, Shen Wei mentally substituted. He couldn't even in good conscience argue against it, as he was so tired that as the day progressed he'd start making avoidable mistakes.

“Besides, I have the perfect entertainment for you and Ye Zun!” Zhao Yunlan added.

To the side, Ye Zun was smiling sweetly and fluttering his eyelashes at Shen Wei. Shen Wei sighed and acquiesced. “I'll take the day off. What is this entertainment you speak of?”

“You can stay in bed in your pajamas and watch the entire run of ‘Need to Marry to Reassure Grandda’ on the TV,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Don't worry, I'll set it up, you can turn off your brains. It might be a good idea to keep them turned off, too.”

“This was the ‘popcorn melodrama’ you mentioned?” Ye Zun asked, and Shen Wei had thought of telling Zhao Yunlan to put on something edifying, but that was the most enthused Ye Zun had sounded since approximately the age of six, and he didn't have the heart to quash it.

“That's the spirit!” Zhao Yunlan said, then went to fiddle with the TV set. Something was inserted into it, and he pointed a stick – remote, that was the word – at it intently. Shen Wei went to wash the dishes.

After all the dishes were clean, Da Qing and Zhao Yunlan were in their work clothes and Shen Wei still in his pajamas. He felt odd being so underdressed, but Zhao Yunlan insisted on tucking him and Ye Zun into bed and then kissed him goodbye.

“Seventy-four episodes of melodrama, starting now!” Zhao Yunlan said. He pressed a button on the remote and the image on the TV sprang to life. He waved goodbye at the door, and then Shen Wei and Ye Zun were left alone with “Need to Marry to Reassure Grandda”.

The protagonist, An Yi, was a “perfectly regular” young woman whose grandfather had been diagnosed with cancer and thus wanted to see his granddaughter safely married to someone who met his criteria before he died. A matchmaking agency was hired, and An Yi became embroiled in a love life even more tangled than that of the most dramatic of Shen Wei's students. While it was amusing to watch all of her would-be suitors go down in flames due to uncovered faults of their own, it was nowhere near the vicinity of anything resembling reality.

As one of An Yi's suitors set another on fire using chemicals whose materials safety datasheets didn't even mention flammability, Shen Wei decided that as much as this might be brain-off entertainment, he'd rather not have his brain melt out through his ears. Perhaps they could conduct a conversation while they watched.

“How is your therapy going?” Shen Wei asked.

Ye Zun made an appreciative noise and didn't look away from the screen. “It's nice. Doctor Cheng's kind, and when she finds out I have no idea what an oceanfront is like or something, she'll show me videos. The questions are nice, too – last session, she encouraged me to think how I would feel if someone else said what I said.”

“So a thought experiment not of accurate clocks on a relativistic rocket, but of reversing the roles in a scenario?” Intriguing.

“Yeah,” Ye Zun said, eyes still glued to the screen. An Yi was now being escorted home by a man with a comically oversized knife obviously made of papier mâché.

Shen Wei distracted himself from the ensuing fight scene's utter lack of connection to reality by thinking about the role reversal thought experiment. What scenario would yield maximal insight?

After a bit of deliberation, Shen Wei had settled on one. Zhao Yunlan would be injured – Shen Wei stomped down on the urge to imagine the details – and say “It's okay, I'm used to being injured.” And Shen Wei-

Shen Wei would be livid.

How can you treat your health so casually?! he'd want to yell, and fuss, and manhandle Yunlan away from potential further harm. Shen Wei had to stamp down the explosion of feelings.

That ... was interesting. He hadn't expected his extemporization to be so ... well, perhaps not useful or enlightening – yet – but thought-provoking, certainly. If only he had the wherewithal to analyze it more. Though perhaps he should ask Zhao Yunlan about it; he wasn't sure if Zhao Yunlan would actually react like he would.

Shen Wei was sitting on the bed, with Zhao Yunlan seated on a chair opposite to him. He held Shen Wei's beating heart in his hands.

“My heart is yours,” Shen Wei said.

Zhao Yunlan made a thoughtful noise. “It's a very nice heart,” he said, and bent to gently kiss it. Shen Wei felt a flutter in his chest. “But hearts belong on the inside, xiao-Wei.”

Shen Wei was left blinking in confusion. “Well, yes, it is an internal organ...” he said as he watched Zhao Yunlan lean over and press the heart back into Shen Wei's chest. It tingled on the way in, and when Shen Wei looked down, there was no hole and no blood on his shirt.

“There,” Zhao Yunlan said.

“Did you not like it?” Shen Wei asked.

Zhao Yunlan smiled reassuringly. “Of course I liked it.” He bent to kiss Shen Wei's shirt over his heart. “I just like it more when it's inside you like it's supposed to be. Besides, there's lots of surface to kiss on you without gouging holes.”

This time, Zhao Yunlan went for Shen Wei's lips. Shen Wei lifted his chin and met Zhao Yunlan for the kiss; as always, Zhao Yunlan was a toe-curlingly good kisser, and Shen Wei happily pulled him onto the bed so he could curl against him with his full body. “Yunlan,” he moaned, as he pulled Zhao Yunlan closer to him and nuzzled against him, arousal starting to buzz through his veins. Zhao Yunlan smelled different than usual; he must have changed shower soap-

“Wake up, gege,” Ye Zun said and pushed him off the crook of his shoulder.

Shen Wei opened his eyes and reality flooded in. The TV droned on; the main protagonist was in a restaurant with a man he didn't recall seeing before. Shen Wei was lying on the bed cuddled up to his little brother, in his pajamas under the covers, taking the day off to relax after last week in preparation for next week's mass migration.

“How long was I asleep?” Shen Wei asked.

“Half an episode,” Ye Zun said. “An Yi has just found out that the top boyfriend candidate had forged his tax records and went to prison for tax fraud, instantly eliminating himself from the considering. The new guy is recommended by a matchmaker, but the episode opened with her father opening a paternity testing letter thing, so I suspect they're secretly half-siblings. Oh, and I think the guy who jumped into the river in episode three faked his death and might be back in the running.”

“This is all very unrealistic.”

“I can't wait to see what sorts of dramas get written when Dixingians are commonly accepted!” Ye Zun enthused, and Shen Wei realized his little brother was really, truly enjoying himself.

“No doubt they'll be terribly unrealistic and represent Dixing powers inaccurately,” Shen Wei tried to quench the enthusiasm.

Ye Zun waved a hand dismissively. “It doesn't matter if they're unrealistic, as long as they're fun.”

“You do-”

“Shh! Plot!”

Shen Wei rolled his eyes and obediently watched the melodrama. The matchmaker roofied An Yi, which launched a police investigation, and Shen Wei watched along as the poor date was falsely accused and An Yi traded sizzling glances with a police officer who aspired to but could not reach the hotness of Zhao Yunlan.

He napped, on and off, for the rest of the weekend, more baffled than joyed at the dreams that had returned to grace his nights for the first time after his ten thousand years of slumber. By Monday, he was clear-headed enough to realize that perhaps trying to function after staying awake for the whole month Zhao Yunlan had been in the past was a bad idea, but he couldn't have arranged things otherwise. Though he was still a bit tired, that could be solved by sleeping every night instead of every other. Considering that he could do that curled up with Zhao Yunlan, he could even look forward to it.

With a refreshed mind and body he transformed into his Envoy's robes and observed the bureaucrats with their desks and electronic systems. A few Dixingians who'd spent longer on the surface had volunteered to help, as had some Haixingians; Shen Wei was glad someone would be telling the newcomers about the intricacies of traffic before they got hit by it.

“Everything's ready,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Want to make the announcement?”

“Let's.”

Shen Wei led the way to the portal. Under the expectant eyes of bureaucrats and volunteers, Dixingian and Haixingian, supportive and hiding reservations, he pushed dark energy through his hands – and oh, it was so much easier now – and made the portal flare open.

“After you,” Shen Wei said. He knew he sounded smug, but perhaps he could be excused.

They walked together to Dixing, where some Dixingians already waited. Most had nothing with them – individuals sent to bring word to their families – but some had already gathered their worldly possessions and queued in a mostly orderly fashion.

“The gates are open,” Shen Wei said. “Travel as you wish.”

“One family at a time, and give the people before you some time to move out of the way before rushing through after them,” Zhao Yunlan instructed. “On the other side of the portal there'll be a bunch of officials in stands. Go to the nearest one that's free, and if there are no free ones, please wait in the designated waiting area to the side. Everyone will get a Haixing identity, so there's no need to cut the queue. After your paperwork is sorted, a volunteer will tell you about the other points of living in Haixing, as well as give you a brochure about helplines to call. At some point later today, everyone will go home to sleep, and we'll close the gate temporarily before re-opening it tomorrow. We'll keep doing this until everyone's gotten to the other side.”

At Zhao Yunlan's nod, Shen Wei gestured to the portal. “Please.”

No volunteer came. All the queueing households glanced at each other. One of the Palace Guards raised his gun and eyebrows in inquiry; Shen Wei shook his head. They should come voluntarily if this was to succeed.

Eventually, a lone brave soul whom Shen Wei didn't recognize lifted his chin and strode through. He only had a small backpack's contents to his name. Hopefully Haixing would be kinder to him.

When the man didn't scurry back, another person went through. Then another, and another, and it didn't take long for the queue to start moving with slow regularity. Shen Wei gave a few additional instructions to the Palace Guards supervising the queueing – among them absolutely no use of force – and then slipped through the portal with Zhao Yunlan.

The normally quiet parkside was bustling with activity. The small family that had preceded them through the portal was sitting in the otherwise empty waiting area, all the desks were occupied, and the first few throughfarers had reached the volunteers.

Shen Wei stood apart from the action, conspicuous in his Envoy's garb, and watched. It was remarkably orderly.

During the day, he popped over to Dixing a few times to see that the queue was just as orderly there, but mostly he watched Zhao Yunlan flit about and soothe the Dixingian migrants' worries with ease.

At the end of the day, he and Zhao Yunlan again traversed the portal, and told the crowd when they should come back. It all went well, though Shen Wei supposed the factions more prone to bad choices would have their first plans halted by the portal actually opening. Haixing had arranged good security for their end as well.

As they watched the stands be covered for the night, Zhao Yunlan sighed. “How long do you think it'll take to transport up Dixing's population?”

“Based on the census and today's rate, a bit over three months. In reality, likely longer.”

Zhao Yunlan nodded. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then changed the topic. “I'm going to visit mom's grave. Will you...?”

“I'll come with you,” Shen Wei said.

By the time Shen Xi had reached the city, she was hungry enough that she could eat an entire cow if given the opportunity. She patted her pockets. Her wallet, though light on cash, was still with her, and she should be able to buy herself one meal.

There were less people than she remembered being, on the streets – but that might just be the hour. Or was the level of lighting just her? No, it hadn't changed as she walked.

She stumbled about the city until she found a place that looked like a public-serving establishment of some sort. Very hesitantly, she entered.

“Hello! What can I get for you?” the – barkeep, this was a bar – said.

Shen Xi's stomach growled. “Do you have anything to eat?” she sheepishly asked.

“Sure, sure, I have fried mushrooms.”

She had never heard of a bar that served fried mushrooms, but maybe fashions had changed while she was away. “That sounds wonderful.”

A short while later, a plate of steaming mushrooms with some plants she didn't recognize was deposited in front of her. She'd never been a picky eater and hunger was the best sauce, so she dug in without hesitation. “What's been going on recently?” she asked between bites.

The barkeep looked at her with suspicion. “Everyone's being forced to move to Haixing, that's what's been going on. They started the migration today.” He sat down with a sigh. “It's terrible for business! So what if Dixing is a spaceship, couldn't they just leave it in place and let us live here in peace?”

Shen Xi's chopsticks froze on the way to her mouth. She consciously schooled her face into a nonexpression and ate as if nothing had happened.

This was Dixing? That would explain why it was so alien. But not the people – hadn't her husband said that Dixingians were monsters, whereas the people she'd seen walking about looked human, and this barkeep had very human concerns?

“How are the Haixing authorities coping with the migration so far?” she asked. Hopefully it would be a question neutral enough to not reveal her utter lack of recent knowledge.

The barkeep shrugged. “I hear it's been orderly. The SID Chief, Zhao Yunlan, has managed things well, and of course the Black-Cloaked Envoy has participated in the planning and execution as well.” He leaned over. “Did you know that both of them have visited this very bar?”

“At the same time?” she asked, trying to swallow the implications of her teenage son being the SID Chief.

“Of course they've been here at the same time, they-” His eyes narrowed. “You haven't heard the gossip?”

She smiled sheepishly. “I think I've missed years' worth of stuff at this point.”

“Let me catch you up!” the barkeep said. His eyes lit up in the manner of someone about to tell the tale of a lifetime. “Well, first, there hasn't been much else to gossip about, so there are a lot of different factions. There's the people arguing about whether Zhao Yunlan is secretly Dixingian, or whether the SID Chief seduced the Envoy as a plot to take over Dixing, or whether the Envoy seduced the SID Chief in service of the Dixingian agenda.”

“What do you think, since you've met them both?”

The barkeep frowned. “I thought it must all be in service of something, but after I met them, I think it's a star-crossed romance. The SID Chief is actually pretty decent and insightful, so it's not like the Envoy is chasing him because he wears his jacket nicely – can you believe it, accusing the Envoy of shallowness? Besides, he cares too much for it to be just a sexual relationship. A bunch of teenage girls are all aflutter that finally the Black-Cloaked Envoy has someone who cares about him and cherishes him, but I'm not convinced. I don't know how it goes in Haixing, but here, that Zhao Yunlan's mostly been making him worried sick.”

“That was ... exhaustive,” Shen Xi said. Her boy had grown up and was now dating that newly awakened wartime relic her husband had warned her about. Great.

“I haven't even gotten started!” He leaned in. “The news services have of course caught wind of all sorts of things that they do in Haixing. Apparently Zhao Yunlan bought the Envoy a house just to store their sex toy collection? And of course there's the wedding speculation – will the SID Chief bring his unsavoury human family, who'll wear what, which of them is pregnant-”

“Uncle?”

Shen Xi and the barkeep turned to the newcomer. He was a boy of undergrad age.

“Juecong! Did you find out what the legislation is?”

“Yeah, I think you need a licence?” the boy – Juecong – said. “There's this guy, Lu Shuoxin, on the legal advice team who's Dixingian, and he said to talk to the job people when you come up. Apparently they'd love someone who has a business.”

The barkeep was silent. Shen Xi asked, “When'll the portal reopen?”

“Sometime in the Haixing morning,” Juecong said. He pulled out a phone and checked the time. “At least fourteen hours. Everyone gets up, though; they promised that much.”

“And if I already have a Haixing identity?” Shen Xi cautiously asked.

Juecong looked at her thoughtfully. “I guess I could bring you up as I go to the student housing.”

Shen Xi smiled. “Thank you. How much for the food?”

She paid with her Haixing money – even if Dixing had its own currency, the barkeep and his nephew would soon only be using Haixing's. The barkeep took pity on her and gave her an overripe tomato for her troubles. The oldest tradition of shopkeepers: give the occasional barely-unsellable item as a freebie to keep the customers happy. She thanked him nonetheless.

Her guide led her through a series of ever more deserted back alleys. “I'm Fan Juecong,” he introduced himself. “What's your name?”

“Shen Xi. I have a doctorate in computational chemistry.”

“Huh,” Fan Juecong said. He stopped. “Here. Hold my shoulder.”

She took hold of his shoulder. A curious tingle of static, blue and black, enveloped them.

Haixing was bright and green and nothing shimmered. Shen Xi took a deep breath. They were at the edge of a graveyard beneath the calm of trees. She supposed it'd be a good place to portal between worlds: not that many people loitering, and everyone visiting would mostly keep their attention on the graves. At this time, there was only one party of three at the gravestones.

“Hey, that's the Envoy!” Fan Juecong whispered. “And the SID Chief, and- and the previous SID Chief.”

Shen Xi drifted forwards as if her legs had a mind of their own. That was her husband, all right, years older but still recognizable despite the encroach of gray in his hair. He was lecturing their son about – about what she'd think of Dixingians walking openly on Haixing.

Well. She'd been on the high school's baseball team.

With all her might and technique, she hurled the tomato at him. It hit him square in the temple.

“Zhao Xinci!” she yelled. “You fucking liar!”

“Mom?” the young man in the snazzier coat said, so that must be what her Yunlan had grown up into, and the one in glasses the Envoy.

“Shen Xi?” her husband said in disbelief.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” she shouted and yanked at him by the lapels of his coat. “You and your department of ‘monster’ hunters! Did you ever even talk to a Dixingian? They're fucking people living in the fucking darkness, who wouldn't want to come to Haixing from over there? And you considered confining them to the dark more important than living yourself! This was your excuse for not attending Yunlan's graduation ceremony?!”

“Mom?” Yunlan plaintively said.

Shen Xi very consciously let go of Zhao Xinci's jacket and let him drop. “Yes?”

Yunlan put his arm around the Envoy's shoulders and smiled hesitantly. “This is Shen Wei. He's a professor of bioengineering at Dragon City University-”

“He's the Black-Cloaked Envoy, isn't he? Or are you two-timing on the Envoy?” She raised an eyebrow.

“I'm not two-timing on anyone!” Yunlan spluttered.

The boy must be suffering from a tragic lack of maternal terror. “Ah. So, are the rumors true? Is he only chasing you because you wear a jacket nicely? Or are you trying to seduce him in a bid to rule Dixing? Did you really buy a whole separate house to store all the sex toys you bought him?” She paused for dramatic effect before delivering the killing blow: “Oh, and which of you is pregnant?”

“I- Mom- but-” Yunlan spluttered. The Envoy – Shen Wei – looked to her son for guidance, but her son had no guidance to give.

“In reproductive matters, Dixingian physiology is equivalent to human, and I don't have any Dixing powers that'd change that,” Shen Wei said with a forced smile on his face.

She had to admit, Shen Wei didn't look like a powerful ancient being at this moment. “How old are you?” she asked. “Officially and in reality.”

“Officially, I'm thirty-two,” Shen Wei said, relieved to be given questions easier to answer. “In reality ... I suppose something similar, assuming Dixingians and humans mature at the same rate. My parents died young and there weren't any official records to consult in wartime.”

“What year is it?” she asked.

“2025,” Yunlan said. “You've been gone for fifteen years.”

Fuck. But also, she was capable of basic math. She spun on her heel. “Zhao Xinci. Did it somehow escape your notice that this terrifying and inconvenient Dixingian Black-Cloaked Envoy you spoke of and wished to eliminate was a fucking teenager, or did you just not care?”

“He did not tell,” Zhao Xinci said.

They stared at each other, Zhao Xinci his usual mulish self and Shen Xi full of righteous fury, neither of them willing to budge. To the side, Fan Juecong and Shen Wei were conversing in a low voice.

“Yunlan,” Shen Xi said, “why don't you find me a place to stay?”

“Sure, mom,” Yunlan said with a final glance at Zhao Xinci. “Uh, if you'd follow me? The car's parked nearby.”

Zhao Yunlan was still reeling from his mom abruptly turning up as he pulled in at the SID. It was as good a place to go as any, and he desperately needed the extra time to think about sleeping logistics. While he could cuddle up with Shen Wei and add an extra Ye Zun and fat cat into a double bed, his mom could not join the cuddle pile. Someone would have to go on the couch. It'd likely be him.

“Lin Jing, my mother returned from the dead; see if you could return her official identity from the dead, too,” Zhao Yunlan called out to the evening shift as they walked in to pick up Ye Zun.

“Uh... Sure?” Lin Jing said. “Um, it might take until tomorrow, since office hours are over.” He said to Zhao Yunlan in a lowered voice, “Are you sure your father wouldn't be better placed? He's higher up the totem pole.”

“Trust me, he wouldn't,” Zhao Yunlan murmured back.

“This is my brother Ye Zun,” Shen Wei was saying to Shen Xi. “Ye Zun, this is Zhao Yunlan's mother, Shen Xi.”

“Hi, Miss Shen,” Ye Zun said.

“That would be Doctor Shen,” she said. “I didn't get a PhD in computational chemistry for nothing.” She paused. “Will they give me back my fellowship? Shen Wei, you have access to the university's journal subscriptions; may I borrow your laptop to see what the state of the art is?”

“...I don't have a laptop,” Shen Wei said and blinked innocently.

Shen Xi shrugged. “You can set up the proxy on Yunlan's.”

Shen Wei wilted. “I don't know how to use computers,” he said in a small voice.

“Not even- How the hell did you get tenure, then? Are we in some post-apocalyptic hellscape where computers don't matter anymore?”

“I asked the department secretary very nicely and she submitted the application on my behalf,” Shen Wei said.

Lin Jing interrupted the conversation with an assurance that computers were very much still in use and then some bragging about the stats of the gaming computer he had at home. Shen Xi sucked in a breath in awe and the two of them embarked on a rapid-fire discussion about Moore's Law and other stuff Zhao Yunlan had no idea about.

“Li Si!”

Summoned, Li Si appeared in an eye-bending paradox at the corner of Zhao Yunlan's sight. “Is there a problem?”

“Not really, I just wanted your opinion. My mother returned from the dead. Do you think other people will do so as well?”

Li Si turned to Shen Xi. “Do you recall what happened while you were gone?”

“I was ... suspended in this space with technicolor blotches in the background,” Shen Xi said. “It looked a bit like a bad special effect. There were things that looked like stars, and floating objects beyond my reach.”

“It might be related to the slaving tools,” Li Si said. “Doesn't sound like the input/output buffer of the spaceship hull. Unless you perceive things that differently?”

“Wouldn't it being related to the Hallows require the Hallows' presence?” Shen Wei asked.

Zhao Yunlan paused to think. “Wang Zheng, look up the case file for mom's death. Did anyone write about the Guardian Lantern?” He felt very accomplished about his decision to digitize all the SID files despite his father's objections about hacking. Suck it, dad.

“A moment.” Wang Zheng clacked at her keyboard. “Yes,” she said. “Apparently the culprit had it in his bag?”

“So it was the Hallows,” Zhao Yunlan said. His mother could walk around in sunlight, so she wasn't an energy being like Wang Zheng or Sang Zan, and the Hallows had been disintegrated, so there wouldn't be too many more people returning from the dead. “Okay. Let's go home to sleep. Ye Zun, you too.”

“Will your mom sleep on the couch?” Ye Zun asked.

“No!” Zhao Yunlan immediately said. “We'll have to redecorate a bit,” he added and smiled apologetically at his mother.

“As long as I get to cuddle with gege,” Ye Zun said.

Shen Xi stared at him with raised eyebrows. Shen Wei said to her, “He had a tough childhood,” which didn't even begin to cover it, but okay, it was a start. Zhao Yunlan would just explain everything to his mom later. Hopefully she wouldn't think Shen Wei was too much of a weirdo, or disapprove of him.

His mother got front seat privileges, not that Shen Wei or Ye Zun looked to mind. Da Qing had very wisely chosen to stay elsewhere for the night.

The ride home was awkwardly silent. Even Zhao Yunlan couldn't come up with something to talk about.

At home, Shen Wei and Ye Zun carried Shen Wei's bed back to Shen Wei's bedroom, then escaped to Zhao Yunlan's apartment to cook. Zhao Yunlan was left alone with his mother in Shen Wei's apartment.

“So, uh. You can have this entire apartment until we figure out something better.” Zhao Yunlan waited. Hopefully his mother would ask a question; he didn't know where to start with untangling the current situation.

“Is there any particular reason why the Envoy's brother lives with you, sleeping in the same bed, and how has the Dixingian gossip industry not pounced on this?” she asked with the deceptive mildness that had always been a prelude to disciplining.

“I ... guess I should explain that thing from the start,” Zhao Yunlan said with a sigh, then gave a barebones explanation of the situation in chronological order, starting from the meteor strike ten thousand years ago and ending with Li Si destroying the Hallows.

Shen Xi walked to the bedroom window and gazed at the data center. “So your boyfriend is an obsessive man with stalker tendencies.”

“He's good for me,” Zhao Yunlan said reflexively. “I want someone who'll always have my back, and that's Shen Wei. He's also an excellent cook and keeps the house clean, and we seldom argue.” Not like you and dad did.

