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Chapter Text

Pangzhi had been driving for the last three hours, and was about to lose patience while staring at this flat road. Whereas he had started his journey with the radio turned to full volume, an easy method of entertainment for him to sing along with to occupy his mind, it was now turned down to be a noise in the background

He had attempted to call Wu Xie via his cellphone, but, as expected it had once more gone straight to voicemail.
The dirt covered passenger van was not his first choice for transportation, usually it sat untouched behind his shop in between expeditions, but with his motor bike apparently lost indefinitely, he was a little short on options. 

It had been only six hours since he received the call from his employer's nephew turned friend, requesting assistance in a very uncharacteristic move. He knew that Wu Xie had an incorrigible habit of tackling matters better left for those with more experience—a habit that everyone who knew him had tried to put a stop to. So it didn't surprise him that he had gone and found himself in such a situation (whatever situation that might be) so soon after leaving the hospital. No, it didn't surprise him in the least, but he was disappointed nonetheless.

The young man was lucky that he was cute, and gave off such an innocent aura, or else he might have been killed off long ago with his knack for trouble.
And the problem was, at this point it could hardly be blamed on inexperience, as his notorious lack of luck had brought him years worth of experience in getting out of bad situations, but had taught him nothing of how to avoid getting in them to begin with.

Perhaps it was because he had been too coddled by them all. They needed to allow him to solve his own problems sometimes. And yet, no matter how much he thought that he should, as soon as he saw the kid in peril he always found himself running to help. And it wasn't just him, he had seen it among several of Wu Sanxing's teams, those who seemed incapable of ignoring those puppy dog eyes. And he was certain that Wu Xie knew what he was doing as well, he got that much from his family at least—The conniving and clever mind. It was a Wu family trait, at least within the last few generations, and unavoidable that it would be passed on to the only heir.
At least the young man had barely a mean bone in his body, so they wouldn't need to worry too much about him developing into a psycho like his uncle.

Pangzhi glanced at a road sign as it blurred by, stating the next three towns and their accompanying distances from his current location, as well as some names of fuel stops nearby. He hadn't actually considered an entire course of action at this point, his only plan being to get to the general location where the call had located from, and by doing so, hopefully he could meet Wu Xie halfway as he traveled back to Hangzhou.

It was only now occurring to him, that unless Wu Xie was on foot, it was very unlikely that he would ever find him. He could have been inside of any of the passing vehicles, and he would never know. His only reassurance was that he had confirmed that time of the call before leaving, and found that it had only been placed about thirty hours before.

If Wu Xie has left immediately after making the call, then by this time he would be nearing Hangzhou, and would get in contact with Pangzi to let him know he had arrived. If he had waited for morning to leave, then he would be closer to two thirds of the way there, perhaps even three quarters, and Pangzi still had a slight chance of running into him. But, of course, all of this would rely on him having a vehicle. If he were on foot... Well that would be an entirely different story.

The second thing to wonder about, was whether he was being actively chased or simply returning home. If it was the former, which Pangzi found a very likely scenario, given the contents of the voicemail:
"I may need a hand, if you can manage to come out here undetected."
Seemed like a fairly straightforward way of saying he was in danger. The youngest Wu was not known for asking for help directly, likely another trait he had learned from his uncles. If he was requesting help, then things must be bad enough for even his supposedly brilliant little mind to be struggling with a solution. Also, the whole situation was sitting heavy in his stomach, like he had eaten a dinner of rocks. The request to avoid his uncles was one thing, as Wu Xie tended to hate when they were involved, but something about the edge to his voice as the words were being recorded... He was worried.

He wouldn't think that the younger would be hiding from his uncles out of actual concern for his safety. As much as they could be psychopathic, they never came across as the sort to harm their own.
But if he wasn't scared of them, then was he just desperate to keep them from knowing that he had started more trouble?

It may be possible that the anxious edge to the younger's voice had been due to something in his surroundings at the time. If that were the case, then calling for backup from Wu Sanxing and Erbai would probably be the better option. After all, Wu Xie had been missing for almost two weeks without any sign, and now calls from a random payphone to ask for help? Something must have happened, and it was almost certainly something that Pangzhi didn't want to be dragged into.

But, he was already on the road so he might as well continue, and if Wu Xie didn't want him to contact his uncle's then he wouldn't go out of his way to betray his trust by doing so.

He stared out into the horizon, not a vehicle in sight, and sighed. "Aish this kid! As if stealing my bike wasn't already too much."

Chapter Text

Zhang Qiling watched the still scenery, wishing to see any movement among the endless road.

He had not slept since that first night at the inn, when he had apparently slept in due to drugs, which explained a lot, since he was normally a light sleeper and would wake up before the sun rose.

The more time he had to think, and replay the time in his head, the more he regretted having left that morning. He should never have left his companion alone in a strange place while incapacitated, he didn't even know if the younger man had even been awake yet when he was taken. And as much as Wu Xie ignored it, there was no way that his leg had completely healed with how he had not been able to stop and rest at all almost since escaping the hospital.

He resisted the urge to stab something, mostly because there was nothing convenient to stab in the cramped car. His sword lay carefully in the back seat, having been just a little too large to place in the passenger seat without sliding around.

He had estimated that he would have caught up before midday, going at speeds that made the car rattle unpleasantly as it strained to comply, but he supposed if Wu Xie had taken another route, or perhaps was forcing the old truck to go the same speeds, then he might not catch up before getting to Hangzhou.

The real issue at that point would be finding where he would go for safety, or if perhaps he had not been going for safety at all. He had known the other for only a little time, but had already surmised that he was not someone who shrunk away from danger, rather running into it, accidentally or intentionally.
If he had gone to confront his uncles, then that could be an issue which he would have to solve accordingly.

He wondered though, why he was doing this? He had confirmed the other's safety and his contract had ended as soon as they had stepped up onto solid ground from that tomb. He had no further obligation towards this household. Although he couldn't deny it's intrigue. The inner workings of the mystic nine families were a topic of many rumors in their business, some probably being spread by themselves to increase fear and credibility. Very few dared to mess with them as a result, and those who did rarely lived long.

If he wanted to avoid further trouble in his life, he should really steer clear of the Wu heir, who seemed to attract it like a magnet.
And yet, he consistently found himself acting against his own logic, reaching out in a way very uncharacteristic of himself towards the other, drawn in by the same magnetic energy.

He shook himself from his thoughts as rain began to pour once more, pelting the windshield and forcing him to try to employ the use of the broken wipers. If the clouds had been absent, then he would be able to see the sun high in the center of the sky. He had stopped for fuel before leaving the city, and still had some food supplies in his pack, so he didn't need to worry about anything after staying awake.
He had seen others take different drinks when their energy ran low. Namely coffee, as the weird drinks in a can were less convenient to carry. He had never drank the dark beverage, as he felt exhaustion less than others and never felt the need, but now he wondered if he should try it. He didn't want to waste time, but after he felt his mind slowing into a lethargic state, causing him to very nearly crash into a railing on the edge of the road, he decided to pull off at the next sign for a convenience store or fast food restaurant.

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Zhang Qiling stared uncomfortably at the large board displaying the menu, as he waited in a line consisting of four people besides himself. He had arrived at the end of a lunch rush, and had to wait for the last fifteen minutes, the only thing stopping him from walking right back out the doors being that he had already waited this much time, and didn't want to leave empty handed afterwards.
He finally got to the front of the line, and gulped when faced with the forced cheerful expression of the teenager at the register.

"Thank you for your patience! Can I take your order?" The girl's eyes completely belied her outward demeanor, exhaustion and irritation shining through despite whatever efforts she was making.

He steeled his nerves and opened his mouth, forcing the words out. "Coffee."

She gave him a blank stare to rival his own, and he for once in his life, the imperturbable Zhang Qiling wanted nothing more than to run away and hide.
"Hot or cold?"

....."hot??" He had never seen a cold coffee among the tomb raiding crews, and given how he had seen the beverage being prepared, he wondered how such a thing could be, much less why someone would want it.

"Would you like cream or sugar?"

He blinked.

"No." He just wanted to get out quickly.

She nodded and entered something into her computer. "So one hot black coffee. Anything else?" When he shook his head, she seemed relieved. "Cash or card?"

He hurriedly paid and went to stand in a corner and wait, wishing that he had gone to a convenience store instead, but he didn't know how to use the machines there and hadn't wanted to ask anyone about it.

The rain was still pouring drearily outside, painting a depressing scenery that left an hollow impression on your mind. The little red car stood bravely in the wind, rocking a little bit from side to side with heavier the gusts.

Once the first droplet fell, it had quickly become a heavy storm, washing away dirt and grime from the surrounding buildings. He had only just managed to get dry when his order was called, and he returned to the counter to retrieve it. Nodding his thanks to the cashier, who ignored him, he returned to the vehicle before taking his first sip from the paper cup, and almost dropped the cup as he realed back from the heat and flavour assaulting his senses.
He understood why the girl had offered him cream and sugar, as the beverage was incredibly bitter, but he supposed he might get used to it. There was really no need for it to be at the boiling point after being served though. He felt his tongue go numb and dry from the burn, and sighed, resolving to never go through that experience again. Fast food establishments were something that he had avoided for a long time, and now he had a backing for the previously unfounded aversion.

Setting the drink in the center cup holder, he started the vehicle once more, at least feeling a little more awake from the shock. He would have to drive more slowly in the rain, and as such would have to resign himself to meeting up again in Hangzhou. But he supposed that was probably a better plan anyway. With one more hesitant sip of his dark and bitter beverage, he pulled back onto the main road, steadying the vehicle from hydroplaning just barely as he sped up. It would only take a few more hours to reach Hangzhou, although the time would be stretched now that he had to drive below sixty miles per hour. He should really have invested in a good vehicle for himself, he thought as the car slid a little.

