The cold water froze Shi Qingxuan's muscles as effectively as any talisman. They twisted in pain as sharp cramps shot up their legs, and the salt water sent a sharp pang through the wound in their arm. It took everything they had to force their body to kick and grasp at the water, pulling themself up towards the surface. He Xuan and Yu Yanli had sacrificed everything to protect them. They owed their friends their best efforts to stay alive. After a moment they realised they were still holding desperately to their brother's sword, and they loosened their grip. They couldn't afford to turn back and watch it sink, but could almost feel the weight of it sinking down beneath them.
Thank you, ge, they thought. You protected me and my friend. But now I have to let you go.
They broke through the surface of the ocean with a gasp. The layers of fancy robes they'd worn to impress Yu Yanli's schoolmates were now heavy with water, pulling them back down, and they desperately looked about for some way to keep their head above water without having to keep swimming. The cliff face rose above them, smooth and unyielding.
They forced their aching limbs to pull them through the water, and scanned the edge of the cliff for any suitable hand holds or ledges. After what felt like forever, they found a little ledge only a hands-breadth beneath the waves, and sank onto it gratefully, gripping the nearby rocks to stop from slipping back into the sea.
As they gasped for breath, it occurred to them that year ago wouldn't have even made it this far. It was only access to reliable food and healing that had given them the physical strength to overcome the talisman's effects. Even six months ago, the Winter cold would likely have been too much for their aching bones. But the sea was still plenty cold, and the wind plenty fierce, and it was hard to feel very fortunate. They shivered and started to pull at the sodden knot of their belt, hoping they might feel better without the weight of all this water-logged clothing. But then what? Wait here while the remains of the talisman wore off, then swim back to shore? What if it was cliffs the whole way along? What if-
There was a cry from the cliff above, and worry for themself was overcome by worry for Yu Yanli. They'd been so focussed on survival they hadn't let themselves think about anything else. Deep down, they'd been sure she was already dead.
But apparently not.
There was more shouting, and then a blur of flailing limbs and a large splash some distance away. Shi Qingxuan peered into the churning sea to see who had fallen in. A dark shape emerged from the waves and Shi Qingxuan's stomach clenched when they realised it was Runner Gu, facing the other way but looking around wildly as he tread water and gasped for breath. Was Yu Yanli safely looking down on all this from on top of the cliff? Or...
And then a second dark shape emerged. Yu Yanli looked terrible, rivulets of blood streamed down from a large wound on her head, and she could barely keep her head above water. But her eyes still burned with a fierce determination to survive.
The moment he saw her Runner Gu cried out, voice hoarse, and splashed angrily in her direction. Her eyes narrowed and she squared her jaw. But what could she do to defend herself when she was barely able to stop herself from drowning?
It was like watching an execution in slow motion. The water around Yu Yanli was already black with blood from what must have been multiple wounds and her breathing was weak and ragged. As Runner Gu approached she took a deep breath and then let herself sink down, to make herself a more difficult target. He followed suit, and for a while all Shi Qingxuan could see was indistinct shadows of blood and dark hair made blurry by the motion of the water above.
And then Runner Gu's head broke the surface once more. He was gasping for breath again, but also...laughing. And where Yu Yanli has sunk there only emerged a stream of bubbles in a patch of water stained stained further with black.
"No!" gasped Shi Qingxuan. She couldn't be dead. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair.
Runner Gu froze, and then turned to face them. Now that they could see his face clearly, Shi Qingxuan could make out a line of red scratches across his face, and what looked like the beginnings of a bruise. Their heart ached with pained affection for Yu Yanli, who even in her final moments had managed to take some revenge on her murderer despite all the odds being stacked up against her.
As Runner Gu's surprised expression turned into a narrow-eyed glare, Shi Qingxuan wasn't sure they'd be able to do the same.
"S-stay back," they stuttered, "or I'll..." They didn't finish their threat, because they had nothing to threaten with.
There was a crack of thunder, and it started to rain. Dark clouds covered the once clear sky, and the wind was quickly rising from a swift breeze to a howling gale.
