Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Zhang Qiling is slowly starting to accept that there are people in the world that he cares about, and who care about him in return. It’s strange, and it still doesn’t feel entirely natural. Especially the part about them caring for him in return.

With Wu Xie it had started as a simple desire to protect the young and vulnerable in the same way one might protect a small child or a puppy that hasn’t learned self-preservation yet. Wu Xie had blundered around his first tomb, not heeding simple instructions and almost dying as a result. If Zhang Qiling hadn’t been there, hadn’t shed his blood, then Wu Xie might not have survived. It’s unthinkable now, but back then it was different. He’d shed his blood because that’s what he’d been hired to do. He takes his work seriously. Fainting from blood loss was just part of the job. He was there to keep Wu Xie and his group safe, so he had.

Things had changed, Zhang Qiling thinks now that he’s looking back, from the moment he woke up in that village boarding house with Wu Xie standing over him. He wasn’t entirely surprised that they’d carried him there instead of leaving him behind. They needed him, after all. But having someone at his bedside who had smiled with relief when Zhang Qiling had woken up, someone who made sure he rested and brought him food… how was Zhang Qiling supposed to remain detached?

Pangzi had fallen into the category of people Zhang Qiling cares about a little later. He doesn’t have the innocence that Wu Xie does, but beneath all the bravado he’s a good man who cares deeply about his friends. Now he’s right there alongside Wu Xie in Zhang Qiling’s heart. Zhang Qiling will do whatever it takes to keep both of them safe, but he’s still getting used to the fact that they feel the same way about him, too. They shouldn’t. He’s a tool, a weapon. He can fight, he can find hidden doors and he can disable traps. That’s his purpose, and caring about him is like caring for a hammer or an axe.

He’s used to disappearing once his purpose has been served, and no one caring until he’s needed again. Realising that Wu Xie and Pangzi don’t want him to leave in the first place has been something of a surprise. They seem to actually like him. What is there to like? He never really knows what to say to them, he doesn't understand most of the jokes they make and outside of the tombs they adventure in he really doesn’t have anything in common with them at all.

They don’t seem to mind his silence, though, and are content to chat amongst themselves and walk alongside Zhang Qiling so he feels included without being required to contribute. It’s…not unpleasant.

Pan Zi is with them this time, and he doesn’t seem particularly interested in Wu Xie and Pangzi’s conversations either, so the two of them walk quietly side by side, a little bit ahead so they can keep a lookout for any danger. Pan Zi is clearly a skilled fighter, which Zhang Qiling can appreciate. Somewhere dangerous like this it’s beneficial to have more than one person capable of keeping Wu Xie and Pangzi safe. Pan Zi also isn’t interested in making Zhang Qiling talk, which he is grateful for.

“Thank you for keeping him safe,” Pan Zi says one evening while they’re sitting around the fire. Wu Xie and Pangzi are already asleep, as close together as they can be without being in the same sleeping bag, and the night air is filled with the sound of Pangzi’s snoring and Wu Xie muttering to himself in his sleep.

It’s Zhang Qiling’s turn to keep watch, so Pan Zi should really be asleep as well. Instead he’s sitting here talking softly to Zhang Qiling so as not to wake the others. Does Pan Zi not trust him to keep watch? Zhang Qiling doesn’t think it’s that, but he’s struggling to think of any other reason why he’s here.

“Wu Xie is very important to me,” Pan Zi continues when Zhang Qiling doesn’t respond. “I care about him as though he were my own flesh and blood. I’m glad he has you, and Pangzi. I can’t always be with him and it’s reassuring to know you’ll keep him safe when I’m not there.”

Zhang Qiling would rather die than let anything happen to Wu Xie, and he’s sure Pangzi feels the same way. The grave robbing world is cruel and merciless, but Wu Xie with all his innocence and curiosity insists on venturing into it again and again. Zhang Qiling has already vowed to do whatever it takes to protect that innocence.

It reassures Zhang Qiling too, he realises, to know that Wu Xie has someone else looking out for him. Wu Sanxing is a ruthless man who will do whatever it takes to achieve his goal - even risk his own nephew. With Pan Zi there, Zhang Qiling feels he can rest a little easier.

He makes eye contact with Pan Zi and nods, hoping it conveys his meaning. He’s not good with words so it’s all he can offer: a sign that he appreciates Pan Zi’s protection of Wu Xie as much as Pan Zi apparently values his.

Pan Zi must understand because he flashes Zhang Qiling a smile and tosses some more wood onto the fire. Apparently he has no intention of going to sleep and leaving Zhang Qiling to keep watch alone.

It’s going to be a long night.