Now he just needed to stay alert for a little longer.

Chapter Text

Wu Xie stared at the water running down the windshield, sighing as the worn down wipers squeaked and squealed across the glass.
He was running on fumes at this point, both him and the truck, and he knew that he was only dragging out the inevitable as he tried to coast as much as possible to preserve fuel.
He could only hope that Pangzhi had received his message, and was on his way to come get him.
If he had to walk the rest of the way, he knew that he could manage, but it would be slow going, and could take another day in this weather. He was used to walking long distances, but normally he was doing so while high on adrenaline underground, not above ground, malnourished and exhausted.

Even with his built up endurance towards hunger, brought on through the many occasions where he had gotten too caught up in his surroundings and forgotten to eat, he was still feeling the effects of starvation.

He felt as the truck began to lose power, and cursed while stomping on the gas pedal, hoping to somehow boost himself at least over the current hill so that he could coast down for a bit.
The longer he could avoid walking in the rain the better.

The truck nearly made it over the hill, reaching up to two thirds of the way before it slowed to a halt, and the driver barely managed to throw the emergency brake into place before it could roll back the way it came.
Luckily the hill was not that steep, just enough of a dip that vehicles would normally require a bit more boost to get up without slowing down. A boost that the borrowed truck did not have in its tank.
It was fortunate that he had gotten as far as he had, but he would now have to resign himself to the elements outside.
With one last glance around the cab for anything that might be of use, he undid his seatbelt and opened the door, stepping out and narrowly avoiding a puddle of mud under the door. The road was in desperate need of repairs, as he noted with a tired glance at the many potholes filling with dirty water.

"Well, this is inviting." He smirked a little derisively as a chill blew through his skin, and he pulled his coat a little tighter against himself.
"I suppose I've been living in a hurry too often, I haven't had a chance for a hike on my own in a while." He shook the water from his hair, despite knowing it was useless as the rain continued to pour.
He glanced one more time at the truck he was leaving behind, allowing himself one frustrated kick at the tire, before he started off, walking along the edge of the road and hoping that anyone that he knew might come along this road.

Shoving his hands deep in his pockets, the young man kicked at the pebbles in the road, until he could no longer see them, and moved on to the next. Like this he passed time, releasing his frustration the only way that he currently could, until he had walked what felt like his third eternity, but was likely only the second mile.

At this point he stopped, and scrubbed the water from his eyes, huffing as more fell over his face from his sopping wet sleeve. The sun had still not come out, and the only thing that he could see beyond the fog and rain was an endless road, with dying grass on either side and a line of trees a distance to the left.

He could save himself from the rain, at least partially, by continuing his journey from beneath the trees, however, if anyone were to pass by this area, they would never know he was there. Should he bear with it for the hope of a rescue? Or should he take the instant and subpar relief that would in the end guarantee him a long and cold journey?

Another gust of wind tossed water like ice into his eyes, and he turned once more to the tree line. In the end both are the same. A false hope of comfort won't bring me anywhere.

With this thought in mind, he turned fully away from the desolate highway, and took a step forward.

Just at that moment, he heard a sound behind the rain, and sharply twisted back.

Chapter Text

He turned fully away from the desolate highway, and took a step forward.

Just at that moment, he heard a sound behind the rain, and sharply twisted back.

A vehicle passed with a squeal of tires as it went around the abandoned truck without slowing for a moment. And before Wu Xie had time to process it's appearance it had already gone just as fast.

Mentally, he cursed while he laughed out loud at the momentary shock. At least we can safely assume that whoever that was, they were not looking for me. 
He ran his fingers through his drenched locks of hair, attempting to at least push it away from his face. Wu Xie stared up at the sky through the falling rain, suddenly realizing just how ridiculous his life would seem to anyone other than himself.
He was lucky to even be alive this far, he thought while staring at a few clouds hanging lower than the tumultuous mass encompassing the sky.
Who knew how things would have gone if he hadn't had help in the last tomb with his uncle, or when he was ambushed in his home. He could see with clarity that he needed to get his act together soon or he would actually die. He had barely managed to escape from the human trafficking situation, yet all he could feel for that thought was guilt for not having done more to help the other victims. He was scared yes, but he was accustomed to a lifestyle full of fear, he could handle that. These people were not equipped to deal with any actual hardships. He remembered how carefree and young the group that had disappeared from the village had been.

Logically he knew that he could not be blamed for their lack of experience, nor for his own advantage in having learned survival skills in actual life or death scenarios over the course of his life. But he still felt as though he had selfishly cheated in a game and caused harm to others because of it.

He had to force himself to remember that, even if he had stayed in that truck and allowed himself to be fully kidnapped, he would not have been able to help them on his own, and there was no guarantee that he would have gotten away again.

He kicked at a fallen tree branch, looking up once more to realize that he had come to the edge of the wood, the almost unnaturally straight row of trees stretching out into the distance past his sight. As long as I keep an eye on the road, it should be fine to follow the trees, as far as I'm aware the road does not turn from here until Hangzhou.

It was a little bit less miserable under the shelter of the trees, bare as they were, at least he was protected from the worst of the pelting rain. Only, now that he was no longer being actively drenched, he shivered with cold in the water that had seeped into his clothes. He found himself stumbling as the waterlogged clothing and shoes weighed him down. He wished that he had his backpack with him, longing for a change of clothes, or the emergency blanket he kept in the bottom of the bag.
He wondered what had happened to his supplies, now that he had time to think about it, they had probably been pawned off in the city, he couldn't see any use the villagers would have had for his items.
Or perhaps Qiling had taken them? No, they were still there when he had woken up that morning. Unless he was in with the villagers and had collected the items afterwards, but even Wu Xie, having been dubbed the ultimate "Mr. Naive" on many occasions, could tell that that idea was a little far fetched. The Zhang may have been a strange person, with his intentions rather unclear even from the day they met to the day he disappeared(for the third? Fourth? Time.), he was not the type of person to make underhanded dealings involving the lives of others, and he also did not seem the type to put on a show of friendship for his own goals.
Wu Xie liked to think that he was a better judge of character than that. He had trusted the other, to a certain extent, although mostly due to having no other choice.

He looked to the road as he walked, glaring at the sign claiming too many miles until his destination would be in sight.

He could tell that the light was fading, and it wouldn't be much longer before the dark set in. With a shiver he continued to walk, attempting to keep a steady pace.

This would be a long night.

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Pangzhi had been driving for way too many hours for his hyperactive self. The vehicle's interior felt too small and was starting to close in on him, and every little thing was getting on his nerves. He watched with irritation as another sign passed, warning drivers of the weather conditions as if they could not tell perfectly well. If anything the sign was a distraction.

At least he would blame it as such as he barely served out of the way in time to avoid the truck parked in the middle of the road almost at the top of the hill he was coming down. He huffed in annoyance as he slowed to almost a stop, preparing to curse at whatever idiot driver had done that, when he realized that the other vehicle was empty. Strange.
His common sense as a professional grave robber was telling him to leave it be and move on, however, his curiosity as Wang Pangzhi was demanding that he investigate. He reasoned with himself that he may be passing up a valuable clue if he did not at least check. After all, who had the sort of luck required to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere like this if not Tianzhen. Yes, he would investigate, it was only a logical choice.

With this thought in mind, he pulled over so as not to block the road entirely, and stepped out, pulling his coat tighter about himself.
The sun had long since set, and with the darkness came a chill that let his breath fog in the air around him.

He approached other vehicle, only now realizing that it was not the only one. A cherry red car sat just beside it, previously hidden from the road by the bulky size of the truck.

He tested the door on the truck first, finding it unlocked. Leaning into the cab, he found very little to note, the keys sat in the ignition still, a sthough teb vehicle had been abandoned in a hurry. Likely stolen.
With a grunt he pulled himself out and turned to the smaller vehicle, also trying the door and finding it unlocked. Crawling into the driver's seat, he looked around, noting the sheer amount of mud stained into the seats, and indentations in the passenger seat implied that a heavy object had been placed there recently, a cold cup of coffee sat in the console cup holder. Looking in the back seat he could see a few wrappers from protein bars and the like tossed in a manner that implied a child might have been in the vehicle at some point. He paused when he saw the jacket tossed in the backseat, caked in mud, but still recognizable only because he was certain that he had seen it many times before. It was one of Wu Xie's ridiculously expensive clothing choices.
Despite knowing that they would all be ruined in the end, the boy still insisted on purchasing and wearing the items. Thinking about it, he wondered if it might be a family trait. The youngsters of the nine families all had a knack for enjoying the finer things in life, namely in the fashion department, now that he thought of it, he wouldn't be surprised if they went shopping together as a bonding activity like their grandparents had gone tomb raiding together.
Picking up the coat, he dug through the pockets, confirming his theory of the owner when he found a folding knife in the pocket, bearing all the little etchings the younger would wittle into the wooden handle while his uncle schemed on the other end of a campfire. It was a nervous habit of his, to occupy his hands while his mind went wild.

Pangzhi felt a mix of emotions, looking at the belongings now. He was glad to have found some clue of his young friend's whereabouts, but the circumstances were concerning. If his belongings were here, then where was he? Who's was the truck sitting to the side, and who's vehicle was this? Whatever had been in the passenger seat last, it clearly was not a person, and looking at the cold coffee sitting in the console, he had not been the driver either, unless he had stolen the vehicle within the last few hours, as the car did not yet smell like old coffee, so it had to have been acquired that day, but Wu Xie, the spoiled brat that he was, would never drink fast food coffee.
He might be convinced to eat the fast food itself, or have a soda, but never would he lower himself to consuming such low quality coffee.