Shi Qingxuan shuffled backwards, awkwardly pulling off their outer robes. If they threw them over Runner Gu that might slow him down long enough to swim away. But to where? They felt the cold stone behind their back through the thin wet fabric of their inner robes and shivered, tensed for action but overcome with a sense of hopeless doom.
The wind drove the waves higher, making it harder for Shi Qingxuan to keep their footing. Runner Gu was knocked about by the waves as well, but stayed his course, approaching ever closer. If there was one thing Shi Qingxuan knew well by now, it was how strongly someone could be motivated by revenge.
Shi Qingxuan looked behind Runner Gu to the patch of water where Yu Yanli had vanished, part of them consumed by a desperate hope that somehow she would finally emerge. The water churned in the rising wind but nothing broke the surface beyond a few bubbles of greyish foam.
After what felt like an eternity, Runner Gu reached the rock where Shi Qingxuan stood. He pulled himself up with an angry, broken cry and Shi Qingxuan shouted back, throwing the wet robe over his head. But in throwing it, they lost their balance, and fell back into the sea. As they struggled to keep their head above water they could only hope that Runner Gu was similarly preoccupied. They heard a shout, and tried to swim away, but the waves and rain made it impossible to keep track of direction. They swam towards where they thought the shore had been, and hoped they weren't actually heading out to sea.
The rising storm was unyielding, and everything became a nightmare of grey water and even greyer sky. They gave up any attempt to reach the shore and focussed purely on survival, coughing up sea and rain in a constant fight to fill their lungs with enough air.
And then, for just a moment, the rain paused, and the waves parted, and they had a clear sight of Runner Gu once again. But he wasn't chasing them any longer. He was dead. His body floated half submerged in the swollen waves, face frozen in a rictus pf pain, with the hilt of the sword sticking impossibly out of his chest. Lightning flashed, and for a moment Shi Qingxuan thought they saw a pale, unearthly hand on the hilt of the sword. But then the light faded, and he was gone, sunk back under the waves.
Shi Qingxuan stared at the place where Runner Gu's body had been, almost too confused to feel relief. There was no way a sword that heavy could end up dragged up from the sea floor into the waters above, and no way it would just happen to stab into a man's chest if it did. Had Yu Yanli come back up after all? Had it been the sword itself, imbued with some remaining vestige of their brother's spirit?
Perhaps it had been the ghost of some other person murdered here, taking their revenge on Runner Gu for a crime long past. A man like that would have plenty of enemies, alive and dead.
"Thank you," whispered Shi Qingxuan, to whoever or whatever it was who had saved them. Their weak voice was swallowed up in the howling wind, and soon they had to save their breath to avoid drowning as another large wave swept them further away. To where, they couldn't say. Whatever role it may have played in Runner Gu's death, the ocean was not their friend.
Runner Gu was gone, but so was Yu Yanli. Shi Qingxuan was entirely alone.
Even without the weight of so many robes, the choppy water made it hard to keep afloat. Shi Qingxuan had always considered themselves an adequate swimmer, but this was a long way from lazy summer days in the river with their ge. Their eyes and nose stung with the salt, and their throat was raw from coughing up water. And then, to make it worse, the waves threw them against a rock, the heavy stone knocking into their exhausted bones and-
Wait.
Shi Qingxuan braced themself against the stone and looked around wildly. And there, a short distance away, a hint of warmth in the endless grey - the shore!
They drew on the last of their strength, doggedly swimming towards the grey-brown cliffs, though the churning sea kept threatening to pull them beneath the waves. Just as they felt their arms were about to give out the water became shallow enough that they could stand. They took a few stumbling steps and then a large wave grabbed them and slapped them, gasping, onto the shore. They dragged themself on hands and knees out of the surf, until they were free of the crashing waves, and then collapsed onto the stony ground, not caring about the rocks and flotsam digging into their back. The rain was so thick they felt just as wet out of the ocean as they had in it, but it was an indescribable relief not to have to keep swimming. It was joy beyond description to be simply still.
Maybe they could just lie here on the beach for a while, letting the rain wash away all the salt. Better not let He Xuan know I prefer fresh water to salt, they thought, with a weak laugh that made them start coughing again.
