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“I swear, if it turns out you have no idea where we are going, I will murder you and leave your body for the crows to find,” Chu Shuzhi said conversationally, stomping through the mud with the air of a man condemned to an unjust punishment.
The object of his anger, Zhao Yunlan the Adventurer, just shrugged without turning back.
Chu Nianzhi was certain that he had heard worse threats in his life, he used to work at the court after all. Though, in what capacity, Zhao Yunlan had never disclosed – ever since Nianzhi and Shuzhi met him at the inn, winning a strange map from a crowd of very suspicious looking men, all that they managed to get out of him was that he was on an adventure.
“I think he seduced someone’s wife and is now trying to save his hide,” Shuzhi had said during their initial secret talk whether they wanted to join Zhao Yunlan on his quest or not.
“And we, escaped convicts, have all the right to judge him for it,” Nianzhi had countered back then, making his older brother roll his eyes.
“We are at least true criminals, alright?” His twin had insisted back then, but in the end, they both followed Zhao Yunlan onto the journey the mysterious map set him on.
Despite his roguish charm and rather street-wise cunning, Zhao Yunlan was definitely not a criminal, Nianzhi decided after a few days of their shared quest. For some reason, Shuzhi gleefully pointed that out at most inopportune moments, as if being actual convicts gave them any more experience in adventuring business. It was an odd point of pride, but well, Chu Nianzhi knew better than to argue with his twin on that.
Not when they were on the run because of Nianzhi himself.
“It’s not far from here, we just need to get there before it gets dark,” Zhao Yunlan said, sounding almost cheerful. Not many would keep on smiling when surrounded by the grim, muddy marsh, and it was one of the things that Chu Nianzhi liked about their new companion – he was not easy to break.
“I am still inclined to just killing you, stealing the map and going on,” Shuzhi replied, and as the other two started to bicker, Nianzhi allowed himself to look around them.
It was maybe not the most depressing place he had been to, but he had definitely seen more beautiful ones. Like the small meadow outside of the village they used to live in – that place was maybe nothing special to all the merchants coming and going on their way to the city, but for him it used to be a safe haven filled with flowers and occasional animals.
Chu Nianzhi really hoped he would be able to return one day.
“We all get a wish granted!” Zhao Yunlan’s voice didn’t lose any of the amused note, which rather predictably irritated Shuzhi even more.
Truth be told, if there was anyone his twin should be irritated with, it was Nanzhi.
He had known that showing his gift to the kids back there was risky. He could have just moved the puppets normally to elicit smiles on their faces, he knew how to do it well enough to entertain, it was after all a hobby of his.
But he had also remembered how it felt to be an orphan and have no magic in his life, no bright moment to focus on when all that was around them was bleak and grim. And so he had allowed his gift to run free, bringing to life the most fantastical of stories and watched the light return to the kids’ eyes, their grim faces lighting up with hesitant smiles as they watched the puppets dance and fly.
There, in the ruined house, in the dark of the night, with the wind wailing around them, rolling through the village devastated by the flood, Chu Nianzhi had thought he was safe, sheltered from the view. And yet someone had seen him, someone had been there and instead of helping the poor kids they delivered the report to the guards.
Sometimes Nianzhi still dreamt of that moment: him and Shuzhi eating breakfast back at their home, trading jokes about the bakery’s clients – Chu Nianzhi still missed that place, it was full of light and warmth, and of people just coming in to talk. But it was all lost now. After the guards of the Magic Control Bureau broke the door and dragged him away, Chu Nianzhi lost all hopes of seeing the place again.
He would have been executed for the usage of magic if it wasn’t for his brave brother, who had risked everything to break him out.
And now they were here, following Zhao Yunlan to the great unknown to obtain some sacred treasure, hoping for it to grant each of them a wish.
“Oh, come on! Have I ever led you astray?” Zhao Yunlan exclaimed, bringing Nanzhi’s attention once again back to the argument. The confidence of the man was rather reassuring.
His brother clearly didn’t share this sentiment.
“You constantly do,” Chu Shuzhi growled, crossing his arms on his chest. Paired with the muddy splotches on his dark robes, it looked as if Zhao Yunlan had personally dragged them both through a bog. Choosing the diplomatic approach, Chu Nianzhi kept quiet on who exactly had insisted on going this way, and said instead:
“We have visited some lovely places, don’t you think?” They have. If they were meant to visit them was another matter entirely, because Chu Nianzhi was pretty certain no one was meant to enter the Garden of Solitude from which they have brought back some apples. The Lava Waterfall, the correct name of which he couldn’t quite recall had been nice too, if a bit dangerous.