Pangzhi chuckled to himself, remembering the disgust on the younger's face at the thought of it.

He snatched up the jacket, placing the knife in his own pocket for safekeeping, before climbing out of the car. Looking around, he could see only one likely location for whoever had been in the vehicles to have gone.

Pulling his collar up in an attempt to shield his face, he trudged away, determinedly entering the wood line, only just remembering to pull out his flashlight. He considered remaining quiet, but quickly gave up, impatience leading him into bellowing into the darkness with his hands cupped around his mouth like a megaphone.

"Tianzhen!"

Sorry for the delay! Writers block got the best of me and I couldn't write anything more than a word despite staring at the keyboard for hours.
I hope to keep this from happening again, but I can't guarantee.
Thank you for your patience, and to all the people returning after the first book, thank you for continuing this storyline with me!

Chapter Text

Zhang Qiling had been driving for hours upon hours since his coffee break, (which now sat abandoned in the center console as he failed to convince himself that it was worth drinking at the expense of his taste buds.) He was beginning to consider whether he should have turned off at one of the gravel roads along the way, as it was becoming increasingly unlikely that Wu Xie had come this way.

He was just about to look for the nearest turn off to make a u-turn when he saw it, or rather, very nearly crashed into it.
A familiar truck sat unmoving and abandoned in the middle of the road. He slammed on the brakes a little to the side, throwing the vehicle into park and jumping out, throwing the truck door open, he tried not to feel the disappointment that came crashing down, despite knowing that he wouldn't be there, he still had allowed himself to hope.

Quickly pushing the emotions down, not allowing himself to dwell too much on it, he looked around the cab, searching for any clue that his friend might have left. Finding nothing, he slammed the door closed and looked around the surrounding area, ignoring the rain as it poured down on the cold pavement. Seeing the treeline, he quickly came to a decision, and leaned back into their first stolen vehicle to shut it off and take the key, snatching up his sword and slinging it over his shoulder. Before he closed the door he looked towards the backseat, where he had dropped Wu Xie's backpack and other belongings. He debated only a moment before he reached in and grabbed the bulky object by the straps, and tugged it over his other shoulder.

With a slam of the door and squeal of uncared for hinges, Zhang Qiling was already on his way to the tree-line. He hoped that his intuition was correct, and that he was not merely wasting precious time by following a false lead into nowhere.

There had been no evidence of a scuffle inside the cab of the truck, aside from the dried mud and various blood stains that honestly appeared too old to be relevant, leading him to hope that the vehicle had been intentionally abandoned, and that Wu Xie might be somewhere within these woods, not unscathed, but certainly in no worse shape than he had seen him before.

He glanced up into the eerie boughs of the withering trees, thankful for the scarce shelter that they provided.

There was a moment of consideration, whether shouting might be the simplest and surest method to announce his presence to the person he hoped to find. However, the idea was quickly discarded, to avoid alerting any others around who might have been the cause of the abandoned vehicle in the middle of the road, which, despite how reckless he had perceived the other to be, he was also aware of his overthinking and inherently caring nature, which would make it very out of character for him to knowingly set innocent passersby up for a wreck.

It wasn't hard to find traces of footprints in the damp ground, though they had somewhat disappeared into the earth, they were still heavily imprinted, like the person stepping there had been weighed down, the slight skid in the stamping indicating exhaustion, as though the person was struggling to lift their feet. It was not unlikely to have been the case, with the deluge pouring down around them, that the person was merely weighed down with soggy clothes and waterlogged shoes, but he made note to stay vigilant in case it had been a person laden down with weapons or other gear- a less likely scenario but still quite possible considering their lifestyle.

Qiling followed the footprints for some time, noting how they never strayed far from the edge of the wood, before reaching an area where they disappeared into nothing. Not as though the creator had vanished into the heavy air, but rather as though they had plummeted into the pit that now sunk below him. Leaning forward, he could see skid marks sliding down the edge, and a mess of imprints where the person had landed. The pit was rather shallow, in comparison to some of those that he had seen, though it still sunk a good ten feet and stretched another twenty lengthwise, the walls were not insurmountable, as could be seen by the mirroring marks on the opposite side, where the person had dragged themselves back up. The Zhang looked around, choosing to walk around, rather than waste time scrambling in the mud. When he had made it around to the opposite side, he continued to trail the person. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, he would have felt relaxed in these woods, seeing the lack of venomous snakes or poisonous insects, and most especially supposed supernatural creatures desiring to tear him to pieces.

His vigilance was becoming lax, as he continued to follow the traces of this previous wanderer, he became increasingly certain of the person's identity.. nobody could ever match the sheer level of clumsiness he was seeing. This also meant, that when a loud bellow overcame all other sounds, the noise nearly knocked him off of his own feet, startled out of his own thoughts.

"Wu Xie!!" was the cry heard loud over the sound of the rain, almost perfectly in time with a clap of thunder. And if Zhang Qiling had not been absolutely certain that he was currently following this very person's footsteps, and was much closer to the individual than whomever had just entered the woods, then he might have turned back, believing that this new arrival had just found his friend's corpse.

But he did not, rather continuing on his way with haste, now knowing that he was not the only person searching, and no matter how anxious the other man had sounded, there was no telling what his intentions might be.

Rushing through the trees, he stayed as quiet as possible, hoping not to alert the stranger to his presence before he had reached his goal. He listened attentively for any sounds, aside from the occasional call of the man behind. When it was finally within earshot, he almost missed it, the sound of heavy breathing, stationary, meaning that the person was nearby, and was not moving away. Slowing to an almost stop, he turned about, hoping to catch a glimpse before he followed the sound rather than the prints, heartbeat thrumming in his ears. When he finally saw the younger male leaning heavily against a fallen tree, eyes closed and breathing heavily, seemingly catching his breath, he openly gasped a sigh of relief.

"Wu Xie," he whispered, hoping and failing not to alarm the other, who's eyes shot open in panic and who's hands immediately reached for a knife that he did not have with him.

Qiling approached slowly, palms out, as Wu Xie stared, processing his presence and recognition began to show in his eyes.

"Xiaoge." He finally said, a mix of relief and disbelief in the nickname. "What are you doing here?"

Qiling stayed silent, staring in his own disbelief at the other. What was he expected to answer to that question? He had thought that he wouldn't need to explain something so obvious, and he wasn't even sure if he understood the question, wishing that he knew more of the thought process of the younger, because he couldn't really be asking him whether he had come to find him or not? Why else would he be in the middle of these woods?

The younger seemed to realize his hesitance, and shook his head. "Forget it, we'll talk about this later. Given that I've seen you I believe I can safely assume that you haven't been newly hired to kill me, so, do you have a vehicle?"

Qiling nodded, sending a short glare for the implication that he would accept an order to kill him, which Wu Xie either didn't see or ignored, as he pushed himself off of the tree.

"Let's go then." He barely took two steps forward before he was falling, passed out from exhaustion or hunger or perhaps a combination of the two, and Zhang Qiling rushed forwards to catch him, maneuvering him onto his back after shuffling his sword and the backpack to hang off of his arms instead. Ensuring that he had a steady grip, he began his trek back to the road, hoping that he had not wandered too far from his chosen parking place.

Chapter Text

Pangzhi had spent much of his life wandering in the wilderness, and was much used to the howling of the wind and the aching emptiness of a forest in November. He was accustomed to the sharp crack of branches under his feet that he had never cared to quiet the sound of.
He was never one for sneaky approaches, quoting that it was a wasted effort to only be discovered in the end anyway. A straightforward approach was more his known style among his crowd, which was often what led people to believe he was obnoxious. A title that he wouldn't deny, as his rambunctious personality often did fit into such category, the only issue that he had with it was how it was assumed that obnoxiousness and stupidity went hand in hand.
He knew perfectly well when to hold his tongue, it simply wasn't often that he felt the need to do so.

Now he stood in the woods, at a loss for words as he watched the scene unfold. A hooded figure stood before his younger friend, seeming familiar, but Pangzhi couldn't see his face well enough beneath the hood to know where he had seen the man before. He exuded a dangerous aura, but somehow Pangzhi knew that the other was here for the same purpose as himself, not a threat but a saviour.
Still he stayed silent, not giving himself away yet in case he needed to jump in.

A whisper carried over, proving that this person at least knew who he was.

"Wu Xie." It sounded cautious and exhausted, and most of all a sense of relief carried over the name like a breathe.

Said person startled from his tranced state and reached for his belt, likely reaching for a weapon he would usually carry there, although Pangzhi doubted he had it with him now. The young man seemingly came to the same conclusion as his hand failed to grasp the handle, and he stared back at the man in front in a panic.

The unknown person held his hands out in a placating manner, with his palms open and on display to show a lack of weapons, and slowly approached to let the younger see his face. The angle did not allow for Pangzhi to have the same view, and he dated not move for fear of startling them both, but he could see the recognition begin to fall over Wu Xie's face, along with confusion.

"Xiaoge." He finally said, a mix of relief and disbelief in the word. "What are you doing here?" He sounded exhausted, voice barely carrying into open air.

The man, now known as Xiaoge, stayed quiet, not dropping his stance.

The younger stared a bit more, before seeming to decide he wouldn't get an answer. "Forget it, we'll talk about this later. Given that I've seen you I believe I can safely assume that you haven't been newly hired to kill me, so, do you have a vehicle?"