But eventually the novelty of being drenched from above instead of below started to wear thin. They looked up at the sky but could only see more grey. This storm didn't seem likely to end any time soon. The cliffs, too, seemed endless, a wall of drab ginger brown extending as far as the eye could see.
Squinting through the rain they noticed what looked like a darker patch of stone further up the beach. It wasn't much to go on, probably just a stain or indentation, but even a place to hide from the rain would be an improvement. At least the talisman was gone, torn off or dissolved at some point by the pounding waves. Not that Shi Qingxuan's unadulterated strength was much to speak of right now, talisman or no.
As they pulled themself up of the ground, Shi Qingxuan's arm throbbed and they remembered they'd been stabbed. Stabbed in the arm, and they'd forgotten about it. What a day. They pulled off the belt around their inner robes and used it as a makeshift bandage, and noticed that the water streaming down their arm was tinged with rivulets of red. How much blood had they lost already? Well, there was no getting it back.
As they drew closer, the dark patch revealed itself to be a gap in the cliffs as wide as Shi Qingxuan was tall. When they finally reached it and saw the open mouth of a cave Shi Qingxuan let out a happy gasp that led to a round of less happy coughing.
The ground inside was wet, but compared to the deluge outside, the cave was warm and dry. It was also very dark. Shi Qingxuan only managed a few steps before the light from outside became so dim that they could barely see their own feet. They sat heavily on a sandy rock in the dark and took a shaky breath. They felt incredibly weak and sore, like they wanted nothing more than to sleep, but might not wake up again if they did. How much further would they have to keep stumbling through the dark before they reached daylight again? Would they ever?
They felt themself spiralling into dark thoughts, now that they weren't being distracted by any immediate threat.
Yu Yanli was dead. Yu Yanli was dead, and He Xuan was likely as close to dead as a ghost could get.
Shi Qingxuan's mind filled the darkness with the faces of the dead and doomed. Yu Yanli, the yamen runners, their brother, the empty void where He Xuan had once been. All gone. All because of them.
Tears dripped down onto their already sodden cheeks. Maybe it would have been better if He Xuan had killed them, like they had asked him to way back when. Without Shi Qingxuan, Yu Yanli would still have probably found some way to pull herself out of the gutter in the end, and wouldn't have been dragged into the harebrained scheme that killed her. And He Xuan...he wouldn't have been happy, staying as he was, but at least he'd have been free.
Who would mourn Shi Qingxuan now, if they just lay down and died?
Lots of people, said the less melodramatic part of their brain. And you've done good in your time as a mortal, just like you did in your time as a god.
They had helped restore the temple to a place of life and safety. They had saved lives with the offer of food and shelter. The very fact that they'd been targeted by those in power was proof that their efforts had not been in vain.
And even now, Shi Qingxuan was loved. Perhaps no-one was left who loved them as their brother had, who cared as much as He Xuan...as much as they liked to think He Xuan had cared. Still cared. But they owed their life to those who had died, and to those who remained. It would be too much of a waste to die here, in some random cave, when they had survived two hundred years of evil spirits and heavenly politics and the dangers of the city streets.
And if they died here, who would tell Hua Cheng to save He Xuan? That was enough to steel their determination even if nothing else was. Whatever other flaws Shi Qingxuan might have, they would never abandon a friend.
But determination could only do so much against bone-deep fatigue. Maybe they could...have a little rest first?
Through half-lidded, exhausted eyes, they looked back out at the sea through the entrance to the cave. The storm was still raging, and the waves rose up to the height of buildings before crashing down onto the sand and being sucked back into the sea.
It was funny how things changed depending on your perspective. When they were almost drowning, the ocean had felt like a mindless threat, a force of nature to be endured. But from this distance, the water was beautiful, fragile swirls of blue and green and white that constantly formed and collapsed. It was likely just Shi Qingxuan projecting their own melancholy, but the waves seemed almost sad, like they were reaching towards the shore, searching blindly for something in the sand and then giving up in despair when they couldn't find it.