“You know,” his mother said, “it's not like any couple starts off yelling. It's always sailing on at most slightly choppy water, until suddenly, there comes a matter where your views are so incompatible that it's as if the relationship had suddenly run aground. While it can be anything, mostly it's the important things. Politics. Work. Child-raising.”

“So I destroyed your marriage,” Zhao Yunlan said, and was suddenly painfully aware that his only model of talking to parents was telling his father to fuck off.

Shen Xi turned around and looked at him with a concerned expression. “I would not describe it like that. Nothing you did or could have done would've altered the outcome.”

“And what are you going to do now?” he asked, trying to keep a lid on the sudden anger that had risen in him. If only he had Shen Wei's power of teleportation.

“See if I can get my job back.” Shen Xi shrugged. “Get a divorce. Go backpacking through the lands.”

What about me? Zhao Yunlan thought, thought about all the times he'd wished for his mother to come back, except that now she'd returned, it wasn't at all like he'd imagined it to be. “You'd leave? You only just came.”

“My husband's an asshole and my son's an adult. If I don't get my job back, there's nothing to make me stay.”

Most people came to grips with their parents' humanity and fallibility as a series of small realizations over their teenage years. Zhao Yunlan was being forced to confront all that at once, while simultaneously having every myth he'd built up about his mother over the past decade and a half collapse onto his head.

“I'll see about the bureaucracy for you,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Then we can get you a phone number and the other things.”

The conversation was halted by a knock on the door. A beat later, the door opened, and Shen Wei told them dinner was ready.

Conversation was stilted, with Shen Xi not participating at all beyond complimenting the food. It was an excellent meal – Shen Wei truly had surpassed himself. Shen Xi didn't respond to his polite attempts to connect.

As Shen Wei washed the dishes, Zhao Yunlan escorted his mother to the door of Shen Wei's apartment. “Here's the key,” he said, giving her the spare Shen Wei had given him.

She took it and considered it for a moment. “You're my son,” she eventually said. “I'll be there for you when inevitable heartbreak hits.” Before Zhao Yunlan could reply, she opened the door and went through it, leaving him alone in the corridor.

Inevitable heartbreak.

Zhao Yunlan swallowed the retort on his tongue, sighed, and retreated into his apartment, where Shen Wei was still washing dishes. Ye Zun clung to his shoulder, the picture of brotherly love.

What Zhao Yunlan really wanted was privacy to ruminate and mope a bit, but that was in short supply. He collapsed onto the bed instead.

Inevitable heartbreak. Had the cracks that would eventually bring everything down been obvious in retrospect for his parents? Would they have been obvious beforehand as well, had they paid attention to them and not willfully ignored them because they finally had something? Could love last, or would the thing he shared with Shen Wei fester into a gaping sore that brought them both down to screaming arguments and cold shoulders?

At that, his brain brought up a highlight reel of conflicts he'd had with Shen Wei. He tried to brush them all off as things that wouldn't happen again, but unfortunately his brain wasn't cooperating.

“Shen Wei?” he asked. “When you're done, could you come over here?”

“Certainly,” Shen Wei said from his faraway location, and Zhao Yunlan must've sounded concerning, for Ye Zun appeared at the bedside.

“Hi,” Zhao Yunlan said. At least Ye Zun would be a distraction.

Ye Zun tilted his head in thought. After a moment's consideration, he asked, “Does the Da Qing thing work even if I can't transform into a cat?”

“...what Da Qing thing?”

“The-” Ye Zun waved his hand, sighed, and climbed onto Zhao Yunlan. “This thing.”

It was indeed a pretty good approximation of the thing Da Qing did in cat form. Alas, Ye Zun was no cat, but rather a man, and one that looked, felt, and even smelled a lot like Zhao Yunlan's lovely boyfriend; Zhao Yunlan's body was suffering from conflicting impulses.

“Thank you for recommending therapy,” Ye Zun said, a complete non sequitur. “It's been enlightening.”

“I'm glad you've found it useful,” Zhao Yunlan said. He succumbed to the urge to pat Ye Zun on the head.

Ye Zun made a sound of contentment. “They say humans are social animals, so physical contact is an important aspect of their well-being. It seems it's the same for Dixingians.”

“Da Qing is very good at lounging on people.” Zhao Yunlan continued with petting Ye Zun's hair. “If you're ever in need of contact, you could ask him.”

“How does one get cat hair out of clothes, anyway?” Ye Zun asked, and then Zhao Yunlan shared his cat hair removal tips until Shen Wei was done with the dishes.

While it wouldn't hold for sleeping, with a bit of rearrangement they managed to fit all three of them on the bed for a cuddling session. Zhao Yunlan let himself breathe in Shen Wei's familiar scent and tried to will himself to believe in forever.

“What's wrong?” Shen Wei asked.

For a moment, Zhao Yunlan debated lying. “Mom doesn't believe what we have will last,” he quietly said.

“I've loved you for ten thousand years,” Shen Wei said.

“You slept for most of it,” Zhao Yunlan pointed out.

“Nevertheless.”

“I think we need to have a conversation,” Zhao Yunlan said. “About the whole time travel thing. What I saw in the past.”

“Couldn't you have done this at any point before now?” Ye Zun complained, ruining the mood. Zhao Yunlan contemplated kicking him off the bed, but he was a bit too well entangled with them for the process to be anything short of laborious.

“We were busy,” Shen Wei said, and made no move towards doing anything that'd ease Ye Zun's way off the bed. He swallowed, and in a much rawer voice asked, “What would you like to discuss?”

Zhao Yunlan resigned himself for having this conversation with his brother-in-law being a third wheel who provided an awkwardly incestuous vibe to the whole thing. “You fell for me based on nothing at all. I'm a bit concerned, to be honest. Did you truly have no-one to call a friend?”

“I ... most of the Dixingians kept themselves apart from me. And the way I became the leader in charge of everyone was also not conducive to closeness.” Shen Wei huffed onto Zhao Yunlan's throat. “After Ye Zun and I were separated, I tried to rail against the rebels, but didn't have much success until a few years later. Apparently, in the parts we wondered to, they told stories of star-children, sent from our ancestral home above the lid of the sky to aid us in times of need. One of the people who believed those legends was a member of the Lord of Dixing’s guard who had survived the meteor impact and the diseases that circulated in the aftermath. I think it was more wishful thinking and desperate hope that led to the belief on his part, but he vouched for me, and then I was the self-declared Black-Cloaked Envoy, in charge of a growing army of Dixingian loyalists.”

Shen Wei paused to smooth an imaginary wrinkle off Zhao Yunlan's shirt. “Had I been a modern human, I'd have been around thirteen; I don't know how old I actually was. Quasi-pubescent.” With sudden forcefulness, he said, “The guard's name was Tong Zhongjin. He was tall, handsome, kind, and fiercely loyal, and he died in my arms after taking an arrow on my behalf.”

That would well explain a number of Shen Wei's hangups. Zhao Yunlan curled his wrist and rhythmically stroked Shen Wei's back with his thumb. “Oh, Shen Wei,” he said, suffusing the words with warmth.

As Shen Wei relaxed beneath Zhao Yunlan's hand, Zhao Yunlan asked, “How were you and Ye Zun separated, anyway? You said something about being tossed off a cliff, didn't you?”

In lieu of replying, Shen Wei tugged a hand free, lifted it to his forehead, and-

It was the ancient era. Two boys walked along, one in black, the other in white and coughing. The original rebel leader turned up, tossed Shen Wei off the cliff, and when Shen Wei returned with the now-iconic yutoudao he'd very conveniently found at the bottom, Ye Zun was nowhere to be found.

The scene dissolved back to reality. “The Rebel Leader's power was mind control,” Shen Wei finished.

“I remember,” Zhao Yunlan said, smiling at Shen Wei. “Just like I remember how lonely you were and how you liked to look at me.”

“How did gege like to look at you?” Ye Zun asked, reminding Zhao Yunlan of his existence and again shattering all of Zhao Yunlan's lecherous plans towards the aforementioned gege.

“I was lonely and he paid attention to me as a person, instead of just me as a symbol,” Shen Wei said while Zhao Yunlan contemplated kicking Ye Zun out of the bed again. It'd be hard – Ye Zun was layered between Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei, and Shen Wei wouldn't appreciate his brother being kicked out. Besides, they had no place to put him.

“But you're not lonely now, gege,” Ye Zun confidently stated.

“It would be hard to be lonely in my present circumstances,” Shen Wei very wryly said. He sighed. Zhao Yunlan noted a concealed yawn. “Though perhaps we could sleep now?”

“I shan't keep you up.” Zhao Yunlan tried to slip out of the bed without dislodging Shen Wei or Ye Zun and failed. He rose with a heavy heart.

The couch really wasn't that bad, he tried to tell himself as the darkness settled itself around him. He'd slept on it before and he could sleep on it again.

His mother didn't like Shen Wei.

It was hard not to have disappointment rise up his throat like acid reflux, seeping through his bones to erode his convictions until he could but sink into a sea of doubts. Had she augured the relationship correctly? Would the two of them drift apart, leaving Zhao Yunlan alone once more, except rawer in his solitude due to opening up and showing his soul only to be eventually rejected?

Except all this agonizing over Shen Wei and the state of their relationship was, although on one level valid, on another level just a distraction from the questions Zhao Yunlan had no clue how to tackle. Even the darkest depths of his soul, willing to loathe his father, were loath to hold negative sentiment toward the mother who'd advocated for him so well in his youth.

Was it just that she had trouble adjusting to her son having grown up? Zhao Yunlan wanted to believe she'd come round, but – what if she didn't? And even if she did, there would be the time before that.

All of this would've been easy enough to put out of his mind were he in Shen Wei's arms. The couch offered no such protection.

His mind raced but his limbs grew heavy. Eventually that weight spread to his mind as well, slowing it down like an errant sprinter caught in tar, until sleep could conquer him.

The first light of dawn had just joined the streetlamps in filtering through the curtains when a hand arrived to shake at Zhao Yunlan's shoulder. On the couch, he couldn't even roll over to escape.

“Whah,” he croaked.

“Your turn to cuddle gege,” the voice attached to the hand said.

For approximately five seconds, Zhao Yunlan was confused as to why this was information worth waking him up over. Then he woke up enough to realize that the voice belonged to Ye Zun, so the gege in question must be Shen Wei, and Zhao Yunlan vaulted to his feet fast enough to get an attack of green spots and tinnitus as his heart tried to catch up with this whole business of being vertical.

Zhao Yunlan gladly rushed to where Shen Wei slept, muzzy with slumber and soft in the dim light, and buried himself in the blankets with him. Shen Wei squirmed a bit to recover from the intrusion and let out a noise of contentment. It took Zhao Yunlan no time at all to fall back asleep, floating as he was in warm happiness.

Shen Wei woke slightly more rested than he'd believed possible last morning. Ye Zun had for once rolled around until he was the big spoon, and he had his arms wound tight around Shen Wei and his erect penis pushed against Shen Wei's backside. Morning wood happened to everyone, but some standards of propriety should be maintained.

“Didi, wake up,” Shen Wei said and elbowed Ye Zun.

“I've been awake for hours,” Ye Zun said from far away and lifted his very awake head from the other side of the couch back. “I let Yunlan cuddle you instead.”

That would explain the different variety of cuddliness. “That was nice of you,” Shen Wei said. He gave himself two minutes of luxuriating in Zhao Yunlan's embrace before freeing himself and making breakfast.

Yesterday had been ... interesting. He still hoped Zhao Yunlan's mother would come around after the shock of having her son grow up in her absence had worn off. And even if she wasn't prejudiced against Dixingians, she might've been hoping for a nice daughter-in-law and consider getting a son-in-law a less preferable option – such attitudes were frequent enough amongst Haixingians. Shen Wei knew firsthand how disorienting waking up in the future could be; hopefully she'd amend her views on him soon. In the interim, he would simply cook breakfast, clean house, and make sure his mother-in-law wouldn't have cause to worry about her son's well-being.

Another matter was last night's conversation. Shen Wei had considered bringing up his role reversal mental exercise, but Zhao Yunlan had been too distraught, and he wanted to have it without Ye Zun's presence.

Some vaguely human-like sounds came from the bed. “Good morning,” Shen Wei said from next to his overly elaborate noodle soup. “Perhaps you could invite your mother for breakfast?”

“Sure,” Zhao Yunlan said after some more groaning sounds. Another few moments, and he rolled off the bed to perform his morning ablutions. Some minutes later, he climbed into his clothes and meekly padded across the corridor to invite his mother over while Shen Wei ladled noodle soup into bowls.

Breakfast was a mostly silent affair. Shen Xi answered noncommittally when spoken to, Ye Zun was content to slurp his noodles in silence, and not even Zhao Yunlan's considerable verbal talents could maintain a pleasant atmosphere.

They dropped Ye Zun and Shen Xi off at the SID and headed to the park. The second day of the Dixingian migration started off well, and Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei had no trouble managing it. In fact, they might as well not have been present, for all that they were not needed.

Lunchtime meant a shift change where Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng came over to relieve them with strict orders to call if anything came up. Sandwiches in hand, they went to bring Ye Zun to a therapy appointment. The nearest spot with low enough foot traffic for teleportation was some distance away, so they had plenty of opportunity to discuss things during the walk back.

“Do you think a Dixing cultural center would help people acclimatize?” Zhao Yunlan asked. “It's got to be a big shift, and having a community always helps. We could also use it as a place to advertise societal integration stuff like job search help.”

Shen Wei had only ever been a visitor to the darkness, but Zhao Yunlan's point was reasonable. “A lot of material history would be lost regardless. An archaeologist has apparently already been badgering Wang Zheng about it by phone.”

Zhao Yunlan stopped in his tracks with an expression that said he'd had what he considered a brilliant idea. Shen Wei braced himself, but what came out of Zhao Yunlan's mouth was, “What if we made it a museum as well? Bring up the Lord of Dixing's palace, some volunteers' houses, and attach a more modern-style cultural center to the side.”

“That ... would be a massive undertaking.”

Zhao Yunlan shrugged. “We could ask Li Si for help. Or recruit a bunch of Dixingians with portaling powers.”

It was a decent enough idea, addressing a real concern. They were Shen Wei's people – at least until they came through the portal – and Shen Wei's responsibilities should involve their mental well-being, not just their physical survival. On the one hand, the Regent had proposed it first. On the other hand, if Shen Wei started doubting Zhao Yunlan’s loyalties, he might as well doubt his own. “If you can secure the land for it, preferrably somewhere in or near the city, I'll arrange the Dixing end.” He reminded himself that the Regent would have no official power, and Bao Xuehu had promised to handle it.

“Excellent,” Zhao Yunlan said and clapped Shen Wei on the shoulder.

They were at the alley mouth, so Shen Wei covered the hand with his own. The contact burned for a few short steps before they were shielded enough from view that he could rip apart the fabric of space-time in peace and bring them to the SID.

“Thanks for the ride.” Zhao Yunlan smiled. Shen Wei let him remove his hand after a final squeeze; his skin sparked where their fingers brushed together. “Lin Jing, where's my mother?”

“She's at the university, talking to the Dean,” Lin Jing said. “Her ID was reactivated and she has a phone, too. The number's on the post-it on the desk.”

Zhao Yunlan made a noise of acknowledgement. He started fiddling with his phone after he found the post-it.

Part of Shen Wei's technophobia was pure affectation – as the Envoy, he had to be prepared to teleport to the other side of the city or to Dixing at moment's notice, and mobile phones left logs of their locations no matter what the user did. Thus, to avoid exposure, he'd claimed phones were too hard to use. Now that everyone knew he was Dixingian, perhaps he could get himself a phone.

But there were more urgent things to talk about with Zhao Yunlan. “Perhaps we could go to your office to discuss?” he suggested.

Zhao Yunlan's eyes narrowed. To be fair, the ploy was obvious, and the Dixing Heritage Center wasn't something that needed to be discussed in private. Nevertheless, he obediently led Shen Wei to his office.

As the office also had a fireman's pole from the library, Shen Wei used one of his powers to encase them in a bubble that blocked the transmission of sound. He sat down on a chair and looked anywhere except at Zhao Yunlan. “There's a ... personal matter I'd like to discuss. A question for you. If that would be all right now?” He looked up.

Zhao Yunlan leaned on his desk and looked down at him with an unreadable expression. “Sure.”

Shen Wei took a breath and dove in. “If I were injured and said, ‘It's okay, I'm used to being hurt,’ how would you feel? Truthfully.”

“I would be angry at whomever hurt you and upset that you were hurt.” Zhao Yunlan observed his face carefully. “As for what you'd say, I'd be even more angry and upset over the fact that you're used to being hurt. I don't want you to be hurt at all; I don't want you to have been hurt so often that you've grown used to it. No-one should hurt my Shen Wei.”

Shen Wei exhaled choppily. Of course. Kunlun had cared for him; of course Zhao Yunlan would be concerned for him as well.

“But I'd suppress it,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Because the important thing to do would be patching you up.”

Shen Wei couldn't bear look at that loving face and ducked his head. “I- thank you.” He swallowed. “Ye Zun brought up that one of the tools in his therapy was flipping the script and thinking about how it would feel if someone else were saying the words. I ... wanted to know whether you'd react how I would. Since people are different.”

Zhao Yunlan was nodding. “Thank you for asking for clarification. I'd like it if you brought up any similar concerns with me in the future.”

“I'm not good at speaking about my feelings,” Shen Wei said. Admitted. Though Zhao Yunlan must already know.

To Shen Wei's surprise, Zhao Yunlan snorted. “Neither am I, actually.” He sighed and looked down. “I don't need someone to have hours-long heart-to-hearts with, or someone who flits from crisis to crisis. I want someone whom I can trust to have my back through thick and thin.” He smiled. “That is, of course, easier when we're both on the same page. So by all means, ask me so we can find that common ground.”

“Is that all?” Shen Wei softly asked, not quite sure of what more he wanted.

“Of course not,” Zhao Yunlan easily said. “We're entangled together, you and I, and I want the best for you. I don't want you to get hurt, physically or mentally.”

“What if the person causing me hurt is myself?”

“Then I'll love you to pieces and you can choose how to rebuild yourself from them while I hold your hand.” Zhao Yunlan winked. “Less metaphorically, I hear therapy is good for that. I also hear that your dear didi has had good results there.”

Shen Wei smiled fondly. “Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve you.”

“Exist.”

Joy bubbled up Shen Wei, rising from the pit of his stomach to fizz in his mind and make a silly smile take over his face. “This is a very inconvenient time for this.” Then again, it's not like there would ever be a convenient time.

“We've pulled through worse crises; we can work through Brother Black discovering someone cares about him.” Zhao Yunlan's smile was so fond it made Shen Wei's heart hurt.

Shen Wei rose. He'd have to turn off his sound-blocking bubble soon, but before that, there was still some time. He reached out to Zhao Yunlan and leaned in with his face. Their mouths connected, and Shen Wei gave himself a few minutes of bliss slowly moving against Zhao Yunlan's mouth and gently nibbling on Zhao Yunlan's lower lip.

The bubble started requiring effort to maintain. Shen Wei pulled back his head and stepped away, Zhao Yunlan's hands falling from where they'd rested against the small of his back.

Shen Wei let the bubble fizzle out into nothing. It refracted the light prettily for a moment as it went. “Come, let's set up that Dixing Heritage Center. Do you have the land yet?”

Shen Xi walked away from her meeting with the Dean annoyed and trying not to show it. She recognized that yes, she'd need to read up on what had happened academically in the past decade and a half to be able to do any sort of science, and she recognized that yes, budgets were always an issue in academia, but she'd still hoped for something better.

Reinstituting her academic access to online journals with instructions to come for a meeting with her old team's professor next month with a research plan wasn't that bad an offer, she told herself. She had a phone and a laptop and a place to live. She could come up with a research plan. Hopefully catalysis on nanoparticles was still something computational chemists received funding for.

The university was winding down for the start of the evening as she wended her way through the once-familiar buildings. She had to double back as one corridor had been repurposed into a lab for the low-temperature physicists during her absence.

As she walked back up the stairs, she bumped into the boy who'd brought her back to Haixing. Fan Juecong, that was his name.

“Uh... Hi. Are you lost?” Fan Juecong asked.

“Before I spent fifteen years floating in a technicolor void, I was a postdoctoral research fellow in computational chemistry,” she said. “Of course, the university has done structural renovations since. This used to be a major throughway.”

“Ah.” He blinked awkwardly. “Nowadays, no-one comes here.”

“So you use it to teleport down to Dixing.”

Fan Juecong opened and closed his mouth like a fish on dry land. “I- yes.” He sighed. “I heard that there'd be a Dixing Heritage Center, and I thought Uncle would want to know.”

Made sense. “Do you know where it'll be?”

“Not yet, but the decision should be made already. I just wanted to tell Uncle as soon as possible.”

“And who'd be making the decision?”

“Uh... Chief Zhao and a bunch of ministers?”

Shen Xi pulled out her phone and dialed her son. When he picked up, she said, “I hear you're setting up a Dixing Heritage Center.”

“Yes,” he said. She noted that audio quality over phones had improved over her time away. “What would you like to know?”

“Its location.” When her son had told her, she said, “Thanks. Bye!” and hung up.

Fan Juecong was looking at her in horror. “He's my son,” she explained. “Now, why don't you bring me with you on your visit to Dixing? I'm sure the three of us can come up with a nice place near the region to put a Dixingian bar.”

If she was going to spend a month high and dry, she would spend that month having fun, dammit.

That evening, Shen Wei noticed Zhao Yunlan was still out of sorts. He was good at hiding it – good at hiding all his insecurities – but Shen Wei was good at reading him.

He put away the last dried dish and started making tea. Ye Zun was in Da Qing's room, reading, with Da Qing in his lap. At some point, Shen Wei would have to discuss Ye Zun's reading choices and debrief him about some things, but he currently had much too much on his shoulders to have that conversation. He felt a twinge of guilt at neglecting his brother. At least Ye Zun had Da Qing to ask about things.

Zhao Yunlan was still sitting on the couch when the tea was ready. Shen Wei poured them both cups and sat down next to him.

“Thanks,” Zhao Yunlan sighed.

“It took me some time to – adjust, after waking up in the future,” Shen Wei quietly said.

Zhao Yunlan stared at him suspiciously. “Ah?”

“Don't take your mother's words to heart. It'll likely take her some months to adjust to you not being a child anymore.”

Zhao Yunlan sighed and cradled his head in his hands. “I know. It's just- I have to survive the adjustment period.”

“You will,” Shen Wei said. What had Shen Xi said? Something about them breaking up being inevitable. “I'll be by your side throughout.”

“You,” Zhao Yunlan said, turning his head to look at Shen Wei, “are a wonderful human being.”

Shen Wei snorted. Very well. It was Zhao Yunlan’s mother; let him derail the conversation. “Did you forget? I'm not a human being.”

“My wonderful alien is better than all the humans put together,” Zhao Yunlan declared with a smile.

They were at home, and any potential audience preoccupied, so Shen Wei leaned down and pressed a kiss to Zhao Yunlan's lips. “Are you sure? I have discovered a most wonderful human whose existence should make you reconsider your stance,” he murmured against them.

Zhao Yunlan laughed. “Oh, you!” Then he kissed Shen Wei again, following him all the way up, and they spent the evening kissing on the couch while the tea cooled.

During the day, Shen Wei had slipped off to send Bao Xuehu a message. It had read simply that the SID would set up a Dixing Heritage Center and part of it would be the transferred Palace.

After everyone else had gone to sleep, a snowbird arrived. “Don’t worry,” it said. “We’ve found a way to deal with him.”

“How will you do it?” Shen Wei asked.

“The Lord Envoy need not worry,” Bao Xuehu replied. “To bring the Palace up, they will first have to deconstruct it, stone by stone. There will be many opportunities to accomplish our mission with no collateral damage. Leave it to us.”

Shen Wei felt a niggling sense of unease as the snowbird melted into dark energy and sank into the ground. He was a general, not a spymaster, and would rather have stabbed the Regent himself. Alas, the world didn’t work that way, and the Black-Cloaked Envoy killing the Regent outright would only destabilize the already fragile situation. He would have to deal.