Xiaoge nodded with a small tilt of his head, body a little rigid.

"Let's go then." Wu Xie pushed himself from the tree, and barely took two steps forward before his eyes fluttered closed and he was falling. Xiaoge rushed forwards to catch him, maneuvering him onto his back after shuffling his sword and the backpack to hang off of his arms instead. Wu Xie did not react to the change at all, passed out cold with his head lolling on the man's shoulder.

Pangzhi watched as the man adjusted his grip one more time before looking up and walking away, making his way back towards the road. Once he had made it far enough that Pangzhi felt he could move without alerting him, he moved to follow, waiting at the edge of the treeline until the man had gently settled his young friend into the passenger seat, throwing his extra burdens into the back and driving off.
Only after the vehicle was over the hill did he himself returned to his vehicle and follow at a distance for several hours, until they came to a small town just off the highway.

He watched the small red car pull into a motel parking lot, and the man called Xiaoge went inside, returning before Pangzhi even had a chance to open his door. The man looked around as he opened the passenger door, carefully unbuckling and pulling the younger out of the car, once again he carried him on his back, and went into a room.

Pangzhi quickly got out of his car, going towards the room, but paused as the hooded man left the room once more and returned to the car, pulling the backpack and sword out of the backseat before running back slamming the door behind him. Pangzhi stared at the sword as he ran back inside, finally recognizing this man as a fellow tomb raider, and one with a high repute as a guide and protector, and also as a killer.

He steeled his nerves and reached for whatever weapon he might have in his pockets, having shoved random objects in his pockets before leaving his shop not working well in his favor as he came up with a grenade and a small lollipop candy from his right pocket, and a lonely flashlight in his left. He glanced between the objects before shoving them back in their places, grumbling at his fortunes.

Looking back up, he saw the curtains drawn in the windows of the room, and his hackles raised. Despite knowing that he himself would naturally close the blinds in a sketchy place such as this, for his own comfort and security, he still felt a sense of foreboding over it. He strode to the door and wasted no more time in banging his fist heavily against the old wood.

"Come out!" He hollered at the occupants, "come out or I will break this door open!" He heard shuffling inside the room, and a muffled cursing, but the door stayed closed.

"You think that I'm joking? Alright I'm coming through, don't be surprised!" With that he heaved his weight against the door, feeling and hearing as the old boards creaked under the burden. When the door still failed to open at the warning, he backed up a few steps, then gaged his distance and placed himself further back, before running at the door with the determination of a bull in a ring. With a splintering crash, the door burst from its hinges at the impact, and fell to the floor, exposing the scene within.

The previously hooded figure stood a few feet from a bed, sword drawn and stance ready for a fight. Behind him, the beds occupant sat up in a shock at the commotion, and processed for a moment the scene before his eyes, before a blank expression overcame his features.

"You're paying for that," Wu Xie stated monotonously before turning over and pulling the blanket over his head, fully intending to ignore both men in the room with him in favor of sleep.

Pangzhi stared in bewilderment for a second, emotion mirrored by the swordsman before him, before the man sheathed his sword and turned to face the bed, shooting a wary glance at the new arrival.

He leaned over and patted the blanket covering the youngest's head, earning a muffled growl in response.

"Wu Xie, we can't stay in this room anymore, the door's gone." Pangzhi shifted guiltily, still perplexed as to what this situation was.

"We literally sleep in tombs, this is fine." Was mumbled from beneath the comforter, and Pangzhi watched as the man's expression showed a hint of amusement, thinly masked by annoyance.

"Wu Xie, get up, we'll go somewhere else."

An unintelligible mumble was barely heard in response. The other merely hummed a small sound of assent in response, and Pangzhi was left to wonder what sort of discussion they had just exchanged without words. And then chaos happened as the tall man leaned down and simply scooped up the bundle from the bed, comforter intact, and began to leave the room as Wu Xie startled and flailed.

"Xiaoge! What are you doing?!"

Ah, so Wu Xie must know him well to call him a nickname. The thought was hardly reassuring, but he would take what comfort he could until the situation became clear.

"We're leaving." Xiaoge stated as a fact, ignoring the other's flailing.

"Ugghhh, whyyy??!" Pangzhi was tempted to laugh at this point, not having had many opportunities to see Wu Xie this tired and behaving like a child.

"Your friend broke the door. It's not safe." He remained unfazed by the childish response, only a hint of amusement showing in the quirk of his brow.

"Pangzhi!" Said person startled at finally being addressed, having easily fallen into the background of watching these two interact.

He shrugged helplessly at the glare directed his way by both boys, and he suddenly realized how ridiculous this was. He was the oldest goddamnit! "Yah! You should have opened the door first! Then I wouldn't have to break it down, you're lucky I didn't use any bombs!"

The glares did not stop at his words, and Pangzhi only felt more wronged in the end.

Chapter Text

"So," Pangzhi started as he made himself comfortable on the only wicker chair in the room." Who wants to explain to me what is going on here." It was not a question so much as a demand for answers.

They had had to explain the broken door to the perplexed and slightly frightened desk clerk, who had given them a new room without issue, likely fearing that they would become violent upon refusal, as she glanced sporadically between Qiling's sword and Pangzhi's large figure.

At the demand the one dubbed Xiaoge paused his ministrations to a wound on Wu Xie's hand, and Wu Xie sighed heavily.

"We had some incidents along the way."

The two continued their activities while Pangzhi waited for the rest of the story in vain.

"And..? Who was that woman you were running from? And what about my bike? You stole my baby!"

Xiaoge had elected to ignore him, while the younger looked at the poor bereaved with frustration.

"The woman is Ah Ning, she's a tomb raider like us. She wanted to bring me to look into a tomb. As for your bike, it was lost somewhere along the way. I'll buy you a new one, ok?" He sounded exhausted, and the eldest almost felt bad for interrogating him when those puppy eyes were used.

"Keep your word on that TianZhen, I want a better one for compensation."

Wu Xie waved him off and turned his attention back to the young man in front of him. His eyes softened somewhat, and Pangzhi found himself once more wondering how these two knew each other.

The taller one met his gaze and they seemed to exchange a silent conversation, while the bandage was tied off. "It's done." He mumbled, and Wu Xie smiled tiredly at him,

"Thank you, Xiaoge."

A nod, "Mn, rest now."

Wu Xie responded with a returning nod and lay down to close his eyes, ignoring anything else.

Pangzhi was beginning to feel that he should have stayed at home rather than be caught intruding on whatever was happening between these two any longer.

Aish this is irritating, am I invisible?!

"Oi, how did you two end up travelling together?" He asked, seeing as all other topics had quickly become a dead end.

With Wu Xie asleep, he was left with the stoic sword weilder for conversation.

Said person turned his attention to him with a stoney expression, clearly not trusting the new addition to their company. "Work." He stated simply, as though that could answer the millions of questions circling poor Pangzhi's mind.

"So you were hired to follow him then?" Pangzhi followed up, equally suspicious and growing agitated as time dragged on.

"Yes."

Pangzhi blinked, not expecting the straightforward response.

"By his uncle?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"...."

The younger man once more elected to ignore him in favour of fiddling with his sword, finding a rag and cleaning agents among his supplies he began to polish the item, still seated on the edge of the bed.

Pangzhi sat back heavily and turned to his own mind for answers until he could bother Wu Xie again, going through his memories involving the young man and his third uncle for any indication of what could be going on this time. He knew that his younger friend loved to rant about the man, disapproving his choice of career and methods of life at any opportunity, on the same hand he knew that he loved his uncle San Xing like a father, and looked up to him just as much.

If a rift had happened, it had to have been on this last tomb raid, but who had caused it? Wu Xie had come out alone, if you didn't count his highly suspicious new shadow, and unwilling to even hear mention of his uncle— who had still not reappeared since. Had his uncle died in the tomb? Was this change of character and company simply the result of a heavy wave of angst due to grief?

Given the current circumstances, Pangzhi felt as though a lightbulb, no, a firework of enlightenment had gone off in his mind. Wu Xie's Uncle had died, and he was not in his right state of mind and had chosen a new mysterious friend for a change of pace. This would explain his newest string of bad and dangerous decisions, under the influence of the wrong crowd.

Nodding his head, he decided to keep a closer eye on the newest addition, and prevent any further corruption in the act.

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We have to find him.

Ah Ning walked through the small crowd of mercs she had been given, a dark cloud radiating from her every move.

All of them are useless. She glared at a random man, steaming with frustration, as she came to a stop in front and turned around to address them all. I don't understand how he expects me to get anything done here.

"Ming lao, have you managed to trace him yet?" She demanded first, the person who had been called upon, a youngish man in his early thirties, looked up from his hands, where he had been tinkering with some device.

"His location has finally stopped moving, the signal is spotty so I'm not sure if it's accurate, but so far he seems to be moving toward Hefei, just a few hours out I would assume."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, what good was this information if it was more than half likely wrong? "Keep an eye on it, notify me of any movement."

She turned her gaze to the next person, a robust woman nearing forty years, who was clearly struggling not to glare right back. "Lin Guo, choose five people to come with us, the rest will wait with Ming Lao for now."
She addressed the crowd again, "if that signal changes direction at any point, the rest of you will track it down, regardless of how spotty or delayed a signal may be, we will catch that boy. Understood?"

A few nods of acknowledgement were all she got, but her patience with the matter had already run out long since. With a grumble of discontent in her mind she stalked away to her SUV, intending to strangle the next person who tried to talk to her. At least with the current destination, she could count on some silence for a few hours.