A wave splashed against the edge of the cave and flowed up the sides of the entrance, like a hand stretching out its fingertips. Shi Qingxuan remembered with horror that the edge of the ocean had been some distance from the cave's entrance only a few moments before. The sea was rising.
Their heart shuddered with terror, and they forgot all thoughts of sleep. They put one hand against the wall, and pulled themself back up to their feet. They stumbled further into the dark, leaning against the wall as much to stay upright as to find their way. Everything hurt so much. Every few steps they'd stumble on an irregularity in the ground beneath their feet and have to brace against the wall to stop from falling, and every time they felt their joints wrench under the weight of their exhausted body. Their bad leg was a complete dead weight at this point, dragging behind them in the dirt.
To keep their spirits up, they started humming. Nothing specific, just whatever songs popped into their head, the current popular tunes mixing with ancient hymns and songs they'd sung as a child. The notes produced by their battered throat were cracked and flat, but the reverberating sound made them feel a little less alone.
The cave opened up as they walked further inside, and they eventually had to make a decision which way to go. Lacking any better options, they decided to go where the ground was driest and seemed to be heading upwards.
Following the wall led them further and further upwards, and Shi Qingxuan started to feel the tiniest bit hopeful. So of course then they took another step...and nearly walked straight into a wall. Feeling around with their hands revealed nothing but more rock, and eventually they had to accept that they'd ended up in a dead end. They only way forward was back the way they'd come.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" they shouted into the emptiness, voice so hoarse they could barely form words. "A DEAD END? I GET STABBED AND THROWN OFF A CLIFF AND AND NEARLY DROWN, MY FRIEND IS DEAD BECAUSE OF ME, AND NOW THIS? WHAT NEXT? A DRAGON? MAYBE SOME LAVA?!"
They kicked the wall and then immediately regretted it. The thought of having to walk all that way just to get back to where they'd started was unbearable. What if the ocean had already risen to fill it? They leaned against the wall and closed their eyes and let out a long, ragged sigh.
The sound reverberated off the walls and then...got louder?
That wasn't an echo. That was the sound of something else. Shi Qingxuan opened their eyes, though there was nothing to see.
"I take it back about the dragon," they whispered. "That won't be necessary hahaha."
They strained their ears as the sound continued. It was hard to make out with all the distortion, but it didn't sound like a dragon, at least. It sounded like...
...like someone shouting "Ol' Feng".
"I'm here!" cried Shi Qingxuan, as loud as their weak voice would let them. They stumbled back along the wall the way they'd come, legs so weak they could barely keep their balance.
For a long, horrible moment they thought the voice was receding. But then they turned a corner, and it was louder again. And it was definitely someone shouting their name.
"It's me," they gasped, feet splashing through the sodden dirt. "Please, come save me."
"Ol' Feng?"
The voice came closer and closer, until they felt the delightful weight of someone's hand upon their shoulder, reaching for them in the dark.
"I found you!" said the voice. "Here, take my arm."
"...Ol' Bao?" croaked Shi Qingxuan. Was this some sort of fever dream? Well, if it was a dream, at least they wouldn't die feeling so alone. They grabbed Ol' Bao's arm and let him lead them back through the cave. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you!" he replied. "Here, step carefully. The rain'll lead us back, but it's a bit slippery."
Oh. Right. It had maybe not been the brightest choice to seek out dry ground instead of following the rain back to its source. Well, they were having a very bad day.
"How did you know to look for me here?" asked Shi Qingxuan, leaning as much of their weight against the old man as they dared. They still hurt all over, but walking with Ol' Bao's support help felt flying compared to the nightmare before. "How did you even get here?"
"Well...to be honest..." said Ol Bao, with an awkward laugh, "I was mostly trying to get away from the bugs." Poor Ol' Bao and his imaginary bugs. "It's nasty out there," he said, in a conspiratorial tone, "Rain like a waterfall, thunder and lightning...and bugs! Bugs everywhere!" He shuddered. "But I found you when no-one else did, so! It all turned out for the best."
"Absolutely," said Shi Qingxuan. They still didn't understand how Ol' Bao had ended up here on the coast, so far from the capital, but explanations could wait. Right now they needed all their energy for walking.