The next night, Zhao Yunlan slept entirely on the couch and come morning ate another ostentatious breakfast Shen Wei was futilely trying to impress his mother with. His mother went back to Shen Wei's apartment with Zhao Yunlan's selection of takeout menus, Ye Zun went with Shen Wei to the SID, Shen Wei would continue on to the park in his Envoy gear, and Zhao Yunlan would drive to the ministry, where he would be subjected to a series of soul-sucking meetings.

It sort of made him miss talking to the Regent, Zhao Yunlan thought to himself at the first small break. At least there was only one of him. How the hell could getting a building permit on a lot already allocated be so hard?

The second meeting was if anything even more hellish, as the architects' office turned up, and Zhao Yunlan discovered that he was suddenly supposed to make decisions about the center. He had never been in any sort of heritage center and wasn't Dixingian, which he explained to the unimpressed architects. In a fit of desperation, he delegated the task to Chu Shuzhi, who would if nothing else find a better-suited person to delegate it onto.

He attempted to escape, but alas, his attempt was foiled. “What is it, dad?”

“Perhaps we could take lunch together?” Zhao Xinci suggested. “There's a discreet restaurant nearby.”

So he wanted to chat about mom. Or disapprove about Shen Wei. “Sure,” Zhao Yunlan said. It wasn't like he was getting out of this.

It was a decent restaurant, Zhao Yunlan had to admit that. The booth gave at least the illusion of privacy, too, just like his father had promised.

“So, what did you wish to discuss?” he asked and stuffed one of the prawns in his mouth.

Zhao Xinci – or perhaps Zhang Shi – snorted. “Can a father not want to take lunch with his son without anything special to discuss?”

Not us. Zhao Yunlan raised an eyebrow. “In a discreet restaurant?”

Zhao Xinci sighed and caved. “How is your mother?”

“The Dean's keeping her hanging for another month. After that, she'll either get her job back or – I think she mentioned going backpacking.” He tried to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible, though his father probably noticed the excess of carefulness.

“Backpacking.” Zhao Xinci opened his mouth, but as the object of his ire was elsewhere, he didn't say whatever he'd planned to say. “And she's staying in your apartment? It's quite small.”

“Shen Wei's apartment, actually.”

“And Shen Wei has been staying in your apartment.”

Dad, please, I'm 30 and a man besides, you don't have to disapprove so hard. “Just like the past several months, yes,” Zhao Yunlan said.

Zhao Xinci harrumphed. “How have Da Qing and that ... Ye Zun taken it?”

“Da Qing's got his catbed and the alley, and Ye Zun doesn't mind being cooped up with his brother.” To push the conversation away from his own opinions on the arrangement, he said, “Ye Zun's therapy is going really well, too.”

The well of conversation ran dry. As usual, they didn't seem to have anything to say to each other.

Next up would be a topic change into why his dad disapproved of Shen Wei. As there was still food on the table and Zhao Yunlan had heard enough parental disapproval of Shen Wei to last a lifetime, he asked, “Does mom know about Zhang Shi?”

“No.” Zhao Xinci sipped his water. “I hoped I could ... solve the situation.”

“When will you tell her?”

“If there's a need.”

So, never. Zhao Yunlan cast for another topic to distract his father with.

Alas, the old man spoke first. “Yunlan,” he said in his serious and disapproving tone of voice, “I understand you are – quite fond of Shen Wei, but you must realize he is being an undue influence on you. I suppose you were pushed into recognizing them as full citizens by circumstances, but a Dixing Heritage Center? Really?”

“It's simple, really.” Zhao Yunlan had come prepared. “The rate of crime depends on what else the segment of the population can do. People generally don't like breaking the law, so if they have a plethora of opportunities, very few of them will become criminals. Those who are not well integrated into society and only have very few options, on the other hand, are much more likely to go down the criminal path. As the Chief of the SID, I'm doing my level best to solve the societal problem of crime committed by Dixingians by improving their integration into Haixing society and ensuring they know about all the opportunities available for them.”

His father stared at him. “So you have been paying attention at all those training seminars.”

Zhao Yunlan shrugged and pretended he wasn't hurt. “Would they send me to them if I wasn't?”

“Attendance is mandatory,” his father chided him, then started on the very familiar topic of Zhao Yunlan's shortcomings. It was strangely comforting to return to such a familiar scolding.

The afternoon held one more meeting Zhao Yunlan couldn't squirm his way out of, but after that, he was gloriously free and made a cheerful escape to the relative comfort of the SID. He had to brew his own tea, since all his minions were preoccupied, but even the highest of bureaucrats would have to give some notice before imposing upon his realm.

“Wang Zheng?” he called. “I think we should hire more Dixingians to the SID for the duration of the migration. See if Ye Huo, Sha Ya, and Hua Yuzhu would be interested. Wu Tian'en, too, if he's in Haixing already. That Xian Xi who volunteered to speak for Dixingians as well. They're to be here to help with the stuff where a Dixingian weighs in on it, and wrangling them is Chu's responsibility. If he has any more names to suggest, tell him to run them by me.”

“Sure,” Wang Zheng said and started making calls.

Ah, the sweet sound of people heeding how he bade. Zhao Yunlan lazed back on the couch.

The typing noises first quieted and then stopped. “Where's gege?” Ye Zun asked.

“Supervising the immigration process.” Had Ye Zun tuned out completely in the morning, or was he burying the lede?

“And Da Qing?”

Definitely angling for something. “Who knows where the damn cat is? Probably sleeping off a hangover somewhere. Eh, don't worry, if there's one thing he's good at, it's surviving. He'll turn up for work eventually.”

“Oh.” Ye Zun thought very loudly for a while. “Will you hug me?” he finally asked in a small voice and with a pout.

Zhao Yunlan sighed. “Sure.” He patted the couch next to him.

Warily Ye Zun stalked to the couch and sat down, as if afraid Zhao Yunlan might spook. He curled up awkwardly with his head on Zhao Yunlan's shoulder. Zhao Yunlan put an arm around him.

Ye Zun was warm and solid. He was skinnier than Shen Wei, but a bit stiff against Zhao Yunlan's side, so he came off as more of a weight.

A quarter of an hour passed. Nothing needed Zhao Yunlan's attention, nor did Ye Zun show any indications of rising. Wang Zheng finished with the phone calls and went to spend time with Sang Zan in the library.

The fabric of space-time was rent apart into a black and blue portal crackling with dark energy. The Black-Cloaked Envoy stepped through and froze.

“Is something wrong?” Zhao Yunlan asked.

Shen Wei shook his head and blinked into his professorial clothes. The portal closed behind him. “Some of the palace guards volunteered to also supervise at this end. Lin Jing helped set up a phone for them to share so they could call you if need be.”

“Well done!” Zhao Yunlan said, putting on his widest smile to encourage this newfound ability to delegate.

Shen Wei snorted, obviously clocking onto this attempt to manipulate him, but smiled fondly anyway as he walked over. He didn't quite seem to know whether to sit next to Zhao Yunlan or to Ye Zun, so he awkwardly stood between both of them and the table.

In that moment, Zhao Yunlan resented Ye Zun like no other, resented his existence that was the one thing keeping Shen Wei from sitting down next to him on the couch and maybe holding hands, keeping Zhao Yunlan from cuddling his lovely boyfriend to sleep, keeping Zhao Yunlan's dick dry and balls blue. And he knew Ye Zun had suffered, and knew that Shen Wei didn't want to neglect this responsibility of his, yet couldn't stomp down the resentment that Shen Wei and Ye Zun sleeping together while Zhao Yunlan languished on the couch, second at best on Shen Wei's list of priorities, had become the new normal.

“Yunlan,” Shen Wei said, voice a bit raw as if he, too, were thinking similar thoughts. Or perhaps just desiring a cuddle.

“Hi,” Zhao Yunlan replied in just as raw a voice.

“Are you not happy?” Ye Zun asked, demonstrating his tremendous talent for interrupting moments.

“Oh, so you've finally acquired some ability to read the room,” Zhao Yunlan snapped back. “Why couldn't you get more of it?”

Ye Zun frowned. “What do you want, then?”

“I want to kick you out of the bedroom so I can fuck your brother in peace, for one!” Zhao Yunlan snapped, aware that this was not worth such a reaction but unable to bring himself to stop.

For a moment, they were all silent – Ye Zun in thought, Shen Wei in mortification, Zhao Yunlan in embarrassment. Then Ye Zun smiled and said, “It's all right, I'm sure I can figure out a way to cuddle gege while you're doing the sex thing!” as if he'd solved a somewhat complex logistical problem and was explaining the solution to the people it had been plaguing.

Zhao Yunlan stared at him for a moment. He decided that that did not deserve a response and rose from the couch, squirmed past Shen Wei with a pinched expression, and stormed out of the SID. He might have yelled in frustration on his way out.

Zhao Yunlan walked around for a few hours before calling Da Qing, who promptly piled kittens into his lap. It was calming in a way, Zhao Yunlan had to admit, even if the corner of the park the cats had chosen was something of an olfactory assault.

“The trouble with Dixingians,” Da Qing sagely said, “is that they're insufficiently catlike. They cling too much. Get too attached. Just like humans.”

“Thanks,” Zhao Yunlan sighed. His pants had claw holes in them and he would never get the cat hair out. Typical Da Qing.

Wang Zheng called him and said all four of his suggested candidates had accepted, and Chu Shuzhi had suggested a fifth – one of the committee members from before. Zhao Yunlan accepted. After ending the call, he discovered a snarky message from Chu Shuzhi inquiring if this increase in responsibilities came with an increase in salary; Zhao Yunlan replied by threatening his bonus.

Mood sufficiently raised – or at least sufficiently distracted – Zhao Yunlan decided he could go back to the SID and talk to Shen Wei and Ye Zun. As a responsible boss, he also dragged a yowling Da Qing with him.

“The infrastructure department just called,” Wang Zheng greeted them as they walked in the door. “The new SID building's almost ready. They're estimating the prison block is ready by next week and the office space later in the week or the week after it.”

“Wow, they're ahead of schedule!” Zhao Yunlan exclaimed. He was a touch misty-eyed at the reminder that the SID had for once become a budget priority. It wouldn't last, though. The pendulum of urgency would once more swing elsewhere, taking the cash flows with it. They could only enjoy it while it lasted.

Shen Wei and Ye Zun weren't in the common space. A bit of searching revealed them to be in Zhao Yunlan's office.

“I'm sorry,” Ye Zun said unprompted. He was pouting and did not seem to mean it. “I didn't know humans had stupid taboos.”

“Didi,” Shen Wei said quellingly.

“You owe me ten thousand years of cuddles.”

Shen Wei sighed. “I slept for most of it.”

“Nevertheless.” Ye Zun stared at his standing brother mulishly, sulking in the armchair.

Time to intervene. “I understand you've gone through a lot, which is why I've let you get away with lots of things, but I really need some alone time so I can cuddle your brother.”

Ye Zun shifted and curled up on himself. “I don't want to be alone,” he softly said.

“You could cuddle Da Qing?” Zhao Yunlan suggested. “He's fat and a bit of a pain, but he will accept skritches as tribute to the self-declared top of the food chain.”

Silence. Then Ye Zun sighed and let go of all tension in himself. “I don't want to be alone in the dark,” he whispered.

“We could get you a nightlight,” Shen Wei suggested.

A familiar smile slowly crept onto Ye Zun's lips. “Okay.”

“Excellent!” Zhao Yunlan declared. “You can have the couch and a nightlight. And a lovely blanket and maybe Da Qing's butt,” he added at Ye Zun's sudden hesitation.

“Can I get someone to cuddle with like you and gege cuddle?” Ye Zun pleaded.

Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei shared a look. “Perhaps you could bring up romantic relationships with Doctor Cheng in your next appointment,” Shen Wei gently suggested. “Yoking yourself to another person is fraught even under the best of circumstances. I don't want you to get hurt.”

“Okay,” Ye Zun agreed doubtfully.

Any further conversation was interrupted by Wang Zheng knocking. Apparently Zhao Yunlan had a small mountain of paperwork to sign which should be done posthaste.

Shen Xi strode into the bar in Dixing with Fan Juecong and a bunch of boxes. The barkeep was sighing at his collection of alcohol.

“I brought the forms,” Shen Xi said.

“Thank you!” The barkeep – Fan Langjiu – smiled brightly and came past the bar to take them from her hands. He squinted. “I ... don't have an identity number.”

“They'll give you one when you come to Haixing,” Fan Juecong said.

“Okay, good.” He scanned the rest of the form. “I suppose I'll have the time to fill this in later. Why do they want these things in Haixing anyway? In Dixing I just set up my bar and people came.”

“Haixing has its approach,” Shen Xi said. “I have a month before I have to be anywhere on anyone else's schedule.” Given that she'd just heard through the grapevine that the group she'd worked in was being given to her worst academic nemesis, she wasn't that sure she'd have anything to do even after a month.

Fan Langjiu's face lit up. “Ooh, thank you!”

Shen Xi smiled and started folding the sheets of pre-cut cardboard into sturdy boxes. She was of course not doing this out of the sheer goodness of her heart, or even as repayment for that very satisfying tomato. “What do the rumors say about the Envoy's twin?” she casually asked.

“What twin?!” Fan Langjiu asked.

So Dixing hadn't heard. Very interesting. “His name is Ye Zun or something? They're identical twins.”

“Ye Zun and the Envoy are twins?!” Fan Langjiu looked like all his birthdays had come at once. “Who told you?”

“The Envoy himself. It's obvious, though; they're identical.”

Fan Langjiu leaned over in excitement. “What about the relationship with Zhao Yunlan? Did he and the Envoy stop Ye Zun's villainy with the power of love?”

Wait. “Villainy?”

“Yeah! He was locked in a pillar for his crimes and tried to take over Dixing.” Fan Langjiu frowned. “What's he doing in Haixing?”

“I was told that he was mind controlled,” Shen Xi said and carefully observed his reaction.

Fan Langjiu shook with enthusiasm. “So the Envoy worked with Zhao Yunlan to free his brother from mind control! Oh my god.” He rushed to her. “Tell me, do they sleep in the same bed? Does Zhao Yunlan have a matched set of boyfriends?”

“Uncle, she's Chief Zhao's mother,” Fan Juecong shouted, scandalized.

Fan Langjiu froze. “Um. Really?”

“Where else am I going to get people to tell me about the man my boy has shacked up with?” Shen Xi asked.

“That ... yes, that is ... reasonable.” Fan Langjiu nodded a bit to convince himself. “So, uh, what do you think about the migration so far?”

“It'll be interesting to see how society adapts,” Shen Xi said. Secretly she hoped that the increase in population would mean an increase in research funding. “So far I've only seen more people blocking roads due to being lost than usual.”

“They'll eventually figure out how roads work,” Fan Langjiu said and started bringing over the bottles of alcohol. He sighed. “And I'll be setting up my bar again. At least I have the alcohol and sound system already. How much are premises in the region?”

It wasn't that expensive a region – formerly a long-disused industrial area, decentish public transit from the center still in the future, new cheap housing already being built before the announcement of Dixingians arriving – but something this size... “You'll need a loan,” Shen Xi confidently said.

Fan Langjiu swore. “Juecong! How does one get a loan in Haixing?”

Fan Juecong paused awkwardly from his packing. “One ... goes to a bank? I think you need to have some money already?”

“But I don't have that much Haixing money!” Fan Langjiu despaired.

A brilliant plan hatched in Shen Xi's mind. “I have some,” she said. “I could help with the loan.”

“Thank you!” Fan Langjiu said and launched himself into a hug.

Shen Xi returned it and patted his back. Young, hot, and utterly unlike Zhao Xinci. Excellent rebound prospect – and even in the absence of amenability to moves, a nice piece of eye candy.

After this was all done, he'd buy a nice house with at least two bedrooms that had lockable doors, Zhao Yunlan thought. One for Ye Zun and one for himself and Shen Wei. Ye Zun could get his gege quota in the living room and Zhao Yunlan could put his grubby paws all over his wonderful boyfriend in the privacy of their bedroom. If Ye Zun were to some day get someone special of his own, they could retreat to Ye Zun's bedroom, and if Ye Zun ever moved out, Zhao Yunlan would have a perfectly functional guest room.

“Hello, Professor Zhou!” he said once Professor Zhou finally picked up the receiver.

“Chief Zhao!” Professor Zhou exclaimed before Zhao Yunlan could continue. “How is Shen Wei doing? Has he been eating well? Has he slept enough?”

“He's been doing much better now that he rested over the weekend,” Zhao Yunlan said.

Professor Zhou made a relieved noise. “Good, good. Shen Wei has a habit of pushing himself to the limit; make sure he doesn't go over it.”

“Don't worry, your prize cabbage is in good hands!” Zhao Yunlan declared.

“I knew I could trust in my cabbage-in-law!” Professor Zhou jovially replied.

Zhao Yunlan had to admit conversational defeat. This was a KO and total pwn. Cabbage-in-law. He laughed feebly before switching to his actual topic. “Do you know what would be a good place to buy a nightlight? It's for Ye Zun.”

“How boring do you want it to be?” Professor Zhou asked. “The big stores have some, but for cute or pretty ones you'd be better off looking in the children's department.”

“Makes sense,” Zhao Yunlan said. “I'll look at what the children's section-”

Professor Zhou interrupted him with a five-minute speech on things to look for in nightlights – Zhao Yunlan had had no idea there was that much to know about them – before transitioning into fussing over Shen Wei by proxy. He was doing an excellent impression of a concerned father-in-law concerned about how his prize cabbage was doing in the new marital home.

The call took forever, but Zhao Yunlan did get the information he wanted in the end. Ye Zun would get the most epic of nightlights.

Shen Wei watched Zhao Yunlan smugly stash a mysterious package beneath the bed. It was probably the nightlight, but he'd have to discreetly check while the others' eyes looked elsewhere, just in case it was some novelty toy Ye Zun should under no circumstances get his hands on.

He returned to chopping vegetables. His time would come, but not now.

Instead, he found himself contemplating the future. He was the Black-Cloaked Envoy, arbiter of justice, whose position and right to bring criminals to Dixing to be sentenced was enshrined in the Treaty.

Dixing was going away, and its people brought to the hands of Haixing's courts.

He was counting down the days to Monday so that he could return to his experiments and students. Li Qian had a draft research plan done by now, and his mind was abuzz with ideas to try like it hadn't been for months.

Shen Wei paused in his chopping and frowned. The Envoy would be obsolete soon – he should've realized that earlier – but Professor Shen would still be needed, and he liked being Professor Shen. More than he liked being the Envoy, that traitorous voice called Truth whispered in his mind.

Professor Shen wasn't caught between the abject misery of his people and the need to return them to it. Professor Shen was a well-liked lecturer and academic who would have a place molding the minds of the scientifically-minded youth for decades hence. It was all very logical: this past year had proven that even he had his limits, so when one job ended, he wouldn't take on another one. He supposed he could occasionally consult for the SID, but he would let the Black-Cloaked Envoy retire to the pages of the history books where he belonged.

A memory rose to his mind unbidden. "You'd still pick up your sword and fight for justice. Even if it's not what you like to do. You'll also fight so your conscience is clear,” Kunlun said. “If you don't like it, it's better not to be born."

Shen Wei very carefully finished slicing the carrot under his blade before letting himself think more about it. He could hear Zhao Yunlan whistling happily behind him, probably looking at something on his phone.

He was a scientist: he would consider the evidence. Present Zhao Yunlan had told him he was a man, not a knife; had not wanted him to sacrifice himself; had wanted him to come back alive and relax a little. Yet present Zhao Yunlan was also the one who'd gone to the past as Kunlun and told him to sacrifice himself to his duties.

Shen Wei risked a glance behind him. Zhao Yunlan looked up from his phone and smiled.

Perhaps he'd misunderstood. He'd certainly misunderstood it originally – had thought Kunlun would only care for him if he won the war with his blade, could only love a general as great as Kunlun’s reputation – so perhaps Zhao Yunlan had meant something completely different with it. Or had spoken in that joking manner of his, though Shen Wei didn't think it was that.

Logically, he should ask. It had yielded excellent results for the previous thing he'd contemplated, but-

He turned on the heating element beneath his wok pan. This issue felt surprisingly raw to the touch, and he didn't want to upset Zhao Yunlan more than necessary. He'd have to consider how to best bring it up.

No matter what his subordinates might say, Zhao Yunlan was not a cruel man. He let Ye Zun have one last night squeezed up to his brother in Zhao Yunlan's bed before kicking him out permanently. Sleeping on the couch was much less onerous when one knew it was the last night spent thus.

Ye Zun had an appointment with his physical therapist, and a doctor wanted to look at his lungs to see how good Shen Wei's dark energy healing had been, and then he had an appointment with his mental therapist, and the entire thing, lunchbreaks and small waiting times included, would take up Ye Zun's whole day.

Too bad Zhao Yunlan had things to do at work, or he'd bring Shen Wei back home and embrace the opportunity for privacy. Instead, he lounged in his office, trying to look busier than he was.

It was Thursday. Someone would have to tell the Dixingians about weekends. That would probably have to be Zhao Yunlan and the Envoy.

While he was considering how to phrase it, his phone rang. It was Guo Changcheng.

“Chief!” Guo Changcheng enthused into the phone. “We found someone who could help Teacher Zhang!”

“Oh?” Shen Wei hadn't been able to reverse the process, but perhaps he simply hadn't learned the right skill.

“Her power is undoing the effects of Dixing powers!” Guo Changcheng said. “Uh, there are some limitations, but Chu-ge and I thought you might want to know?”

“Yes, of course. I'll be right there.”

The woman was straight-backed and carried herself with the aura one might expect from someone who could reverse the damage anyone present might cause. She was middle-aged and had two teenage children.

“Morning!” Zhao Yunlan said. “I'm Zhao Yunlan, Chief of the SID.”

“I am Qiguan Chuwei.” She didn't offer her hand. “These are my daughters Wubai and Wutui. You had a patient for me?”

“Indeed! She lives some drive away. Please.”

Qiguan Chuwei's regal act was foiled by her utter incomprehension at seatbelts. Zhao Yunlan had to buckle her and her kids in.

They were quiet during the drive. Zhao Yunlan suspected at least the mother was trying to fend off motion sickness. He took the corners very slowly; a fellow motorist honked at him.

He finally pulled up in the parking lot and sauntered up to the doorbell. No-one answered it.

Fair enough, it'd take some time to come over, especially if they were interrupting something. Zhao Yunlan rang again. Wang Yike and Zhang Ruonan could just resume their sex in celebration.

After the fifth ring went unanswered, Zhao Yunlan had to admit defeat.

“It is, of course, best if the patient is present for the treatment,” Qiguan Chuwei snidely commented.

“Yeah,” Zhao Yunlan sighed. He idly wondered whether something had happened to Wang Yike and Zhang Ruonan and he'd be justified in breaking the door, but doctor's appointments and other unconcerning reasons for absences existed.

One of the kids coughed. Zhao Yunlan turned around, and sure enough, there Wang Yike was, pushing Zhang Ruonan's wheelchair.

“Morning!” he said. “Ah, one of the immigrants has the power to reverse Dixing powers, so I decided to bring her over for a consultation.”

“You should've called ahead!” Zhang Ruonan said. “Yike, let's go indoors. The living room should have enough space for us all.”

The living room was only just big enough for the six of them, though the teens were off being surly in the corner. Zhao Yunlan, too, stepped back from Qiguan Chuwei and her patient.

“How does your power work?” she asked Wang Yike.

“I ... suck the life force out of people,” she said. She wrung her gloved, braceletted hands.

“Do you suck it into yourself or destroy it?”

Wang Yike swallowed. “I don't know.”

“Demonstrate,” Qiguan Chuwei commanded.

“But-”

“There's a bouquet of flowers in the kitchen,” Zhang Ruonan said.

“I'll fetch it,” Zhao Yunlan volunteered, as he was the one closest to the kitchen. It was a nice bouquet, red roses and other things that probably stood for love of some sort, and it'd be a shame to see it dead.

