Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! Enjoy this next chapter :)

Beta & Co-author: jeangirlmy

- Chapter Start -

Jiang ZiSuan opens his eyes and looks around, a puzzled frown pulling his eyebrows together. If he's not mistaken, he's back in his room at Tianlin Hotel. His vision is normal again and that ringing sound from before is gone. Instead, there's quiet clinking as if someone is moving glass bottles around with great care.

Turning his head to the side, Jiang ZiSuan sees a medical case lying open on the table. He sits up, uttering a groan as his body protests. Princess pops up from the case at once and wriggles her fingers at him.

Jiang ZiSuan stares at her, one hand going up to his neck to discover neat bandages on both sides. Then he realises he's only wearing his sleeveless top which means he's been stripped for the second time. At least they left on his trousers while his jacket and backpack are on the sofa.

Princess hops out of the medical case, causing a louder clinking sound, and leaps onto the bed.

"Princess! How many times have I-" Huo DaoFu appears at the door and breaks off, his resigned expression giving way to instant wariness. "Awake at last."

"What time is it?" Jiang ZiSuan asks.

"The next morning." Huo DaoFu enters the room, keeping eye contact with Jiang ZiSuan while stealthily beckoning with one hand to the shellfish who ignores him.

"I'm the one who should be worried," Jiang ZiSuan says dryly. "She's bitten me thrice."

Princess takes that as encouragement to scuttle up to his shoulder and pat the bandages on his neck.

"You're a mercenary," Huo DaoFu says, still watching him like a hawk from the foot of the bed.

"Whose only target is Wu Xie," Jiang ZiSuan counters and grimaces. "Well, was."

Huo DaoFu's narrow shoulders relaxes a little.

"So you meant what you said down in the caves?"

"Yeah. Is he really dying?" As soon as the words leave Jiang ZiSuan's mouth, Princess flops down on his shoulder, fingers hanging straight down.

"Yes. Lung cancer. He has a few days left at most."

Jiang ZiSuan frowns. He's not sure how he feels about this after his promise to A-Ning.

"Anyway," Huo DaoFu continues abruptly like he's changing the subject, "Wu Xie says lunch is on him to make up for Princess' exampl - uh, atrocious behaviour."

Jiang ZiSuan huffs in amusement and shakes his head.

"It's fine. I was being irrational. If Princess hadn't - wait, is she poisonous?"

They both turn to look at the shellfish who hides under the blankets with one eye peeking out.

"Shellfish venom," Huo DaoFu explains. "I've given you something to hopefully neutralise it since I don't make a habit of carrying around antivenom."

"Thanks." Jiang ZiSuan swings his legs out of bed and stands up with another groan as his various bruises twinge. "Where's Wu Xie?"

"Disappeared early this morning." Huo DaoFu looks and sounds annoyed.

Jiang ZiSuan raises an eyebrow.

"Let me guess. He's going back to Thunder City and his little friends followed him."

Huo DaoFu nods, lips pressed so tightly they all but disappear. Jiang ZiSuan huffs again.

"Idiots, all of them."

"Tell me about it," Huo DaoFu sighs. He watches as Jiang ZiSuan wears back his jacket. "So, what do you plan on doing now?"

"Mr. Jiao abandoned me so this job is over. I'll leave and look for another."

Huo DaoFu turns to Princess who's now sitting on his shoulder. She pats his cheek encouragingly.

"You're in luck. I have a job for you."

Jiang ZiSuan raises both eyebrows.

"If you're going to be an idiot as well, don't drag me down with you."

Huo DaoFu looks a bit discomfited, but tips his chin up.

"I want to be there when Wu Xie dies."

Jiang ZiSuan wonders how much of that annoyance is genuine concern. Princess wriggles her fingers at him again.

"She going with you?"

"Someone has to keep an eye on her," Huo DaoFu counters. "What's your fee?"

"For what?"

"Bringing all of us back alive."

Jiang ZiSuan doesn't want to ponder on the irony of that.

"I haven't paid you for treating me."

"I'm willing to forgo that if you-

"Let's sort it out after we all get back," Jiang ZiSuan interrupts him. "Including Wu Xie."

"Agreed." Huo DaoFu gives an approving nod.