Wu Xie thinks Zhang Qiling is immortal. He’s not. He may have a long lifespan, but he won’t live forever. And he can be hurt or killed just like any other person. His skills help him, of course, but even they are not infallible.

He hears the sound of the ground cracking a second before it gives way beneath his feet. He’s a fraction of a second too slow to jump back, spending the time instead pushing Wu Xie and Pangzi to safety.

“Xiaoge!”

He hears Wu Xie’s frantic yell as Zhang Qiling starts to fall, but at least he’s safe to yell. There’s nothing for Zhang Qiling to grab hold of so all he can do is try and control his landing. The cliff he’s fallen from isn’t high enough that the fall will kill him, and if he manages it right he may not even break a limb.

There’s no denying it’s going to hurt, though. Thankfully he’s grown used to ignoring pain.

Sure enough, pain shoots up one leg when he hits the ground and tumbles into a roll before coming to a stop a few feet away. It certainly isn’t the worst pain he’s ever encountered. One ankle feels sprained but it’s not broken. He can work with a sprain; breaks are more difficult.

“Xiaoge!” He can still hear Wu Xie yelling and he really needs to not do that. This jungle is full of snakes and other dangerous creatures. All Wu Xie is doing is drawing attention to himself. “Xiaoge, we’re coming down to you. Just wait there.”

Zhang Qiling has no intention of doing anything of the sort. His unexpected fall has set them off course and he needs to get back up to where they were so he can get his bearings.

He pushes himself to his feet. The pain is manageable. He can still fight if he needs to. Looking up to where he’d fallen from there’s no way to get back up unless he climbs. He can do that even with his ankle like this.

“Xiaoge, what are you doing?” It’s Pangzi’s voice this time and Zhang Qiling sees his face peering down at him from the ledge that had given way beneath him.

“Dangerous,” Zhang Qiling warns. The last thing he wants is for Pangzi to get too close to the edge and fall too, but Pangzi doesn’t seem to be listening.

“Just wait there,” Pangzi replies. “We have rope. We’ll come down and get you.”

There’s no need for any of them to come down to him. They’ll just have to go back up again. All this does is add unnecessary risk. The edge of the ridge is clearly unstable. Zhang Qiling won’t allow anyone else to get potentially injured for his sake.

He launches himself up, ignoring the stab of pain as he pushes away from the ground. He moves quickly, swinging from one gripping point to the next, not pausing long enough for him to have to put too much weight on his ankle.

“Xiaoge!” He ignores Wu Xie’s distressed voice and keeps climbing. He’s almost at the top now.

“Move away from the edge,” Zhang Qiling hears Pan Zi shout, and at least one of them is being sensible. Wu Xie or Pangzi falling is unacceptable.

He jumps the last few feet, grabbing the edge of the cliff but not long enough for it to give way beneath his hands, and uses it to launch himself onto stable ground.

Wu Xie, Pangzi and Pan Zi are all standing there waiting for him. Pan Zi is still holding the rope that he’d tied around the trunk of a tree. He has a strange expression on his face that Zhang Qiling doesn’t know how to read.

Then Wu Xie is there, anxious hands fluttering all over him as he checks Zhang Qiling for injuries. Aside from his ankle Zhang Qiling doesn’t think there’s anything to be seen.

“Are you okay?” Wu Xie asks. “We were so worried.”

“I’m fine,” Zhang Qiling replies and it’s close enough to the truth. He’s not injured enough for it to cause any risk to the rest of their expedition.

Unfortunately at that moment his ankle decides to make a liar of him and gives way beneath him, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

“Xiaoge!”

Pangzi and Pan Zi have joined Wu Xie now and it makes Zhang Qiling uncomfortable the way they’re all standing around him and looking down at him. He’s not weak, and he’s not a liability. He can still fight. He can still keep them safe.

“How bad is it?” Pan Zi asks, his hands already reaching for the boot that Zhang Qiling can already tell is stopping his ankle from swelling. It’s probably best to leave it in place because he may not be able to get it back on once it’s been removed.

“A sprain,” he says, pulling his leg back from Pan Zi’s fingers. “I can still walk.”

Pangzi snorts. “Xiaoge, you just fell over. You can’t even stand, never mind walk.”

Wu Xie looks at Pan Zi, eyes large and wet. Zhang Qiling hates that he’s the cause of it. “What do we do?”

Pan Zi thankfully hasn’t made any further attempts to remove Zhang Qiling’s boot. He’s looking thoughtful now. No doubt considering how much of a liability Zhang Qiling is now that he’s injured. He’s not a liability. He can still keep them safe. He attempts to get back to his feet to show them that, but Pan Zi’s hand rests on his shoulder and presses him down.

