Lords of death. ( Necromancers, by any other name, themselves deceased. He had not thought such combinations possible, and yet, time has taught irredeemably. ) Their successors or parting curses.

( An inheritance of rot and tarnish, sickness and resurgence. They have no time for explanations, the next wave of deadened things threatening deluge, until, retreating, the spears of Lan Wangji's ribs nearly stab Xichen from behind.

The roofs. His gaze flies each way, landing on the first spread of rooftile that sprawls without hint of hole or fissure, or rot that might lead to collapse. He nods, then — hesitantly: )

Northwest. Lead. ( They know all too well Lan Wangji cannot leave the sect leader exposed. )