Chapter Text
Xiazi
The small stool creaked as he sat down, wincing slightly at the pain in his knee. Falling was always bound to leave bruises, but usually he could dodge anything that would’ve fallen on top of him. This time, however, the sudden long drop knocked the wind out of him, enough so that he couldn’t get up in time to dodge the falling rock.
The fact that that was his only major wound was pretty impressive having fought a monster that was revered as a god. Yaba Zhang would be amazed. Maybe.
He leaned forward slightly, half because it would be more comfortable and half because he wanted to make sure he could see the person in front of him clearly. Said person had received greater wounds and was still out cold after collapsing onto the hospital bed yesterday.
Xiazi watched the man’s chest rise and fall, his peaceful face a far cry from the pained look he had while suffering from bug toxins.
Xie Yuchen, head of the Xie family, one of the members of the Mystic Nine.
For a moment, the man in front of him looked like a beautiful young lad still innocent and hopeful. It was rare to see Yuchen’s face so calm and it reminded Xiazi of the other reason as to why Yuchen had a nickname meaning ‘flower’.
Hua’er.
He sighed, before burying his head in his hands as he thought over all that had happened since Xiao Hua’er showed up. Ever since his eyesight started going in and out of focus, he had decided to seclude himself in this village, albeit not particularly well. He could’ve dropped off the grid completely like Yaba Zhang did all the time, but something in him was reassured by the idea that Yuchen would be able to find him. Still, he was doing so well and hadn’t made a single mistake until he tried to grab the glass of wine Xiao Hua’er poured for him.
If he hadn’t missed then maybe Xiao Hua’er would’ve actually believed him when he said that he was okay. That he could still see clearly.
Usually, Xiao Hua’er’s furious face made Xiazi feel uneasy due to the malice hidden within it, too much for someone of his age to be having. However, the “tch” and brief look of anger that followed after Xiazi’s comment warmed his heart. It was comforting to know that someone still cared about his well being enough to go out of their way for him. That was probably what Yaba Zhang had felt from Wu Xie and Pangzi.
Sadly, the feeling quickly faded away when he heard Hua’er speak of hope. He didn’t want to see Xiao Hua’er waste his time on something Xiazi had already found was futile, but Xiazi knew he couldn’t stop him. Xiao Hua’er had the tendency to do whatever he deemed correct and would only listen to voices of reason, something Xiazi had a track record for not being. The two’s adventures in Tamutuo and the Zhang Family mansion were proof enough. First(and subsequent) impressions had probably resulted in Yuchen pushing Xiazi into the “idiot” category unless the talk was concerning something historical or in tombs. Plus, Xiao Hua’er’s thoughts tend to go far deeper than what even Wu Xie knew. If even Wu Xie didn’t know what Hua’er was thinking all the time, then Xiazi definitely didn’t. He could guess, but only Xiao Hua would know if he was correct or not.
Closing his eyes, Xiazi could still clearly see the covered body on the police station’s table and hear his pounding heart. The moment he had heard the words “body” and “foreigner”, his blood ran cold. He chuckled softly. For all the confidence he had in Hua’er’s skills, he sure was quick to believe that the body might’ve been his . But at that moment when he walked towards the table with the body, his mind flashed back to Xiao Hua’er’s words.
You’re not afraid that we’ll all die?
When he reached out to remove the cover from the face, he desperately hoped that he wouldn’t see the cold, pale face of Xie Yuchen covered in blood, eyes unseeing. He could hear his heart pounding. Don’t let it be Xiao Hua, don’t let it be him. Please, I’ve already lost so many, I can’t lose-
And it wasn’t.
It was Lima.
The wave of relief caused him to let out an audible sigh. Still, that relief was momentary as he realized that a dead man meant that Yuchen and his team were in some place dangerous. Some place he had definitely told them to avoid. That was confirmed when the police officer handed him a ragtag picture of the ‘holy land’. It wasn’t like Yuchen to ignore his warnings so either something had happened or someone on the team wasn’t trustworthy. Or maybe it was both. Either way, he’d have to find him to figure it out.
Despite being quite the cunning young’un, Geya was reliable. In no time, he had found two warriors of the tribe who were willing to take him to the holy land. When they dropped down into the cavern, he felt some of his worries fade away when he spotted bright spots of dust he had put onto Xiao Hua’er. Of course the man would notice and purposefully brush his arm against the walls. For Xiazi, certain types of dust glowed when he looked at them and the greenish spots on the walls comforted his anxiety. Xiao Hua’er was likely alive.
The silence in the adjacent cavern was so grand that he could feel even the tiniest of vibrations through the ground. When he felt the small vibrations of someone walking up behind him, his mind ran through its usual course of analysis. Definitely human, shorter than him, and strangely light. Only two people he knew currently had that type of movement; Xie Yuchen and Yaba Zhang. Yaba Zhang was currently hanging out with Wu Xie and Pangzi far away from here so it had to be Xie Yuchen and he confirmed this as he spun around, arm up to block a palm that was aimed right at his head. The two exchanged a couple of blows with each connecting hit reassuring Xiazi that the Yuchen in front of him was indeed real.