“Some unnecessary places, yes.”
When annoyed, Chu Shuzhi was bound to be very stubborn. Growing up with him Nianzhi resigned himself to be the peacemaker between his older brother and the rest of the world – people often said to pick your battles, but unfortunately for Nianzhi, his twin was very determined to pick all of them and then take some from others.
Zhao Yunlan was very nonplussed. Whatever he had been doing back at the court, and he certainly had lived on the court at some point, he must have been used to dealing with temperamental people accusing him of seemingly random things. Despite his unassuming clothes and his rather laid-back attitude, whoever Zhao Yunlan was, he had certainly received high education – it was obvious in the way he spoke and in how assured he was in his opinions regarding the laws against magic and who was responsible for passing them.
“We’ve made some special memories and yet you keep on complaining, Lao Chu!” Zhao Yunlan exclaimed in mock-hurt. “No matter what pretty place I take you, all you have for me is a scowl. That’s not a way to treat your friend!”
Chu Shuzhi froze in shock.
Chu Nianzhi braced for the inevitable.
“We are not friends.”
If there was one thing Nianzhi would like to change about his brother, it was that.
They were orphaned very early in life and while in Chu Nianzhi it had resulted in a need for connections, of talking to people, being with people, helping them and being helped in return, the effect their childhood had had on Shuzhi was very different.
Chu Shuzhi kept everyone at length, growling and threatening them if they came too close. He always accused Nianzhi of being too open, too trusting, but he refused to see that he was dealing in extremes too – Chu Shuzhi had never called anyone his friend.
Zhao Yunlan pouted.
“By the time this adventure is over you will change your tune.”
Privately, Chu Nianzhi wondered if Zhao Yunlan was ready to use his wish on that.
Thankfully, this seemingly concluded the round of threats and jokes and the three of them moved forward, watching their steps and trying not to fall into the water. Yes, it was certainly not the most pleasant place the map had brought them to.
As they settled for the night, their camp rather unimpressive and consisting of three make-shift tents gathered around a small fire, the three of them shivering slightly, Chu Shuzhi demanded to see the map again.
It was a nightly tradition of sorts, because Shuzhi didn’t trust anyone and he didn’t trust Zhao Yunlan even more. As usual, after a few moments of very intense staring, he gave the map back with just minimal amount of glaring. They had to be very close then.
“Xiao Chu, have you thought about your wish?” Zhao Yunlan asked, leaning closer to look at him. Even though Shuzhi seemed very offended on his behalf for the way Nianzhi was addressed, Chu Nianzhi himself didn’t mind. He was younger than Shuzhi, so if Shuzhi was Lao Chu then why not. That, and in his heart of hearts, Nianzhi missed being called anything else than ‘convict’ or ‘the accused’.
“Of course. But I won’t tell you, it will not come true if I do,” he replied with a smile, and Zhao Yunlan shook his head in resignation.
“If you are so eager for us all to share secrets, care to tell us what you are looking for?” Chu Shuzhi counter-attacked, pinning their guide with his inquisitive, demanding gaze.
Since Nianzhi was looking, he immediately noticed the way Zhao Yunlan’s smile froze, how the warmth retreated from his eyes. He was still smiling, the casual air around him didn’t change at all, but whatever the answer was going to be, it wouldn’t be honest.
“I have a dream of living alone on an island, surrounded by money,” their guide replied, and Chu Nianzhi didn’t believe him even for a second. Zhao Yunlan was not motivated by money, that much was certain.
“Yeah, right.” Surprised, Chu Nianzhi turned to look at his brother in askance. For Chu Shuzhi to notice the lie too… Maybe Zhao Yunlan would get his wish without resorting to magic after all.
The conversation trickled away from personal topics into the long contest of daring fights Shuzhi and Zhao Yunlan were supposedly parts of, and Nianzhi was perfectly content to sit next to them and listen, smiling at small exaggerations his brother added to his tales, to make them seem more impressive.
Mostly staying at the bakery, Chu Nianzhi had no exciting adventures. What he had were the stories of people. Of an elderly lady that came over to buy the same kind of bread every day because that was what her husband used to get her all her life. Of the young mother waiting for her husband to return – she always bought three buns, for herself, for her daughter and for the husband, in case he returned today. He’s always liked to listen to them, to imagine their lives from the small bits he was given.
Suddenly, a violent chill ran down Nianzhi spine, interrupting his thoughts for good – the mysterious shadow was here once again.
Nianzhi had noticed it a few nights before – it always waited until it was late, so late that the fire was the only source of light, from which it could easily stay clear off, unnoticed by anyone but Nianzhi. It was clearly following them, keeping its distance and just… waiting. For what?
