Archive of Our Own

Wu Xie had no appetite and he didn’t want to eat anything. All he could do was stare at the flames of fire without being able to utter a single word. It seemed that the peace and quiet between them were too fragile and he had an ominous feeling that if he started to talk or ask questions... he wouldn't like the answers. Zhang Qiling didn’t seem to want to eat anything either.

Wu Xie already knew about Zhang Qiling's final destination. He was heading toward the bronze gate.

That place had completely overturned Wu Xie's world view and if he never heard about that place for the rest of his life, it would be too soon.

After a few minutes of silence, he was surprised when he saw Zhang Qiling took out two ghost seals from his pack. He weighed them and handed one to Wu Xie.

“Since you’re here, I think you should know something.” He said, “Take this ghost seal back, I only need one.”

Wu Xie held the seal in his hands, feeling its coldness seeping through his bones. He didn’t like the direction of the talk that Zhang Qiling was starting. “Where did you get this other one?”

“Granny Huo gave it to me,” Zhang Qiling said.

“What is this thing for?” Wu Xie went straight to the point, unable to stand the wait.

Zhang Qiling kept his gaze when he said, “To open the gate.”

When Wu Xie stared at the ghost seal, Zhang Qiling said, “When you bring this thing to the bronze gate, it will open. Ten years from now, if you still remember me, you can take this thing and open the gate. You might see me inside.”

“What exactly is behind that gate?”

He decidedly ignored the ‘if you still remember me…’ part.

Even the thought of forgetting Zhang Qiling was ridiculous.

If it was possible, just for uttered those words, Wu Xie wanted to knock some sense into him.

“What exactly is behind that gate? Why are you going in?”

“I can’t tell you what it is,” Zhang Qiling said. “I can only tell you one thing. The core of the secret I want to protect is behind this bronze gate and guarding it will take time. I will enter the bronze gate for ten years and wait for the next successor.”

“Why does it have to be you?”

Zhang Qiling didn’t say anything for a while, but Wu Xie knew that this time, Zhang Qiling’s silence wouldn’t last long. Not this time.

“Many years ago, I carried a secret and found what you called The Mystic Nine. In the Zhang family’s ancestral practice, retention had always been the biggest goal. The whole development process of the Zhang family hoped that in any troubled times, the family could survive and thus retain the mass burial of the Zhang family’s ancient building. Judging from the information I received, only the patriarch could know the huge secret and the Zhang family had known this secret since the very beginning. No one knows what it is. We only know that the secret itself exists and that it has a key time node. This node has now arrived. After the Zhang family’s last hope was dashed, I found the Mystic Nine at that time, hoping to use their strength to help the Zhang family and jointly undertake this obligation so that the secret wouldn’t be discovered. But none of them kept their promise. In the nearly one hundred years that have passed, all the people who guarded the secret were the Zhang family’s people, thus weakening our power. In our previous agreement, the people in the Mystic Nine were to take turns to guard the secret.”

Wu Xie was baffled. This revelation and the true meaning of it explained so much about the heavy responsibility that Zhang Qiling had to shoulder in order to keep the family safe and the fact that he was alone in this path, made him so angry at elders and all the ones responsible for breaking the agreement.

He felt utterly helpless when he realized the fact that no matter how much he wanted to shoulder some of Zhang Qiling’s burdens with him, it was out of his capabilities.

He stared at Zhang Qiling’s dark eyes when he asked, “None of them went?”

Zhang Qiling nodded. “I am the last Zhang Qiling of the Zhang family, and I must be the guardian in the days to come. Since you are here, however, I will tell you, ten years from now, if you still remember me, you can open this gate to replace me.”

Wu Xie closed his eyes for a moment. “Wait.”

After digesting everything, Wu Xie asked, “You mean, the Mystic Nine takes turns, and your Zhang family has been rotating for several generations?”

Zhang Qiling nodded, and Wu Xie asked him, “If this is the case, according to the promise, whose turn is it now?”

When Zhang Qiling's intense gaze held his own in an unbreakable hold. Even before hearing the words, Wu Xie already saw the answer in his eyes.

“Yours,” Zhang Qiling said.

‘Mine,’

It was like time stopped at that very moment.

The very moment that he knew, despite all his desperate tries to avoid losing Zhang Qiling, like sand slipping through his fingers, he was losing Zhang Qiling whether he wanted it or not.

He hoped against all odds that he heard the wrong words.