This brat had better be worth the trouble he's causing.

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Wu Xie relented the moment a bit of light reached his eyelids, pulling his arm over his eyes in willful denial of consciousness. His body ached with exhaustion and he felt certain that if it weren't attached to his body his head would be actively trying to kill him.

For a while he lay in silence, unable to sleep any further but unwilling to be awake yet, until the events of the last few weeks slowly forced their way back into his mind, demanding that he be more aware of his surroundings. With these thoughts in mind, he slowly removed his arm from his face, squinting past the dim light that did nothing to aid his headache.

As the room beyond his bed came into focus, he was able to make out first the figure standing by his bed, looking to be half asleep while on guard, with shoulders slightly hunched and head down. The going of his eyes could barely be seen behind the shadow of the hair fallen in his face as he faced toward the door.

Beyond this person, a dim lamplight failed to compete with the sunlight streaming through the blinds, which illuminated the dust slowly swirling in the air. The windows through which the light was coming from were placed on either side of the door, which only had a single latch above the handle to keep out intruders, and to the side a few paces from the door, there was a well worn arm chair. In the chair there slept a second person, considerably larger than the first, but giving off a much less dangerous aura, partially aided by the lack of visible weaponry on his person.

Seeing the two individuals nearby, Wu Xie felt a nearly crushing weight fall from his shoulders, unable to help the instant sense of safety he had subconsciously come to recognize in these two people.

Feeling that he was not in immediate danger, he allowed himself to relax once more, pulling himself slowly up to rest against the headboard. Upon hearing the movement, the first man turned to him, calmly giving him a once over before he stepped away to dig through his bag, which was situated on the floor nearby.

Wu Xie watched, a little curious about the action but not quite ready to break the quiet yet, until Xiaoge returned, a water bottle and granola bar in hand, which he then offered to him.

"Eat." He said simply, and Wu Xie suddenly became aware of the hunger pains striking through his stomach. He couldn't remember at the moment when or what he ate last, or drank for that matter. Come to think of it, I hadn't slept in a while either, I guess that explains the general achiness.

He accepted the items quickly and began to tear into the wrapper, muttering a quick thank you before inhaling the bar and drink.

When he had finished, he set the packaging aside on the nightstand and decided to get back on track, as was usually the case in his life, there was too much to think about and no time to waste, but first he couldn't resist some questions that were beginning to be on his mind.

"How did you find me?"

Chapter Text

Hendry Cox sighed heavily as he looked at the screen, and lifted his cigar for a drag. A few moments before he had received an update on his team's progress, as Ning was closing in on the last known location per Wu Xie's phone signal.
It was unreliable information that would likely lead to more wasted time, but he was a little short on options since the boy no longer stuck to any close friends or family, and had not been seen in Hangzhou province since the failed attempt at his family home.
The last time that his people had spotted him had been after the motel incident, nearing two weeks before.
He slowly exhaled the smoke from his lungs, lost in thought when the door behind him opened quietly, letting in a stream of light from the hallway.

"Hendry, have you had any luck?" A woman in her late forties entered the room, her house slippers and robe contrasted with her elegant features and styled hair.

"Did you just get home?" He turned in his chair to give her a once over, before returning his gaze to the screen. Blue light fell over his face, creating a ghastly visage of lengthened shadows and hollowed eyes. The woman approached softly, excluding a comforting aura to the room that had him nearly setting down his cigar. She always has this effect on him, since she waltzed into his life fifteen years before she had been his saving grace, keeping his sanity intact and his relationships civil.

"Yes, I had a long night out." She sat lightly on the arm of his seat, leaning towards him with a hand draped over his upper arm. "Dear, maybe it's time to take a break? I haven't had any time with you lately." A pout came over those charming features, and how could one refuse?

He smiled, meeting her eyes and placing a hand over her own. "I've been neglecting you?" She nodded, pout still in place, and he could have sworn she looked twenty years younger. "Well we can't have that. Go get someone to bring a bottle of wine to our room, I'll be up soon." She grinned and placed a kiss on his cheek, before standing and leaving the room.

Looking back at the screen, he frowned. He needed to pick up the pace, this was dragging out for way longer than was convenient, and with no results in sight, someone would have to suffer for it.

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Zhang Qiling watched the man in the driver's seat through the rearview mirror. He could tell that Wu Xie trusted this man, but he himself had yet to see any trustworthy quality, in fact, his excessive clinginess was beginning to grate on his nerves, he could barely restrain his twitching hands from going for his blade whenever the man got too close to his younger friend.
They made eye contact through the mirror, and the man shifted uncomfortably. Turning to Wu Xie, who sat quietly in the passenger seat switching between his phone— which they had just bought as his old one was nowhere to be found— and a notebook, researching something he hasn't yet explained to the rest of the car, the man sighed.

"Yah, are you going to continue to ignore the rest of us here after we came all this way to find you?" He punctuated the question with a hand roughing up the younger's hair. Qiling watched silently for Wu Xie's reaction, ready to jump in and cut the offending hand off at a word. 

He was mildly disappointed when Wu Xie only brushed off the hand with a grumbled response, which even Zhang Qiling's hearing couldn't pick up the words of, leaving his hair sticking up in random directions.

Wang Pangzhi didn't give up, grinning slightly at the reaction. "Aish! don't ignore me. I've missed you for weeks, and when I finally find you, you're half dead in the woods and won't tell me anything."

Wu Xie wiped a hand over his tired eyes and closed the notebook. "I've told you what happened, and I was not 'half dead'."

"Could've fooled me. And you only told the abbreviated version."

Wu Xie gave him only an annoyed side eye in response before opening his phone once more and typing in a number.

Pangzhi rolled his eyes, inadvertently making eye contact with Qiling in the backseat again, something in his expression must have conveyed his current annoyance with the bigger man, as he shifted and returned his attention to the road quietly.
They listened as the phone rang, until finally it was picked up.

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"Hello?"

"XiaoHau it's Wu Xie, how are you?"

"Wu Xie? Why are you calling? This isn't your phone number..."

"I had to get a new phone. Listen, something strange is going on, do you know where Sanxing is?"

"Sanxing? I saw him a week ago or thereabouts, he came to talk to Grandma for something."

Wu Xie slowly exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. So he is alive.

------------------------------------------

"Wu Xie? What's going on this time?" Xiao Hua sounded a little distracted, and Wu Xie almost felt bad for calling him while he was apparently busy.

"Do you know what they talked about?" He asked, feeling rather anxious about what could be happening. Neither of his uncles tended to seek out the members of the other eight families, only making brief appearances when required to be polite. For most intents and purposes, whether it be business or personal, they preferred a self-sufficient lifestyle; Wu Xie had often thought this to be a matter of pride, but didn't care enough to say anything.

"No, it was all closed door proceedings from the moment he walked in. I even tried listening by the other side of the false wall, but they spoke so low that I couldn't catch anything."
The frustration in his voice was evident enough to display his honesty here. Not that Wu Xie doubted him for a moment, they had been friends for years, and Xiao Hua was a great lover of gossip. He would never pass up on an opportunity to hear more than he should, or share what he could.

"Did he say anything about where he was going when he left?" He doubted he would receive any further information from this call, but he was also short on viable options.

XiaoHau hummed in thought for a moment, before a long sigh was heard over the line. "There's no telling where he goes, he didn't even give a hint. Why are you asking me anyway? You know that you're the only one he shares any plans with. Or are you just wondering how much about your next adventure I know already?"

Wu Xie shook his head irritably at the change in tone, knowing that his gesture would only be seen by those in the vehicle with him. "Aish why is everyone always so distrustful? I don't know where he's been, where he went, or where he'll go! He doesn't tell me as much as you think. But I also need him to be in the same state as me right now, he can't know where I am or where I'll go next."

There was silence for a moment and the distant sound of an elevator chime, and finally a door closing. "I can't understand what you're talking about today Wu Xie, it's like you've gone mad as the rest of your family. What am I not hearing here?"

He ignored the slight ache in his chest at the jab, pretending it was only residual pains from the past few days. "Can I trust you not to speak to anyone about anything we talk about?"

"What? Of course you can! Seriously what is going on?"

"It's a long story, I'll be at your family residence in about an hour." He was about to hang up then but was stopped by XiaoHau's continuance,

"Eh, no no Wu Xie! I'll meet you at the tea house instead, Grandma has a woman over constantly lately and I don't trust her. She always seems to be around each corneaahhh..!"

_____________________________________________

Chapter Text

"Can I trust you not to speak to anyone about anything we talk about?" Xiaohua immediately felt offended at the question, who would dare to question his integrity like this aside from Wu Xie?

"What? Of course you can! Seriously what is going on?"

"It's a long story, I'll be at your family residence in about an hour." Xiaohua was about to let the call end when a sudden thought resurfaced and he insisted,

"Eh, no no Wu Xie! I'll meet you at the tea house instead, Grandma has a woman over constantly lately and I don't trust her. She always seems to be around each corneaahhh..!" His phone clattered to the floor, flung in his panic. Just as he was about to enter his own rooms she had seemingly materialized out of nowhere, a fit woman in her forties, maybe fifties, though it was hard to tell with her silky black hair lying neatly on her shoulders and skin tighter than his own.

While he held his hands slightly aloft, not sure what to do with himself as he recovered his mental fortitude, the woman before him smoothed away her wide-eyed surprise in exchange for a gentle smile, stooping to retrieve the device that he had thrown, thankfully not directly at her.

"Oh dear, let me get that for you. Are you alright? You seem quite startled." She stood straight and held the phone out to him like an offering, which he hesitated a moment before collecting.

