Chapter Text
Life on Xiankong Island has always been peaceful—or so they said.
Ever since the day Lu Fang had come across a youth with sharp tongue and blazing eyes behind his messy tangle of hair, boldly claiming he would be able to help avenge his late father, Xiankong Island would never again know the simple peace it had.
As those bandits were finally shackled and carted off to the capital for trial, Lu Fang had immediately grasped the scrawny shoulders and proclaimed loud and clear in front of everyone there:
“From this day onwards, you and I are sworn brothers.”
The young lad who had yet to call himself Bai Yutang had stood there frozen, eyes wide as saucers as his brothers cheered and messed up his hair despite his protests, Lu Fang slinging an arm over his shoulders as they walked home.
The little rat quickly adapted to life on Xiankong Island, quickly earning him the title Brocade-Robed Rat once his newfound love for beautiful robes and fabric took root, his prickly demeanor softening and making way for his love of pranks as fishermen around the island would wail to Lu Fang that his youngest brother had messed with their fishing equipment again.
Lu Fang held his face in his hand as they finally left having ranted their hearts out, summoning his fifth brother with a full mind to reproach him had the boy not come in all wet and soggy.
He gaped. “Wu-di! What happened?”
The boy simply pouted—something he would vehemently deny—and huffed, arms crossed.
“All I wanted was to make them fish faster…at the rate they’re going, we’ll run out of fish before the end of the season!”
Lu Fang sighed. “That’s because you steal away almost half of our catches every month. Do you really need that many fish to eat? Have we not fed you enough here?”
Bai Yutang grumbled something unintelligible.
“What’s that? Speak up, boy.”
“…The orphans in the far north barely get by,” he muttered. “How could we eat our fill each time while they starve?”
Orphans so far away and isolated?!
Alarm immediately filled Lu Fang as he rose to his feet.
“How come I’ve never heard of them?” he fretted.
“They…snuck in some time ago,” said Bai Yutang after a small hesitant pause, eyes looking anywhere but at Lu Fang. “Their caretaker grew too sick and died before telling them to go to Xiankong Island. But they must’ve heard how you’re actually a big scary bully who terrorizes children and kicks them out…so they asked me to stay quiet.”
“…I see. Wu-di, you have to come to me when things like this happen,” he said, voice weary yet gentle. “Don’t handle it all on your own, your brothers are also here now. We’re all responsible for the well-being of our people and each other. Don’t ever forget that.”
A small fleeting look of guilt flitted across Bai Yutang’s face before he quietly nodded, eyes bright as he looked at him.
From that day onwards, Bai Yutang was not shy in asking for their assistance. No matter how big or small, the little rascal would simply slide up to them with a cheeky smile, and they knew something was up.
So when his youngest brother suddenly approached him and Er-di, claiming that he made a concoction that could help mitigate their aging limbs after the recent skirmish they had with these bastards from the Tang Sect, Lu Fang had shared an amused look with Han Zhang before indulgently accepting the offered bottle.
This Wu-di of theirs…clearly he was up to no good, but what was the harm in playing along for a bit? He had always had some knowhow in medicine, so any boost would be worth whatever prank he had in store for them.
But not long after he drank it, Lu Fang felt a burning sensation in his heart. Clutching his chest, he gasped and reached out to his “Wu-di” who was simply smiling down at the two of them, eyes empty in a way he had never seen.
Something’s wrong with Bai Yutang, his mind screamed before the world turned black.
When he came to, only Han Zhang was still unconscious beside him, Bai Yutang nowhere to be seen.
“Er-di, wake up!” He nudged the other man with his foot before grunting as he stood. “We have to go back right away…I have a bad feeling about all this.”
It was too late when they returned to their stronghold, the entire premise deserted and empty, every room they checked further cementing that his two brothers had most likely brought everyone to their stronghold up on the mountains.
At least my wife and Zhen’er are safe in Luosi Pavillion, he sighed.
Not long after, a red-clad man and Ding Zhaohui came running to them, alarm on their faces.
“Chief Lu, I’m Zhan Zhao of Kaifeng Fu. What happened here?” the man asked, wasting no time.
He balked. “Zhan Zhao? You came as well?”
Lu Fang and Han Zhang shared an uneasy look when he revealed that he came here because his youngest brother had apparently stolen Lord Bao’s official seal.
“Did Bai Yutang really kill all those people outside by the pier?” asked Zhaohui all of a sudden.
Lu Fang felt offended on his fifth brother’s behalf–-did Zhaohui really trust Bai Yutang that little?
But before he or Han Zhang could come to his defense, Zhan Zhao immediately cut in, voice hard as steel.
“Bai Yutang would never kill the innocent,” he said, turning to them. “Could there be some kind of misunderstanding?”
He had sounded so sure, so confident in Bai Yutang’s innocence that Lu Fang immediately saw him in a different light. After all, the man had come all this way just to persuade that mischievous brother of his….
Perhaps he could also vouch for him when he’s brought to face Chief Bao—
Suddenly, a familiar voice shouted from a distance.
“Zhan Zhao! You’re finally here!”