At first, Nianzhi assumed it was someone from the guards, trying to find an opportune moment to seize him and Shuzhi and drag them back to the prison. But there had been moments when they’ve all been asleep and the shadow still hasn’t acted.
It was perplexing, really.
Trying not to make it obvious that he had noticed it, Nianzhi’s attention drifted away from his companions, little wisps of his magic crawling on the ground, towards the shadow. If it was wearing a physical robe, Chu Nianzhi’s powers would find a thread to latch upon, allowing him to track their follower’s footsteps.
Finally, the talks ceased. The three of them retreated to their respective tents, hoping to catch some sleep before another day of the journey. Hidden away from the sight, Nianzhi concentrated on feeling his magic.
It was there, resting inside the hem of the robe. It wasn’t powerful enough to tell Nianzhi anything about the robe’s wearer, but at least he could sense his movements.
The shadow remained unmoving for a long while.
Chu Nianzhi almost gave up on his vigil, too exhausted to stay awake longer, when he felt it – the shadow moved.
It passed Shuzhi’s tent, stopped for a moment in front of Nianzhi’s and then moved towards Zhao Yunlan’s. It stayed there for much longer, seemingly content to just watch the tent.
Was it listening to Zhao Yunlan’s breathing?
To his heartbeat?
Was it waiting for Zhao Yunlan to sense it and wake up?
Chu Nianzhi was half-asleep when he heard it – a low whisper on the wind.
“I’ve found you.”
The last thought in Nianzhi’s mind was: “now we know what Zhao Yunlan is escaping from.”
--
“What do you mean ‘A Path of Challenge’?” Chu Shuzhi grumbled, stomping towards Zhao Yunlan to look at the map over his shoulder. “There was no such thing here yesterday, it was a road of reliance.”
Zhao Yunlan turned to level him with an impatient look.
“I’ve been staring at this map ever since I got it, I think I know it by heart at this point. Path of challenge is what awaits us and then we are getting our wish!” he protested.
Chu Nianzhi was inclined to believe him, truly, except looking down from the cliff they were standing on, he would really prefer to go through anything not called ‘the Path of Challenge’. The landscape under the cliff looked like a mix of lava, rocks and forests filled with dark spirits.
As he watched, there was a scuffle behind him, which suggested that Nianzhi’s brother not only believed he knew better, he was also determined to convince the map he knew better.
Chu Nianzhi opened his mouth to protest before his companions ended up tearing the map in pieces, when the earth underneath him shook violently.
Staring still down, Nianzhi observed as the lava disappeared, covered with a sea of dark waters with one boat on it, as the rocks shot up, like giant tusks, with one rope hanging from the closest tusk, and as the forest consolidated into a maze.
“What the…” Zhao Yunlan muttered from behind him. The ground finally calmed down, and Nianzhi joined the other two on wobbly legs.
Chu Shuzhi was now clutching the map in his hands, looking at the words Road of Reliance written on it.
“Alright, I believe you,” Zhao Yunlan amended, frowning.” Though I must admit, it looks like the worst possible road for you – none of these you can pass on your own.” The moment he said that out loud, something like understanding passed through Zhao Yunlan’s features.
“I got a path that demanded me to prove myself, you got a road that forces you to trust others… Xiao Chu, what will it be for you?”
Chu Nianzhi blinked at him, not understanding at first.
Then, Shuzhi presented the map to him, watching him in silence.
Unsure what to expect, he took the paper from his brother’s hands and braced for the tremor of the world rearranging itself in front of them.
Valley of Peace, the map proclaimed, and as Nianzhi’s gaze wondered away from the map and to the edge of the cliff, he was welcomed with the sight of a sunny meadow, covered in flowers, with a small stream glistening in the middle, right where the lava used to be. There were no rocks anywhere, just two very beautiful plum trees, and instead of the maze there was a small stone garden.
“It looks nice!” Nianzhi exclaimed. When he turned to the side, he managed to catch Shuzhi’s exasperated eye-roll.
Zhao Yunlan just muttered something that sounded like ‘really?’
Then, he shrugged and turned to Chu Nianzhi with a grin.
“It seems you are our guide for now, Xiao Chu!”
A bit taken aback at the sudden responsibility, Nianzhi just nodded. On his way down, Shuzhi gave him a pat on the back that was probably meant to be encouraging.
It mostly made Nianzhi trip.
--
“You are overreacting,” Chu Nianzhi admonished gently, petting the small rabbit in his arms. It was the bravest of the lot – the rest has run away almost immediately upon seeing Shuzhi’s glower. The Valley of Peace truly lived up to its name – there was nothing even remotely dangerous about it, and it was precisely the reason why both Zhao Yunlan and Nianzhi’s older brother were so on edge.