He handed the flowers to Qiguan Chuwei, who asked Wang Yike to use her powers on them. She held them out in one hand and with the other used dark energy to probe what happened as Wang Yike removed her gloves and power-suppressing bracelets and reluctantly withered the roses.

“Enough,” Qiguan Chuwei said. She handed the dead plant reproductive organs to Zhao Yunlan. “Since you pull the life force from other people into yourself, it's possible to undo. Sit down and keep your gloves off.”

Wang Yike sat on the couch with her hands tightly clasped together. Zhang Ruonan smiled at her reassuringly.

Qiguan Chuwei closed her eyes, inhaled, and started doing rhythmic hand motions. Dark energy swirled first around her hands, then expanded to a triangle that flowed from Wang Yike to Zhang Ruonan before again being brought to Qiguan Chuwei, who sent it on another round.

Vigor seeped into Zhang Ruonan before their eyes. Her hair darkened to black, her skin smoothed out, and her spine straightened up.

When the dark energy flow stopped, Zhang Ruonan looked perhaps a bit older than she had before her unfortunate experiences, but still infinitely better than she had not fifteen minutes ago. She falteringly rose from the wheelchair.

“Jie!” Wang Yike exclaimed, then hurriedly clicked the power-suppressing bracelets around her hands and threw herself at Zhang Ruonan.

Zhang Ruonan, shorter and slighter than Wang Yike, almost toppled over. She laughed with joy. “Thank you,” she said with her head buried against Wang Yike's shoulder.

“Thank you,” Wang Yike echoed, face stuffed against Zhang Ruonan's hair. “Thank you so much.”

“Enjoy your newfound happiness,” Qiguan Chuwei said and swooped out of the room.

“Bye!” Zhao Yunlan said and followed her and her children out.

Outdoors, Qiguan Chuwei stood regally next to the Jeep. “I have heard distressing rumors about the price of education in Haixing,” she said.

“Right, right,” Zhao Yunlan said. “You will definitely get compensated for this. And the SID would definitely have use for someone of your talents!” She'd also be useful in making the others come in on time. “When you have your situation sorted out – banking details, permanent address, that sort of thing – please come talk to Wang Zheng at the SID and we'll do the hiring paperwork.”

Qiguan Chuwei nodded. “Very well. I have been given a permanent address. If you'd drive us to it?”

Zhao Yunlan spent the rest of the morning chauffeuring his future hire to her new apartment over in the boondocks. She was as taciturn on the way there as she'd been on the way to Wang Yike and Zhang Ruonan's house. She and Chu Shuzhi would get along swimmingly.

He returned to the SID to find Shen Wei sulking on the couch. “What's up?”

“It has been explained to me,” Shen Wei said, “that the reputation of the Black-Cloaked Envoy is such that no-one dares bring up complaints while he's present.”

“So you've been sitting here and dying of boredom,” Zhao Yunlan filled in.

Shen Wei did not sigh, but it was close. He lifted his glasses and rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

“We found a woman whose power is undoing the effects of others' Dixing powers. She'll join the SID after she gets her move sorted out. I brought her to Wang Yike and Zhang Ruonan's place; Teacher Zhang is now approximately her prior self.”

Shen Wei looked hopeful. “Perhaps she'd like her old job back? The department never hired anyone to replace her.”

Zhao Yunlan couldn't help but smile. “You could call them on Monday and see if that'd work. Wang Yike's got a job on the SID's Dixing focus group coming up; her girlfriend could do with not bouncing off the walls all week.”

“I'll ask the dean,” Shen Wei said.

“Want to go hang out behind the interrogation room?” Zhao Yunlan asked. Shen Wei looked like he could do with a change of scenery, and Zhao Yunlan wanted to do some cuddling away from Wang Zheng and Sang Zan's omnipresent eyes.

Shen Wei wryly smiled, likely guessing exactly what Zhao Yunlan had in mind. “Sure.”

The observation room had dimmed lights, the least cameras, and a surprisingly comfortable couch. Zhao Yunlan pulled Shen Wei down next to him and tossed an arm over his shoulders.

Shen Wei didn't lean in. If anything, he appeared even more troubled. Zhao Yunlan decided to wait it out.

Eventually, Shen Wei asked, “When I said I didn't want to be in the vanguard, protecting everyone from evil and you said, ‘You'd still pick up your sword and fight for justice. Even if it's not what you like to do. You'll also fight so your conscience is clear.’ – what did you mean?”

It took Zhao Yunlan a moment to figure out what Shen Wei was speaking about. Oh, no. It had been, if not ten thousand years, then at least well over a decade subjective for Shen Wei, yet Shen Wei was still quoting him word for word. Had he ruined poor Shen Wei's psyche? “Uh. Present you is very big into responsibility, so I wanted to encourage baby you to continue down that path without fear? You looked like you needed a pep talk?”

“‘If you don't like it, it's better not to be born.’”

Aw, fuck. Zhao Yunlan wanted to go back and slap himself on the head. It might've felt like a fucking video game level for him, but it had been bitter reality for Shen Wei. “I'm sorry. I hurt you, didn't I?” Shen Wei was going to come to his senses, just like everyone else had, and then Zhao Yunlan would lose his boyfriend and it would be all his fault.

“I thought Kunlun would only love me if I held the whole world on my shoulders, no matter the cost to myself or my capability to do so.” Shen Wei's voice was devoid of emotion.

“My love is unconditional,” Zhao Yunlan said and stroked along Shen Wei's shoulder with his thumb. “I'm sorry if I made it sound like it wasn't.” What pieces of Shen Wei had Zhao Yunlan rudely stomped on? “When you said you didn't want to fight, what were you going to say you wanted to do instead?”

Shen Wei sighed and relaxed fractionally. “I wanted to retire to live somewhere sunny after the war was won.”

“Do you still want to do so?” Zhao Yunlan softly asked.

“Yes.” Shen Wei swallowed. “I also want to be Professor Shen.”

“So your dreams grew with you.” Zhao Yunlan nuzzled the side of Shen Wei's head. “You can be Professor Shen all you like.”

Shen Wei tensed again and looked forwards doggedly. Eventually, he said, “When Dixing is gone, I – would like to stop being the Envoy.”

Zhao Yunlan was stunned to silence. “Oh?” he asked in a hopefully nonjudgemental tone, trying to wrap his head around a Shen Wei who was just a university professor.

“My position was only enshrined in the Treaty due to my subordinates' hero worship. I'm a relic of a bygone era. There's no need for me now that Dixingians live aboveground. I detest politics. I was born on the surface and cannot advise those raised in the darkness. I-”

“Hey. It's okay.” Zhao Yunlan pulled Shen Wei closer. “You don't need to be the Envoy.”

Shen Wei exhaled loudly. The tension left him and he slumped against Zhao Yunlan's shoulder like a marionette whose strings had been cut. “I miss my experiments and my students. I can't wait for Monday.”

“Do you think student xenophobia will be a problem?”

“I read of a finding, once. A lecturer came out as gay. While his students' appreciation of him dropped, their acceptance of gay people rose. I expect informing them of my Dixingianness will cause a similar reaction.”

Zhao Yunlan pressed his nose into Shen Wei's hair and breathed in his scent. It was different to what it had been in the past, less dusty and sweaty and more citrusy like his shampoo, but the base note of Shen Wei was continual. “Will you also inform them of your same-sex attractions?” he murmured into it.

“I doubt they need to be informed, given how often you appear in my company.” Shen Wei burrowed deeper into Zhao Yunlan's embrace. “Professor Zhou says it's obvious.”

“Then let this old man pamper you for a weekend?” Zhao Yunlan suggested.

At that, Shen Wei rolled around to look at him disapprovingly. “I'm over ten thousand years old, and you think you are an old man?”

“But you slept for most of it.” Zhao Yunlan ruffled Shen Wei's hair. “How about we kick out the cat and your brother for the weekend and spend all of it rolling around in bed?”

“Where would you put them?” Shen Wei asked, but he looked positively enthused about the idea.

Zhao Yunlan shrugged. “They can stay with Mom in your apartment, or at the SID, or sleep on someone else's couch for the weekend. I'll make sure Da Qing arranges something nice for Ye Zun. And give everyone takeout menus.”

“Deal,” Shen Wei said.

Shen Wei cooked extra portions that evening as Zhao Yunlan explained that they'd like some privacy for the weekend, so please take care of Ye Zun, Da Qing. Then he unveiled the most ostentatious nightlight possible as a gift to Ye Zun, cutting short any pouting Ye Zun might've done.

It was a nice nightlight, Shen Wei had to admit. It was a dinosaur astronaut in a launching rocket, and the remote control provided no less than fifteen different color options at three different brightnesses. Ye Zun clicked through them all before eventually settling on a red friendly to the circadian rhythm.

The next day, Shen Wei was simultaneously bored out of his mind at the lack of useful things to do and eagerly anticipating the evening. He tried to concentrate on spending time with Ye Zun, who with his long hair, red shirt, and black jeans looked modern in a way Shen Wei had never managed to achieve, but was inevitably distracted staring at the clock.

Finally the time came for Ye Zun and Da Qing to be shut out of the apartment. Shen Wei immediately teleported out of his clothes and pulled Zhao Yunlan onto the bed with him.

They forsook clothes and went – Shen Wei thought – through every position imaginable on all surfaces of the apartment both ways. Mostly on the bed. The bed had padding.

“Don't leave me,” Zhao Yunlan mumbled against Shen Wei's sweaty skin after a leisurely round of frottage.

Shen Wei ran his hand down Zhao Yunlan's back. “How could I?” he asked. “I've loved you for ten thousand years. I'll love you for ten thousand more.”

Zhao Yunlan laughed, silently enough Shen Wei felt the puffs of air against his skin more than he heard the sound. He lifted himself up to kiss Shen Wei's lips, and Shen Wei melted into the gentle press and twine of tongues before the heat once more rose and took them.

Shen Wei woke up on Monday morning relaxed and itching to go back to work. He missed his samples and his students already. As he wasn't Zhao Yunlan, he didn't whistle or hum while cooking up congee, but he might as well have.

“Wake up, Yunlan,” he said. “You said you wanted to drive me to work.”

“Look at you, so bright and chipper. Were you waiting for Monday morning?” Zhao Yunlan said from where he was half-hidden beneath the covers.

“I like my job,” Shen Wei said. “I would like to keep it.”

That made Zhao Yunlan roll out of bed and into the clothes Shen Wei had set out for him. “Please do.” He brushed his teeth, shaved, and slurped up his congee in record time. “Shall we go?”

Shen Wei was moderately disconcerted at how fast Zhao Yunlan had been, but he didn't mind arriving early. He packed some congee for Zhao Yunlan to bring to Ye Zun and put on his suit jacket. The drive to the University was quiet, as if they were avoiding some topic. Shen Wei would let Zhao Yunlan bring it up when he felt like it.

“When he felt like it” happened to be in the University parking lot. “Shen Wei,” Zhao Yunlan said, “if I request something that would make life awkward for you ... you can always say no.”

While this was rather rich coming from the man who'd originally bullied Shen Wei into joining the SID, Shen Wei was inclined to listen. “Oh?”

“I don't want to jeopardize your happiness. So if I ask you to do something deleterious to your academic career-”

“Like when you made me become the SID consultant?” Shen Wei filled in.

Zhao Yunlan winced. “I'm sorry.”

“Though I suppose it was better than the dean thinking I was being investigated by the SID.”

“Tell him we're dating,” Zhao Yunlan said after a moment's consideration. “Dating the politically well-placed Chief of the SID, sole son of the Director of the Xingdu Bureau, should even be advantageous to your career. Even if you’re a man.”

Shen Wei huffed. “I would prefer to get wherever I get through my scientific merits, not connections.”

“You and I both know reality unfortunately doesn't work like that.”

“Unfortunately.” Shen Wei sighed. “I should go look at the notes Professor Zhou left me. I don't have any lectures until the afternoon, but I want to have a meeting with Li Qian.”

“Good luck with your troublemakers,” Zhao Yunlan said. “I'll keep Ye Zun entertained at the SID and you can teleport over when you're done, okay?”

“Sure.” Shen Wei smiled at Zhao Yunlan as he got out of the car. He waved as Zhao Yunlan pulled out and drove to the SID.

Perhaps he should start teleporting Zhao Yunlan to the SID. It'd save on fuel costs. Besides, Shen Wei had never actually liked moving vehicles; they gave him vertigo.

He was overcome with a wave of rightness when he unlocked his door and strode into his office. This was his domain, and he would stay here forever.

There was a pile of notes on his desk. The topmost ones were from Professor Zhou – a short explanation of what he'd lectured for which groups last week and what their questions had been about. There was a very short mention at the end that he'd shut down attempted questions about Shen Wei's Dixingianness, which Shen Wei would likely have to follow up on. More details would be very useful for managing that situation.

Next up was a report by Li Qian about the samples she'd measured. She'd admirably hopped back on to the research plan she'd been on when this all started. Beneath it, there were a few administrative reports and trivia – apparently another professor had acquired major funding and would be serving cake in the break room tomorrow. Finally-

At the bottom of the pile, there was an actual letter in a sealed envelope addressed to Professor Shen. No department address, so it had been hand-delivered rather than sent through the department mail system. Since a brief scan with dark energy revealed nothing untoward, he opened it.

Dear Professor Shen, it read. I'm deeply sorry for my hurtful and offensive remarks. I should have been wise enough to recognize these sentiments for the abhorrent falsehoods they are and rejected them outright; unfortunately, I was stupid and believed them. While nothing I write or say now can undo the harm I have caused, I have since learned just how wrong I am. You are the best lecturer anyone could wish for and a wonderful mentor for all your students, and answer all of our questions, no matter how stupid. Many humans, me included, wish they could be half the man you are.

Shen Wei's eyes misted over as he reread it. The student who'd written it had been one of the main people calling Dixingians monsters. To have such a thorough apology was heartwarming.

One datum was not proof. But if a professor coming out as gay meant that his students' opinions on gay people improved, then surely this meant that Shen Wei could do good for his people by telling his students, loud and clear, that he was Dixingian.

He folded up the letter very carefully and placed it in his desk as a memento. There was a smile on his face as he dialed Professor Zhou to ask for a more detailed accounting of what had transpired last week.

Zhao Yunlan pulled up to the SID with a cloud of guilt over his head. Shen Wei didn't often bring up his past failings, but this time was completely justified, and Zhao Yunlan wanted to kick himself for being an idiot. In his urge to bind Shen Wei to him, he'd utterly forgotten to consider Shen Wei's feelings and the potential effect on Shen Wei's day job.

He intentionally pushed that off the top of his mind as he walked through the doors. Let it stew inside a bit; he had work to do.

“Morning!” he called out. “I brought breakfast.”

Ye Zun pushed Da Qing off himself and sat up. “What is it?”

“Your brother made congee.”

Apparently being made by Shen Wei was a mark in its favor, as Ye Zun grabbed the container out of Zhao Yunlan's hands and ate the contents with gusto.

“Don't I get anything?” Da Qing whined.

“Professor Shen is supporting you in your dieting, fatty,” Zhao Yunlan said. Too bad his car magazine hadn't been turning up lately; it would've been perfect for swatting Da Qing with. Perhaps Wang Zheng was hiding them, or using them to teach Sang Zan how to read.

Da Qing hopped off the table and went off to sulk. No doubt he'd beg some dried fish off old Li and then the neighborhood aunties.

“He's on a diet?” Ye Zun asked.

“No, but he should be, as he's unhealthily fat in his cat form.” Zhao Yunlan sat down on the couch next to Ye Zun. Wang Zheng and Sang Zan were in the library, Lin Jing wasn't supposed to come in until evening, and everyone else was supervising the exodus. “How did you manage, living in the same apartment as Mom?”

“She told us she'd found a better place to stay, but she didn't give us the key to gege's apartment, so we had to stay at the SID anyway.” Ye Zun sniffed. “Da Qing said he's entitled to overtime.”

“Did the damn cat do any actual work?”

“No?”

“Then no overtime for him.” Zhao Yunlan resisted the urge to pat Ye Zun on the shoulder.

Ye Zun shrugged. He finished off the congee and placed the container on the table with a clunk.

It was a decent enough time. Besides, Ye Zun had shown no signs of being able to use Dixing powers ever since he'd de-mind controlled and his hair had turned black again.

“You know, when I traveled back in time, you tried to kill me and Shen Wei and Da Qing.”

“I was mind controlled.” Ye Zun pouted.

“Why would the person mind controlling you want to kill Shen Wei?” Zhao Yunlan watched Ye Zun flinch. “How culpable were you really?”

“That was ten thousand years ago.” Ye Zun drew up his legs so he was sitting curled up on himself. His loose hair fell down to form an inky curtain that covered his face and rested on his wine-colored hoodie and cream trousers. He was mostly hidden, but that wouldn't hinder Zhao Yunlan's observations much.

“But how in control of your actions were you?” Zhao Yunlan softly repeated.

Ye Zun snarled. “Why do you ask? What does it matter?”

“The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.”

Silence. Ye Zun squirmed.

Zhao Yunlan sighed. “Though I guess that since you're in therapy and have been distinctly non-murderous ever since we brought you over, I can accept that you won't suddenly go back to conquering the world.” A minor relaxation in Ye Zun. “Nevertheless, I'd like to know. Call it curiosity.”

Ye Zun swallowed audibly. “The ... Hallows took over gradually. But it's been ten thousand years. I don't remember.”

“Usually, the memories with the strongest emotional load are the easiest to remember.”

“I didn't want to,” Ye Zun whispered.

Zhao Yunlan slowly reached out to place a hand on Ye Zun's shoulder. Ye Zun didn't flinch, so he squeezed. “Hey. You're my brother-in-law. Do you really think I'd throw my beloved boyfriend's dear brother to the wolves?”

“Everyone only cares about me because of gege,” Ye Zun grumbled.

“Get some friends,” Zhao Yunlan said, not at all interested in having this conversation again.

“How?” Ye Zun asked, turning his head to look at Zhao Yunlan like a wide-eyed ingénue at her débutante ball, raised in a mirrorless house in the woods, who'd just heard of the concept of social interaction for the very first time.

Zhao Yunlan sighed. “Well, you have your writings, right? Surely you could get some professional acquaintances that way. Ask lao-Chu, he's a webnovel author but might know about this sort of stuff.”

“And he'd help because he's a friend of gege's,” Ye Zun grumbled.

“Of course,” Zhao Yunlan said and spread his arms to underscore the obviousness of the point. “How to get Ye Zun friends, step one: Borrow Shen Wei's. And because family is transitive, you've already gotten Shen Wei's family.”

“But I'm gege's only family,” Ye Zun groused.

“You wound me,” Zhao Yunlan sighed. “Shen Wei and I have joined together in eternal romantic commitment. And while you were mind controlled, Professor Zhou seems to have adopted him, and adopted you as well the moment you turned up.”

Ye Zun arched a dark eyebrow. “Really.”

“Yes really, brother-in-law dearest. He bought you an extensive wardrobe in colors that flatter you and is supremely concerned with your well-being.”

“Oh,” Ye Zun said, apparently rearranging the basis of his mental landscape.

Zhao Yunlan patted his shoulder again. He dug out his phone and texted Guo Changcheng. “There. Xiao-Guo will come and talk to you about how to get friends after work. Lao-Chu will likely tag along as well.”

Ye Zun stared at him doubtfully. “Sure,” he said. Zhao Yunlan really wanted to ruffle his hair.

Off to the side, Wang Zheng cleared her throat. “Chief? The architect's office called; the new building's cell blocks are unfurnished but otherwise ready.”

“Thanks.” Zhao Yunlan thought about Chu Shuzhi and Shen Wei's schedules. “Tell them we'll visit tomorrow evening to check whether the cells are all up to spec, and they should make sure the paint fumes are dry by then.”

“Yes, Chief,” Wang Zheng said. “When will we be moving into the new offices?”

“I'll have to consult with the Dixing end, but having the criminals come up midway through the move might work. It'll take a while and require Palace Guards, anyway. Maybe we can do it over a weekend?” He pulled out and unwrapped a lollipop. Being the Chief of the SID was hard work; he'd earned the lollipop, even if quitting them cold turkey during his time travel escapade had mostly eliminated the cravings.

“I'll start packing,” Wang Zheng said and went away.

This gave Zhao Yunlan an excellent idea for a brother-in-law bonding activity. He clapped his hands together. “Ye Zun! Let's help Wang Zheng pack!”

Ye Zun looked at Zhao Yunlan skeptically, but he did follow them upstairs. The ensuing lesson on packing things was mostly useless, but it was lots of fun, and Ye Zun would perhaps remember the lesson of not filling one of the huge boxes with books after the bottom of one gave out on him, spewing books everywhere.

Shen Wei walked to his lecture with a spring in his stride. He looked ridiculous, but he was the lecturer, he was allowed to look a little ridiculous; it wasn't like he had to maintain the Envoy's dignified appearance in his day job.

“Good morning,” he said as he strode in to the lecture theater. It was the same group on Mondays at two as it was on Fridays at noon, so he was greeted by Chi Yin, Fan Juecong, Qiao Gaiwu, and all the others who'd had varying reactions to and opinions on Dixingians. “I missed you,” he said, since this was apparently the dawn of an era of spontaneous self-expression.

“Are you all right?” Chi Yin cried out.

Shen Wei blinked in confusion as he set down his lecture notes. “Of course? The SID requested my assistance with some matters during the first week of the Dixing migration, but now I can return to my calling. Professor Zhou said you were confused about effecting trait stacking while doing gene modification, so let's go over an example with Arabidopsis thaliana.”

The students seemed to get a better grasp on the topic after he went over the example of the thale cress. As he was switching over to his actual topic of the day, he noticed the window at the other end of the blackboard was open, and some of the students in the nearest-by corner were shivering.

He was about to walk over when he recalled that he was no longer a creature enshrouded in the darkest shadows of secrecy, but a person with equal rights who would not face legal consequences for existing. Shen Wei reached out with his dark energy, like stretching a muscle mostly kept still, and closed the window.

The students were staring at him gobsmacked. Shen Wei sheepishly adjusted his glasses. The adjustment period would likely be mutual.

Well, being obviously Dixingian in public would hopefully improve the students' regard of Dixingians – the hostile into doubting, the doubting into acceptance. And while doing that, Shen Wei felt exhilarated. Here he was, with no secrets between himself and the world, and the sky was not collapsing on him. Perhaps consequences and prejudice would at some point darken his doorstep, but for now he was the happiest man in the world.

Zhao Yunlan's lunch break was punctuated with continued realization over how he'd screwed up Shen Wei. The weekend had been nice, and he knew Shen Wei loved him for some incomprehensible reason of his own, but no matter what the rumors might say, Zhao Yunlan did have a functioning sense of shame.

He'd told a young Shen Wei his name sucked. What sort of asshole spontaneously went around renaming people?

Zhao Yunlan, that's who.

With a sigh, he returned to his bowl of rice and vegetables. His penance would be eating healthily in accordance with poor Shen Wei's instructions.

He was interrupted by his phone ringing. His father. Great.

“Hi, Dad,” Zhao Yunlan answered.

“Your mother,” Zhao Xinci said. “Do you know what she's done now?”

It took a few moments for Zhao Yunlan to reply. “Ye Zun told me she'd found a better place to sleep.”

Silence. “And you have no idea where that place is.”

“No.”

More silence. Finally, Zhao Xinci said, “She has moved in with a barkeep. From Dixing.”

“Wait, a Dixingian barkeep?” His mother's recent erratic questions suddenly made more sense. Of course she'd wanted to know where the heritage center would be; she'd wanted to know where her new – partner – should found his bar.

“She sent me a selfie of herself and that – barkeep – together in bed.” Zhao Xinci's voice was colder than the Arctic.

Zhao Yunlan decided he didn't want to play marital counselor for his parents. “Mom hasn't told me much about what she's doing,” he said. “I think you might be better off talking to her? She's mostly off, while I'm a bit busy right now. Bye!”

His father scoffed as he closed the connection. Zhao Yunlan took a long, long breath and dialed the Palace Guard on duty so that if his father called back, he'd be busy doing actual work.