Then, Xiazi felt a hand push his arm towards his face.
Ah.
So he had come to the same conclusion.
That also meant Xiao Hua’er wasn’t mind-controlled or anything. He relaxed a little, letting Xiao Hua’er’s push his hand over his own mouth. When the two finally reached a stalemate, Xiazi took a good look at Xie Yuchen.
And he looked awful.
His face was covered in sweat and dust and his hair was tousled out of its usual finely-combed look. His eyes were slightly bloodshot and heavy eyebags told Xiazi that Hua’er hadn’t slept much last night. Although still containing a spark of the usual vividness, the deep brown eyes looked tired and a little…..unhinged. Sleep deprivation was a check. Something else was definitely wrong but Xiao Hua’er didn’t have any visible wounds leaving Xiazi little to draw conclusions from.
Seeing the classy, handsome Hua’er Ye like this broke Xiazi’s heart a little. But, he made sure to keep his face neutral. The last thing Xie Yuchen needed now was a look of pity, sadness, or anything else negative.
Later, when that old, annoying doctor tried to convince him, and everyone else, to keep going, Xiazi found out just exactly how bad of a shape Yuchen’s team was in. Although the doctor collapsed in front of him, Xiazi paid him no heed as he noticed Xiao Hua’er leaning against the wall. He rushed to him and almost, almost reached out to him. Except Xiao Hua’er disliked it when others tried to help him without his request save a few, Xiazi included. But still, Xiazi wasn’t 100% sure if the current Yuchen was in his right mind, so Xiazi kept his hand down and instead asked what was going on.
Because Yuchen’s coat had covered up his neck, Xiazi only noticed the tell-tale markings when he saw them on the doctor’s throat. A second round of mental booming or whatever was going on took place and Xiazi could only watch as three of the originally-five-person team collapsed in agony, Yuchen among them. Although Xiao Hua’er was clearly in pain, he seemed to resist the voice the most as his eyes were still clear. As for the girl and the doctor….well. The girl at least had it a bit better, Xiazi could see her hesitation. But the doctor had clearly already lost whatever mental battle was going on. He had crawled dangerously toward the edge and Xiazi almost wanted him to fall off. After all, this person was the one who had led the team towards this dangerous area. But then Xiao Hua’er’s groan cut through his thoughts and Xiazi made the executive decision to continue onwards.
That at least stopped the voice in their heads. And Xiazi got to confirm that the same blood-red markings existed on Yuchen’s throat.
As the team, now eight traveled onwards, Xiazi quietly mused on the different levels of reaction. Clearly, the stronger the will, the less likely the person would be controlled.
When the voice hit again, the team figured out that the three had been bitten by those bugs. While the girl and doctor searched themselves, Yuchen didn’t. Xiazi suspected that the exhaustion from little(or perhaps none at all) sleep was finally catching up. He hurried over, long strides instantly taking him to Yuchen’s side. Yuchen, despite not looking towards him at that moment, didn’t respond as Xiazi came closer. He took this as a sign allowing him to search. It seems that Xiao Hua’er already knew where anyway based on how he had twitched slightly; his left arm. The angry bug bites that greeted Xiazi took his breath away not from the shock, but how painful they looked. He grimaced slightly before looking at Xiao Hua’er. Yuchen’s head and rolled back to look at him and he could tell that Xiao Hua’er probably wouldn’t last more than a day and a half in this place like this.
When he and Yuchen fought in the coffin room, he could feel Yuchen’s exhaustion. Although his blows were still strong, they were wild and nothing like the solidness Xiazi was used to. This became apparent when he almost hit Xiao Hua’er in the face, barely able to stop himself in time. And then again when Hua’er nearly fell off the coffin. Throughout the portion of the fight that was on solid ground, he could see the doctor moving towards the coffin from the corner of his eye. No one else moved to stop him. Apparently, they were too focused on following his and Yuchen’s fight. Or they all collectively agreed that opening the coffin was the best choice which meant Yuchen was the only one who didn’t want to open it.
He and Xiao Hua’er reached a stalemate again, arms locked and backs against each other as both tried to use pure strength to break the other. It was then that Geya, that little brat, took aim and hit Yuchen with a sedating dart. Yuchen was partially resistant against those things so Xiazi was shocked when Yuchen was knocked out before he even hit the floor. Clearly the bug toxins had compromised Yuchen’s usual resistances. He then carefully pulled Yuchen’s head into his lap and drew the dart out from his neck. No new injuries at least.
During the fight against Nagas, he felt his heart drop again when he watched Xiao Hua’er disappear below the edge. Roaring, he forced himself up to dash towards the location because he didn’t believe one bit that Xiao Hua’er would die just like that. That belief was later proven true when Xiao Hua’er swung back up via a lucky grappling rope.