They clearly didn’t understand the concept of peace.
With their hands on their weapons and with their gazes focused on perceiving any kind of suspicious movement, they both managed to scare away pretty much everything that even entertained the idea of getting in their way. Aside from the small furball that was now napping with its snout hidden in Nianzhi’s elbow.
A gentle gust of wind danced in the branches of the nearest plum tree, making both of Nianzhi’s companions jump in alarm at the creak.
“Something should have happened by now,” Zhao Yunlan muttered, and instead of arguing, Chu Shuzhi nodded, looking around.
It was probably futile to convince them to just enjoy the walk and think about their wishes. And, if he was quite honest, Chu Nianzhi wasn’t feeling all that relaxed either – the shadow marked by his thread was still behind them, keeping itself hidden from sight.
Chu Nianzhi was not very prone to poetry, he could barely recall any of the songs he had learned throughout his life, but there was something not quite human about the shadow – though the magic clung to the robe of their silent follower, deeming it definitely physical, it felt… odd. Not quite there.
Did Zhao Yunlan know he was most probably being followed by death?
He probably did. That was why he was searching for the wish-granting treasure so desperately. Nianzhi couldn’t really blame him – though Zhao Yunlan didn’t know like someone afraid of death, he also looked like he still had something precious in his life that he wanted to keep. Wishing for some more time was not the worst thing that could be asked of a magical artefact.
But what was Shuzhi’s wish?
Chu Nianzhi stopped suddenly and raised the map with his free hand. It seemed that they were close – all that they had to do now was to walk through the stone garden and then the altar with the artefact should be visible to them. No better time to ask than now.
“What do you wish for?” Nianzhi’s voice was much more decisive than he intended, and the rabbit nestled on his left arm stirred awake to give him a reproachful look. He set it down on the grass gently and it hoped away, not really interested in anyone else.
“We had this talk already, I-“ Zhao Yunlan started, but Chu Nianzhi interrupted him almost immediately.
“-What if you are wrong? And there is only one wish the treasure can grant? Maybe we should figure out a way to fit all of our wishes into one, just in case.”
Chu Shuzhi and Zhao Yunlan both stared at him in silent confusion. For two men who pretended not to get along they seemed to be perfectly in sync, Nianzhi observed.
“I don’t have a wish,” Shuzhi said, and shrugged at the surprised gaze Zhao Yunlan sent his way.” I want you to have yours,” he added, nodding at Nianzhi.
Oh. Oh, that was… Sweet. In that tough, seemingly violent way Chu Shuzhi dealt with affection.
“You know you don’t have to? I do not have a very strong wish either, I just wanted… I wanted us to spend more time together, without the threat of the guards. It was already granted. I also wanted you to meet a friend, and that too seems to have happened on its own so…” Nianzhi trailed off, looking at his brother’s shocked expression.
Was it really that surprising? Everything Nianzhi really wanted, that could realistically happen, was already here. He could wish for their parents to be returned to them, or maybe for the rules of the world to change so that all the magic users would be free to share their gift with the world, but such wishes usually carried unseen consequences.
Chu Nianzhi didn’t know much about the world, wasn’t educated enough, but he felt that changing nature of things, crossing boundaries of life and death or re-writing the fates of thousands were too powerful wishes not to have an additional price.
“You really don’t have a wish of your own?” Nianzhi asked, addressing his brother. Judging from the frown on his face, Chu Shuzhi had not considered even for a moment that he could have a dream just for himself. For all the rough words he liked to use, Shuzhi’s heart was good.
Chu Shuzhi opened his mouth to reply, when a wave of magic enveloped them in something white and hard, cutting them off from the paths forward and back, keeping them in a small circle of… ice?
“I do!” Exclaimed a new voice, one that Nianzhi had never heard before. He looked around, trying to figure out who and why had captured them in this wall of what seemed to be ice, when the mysterious mage revealed himself of his own volition – a man in white robes came closer to look at all three of them with triumph.
“You did very well, it was hard to find you, I will give you that,” the mage crowed, and Chu Nianzhi noticed that his hair was also white. He had never seen anyone like that before – was it the mysterious shadow?
When he concentrated on his own magic however, he sensed it far away from them. If it was not the mage that followed them then who?
“Thanks, we did try to stay away from all the comfortable roads a princeling like you would rather take,” Zhao Yunlan replied with bravado, making the stranger’s face twist in a sneer.
“You probably think you are funny, don’t you?” the white mage hissed, glaring at Zhao Yunlan with all his might. Chu Nianzhi felt the ice around them grow significantly colder.