“Hello, Chief Zhao,” the boy said. He sounded a bit like Guo Changcheng. He also sounded like he had little concept of how to hold a phone properly.

Mindful of the fifty-fifty chance that their conversation was being broadcast on speakerphone, Zhao Yunlan asked, “How are things at the portal?”

“Everyone is behaving in an orderly fashion,” the boy declared.

“Good job,” Zhao Yunlan said. Since it seemed he was going to be at least tangentially in charge of the intrepid Palace Guards due to the fact that the SID would be in charge of the Dixingian prisoners and the Palace Guards were currently in charge of Dixing's prisoners, he decided to probe a bit more. “What's your name?”

“Zhu Yin,” the boy said. “The Zhu of Zhu Long and the Yin of Jiu Yin. I seek to emulate these two heroes of Dixing!”

Zhao Yunlan had no idea who Zhu Long or Jiu Yin were. He'd have to ask someone later. “That's a good name! I wish you luck in living up to it. Keep up the good work at the portal!” He was about to close the line when he realized they'd need people to transport up the Lord of Dixing's palace. “While you're there, why don't you tell the career advice people that we'll be looking for people who could help in deconstructing and transporting the Palace up here to the heritage center's plot.”

“So, moving heavy objects, portal powers?” Zhu Yin asked.

“Exactly.”

“I'll tell them!” Zhu Yin paused. “Uh, how do I end a phone call?”

“I can do it this time; ask one of the digital assistance folks to teach you how at a later date.” Zhao Yunlan closed the line and smiled to himself. At least some of his new minions were cooperative. He'd have to rub this in his old minions' faces.

And think about how to socially integrate the two sets. But that he could think of over time, so he grabbed his rice bowl – a bit below optimal eating temperature, but still warm – and started chewing.

After lunch, Shen Wei went down to the lab to check up on Li Qian. She was hard at work with the second set of samples.

When the sequencing was in progress, he asked, “Does your original plan still match what you wish to be doing?”

“I can complete it,” Li Qian said. She paused for a moment before saying, “But Professor Shen, Dragon City is at the nexus of the Dixingian arrival, so aren't we uniquely placed to sequence their genome? Wouldn't there be scientific merit in that?”

“Informed consent is necessary,” Shen Wei gently chided, “and where will you get a Dixingian who understands-” Oh. Wait.

Li Qian knew he was Dixingian, knew he was the Envoy, knew he was professionally qualified enough to know exactly what he was signing up for. And Shen Wei wasn't hiding his origins anymore.

He was glad he was already seated. It was the greatest of honors and a foreboding decision. “I'm a relic from ten thousand years ago and thus not very representative of modern Dixing,” Shen Wei quietly said.

“But you know Dixingians who've studied here and would know what they were signing up for, right?”

“I suspect me asking them would render them unable to decline.” He toyed with the idea some more. It grew in appeal as he ruminated on it. “Do you have a consent form ready?”

“Not yet, but I can print one up as soon as I go up to the office?”

Shen Wei nodded, then gathered up the sampling things from their little boxes. It usually wasn't done here, but all the necessary things were stored here, so it'd make do. “How's your schedule?”

“It would probably be more ethical if you signed the form before you took the sample,” Li Qian said. She eyed him dubiously.

“Then print one up,” he said.

“Sure,” Li Qian said and scampered off to her little office.

Shen Wei had all the equipment out, so he entertained himself by considering how to ethically recruit subjects. Perhaps simply an A4 print-out with details on the study, mentioning that they wanted Dixingians, and a bit of dark energy pizzazz so every Dixingian with powers who passed by would spot it.

The door opened with a thunk and Li Qian rushed in with the print-out. Shen Wei read it, deemed it acceptable, and signed it with the pen Li Qian had brought.

He took a deep breath and scraped the inside of his cheek with the sampling apparatus, then deposited the cells into the reaction vessel and pipetted in reagents. It was faintly anticlimactic.

“I look human, so it probably won't be that different from the human genome,” Shen Wei said as Li Qian stuck the tube into the thermal cycler. “And Dixingians have had children with humans, so that limits the options even further.”

Li Qian nodded. “But there must be something to enable the dark energy usage, right?”

“Yes,” Shen Wei said, staring at the thermal cycler. “Indeed there must.”

The thermal cycler didn't say what it was. Inside it, however, DNA was being replicated, and sometime soon, there would be enough of it for Shen Wei and Li Qian to uncover whatever secrets may lie within.

Shen Wei later affixed his message to a frowsy noticeboard, which was near a moderately well trafficked passage and a much better-lit noticeboard and thus resoundly ignored. The dark energy signal might make heads turn, though. The other people who had notices on the board should probably thank him.

A final check to make sure the dark energy beacon worked, and Shen Wei portaled to the SID. It still held some thrill of the forbidden to use dark energy so blatantly.

His brother was on the computer, Chu Shuzhi reading over his shoulder and instructing him. Shen Wei changed tracks and went to bother Zhao Yunlan, who was leisurely sitting on the couch.

“Hi,” Zhao Yunlan said and smiled at him. “How was work?”

“I – enjoyed it. A lot.” Shen Wei felt an answering smile take over his face. “How was your day?”

Zhao Yunlan sighed and soured. “Mom's moved in with that barkeep guy we met in Dixing, apparently. Other than that, I've started the recruitment process for the transport of the Palace, and the new location's prison cells are done. May I ask for an evening of yours to test their mettle, preferably tomorrow?”

“Of course.” Warmth suffused through Shen Wei. He glanced at his brother, still busy with the computer. “Should we return for Ye Zun after we've bought dinner ingredients?”

“Sure!” Zhao Yunlan heaved himself to his feet and shouted out some orders before holding out his arm for Shen Wei like an old-fashioned gentleman to his companion for the evening. “Shall we go?”

Shen Wei took his arm and pulled them through space to the market's edge rather than some back alley. He grinned like a loon throughout their shopping trip, drawing glances by how close he stood to Zhao Yunlan in addition to the occasional use of dark energy. Zhao Yunlan was being unusually cooperative with the vegetables and other shopping, but whatever suspicion that might normally arouse did nothing to disrupt Shen Wei's joy.

He portaled them straight home, quickly put away the shopping, and threw himself into Zhao Yunlan's arms. Public displays of affection weren't seemly and for them were potentially fraught besides, but behind closed doors he could express himself with all his heart.

After a while of kissing, they parted, panting for breath and smiles on their faces. “If this is what you're like when you're well-fucked, I'll have to clear my calendar for every weekend.” Zhao Yunlan stroked Shen Wei's smile-creased cheek with a thumb. “I don't think I've ever seen you so happy.”

Little to no stress, a loving boyfriend, a brother back on the righteous road, and a job that let him discover the secrets of the universe. “In these circumstances, how could I not be happy?” Shen Wei ducked his head and gripped Zhao Yunlan's jacket tighter, heart beating in his ears. “Come, let's go pick up Ye Zun.”

Ye Zun had apparently just sent out a few stories of his to an agent who'd replied with interest. Shen Wei congratulated him and told him to eat more vegetables.

The following day, Shen Wei arrived at the University only to be told that the dean wanted to see him. His calendar was clear for the day – besides the cake, the department's only scheduled activity for the day was the thesis defense of an ecologist he'd never met – so he had no choice but to walk to the dean's office without so much as a chance to prepare.

“Professor Shen,” the dean said, skipping all pleasantries. “Why didn't you tell us you were a – nonhuman?”

At least he'd substituted the word “monster” with something else. “You didn't ask?” Shen Wei said with what he hoped was an appropriate amount of existential terror.

The dean sighed heavily. “Of course, of course. But Professor Shen, think about it from our perspective! What would have happened if someone found out that we were employing an, an illegal immigrant whose papers were forged? Do you think someone willing to tell lies of such magnitude should be educating our children?”

“Ah, that was not an issue; my papers were issued by the Haixing government,” Shen Wei quickly interjected.

“So all this time, Dixingians could come up and get papers?” the dean asked, voice dark. Humans, especially ones with authority, seldom liked being blindsided or being informed that they hadn’t had a full picture of the situation.

“Only a very few,” Shen Wei said as soothingly as he could muster. “It was – exceptional circumstances only.”

“I see.” The dean pursed his lips. “And did the SID know of you?”

“Yes.” Zhao Xinci had, and then Zhao Yunlan had, as well, even if there had been a few years when for all the SID was concerned, he was but a regular academic. Shen Wei swallowed. “Part of the, ah, agreement that allowed me to come here was that I be at the SID’s disposal if need be. I have discussed the matter with Chief Zhao and now that Dixingians are officially allowed on the surface, I can embrace my academic duties without interruption.”

The dean fixed a level gaze at him. “And what would someone like you gain from academia?”

Shen Wei swallowed. “Our motivations are all the same, whether we be human, Dixingian, or Yashou. I greatly enjoy learning and discovering new things, reclaiming land from the vast ocean of the unknown to push forth the horizons of knowledge. I also enjoy mentoring youth on their first steps on the path of science.”

“I see.” The dean paused, as if thinking. “Very well. You may go back to your experiments, Professor Shen.”

“Thank you,” Shen Wei said, bowing deeper than he usually did.

He made his exit gracefully. He walked through the corridors, breathing deeply and evenly, until he made it to his office and closed the door behind him.

Only then did he collapse onto his couch and bury his face in his hands. All his instincts screamed to put on a brave face and return to – research, teaching, filling in funding applications – but he’d fought wars for so long, surely he could reap the reward of peace and deal with his panic now instead of for twice the duration later.

It’s fine, he told his sympathetic nervous system. He wasn’t fired, he could stay here, maybe the dean would now be convinced that Shen Wei wasn’t angling for his job. Everything was fine. The world still stood and Zhao Yunlan would still love him in the evening.

That thought calmed him down. Shen Wei let himself daydream of Zhao Yunlan’s hugs and kisses, his warm embrace and devoted heart, all that care and tenderness directed at Shen Wei alone.

It didn’t take Shen Wei that long to calm his racing heart with Zhao Yunlan on his side. With a final thought of Zhao Yunlan’s loving smile, he rose and made his way to his desk. He’d promised himself he’d join the modern era with its proliferation of computerized systems. As such, he’d acquired a thick manual for the primary analysis software Li Qian used. He’d start his day by reading that.

At the SID, the day went without incidents. In the evening, Zhao Yunlan brought Shen Wei, Ye Zun, an overworked Chu Shuzhi, and a curious Li Si to the new buildings. One of the contractors gave them a tour.

The cells were decent, and exactly how Zhao Yunlan had specified them: they had a cot, semi-secluded hygiene facilities, a desk, and a chair, plus some translucent curtains for at least the illusion of privacy. More than one idiot on the committees involved had compared it to a luxury hotel, but thankfully Zhao Yunlan had been able to shut that down by leaning heavily into the supposed danger of the inmates and their powers if subjected to too abjectly miserable conditions.

When they stepped into the cell block, Shen Wei and Chu Shuzhi both immediately shuddered. “So it works?” Zhao Yunlan asked.

Shen Wei did his wrist-turn-dark-energy thing, but no dark energy blossomed in his palm. “It seems so. Is the entire building an energy suppressor?”

“This wing of the building is a large-scale suppressor, though since it has the necessary holes in it, we weren't sure how well it'd hold. The cells are also Dixing power proof, so it's double shielded. Could you and Chu Shuzhi go meander about and test every cell and the floorspace?”

Shen Wei and Chu Shuzhi nodded, then started methodically working down the corridor, one on each side's cells. Ye Zun hesitantly gazed around himself before deciding to accompany Shen Wei.

“Are your prisons usually like this?” Li Si asked.

“No.” Zhao Yunlan sighed. “Prisoners are treated like cattle, to be stored at best, but that's not how it should be. If someone has gone down the path of crime, should we not do our best to pull them off that path and onto the righteous one? It's so much better to keep recidivism down than increase it via radicalization.”

As preventative measures and rehabilitative justice had been things he'd been thinking about for a long time, he continued, “It is not my place to critique my superiors, but virtue flows down from above, so I must be a font of virtue to coat my inferiors with it. Even if other prisons are inhumane boxes from which prisoners are occasionally harvested for organs, this is my fiefdom, and my fiefdom shall be devoted to the common good, so that criminals do not repeat their mistakes. This means the prison cells shall be humane and livable and the prisoners need to learn something while in them so that they can pursue those avenues upon release, instead of continuing down their river of errors.”

Li Si tilted her head to an unnatural angle again. “Ah. That is an interesting approach.”

“Do you do it differently?” It would take time for the Dixingian contingent to test the cells. He might as well pass it trying to get information out of Li Si.

“We have a – fshhhh whing qþkoqjeʒʒ-” Li Si's mouth continued moving, but nothing came out.

“Uh, I think your translator module failed?”

Li Si widened her eyes and did that tinkering with an invisible panel to her side thing. “It ... says this is too much into legal territory.” She waved her head in a manner eerily reminiscent of a shrug. “The summary is that we all aim to decrease repeats, but the methods differ by species.”

“Makes sense.” Zhao Yunlan watched Shen Wei check yet another cell. “What do you think of this one?”

“If it works, it will work,” Li Si said. “Do you wish for me to join in checking whether the small rooms block the passage of nanobots properly?”

“Uh. Yes, please,” Zhao Yunlan said. It was an awfully prosaic manner of referring to the Dixing power suppressing thing, and he should probably talk with Lin Jing about it, but help was help. “Perhaps you could start with the second level?”

Li Si made a noise that could charitably have been one of assent and traipsed up to the second floor of cells. Zhao Yunlan watched her wave her hands in a manner entirely unlike the way Shen Wei and Chu Shuzhi were doing it.

In the end, all the cells worked, and the power-suppressing features worked for the ground-level space between them as well. The Dixingians sighed with relief once they crossed out of the affected region. Zhao Yunlan let Shen Wei cart him and Ye Zun home.

The next day was uneventful until Zhao Yunlan ran into a young man in a palace guard's uniform and an older woman on his way out of work. “Evening! What brings you here?”

“It's about my older brother,” the palace guard – Zhu Yin? – said.

“I raised my boys in an out-of-the-way village,” Madam Zhu said. “My first one wanted to be a hero of Dixing and became a palace guard, but we lost contact. We later heard he'd gone off the rails and killed someone, but he wasn't sent to prison, and no record was made of his death.”

“Someone might've used him for fertilizer without us being any wiser, since the city folk don't trust country bumpkins,” Zhu Yin added. “But he might've escaped to Haixing. So we had to ask.”

Zhao Yunlan still didn't know which Zhu their surname was, but not many people would match the description. Still, he should check. “What was his name?”

“Zhu Jiu,” Madam Zhu said. “The Zhu of Zhu-”

“He came to Haixing, all right,” Zhao Yunlan said, doing his best talking to victims' loved ones voice. “He went even more off the rails here. In hindsight, we suspect he was under some form of mind control.”

“So he's dead,” Madam Zhu said. She left a hopeful space in the conversation for corrections, then sighed when it wasn't taken. “Where is he buried?”

“He didn't leave a corpse,” Zhao Yunlan quietly said.

Madam Zhu swallowed. “Thank you for your time, Chief Zhao,” she said, holding it together but only just. Zhu Yin next to her looked significantly worse for wear.

“My condolences on your loss,” Zhao Yunlan said.

At that, Madam Zhu started to lose it. She and her son made their excuses and slowly walked away.

Zhao Yunlan sat down to accompany his mood on the ground. He hadn't expected this, but he should have; of course the Dixingians who'd come to the surface had family and friends down below, who'd come knocking on the SID door to ask after their lost loved one.

This one had been easy – he knew what had happened to Zhu Jiu, could offer the comfort of him potentially being mind controlled, had told his story to relatives who already knew and accepted a crime had been committed – but at some point he'd have to talk to people whose loved ones had disappeared without trace. Or been shot dead by his father. That would be enjoyable.

With a sigh, he wrenched himself off the ground and into the Jeep. He'd go pick up Shen Wei from the university; with luck, Ye Zun was still being babysat by Professor Zhou.

Zhao Yunlan had no such luck: Professor Zhou had deposited Ye Zun in Shen Wei's office. He tried to wipe the moroseness off his face and failed.

“What is it?” Shen Wei asked.

“Zhu Jiu's mother came by and wanted to know what happened to her son.” Zhao Yunlan collapsed into a chair with a sigh. “She knew he'd killed someone in Dixing already, and didn't cause any trouble when I told her her kid was dead, but what about the people whose loved ones my dad shot?”

Shen Wei stared at him for a while before saying, “That would be a problem, yes. But you are not your father, and everyone knows that. Do you think that your actions in negotiating citizenship for Dixingians have gone unnoticed among us?”

“It's not that.” Zhao Yunlan waved his hand in front of him. “It's just – it's my dad. He killed them. And I have to tell the victims' families. What if one of them decides to seek revenge?”

“I once managed to tell Zhu Jiu how lonely I was. He was sympathetic.” Ye Zun was curled up, contemplating the distance hidden behind his fingers. “I miss him.”

“Was he also mind controlled?” Shen Wei asked.

“Of course.”

A thousand regrets ran over Shen Wei's face during a single wince. Then Shen Wei discarded the past and its what-ifs and said, “You might wish to increase your father's security detail.”

“Professor Zhou said we all need to live with our mistakes,” Ye Zun said. “Doesn't that apply to Director Zhao as well?”

“‘Only when we are devoted to our parents do the people rise up as moral,’” Zhao Yunlan quietly said. He sighed. “Come, let's go home to eat dinner.”

Dinner was interrupted by a phone call from the Haixing Department of Supervision. Zhao Yunlan hurriedly swallowed the prawns in his mouth before answering. “Chief Zhao Yunlan here. What is the matter?”

“This is Captain Xuan Shi. Is your prison up yet?” the voice at the other end of the line said.

“It works for containment, but we haven't checked the plumbing or anything.” Zhao Yunlan licked his lips. “What is the occasion?”

“Professor Ouyang has super strength and is currently beating up the cell we've placed him in. It will hold for a while longer, but could you please come deal with him posthaste?” Xuan Shi asked in a tone that meant he'd soon call in the big guns to force Zhao Yunlan's hand.

Zhao Yunlan eyed the remnants on his plate. “Will the cell hold half an hour?”

“I'll call you if it won't,” Xuan Shi said, relieved. “Thank you.”

Zhao Yunlan cut the call. “We have to be at the Haixing Department of Supervision's cells in half an hour to transport Professor Ouyang into better containment.”

“It doesn't take half an hour to drive there,” Shen Wei said.

“Indeed! I wanted to finish my wonderful Shen Wei's wonderful meal, so I added some padding to the estimate.” Zhao Yunlan winked winningly.

“Your turn to do the dishes after we return,” Shen Wei declared. My, he must be very displeased to go to such extremes.

“Anything for my beloved xiao-Wei,” Zhao Yunlan said, just for the pleasure of watching Shen Wei's brain turn off for a moment.

In considerably less than half an hour – Shen Wei had hurried him through the meal – they were at the Department of Supervision's cell block. Shen Wei closed his eyes and his garb changed into the Envoy's robes. Someone came to escort them in.

Professor Ouyang was banging rhythmically against the cell door, once every three seconds. The steel had deformed and would at some point break.

“Does Brother Black have any useful powers?” Zhao Yunlan asked.

Shen Wei contemplated the door. Another clang as Professor Ouyang threw himself at it. “I can – slow down the passage of time. I don't know if power-suppressing handcuffs would work on him; the mechanism by which he wields his powers might work differently to that of Dixingians-”

“But you can do it?” Xuan Shi asked.

Shen Wei held out his hand. Zhao Yunlan gave him the handcuffs.

Then, reality flickered. Everything had shifted by a breath without Zhao Yunlan being any the wiser, and Shen Wei had disappeared from his side.

A portal crackled into existence. Shen Wei stepped through it. “It worked,” he said. Behind him, Professor Ouyang's rhythmic escape attempts had turned into indistinct yelling.

It took a bit of puzzling to figure out how to transport Ouyang to the new SID building, as the door to his cell had buckled so badly it wouldn't open anymore. Shen Wei had to teleport him out of the cell.

Zhao Yunlan didn't want that guy in his car. “Perhaps you could portal him to the SID prison as well?”

“Certainly,” Shen Wei said.

“You fool!” Professor Ouyang yelled, not ear-splittingly anymore but with an excess of spittle flying at Zhao Yunlan's face. “Can't you see how he's bewitched you? A fox in the henhouse, corrupting our youth! Shen-”

Zhao Yunlan grabbed Shen Wei's shoulder, calling out something about coming to pick up the car later, and Shen Wei teleported them to the SID. Ouyang continued screaming abuse.

They were in the main hall. Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan frogmarched Ouyang to the cells and tossed him into the nearest one. Zhao Yunlan removed the cuffs, and Ouyang obviously thought he'd acquired his chance for a moment, only to have his hopes dashed by reality.

Zhao Yunlan retreated out of the cell and locked the door. “If the utilities don't work, it's your own fault. We'll send someone to see if you've died in the morning.”

“You'll regret trusting him,” Professor Ouyang hissed.

“I won't,” Zhao Yunlan said. “I bet a lot of people regret trusting you, though.” With that, he turned and gathered Shen Wei with him.

When they'd teleported back to the Department of Supervision's yard – Shen Wei insisted Zhao Yunlan go report their success to Xuan Shi – they entered the Jeep, Shen Wei now in his shirtsleeves. Zhao Yunlan started the car and pulled out.

“I respected him, once,” Shen Wei said.

“Do you regret it?” Zhao Yunlan asked. It had started to rain. The water turned the streetlamps' spots into haloed streaks of light in the darkness, wiped into smudged clarity for a moment by the windscreen wipers before the falling rain again coated the windscreen with a distorting layer.

“Maybe,” Shen Wei said. It was a word narrow and vast, but how else could it be expressed? What other word contained the universe of doubts and contradictions that was the human – Dixingian – heart?

The raindrops grew fatter. The world became a mass of smudged spots of glaring light amidst the dark. Zhao Yunlan drove them home through the puddles.

The following evenings involved bureaucracy – the heritage transport work team had been assembled, so Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan had to coordinate the starting time with the Regent and Haixing authorities. The current schedule was that the prisoners at the Lord's Gaol would be brought up to the new SID prison over the weekend and the palace transfer efforts started on the following Monday. Thankfully, they'd managed to find a few people with portal-generating powers, so Shen Wei could leave them to it and focus on his other duties.

Like the Dixing genome, which Li Qian had dutifully sequenced from him and other volunteers, Fan Juecong and a Wang Yike who'd recently resumed her studies amongst them. “This is very interesting,” Shen Wei said, looking at the sequences and Li Qian's preliminary annotations. “Did you look at the mitochondrial DNA?”

“I couldn't extract any,” Li Qian said. “It might be there; I don't know if that's a species divergence thing or just experimental failure. I did get the autosomal DNA and sex chromosomes, though. The Y chromosomes are all part of haplogroup O-M122, which is also the majority haplogroup for humans here, but we have a sample size of four.”

“And we don't know how much interbreeding has been going on.” Though probably less drift of humans into Dixing than vice versa.

The genomes were put next to a human genome. There wasn't much difference – which made sense, as Dixingians looked mostly indistinguishable from humans and could interbreed. Not for the first time Shen Wei wondered just how his people had been made, and whether there had been any continuity of language or culture between the original stolen slaves and his people. Were they truly descendants of the stars, or just an isolated population of humans twisted into an imported mold?

“Do all the subjects have the same sequences in any region of difference?” There was some variation from the human reference in places that coded for things related to the central nervous system and cell repair, as well as a few wide swaths in places that were noncoding in humans.

Li Qian shrugged. “In the exons, two places; more if you are willing to ignore SNPs or remove you from the dataset.”

Shen Wei did his best to look apologetic. “The meteor strike and move to Dixing would count as a significant population bottleneck my conception predates.” He looked at the screen again. The sample size was small, but it was large enough that they could get some sort of composite genome going and document the differences to the human composite genome. After that, they could look at the cell repair section and see if they could come up with some way to bestow upon humans the few extra decades of lifespan common for Dixingians. “Have you started writing the paper?”

