"The Little Things"

Let's stay

"Shen Wei!" Zhao was by the man's side in a split second. His brows furrowed when he studied the pale face and bloodied lips. "You have overdone yourself, haven't you?" he asked accusingly.

"It is nothing. I need to get you home." Shen Wei had problems focusing his eyes.

"No. You need to rest. Come on. We'll stay here for a bit." Zhao half dragged the spent man deeper into the tunnel. "Hey," he said, looking ahead with a slightly raised voice. "Shut the door, will ya? And make us a room, preferably with a space to get a small fire going?" He really didn't expect anything to happen, but then he heard a rumble and the stony roots around them started moving. The exit was completely sealed, and the next moment the walls began to move, creating a fair-sized cavern. Yunlan helped Wei sit down and, in complete darkness, started searching for the discarded luggage.

"Some light would be nice." He muttered to himself, and the next moment luminescent crystals appeared in the ceiling, brightening up the whole place. "Wow, nice," he whispered, bewildered. The detective located all three backpacks and returned to Shen Wei.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly, kneeling down and putting one hand on the other man's shoulder. Shen Wei lifted his head minutely, directing it in the direction of the voice.

"Oh wow, that good, huh?" Zhao decided not to think about how badly the man was hurt. He was clinging to the hope that if Brother Black was back, so were his healing powers. He looked at Shen Wei's bandaged hand, and after a moment of indecision, he took off the dressing and then smiled in relief, seeing the cuts gone.

Yunlan went to the backpacks and rummaged through them, then whistled while going through Changcheng's. He found not only a sizable medkit but also plenty of granola bars, clothes and other things Guo thought handy. He took out two spare jackets, lay them on the ground and helped Shen Wei lie down. "Do you want some water?"

"No," came a whisper.

"Ok, I'm gonna start a fire. If you need anything, just say." He waited for Shen Wei to nod, then moved to the centre of the cavern. "Um, is there a chance for some firewood?" He felt stupid talking to the walls, but the feeling of familiarity mixed with desperation made him bolder than ever. After a couple of seconds, a long root appeared. This was completely wooden, and it folded itself like a snake before Zhao's feet. "Um, thanks," said Zhao and hastily used his lighter to make a bonfire. Soon it got noticeably warmer. He went back to Shen Wei and saw the man observing him. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I can't," Wei responded truthfully. He shivered, and Yunlan cursed.

"Hang on, I need to get you warm." He sat on the ground, leaned against the wall, then lifted Shen Wei and pulled him onto his chest, propping his head against his collar bone. Then he took the jackets from the ground and covered them both. Finally, he embraced his friend from behind. "We are both tired. We need to share warmth, or we might not survive. Try to get some sleep. Ok?" he said softly.

"How did you know?" Asked Shen Wei, the thirst to learn overpowering exhaustion.

"Know what?"

"About the mountain?"

"Oh," Yunlan knew that sooner or later, he would have to tell. "When Ye Zun was... doing something to you..."

"He gave me his life force." Shen Wei cut in, defending his younger brother.

"Yes. I... saw some things. Those were more like random images of me standing on that mountain... Those are no recollections. It's more like a feeling deep inside. Am I even making sense?" He shifted nervously.

"Yes," Shen Wei's body was relaxing, and Zhao hoped that it meant that he was getting warmer. "What about the water?"

"The one in the pool?"

"Yes."

"It is contaminated. There are traces of the water of oblivion. It is said that a soul needs to drink that water to forget themselves and enter reincarnation."

"How did it get there?"

"I don't know. Put that on the list of things I really don't get. It will take ages, but with time it will get cleared by the mountain. We don't need to worry about it." He was speaking really quietly and finally, he felt that Shen Wei's body went limp, and the breathing evened out. In the end, he too closed his eyes, worn out completely.