“Certainly. Not that you would know, your sense of humour is rather lacking.”
The sneer on the stranger's face turned murderous.
Now both Chu Shuzhi and Chu Nianzhi were staring at Zhao Yunlan with unbound interest.
“What did you do to him?” Nianzhi’s brother whispered furiously.
Zhao Yunlan groaned.
“A long story.”
The white mage whirled to face Chu Nianzhi, his robe swirling around him dramatically. Maybe he was using his magic to control it? There was no wind to make it billow as it did.
"I am so glad you asked!" The man exclaimed, and now the triumphant smile was back on his face.
"This bastard here is my-"
"-Brother-in-law," Zhao Yunlan cut in smoothly. He even had the audacity to smile, which quite predictably, made the matters worse.
The white mage was seething.
"You are not! I haven't accepted that, I..." The rant went on and all that Chu Nianzhi was clear on now was the fact that Zhao Yunlan was indeed someone important at the court and that his... Wife? And him were separated because the man in white, Ye Zun, as he referred to himself throughout the impassioned speech didn't want them together and... Sent Zhao Yunlan's wife away? On some kind of a mission?
The details were very fuzzy here, because it was hard for Nianzhi to extract facts from a long monologue about hurt feelings and ambitions, especially when Zhao Yunlan kept on interrupting it, making Ye Zun even more annoyed.
"Give me that map!" Ye Zun finally demanded.
"No," Chu Shuzhi replied all of a sudden, and even Zhao Yunlan seemed surprised at his adamant refusal.
"I was waiting for you to say you want to join him because I annoy you too, " he muttered, and Shuzhi smirked at him.
"I was recently proven that there are more irritating people in this world than you."
Chu Nianzhi could sincerely cry now. His brother! Just admitted he liked someone!
Well, not exactly, but it was the kindest thing his twin had ever directed at another human being, so Chu Nianzhi was fully within his rights to rejoice.
"I can just take it away from your dead bodies," Ye Zun threatened, the ice around them growing even colder.
"Ah, you technically could, but it would be destroyed in the process, not to mention- are you ready to challenge your own trial?" Zhao Yunlan replied.
Ye Zun blinked at them in confusion.
"Challenge? There is no challenge, this is the most boring place I've been to, there is nothing here!" For a magic user powerful enough to rule the elements, Ye Zun seemed very unobservant - this meadow was pulsing with magic, now warm and cheery, but it could change any moment, bringing back the lava and rocky fangs higher than mountains.
Chu Nianzhi decided that while he didn't know what Ye Zun's wish was, he would like him to learn a little respect.
"I will give you the map if you swear not to harm any of us." Nianzhi ignored the shocked and offended protests of his companions and pulled out the map from his robes, showing it to Ye Zun.
The white mage nodded, his face lighting up in a smile that promised no good.
"Of course. I swear not to harm you." And with that, a small opening appeared in the icy wall surrounding them, allowing Ye Zun to come inside and take the map from Nianzhi.
"Thank you. At least one of you is reasonable." And he turned on his heel, leaving the icy prison around them, the opening disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
"That was not the deal!" Nianzhi exclaimed, banging his fists on the wall. "You promised -"
"-Not to harm you. And I won't. I never said anything about setting you free though, did I?"
And with that, Ye Zun went away, cackling to himself.
"Your relative is a piece of shit," Chu Shuzhi informed Zhao Yunlan, who just sighed in agreement.
"Well, your brother is too good to be allowed alone into the world, so..."
Both men looked at him with equally unimpressed looks.
"I just thought that when he takes the map-" Chu Nianzhi started, but he was interrupted by the ground shaking underneath their feet, as the path to the treasure shifted to challenge Ye Zun.
A rather high-pitched scream from the distance made all three prisoners of the ice wall smile grimly.
"Well, he is definitely getting the excitement he wanted," Zhao Yunlan amended and plopped onto the ground, resting his back against the wall. Then, he turned his gaze onto Nianzhi.
"You always want to see the good in people, don't you?"
Before replying, Chu Nianzhi also sat down on the ground, keeping away from the wall however - it was so freezing that it was making him cold even without touching it.
Chu Shuzhi took that opportunity to reply in his stead.
"Always. No matter how shady people are he just expects them to be decent. And then suffers the consequences."
That was... Not untrue.
"I just don't think anyone really wakes up in the morning and decides to be evil," Nianzhi defended, watching his brother pace around their small icy cell. "Even if they so something wrong and hurtful to me, they probably do it because they need to, to help someone else, or to survive."