Snapping back to reality, he straightened his posture and attempted to bring back his dignity. "What are you doing here ma'am? The receiving room is in the other wing."

Her eyes shifted slightly, and an innocently baffled expression covered her face. "Oh! Is this not where the restroom is?"

Should he hold the peace and play naive, or have her thrown out at the risk of Grandma's ire? This is the question.  

With an internal sigh he forced a pleasant smile. "You've taken a wrong turn, let me walk you back." He held out a hand towards the hallway, letting her go first away from his rooms, and followed immediately behind.

"Thank you, it's so easy to get lost in the big house, I didn't even realize I had gone too far!" She smiled back at him, and he had to admit that for an older woman, she held her looks quite well.

"It's no problem, I'm sure you're not used to it."  He tried to stay amiable as they neared the main areas, but he had a bad feeling about this woman and her rather sudden entrance into his life and family home.

"Yes," she looked down, suddenly shy, "my family did not believe in such large residences, they believed it haughty against the gods to flaunt ones wealth." He really couldn't decide whether that had been meant as a jab against his family. But she continued, "but then, my ancestral homes are all carved into stone and lakes, so maybe they committed the bigger affront there."

Finally, they reached the bathrooms, and XiaoHau was glad to not have to decipher what she was going on about in the end. "The restrooms are here, the receiving area is just through that doorway. Easy enough to remember from now." He pointed to the referenced places before he excused himself, making sure that she actually went in to the restroom and didn't follow him. Abruptly he remembered the phone in his hand, and quickly lifted it to see that the call was still going.

"Damnit." He returned the phone to his ear and walked back to his rooms, watchful for anymore would be terrors around each corner. "Sorry about that, this woman is really a nuisance. I can't imagine why Grandma lets her stay around."

"That does seem strange... Are there any family ties? Perhaps it's a business deal." Wu Xie offered helpfully.

"It's not, I haven't checked her background yet so I'm not sure about family, but Grandma has been staying away from the business lately."

"Is she finally deciding to make some friends in her old age?" Wu Xie muttered, and Xiao Hua resisted the urge to laugh at the preposterous idea.

"A friendship that doesn't benefit her? Not in this lifetime." He paused in thought, "she must have something of value to her, she's even allowed to wander the house at will. I'll have someone run a background check on her for now, and keep my office and bedroom doors locked at all times. I'm not sure if she intended to enter my quarters but I can't take any chances."

A hum of agreement, "you can never be too careful. I'll meet you at the teahouse in an hour, where should I meet you inside?"

"The table farthest from the balcony seating, we have a wiretap in the balcony and I don't want to risk being overheard."

"....Why do you have a wiretap in the balcony?"

"For when we have 'special' guests." He shrugged, he knew that it may seem strange, but it had proven very useful in many of his family's business dealings.

"And yet my family is the crazy one? I'm hanging up."

"Mm."

Setting his phone down on the desk, Xiao Hua looked around the room with a frown, thinking of which things he should probably lock away out of sight just in case.

_______________________________________________

Wu Xie hung up the phone with a small smile, refreshed from speaking to his longtime friend who he almost considered as family. He would never say it, but Xiao Hua was the only one in his life that he would trust with it almost completely.
This was due in part to the fact that Xiao Hua really stood to gain nothing from his demise, and, despite any family disagreements, consistently was there to help where he could when needed.
Of course, he was also a wonderful conversationalist, and had calmed down many of Wu Xie's ill tempers when he called or appeared at his home to rant about his life.
The only part of their friendship that placed any doubt in his head was the fact that as much as Xiao Hua has no reason to plot against him, he also had nothing to gain from being his friend.

"That woman sounds suspicious." Pangzhi piped up, distracting him from his thoughts.

"She was probably planted by someone, Grandma must be humoring her to find out who." Wu Xie mused, thinking back on the conversation. It wouldn't be SanXing, that's not his style, and even then he doesn't usually hire women.

"Pangzhi?" The older man hummed, "are there any families that built their ancestral buildings into mountains or lakes?"

Pangzhi scrunched his face in thought, "not that I can think of. They must not be very well known."
Wu Xie nodded, but didn't miss the pensive look on Xiaoge's face in the rearview mirror. Turning, he caught the man's eyes,
"Xiaoge?"
A slight hesitation before he shook his head sullenly, and while Wu Xie knew that there was something he was refusing to say, he also knew that he wouldn't come to know what it was by pushing. He turned back to the front, watching as they began to pass larger buildings upon entering the inner districts of the city.

"Let's stop at Wu Shanju first, I have to pick up some things." And find out if SanXing has been there and what he brought with him.

At this, Pangzhi's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Eh?! Wu Xie, isn't the goal right now to stay away from your uncle? So why would you go into the lion's mouth when you've already entered it's cage?! Whatever you want to grab can wait, or we can find the same items from somewhere else, right now is when we lay low and gather our bearings, find our allies, not our enemies."

Wu Xie rolled his eyes. "Pangzhi, SanXing will be long gone from Hangzhou, at this point in time, he's probably tracing my steps and finding out about what happened at that motel and in that village. Even if he were to discover my return here, we would still have at least several hours, maybe a day, to get out again. And more than anything I haven't had a change of clothes in over a week and I have been through at least three different forests, a truck bed, a fire, and too many strange beds and stranger's cars. We can all go together or I will hijack yet another car for my list of felonies, either way I am stopping there before we meet Xiao Hua." He almost felt bad for snapping as soon as he was finished, but the point had been made.

"You do smell." Pangzhi replied after a moment, wrinkling his nose like he had just become aware of something disgusting. "Alright, we'll stop, but don't cry to me when this comes back to bite you in the ass."

Wu Xie huffed a small laugh, once again not missing the small smirk barely visible on Xiaoge through the mirror.

Chapter Text

I lost my draft for this chapter. So sad.

_______________________________________________

The house appeared unoccupied now, with a heavy padlock on the door and tape in a large X covering much of the surface. Wu Xie was always skeptical though, so as he approaches the door he couldn't help but glance around warily in case of an ambush.

Seeing nothing to worry about for the moment— although he noted that he really needed to replace the gutter on the far side— he released a heavy breath and held the lock for inspection. His uncle had always used 8 digit combinations, and they tended to be on the random side of historical dates that very few people outside of the family would think about. To narrow it down would take hours if he was lucky, and he did not feel comfortable standing in one place for so long as was needed to figure it out.

Oh well. Plan B then.

He dropped the lock with a sigh and went around the building to a portion of the wall that his uncle had been meaning to fix for the past months, but had never gotten around to.
The bricks there were coming loose and had begun to shimmy their way outward, making the perfect space to climb up.

He had just gotten a leg up when he was startled from behind.

"Wu Xie! Are you trying to look cool? Just use the door like a normal person." Pangzhi's incredulous voice boomed out and Wu Xie fell on the ground, having lost his balance with his one leg on the wall. His friends stood a few feet behind him, Pangzhi with an eyebrow raised and Xiaoge glaring at the elder with a small frown.

"Pangzhi! Can you be quiet for a moment please you're going to get the police called on us." He dusted off his pants with irritation, going back to his previous effort. "The door is locked, I don't have the combination and I'd rather not waste time trying to find it out."

He reached the top of the wall and swung a leg over, looking down to see Pangzhi now standing alone. "Where's—?" A light thump beside him ended his question as Xiaoge landed gracefully on the wall, giving him a small nod.

Shaking his head with a wry grin, Wu Xie looked back to Pangzhi, whose face was stuck between glaring and flabbergasted, and gave a  small shrug and salute before turning to jump over to the other side.

"Eh! Hey Wu Xie! Go open the door for me before you run off!"

"It's locked from the outside Pangzhi, how am I supposed to open it from the inside?" Wu Xie called back from his spot on the ground, sitting in the rock garden and looking into the koi pond a few feet away. I forgot that that was there, glad I didn't climb over a few feet to the left.

He shook his head and stood, brushing his pants off nonchalantly.

"Aish, Wu Xie, you can figure out the code easy enough, just tell it to me and I'll punch it in."

Wu Xie decided to ignore his further babbling and went inside, making a beeline for his room to find some fresh clothes, while Pangzhi hollered loud enough to disturb the neighbors for miles around.

He didn't check whether Qiling had followed, as he assumed that he would have begun searching for any possible traps or signs of life straight away, and entered his room with little regard for the creaking of the door.

He had to stop short, however, when he saw the state of the bedroom. He was accustomed  to his own organized chaos, created from many late nights of open journals and scattered research papers, and random writing utensils strewn about in accidental foot destroying traps.

He was not used to seeing his mattress flipped against the far wall, blocking the window, and his wardrobe doors hanging open with a hinge snapped on the left side. Nor was he accustomed to seeing his entire bookshelf emptied onto the floor amongst the clothes from the wardrobe, and his desk drawers hanging from their slots in the wood with the contents nowhere to be seen.
"I don't have time for this..." He sighed. Seeing that there was nothing left of value in the room, he took a quick picture of the room and sent a text to Wang Meng 'clean this up.', then set himself about picking a set of clothing from the floor to take to the bathroom with him.

He had no doubt that Wang Meng would tell his uncle where he was, but he also had come to the conclusion that his uncle would not be close enough to catch him before he had left again even if he were contacted this very moment.

Entering the bathroom, he was not surprised to once again pick his way across a litany of scattered objects on the floor before he could make it to the shower. At least they left the body wash alone.