“We won’t lose too much daylight if we make camp now, and it seems to be safe here. We haven’t seen any snakes or anything else for hours.” Pan Zi glances around and then points. “There’s a clearing just on the other side of that group of trees. That should be a good spot.”

He heads back to the tree where the rope is tied and unties it before putting it back in his pack.

“Xiao San-ye, carry my things. Pangzi, you take the lead.”

“What are you going to—” Wu Xie’s question is cut off by Pan Zi scooping Zhang Qiling up from the ground as though he were a small child. He has no choice but to wrap an arm around Pan Zi’s neck to keep himself balanced.

“Good idea,” Wu Xie says with a bright smile as Pangzi moves in front to lead them to the spot where they’ll be making camp.

It is far from a good idea. Pan Zi is their second best fighter and now both his arms are occupied with carrying Zhang Qiling. If something attacks them, the few seconds it will take to set Zhang Qiling down could be the difference between life and death.

“I can walk,” Zhang Qiling insists. Firmly. But Pan Zi doesn’t listen and neither do Wu Xie or Pangzi who are chattering away, this time about what Pangzi will cook for dinner.

This is foolish and reckless. Zhang Qiling should be at the front of their group acting as the first line of defence for anything that tries to attack them. Like this he’s a liability, and he’s made Pan Zi into one too.

Pan Zi sets Zhang Qiling down at the base of one of the trees once they reach their camping spot. Pangzi and Wu Xie are already in the process of setting up the tents and a fire for cooking. Zhang Qiling should help them, or he should keep watch, or he should—

“I know you can walk,” Pan Zi says and there’s a softness to his voice that Zhang Qiling isn’t worthy of. “But you don’t have to. Just rest and let us take care of you.”

Zhang Qiling isn’t sure he knows how to do either of those things.

Chapter Text

Exhaustion pulls at the edges of Pan Zi’s vision but he blinks it away. He doesn’t have the luxury of being able to rest, nor does he want to. Wu Xie is out there somewhere, and while he has Pangzi and Zhang Qiling with him to keep him safe, that doesn’t stop Pan Zi from worrying. Wu Xie is his charge, someone who he considers almost his own nephew. It’s Pan Zi’s duty to keep him safe.

He’s just about ready to make yet another search. The desert is harsh, and while he can make an educated guess about which direction Wu Xie will be coming from nothing is certain. What is certain is that he will keep trying until he finds them.

He double checks his pack. He has a canteen of water, plus an extra one in case Wu Xie needs it. He’s got basic medical supplies, which he hopes he won’t need, a map and a compass so they can mark which area they’ve checked for any signs of life. Or any signs of death, which he has to consider as much as he doesn’t want to.

The flaps of his tent are thrown open and Tashi all but falls inside. “Someone is approaching. We think it’s them.”

Pan Zi drops his pack and runs.

For a moment he thinks it’s a mistake - that only two people are approaching the camp. But then he sees that one of them is carrying another on his back and his heart sinks. He’d never speak it out loud but Wu Xie is the weakest of their group. Intelligent, yes. But lacking the survival skills and ability to fight that Pangzi and Zhang Qiling have.

Is he going to have to tell Wu Sanxing that he failed in his mission to protect Wu Xie? Is he going to have to bury someone he’s watched grow from a child into a man?

He runs forward to meet them.

Relief immediately followed by guilt floods through him as he realises the one being carried isn’t Wu Xie but Zhang Qiling. Wu Xie is the one doing the carrying and from the way he’s staggering he looks seconds away from collapsing himself. Pangzi is walking alongside them, with one hand on Zhang Qiling’s back as though that will hold him in place.

“Xiao San-ye!” He closes the distance between them, placing a hand on Wu Xie’s shoulder to reassure himself that it’s not some sort of hallucination. Wu Xie certainly feels real enough and at the physical contact he looks at Pan Zi or, more accurately looks almost through him. He really does not look well.

“Take care of Xiaoge,” Wu Xie mumbles through lips that are dry and cracked. They start bleeding when he speaks.

Then he drops.

“Xiao San-ye!”

Pan Zi manages to slow his fall, so Wu Xie collapses against his chest instead of face first into the sand. Unfortunately he can’t stop Zhang Qiling from sliding off Wu Xie’s back and landing in a crumpled heap next to them.

Zhang Qiling isn’t, Pan Zi notices, wearing a shirt.

He’s seen firsthand the skill Zhang Qiling has. He’s seen him do things that defy any logical explanation. If he didn’t know better he’d wonder whether Zhang Qiling was even human.