“You mean to say… that I should’ve been behind this bronze gate for ten years?”

They stared at each other when Zhang Qiling nodded.

Everything shut off. All sounds were muffled. He could only see Zhang Qiling, his best friend, and the only person to call him his only connection to this world, admit that he was going to sacrifice his own freedom, for him.

Wu Xie didn’t know when he moved. Unable to stop himself, he reached out his numb hands and grabbed Zhang Qiling's nape.

leaning forward, he tilted his forehead against Zhang Qiling's.

“Xiaoge, please...” He whispered, hearing himself begging, and felt Zhang Qiling tense under his touch.

‘Tell me you won’t…’ His mind screamed.

He didn’t know if it was because of the cold or the sense of terror that overpowered his other senses, but his body began to shake.

A faint smile touched the corners of Zhang Qiling's mouth and his eyes softened slightly. He lifted one of his hands and covered the back of Wu Xie's hand that firmly held his neck, his fingers curled over his.

He didn't look away from Wu Xie's eyes. “I would exchange my lifetime for ten years of your innocence..." He said quietly, "Ten years in there means nothing to me."

It took a second, just a second when comprehension dawned on Wu Xie; he stared at those onyx eyes that held a grim determination in them, and a chill wracked his frame.

Wu Xie shook his head, his eyes burning.

A constant voice in his head kept telling him not to let go. He couldn't let Zhang Qiling go. He desperately held on to him, pulling him closer.

“Don't... you can't do this... please...” His voice sounded strange. Broken.

Zhang Qiling nodded, his eyes lingering on Wu Xie as if memorizing him, and when he reached his other hand out, Wu Xie already knew what was about to happen...

He never stood a chance to pull away...

“Xiaoge don't!”

By the time his eyes opened to the unlit room, the feeling that came after shouting himself awake, was a torment worse than the dream, making him long for that blissful ignorance of waking or never sleeping again.

The sound of his heavy breathing broke the silence of the room. He was overwhelmed to a point that everything felt raw; left with an open wound, all over again.

He drew in a deep breath and picked up his phone on the nightstand to check the time. It was 4 a.m.

Wu Xie threw the phone back on the nightstand and lay down again, rubbing his eyes with the insides of his palms. He had a massive headache.

Of all the nightmares that used to torment him at night, this seemingly harmless nightmare was the one he most dreaded and hated to see. He had the same recurring nightmare for the last ten nights and they all ended with Zhang Qiling leaving him behind. It was also the tenth night of not sleeping properly.

A knock on the door robbed him of any chance of sleeping again.

The door opened and Pangzi walked in.

“Tian Zhen…ahhh… I wanted to start your morning with, ‘good morning sunshine’, but You look like a zombie, again. We have a guest.”

Wu Xie sat up. “NOW? At this hour?”

“It is considered an early morning, at least for our dear guest,” He said as he yawned.

Wu Xie was frozen still. It was already obvious that their visitor couldn't be Zhang Qiling.

He had his own set of keys and Wushanju was already his home. Zhang Qiling didn’t notify anyone of his presence and always moved around unnoticed.

It was one of the reasons that Wu Xie was always startled when Zhang Qiling suddenly appeared in his personal space, he never saw him coming.

It couldn’t be Xiazi, Xiao Hua, or Xiu Xiu either, because fatty said a ‘guest’, not a 'friend' and they weren’t much of an early riser either.

So whoever they were, they had to have a damn urgent matter if they came at this time.

He could already guess that ‘guest’ was related to Zhang Qiling and only one person was bold enough to come to Wushanju like this.

Wu Xie rose and went straight toward his wardrobe. He had to change his shirt anyway.

“Did they finish with their honeymoon already? Zhang Rishan is sure fast."

Pangzi leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms, his eyes bleary. Wu Xie wondered how exactly Zhang Rishan managed to wake Pangzi up at this time.

Moreover, how deep was he drowning in his nightmare that he didn’t hear the sound when someone came to his house. He wasn’t exactly off guard or relaxed enough to not hear the sounds of doors opening and closing.

In fact, he was far from off guard. He was constantly on HIGH alert.

‘It happens when you can’t get a decent sleep for ten consecutive nights.’ He thought to himself.

“More like they finished the honeymoon phase and now are in the honeymoon baby faze!”

Wu Xie turned back. “WHAT???”

“I guess a certain someone is becoming an uncle or is it… grandpa? I don't know... anyway... Zhang Rishan sure is fast.”

“But, they just got married!”