Chu Shuzhi stopped his pacing to roll his eyes and look at the heavens expectantly.
"I assure you, some people like Ye Zun wake up in the morning and make a list of evil deeds they need to do before the day is done. They like it, and they do not care about other people at all. For them others are just... Insignificant actors in the great play they are the star of," Zhao Yunlan said, sounding sincere and mature, unlike his adventure-seeking rogue persona.
"I cannot just go around and assume the worst intentions in everyone!" Nianzhi insisted, really missing the rabbit from earlier. He could use something fluffy to pet and calm down.
"I think you should. If someone did you wrong once, they will do it again because they know they will be forgiven." The words coming out of Shuzhi's mouth were harsh, but while usually they would only make Nianzhi sad, now they just made him more insistent.
"Everyone can make a mistake! We are convicts, we broke the law! Do you feel we deserve no more chances because of that? That we should just live our days alone and hiding from people because they are right in seeing us as nothing more than criminals?" He was getting unusually heated about this, Nianzhi was aware, but he really needed them both to see that sometimes, just sometimes, all a person needs is a small level of trust to show themselves from the best side.
The discussion was interrupted by yet another scream of terror, which meant that whatever Ye Zun's trial was, he still hasn't completed it.
"It is oddly satisfying to hear him struggle," Chu Shuzhi said with a small smile.
"I know, right? And you've only known him for today. The only thing I wish for is that we could see exactly what he fails at."
Nianzhi opened his mouth to chastise them both for being unsympathetic to a person in danger, when he felt it - a small bit of his own magic was fast approaching.
The shadow was here.
And it was too fast to stop. One moment a black-cloaked figure appeared behind the icy wall, and the next the wall just collapsed around them, ice scattering onto the grass, shining happily in the sun.
But that was not important. The important thing was that the shadow was standing right in front of them, its face covered by the dark hood, and yet it was clear it was staring at Zhao Yunlan.
With a sinking feeling, Chu Nianzhi realised that Zhao Yunlan was probably too late to get his wish.
"Yunlan," the figure started gravely, and Nianzhi noticed that his brother looked ready for combat. Despite all of his disdainful words, Chu Shuzhi was bracing to fight Death to protect Zhao Yunlan.
Chu Nianzhi was going to protect him too. He concentrated his powers around himself, waiting for the right moment to strike...
And then Zhao Yunlan got over his initial shock and jumped to his feet, only to run straight to the shadow and throw his arms around it.
"Darling! you are back!" He exclaimed in delight, and as they watched the black figure relax into the embrace, Nianzhi exchanged a perplexed look with his twin. Who called death 'darling'?
"Are you crazy?" Chu Shuzhi exclaimed on the behalf of them both.
Instead of replying, Zhao Yunlan reached for the shadow's hood and pushed it back, revealing a man looking like...
"Ye Zun's twin is your wife?" Shuzhi hissed, disbelieving.
"Shen Wei is older," Zhao Yunlan replied, not looking away from the man's face. The one called Shen Wei wasn't even blinking, looking at Zhao Yunlan with reddened eyes and almost disbelieving reverence.
Whatever happened to them both, they clearly feared not seeing each other again and they were now drinking in the sight, standing in a happy embrace of reunion, that Nianzhi knew better than to interrupt.
"The map. Ye Zun still has it," Chu Shuzhi said, crossing his arms in front of him impatiently.
There was no romantic bone in his twin's body, Nianzhi noted with resignation.
Shen Wei nodded slightly, to indicate that he heard it, but he still didn't look away from his husband. It would probably take them a moment. Or a small eternity, they looked like that kind of a couple.
"I got my wish already, but I suppose we do not want to see what Ye Zun will wish for once he gets past the obstacles," Zhao Yunlan finally replied, still smiling softly at his spouse.
True love existed after all!
"I would love to assume he will die on the way, but I would like to make sure," Shuzhi added with force, and that finally made the couple look at him.
"I see my brother made an impression." Shen Wei's voice, now not obscured by the hood, sounded rather nice. Like a teacher's, maybe? Chu Nianzhi hadn't met enough teachers in his life to be sure.
"When did he not," Zhao Yunlan said tiredly and released the hold he had on his beloved. "Alright, so first we save the world and then we have the happily ever after, sounds good to me."
--
The last challenge made for Ye Zun was unlike any other - it was very... Dark, Chu Nianzhi supposed. The stone garden they had almost entered before Ye Zun caught them was now changed into a big dark cave, filled with disembodied laughs and small creatures crawling on the walls.
"The landscape changes to test if the one trying to find the treasure is worth it," Shen Wei explained as they walked, looking around with scholarly interest. "Whoever holds the map puts some parts of themselves there and the magic builds a challenge made personally for the map-bearer."