“I have a first draft of the methodology and some bullet points for the introduction, results, and conclusion.” Li Qian slid over a printout with the section headers and talking points.

“Thank you. Tell me when you've finished up the analysis; I'll write the introduction and we can go over the conclusions together.” He scanned the methodology section. “And perhaps you could teach me how the computer analysis stuff works when you have the time.”

“Sure,” Li Qian said, shocked at his sudden urge to depart the era of dinosaurs.

Shen Wei smiled. “Part of a professor's duties is keeping up with the times, in methodological ways as well. It's beyond time I caught up.” He then left for his office.

University studies had started out as a cover for him, but while he'd originally intended to only give the tip of his fingernail to them, he'd given the finger as well, and eventually plunged in his whole arm. The cover had turned into a hobby that had turned out to be his calling. The empty-bellied boy looking at the stars, wondering which one his kind had come from, had grown up and discovered his true hunger was for knowledge.

Well, they said one's power was related to one's personality. Perhaps his power of study would give him a leg up in learning how modern data analysis software worked.

Saturday started with a snooty text message from his father that wished his project wouldn't end with disaster, an infuriating text message from his mother that had an address he was welcome at should he need a place to stay after he dumped Shen Wei, and a relieving message from Professor Zhou that said Ye Zun was welcome to stay the weekends at his place should it be necessary. Zhao Yunlan sent a message of thanks to Professor Zhou that informed him they'd be taking him up on that this weekend. Then Zhao Yunlan rolled out of his bed and faced the world – or rather, the noodles Shen Wei had made for breakfast.

Ye Zun probably could've survived the weekend days on his own, but he'd had enough loneliness to last a lifetime. Better let him be in someone's company. Professor Zhou had promised to teach him gardening.

When Ye Zun had been dropped off, they didn't even make it past Professor Zhou's doorstep before Shen Wei transformed into his Envoy's robes, grabbed Zhao Yunlan's hand, and portalled them to Dixing. Zhao Yunlan made an offhand remark about Brother Black obviously being in a hurry, to which Shen Wei didn't respond.

It was a few blocks' walk to the prison. Dixing's streets, never that bustling despite the population, had emptied further. Everyone was also avoiding them.

“Why's everyone avoiding us?” Zhao Yunlan quietly asked.

“They fear we bear bad news, and think if they don't listen, the news won't happen.” Shen Wei sighed. “The mind can be quite irrational.”

“Makes sense.” Zhao Yunlan nodded. “Do you think we'll get some breaks?”

Shen Wei – the Black-Cloaked Envoy – looked at him, which would've made him piss his pants, except that he knew that the expression behind that mask wasn't yet a disapproving one. And the young Envoy had donned his mask because he was too expressive, which was downright adorable.

“I really want to kiss you,” Zhao Yunlan said in a low voice. He leaned in closer. “And grope your butt in those robes. After all, it's one of your last appearances in them. I brought lube, too.” He winked.

Shen Wei's expression changed to an actually disapproving one, but he couldn't follow up on it, as they arrived at the prison. He carefully smoothed his face into what Zhao Yunlan had labeled the Default Envoy Expression and greeted the Palace Guards who rushed to meet them.

“Lord Envoy, Lord Guardian, the Regent and Captain of the Guard are here to start off the procedure,” one of the messengers said. A nod from Shen Wei, and they were shown into the prison.

In traditional Dixing style, it was made of oppressive stone and filled with screams. Moving everyone up to the SID's slammer would likely cut the escape attempts down to nothing.

The Regent greeted them effusively before making some excuse and hurrying off before any prisoners were taken out of their cells. Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan, and Captain Shao Fenglei of the Palace Guard watched him go.

“What is your power?” Shen Wei asked Shao Fenglei.

“I can summon the wind and thunder, sir,” she replied. Zhao Yunlan didn't know how sexist Dixing was precisely, but assuming half of its populace was women, the gender ratio of the guard spoke its own story. A Haixingian equivalent of Captain Shao's would be extremely competent and tough as an old boot; the woman herself showed every indication of living up to expectation. “Lu Han is ready to create the portal. I have selected the order for prisoner transfer; I hope you will find it satisfactory.”

“We defer to your expertise,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Shall we start?”

Shao Fenglei nodded sharply. “Of course.”

She led them to a chained man of perhaps thirty. The chains had rubbed lesions into his skin and were held by two burly Palace Guards.

“This prisoner's power is super strength. The shackles somewhat suppress it, but it would be best if you don't try your luck. He stole a loaf of bread and received a life sentence for it.”

Zhao Yunlan nodded and made a note to have someone review the sentences given. Dixing seemed to go for melodrama in this area as well.

At Shao Fenglei's nod, the procession made its way to where Lu Han was holding the portal open. They stepped through, and for a gut-wrenching moment, Zhao Yunlan thought they'd end up elsewhere, but no, it was the new SID building around them.

The portal remained behind them, swirling purple, as the Palace Guards led the prisoner through the entry to the prison block. All the Dixingians stuttered when passing over the invisible threshold that took away their powers. Shao Fenglei hissed.

The prisoner was pushed into a cell and Zhao Yunlan clicked the lock closed after him. The chains should come off, but that could come later.

Shao Fenglei took in the prison block while her subordinates creeped out of the power-suppressing zone as soon as they had the opportunity. “How large a population do you expect this to serve?”

“All the Dixingians coming from Dixing or on Haixing originally, the Yashou, and-”

“Monsters!” Professor Ouyang screamed from his cell. “Inhuman abominations!”

“-that guy,” Zhao Yunlan finished. “He tried to give himself super powers, so he's here.”

“I see,” Shao Fenglei said.

Shen Wei had walked to his cell. “You are incorrect, Professor Ouyang. Genetic analysis reveals we are the same species. While the question of whether our proper designation would be Homo sapiens dixingensis or Homo sapiens sapiens var. dixingensis is still unresolved, we are just as human as you are.”

Professor Ouyang responded with screaming abuse. Shao Fenglei raised an eyebrow at Zhao Yunlan.

“The Black-Cloaked Envoy is very devoted to education and research,” Zhao Yunlan very vaguely said. Let Shen Wei manage his own double identity.

Shao Fenglei raised her other eyebrow. “I see. Well, let's go fetch the next cell's occupant.”

“Of course.” Zhao Yunlan turned and called Shen Wei over, and they headed back to Dixing again.

“The garden is a delightful hobby that can take up as much time as one wants to give it,” Professor Zhou said.

Ye Zun stared at him as if turning over a complex, roiling mass in his head. “Oh.”

It would come out eventually. “While there are things to pay attention to when setting up a garden, let's start with maintenance. Weeds need to be plucked out, roots included, and the soil looked after to see whether it's too dry or too wet. Let's start with weeding.”

Professor Zhou explained how to identify the weeds, then how to pull them out of the flowerbeds. Soon Ye Zun was plucking various undesired things from beneath the chrysanthemums.

The boy – he might be ten thousand years old, but Professor Zhou wasn't inclined to count the years spent under mind control – resembled his brother, when he'd first appeared at the University. Shen Wei had awoken from a millennia-long slumber beneath the ground into a novel world; Ye Zun had likewise had his life turned on its head. Professor Zhou would assume that what was good for the goose would be good for the gander until evidence showed otherwise.

His idle chitchat garnered no response. Ye Zun kept stealing glances at him.

Either Shen Wei or that Chief Zhao of his must've said something about Professor Zhou to Ye Zun. No matter. Apart from his collaboration with Ouyang Zhen, his conscience had nothing but the small regrets of chances not taken, things left unsaid, and the detritus of suboptimal but not disastrous decisions every human acquired over the decades.

And what worked on the goose worked on the gander. Ye Zun eventually said, “Gege is very busy.”

“The migration takes up a large amount of time, but it'll be over in a matter of months,” Professor Zhou said. For him, that was next to no time at all compared to the decades he'd been alive in. For Ye Zun, it might be more – he didn't know how mind control affected perception of time. But Ye Zun and Shen Wei were twins, and just like Shen Wei, Ye Zun wouldn't approach anything at too direct an angle.

“What'll he do after that?”

“If rumor proves correct, he'll step back from the SID and only continue with his academic career.” Professor Zhou pulled out a weed from the back. It had grown quite large; he should do this more often. Or save his back and get Ye Zun or Shen Wei to do it. “He'll have more time for you then.”

Ye Zun blinked and looked betrayed, as if his motives had been actually concealed to anyone. For a moment, he looked like he'd open up a stream of complaints, but he only sullenly said, “I guess.”

He had a therapist to talk to, but that therapist couldn't talk to Shen Wei. Professor Zhou laboriously got onto his feet. His back twinged. “Ah, I'm getting old!” He sighed. “Ye Zun, I think you better do the watering while this old man sits and supervises.”

Ye Zun nodded and rose to his feet with the effortlessness of youth. He might be skittish and insecure, but Professor Zhou had a whole weekend to dig out issues and teach him contentment.

They settled into a comfortable routine of Shen Wei, Shao Fenglei, and a rotating pair of guards accompanying the prisoner up while Zhao Yunlan stayed to greet them and lock the cell door. For the lunch break, a few guards stayed at the new SID with takeout Guo Changcheng brought for them, while Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan, and Shao Fenglei went to Dixing to eat their food and give Lu Han a break from the portal upkeep.

As the day drew to a close, Shao Fenglei confirmed they'd transported a bit over a half of the prison populace. A half dozen guards, Zhu Yin included, set up shop in the new SID building with Chu Shuzhi, Guo Changcheng, and Da Qing to guard the prisoners.

Chu Shuzhi might be a problem. He was, after all, technically still doing his time for murder, and Zhao Yunlan would rather not lock him back up. He was also outnumbered by the fifty-odd Palace Guards who'd join the SID.

Well, that could be talked about later. At present, Shen Wei had portaled himself and Zhao Yunlan into the apartment, instead of to Professor Zhou's house, and Zhao Yunlan was going to milk every drop from the opportunity.

“Hi, Brother Black,” he saucily whispered, half-sticking his head into Shen Wei's hood. “Is that a banana in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?”

Shen Wei's disapproving glare would have made anyone with a functioning sense of shame curl up in a ball on the floor. Thankfully, Zhao Yunlan was immune. “My robes don't have pockets.”

“So you are happy to see me!” Zhao Yunlan gave Shen Wei's crotch a good grope for good measure.

“Zhao Yunlan,” Shen Wei said exasperatedly, but he made both their clothes disappear in a puff of dark energy, so it couldn't be that bad. In fact, anything that had Zhao Yunlan get an armful of naked Shen Wei was very, very good.

“Can you portal over the lube?” Zhao Yunlan suggested, already starting to lean back so he could lounge on the couch seductively.

Shen Wei yanked him back upright. “We are going to go to the bed. The lube is in the bedside drawer.”

“Aw, no adventurous couch sex?” Zhao Yunlan complained, but obediently let himself be pushed to the bed, then collapsed onto it, carefully arranged into a position conducive to Shen Wei's favorite sexual activity of cuddling.

“The bed is easier to clean,” Shen Wei claimed. Or maybe it was marginally more difficult to wave his hand and clean the leather with dark energy than it was to clean the sheets, what did Zhao Yunlan know, but he could certainly clean both. And open the bottle of lube.

Zhao Yunlan spread his legs wider and tilted up his hips. “Wherever you wish.”

Shen Wei huffed with a smile as he pressed a lubed-up finger to Zhao Yunlan's anus and then into it. It had been almost a week since they last did anything sexy – plus Zhao Yunlan had suffered through a longer stretch of celibacy before that and had negative interest in a repeat.

The fingers felt nice, which Zhao Yunlan was very vocal about, and Shen Wei had thankfully also been rendered a bit horny and desperate, so they were soon replaced by a dick. Foreplay was all well and good, but sometimes a man just wanted to get fucked.

Zhao Yunlan exhaled with satisfaction and curled his arms around Shen Wei's shoulders and his legs around Shen Wei's waist. “Mmm, yes, there. Move?”

“So demanding,” Shen Wei breathed against his skin and started rocking against Zhao Yunlan.

It wasn't hot, messy, or urgent – just the two of them plastered together, Shen Wei's head pillowed on Zhao Yunlan's chest, pressing kisses into his skin, while he stroked Shen Wei's back and carded and nuzzled his hair. Heat still built in them as arousal ran its course. Skin beaded with sweat, blood started to singe, breaths became uneven.

Eventually, it all came to a pinnacle, and tension-release ran through Zhao Yunlan in a wave. He clung tighter to Shen Wei and let himself shudder.

The refrigerator hummed in counterpoint to their breathing. Elsewhere, someone slammed a door.

Shen Wei pulled out with a sigh and made the mess disappear with a wave. “We should go pick up Ye Zun.”

Zhao Yunlan stretched so his vertebrae popped. “Can you teleport us?”

“Get up first.”

Zhao Yunlan took the hand Shen Wei offered and let himself be pulled up. As he was doing that, his clothes magically appeared on him. Zhao Yunlan got the jeans and leather jacket he'd worn to Dixing, while Shen Wei put on his plaid suit, which was definitely not what he'd worn to Dixing.

“Your clothes offend my eyes; take them off,” Zhao Yunlan said. It wouldn't work, but a man could dream.

As expected, Shen Wei just rolled his eyes and grabbed Zhao Yunlan's shoulder. A very familiar tingling sensation later, they were in front of Professor Zhou's door. Shen Wei pressed the doorbell while Zhao Yunlan tried to adjust to the sudden change in scenery.

The door opened so fast it almost hit Shen Wei in the jaw. “You're back!” Professor Zhou said. “Have you eaten dinner yet? Ye Zun and I made dinner.”

“We-”

“Thank you for thinking about us!” Zhao Yunlan interjected before Shen Wei could logic himself into declining because of a misguided impulse to not be a burden. People befriended each other by being each other's burdens. Besides, Zhao Yunlan really wanted to meet this mentor of Shen Wei's more properly.

Professor Zhou ushered them in, and indeed, the table was set for two and Ye Zun was busily adding two places for them to sit at. It was – homey. The apartment looked lived-in and comfortable and like it was perhaps a bit too big for its occupant.

There was a little shrine with a woman's picture, slightly faded, in the corner. Widowerhood would explain a lot. Zhao Yunlan stomped down further urge to investigate Professor Zhou, as the man was in a way Shen Wei's family, so this counted as meeting the in-laws. The interrogation could come next time.

Dinner was pleasant – Professor Zhou's children had moved to the other side of Haixing, so all his paternal instinct had gone to his students, chiefly Shen Wei, who still lived in Dragon City and didn't have any parents of his own to chase off the now-retired Professor. He also didn't seem to have any problems with quasi-adopting his prize cabbage's even odder twin.

Sunday's transfer session took care of the rest of the prisoners. The SID would move into the new building soon, and Zhao Yunlan would have to transfer his two energy creatures over, and then Wang Zheng could make do the bureaucracy for the guards and the prisoners. Once they had the criminal records and a spare moment, they'd oversee the retrial of the prisoners. Zhao Yunlan would also like to recruit some Yashou newcomers to even up the numbers.

Monday came and Shen Wei practised retiring from his Envoy's duties by going back to his lab. Zhao Yunlan, on the other hand, had the much less enviable task of going to Dixing and talking to the Regent. His designated portal-opener Zhu Yin at his side, he went through the park portal into the darkness. With the frequency of his visits, had Dixing not been going away soon, he'd have applied for citizenship.

The deconstruction team was already in place, shepherded there by Shao Fenglei and some other Palace Guards. They were ceremoniously lined up at the gates. Beneath the Palace, a crowd of Dixingians had gathered.

“Lord Guardian!” the Regent called out. “It is good to see you at this occasion.” He made a show of looking around him. “But where is the Black-Cloaked Envoy?”

“He is busy with duties on the surface,” Zhao Yunlan said. He'd be hit by the Regent's bullshit, but as he wasn't sure what flavor it'd be, he kept his mouth firmly shut.

“Ahh.” The Regent nodded. “Then perhaps you would like to hold a speech? It is a momentous occasion, after all.”

He wasn't even lying that much. The trap had probably been set for Shen Wei, who was much worse at impromptu speeches than Zhao Yunlan.

Shao Fenglei looked constipated and Zhu Yin surprised, so Zhao Yunlan didn't have to investigate the Palace Guards for potential spies of the Regent's too actively. “Of course!” he said. “Do you have broadcasting technology, or should I just yell really loud?”

“The acoustics are such that you can simply talk,” Shao Fenglei said.

“Of course, of course,” Zhao Yunlan said. He turned to the assembled crowd and cleared his throat. “Greetings! The migration to Haixing has progressed well. A lot of you no doubt have friends and relatives who've already moved to Haixing.

“This is a big change for all of you, so we are committed to making it as easy as possible. There is a Dixing Cultural Center being set up in Dragon City. You will be able to meet up with friends and participate in traditional Dixingian activities in company. It is a space for maintaining your cultural heritage.

“As part of that, we will transfer the Lord's Palace to the cultural center, stone by stone, deconstructing it here and rebuilding it later. You'll still get to roam its halls and at least parts will be turned into a museum that you can visit and show it to others.” Zhao Yunlan drew a breath. “Let us start!” He stepped aside.

Shao Fenglei clapped, so all the other Palace Guards clapped as well. Some intrepid members of the crowd beneath joined in. The Regent didn't.

“Ah, get to work,” Zhao Yunlan said to the deconstruction and transport team.

In fits and starts they broke file and got to their actual work. The crowd dispersed in gossiping clusters; the short speech would no doubt be the talk of Dixing.

They'd have to figure out what to do with An Bai, Zhao Yunlan thought. The old Lord had been able to get up off his chair, so perhaps they could lead An Bai to Haixing. Maybe whatever curse thing bound him to his chair would break once they transported him away from Dixing. If not, he'd just call on Li Si to solve the thing.

Zhao Yunlan observed the work from a place safely away from the nexus of deconstruction. Lu Han had been pressed into portal duty again, and the pieces of palace were being carefully labelled before the transport to Haixing and the waiting embrace of the human engineers in charge of the Haixing build site.

His new minions, Shao Fenglei chief among them, wandered around, checking whether everything was going smoothly. She'd definitely be an asset to the SID. As the SID grew, its command structure would have to expand; Zhao Yunlan would likely slot her in above Da Qing, who never did much working, anyway. Let the cat complain.

The Regent caught his eye and shuffled over. Zhao Yunlan sighed and prepared mentally for the incessant chatter that appeared pointless but was in fact carefully designed to probe for weaknesses.

Then a large stone fell on the Regent. It didn't crack on impact.

“Someone lift the stone,” Zhao Yunlan said, though given the squishy sound he'd heard, he doubted that there'd be anything left of the Regent beyond a wet spot. Unless he had some very applicable Dixing power.

The stone was lifted, and indeed, there was a red and Regent-colored wet spot with brown bits. Zhao Yunlan sighed. Did Dixing have workplace safety laws? “Leave that block there, and for other ones make sure no-one's walking beneath them.” He turned to the guards. “Let's get the Envoy. Have any of you been to Dragon City University before?”

“Is there a reason we can't use the incense?” Shao Fenglei asked.

“There's Envoy-summoning incense here? Great, use it.” Shen Wei would no doubt be annoyed at the disturbance, but this really needed to be investigated officially by Dixing's authorities, and Shen Wei was still one.

Shao Fenglei did the honors with the local incense. The smoke rose up, through the hole in the ceiling, spiraling towards Haixing. Zhao Yunlan imagined the smoke knocking on Shen Wei's office door.

The haze thickened and Shen Wei portaled into the room in Envoy garb. “What is it?”

“The Regent was squashed by a falling rock,” Zhao Yunlan said and pointed. “Would you like to investigate?”

Shen Wei made a noncommittal noise and, recognizing that he should investigate, went to ask some questions from the workers. Some five minutes of perfunctorily terrorizing the laborers later, he declared it a tragic accident and suggested that no-one walk beneath the floating rocks, and that the rocks be levitated at a lower altitude.

“What about the corpse, Lord Envoy?” Shao Fenglei asked.

“Are the traditional means not applicable?” Shen Wei asked in what was clearly an effort at bullshitting. Then again, it was reasonable he'd never had any interaction with modern Dixing's burial norms.

“We're going to move out soon, so making him fertilizer for the algae farms would have no payoff,” Shao Fenglei said.

Shen Wei stood still for a moment. “Let the Lord of Dixing decide this grave matter.” He called forth a portal and went back to Haixing before anyone could object.

“When I said he was busy, I meant it,” Zhao Yunlan said to Shao Fenglei's questioning gaze.

Shao Fenglei petitioned An Bai to deal with the Regent's burial. Some minutes later, as the fecal matter was starting to seriously smell, An Bai decreed that the Regent's remains should be ground into the mulch farm behind the Palace, as was traditional for officials. A pair of attendants appeared to execute the order. Zhao Yunlan stepped further away from the source of smell.

The Palace deconstruction and transfer continued along smoothly. Zhao Yunlan pondered which minion to delegate it to. Shao Fenglei or some other Palace Guard member would need to be present, of course, but of the SID members ... Chu Shuzhi was much too busy, Guo Changcheng was also too busy and unsuited for the work, Da Qing was a lazy bum, Zhu Hong-

-would work. And she'd get to meet hot Dixing dudes to start a rebound romance with. Or at the very least start talking with Shao Fenglei. Zhu Hong always had wanted more girls in the SID.

She would likely be disappointed at the upcoming gender ratio, Zhao Yunlan thought as he glanced over the assembled Palace Guards. Perhaps he should start some sort of affirmative action hiring program in addition to hiring some Yashou.

Shen Wei returned from Dixing only barely in time for his lunch with Cheng Xinyan. She’d had to hunt him down after a long break in their meetings; being late would be the height of rudeness.

He portaled somewhere people might even have been able to see him and walked over to the half-hidden table Doctor Cheng had staked out. “Sorry, something came up.”

“The migration to the surface?” Doctor Cheng asked.

“An aspect of that,” Shen Wei conceded. His heart hammered in his chest for no discernible reason.

A waiter came to take their orders. The place only served three kinds of noodle soup, but all three of them were excellent. Shen Wei was partial to the one with mushrooms and eggplants.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Doctor Cheng said.

“I’ve-”

“I know you’ve had the mass migration of your people to assist with, but you haven’t so much as left a voicemail.”

Shen Wei looked down at the table. It was a nice dark wood, slightly battered from the hurried and harried diners who set their hot bowls on it all day.

“Were you afraid I'd think less of you because you're from Dixing?”

Being friends with a psychologist with cutting insight into the human condition was a double-edged sword. Shen Wei winced. “Yes,” he quietly said.

“I don't,” Cheng Xinyan said in the same gentle tone. Shen Wei couldn't help but feel guilty for holding the doubts in the first place. “How has everyone else taken it?”

“Professor Zhou and Li Qian are treating me like they always have. Some of the students are a bit suspicious, but I'll live. The Dean ... won't fire me.”

Cheng Xinyan gazed at him levelly. “That, and living for so long hiding such an integral part of you, must have been stressful,” she slowly said, as if considering every word carefully. “Therapy could help you with any – mental knots that might have formed as a stress reaction to that or anything else in your life. If you're interested in trying it, I have a list of half a dozen therapists who are used to dealing with situations requiring extremely high levels of confidentiality whom I could recommend to you.”

By which she meant that her professional opinion was that Shen Wei was in desperate need of therapy appointments, but since she'd arrived to that opinion based on confidential discussions at Ye Zun's therapy appointments, she couldn't come out and say as much. Nonetheless, Shen Wei had considered himself and his life from an outsider's point of view recently, and he could see that while what he'd experienced might not be as tough as what Ye Zun had gone through, it was still significantly more than the average modern human. And as he'd also thought recently – the world didn't have to hurt. “I might just take you up on that offer in a few months,” Shen Wei said with a smile.

She relaxed. “I imagine the migration is taking up a lot of your time,” she said. “Hopefully you aren't dreaming about it?”

“Would that be expected?” After well over a decade or ten thousand years of dreamless sleep, depending on how one reckoned it, Shen Wei had little clue of what would be considered normal.

“When I was writing my thesis, I spent three months in a row dreaming about how I was missing my bus. It was a remarkably simple metaphor for deadline panic,” Cheng Xinyan said with a smile.