They all turned to face the man himself, face twisted as though looking at Bai Yutang through a cracked mirror.
The next moment, all he remembered was the sound of a bell ringing before his mind went utterly blank.
~0~
When Lu Fang came to, he was back at their villa, nursing a massive headache as his wife gently helped him up.
“Furen…you…where’s…where’s Wu-di? And Er-di?”
His wife smiled helplessly. “They’re both fine. Come, take a sip first.”
She handed him a cup of water and waited for him to gain his bearings back before finally informing him of all that had passed while he was incapacitated. Lu Fang grew silent as he processed everything. So he had been right that the “Bai Yutang” they met had felt off…it was just a shame that they’d notice far too late. At the very least the poison coursing through him and Han Zhang’s blood had been purged, and there shouldn’t be any more complications beyond that.
“Is Zhan-daxia still here? We have to thank him properly. If it wasn’t for him–”
“He’s waiting on the foyer alongside the others,” reassured her. “Jiang Ping was on his way to fetch Han-dage from the trap and they should be back with them now as well.”
He nodded, suddenly exhausted.
“Let’s go see them.”
~0~
Zhan Zhao, the Southern Hero, truly was as upstanding and magnanimous as he was led to believe. Even when his third brother sharply accused him of planning on harming Bai Yutang and the rest of them, he simply brushed it off and cusped his hands, apologizing for his unintended offense his title had brought.
“It was just a jest by His Majesty. I hope the Five Rats will forgive me for the unintentional offense.“
“But my lord,” His young servant protested. “They were the one who—”
Zhan Zhao simply shushed him, shaking his head.
“Wu-di,” he called out to his wayward brother. “Look at Zhan-daxia’s magnanimity and poise. Why don’t you come over and apologize to him?”
The brat scoffed but still obeyed—at least that was what it looked like. Right before he reached them, he suddenly turned and started “scolding” Zhihua, his words no doubt aimed at the man watching him across the foyer.
Lu Fang felt the familiar fondness and exasperation at his youngest brother’s shenanigans gnaw at his heart, his eyes trying to catch Zhan Zhao’s reaction and hoping the man would not take offense to his fifth brother’s mischief. If anything were to happen to his youngest brother because of it…no.
No. He could not simply stand by and watch.
With fear in his heart, he approached the man who wielded justice in his hand, his skills renowned throughout the land—the right hand man of Chief Justice Bao Zheng himself.
“Zhan-daxia,” he said, weighing his words. “You said earlier that…you came here regarding Wu-di stealing the official seal.”
The man smiled and nodded.
“My fifth brother is a bit mischievous at times, but I can guarantee with my life that he would never do anything evil,” he tried to meet the other man’s eyes. “He even helps the poor and upholds justice. He’s truly worthy of the Five Rats’ name. I’d like to plead for him.”
Zhan Zhao seemed to finally understand the sheer weight of his words, the timber of his voice so deep it was impossible to not feel calmed in its soothing cadence.
“I understand what Chief Lu means,” he said. “I’ll be completely honest with you…as long as he’s willing to return the official seal, I will certainly find a way to protect him before Lord Bao.”
“Then…I, Lu…thank you so much.”
Zhan Zhao returned his cusped hands, respectful till the very end.
~0~
That night, he announced that to celebrate this recent victory and Zhan Zhao and Ding Zhaohui’s assistance, they would hold a small feast for everyone present. He would have to boost the morale of his people come morning…but just for tonight, he wanted to remind himself that he and his family were alive and well for yet another day.
Zhan Zhao had smiled and toasted with the rest of them, but as the rest of them started hollering in laughter and chatting, the man seemed to be searching for something–or rather, someone.
His intuition was proven correct when the young hero approached him, his jar of wine long forgotten.
“Chief Lu,” he said respectfully. “Is Bai Yutang not joining us tonight? I was hoping to talk to him about something.”
“Ah, that fifth brother of mine…” he sighed. “He’s probably off sulking all by himself, somewhere far away where people won’t find him. He might not look it, but he’s always been a very soft-hearted person. The guilt at having inadvertently caused havoc here must be eating him inside right about now.”
He shook his head. While it was true that Bai Yutang was partly responsible for Zhihua coming here, all the people who died and his poisoning were entirely out of his hands. He should not shoulder all this alone. He had thought that after all these years, he would learn to rely on them more…but it seems that some things are much too hard to break out of.
Zhan Zhao was quiet for a moment before he let out a soft sigh as well.
“I understand. Thank you, Chief Lu, for letting me know. I’ll go find him,” he said before cusping his hands in a bow.
“Ah! Before you go…”
“Yes?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, make sure not to let him drink too much!” Lu Fang breaked out into a jolly laugh. “Wu-di could never hold his liquor—three is the most before he gets drunk out of his mind.”
The edge of Zhan Zhao’s lips quirked in that interesting way whenever Bai Yutang did something obnoxious like it did earlier before he bowed once more.
“I understand. Then Zhan Zhao wishes the Chief a good night. And I thank you again for the hospitality.”
Lu Fang waved him off with a laugh before the young man could spout more sweet words.
He nodded with a smile. Yes, his Wudi seemed to be in good hands.