Zhang Qiling
Qiling was glad that Hua Yuchen made Wang Pangzi leave them alone, even if the latter was reluctant to do so. In a way, he had to thank Shades for helping him disperse the crowd with the hand that Master Hua extended when he understood Shades better, thus trusting his intentions as if it was his own. They had known each other for a few years and at times acted as an extension of each other and even when Shades claimed that his Master Hua had no heart, it was actually the complete opposite. Master Hua cared for Shades, more than he really wanted.
His case was different from Shades' in that he had no other interaction with the man still beneath him, other than those dreams they had shared for years. Qiling had watched him grow up, from a boy to a teenager to the man he was today, although his face became blurry after he turned twelve, he knew the feeling of Wu Xie, faceless or nameless. His heart knew his essence by heart and he knew that he had been chosen by the gods for something he still couldn't remember.
However, being chosen wasn't exactly equal to being out of trouble or being safe. The Qilin guardian was sometimes too fierce or impatient when he needed to do something. The dreams he shared with Wu Xie were a sufficient indication to Qiling that Wu Xie's call for whatever purpose was true, but since he had been held back for unknown reasons, the young man was not yet ready to face it. The gods know that finding him had taken him nearly two decades of searching, making him a more permanent tomb raider with the sole purpose of finding him among the many grave robbers that plagued the ancient tombs.
Now that Qiling had finally found him and clearly knew his face and his name, he was worried that Wu Xie's call would hurt him from the start. Thus, he needed to make sure that Wu Xie was okay after being burned with the Qilin fire, even if it was for a few minutes, since the heavenly fire was not something to be taken lightly, whatever you were chosen or not.
Wu Xie's shirt was still up and since no one was around anymore, he used his long fingers to touch his porcelain white skin, right over the symbol he had drawn with his own blood, which was not pure Qilin's blood, but was close enough to push back the fire. Then, closing his eyes, he secretly used his own Qilin fire, which can be used to heal, completely harmless and colorless, to check whether Wu Xie had been seriously injured internally and after a careful search, he sighed in relief that he had intervened in time to stop the Qilin fire to do real damage.
However, he sensed some changes in Wu Xie's human genes, specifically in the way his body transmitted electricity between cells, which was now very slightly enhanced. His own body had gone through that same reconfiguration centuries ago, becoming a hybrid between a human and a Qilin through both his fire and his blood. Now Wu Xie had a hint of the Qilin fire upon him as well.
Seeing that after a few hours of rest, Wu Xie was going to be more than fine, he pushed himself off Wu Xie and sat next to him, once again covering him with his sleeping bag and letting him have the necessary rest that had previously elude him. A little later, after everyone had settled into their own little camp, Shades sat down next to him and looked at him.
"Is he fine?" Xiazi asked.
"Yes." He whispers.
"That was the Qilin?" Xiazi asked again, although he already knew the answer to his own question.
"Yes. It improved some of Wu Xie's cells." He offered and Shades frowned.
"Wait ... San Xing's nephew will become a guardian like us and Wenjin?" Shades asked him, but he remained silent. It wasn't like he knew the reason why the Qilin had an interest in Wu Xie in the first place. The mythical beast only acted by the will of the gods, going between realms at will, fulfilling the duty that had been imposed on it.
"Well ... you don't talk much. Still ... Madam Dolma was a bit mean this time. She keeps the sandstorm array in that golden toy of hers, but damn, the lizards? Was it her too? Xiazi asked.
"No. She was not given control over them." Qiling whispered, looking at the sleeping Wu Xie.
"Oh ... so it was part of his testing?" Qiling nodded.
"Then this will be a hell of a journey. I better have Xiao Hua with me at all times." He said as he looked into the distance, where his Master Hua was still casually chatting with the still concerned Pangzi.
"Be careful with the Qilin too." Qiling warned him.
"I hope it doesn't come to that with Xiao Hua. Two members of the Mystic Nine at the same time will shake the balance on the human side. After all, there is more than one force at work in this realm." Qiling closed his eyes and leaned his back against the wall behind him, ending their exchange of views and Xiazi took that as a hint that he should leave him alone with his thinking.
Yes, the human realm has two forces colliding with each other since the beginning of time and they were right in the middle of them, sometimes pulled to the right and then pushed to the left, to be pushed back again and so on, to keep balance as it should. That conflicting force was the reason why the guardians from both sides existed, even if they were few in number throughout the centuries.
