Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! As promised, there's more action in this chapter. Enjoy :)

Beta & Co-author: jeangirlmy

- Chapter Start -

"HongHong? Here? In the Unredeemable Section?" Pang Zi demands. "He should be under surveillance."

"He is," Li JiaLe says and frowns. "He should still be."

"Surveillance?" Liu Sang scoffs. "He should be under arrest after stabbing me with that bronze shrapnel."

"We'll question him when he gets here," Bai HaoTian says in a practical tone. "How far away is he now?"

"He's running so he'll be here in five... four... three... two... one..."

HongHong rounds the corner and skids to a stop, blinking in the light of their torchlights.

"HongHong!" Pang Zi pounces on him with forced joviality. "Why're you here?"

"I found you guys at last," HongHong says. He's panting.

"How did you find us?" Jia KeZi asks.

"I saw your torchlights, of course."

"Why are you here?" Bai HaoTian asks.

"I want to help you guys!" HongHong looks from one person to another. "Look, I feel really bad about what happened in the canteen earlier today."

"It was yesterday," Pang Zi corrects him. "And you should be resting, you're injured."

"No, I feel great!" HongHong beams around at them.

The others exchange looks.

"You don't look great." Pang Zi doesn't mince his words. "You're sweaty and pale and your dark eye circles are worse than a panda's."

"But I feel great!"

"How did you manage to get out from the hospital wing?" Bai HaoTian asks.

"I want to help you guys!" HongHong says like he didn't hear her, still grinning from ear to ear with his hands on his hips.

The others exchange another round of looks.

"Your heart is racing," Liu Sang points out.

"Hey, I ran all the way here." HongHong looks indignant. "I'm a little out of breath, okay?"

"You also drugged me and poisoned me," Liu Sang adds.

"I'm sorry! The voice kept insisting that I obey it." HongHong's eyes get a little shiny. "That's why I'm here now, to make amends."

"You can do that by going back," Pang Zi tells him.

"Where's Jiang ZiSuan?" HongHong looks around. "He saved my life at the canteen. I want to return the favour!"

"You're not listening to me at all." Pang Zi runs a hand down his face, looking vexed.

"We're wasting time," Bai HaoTian frets. "We have to find Xiao SanYe."

"She's right. Fine, you can follow us," Pang Zi tells HongHong. "But no funny tricks and do as we say, got it?"

"Don't sound so highhanded. You always bully me," HongHong complains.

Liu Sang still looks sceptical but the others are nodding.

"Right. Let's go," Pang Zi says at last. "Remember, no tricks!'

- o -

Meanwhile, Jiang ZiSuan and Huo DaoFu are tailing Wu Xie and Er Jing with their torches switched off.

"Unlike Liu Sang and Jia KeZi, we have normal hearing, but it would be great if we could at least see Wu Xie," Huo DaoFu mutters. He sounds more worried than Jiang ZiSuan thought he'd be.

"Agreed." Jiang ZiSuan looks around. "Wait. There are large boxes stacked everywhere."

He tries moving the nearest one, gently at first and then with a harder shove, and then he nods.

"It should be able to bear our weight. I'll go first."

When a hand grabs his shoulder, he looks back.

"Wait. How do you feel?" Huo DaoFu's gaze drops briefly to Jiang ZiSuan's left side to indicate what he means.

"I'm... I can manage," Jiang ZiSuan says. "Been in worse situations before."

"I remember," Huo DaoFu says dryly. "Poisoned lungs, blistered skin and clamshell bites. What's with you and getting yourself injured?"

"Perils of following Wu Xie?" Jiang ZiSuan quips and earns himself a scowl. "Hey, I'll be fine."

He climbs up and holds back a grunt of pain when his wounds protest. Turning, he extends his right hand to Huo DaoFu. "Come on."

"I'm not a fighter nor a climber." Huo DaoFu sounds resigned as he grabs Jiang ZiSuan's hand and is helped up.

"At least you're not heavy." Jiang ZiSuan turns to climb up the next crate, missing the tiny smile tugging at Huo DaoFu's lips.

They're just in time to hear one of Er Jing's men reporting that they've lost track of Liu Sang and three of their men. Er Jing suspects it could be Zhang QiLing or some unknown people hiding in the dark.

"We have to keep moving. We'll go get the antidote with Wu Xie."

"But the others have Liu Sang, will this work?"

"I've already instructed our men to deafen him earlier."

Wu Xie who's resting a few feet away with head bowed doesn't seem to have heard their conversation.

"We have to help Liu Sang," Huo DaoFu hisses in Jiang ZiSuan's ear. They're crouched shoulder to shoulder since the crate they're on is only four feet long.

"He'll be fine. JiaLe and KeZi have got this," Jiang ZiSuan reminds him. He can barely pick out Huo DaoFu's expression in the dim light, but that look...

"What?"

"You haven't known them for that long," Huo DaoFu mutters, making Jiang ZiSuan frown.

"What's that got to do with-"

"Forget it," Huo DaoFu interrupts him. "We'll continue to follow Er Jing since he knows where the antidote is. You need it."

"I know." Jiang ZiSuan's been trying to tune out the insistent whispers in his mind and how sluggish he feels. He doesn't need to check to know the black lines are spreading from his wounds which are bleeding again. His bandage feels wet.

"They're moving," Huo DaoFu continues. "Let's go."

Wu Xie leads them to a pile of boxes on the ground. The top one isn't full covered.