____________________________________

Zhang Qiling sat quietly on the bed of what he assumed to be Wu Xie's room, flipping through a discarded journal as he waited for his friend to be done in the bathroom. This was the third journal that he had picked up, and thus far he had learned a few things.
1. Wu Xie loved to illustrate the strange things that he found in tombs and in daily life.
2. Wu Xie found a lot of strange things apparently everywhere he went.
And 3. Wu Xie had a very creative imagination and that usually ended up being absolutely correct, or so he assumed from what he was reading in these pages.

He also found that while his new friend seemed clumsy and inexperienced in most areas of life, he had apparently been running around in the same manner for the majority of his life, from being the only one able to fit into entrances as a child to being the bate who went ahead in later years, he attracted trouble everywhere he went, but mostly because he was already surrounded by people forcing him into the trouble in the first place. And somehow he remained alive until now despite how he portrayed himself, which to Qiling was enough to make him believe that what was in the journals was still not the full truth of the younger's activities.
No, he had already seen for himself how the younger male behaved in dangerous situations, and how he let his uncle and crew believe it had gone instead. The memory of where they met brought up a new curiosity, and he began to flip through the dated pages of the journal, picking up another from the floor when this one proved too old, until he found the most recent entries.
He was still sitting there when Wu Xie finally left the bathroom, and only looked up when he heard the door click open.

"There you are, I'm guessing you didn't find anything to be wary of in the house." Wu Xie walked past him, ruffling the wet strands of his hair in an attempt to shake out some of the water droplets. He still looked pale, and tired, but without the streaks of mud and flecks of blood covering his complexion and clothes, or the grease weighing his hair down, Qiling finally felt a weight fall off of his chest that had sat there since he had left the inn that early morning for fuel.

"No." He responded, not sure if the other had been asking a question but finding it a safe response all the same.

Wu Xie nodded, unsurprised as he began rifling through his scattered belongings, "what are you reading?" He asked absently as he reached under his wardrobe, a glint entered his eye as he found what he was looking for and began to pull it out. A sleek black handgun now in hand, he smirked in a way that was caught between devious and joyful.
Qiling stared at the expression for a moment, emphasized by the dark hair hanging over his eyes that began to curl at the ends as it dried.
He cleared his throat when Wu Xie put the gun aside and continued searching the room.

"Journals."
Wu Xie hummed in response.

"You left a lot out."

He paused with his arm behind the bookshelf, which he had pulled away from the wall. "Such as?" He made brief eye contact, and to Qiling it looked like he was challenging him to say more.

"How you survived and escaped from these places doesn't add up, and you give credit to your companions for every one of them, but it doesn't fit their characters. "

"Elaborate." Wu Xie continued his search, his eyes now locked on something in the wall behind the furniture as his hands worked away at it.

"You wrote that in the west mountains, you were saved from starvation alone in a pit by your uncle, who sent a crew to retrieve you from the tomb when they discovered you were missing."

"That's what happened." He jerked as something broke free from the wall, and he barely managed to catch it before it fell on the floor.

"I researched your history when I accepted your uncle's job. I know that you weren't rescued from that tomb. You were found nearly dead on the edge of a village three days after when you wrote that you were rescued."

"I got lost again. And that's not fair, you can't research me and my life without me doing that same to you."

Qiling stared blankly, knowing that the younger had absolutely tried to research him as he did everything else, but had come up with very little information of interest.

"That's beside the point." Wu Xie rolled his eyes and reached for a messenger bag that had been dropped on the floor, shoving his finds inside along with the gun.

"I also read what you wrote about the tree man tomb. It's nonsense."

"That tomb was nonsense. And I was delirious through half of it, of course I got some things wrong."

"All of it is wrong."

"Then rewrite it!" Wu Xie was clearly at the edge of his patience with the subject. "And since when do you talk this much?" He shoved the bag over his shoulder and began to leave the room, pulling a jacket from behind the door as he went. "We're going to be late, the journals are unimportant at the moment so let it go and let's leave."

Qiling let him go first, listening for when he began descending the stairs before he shoved a few of the books in his own bag, making sure that at least one was blank in case his friend wanted to write at some point during their travels. He would likely have to slip it into the younger's bag unawares at some point, but assumed that he would appreciate having them regardless of how they got there.

________________________________________

When they made it back over the wall, it was to find Pangzhi sitting forlornly with his back to it, grumbling to himself and fiddling with a stick of dynamite.

"Pangzhi, put that away already and let's go, Xiao Hua is waiting." Wu Xie snapped, irritation clear in his tone, though it wasn't actually to do with the older man.

"Aish, Wu Xie! Don't speak to your elders this way. I should have drove off without you already."

"Just go."

Pangzhi grumbled as he stood, glaring questioningly at Qiling for a moment before he returned to the vehicle.

Qiling followed silently, climbing into the backseat and watching as Wu Xie glowered out the window.

Pangzhi looked between the two of them for a moment, then with a shake of the head started the car.  "Damn youngsters."

Chapter Text

Hendry Cox took a deep breath, soon after released as an equally deep sigh. His teams had called in within two minutes of each other, both insisting that they had not found hide nor hair of the young man who was currently causing him so much trouble. If only SanXing had agreed to cooperate with him fully, they wouldn't be in this mess.
He could hear humming in the kitchen behind him, as the current love of his life made them lunch. He made an effort to soften his expression before popping his head in to speak.
"Li-ah, I'll be in my study for the next hour."
The woman turned with a crestfallen expression, mouth open to protest, before she seemed to decide otherwise and huffed a frustrated breath, turning back to the stove.
"I'll bring you a plate when it's done then." Her words were tinged sour, and Hendry felt uneasy leaving her be.
"Ah, my little Li, you're so thoughtful towards me. I will spend all of my attention on you later, but now I must give some assistance to my teams, they failed to find Wu Xie again." He tugged on her soft spot, knowing that this would make her calm down.
As expected, she spun back around to look at him. "Hendry, I might have an idea for where he is." He stared at her in shock for a moment, before she continued.
"I was at the Xie residence earlier, and I overheard Xie Yuchen on the phone with someone- he's going to be meeting them at the teahouse his family owns this evening."
Hendry stared longer at her, before a grin broke out. "You never fail to amaze me, I should have you head one of my teams at this rate!" His smile faded, "but why didn't you tell me earlier?"

She shrugged, "I didn't hear if it was actually Wu Xie on the phone, and didn't want to give you a false lead, but it seems now that even a false lead would be better than what you currently have."

He nodded in understanding after she explained, though his pride stung a little at her jab, he let it go.
"I'll send a team to the teahouse now, as we don't know exactly when they will go there, it's better to be prepared early."

_______________________________________________

Wu Xie smiled up at the familiar building as they left the car, remembering times past when he and his cousin were young and not fettered with responsibilities yet, running about and delighting in chaos.

He had not seen Xiao Hua for some time now, and despite the seriousness of the situation, found himself looking forward to having a chance to talk to him again.

As he walked inside the large doors, he took a deep breath of the calming aroma of tea and traditional dishes, and suddenly remembered that they had not eaten since that morning.
With no Xiao Hua in sight yet, he decided to find their own table and order something for the three of them while they waited, momentarily dismissing the feeling of eyes on his back as paranoia, as the Xie family was well known for their security.

---------------------------

Zhang Qiling followed Wu Xie's lead as he entered the tea house, eyes darting around suspiciously at each discreetly armed individual he saw, and watching the shadows engulfing the walls under each overreaching balcony.

Wu Xie for once did not appear to be doing the same, and instead had a posture of well ingrained ease in his surroundings, glancing around once before nodding his head and finding a table, he followed him to his selected space and took the seat directly beside him, ignoring Pangzhi's glare of disapproval in favor of looking at the man sitting casually in one of the balconies, drinking his tea and calmly staring at the empty stage.

For a teahouse famed for it's performances, it was unexpectedly silent inside, not even a waiter had appeared yet, the only people around being those standing guard and the man in the balcony. At this thought he glanced back to the balcony, only to do a double take and hold his gaze when he saw that the seat was now empty, and the man was nowhere in sight.

Wu Xie was quietly studying the menu, frowning over the prices and "tsk"ing to himself as he dragged a finger over the words.
Pangzhi had also picked up his own copy, only to drop it as though he had been burned, eyes wide enough that Qiling wondered how they stayed in his skull.  Not the time for these thoughts...

"Wu Xie," he mumbled, trying and successfully catching the other's attention.

"Hmm? Xiaoge, what's wrong?" Wu Xie met his gaze for a moment and straightened his posture, clearly conveying that he had his attention.

Qiling glanced back to the previously occupied seat, and noted when the younger picked up on the action and followed his gaze, he was silent for a moment, then released a resigned sigh of discontent.
"There was someone there a moment ago... Wasn't there?" Pangzhi spoke up, having been listening to the conversation despite not being addressed.
Wu Xie closed the menu and carefully set it back in it's place, doing the same for then one that Pangzhi had discarded. He then proceeded to methodically organize the utensils and napkins laid out on the table, not looking up.
Pangzhi and Qiling exchanged a glance of confusion.

"Tianzhen? What are you doing before we've even ordered?" Wu Xie ignored the question, seemingly highly focused on his odd task.

_______________________________

Wu Xie couldn't help the sigh that left his lips upon realizing why his friend had alerted him.
"There was someone there a moment ago... wasn't there?" Pangzhi noted as well, and Wu Xie suddenly realized that there would be no ignoring this. It could have been as simple as a normal patron finishing their meal and leaving the teahouse, but then, life was never that simple, and it never paid off to ignore any possible sign of a risk.