Until now, Qiling only knew clearly that he was one guardian of the bronze gate of heaven, the oldest of that era, along with Hei Yanjing, Zhang Rishan and Chen Wenjin, occasionally aided by the nine gates of earth and minor guardians like Madam Dolma. The other side had the elusive Wang family that they knew very little about, who were always trying to get through the bronze door, even when his side had never tried to cross the death's door into the underworld.
If Wu Xie was to become another full guardian... he looked once more at the young man beside him and hoped that was not the case, because becoming one in the midst of an endless war was going to change him in a way that he will sooner rather than later lose both his innocent heart and his naïve spirit and become a tool, like him. That alone, just from the little that he knew of Wu Xie so far, will be a great loss rather than a blessing.
"I hope your calling is different from mine, Wu Xie." He whispered to himself and as night fell, he made sure nothing disturbed the young man's rest. To his relief, the heavens seem to hear his silent prayer, keeping the night free of lizards or any other beasts that may lurk in the dark to harm them.
The next morning, Wu Xie woke up refreshed and full of vigor, unlike the night before, in which he felt himself burning from the inside out. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Zhang Qiling, resting next to him while he sat, so calm and peaceful that it was alluring to look at him.
To be honest, he had never considered liking another man before, but he had to admit that looking at Poker Face was an unavoidable thing, as he really did look handsome and mysterious, all dressed in black clothes, as he held that sword of his across his chest, ready to go to war at any given moment, like the warrior god who had so preciously protected him yesterday. Wu Xie sighed.
Perhaps he had fumed his own frustration at the time, and had taken it out on Zhang Qiling. The guy obviously took his job seriously and had his set of priorities in the way that was comfortable for him. If he really was a loner, as Pangzi had said, then he was understandably socially awkward and therefore unable to establish a proper relationship with him, as his charge. It was probably truly wrong of him to expect Qiling to become his best friend out of nowhere and more so when he didn't even know if the dreams were shared between them both or just on his side. It was more than enough that he had saved his life, apparently more than once now.
"Earth to Tianzhen... are you seriously considering becoming gay for Men You Ping after just one day? Damn, your Wu family is over." Wu Xie heard Pangzi sneer and his dazzling gaze shattered into hundreds of pieces.
"Don't be an idiot so early in the morning Pangzi. What the hell happened to me yesterday?" Wu Xie asked, as he sat on his sleeping bag.
"Your knight in shining armor saved you again from a vivid illusion and let me tell you, unlike you, he is not shy when it comes to that. He already saw the decent part of you and even branded you with his own blood, so your attraction is actually..." At that, Qiling opened his eyes to coldly stare at Pangzi, as Wu Xie widened his eyes on incredibly panic.
"What did you say?" And immediately, Wu Xie lifted his shirt and discovered that he was marked with dried blood on his chest with a strange symbol that he could neither read nor identify.
"See? You are now a married man, make sure you follow him wherever he goes. He is a bit elusive, but I'm sure he is a faithful husband and won't cheat on you with another hot man at your back." Pangzi laughed as soon as he saw Tianzhen blush like crazy and Wu Xie looked beside him at Zhang Qiling with a cute accusing look on his face that almost made Qiling smile. Maybe he liked Fatty, after all, for giving him a chance to enjoy something for once.
"Don't make fun of Wu Xie, Pangzi. He already had hell yesterday and Zhang Qiling saved him from it. There was nothing indecent about it, don't worry, Wu Xie." Xiao Hua intervened before Wu Xie melted in embarrassment.
"Time to go, pack up." Qiling said, as he stood without looking down at his charge. Wu Xie swallowed his embarrassment and did as he was told, cursing Pangzi for amusing himself at his expense. Half an hour later, the remainder of the group headed for the ruins of the Devil City's outer circle. Since Madame Dolma and her grandson were now conveniently 'missing', Wu Xie decided to chart a new path for them, based on the notes his grandfather had left for him and began to walk inside the ruins.
Having traced a path around the ruins, Qiling led the group with Wu Xie right behind him and as they walked, Wu Xie wondered what kind of symbol Poker Face had traced on his chest and what the meaning was. If he had been trapped in an illusion, what kind of power does that symbol have to drive it away and where has Zhang Qiling learned it from?
He had very extensive knowledge about runes, ancient characters, and symbols of almost all ancient civilizations of the area, but he had never seen one like the drawing on his skin, but more importantly, he felt it warm. Before departing, Wu Xie was going to remove it, because it had done it with blood and all, but Qiling said that he should leave it there for one day, in case he got caught in another illusion again.