"This is one of the three boxes of bronze pieces. Don't touch them, they're poisonous. There's a strong smell of gas in the air, it could be a trap."

As the group walk off, one of Er Jing's men steps up to the box and peers inside. Jiang ZiSuan grabs Huo DaoFu's arm and tugs.

"Let's move back-"

All of a sudden, flames erupt. The man yells in shock and flails as his clothes catch on fire. His arm knocks the lid right of the box.

Jiang ZiSuan throws himself at Huo DaoFu, teeth gritted against the sharp pull in his side. They topple backwards as an explosion rocks the place. People are shouting and screaming.

"ZiSuan, are you alright?" Huo DaoFu's voice is low and urgent in Jiang ZiSuan's ear.

"Uh. Yeah. You?" Jiang ZiSuan doesn't know why he's whispering when there's still shouting going on. It sounds like Er Jing.

"I think I broke my back. You're much heavier than you look."

Jiang ZiSuan's heart lurches before he registers the dry tone. Raising his head, he takes in Huo DaoFu's glare behind the glasses knocked askew.

"Well, you're skinnier than you look," he snarks back. "Now I have bruises on top of everything else."

Huo DaoFu's eyes narrow at him.

"Then don't get injured and don't use me as a cushion. Get off me, I can't breathe."

"Right. Sorry." Jiang ZiSuan levers himself up, grimacing, and gets to his feet before pulling Huo DaoFu up. "Let's go see what happened."

"Wu Xie had better be alright," Huo DaoFu frets.

Wu Xie turns out to be just fine, but Er Jing's right hand was pierced by the bronze shrapnel so he ordered his men to chop it off to halt the poisoning.

"These bronze pieces are more toxic than the others," Huo DaoFu notes. "Er Jing saved Wu Xie from the blast, that's surprising."

"Maybe he thinks Wu Xie suspects him of being the spy?" Jiang ZiSuan guesses.

"We'll see." Huo DaoFu straightens up, winces and puts a hand at his back.

"Sorry," Jiang ZiSuan repeats and nudges his arm. "You can land on me next round."

"Great. Your muscles can cushion me then." Huo DaoFu looks horrified a second later, like he didn't mean to say that. "Forget it! I'd much prefer if there are no more falls."

"I'll try my best."

- o -

"Countdown," Jia KeZi repeats, staring at Pang Zi who's nibbling on groundnuts. The others look equally perplexed.

"It's a silly idea," HongHong complains. "A bottle of wine to represent 'nine'? A music box for 'eight'? Paint for 'seven'? Wu Xie isn't going to get all these homophones."

"He will," Pang Zi says with forced patience. "Tianzhen and I have a tacit understanding."

Liu Sang raises an eyebrow at him.

"Oh? Like you and me?"

Pang Zi shakes his head and then he nods.

"Yes, but deeper. Way deeper. We two go way back, don't forget. Xiao-ge too."

"Of course."

Jia KeZi exchanges a small smile with Li JiaLe on how put out Liu Sang looks.

"What about ZiSuan and Huo DaoFu?" Li JiaLe asks. "Can you hear where they are?"

"They're still tailing Wu Xie and Er Jing," Jia KeZi begins only to break off at a muffled sound.

"What's that?" HongHong exclaims and stands up, craning his neck.

"Shh!" Liu Sang, Jia KeZi and Li JiaLe say.

"Get down!" Pang Zi snaps, tugging on HongHong's arm. "Do you want to give away our position?"

"What happened?" Bai HaoTian asks.

Everyone waits in a tense silence as Liu Sang and Jia KeZi listen, heads turned in the same direction. Then Jia KeZi looks at Liu Sang who jerks his chin at him, inviting him to elaborate.

"There's been an explosion. Wu Xie is alright, but one of Er Jing's men burned to death and Er Jing's hand got poisoned from a bronze shard. He asked one of his men to... chop it off to stop it from spreading."

There's a moment of somber silence.

"Isn't that a bit much?" Pang Zi asks. "It shouldn't spread that fast."

"According to what they were saying, it is," Liu Sang takes over. "They're moving again. Let's go."

After a few more minutes, Liu Sang relates that one of Er Jing's men is asking why he cut off his hand when they know where the antidote is.

"They have it?" HongHong exclaims, prompting another round of "Shh!" from the others, Liu Sang adding an annoyed "Tsk!"

"Er Jing says he did it since Wu Xie is suspicious of him," Liu Sang continues. "He's confident the South Sea King's artifact can grow it back for him. Oh."

"Oh what?" Pang Zi asks.

Liu Sang gives him a reluctant smile.

"Wu Xie knows the clues you left him is a countdown."

"Hah! What did Pang-ye tell you?" Pang Zi exclaims and is shushed by the others.

"Keep your voices down, all of you," Liu Sang scolds. "They're quite close by."

"They are?" HongHong asks.

"Yes, so keep-"

"Hey!" HongHong shouts, jumping up and down and waving his arms. "Hey! We're here! I want the antidote, give it to me!"

After a second of stunned silence, Pang Zi drags HongHong back down and claps a hand over his mouth.

"What're you doing?!" He hisses, but it's too late. Voice are shouting and footsteps are rushing towards them.

In the next heartbeat, they're surrounded by armed men with the blinding light from half a dozen torches shining in their eyes.

- Chapter End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed the *coughs* action :)