Shen Wei smiled. “Thankfully mine are more restful.” Save the wet dreams and those of Ye Zun falling off a cliff, but he wouldn't bother his friend with those. “Last night, I dreamed that it was raining elephants, but I had to go and walk outdoors for some reason, so Zhao Yunlan accompanied me with an umbrella.”

“That's adorable,” she declared.

Their conversation was interrupted by the waiter arriving with their noodles. The mushrooms and eggplants were excellent, as always.

What had they been talking about the last time they met? “How did the new computer system installation go?”

“It's a horrible mess,” Cheng Xinyan said. “Absolutely everything generates a pop-up, so it's impossible to get anything actually done.”

“Ah,” Shen Wei said, trying to recall what a pop-up was. He was reasonably sure, but he’d have to ask Li Qian or Zhao Yunlan at some point. Or covertly attend some reparative computer literacy classes, ideally in his Envoy’s robes so no-one found out just how bad at tech Professor Shen was.

“I’d accept it if it created a pop-up if a patient were in truly critical condition, but it puts up these huge blaring alarm messages whenever the vitals deviate even slightly from optimal, even if they’re still within the safe range,” Cheng Xinyan continued. “It doesn't improve patient security, just makes everything take much longer than it should. In fact-”

For the rest of their shared lunch, Shen Wei listened to Cheng Xinyan complain about the computer system. It was always pleasant to lend a sympathetic ear to a friend, and he thought he learned something about computer usage, too. Or at least how not to design software.

The moment Zhao Yunlan went back to Haixing, his phone buzzed. He looked at the caller ID. Mom. Oh great.

“Hi, Mom,” he said. “How are you?”

“Langjiu and I are a bit busy, but I decided to call you to say that it’s okay if you won’t date women,” Shen Xi’s voice came from the other end of the line. “But I'd much rather you find a man who’s closer to your own age and has a less complicated family situation.”

“Actually, Shen Wei slept through most of it, so he’s only about thirty-two – not that much older than me,” Zhao Yunlan found himself saying in Shen Wei’s defense.

Shen Xi let out a noise of dismissal. “Lust can delude the best of us into believing the honeyed lies of another”–Zhao Yunlan had an overwhelming desire to cut the call lest he be regaled with more information about his parents’ marriage than he wanted to know–“but the day of truth will come some day, and since you won’t have any children with him, you’ll be free to leave and find someone better for you.”

“Ah, no need to worry about me,” Zhao Yunlan said. “I have lived long enough to develop a sense of self-preservation.” How old had his parents been when they got married, anyway? Younger than he was currently, he thought.

“It can be hard to throw out people from your own space, so you are free to come here if you need to,” she said and told him the barkeep’s address again. “Though don’t let him do anything that’d risk the resaleability of the apartment.”

Zhao Yunlan took advantage of the lack of visual connection and made a face. “Sure,” he said, an expert in getting out of conversations with parents. “I have to go back to work, though. Bye!”

He cut the call and stared at the lockscreen with the lantern flower. He sighed. Well, maybe that counted as improvement. Perhaps by the time he was 50, his parents would accept that he wasn’t dumping Shen Wei, even if they might not like it.

The drive to the university was unexceptional, and Zhao Yunlan arrived there only slightly behind his estimated schedule. Given that he’d just seen a member of foreign government die before him, the real wonder was that he wasn’t even further behind his original schedule.

“Hi, beautiful,” Zhao Yunlan said as he poked his head through Shen Wei’s door.

Shen Wei raised an eyebrow. “Afternoon.”

“How was work?”

“Li Qian and I isolated some interesting proteins related to cell repair from the Dixingian genome,” Shen Wei said, then talked about it all the way to the car using terms Zhao Yunlan didn’t understand. “It might extend human lifespans,” he finally said as he buckled himself in.

“Sounds neat,” Zhao Yunlan said. He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road before switching topics. “You know, it’s strage that the Regent died like that. All those enemies he made, and he gets done in by a random rock.”

“Fate is fickle,” Shen Wei smoothly said. “No-one can plan for every potential option.”

Zhao Yunlan tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “Are you sure you didn’t find any evidence of foul play?”

“Coincidences can be just as destructive as intentional conspiracy,” Shen Wei continued his stonewalling.

Definitely something up. To push or not to push? “I can’t believe you just commissioned your first political assassination. Or was it the first?”

“I would never condone such unlawful actions,” Shen Wei sharply said.

“Of course, of course,” Zhao Yunlan chuckled, thinking about all the prisoners Shen Wei had just let go without due process. “Our honorable Black-Cloaked Envoy would never so much as think of subverting the law!”

Shen Wei did look minorly chagrined at that. “This will cause some bureaucratic complications on the Dixing end, but nothing insurmountable.”

“Eh, I’m sure we’ll figure it out,” Zhao Yunlan said and waved a hand. “Just delegate some more labwork or teaching onto Li Qian, or ask Professor Zhou to stand in or something.”

“Of course,” Shen Wei said dubiously.

An asshole cut in in front of him. Zhao Yunlan pressed the horn and launched into a rant about the modern youth with their inability to look around them or use an indicator ever. Shen Wei listened on in an amused fashion.

As the Regent was tragically dead, An Bai's dethronement the next day required Shen Wei's presence. Zhao Yunlan also called Li Si, since there was the possibility that the throne was some sort of alien tech. Zhu Hong was observing from the sides, doing her first workday as deconstruction manager. Shao Fenglei was also present.

There was a large hole in the roof by now. Dixing's weather of thunderstorms and lightning with clouds that never rained was clearly visible through it.

“So, what do you think about the throne?” Zhao Yunlan asked Li Si.

Li Si poked at the air in the vicinity of the chair, then the chair and desk, and then at her little invisible control panel to the side. She tilted her head. “I don't.”

Shao Fenglei lightly cleared her throat. “The chair was commissioned by the late Regent at the start of his tenure some three hundred years ago. The artisan, who specialized in wood carvings with dark energy properties, died soon after and the details of his powers were expunged.”

“Do Dixingians usually live to three hundred?” Zhao Yunlan asked.

“Not unless someone is very bad at counting,” Shao Fenglei replied.

“So the old man Regent bought something that'd transfer others' life force to him.” Zhu Hong crossed her arms. “How unsurprising.”

Shen Wei stayed silent and looked troubled. He probed the chair and desk and An Bai with dark energy. As the end result was just that cute little frown on his face, Zhao Yunlan guessed the contents of his statement before he gave it. “I cannot detect anything from the chair.”

“Maybe he'll snap out of it when we bring him to Haixing,” Zhu Hong suggested.

“Does that sound reasonable?” Zhao Yunlan asked the Dixingians.

“It would not cause harm,” Shen Wei said after a moment's deliberation. “But I think we should destroy the desk and chair as well.”

“Wait, let me take pictures of the things for the replicas,” Zhao Yunlan said. He pulled out his phone and meticulously documented the craftsmanship details of the desk and chair.

They were really well-made. It was a shame to destroy them.

Zhao Yunlan pocketed the phone when he was done. “So now we grab An Bai and bring him to Haixing?”

“One isn't supposed to touch the Lord of Dixing when he's on his chair,” Shen Wei said. He frowned in thought.

“If you'd allow me?” Shao Fenglei said, then summoned a gale strong enough to push An Bai off the chair and into Shen Wei's arms. “There you go, Lord Envoy.”

Shen Wei sighed in an aggrieved fashion. “Let's bring him to the SID.”

He held out a hand. After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Yunlan took it.

Light blue and purple crackled around the darkness. Shen Wei's powers ripped out a hole in the fabric of space-time, depositing them at the old SID.

Zhao Yunlan blinked at the sudden brightness. Note to self: at the new place, get a section with slightly dimmed lights that people could teleport to. Except that Dixing was going away. Perhaps they could just ... turn off one light temporarily while it was necessary.

“Chief!” Da Qing greeted them. “You're early.”

“We picked up An Bai from his throne,” Zhao Yunlan said. He punched An Bai on the shoulder. “Hey! What's it like to be in Haixing?”

An Bai didn't respond. He stood like he had in Dixing, eyes gazing to infinity and hand twitching like it wanted to write.

“Lord An Bai?” Shen Wei softly asked.

No reply. Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan led him to the couch; he started pulling imaginary papers from an imaginary pile, writing on them with an imaginary brush, and piling them in an imaginary pile on his other side.

Shen Wei pressed his lips into a tight line. “Perhaps he'll improve after we destroy the throne.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Zhao Yunlan said, except that Shen Wei sodded back to Dixing before he was done talking. Aggrieved, he threw himself onto the couch next to An Bai.

Da Qing turned to cat form and lazily stretched out on the table. “So, the Lord of Dixing is mind controlled by the throne?”

“Turns out the Regent commissioned it to extend his life,” Zhao Yunlan said. “All this time, the Lords of Dixing were being sucked dry of their life force, just so the Regent could live. For three hundred years.”

“Huh,” Da Qing said.

At that moment, the fabric of space-time was ripped apart again. “Did it work?” Shen Wei hurriedly asked.

An Bai showed no change. He continued writing on invisible papers.

“Maybe it'll help in time,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Or once Dixing gets taken away.”

Shen Wei's mien was distinctly unhappy. “Perhaps,” he said, but it was clear he wouldn't be content to leave it there.

“Hey, we can take care of An Bai here. Lin Jing could do with some extra duties to enliven his packing experience,” Zhao Yunlan said. He patted Shen Wei's shoulder. “No need to worry. We'll solve this eventually.”

Shen Wei made a noncommittal sound. “I'll tell the Dixing end that you're on the case.”

“See you in the evening?” Zhao Yunlan said.

“Take good care of him,” Shen Wei finally replied in a somber tone. He waved his arm and portaled back to Dixing.

After a moment, Da Qing said, “So what are you going to do about him?”

Zhao Yunlan stared at him. A wonderful plan bloomed in his mind and a matching smile blossomed on his face.

“Oh no you don't-”

“You're in charge of the An Bai project,” Zhao Yunlan said. “You see, I'm the Chief, I'm really quite busy with everything, but An Bai is the Lord of Dixing, he's an important person. So this important duty can only be left to the Vice Chief.”

“Can't you fob this off onto the Haixing Department of Supervision?” Da Qing whined.

Zhao Yunlan placed his hands on either side of Da Qing's feline form and loomed. “Would you trust this delicate matter in their bureaucratic hands? I'm shocked at this willingness to abscond from your duties. In fact,” he said, raising his voice, “I might have to reconsider your bonus-”

“I'll do it, I'll do it,” Da Qing said and swatted at Zhao Yunlan's hands with a claw.

Zhao Yunlan, used to these antics as he was, escaped without a scratch. “See to it,” he said, then retreated to his office to look debonair while stuffing things in boxes.

Wednesday was the start of the official move. The first sets of boxes were brought to the new location, and Zhao Yunlan's office was set up. The library space was turned into a maze of boxes stacked atop one other, the disassembled bookshelves acting as irregularly-spaced roadblocks. The main space's furniture would go the next day, followed by the exercise equipment and the lab; before that, however, Zhao Yunlan wanted to hold a farewell dinner.

Shen Wei had promised to take Ye Zun to a museum already, so it was just the SID squad. Zhao Yunlan let Wang Zheng decide the menu – she had an inalienable fondness for greasy food and large lumps of meat, so the fare would be exactly what it had been during past parties. Perfect for nostalgia.

Zhao Yunlan held a short speech and watched his department – his scrappy little department, intentionally downsized when his father was promoted away and which he hadn't bothered to upsize anymore – laugh. They'd grow over the next days as the Palace Guards were officially absorbed into his little family and the other recruits got their paperwork in order, but perhaps the core of what Zhao Yunlan loved could stay the same: a ragtag bunch of people dedicated to saving the world, with no huge gaps of hierarchy to cause chasms between them.

The party wound to a close. They cleaned up, then dribbled out the doors, one by one, until Zhao Yunlan was all alone, watching Zhu Hong drive Wang Zheng and Sang Zan to the new place under the cover of darkness.

The building suddenly felt inescapably lonely. Zhao Yunlan paced the place to get one last look at it, but the familiar had already been rendered alien by the packing. His final look at the old SID had come earlier and gone without his notice.

Maudlin, Zhao Yunlan collapsed on the couch and contemplated the lights. They might be dimmed, but if he only looked up, the view was just like yesteryear's.

The air conditioning's gentle whir was suddenly deafening in the silence. He concentrated, and listened, and could gradually make out all the rest of the building's sounds: the slight hum of the central heating, the flushing sounds of someone using the loo in the next building over, the steady beep and whir of traffic outside.

After an indeterminate time, his phone rang, jolting him from his reverie. He almost dropped it on the ground scrambling to answer it.

“Hi, Chief! It's Zhu Yin,” the voice at the other end said. “I have the night shift at the new location. Uh, Wang Zheng and Sang Zan have arrived safely.”

“Great,” Zhao Yunlan said, trying to get his heart rate back under control. “If Wang Zheng tells you to do something, do as she says.”

“Understood, Chief,” Zhu Yin said.

Zhao Yunlan cut the call. There really was no reason for him to stay here anymore; he should just drive home before Shen Wei got worried.

Instead, he rose to the as of yet unpacked computer and searched the files until he found what he was looking for.

He watched the video twice, expecting to feel the old anger reignite, but with the hindsight of knowing everyone's fates, the only thing he felt was sadness. “How mind controlled were you really?” Zhao Yunlan murmured at the screen. The electronic ghost of Zhu Jiu didn't answer.

Zhao Yunlan sighed and keyed through the video frame by frame. When he found a shot of Zhu Jiu looking somewhat reasonable, he cropped out any unsavoury background hostages, sharpened up the image a bit, and sent it to the as of yet unpacked fancy printer. He even ticked the “laminate” option.

Laminated print of Zhu Jiu looking respectable in hand, he finally left the SID. He drove through the dark streets to the new location. They really should add some exterior lights to make it look less dreary, he thought as he strode in.

He caught Zhu Yin unawares. “Boss? Is something wrong?”

“No, I-” Zhao Yunlan drew a breath. Wang Zheng and Sang Zan were elsewhere; good. “I found a picture of your brother,” he softly said. “I thought you might want it.”

Zhu Yin accepted the laminated piece of paper with shaking hands. “Thank you,” he eventually croaked. He swallowed and sank down onto the nearest chair, floppy hair hiding his face.

Zhao Yunlan let him mourn in silence. More would come out eventually – Zhu Jiu's villainous actions, Zhao Yunlan shooting him, Shen Wei stabbing him twice – but history was written by the survivors. Zhu Jiu wasn't here to confirm or deny any of the suspicions of mind control that had arisen in recent days.

“I'll make sure Mom gets to see this,” Zhu Yin said.

“Good plan,” Zhao Yunlan gently said. “Get enough rest for tomorrow's meeting. Good night.”

“Good night,” Zhu Yin replied, distracted. Zhao Yunlan could forgive him this time.

The next day was mostly spent packing and unpacking, with Lin Jing in charge of packing the lab at the old SID and thus that end while Zhao Yunlan managed the new SID. Of the fifty-odd Palace Guards, a score or so had chosen other employment – joining family in entrepreneurship, going over to the Heritage Center project, one of them even went to Tomorrow Mountain to try his hand at landscape artistry – but the remainder were still enough to quadruple the SID's payroll. Zhao Yunlan sent half of them to take orders from Lin Jing and kept the other half at his end for furniture Tetris.

Like a petty and cruel overlord, Zhao Yunlan micromanaged the couch placement while lazing on it. Then he decided he'd showcase his qualities of mercy and caring that the late Regent had been so bereft of and told Wang Zheng to order lunch for everyone, including the team at the other location who were told to come over posthaste.

Perhaps he should start splitting up the communal lunch, he thought, once Wang Zheng confided that she'd had to order from five different restaurants. Or hire some cooks. Maybe they could take lunch in shifts?

Eh, better introduce the newcomers to the local casual culture. He'd pulled Shao Fenglei aside and told her about his grand plans, so she'd gotten on with the program and forsaken her uniform for something else. The “something else” was best described as “dapper butch lesbian in off-brand Palace Guard attire", but it was a start. No doubt there'd be a bunch of interesting stylistic disasters as all the former Palace Guards experimented with clothing, but Zhao Yunlan minded that less than the bland conformity of everyone wearing the same thing, whether that be a suit or a uniform.

After lunch, Zhao Yunlan had scheduled a meeting with the Yashou tribe leaders. One of the features of the new place was that the shield would only kick in after a smallish atrium with comfortable seating for conversations with community members.

Zhao Yunlan advertised the job openings to Fourth Uncle, Ya Qing, and Ying Chun – curious Yashou good at problem-solving, would like at least one more from each tribe, women preferred to stop the place being such a colossal sausage fest. Behind him, Wang Zheng dutifully stamped all the new additions with the seal that let them go through the upcoming shield.

Then Zhao Xinci walked in.

“Dad! I wasn't expecting you,” Zhao Yunlan said as he hastily rose up. “What is the occasion?”

“So it looks like this.” Zhao Xinci harrumphed. “I see you've kept that disappointing couch arrangement.”

“It is very useful for teambuilding and discussions. The actual office spaces and evidence rooms and lab are a bit off from it.”

Zhao Xinci made a noncommittal noise. “And your new hires?”

“No problems with any of them,” Zhao Yunlan said. Not that they'd had opportunity to do much yet, but he would show no potential weakness or unprovenness in front of his father.

Before his father could respond to that, however, Shao Fenglei cleared her throat from the main atrium and escorted Shen Wei over. He greeted Zhao Xinci, then asked Zhao Yunlan, “I came to ask about lunch, but I assume you've already eaten?”

“Dinner?” Zhao Yunlan suggested, not quite willing to be explicit about his and Shen Wei's relationship in front of the people present, even if they must all have guessed.

“I'll be in contact,” Shen Wei said, nodded, and was about to leave.

Zhao Xinci, who had for a moment been strangely silent, lightly cleared his throat. “While you are here, I must ask – when are you going to complete your filial responsibilities and reproduce?”

Everyone froze. Zhao Xinci continued unruffled, “Surely the Black-Cloaked Envoy has some power that will allow him to provide me with grandchildren?” He contemplated the molding. “Or he could use his degree in bioengineering; as long as grandchildren turn up, I suppose the means do not matter.”

Shen Wei let out a choked sound. He was frozen in place, blinking madly.

“Don't dally so long that you find your responsibilities impossible to complete,” Zhao Xinci said to Zhao Yunlan and left.

There was a moment of silence as everyone scrabbled for conversational footing. Eventually, Shen Wei choked out, “I'll go to the University. I'll see you in the evening, Chief Zhao,” and portaled away.

“...we'll spread word of the job opportunity and send volunteers your way,” Ya Qing said. “Was there anything else?”

“N-no, there wasn't,” Zhao Yunlan said, and escorted the Yashou elders out in a daze. Only after they'd gone did he collapse back into a plush chair, for which he was one hundred percent willing to give himself a gold star. Also, what the fuck, dad?!

“I assume you need a moment to recover,” Shao Fenglei suggested. “Does your father visit often?”

“Only when he wants to cause trouble,” Zhao Yunlan groaned. “Though usually just about my professional competence. Fuck.” How the hell was he supposed to have the kids conversation with Shen Wei now that his dad had made it about a million times more awkward than it had any right to be? And they'd have to have it, after his dad's remarks. Having thought he’d die young and single, he didn’t even have any previously formed opinions to fall back on.

“I'll call for you once everyone's stamped and ready to return to the moving process,” Shao Fenglei said.

“Thanks,” Zhao Yunlan called after her, grateful for the extra moment to collect himself.

He supposed that if his dad was telling Shen Wei to make his grandbabies, Shen Wei was now accepted as a suitor, despite his ten thousand years of chronological age and the dark energy swirling at his fingertips. Really, he should be glad of this boon.

He was eventually called for, but by then he'd managed to mostly calm his mind. The upcoming conversation with Shen Wei was bound to be awkward, though.

They didn't discuss it at dinner, but after, when Shen Wei was washing the dishes and Ye Zun was in the bathroom, Shen Wei said in a low voice, “So. Children.”

“I need time to think,” Zhao Yunlan murmured back. He glanced at the bathroom. “And privacy to talk with you. Maybe we could discuss it once the migration is complete and the spaceship gone?”

“That- sounds good,” Shen Wei said, more than a bit relieved. Likely he'd been taken just as unawares by Zhao Xinci's remark and needed time to reel. “We shall discuss it then. Though, ah, it wouldn't be immediate, no matter what choice we make; research would be involved.”

“I understand,” Zhao Yunlan replied.

Ye Zun chose that moment to rejoin them, but they'd managed to decide to put off the conversation. They'd just have to arrange for a private place to chat. But that was a worry for the future.

The following day, Shen Wei went to work early. With a print-out Li Qian had acquired from somewhere, he managed to turn on the laptop computer the University had provided him and log in. After half an hour of something called the User Profile Service doing something, the computer was ready to use. Shen Wei realized he had no idea what one could do with a computer – or, he knew the end results, and now had a foundation, but there was at least one layer eluding him. He had been given a tool, and knew what the tool could make, but not how or out of what.

Perhaps Li Qian could help? Maybe she could tell him how to put the data onto the computer so he could analyze it.

He rose and pondered at the computer a bit. It was a laptop, and he'd seen other people carry their laptops around under arm, so it should survive carrying.

After a while of investigation, he gently closed the lid and disconnected the power cord. It stopped whirring. Ah well; what was done was done. Li Qian would tell him if he needed to do something differently next time.

He set out towards the labs, laptop under his arm. Li Qian would be there by now, and they could discuss the cell repair proteins-

“Professor Shen!”

Shen Wei turned. It was Jiajia, recently back under the guidance of Zhang Ruonan, and a few other students, all looking dismayed. He pushed his glasses up. “Is something the matter?”

“You ... have a laptop?”

“It's university policy for all staff members to have work laptops,” Shen Wei told her earnestly.

“Yes, but-” He looked at her in innocent confusion and waited for her to continue. Instead, she crumpled. “Nothing,” she squeaked. “Good day, Professor Shen.”

“Good day,” he replied and strode off.

Halfway down the staircase to the labs, he laughed. This was even better than wasting Zhao Yunlan's time with bears.

He even got to repeat the experience, as when he arrived at the labs, Li Qian was shocked. “You ... found your laptop?”

“Of course,” Shen Wei said. “I stored it on the bottom shelf.”

“Oh.” Li Qian stared at him. “Does it ... work?”

“I have ‘logged in’ successfully, but I'm afraid I don't know what to do with it now that I've logged in,” Shen Wei admitted. He lifted the lid. Good, the computer started up again. He logged in. “How do I analyze the data from here?”

“Let's see,” Li Qian said. “You're missing the programs. I'll go look at the software installation center...”

Shen Wei watched, entranced, as Li Qian pressed buttons to install programs on the computer and told him what she was doing. Then she gave brief overviews on what the programs did, starting from the analysis program and ending with the web browser.

“...and that is how you search,” Li Qian concluded. Then she added, “Just, remember that anyone can put anything on the net, okay? It's not peer reviewed. Some of it is real bullshit.”

“I've heard about the various lies people write on the web, most recently about the SID,” Shen Wei replied. “Do you have some data ready which we could analyze?”

“Ah, of course.” Li Qian loaded up a few new samples' genomic data, and they pored over that – and the user interface – for the rest of the morning.

It really was nice to have a student to supervise again, even if today Li Qian was the one teaching him about modernity's newfangled apparati. He enjoyed teaching, and he enjoyed mentoring young adults. Zhao Yunlan did, too. Children ... Shen Wei would have to investigate. He hadn't been around any, beyond smiling at a months-old infant once when its mother, a faculty member, had brought it over for people to coo at. He'd have to ask Professor Zhou about child-raising's realities. Or perhaps the internet, but Professor Zhou would likely be more trustworthy.

As for how they'd acquire any children – the headline Mad Scientist Creates Life in Lab tickled at the back of his mind. It was perhaps a bit too appealing, but then again, even if he and Zhao Yunlan ended up entirely childless, surely others would wish to have biological children while producing gametes of the same type? He should start research just in case.