- o -

After Jiang ZiSuan and Huo DaoFu help themselves to an astonishing amount of gear left behind by Mr. Jiao, they and Princess enter the secret entrance from Jiang ZiSuan's room once more. They make their way past the tunnels with the holes in the walls and the pools with the vicious clams. To Jiang ZiSuan's surprise, no creatures attack them. When he points this out, Huo DaoFu just smiles, his fond gaze straying to Princess who's leading the way.

After ducking past the unmoving marionettes on the same theatre stage - Wu Xie had jammed the controlling mechanism earlier - they make their way outdoors. The surrounding forest is filled with poisonous gas so they dig out two hazmat suits and gas masks and put them on. They traverse the forest without any issue aside from Jiang ZiSuan almost walking headfirst into a tree when Princess sticks her head out from his hood and knocks his goggles askew.

After going underground again, they come across two familiar figures lying on the ground, hands bound behind their backs.

"Jia KeZi! Li JiaLe!" Huo DaoFu rushes over to them, horrified.

Jiang ZiSuan recognises them as the duo he fought back at Tianlin Hotel and near the marionette stage yesterday. It looked like they had run afoul of Mr. Jiao and his men. Pulling out the knife stuck in the ground nearby, he slashes through the ropes binding their wrists.

"How are they?"

"Barely alive. Someone slit their throats and they've lost a lot of blood." Cursing under his breath, Huo DaoFu shrugs off his backpack and almost wrenches the zipper open in his haste. Princess is darting back and forth between the two men, patting their faces and looking just as frantic.

"I'll help. Tell me what to do." Jiang ZiSuan kneels beside Huo DaoFu and takes out his own medical kit.

- o -

Huo DaoFu works in a tense silence as he cleans and stitches the wounds, lips pressed tight with anger. Jiang ZiSuan holds his torchlight in his mouth and passes him items, his gaze lingering on those long, skilled fingers. Princess sits on the current patient's chest and offers pats whenever they grimace and twitch in pain.

It's an odd medical team, but no one is in any frame of mind to point it out.

When Huo DaoFu is finished and the two men are lying to one side, he sits back and rolls his shoulders with a sigh.

"That's all I can do for now," he mutters. "The rest is up to them."

Jiang ZiSuan passes him some water to clean his hands.

"It's best not to move them for a few hours," Huo DaoFu continues

"So we wait here?" Jiang ZiSuan asks, passing him more water and food rations.

"Correct." Huo DaoFu gives him a small smile. "Thanks for your help. Princess, you too."

He closes his eyes to rest them and doesn't see Princess nibbling away at his energy bar.

- o -

Jiang ZiSuan wakes up from a light doze to a tap-tapping noise. Princess is sitting on his arm and happily playing with his bracelet, tapping on each bead as if counting them. Huo DaoFu is sitting beside Jiang ZiSuan, close enough that their shoulders touch.

"Why is he here with Huo DaoFu?"

"Maybe Huo DaoFu brought him along? But I don't trust him."

Ah. It seems their two patients are awake.

"That's good because I wouldn't trust myself either," Jiang ZiSuan says, leaning forward to look past Huo DaoFu to the other two. They freeze at once.

Huo DaoFu stirs and opens his eyes. Then he inhales sharply, turning to them.

"Jia KeZi, Li JiaLe. Don't move. How do you two feel?" He presses his fingers to their inner wrists in turn.

"Alive, thanks to you and Princess," Jia KeZi says with a tiny smile.

"Yeah," Li JiaLe echoes. "But why is he here?"

"I hired him. We need muscle to reach Wu Xie and I'm no fighter," Huo DaoFu replies. "So far he hasn't tried to kill us yet."

Jiang ZiSuan just huffs and makes no comment while Huo DaoFu passes water and energy bars to Jia KeZi and Li JiaLe.

"If you two can walk, we should get going."

"Are we going to look for Wu Xie?" Li JiaLe asks with an eagerness that makes Jiang ZiSuan scowl.

"It's because of him that you two almost died," he growls. To his surprise, Huo DaoFu nods in agreement.

"We still want to look for him," Jia KeZi says.

"No. You two will go back to the hotel and rest," Huo DaoFu says sternly. "Wait for us there."

"But-" Li JiaLe begins.

"Put these on before going through the forest," Huo DaoFu continues, holding up the hazmat suits and gas masks.

"But Wu Xie-"

"Won't be distracted if you two aren't there with him," Jiang ZiSuan says firmly and adds under his breath, "It looks like the tomboy isn't Wu Xie's only fan."

Huo DaoFu coughs to hide a snort.

- Chapter End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed this chapter :)