“Yeah, well... it was coming since two years ago. Good thing you and Xiaoge couldn't get pregnant or your kid would be eleven right now! Zhangs sure are in a hurry!”

“Yeah–wait... WHAT?? What nonsense are you spouting now??”

He snapped out of his trance, already feeling his face getting hotter as he threw a pillow at Pangzi, a step from strangling him.

Pangzi caught the pillow; looked at Wu Xie with an identical expression and wide eyes, and threw the pillow back at him.

"What? I know you did the deed a decade ago! No need to hide it!"

Wu Xie stammered, trying to organize his chaotic mind and failed miserably.

“IN WHICH HELL did you come up with this brilliant idea is beyond me! What deed did we do, you lunatic?”

Pangzi snorted and winked, “Many deeds. Anyway, he is outside!”

Just when Wu Xie turned around to find something else - hopefully harder than a pillow - to throw at him, Pangzi sprang out of the room, his loud shout still audible as he said,

“He said it is about Xiaoge!”

........................

Zhang Rishan's visit to Wushanju was too sudden to be a normal meeting. That's why Wu Xie felt uneasy. He already knew it couldn’t be good.

It has been nearly two years since his last meeting with Zhang Rishan. After the elimination of the Wangs, there was no longer any reason for them to meet each other. After all, Zhang Qiling was back, and as the Zhang family's patriarch and Wu Xie's housemate, if there was anything, it could be said through him.

But Zhang Qiling wasn't there now. It had been a month since he left Yucun to wherever he wanted to travel next, and that was exactly why Wu Xie felt more agitated than normal. Because he had a distinct feeling that Zhang Rishan’s presence, was related to Zhang Qiling’s sudden disappearance.

Since Zhang Qiling returned from the gate, he seldom left for long periods. They knew Zhang Qiling couldn’t stay in one place for long, but since Wu Xie worried when he was gone, he would always keep in contact even if it was only once or twice a day. He never took that long to come back, at most a few weeks.

But last month was different. He only told Wu Xie he had a mission. Wu Xie knew it was related to the Zhang family, but it didn't help with the bitter taste of anxiety. The Zhang family didn't use Zhang Qiling for simple tasks. They used him for possibly near-death tasks.

"It’s been less than ten days since we came back to Wushanju. I didn’t expect the news of our arrival to spread so fast. To what do I owe this early visit?"

After they lost contact with Zhang Qiling for more than five days, Wu Xie couldn’t stand the wait anymore. If Zhang Qiling would be somewhere out of service, he usually warned Wu Xie, but this time there was no warning before they lost him.

Wu Xie had enough trauma related to Zhang Qiling’s disappearance to be unable to withstand the doubts. That and the growing uneasiness in him and the nightmares that followed, Pangzi wasn’t surprised when he suddenly started packing up and the next thing they knew, they were on their way back to Hangzhou.

It was Wu Xie’s domain and where he could maneuver easily if he needed to look for Zhang Qiling. Wu Xie was especially careful not to tell anyone about coming back and held the whole thing under wrap since if there was a conspiracy involved and Zhang Qiling was in danger, he didn’t want to alert anyone. He was too paranoid to risk being found before he knew what to expect and even his uncle didn’t know he was back yet. The fact that Zhang Rishan was here, was alarming Wu Xie.

Wu Xie didn’t go behind his desk and directly sat in front of Zhang Rishan. Apparently, Pangzi already served them tea. Wu Xie didn't feel like drinking anything and waited for the man to explain the reason for being there.

Zhang Rishan didn't waste any time either. “The reason for my visit at this hour is exactly the same as yours for keeping your arrival to Hangzhou undercover. Zhang Qiling left for a mission a month ago. He has yet to make any contact and we can't reach him or locate his whereabouts in the past 10 days. It doesn’t need much thinking to know he is missing, and you are definitely here to search for him. At least he said you will.”

Wu Xie stared at his hands for a long time, trying to process everything he heard. Zhang Qiling already expected to go missing?

“How the hell am I supposed to find Xiaoge when the man in question didn't give me so much as a grain of information about his mission? Did I turn to a prophet without knowing? It was a mission you gave him!”

Zhang Rishan was unfazed by his snarky remark and took a sip of his tea before placing it neatly back down.

“It was a mission, he took upon himself. I didn't give him. Even if I’m still holding the seat as the head of the family in his absence, he is the Patriarch. He said he had to understand something and my last informant saw him on the way to Xiamen before he completely disappeared. It was 10 days ago.”