That, of course, only piqued his natural curiosity even more. Who really was Zhang Qiling? He didn't look much older than him, yet there was an air of maturity about him and the way others seemed to respect him meant that he truly was a master in that field. No one argues against him taking the initiative, but there was unspoken relief that he did, including Ning.
Poker Face also seems to know where to turn before he can give him directions when he comes across a fork in his path and avoid the obvious and hidden traps they encountered along the way. However, as they went further into the ruins, they discovered that there were more than traps or large lizards. Wu Xie unfortunately discovered that there was also quicksand that seemed to form out of nowhere and of course one just almost swallow him in one go, if it weren't for his guardian quick reflexes on him.
"Be careful. Traps are not only made of stones and arrows." Poker Face whispers to him, as he pulls him out of the sand to get him to safety. He was surprised to find that Zhang Qiling's strength exceeded his expectations tenfold, when pulling him out with one hand, been half submerged on the sand already.
"Thanks." Wu Xie said, but Poker Face just nodded and kept walking.
"We should all be more careful. This is where the real fun begins." Xiazi said, looking at Xiao Hua next to him.
"What fun, idiot? Just make sure you don't fall into one." Xiao Hua protested.
"Will you be the gentlemen and lift me up like Yaba Zhang did with Wu Xie?" Xiazi asked.
"Do I look inhuman? Only Zhang Qiling can do a trick like that." Xiao Hua reply.
"Fine. I can try, if you're in danger." Xiazi joked.
"It is more likely that you will also fall and then I will be the one to save you. Thanks but no thanks. Keep walking or we'll be left behind. Zhang Qiling seems to be in a hurry." Xiao Hua pointed.
"Of course he is, Tianzhen is a magnet for danger." Pangzi added.
"I heard that Pangzi! Then come here and lead the way." Wu Xie retorted.
"Men You Ping is the one leading the way. He's more suited to save you than I am and it's not like I want to be on the way to your first bromance adventure." Some laughed and Wu Xie looked at Pangzi, who was smiling quite pleased.
"You better make sure you don't fall into quicksand, because I certainly won't be the one to save you." Pangzi laughed.
"Stop bluffing, you'll try to save each and every one of us if you get the chance, that's why you're so green at this job." Pangzi commented and this time Qiling smiled slightly at the front of the long line.
"Is it so bad to care?" He protested.
"That is why I call you Tianzhen, you may care, but not everyone here will feel the same, nor will they do what you would. You may want to remember that, it can save your life in the future." Pangzi said and Ning smiled to herself. So she was the evil witch in that tale? Well, it wasn't like she didn't have a hidden agenda of her own, though when Zhang Qiling was involved, it complicated things on her end.
"Stop jinxing us Pangzi!" Pan Zi yelled behind Ning.
"Yes, shut up, you're distracting." Wu Xie said, looking back.
"As if you need one to put yourself in danger, be careful not to step on the wrong stone."
"Haha. Really, it's not funny..." However, when he looked back to the front, he bumped into Poker Face back, as he had stopped walking at that very moment.
"What happen?" Wu Xie asked in alarm.
"Something is coming." Qiling whispered, as he instinctively grabbed Wu Xie's wrist and also did Xiazi with Hua Yuchen, also hearing the same thing that Qiling did.
"What the heck, Xiazi...?" Xiao Hua started to ask, as she tried to get his hand back from Xiazi's, but this time Shades didn't let him get away with it.
"Something is really coming... just listen." Xiazi said to Xiao Hua, taking him seriously this time, did as he was told, as well as the others and listened.
There, in the distance, they could hear the faint sound of many things moving at the same time approaching their position.
"What's that?" Mop asked a little shaken by the sound.
"Nothing good for sure. We should run and put some distance between us and whatever is making that sound." Ning suggested.
"I think it is too late for that. It seems we are surrounded." Xiazi told them, also hearing the movement in a circle around their ruins.
"Then what?" Pan Zi asked.
"We prepare for the fight." Xiazi replied, pulling his gun out from his belt. Qiling drew hi sword out too and looked at Wu Xie intensely for a moment.
"Stay close to me, whatever happens." Qiling told him and Wu Xie nodded, taking out his own long dagger and preparing himself for whatever was coming, his heart pounding fiercely within his chest.
"Alright, bring it on!" Pangzi shouted as the sound got closer and closer. No matter what, they were ready for the next challenge.
AN: Thanks for reading, the adventure is getting more exciting.