After what felt like no time at all, the gloomy shadows gave way to hints of daylight, filtered through cracks in the stone. Escape had been so close! The ground was absolutely sodden now, and Shi Qingxuan could hear the rain beating down on the stones above and flowing like a small river into the caves below. The two of them did their best to avoid the flowing water and took a moment to rest on a raised section of rock.
"Thank you," said Shi Qingxuan. They could see the way out of the cave now, low bushes and rocky ground vanishing into the rain only a few steps from where they sat. But for now they just needed to rest. "I might have died in there if it wasn't for you."
"You'd have done the same for me," said Ol' Bao. "That's what friends are for."
"Yeah, haha," said Shi Qingxuan, heart aching with bittersweet memory. "I guess it is. But if there's ever anything I can do for you..."
"Um, well..." said Ol' Bao, awkwardly. "If you could, um, close your robes? I don't like to be disrespectful towards a young lady, and..."
Shi Qingxuan looked down and realised their inner robes were hanging open. Their thin, sodden nei yi could only do so much to protect their modesty.
"Ah, sorry!" they said, pulling the robes closed. "I had to use my outer robes to uh...well. It's been quite a day haha."
"I'll bet," said Ol' Bao, patting them on the shoulder. "Can't see why anyone would want to hurt a sweet young thing like you, but it's a nasty world we live in."
"It really is indeed." They hung their head. "Ol' Bao...they got Yu Yanli. She's...she's dead."
"No," said Ol' Bao. "Really?"
Shi Qingxuan nodded.
"Well that's a damn shame. She'd made a nice life for herself and everything."
Shi Qingxuan sniffed. "Yeah."
They needed to get out of here, get back to the capital and contact Xie Lian somehow, get help for He Xuan. But right now their heart and body were worn to a thread.
They leaned back against the rock and stared out into the rain, still falling so heavily that they could barely see. Yet there were strange white lights flickering in the gloom.
"Are those...fireflies?" they said, slowly. "In the rain?"
Ol' Bao shuddered. "Worse."
A light approached, and then was joined by another, as if drawn towards the sound of their voices.
"Maybe if we stay still they won't see us," whispered Ol' Bao. His fear was contagious, and made Shi Qingxuan wish they'd pressed for more details about whatever strange set of circumstances had led a beggar from the capital to come searching for his friend by the distant sea.
"But what are they-" began Shi Qingxuan. And then they stopped, finally able to make out the shape of the little lights as they approached. Shi Qingxuan held their breath, frozen still, as a little silver butterfly landed gently on their finger, the rain passing through its etherial wings.
"Crimson Rain Sought Flower?" said Shi Qingxuan. "Is that you?" The butterfly remained frustratingly silent, flitting about like, well, a butterfly, and not like an avatar of an all powerful Ghost King. Ol' Boa cringed backwards behind Shi Qingxuan, using them as a shield.
"It's alright," said Shi Qingxuan. "It won't hurt you."
"That's what they all say," muttered Ol' Bao.
If this was the kind of bug he'd been talking about, then...
"Hey!" shouted Shi Qingxuan, to the butterfly and the world in general. "Crimson Rain Sought Flower, if you can hear me- He Xuan needs help! He's been captured at the Academy of..." They spent a moment coughing before they could continue. "At the Academy of Golden Excellence! So you should go rescue him right now! Otherwise...otherwise he'll never be able to pay back all the money he owes you! And I'll be really sad, and that would make his Highness sad! So you should...you should..."
Their voice started to give out from all the shouting. The butterfly shivered it's wings, as if shaking off the raindrops, and then flew away.
"Hey!" croaked Shi Qingxuan. "Come back! He Xuan-"
The roar of the rain suddenly became soft, almost silent, and the rivulets of water pouring through the rock suddenly stopped. Shi Qingxuan's breath caught in their throat.
A deep voice resonated against the walls of the cave. "You should worry more about yourself."
Shi Qingxuan's breath flew out in a harsh gasp. There was the sound of footsteps, measured but not slow.
And then a figure stepped through the entrance. A pale man with sharp features, and dark robes that were somehow perfectly dry. The most beautiful man in the whole world.