The exact timeline when they lost contact with him. Now everything suddenly clicked to its place. The uneasiness that he felt the whole time, was proven to be true. Something had gone terribly wrong.

So when Zhang Rishan said Zhang Qiling expected Wu Xie to find him, Wu Xie knew well enough why Zhang Qiling was sure he would. After all, he had long expected it. He never truly believed the peace and quiet that they experienced in the past year to be a long-term thing.

“What was he looking for?”

Zhang Rishan regarded Wu Xie with a cold expression. Wu Xie met his gaze defiantly. A decade ago, he might have avoided that gaze, but now he felt nothing but a deep rotten rage because the man failed to keep Zhang Qiling safe.

After learning about how Zhang Qiling grew up, Wu Xie had a deep grudge against the Zhang family and while some believed he was allied with the Zhang family due to their previous cooperation regarding Wangs, it was purely for easing the responsibilities of Zhang Qiling.

As far as he was concerned, Zhang family failed to protect Zhang Qiling or even respect him as their said patriarch. The position in which they didn’t attach any importance, except in dire situations. It was one of the reasons for Wu Xie to add him under his household register the day after Zhang Qiling returned from the gate.

This incident proved once again that he couldn't trust the Zhang family with Zhang Qiling’s said semi-immortal life.

Zhang Rishan finally dropped Wu Xie’s gaze, clearly feeling Wu Xie’s agitation and his disregard for Rishan’s presence. He turned his gaze on the tea and took another sip.

“There is a silent understanding between Zhang Qiling and the whole family, including me, as long as he does his responsibilities as the patriarch of this family we will not interfere with his decisions and his life. That’s why staying by your side despite the family's displeasure is something we can't interfere with. I understand as someone who cares a great deal about Zhang Qiling’s well-being, you might have some dissatisfactions regarding the family; however,”

Zhang Rishan put his cup back down on the table and leveled Wu Xie with a hard gaze, “You must understand what I’m about to reveal is of great danger and importance for our family. You can’t disclose this information to anyone outside this household. The reason I’m telling you about this matter is that I’m genuinely worried about Zhang Qiling and I know you care enough about him to solve this matter quickly, preferably before it is too late.”

Wu Xie didn’t react. There was no need for long words of promise and sworn to secrecy. He would do anything for Zhang Qiling, and Zhang Rishan believed that.

“At first he wasn’t supposed to be in Xiamen. Actually, there was no mission at the beginning. He went down to Gutongjing first. Something about needing to understand about some matters and I had no reason to stop him, it was pretty obvious why he felt the need to check some things,”

Wu Xie was ready to hear about anything except for what Rishan said. He knew a day would come when Zhang Qiling would stop being subtle with his inquiries regarding the matters Wu Xie kept hidden from him; however, he never expected it to be like this.

“My informants said that he met with someone two weeks after his departure. Apparently, it was one of the members of the side branch of the family. After that, he came back to Xinyue to inquire about disperse, but frequent and not so recent disappearances of members of the side branch of the family. The reports I got, stated that the members that disappeared never came back. There were no leads or clues about their whereabouts. I thought it could be one of Wang’s recent plans. Although you destroyed their domain and their trump card, the issues between the Zhang and Wang families won’t be solved so easily.”

Wu Xie rose and went to his desk to take up a cigarette from an open box on the desk; he lighted it and leaned against his desk while taking a long drag of his cigarette. He needed something to fill his hands otherwise he would break his finger bones from clasping his hands too tight.

“You say ‘thought’, now you think otherwise?”

“It takes time for them to regroup. Even if Wang Cen has enough resources to start taking the Zhangs one by one, he can’t do it alone. Besides, when I searched the old documents, we had a similar case happening from 1877 to 1898 but it stopped afterward. I don’t know if the old case is related to the recent incidents, but some of the methods are the same. Zhang Qiling is the patriarch of the family and if he said you will find him, it means that the signs he left behind are only known to you alone. So I had no way other than involving you. Zhang Qiling’s presence alone is a great source of peace and confidence among the family. I can’t let anything happen to him. I sent Xiazi with him. They usually worked together as one shadowing the other without others seeing them together; however, I can’t contact Xiazi either.”

Wu Xie didn’t realize when his cigarette reached its end. He threw the cigarette butt in the ashtray and immediately lit up another, “I'm sorry, I must have heard wrongly. Run that by me again?”