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Night hunting is dangerous. Cultivation is dangerous. Ouyang Zizhen knows this. People get hurt. People die. He understands that all the training in the world, all the talismans and spirit nets and swords, the support of the best cultivators in generations, all of it — it all hinges on luck. And tonight, his luck nearly ran out.
If they had known the creatures they would face tonight were those new sort of fierce corpse things that have been plaguing the sects for the last six months, the sort that nearly killed his sort-of Uncle Huaisang, Zizhen knows that Sect Leader Jin would not have taken them out hunting. He’s just glad that wherever Jin Ling goes, Fairy goes, because Fairy saved Zizhen’s life. He’s not even sure what happened, so he doesn’t know how much of the fault is his own carelessness and how much can be blamed on the monster, so naturally, Zizhen accepts the full weight of blame.
They — Zizhen, Jingyi, Sizhui, Jin Ling, and Jin Zixuan — had taken Fairy to the special emergency vet frequented by those who raise spiritual dogs. It’s the best in the area, Sect Leader Jin assured them. Zizhen expected Jin Ling to yell at him after it happened, or hit him, or something, but he just went cold and quiet, holding Fairy’s head on his lap as his father drove. Jiang Yanli was waiting for them. The vets were ready, and Fairy was immediately wheeled into surgery.
When he’s certain no one is looking, Zizhen ducks outside. He hides behind a conveniently large decorative plant when he hears Sect Leader Jiang’s raised and angry voice and sort-of Uncle Huaisang’s softer, soothing voice around a corner. Zizhen quails — everyone knows Fairy is his fourth favorite, after Jin Ling, Jiang Yanli, and sort-of Uncle Huaisang. And he caused her harm. He should go.
Zizhen makes it to the front doors without encountering any more potentially furious adults. He makes up his mind to call his dad and arrange for a ride back to Baling. Only he’s left his phone and bag in Sect Leader Jin’s minivan. Which is locked. (He tried the door. He’s grateful the car alarm isn’t set.)
“Well, crap.”
Zizhen wipes away the tears that have started again and takes a few deep breaths, just like Auntie Jiang Yanli taught them when they were little and Jin Ling’s temper prompted some group mindfulness lessons. He’s stuck here, waiting, which sucks, and he’s in so much trouble, he knows it. But he’s also the heir of a good sect. Not one of the great sects, but he’s proud of Baling Ouyang, and Zizhen knows that a good leader owns his mistakes and makes amends and restitution. So he walks back to the hospital.
Still, he can’t bring himself to go in and face everyone just yet, so he turns left at the front door and walks over to the mini park that flanks the hospital. There’s a clearing in the center, with a ring of wooden benches, and Zizhen sits down.
Sitting is a bad idea, because sitting means he isn’t moving any more, which means his brain starts up again. Zizhen groans and leans forward, elbows on knees and head in hands, and he replays the minutes before the attack over and over, trying to see how he could have done something differently and prevented Fairy’s injury. His breathing quickens, and he finally gives in and cries. He is fully sobbing, on a bench by an animal hospital, in the dark and alone. Alone, alone, alone. Just like he deserves. Just like —
“There he is!”
Zizhen looks up to see Jingyi and Sizhui jogging over to him. Sizhui’s expression is serious, but he doesn’t seem too upset, and Zizhen stands, hope blooming in his chest.
“What’s happening?”he asks, voice rough. He scrubs his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie. “Is—“
“She’s fine,” Sizhui says. “She needed surgery, but she’s going to make a full recovery.”
Relief floods Zizhen and fear washes out on its tide, and Zizhen cries again.
“Hey! No!” Jingyi’s alarm is palpable as he grabs Zizhen’s arms. “She’s good!”
Zizhen nods and sobs some more. How, he thinks distantly, does one person hold so many tears?
“Zizhen, hey, sit down, okay?” Sizhui gets an arm around Zizhen’s waist on the left, and Jingyi moves to Zizhen’s right, and they sit with him on the bench until his tears finally stop and his breathing is closer to normal. “Uncle Zixuan is looking for you,” Sizhui says. “He’s not mad! He’s worried. We, uh, we didn’t check and see if you were okay. Uncle Huaisang glared at him.”
“And us,” Jingyi adds, shuddering. “Are you? Okay?” He turns so he can look at Zizhen properly. “I mean, you’re obviously not totally okay, but are you injured?”
Zizhen shakes his head. “Fairy s— she knocked me out of the way.” Something pokes at Zizhen’s thoughts. “Hey, who took out that corpse?”
Jingyi and Sizhui exchange looks.
“Dude,” Jingyi says, “I think you did.”
Zizhen shakes his head again. “No, that’s not possible. I panicked! That’s why Fairy had to rescue me!”
“Zizhen, we were all searching that cave. Jin Ling heard you scream and Fairy yelp, and when we got there, the corpse was cut in half and kind of, um, smoking?”
Zizhen gapes at them, and Jingyi makes a thoughtful noise.
“Hey,” he says, “didn’t you have the bag of talismans from Almost-Uncle Jiang? Those experimental ones we, uh, borrowed?”
“Oh.” Zizhen recalls the purple paper bag in his backpack. “Oh, shit! You’re right! Oh, man, I’m gonna be in so much trouble!” Zizhen covers his face with his hands and looses a string of muffled and increasingly creative curses.
“We’re all to blame,” Sizhui says, ever the voice of reason, “but I bet we’ll all have a little talk with Uncle.”
“Which one?” Zizhen asks miserably.
“All of them, probably,” Sizhui replies. “But it’ll be okay.” He hugs Zizhen, and Jingyi joins in. “Really.”
“I don’t—“
“Ouyang Zizhen!”
The trio whip around to see Jin Ling approaching them, furious energy rolling off him in waves.
“Oh, shit!” Zizhen scrambles to his feet and holds his hands out. “Jin Ling, bro, I am so—oof!”
Jin Ling tackles Zizhen in a hug and nearly sends them both tumbling to the ground.
“Jin Ling!” Zizhen gets his arms around his friend and steadies them. “Jin Ling, I am—“
“Shut up!” Jin Ling hisses, squeezing Zizhen so tightly his ribs creak. “Thank you. For saving Fairy.”
“But I—“
“I said shut up!” He squeezes Zizhen until Zizhen nods. “You saved Fairy from being torn apart by that thing. Don’t do it again.”
“Don’t? Huh?” Zizhen tries to let go so he can look at Jin Ling, but Jin Ling holds fast.
“Don’t get into danger like that again, idiot! If you don’t go running into danger, then Fairy won’t have to save your ass, and then she won’t be hurt, and you won’t have to save her. Got it?” He squeezes once more for emphasis, then lets Zizhen go.
“I, uh, yeah. Yeah, okay. I won’t.” He can just make out Jin Ling’s red-rimmed eyes, and it nearly sets him off crying again. He hugs Jin Ling instead. “I won’t. I promise.”
“Good.” Jin Ling hides his face in the crook of Zizhen’s neck, and Zizhen is about to comment, but Sizhui and Jingyi join them in a group hug, and then Zizhen definitely isn’t crying, but he feels, for the first time since the attack, that he can breathe.