He replaced his menu on the table, and did the same for his friends', he needed to think, and he needed to occupy his hands while he did so to release the anxious energy that was slowly building in his core and bleeding to his fingertips. Pangzhi was attempting to speak to him, but he couldn't spare any concentration right now, right now what he needed to know......

who's guards were they currently surrounded by?

Chapter Text

Hi guys! I wanted to apologize for the delay in updates, I started these fictions on Wattpad about 5 years ago, and only recently started transferring docs to AO3, including the sequel that is still in the works, and since I've started utilizing both sites, I have been writing the chapter out on Wattpad first and then transferring everything here. 

However. 

For the past two months I have been unable to access my drafts, or generally get the WP site to work at all beyond opening to a blank page.

Until Today.

When I was finally able to access my work, only to find that all of my drafts have been deleted....

As everyone can probably tell by my highly passive aggressive and punctually incorrect writing here, I AM PISSED about this but what can one do. 

So anyway, to get back to the point, henceforth I will be using AO3 as my primary writing source, and will begin rewriting updates as soon as I can figure out what I lost and what is published already. Thank you for your patience and thank you for reading.

Chapter Text

Xie Yuchen had many matters on his mind as he slowed his vehicle to a stop outside of his family's opera house, a prized location that brought fame and an above board excuse for the wealth of the Xie family. He tried to force back his feelings of foreboding and excitement that were currently warring for the driver's seat in his mind, to think of a plan of action, however with the limited information he had been afforded it was an impossible task to plan for anything beyond caution at this stage. He was already rubbing his temples to ease the tension under his skin as he closed the door and walked up the steps to the theatrically sized doors. 

He took a deep breath, exhaled, and reached for the handle, plastering on an indifferent expression, outwardly steeling himself for the unknown waiting inside. Because where Wu Xie is involved, nothing is ever simple or remotely safe for more than five minutes. Confidant that he was mentally prepared, he pulled the door handle... and stared in confusion when it did not budge, he pulled harder, before he gave up and raised a fist to bang at the door to be let in. He could understand if Wu Xie was feeling a little paranoid at the moment, but that DID NOT excuse barricading someone else's business. Just as his knuckles were a few centimeters from the door, something burst through the heavy wood, literally through the middle, and he recoiled to avoid potentially losing his hand to the object. Once he realized what it was, his frustration immediately returned.

"Who is throwing my antiques through doors!" he snarled, looking at the beautiful gold inlaid mahogany chair leg that had punctured the door a foot from his face. He could now make out the sounds of a commotion inside, as someone who sounded suspiciously like his pseudo-cousin shouted from probably the stage, given the acoustic quality, quickly followed by a crash against the main doors, sending a shudder through the framework, followed by a much closer bellow,

"You think you can beat Pangzi? Well take this punk!" followed by a crash that sounded very much like wood splintering and clunking lifelessly onto the ground. In pieces.

Yuchen was boiling now, the furniture in that room had been preserved for decades, some even centuries, and he would not allow it to be abused anymore. With a yell, he stepped back and took a running leap at the door, wincing as he processed the feel of the latch crunching under the impact, but once the door gave way a few inches, presumably some of whatever had been barricading it closed having been dislodged, he let the thought go and shoved it open enough to slip inside. 

The scene was chaos, Pangzi stood with a man in a headlock a few feet away, repeatedly smacking him with the remnant of a table leg, the rest of the expensive item lay scattered on the floor around him. This alone was nearly enough to leave Yuchen gaping in shock, and he would have done so, if his attention hadn't been stolen by someone swinging a knife in his own direction, but before he could flinch back, the person was on the floor, bleeding profusely from his nearly severed arm, and a figure in dark clothing blurred by, Carrying a sword of all things, and ran back into the fray, barely slowing as he nearly danced between his attackers. At one point he could be seen to jump onto a table and somehow manage to unbalance it perfectly so that it knocked over three people when he jumped off. These first two alone could explain the general state of the once luxurious tea room, which now lay in shambles, even the chandeliers were not spared from the destruction, he bemoaned as his shoes crunched over the crystalline shards.

Another yell was heard, and he diverted his gaze to the stage, his prized stage, with its polished floors and a few ruined props that he would never be able to scrub the blood out of after this. It was almost laughable to see the dramatic performance happening there, as Wu Xie fought hand to hand, rather clumsily, with what the Xie heir was now assuming was a mercenary, well, hand to hand with the addition of the younger man's ever present machete knife, and a smaller but pointier knife in the hand of the merc. The two spun and scrambled all over the area, a wild and uncoordinated dance that should not be on his stage. He was rather surprised that his cousin had not been overpowered yet, and given the anxious and frustrated light that he could see in his eyes as he got closer, so was he. He watched, unsure how to interrupt and demand an explanation without getting him killed with a distraction, when he noticed Wu Xie's hand inching under his coat, next to his currently empty sheathe, and then all of a sudden there was a loud bang reverberating through the building, loud enough the Yuchen immediately covered his ears, and Wu Xie was standing still as a tree, staring at the man in front of him, who also stood perfectly still, but looking as if a breath could knock him over, the man looked down, then stumbled back half a step, and Yuchen could see clearly what had just transpired, both had struck at the same moment, Wu Xie still had his gun raised to the mercenary's stomach, while the man's hand held the knife lodged in Wu Xie's arm, which he had raised to block the blow from reaching his torso, like a lifeline, though his hand was slowly slipping from the handle as blood flowed freely down the blade, until the man fell to the floor, unconscious. 

Wu Xie stared at the body blankly for a prolonged moment, something like dread in his expression, before he diverted his attention to his own wound, hissing at the sight. Yuchen decided that now would be a good time to intervene, before he did something stupid like pull the blade out and cause himself to bleed to death.

"Wu Xie!" he called out, the younger man turned to him as he made his way up the stage. 

"Xiao Hua, when did you get here?" He responded absently, back to observing his damaged forearm with gritted teeth. 

"Just in time for your friends to finish off the last of my furniture it would seem." He crossed his arms, glaring at the younger who only gave him a tired glare. 

He sighed, relenting for now as he removed his jacket. "Give me your arm." 

Wu Xie huffed a frustrated sigh, glaring as he did what he was told. "I can handle it, this is hardly the worst thing to happen within the last week alone." 

Xiao Hua elected to ignore that comment for now, until they had more time to discuss recent events. "What happened here? This had better have a good explanation or else Grandma will have you working as her slave for the next fifty years to make up for destroying the opera house." 

Wu Xie chuckled quietly at that, looking around to take in the mess he had made. He winced, "We can discuss that later, right now we still have enemies actively trying to remove us so I think that takes priority." He looked down at his wrapped arm, the knife was still lodged in it, which was annoying but better than bleeding out, and held in place by his friend's designer jacket. "Beautiful, you should consider being a nurse in your next life." He winked as he ran back off of the platform, and joined Pangzi in the middle of the fray.

Yuchen blinked in his wake for a moment, before looking around himself and deciding that a good fight would be a wonderful outlet for his current frustration.

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

Finally, the last mercenary was knocked out, and Pangzi promptly tossed him out the door, the poor young man had not had a good time, having been the last simply because he had stayed towards the edges of the chaos to avoid being maimed, and while he was struggling against a heavily irritated Xie Yuchen, Pangzi had thought it fun to watch his will to fight slowly leave his body as the large man theatrically dragged and dumped the unconscious bodies of his comrades outside, making sure to toss them down the stairs every time. By the end the young man had practically collapsed in a puddle of resignation and dismay.

"Now, what happened that led to this exactly?" Yuchen seized his chance in the ensuing quiet after the storm.

All three turned to him, one sheepish, one blank faced, and one still tired and glaring. Wu Xie had clearly lost all desire to speak to anyone at this point, which he could understand, as at some point in the last thirty minutes, someone had dislodged the knife from it's place in his arm, and the new jacket was soaked in red, while Wu Xie himself appeared pallid and about to keel over at the first opportunity. 

Pangzi, apparently electing himself as leader in the absence of anyone else speaking up, was the one to finally respond in some capacity. "AiYahhh We didn't start it. The bastards were waiting when we arrived, they surrounded us like livestock and barricaded the door when we weren't looking. We're all still alive, so what's to fuss about." he threw an arm over Yuchen's shoulders like they were old pals, and he the Xie suppressed his disgust enough to not physically shove him off, but not enough to stop the withering glare he responded with.

"They weren't trying to kill us." 

All attention turned to Wu Xie as he muttered, glaring at the ground.

"That one tried to stab you, then another tried to cause you to bleed out, which you're still doing by the way. I think it's safe to say they were trying to kill you." Xiao Hua furrowed his brow, wondering if Wu Xie had somehow gotten his head knocked in the crossfire of one of Pangzi's table escapades, or perhaps the blood loss was affecting his brain.

"They attempted sedatives at the start, I think they must have been resorting to drastic measures to incapacitate after their other efforts failed."

"Sedatives?" Yuchen mused. "So you think that they wanted to kidnap you? That just opens a whole new can of worms then; I can think of many people who would want to have you killed, but not many who would want to keep you on hand. Do you think it could be your uncle?"

Wu Xie shook his head, then rubbed his eyes with a wince as he seemed to regret the action. "Those weren't my uncle's people, at least as far as the ones I got a good look at."

"So either Sanxing got a new crew, or you've acquired a new admirer Tianzhen." Pangzhi laughed as he clapped the youngest on the back, which movement seemed to be his final straw, as he simultaneously paled and stumbled forward, then promptly threw up all over the floor at their feet. 

"Okay, hospital, now." Yuchen grumbled as he glanced mournfully between his ruined jacket and shoes. What a brilliant fucking day.