Chu Nianzhi wondered about it in silence. Was his path so easy and peaceful because he didn't really need a wish? Or because he had nothing to fear, trusting the world to keep him safe?
"Let me guess, Ye Zun's challenge is to not hear his own voice for longer than an hour. How will he survive?" Zhao Yunlan said in mock-sympathy, making
Shuzhi snorted.
Even despite being imprisoned and deceived by him, Chu Nianzhi felt a wave of sympathy towards Ye Zun, if only because it seemed that no one else liked him.
“I am sure he has some redeeming qualities you just do not see because you don’t know him too well!” Chu Nianzhi ignored the bouts of laughter coming from his brother and Zhao Yunlan, and looked at Shen Wei whose expression was… doubtful.
Before Nianzhi could ask about why was that, they heard a scream, very close by. A moment later, a flash of white energy filled their vision.
Whatever Ye Zun had encountered, he decided to fight it head on.
They all ran ahead and arrived at a large underground chamber, filled with tornado of white magic swirling angrily around, with the white mage trapped inside, kneeling on the ground and clutching at his head.
“We need to help him!” Chu Nianzhi exclaimed and tried to go towards the white mass, but he was stayed in place by Shuzhi's hand on his arm.
“It might be trap.”
“Or we might watch him die!” Nianzhi protested. Something like ‘not much of a loss’ left Zhao Yunlan’s mouth, but right after he looked at Shen Wei, who was staring ahead, at his brother.
“He is very unstable. We cannot leave him here,” Shen Wei finally said, and Nianzhi made another step towards the tornado. Shuzhi’s grip on him tightened.
“Not you. You need to do something else.”
Chu Nianzhi felt a wave of anger pulsating in his veins. It was always like this, ‘you need to stay here’, or ‘go there where I know that you are safe’ and really, it was touching but also completely unnecessary and…
“You need to get the map and make a wish.” That stopped Nianzhi’s protests completely.
He barely heard the hushed talk between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan, too concentrated at his brother’s oddly solemn expression.
“What?”
Shuzhi sighed heavily.
“We need to save the moron from himself, alright. But we need to make sure that he doesn’t get the treasure either. We cannot trust him with the wish, so… If there is anyone here who can use the artefact to make a good wish, that would be you.”
At loss for words, Chu Nianzhi just stared at his twin.
“We will manage. We have two magic users and Zhao ‘I know too many things’ Yunlan with us, so we will get Ye Zun under reins. But neither of us can use the wish so… Go, be a hero, please.”
Here, Chu Shuzhi nodded at the ground. Right there, at the edge of the mass of white energy, there was the map, abandoned and forgotten.
“Go,” Shuzhi urged, and Nianzhi simply stared at him before springing to action.
He could do this, right?
Chu Nianzhi tried not to look at Ye Zun’s pitiful form, trapped by his own magic, and just snatched the map off the ground. He ran around the tornado and felt the ground shake under his feet.
“I will make it right!” he shouted, not sure who he was trying to reassure. His surroundings shifted around, the labyrinth of caves dissolving, replaced by a peaceful meadow once more.
Chu Nianzhi did not look back, trusting his brother and his companions to do everything in their power to set things right. He had his own mission.
The map was glowing gold in his hands and as he raised his head, he noticed a small altar in the distance, surrounded by flower bushes. There, on the altar, there was an old lamp, glowing warmly, beckoning Nianzhi closer.
A few more steps, and he was suddenly right in front of it, basking in the light around the lantern.
There were visions in his mind now, of riches, loves and powers the lantern could grant him, of all the things Chu Nianzhi didn’t really want or need, yet the lantern kept on offering them to him, promising miracles, impossibilities.
It was no wonder such hard challenges were thrown in the way of anyone who wanted to get to the lantern, but Chu Nianzhi was not interested in any of the great magic the universe could give him.
He had only a small, modest wish.
Chu Nianzhi grabbed the Lantern with both hands, feeling its soothing warmth.
He whispered his wish.
The world around him became gold.
--
The bakery was not like the one Chu Nianzhi remembered, but it was charming in its own, original way. It was a small place, with just one furnace and two rooms upstairs, for Nianzhi and Shuzhi, but it was very cosy, with lots of light.
Their clients seemed to enjoy just sitting around, waiting for their orders, drinking in the atmosphere. There were flowers at the counter, brought in by the small girl, Xiao Li – ever since the first day after the opening, she came by every day to give Nianzhi new flowers, grinning equally brightly at each and every thank you she got from Nianzhi.