Seconds later, when the two were saved by another surviving team member, Xiazi and Xiao Hua’er realized that they were at a dead end. Going back in meant facing more fatal danger, but staying here would eventually guarantee death as well. When Xiao Hua’er noticed a tentacle moving closer to the teammate, he took a step forward and nearly called out.
Xiazi was one step faster. His hand muffled Yuchen’s mouth before the second syllable was finished. The two watched in weighted silence as that teammate fell from his ledge and then winced when a rock broke the teammate’s arm. Hua’er had leaned into Xiazi a little as if standing still was also tiring. When the tentacle finally retreated, Hua’er put his hand on Xiazi’s hand to move it away.
That hand was cold. Not good.
Although most of Xiazi’s mind was focused on listening to Xiao Hua’er’s comments, his subconscious mind quickly analyzed whatever he could of Xiao Hua’er’s condition. Cold hand. Weaker breath. Yuchen was leaning against him and Xiazi could see that the lines, more prominent now, had moved further up his neck and face. It was only confirmation that Xiao Hua’er wasn’t going to last another day without treatment. They’d have to risk it to go back in.
When he threw the spear with all his might, he wished with all of his heart that Nagas would die a painful death. But he and Yuchen had made one fatal mistake; they forgot to account for a team member.
He felt whatever hope he had crumbled away when he watched the stupid, weak-willed doctor catch the make-shift bomb in mid-air. Xiazi was ready to hobble up to him and beat him up when he noticed Nagas shifting slightly away.
Sh*t. That hideous monster was going to eat both of them. Which meant the only way to survive it was either to run away or jump in and up to dodge all of Nagas’ teeth. And given his leg, jumping was the only option.
As he fell down the throat, his hand that held his blade automatically stabbed into the side of the monster’s throat, halting his descent. From somewhere above him, he heard a faraway scream of “XIAZI!”
Hua’er’s voice had cracked slightly during that scream. Xiazi contemplated yelling back, but decided against it. There was no way Yuchen would be able to hear him. So instead, Xiazi prepared himself, hand outstretched to catch Yuchen when he jumped through. That, after all, was the only surefire way to get the monster to swallow the bomb since they already lost the second spear. And as fate would have it, Xiazi saw a shadow(or rather, a light) fall over him. For a split second, Xiazi feared that he would miss Yuchen and watch him plummet further down.
A second seemed like an eternity as Xiazi watched the silhouette grow larger. Then, his hand snagged onto the jacket sleeve before grasping firmly onto Yuchen’s arm. Score.
Thinking back on it now, dropping that bomb and then just hanging there was one of the duo’s worst decisions. They were chucking a bomb into a tunnel which meant the subsequent blasts of air and explosive material would travel upwards to them. Still, they got lucky and only ended up covered in monster guts and pieces of meat.
Gross. But still alive.
Xiazi felt his heart drop again when he watched Geya collapse, but he smiled after realizing that the poor kid had exhausted himself to fainting. Seriously. All those close calls made him feel like he was back on the battlefield again, eyes normal. But that was a different story, one he had no need to remember now.
For now, all three were alive. And, after hearing the beautiful sound of rushing water, all three would make it out alive too. He plummeted first, Geya on his back. After they all had half-floated half-swam out of the cave, he let Geya’s unconscious body go as he dived after Yuchen who was too poisoned and exhausted to swim properly anymore.
He had never felt so happy to be blinded by the sun before.
“Xiazi.”
A weak voice brought Xiazi out of his reminiscing and his eyes focused on Yuchen’s face. His eyes were open now and didn’t look so tired.
“It’s unlike you to be so silent for so long. What is it?”
Xiazi smiled. “Oh, nothing much. Just thinking about how much I should charge you for making me go down there to save you.”
“Heh. You went down there by your own decision.”
“I saved your life. Thrice.”
“As did I.”
“Three times?”
“Once when we first met, once with the rope, once with the bomb.”
Xiazi looked straight at Yuchen. His face was neutral, but the determination in his eyes was growing stronger by the second. Xiazi wasn’t going to win this argument. Plus, it’d be a little unbecoming of him to argue with someone in a hospital bed. He wasn’t Wu Xie.
“You still owe me something.”
“What?”
Yuchen smiled before pulling himself up into a sitting position.
“You said I’d get to enjoy fresh fish when I get back?”
Xiazi chuckled before standing up smoothly.
“Give me a couple minutes, Hua’er Ye, and your fresh fish will be here. That’ll be-”
“Here’s the card.”
“0 RMB.”
“Oh? Are you finally setting aside your money-making ways?”
Xiazi only grinned before walking out.
“No way, Hua’er Ye. I just don’t have a card scanner with me and these pants’ pockets can’t hold much of anything”, he said, thrusting his hands absentmindedly into his pockets.