This isn’t the first time Zhang Qiling has inexplicably lost his shirt. Losing it in a tomb was bad enough, but out here in the desert seems outright dangerous.

“He said he was too hot,” Pangzi says, as though that explains anything. Pangzi doesn’t look well, exactly. He’s dripping with sweat and his lips are chapped, but he looks in considerably better condition than Wu Xie or Zhang Qiling. He’s still conscious for a start.

“Let’s get them inside,” Pan Zi says. There will be time enough for explanations later.

Wu Xie had asked him to take care of Zhang Qiling, and even though Pan Zi wants nothing more than to be the one to carry Wu Xie into shelter and safety he can just imaging the sad eyes and disappointment that he’d been on the receiving end of if he didn’t do what Wu Xie asked.

“Can you carry him?” he asks Pangzi, gesturing at Wu Xie whose face is still pressed against Pan Zi’s chest. “I can get Tashi to help if you can’t. I’ll carry Zhang Qiling.”

Pangzi answers by scooping Wu Xie up and walking past Pan Zi towards the camp that’s behind him.

Pan Zi takes hold of Zhang Qiling’s shoulders and hisses at the heat he feels radiating from his skin. This is beyond simple sun exposure. Zhang Qiling is definitely running a fever, and that complicates things. They have basic first aid supplies but Zhang Qiling is so hot he definitely needs to be in a proper medical facility.

As Pan Zi lifts him up he sees Zhang Qiling’s tattoo standing dark against his pale skin. He doesn’t need to see it to know that Zhang Qiling’s body temperature is elevated. Almost dangerously so.

He hefts Zhang Qiling across his shoulders. It’s far less dignified than the time he’d had to carry Zhang Qiling after he sprained his ankle, but it’s a better distribution of weight, which will make walking in the sand a lot easier.

He pats Zhang Qiling’s arm once he’s got him settled in a position that hopefully isn’t too uncomfortable for either of them. He can feel the heat from Zhang Qiling’s skin seeping through his own clothes. He needs to be in the shade and cooled down as quickly as possible.

Pan Zi starts to walk back in the direction he came from. It’s a little tricky at first, but he soon finds a gait that lets him keep his balance without jostling Zhang Qiling too much.

Walking back seems to take a lot longer than walking out had done, and by the time he gets back to his tent Pangzi has already laid out Wu Xie and is filling a bowl with some cold water.

When he sees Pan Zi, or rather when he sees Zhang Qiling hanging limp and still unconscious across Pan Zi’s shoulders, there’s no mistaking the worry in his eyes.

He watches, silently, as Pan Zi lays Zhang Qiling down next to Wu Xie.

Neither of them shows any sign of waking, and Pan Zi can see just how difficult Pangzi is finding it to stay upright and conscious himself. His hands are shaking as he fills the bowl with water, and occasionally he’ll sway on his feet before locking his knees to stop himself from falling.

Pan Zi can empathise. He knows what it’s like to have to be the strong one when those around you are hurt. But this isn’t doing Pangzi any good, and it’s not going to help Wu Xie or Zhang Qiling either.

He gently takes the bowl from Pangzi’s hands and doesn’t comment on the fact that they’re trembling so badly that the water is almost sloshing onto the floor.

“I’ll take care of them,” he says, firmly but not unkindly. “Tashi has some remedies that will help with the dehydration and sun exposure. Go and speak to him.”

Pangzi, of course, shakes his head. “I’m f—”

“You won’t help either of them if you collapse too,” Pan Zi points out. “I’ll take care of them, I promise. And once Tashi has checked you over we’ll see if there’s anything he can do for these two.”

“But—”

“You first,” Pan Zi insists. “They need rest more than anything.”

For a moment he thinks Pangzi is going to argue, so Pan Zi turns his attention to Wu Xie. He sets the bowl down next to him and searches his pack for a clean cloth.

As he suspected, once Pangzi sees that Pan Zi is taking care of the other two the fight deflates out of him.

“I’ll be back soon,” he promises.

As Pan Zi dips the cloth in the water and wrings it out he starts thinking about what they do next. They need to get out of the desert and back to somewhere with a hospital. Zhang Qiling clearly needs it, and Wu Xie might too. It’s hard to say. He’s always been resilient but right now he’s clearly dehydrated and exhausted at the very least.

He places the cool, wet cloth on Wu Xie’s forehead and a moment later his eyelids quiver before opening.

Pan Zi lets out a sigh of relief. Resilient, just as he’d said.

“Xiao San-ye. You finally woke up.”

Now that Wu Xie is awake he thinks getting help for Zhang Qiling will be quicker and easier. Wu Xie has always been determined when it comes to his Xiaoge.