But that could be next week's project. For the weekend, he had other plans, which he’d inform Zhao Yunlan of during lunch.

By Friday, Zhao Yunlan had enough time to pull Shao Fenglei aside for a chat in his office. It was a nice office: second floor, at the junction of the evidence room wing and the science wing, with views on the main atrium. He even had a little window he could open to tell at people.

“So,” he said once the blinds were drawn and he was in his own comfortable chair behind his own familiar desk. “Please, sit down. Which of the Palace Guards are spies for other people?”

Shao Fenglei raised an eyebrow but sat down on the chair in front of Zhao Yunlan's desk. Her back was ramrod-straight; she looked rather military even out of her uniform. Then again, the Palace Guards likely had been Dixing's military. “The few with vast wells of loyalty towards the late Regent have declined to join the SID,” she said after a moment's consideration. “Other than that, Dixing has not really had power blocs or personages who would send spies – the scuttlebutt network is active, but mostly any information exchange or favoritism is based on family ties or village of origin, the latter of which has become obsolete. I expect they'll all have their loyalties adrift for a while. It is up to you to catch the loose strings.”

Such a boon the universe had handed him! Shao Fenglei had cast her lots in with him and the SID, and now he had a loyal minion who was also smart. Perhaps a bit too smart; he might have to find her a promotion somewhere someday. “How did you end up in charge of the Palace Guard? I don't recall seeing you on my prior visits.”

“I was immune to Ye Zun's mind control.” Her gaze defocused for a bit. “I managed to survive and find out some others who were immune and started organizing a resistance. Then the mind control ended, and the Regent promoted me from Lieutenant to Captain.”

“And your former superiors?”

“The Regent had them executed.”

“The Regent's death?”

“Who would dare question the Black-Cloaked Envoy's proclamation?”

“What do your subordinates think of you?”

“Those who stayed with the SID respect me; some fear me, some like me.”

Zhao Yunlan leaned onto the table. “And your loyalties? Where does Shao Fenglei stand in the web of loyalties that underpins Dixing?”

She was silent for a moment before leaning in as well. “Chief Zhao has a ... very close association with the Envoy. How are such liaisons conducted in Haixing?”

“Aaaahh,” Zhao Yunlan said as he wagged a finger while they both leaned back. “So there's a lucky lady hidden in the woodworks!” He sighed and became more serious. “Hate crimes are rare; mostly people just assume wrongly and don't realize what's truly going on. Being out about it will have you find your opportunities silently capped, but you're from Dixing, so I suspect that would've happened anyway. Being listed as each other's next of kin will take some extra work, but I there's a loophole to achieve it.”

“But we could find a place to live and my – associate – a place to work?” Shao Fenglei carefully asked.

“Apartments are no big deal, they'd just assume you're sisters or cousins or some other shit. Work would depend on the industry. I guess places willing to take Dixingians would be willing to take queer people as well.”

“She does research on dark energy.”

Zhao Yunlan would be completely willing to hire another science type to terrorize Lin Jing. “Academia is reasonably tolerant of eccentricities, and the SID has space for more scientists. She shouldn't have too much trouble.”

Shao Fenglei exhaled and relaxed minutely. “Is there anything else you wish to discuss?”

“This concludes our meeting,” Zhao Yunlan said and let her leave.

Yes, Zhao Yunlan had definitely lucked out with his new second-in-command. Cherish your subordinates' skills like your own and all that. He doubted Shao Fenglei would have patience for someone incompetent in a romantic entanglement, but then again, there were as many tastes as there were people under the Sun. The girlfriend could apply wherever she wished. If in doubt, Shen Wei might have insight on how to handle academia.

A few hours of handling bureaucracy later, Zhao Yunlan called it a week and left the SID in the gentle care of the weekend's shifts. He drove home to pack his bags – Shen Wei had called and said they were going camping. Zhao Yunlan had no objections. Especially since Ye Zun would be staying with Professor Zhou.

Shen Wei arrived home soon enough and changed out of his suit into jeans, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and the North Face jacket Zhao Yunlan had wrapped him up in on their first trip to the mountains. The only reason Zhao Yunlan could resist immediately stripping all the clothes off again was that he'd already packed the lube. Hopefully Shen Wei could be talked into spending a lazy evening somewhere sheltered instead of hiking the whole time.

“How long will the drive be?” Zhao Yunlan asked.

“Let me handle transport,” Shen Wei said and held out his hand.

When Zhao Yunlan took it, dark energy sizzled around them and then they were standing at the side of the road that led out of Dragon City to the mountains. One could see both Dragon City's outline and the mountains rising before them.

Shen Wei lurched.

“Shen Wei?!” Zhao Yunlan caught him. No blood, but-

“I need to rest for a few minutes,” Shen Wei explained. He leaned against Zhao Yunlan. “It's only two portal hops, but even I have a maximum range.”

And Shen Wei wanted to rest by cuddling Zhao Yunlan. Even if it was awkward with the packs, Zhao Yunlan would support each and every instance of Shen Wei leaning on him, literally or metaphorically. “Take your time.” Zhao Yunlan smiled against Shen Wei's hair.

Some minutes later, Shen Wei rose back up. He pulled Zhao Yunlan through another portal.

It took Zhao Yunlan some minutes to realize just which cliffside Shen Wei had brought them to. In his defense, it had been ten thousand years, and they now had a nice view of Dragon City in the distance, instead of the meteor-barren land of the past.

“I thought we could sit here, like we used to,” Shen Wei suggested, ducking his head shyly. “I have food I can prepare later.”

“Of course,” Zhao Yunlan said. So it would be a sit-down weekend instead of a walk-around one. Any exercise would be horizontal. He was more than fine with that.

Shen Wei pulled a blanket out of his bag and spread it on a nice patch of ground. They sat on it in silence.

Cautiously, Zhao Yunlan slung an arm around Shen Wei's shoulders. Shen Wei exhaled audibly, scooted over, and slumped appreciatively against Zhao Yunlan.

“In all our time together, I never knew you were part-cat,” Zhao Yunlan teased as he leaned against Shen Wei as well to form a dynamic equilibrium of lounging and physical contact. “Have you been taking lessons from Da Qing?”

Shen Wei snorted. “I talked with Professor Zhou. He said life is too short to do things you regret doing and leave undone things you regret not doing.”

“So you decided you wanted to spend a weekend plastered against me?”

“Other things as well,” Shen Wei said. He tensed minutely. “Before I met you in the present, I dreamt of Lord Kunlun interrupting one of our conversations to push me down and show me the pleasures of lovemaking. Would you-?”

“Of course,” Zhao Yunlan said. He brought his hand to Shen Wei's jacket to open it.

Shen Wei brushed off his hand. “When it's night. Shall we eat?”

They ate the half-prepared packed food that Shen Wei cooked with various applications of dark energy. Camping with someone whose Dixing power was learning others' powers was a cakewalk. Who else had an open flame, a knife, and levitation powers at their immediate disposal? Shen Wei really was the best, and Zhao Yunlan was never letting him go.

The Sun set over the mountains, bathing the world in orange and red light, drawing long shadows over Dragon City. Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan watched it in silence, snuggled up against each other.

Eventually the final purple remnants of dusk receded from the skies and the stars blinked on, brighter and more numerous now that they were outside the city's haze of light. Dragon City was a yellowish glow that projected itself onto that part of the skies.

Shen Wei pulled away. A shiver of dark energy, and suddenly the present-day Black-Cloaked Envoy, in his modern robes and mask modelled off Ye Zun's, was looking at Zhao Yunlan.

“It seems anachronism will be the order of the day,” Zhao Yunlan remarked as he twined a loose strand of Shen Wei's waist-length hair around his finger.

“Anachronistic clothes won't be a problem once we take them off,” Shen Wei slyly suggested.

Zhao Yunlan couldn't help but chuckle. Still, they were fulfilling Shen Wei's request, so he chose not to say anything too lewd. He'd let Shen Wei think and make an opening gambit for his roleplay.

It took a while, but Shen Wei eventually said, “Lord Kunlun, thank you for your advice. It seems whenever we discuss, you have an ever-increasing amount of nuggets of wisdom to share.” He smiled, brighter than the daytime Sun. “I wish that one day I can be as wise as you.”

“Oh, Shen Wei,” Zhao Yunlan said, taking a moment to slip into Kunlun's mindset. “Of course you'll grow to be the wisest person in the room. But do you know what true wisdom requires?”

“No?” Shen Wei blinked guilelessly.

“You are well on track to become a someone with a wealth of knowledge, but to be truly wise, one needs a healthy appreciation for the pleasures of the body.” Zhao Yunlan leaned over and stroked Shen Wei's shoulder.

“I admit I am inexperienced in the pleasures of the flesh,” Shen Wei said, laying on the shyness a bit thick. “Which ones is Lord Kunlun talking about?”

“Perhaps I should show you,” Zhao Yunlan said in a low voice and very gently pushed at Shen Wei.

Shen Wei fell onto his back on the blanket without resistance. His hood was pulled half-off by gravity and his long hair started to fan out. His delicate mouth was parted; Zhao Yunlan longed to claim those lips in a kiss, but that could wait.

Gently, he pushed the hood the rest of the way off and lifted the mask from Shen Wei's face. “You're breathtaking, xiao-Wei,” he whispered.

Shen Wei inhaled with shock and his mouth became an o of surprise. His eyes and mouth fluttered closed and open again. “Oh.”

Zhao Yunlan smiled and ducked down to kiss Shen Wei. “‘Oh’ indeed! Come, let me get your clothes off so I can admire more of you.”

Shen Wei laughed at Zhao Yunlan's brazenness, then started tackling his clothes. Based on how much trouble he had, he'd always just used dark energy to zap in and out of his robes. One wondered how he'd acquired them in the first place.

Then Shen Wei was bare beneath the stars. His scarless skin glowed pale in the moonlight, and Zhao Yunlan then had his breath taken in truth by this being amaranthine by lore and gossamer by moonglow.

“Kunlun?” Shen Wei asked.

“You-” You are so beautiful the Moon must be ashamed. I love you. Zhao Yunlan swallowed. “Let me take care of you, xiao-Wei.”

Shen Wei shuddered. He blinked his gleaming eyes and whispered, “Please.”

Zhao Yunlan dug out the lube from his pack and shucked off his clothes. He took another minute to wonder at how he'd caught this beauty as he knelt between Shen Wei's parted legs.

The fingers went in with the ease of long practice, Shen Wei's body easily yielding to the familiar prelude to pleasure. Likewise, Zhao Yunlan knew exactly where he should bring his touch. The tiniest of strokes, and Shen Wei's breath hitched.

“How does it feel?” Zhao Yunlan murmured.

“Please,” Shen Wei breathed. “More.”

“As you wish, xiao-Wei.” He bent to kiss Shen Wei's stomach, which clenched at something completely different to the fingers.

Time became a hazy concept after sundown. It could've been a matter of minutes to get Shen Wei into languid acceptance, or it could've taken hours under the revolving dome of the heavens.

When Shen Wei was a pliant lump on the ground, Zhao Yunlan withdrew his fingers and pushed in his dick instead. Shen Wei's body sucked it in. Shen Wei let out a sound of pleasure and wrapped his arms around Zhao Yunlan's shoulders.

“Such a quick study,” Zhao Yunlan murmured.

He started rocking into Shen Wei, and Shen Wei let out the most delightful of sounds. It was as if he'd let go of his inhibitions, invited Zhao Yunlan into the walled garden of his heart, and was secure in the love and acceptance showered upon him. He was laying back and trusted Zhao Yunlan would bring him to the heights of pleasure according to his preferences.

It was a heady sensation, to be that trusted. What could Zhao Yunlan do but rejoice within his heart? He was Shen Wei's, Shen Wei was his, and he would do his best for his beloved, every day from now to eternity.

Shen Wei's hands started curling into Zhao Yunlan's skin. To the tune of breaths growing choppier and toes curling in the dirt, Zhao Yunlan picked up the pace of his thrusts.

They arrived at the harbor at the same time. The wave of pleasure washed over them and rocked them from head to toe, though any movement of the earth was purely metaphorical.

Up in the mountains, the nights were colder and crisper than in Dragon City's cocoon of permanent habitation and central heating. Zhao Yunlan pulled out with a sigh and let Shen Wei wipe him clean with dark energy so he could dress against the chill. Next to him, Shen Wei made his little corner of existence shudder, and he was back in his civilian clothes, though he'd left his hair long.

“You said you had a sleeping bag for us?” Zhao Yunlan softly said. It felt like talking too loudly would shatter the tender mood.

“I do,” Shen Wei replied. He picked up the blanket they'd made love on and shook it out. “And fifteen meters to your left, there is a nice spot where the rock shields us from two directions of wind.”

“What would I do without you?” Zhao Yunlan fondly sighed.

Shen Wei afforded him with a dazzling grin. “You don't need to.” Zhao Yunlan could only laugh with delight.

Then the blanket was on the correct spot of ground and the sleeping bag on it. They made another, small windblock out of their packs, shoes, and jackets before crawling into the warm sleeping bag.

It was cozy enough that this night alone would've been worth the trip to the mountains, Zhao Yunlan decided. He and Shen Wei fell asleep in each other's embrace.

Dawn came and painted the sky and land with delicate pinks and glowing golds. Zhao Yunlan drowsed through it, periodically cracking open an eye to drink in Shen Wei's beauty in the light purple, red, and gold.

“I know you're awake,” Shen Wei said once the light was still soft but not quite as cheerfully colored anymore.

“Only to gaze in wonder at this immortal from the heavens who has chosen to appear in my sleeping bag,” Zhao Yunlan said. He shut out any objection by thoroughly kissing Shen Wei good morning.

They put their shoes and jackets back on and went off on a hike. Zhao Yunlan didn't remember much of what the region had been like in the past – certainly much less than Shen Wei – but he remembered some, and was more than happy to listen to Shen Wei reminisce about the nature that had once more bloomed.

Lunch was an impromptu affair of things Shen Wei had brought from home and some berries he identified as edible. Like everything made by Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan loved it.

A few kilometers more up what had been a trail ten thousand years ago, they found a brook. The wind played with Shen Wei's long hair, occasional gusts whipping strands high into the air. It was not a peaceful spot, but there was value in emotions other than peace: they were high up in the mountains, exposed to the elements, and the sunshine and tinkling of water were exhilarating. Zhao Yunlan felt alive.

“How public do you want to be?” Shen Wei asked thoughtfully. “About the two of us.”

“I-” want everyone to see you’re mine and I yours. “How public do you want to be?”

Shen Wei turned to look at him. He was beautiful, he was hot, he was supernaturally handsome, and he wanted to be with Zhao Yunlan. “I want to be out,” Shen Wei said. “I want to show my love for you, I want to shout it from the rooftops, I want to dance in the sunlight and let it disinfect all the festering wounds hidden in the dark crannies of my soul.” He smiled, brilliant and blazing, then grew more serious. “But I recognize that I'm not of this era, and as much as I might have studied the mores, some things you consider obvious will be elusive to me. I don't want to hide, but even less do I want to cause you trouble.”

What was anyone supposed to say to that? Eleven out of ten, would keep forever? Zhao Yunlan swallowed. “We haven't been exactly hiding – this – anyway. And I'm powerfully enough placed that the only thing that'll happen is that I won't make it to minister, but I wasn't going to make it to minister anyway. I'd much rather be SID Chief until I retire and have you than get promoted and not have you, or have you as my dirty secret.”

“Ah.” Shen Wei beamed. “Will you be my date to the next annual faculty get-together, then? It's a sit-down dinner with some live music by a volunteer group of faculty members. I usually leave soon after the music starts, but I hear they get raucous after their blood alcohol content rises high enough.”

“Of course!” Zhao Yunlan said. “I will sit and stand at the wonderful Professor Shen's side and look decorative while he is mind-breakingly amazing.”

Shen Wei snorted fondly. He held out his hand.

Zhao Yunlan stepped next to him and took the hand. Together they watched the stream flow. Shen Wei leaned on Zhao Yunlan while he told more stories from the past.

The day started to cool and Zhao Yunlan's stomach rumbled. Instead of going to their packs, Shen Wei took one look at the stream and caught a sizeable fish with his bare hands. Zhao Yunlan suspected cheating with some heretofore unrevealed Dixing power, but one should never look a gift fish in the origin. Besides, it tasted excellent when steamed.

“That was a wonderful meal,” Zhao Yunlan said after they'd finished demolishing the fish and some pre-prepared things Shen Wei had brought out.

Shen Wei looked fey. “If Chief Zhao is so pleased, doesn't he think I would deserve some ... compensation?”

Zhao Yunlan laughed. “Ah, Shen Wei, Shen Wei.” He leaned more heavily against Shen Wei's shoulder; Shen Wei easily caught him in his arms. “You know I'll let you have whatever compensation you want; I want it anyway. I want to fuck your brains out, I want to cherish you in my arms, I want to let you have your wicked way with me. I will be whatever you need.”

“In that case...” Shen Wei tilted Zhao Yunlan's head and captured his lips in a kiss. “I wish to requisition your company for the night.”

Zhao Yunlan spread his arms as best he could in the confined space. “It's all yours. Do as you wish.”

Shen Wei pushed him down onto the ground and joined him. While there might be a mountain of work waiting for them when they returned, in the here and now they had a most enjoyable evening.

On the eve of the end, Zhao Yunlan drove to the University on his motorbike. He parked and tried not to vibrate with nervous energy.

Soon Shen Wei walked out of the building, resplendent in his immaculate suit, elegant glasses, and waist-length inky hair. A hand at the nape of his neck and dark energy pulled his hair in to its shorter form as he walked. He finished by taking off his glasses and putting them in Zhao Yunlan's jacket pocket while he leaned in to kiss him. It was smooth as fuck and Zhao Yunlan was so happy he could explode. He was the luckiest man alive – no, the luckiest sentient ever to have existed in the galaxy. No other circumstance could compare to Shen Wei existing by his side.

“Shall we go?” Shen Wei asked.

Shen Wei put on the spare motorcycle helmet and they set off. Zhao Yunlan drove with no particular hurry, content to enjoy the road in front of him and Shen Wei behind and around him. It was a nice day for driving – cloudy but bright – and Shen Wei was happily clinging on tight. If he was using some extra Dixing power as a crash barrier, well, Zhao Yunlan wouldn’t mind his beloved keeping him safer, provided he could see through the crackle of energy. Shen Wei had every right to wrap his Dixing powers around him like he wrapped his arms around Zhao Yunlan.

Eventually they arrived at the rocky outcropping they'd agreed on. Li Si was already there.

“Everything ready?” Zhao Yunlan asked.

“It's empty and ready to roll.” Li Si smiled a passable approximation of a smile. “I am ready to leave.”

Zhao Yunlan sighed. “I never was good at farewells.”

“I have a friend who's a – lawyer,” Li Si suddenly said. “I'll ask her to take up the case for your sentience and manumission for the ¤#¡-°@'s slaves's descendants.”

“Thank you,” Shen Wei said.

“There's a fleet coming at us,” Zhao Yunlan said. “Will her work be done before they arrive?”

Li Si waved her fingers over some invisible keypad. “The preliminary declaration of statement should arrive at the same time as the fleet, causing them to be forced to halt and consult legal counsel and take things more carefully. The actual decision will take – centuries of yours.”

That was – easier to negotiate around than an all-out invasion. Hopefully. At least it’d give them more of a chance. “Thanks,” Zhao Yunlan said. “I don't suppose you'll return?”

“Not for at least a – century,” Li Si said. She knit her eyebrows together in an expression that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike a frown. “Longevity is a prerequisite for sentience. You might wish to improve yours so we may meet again and you may remain free.”

“We'll take that under advisement,” Shen Wei said and smiled. Zhao Yunlan had no doubt that he'd go tinker with his bioengineering stuff and solve the problem and save all the sentient species of Haixing.

“Good.” Li Si looked at each of them in turn. “I shall now pilot the ship off Haixing and bring Aopihglklah of the Opaweihrfoa to face justice for his sins. Don't let this be a farewell, but let it be a goodbye.”

“Goodbye,” Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan echoed as Li Si disappeared in a brain-bending twist of reality. They held hands beneath the midday Sun, neither of them in a mood to speak.

Then, the ground trembled gently beneath them as the massive spaceship burrowed through the earth. It was a surprisingly small disturbance, all things considered. Zhao Yunlan idly wondered what it was doing – teleporting dirt from its front to its back and pushing itself forwards? Some means of propulsion his primitive mind had no chance of grasping? What was more important was that it moved itself without making Dragon City cave in on itself or tumble down in an earthquake. Even if the event was emitting enough infrasound to make Zhao Yunlan’s skin turn to goosebumps. There was a visceral edge of dread to the moment. Neither he nor Shen Wei spoke.

A while later, the spaceship reached the edge of the sea. The surface of the water undulated as the huge bulk of the ship inched into it.

Then the ship rose from the depths and shed its watery covering as a curtain of droplets, gleaming wet in the sunlight. It was massive. They weren't in the best position to observe it, but Zhao Yunlan knew photographers professional and amateur would be lining all the good spots.

And then it was gone. Deceptively small waves lapped at Dragon City’s shore.

“Well,” Zhao Yunlan eventually said. “That's the end of an era.”

Shen Wei mutely stared at the waves sloshing where the spaceship had risen through them. “Yes.”

He'd be in a mood for the rest of the week. Hell, so would Zhao Yunlan. Dixing was gone; what would now become of the Dixingians? “Let's go home,” he gently suggested.

“Yes,” Shen Wei said, and squeezed his hand. “Let's.”

They took two paces before someone called Zhao Yunlan. No number showed up, which was weird. It might be a telemarketer – but it might also be some hush-hush government personage with an excessive sense of his importance, so Zhao Yunlan answered.

“Greetings,” the much-too-clear voice said. “It is Li Si. I just managed to recover something from the slaving tools. Do you want him?”

“Sure?” Zhao Yunlan said. Recovered what?

He soon found out, as Li Si arrived as an optical distortion with a baffled Zhu Jiu in tow. “Here!” she said. “Now I must go lest I miss my ship. Goodbye!” She briefly waved her elbow and disappeared again.

Zhu Jiu stared, gobsmacked, then fell to the ground. “Lord Envoy, I'm sorry! I was mind controlled and didn't resist it hard enough. I apologize for-”

“Actually, I retired,” Shen Wei said. “There is no longer a Black-Cloaked Envoy; just Professor Shen. Dixingians and Yashou have integrated into human society with discrimination against them punishable by law, and Dixing has gone away. There is no need for an Envoy.”

“What?!” Zhu Jiu exclaimed as he lifted his head up. After all of the things he – or the person controlling him – had done to make everyone’s lives harder, his distressed expression was balm for the soul.

Shen Wei sighed. “Get up. There is much you have missed in the past months.”

When Zhu Jiu had scrambled to his feet, Zhao Yunlan seized the chance to twist the knife with sadistic glee. “Indeed! Your mother and brother missed you.”

“They – did?” Zhu Jiu croaked.

“They came and asked if I knew your fate,” Zhao Yunlan cheerfully said as Zhu Jiu winced. “They'll be glad to see you in better health.” He clapped Zhu Jiu on the shoulder. “But first, let's get to Dragon City. I trust you can still teleport?”

“I'll bring him to the SID,” Shen Wei volunteered. He leaned over to peck Zhao Yunlan on the lips and smiled adorably. Who could say no to that face?

“Meet you there,” Zhao Yunlan said. He started the motorbike with a smile and drove off. Hopefully Shen Wei wouldn't tell Zhu Jiu everything on the way already; Zhao Yunlan wanted to see some more despairing expressions of shock as payback for all the things Zhu Jiu had done, even if he'd been under mind control at the time.

Then again, even if Zhao Yunlan weren’t present for the initial shock, Zhu Jiu would be looking distressed for a long time to come. There would be ample opportunity for Zhao Yunlan to enjoy his pain and torment. Especially if he introduced him to Ye Zun – hadn’t he mentioned enjoying Zhu Jiu’s company or something? Zhao Yunlan would definitely milk that for all it was worth.

The Sun shone warmly above him. Everything would be fine.