One of these days, Chu Shuzhi would also smile at her and she would squeal in glee, Nianzhi was sure of that.
It was not their childhood home, but it was a home nonetheless, one Nianzhi grew to love more and more with each passing day.
He was wiping the counter, humming a melody he had recently heard at the market, when the door opened with a loud bang.
When he raised his eyes, Chu Nianzhi could not believe what he was seeing.
There, at the threshold of his small bakery, there was Zhao Yunlan, in a rich dark blue robe, with his familiar roguish smile and with his long hair let lose, happiness sparkling in his eyes.
“You are not easy to find,” he said lightly, looking around the bakery. “Thankfully, I had the best help I could get.” Zhao Yunlan went inside, allowing Chu Nianzhi to see his companion. Without the hood, with his black hair down and with a serene smile on his face, wearing a patterned black robe with golden thread adorning it, Shen Wei looked exactly like the princess Chu Nianzhi had imagined Zhao Yunlan’s mysterious wife to be. He was also smiling gently, clearly happy to be here.
“How did you manage?” Nianzhi asked, gesturing them to come inside.
“Your thread on my robe – after the lantern wiped the path clean and granted your wish, your magic stayed on it. I used it to locate you,” Shen Wei replied. “Though we had some other things to take care of, before we could come and visit.” Here, he gave Zhao Yunlan a heart-warmingly besotted look.
Zhao Yunlan preened under the attention, but thankfully did not get distracted by his husband, and instead said: “We finally managed to convince his Majesty to lift the law against magic. It’s still a very tender thing on the court, and well, some of the advisors are panicking, but we are getting there. No one can be arrested just for having magic.”
This was…
Chu Nianzhi felt almost faint with relief. It was more than he could wish for.
“We got to it the moment the nice golden magic threw us back to the court, and as Shen Wei mentioned, it took a while, especially with everything Ye Zun had done there before… He’s alright by the way, because I know you will ask,” Zhao Yunlan continued.” He was banished for… well, never mind for what, but he is taking this as an opportunity to travel and grow as a person, or something.”
“It’s better than what could happen to him if he truly had harmed you,” Shen Wei said, and though his smile didn’t change, there was nothing gentle about his voice. It made Chu Nianzhi shudder.
“I would like you to tell me your story one day, when I am ready,” he said carefully. Zhao Yunlan laughed.
“Oh, I would be glad to tell you! It’s a story of secret identities, forbidden love affairs at the court and very annoying relatives. Ye Zun you already know, but my father and his small, well-meaning villainy will make you cry.” Then, Zhao Yunlan looked around the bakery again.
“And where is your prickly twin?”
Chu Nianzhi smiled.
“He’s been looking for work. Said selling bread to people will one day make him snap and commit true crimes, so…”
Zhao Yunlan nodded thoughtfully.
“Technically, he is still listed as a criminal, for getting you out of jail. Even though you cannot be prosecuted for magic, he did hurt a few guards on your way out. But! I have a way to make that charge disappear,” Zhao Yunlan said with a grin.
Shen Wei gave Chu Nianzhi a look that seemed almost sympathetic.
“We are starting a Magic Bureau, to keep peace between everyone and to solve all the magical crimes. We could use the expertise of a known magical criminal.”
“Excuse me?” Came an offended voice from the door.
Chu Shuzhi came back at the right moment.
“I am not working with you.”
Zhao Yunlan’s smile only got wider.
“You are going to like it! A young team full of magic users like you!”
Shuzhi turned somewhat pale.
“You want me to babysit? Me?”
Judging from the force of the glare directed at Zhao Yunlan, Shuzhi definitely missed him. It made Nianzhi’s heart warm to just listen to them bicker.
“What was your wish?”
Too preoccupied with watching his brother picking a fight with his first friend, Nianzhi didn’t even notice when Shen Wei had approached the counter.
He looked… like he already knew the answer, just needed the confirmation.
“I didn’t have a grand wish, really,” Nianzhi started, slowly. ”Just… I just wanted a chance for all my friends to be happy. I am not sure how I put it in to words, but the Lantern… I think it knew.”
Shen Wei nodded solemnly, probably understanding more than he was letting on.
“You will tell me later, right?” Nianzhi risked, relieved when Shen Wei confirmed.
“It’s not our last meeting, especially since your brother will be joining us at the Bureau.”
“I am not!” Shuzhi protested from the door, but it sounded weak for him. He was definitely going to agree, he just needed to be grumpy about it for a while.
Zhao Yunlan’s laughter was reaching new levels of amusement.
In the privacy of his heart, Chu Nianzhi thanked the lantern for giving him this.
For giving them all this chance.