Wu Xie
After their hot exchange, Wu Xie fall asleep on Xiaoge's warm arms, giving in to exhaustion. However, after a few hours of peacefully sleep, Wu Xie was awaken by Xiaoge. He had shaken him a few times to get his attention, but when Wu Xie open his eyes there was only darkness. He could not see anything even when he could feel Xiaoge touch on him.
"Xiaoge? Why is so dark here? Did the lamp broke?" Wu Xie asked as he rubbed his still itching eyes.
"No, the light should be still on, we are temporally blind." Xiaoge told him and Wu Xie instantly panic.
"What?! What do you mean temporarily blind? You can't see either?" Wu Xie asked as he try to move, but Xiaoge hold him to keep him in the bed.
"I can see a bit but it's too blurry. The effect of the poisonous gas outside will wear off soon, put this on." Xiaoge said as he offer Wu Xie something that turn out to be a mask, as he touched it and turn it on his hands.
"Gas? You mean that's why my eyes had been itching for so long?" Wu Xie asked.
"Yes, put it on and you will recover your sight soon." Xiaoge said as he too put one mask he had found for himself.
Outside, the land was cover with a white mist that they had inhaled while they sleep. Qiling had wake up feeling weird and found out that he could barely see inside the tent and got out of the bed, leaving Wu Xie's side to have a look at the outside, which was all tinted with mist, then he look for a pair of masks that should be on their backpacks, found them and wake up Wu Xie, so he will not be alarmed if he wake up on his own and find himself blind.
"I can barely breath with this on... what's going on outside?" Wu Xie asked, but there was no need for Xiaoge to respond, because Wu Xie could hear weird sounds coming from the other side of the door, the sound of countless snakes lurking around their camp.
"They are here." Xiaoge said to him and Wu Xie held Xiaoge's hand.
"We should be safe for now... as long as there is no fire, they will not know we are inside." Wu Xie whisper.
"They may not know our exact location... but they were here before..." Xiaoge hushed back.
"So they will still be coming for the tents." Wu Xie concluded.
"Yes." Xiaoge confirmed.
"Damn... will this hold that many snakes?" Wu Xie asked as he hear that creepy hiss they make as they slither around the camp.
"As long as they come from the ground or the sides..." Xiaoge told him. So far, they could hear them bouncing on the tent walls, but they were made with reinforced materials that were strong enough to hold them off. However, as time passed and the snakes could not get in, things begin to change.
Suddenly, the sound of the snakes no longer came from the ground, but for up the trees surrounding their camp and especially from those that had branches over the tents. Then, both of them could see and hear them fall over the top of the tent, making it weight more.
"Sneaky vipers... they will make the tent collapse if they gather in big numbers over it." Wu Xie said angrily, but Xiaoge simply held Wu Xie and force him to lay down with him in the bed.
"Xiaoge..."
"If the tent collapse, this is our best option. Calm down and just focus on me... don't look up." Xiaoge suggested as he knew that Wu Xie was in panic, his breathing been the indication he was too agitated. He needed something to distract him from the snakes falling and moving above their heads.
"Can we survive this night?" Wu Xie asked as he looked at the ever so calm Xiaoge.
"Yes, just ease your breathing..." Xiaoge suggested and Wu Xie try to calm himself, but soon the tent gave into the added weight of the snakes and collapsed over them, but fortunately, their bed was placed on the center, which was exactly in the place where the tent angle was the highest, leaving them just a bit of room as they hug each other.
The snakes keep moving above their heads, but at least they didn't find a hole in where they could get in, so after a few hours of hearing them move from above and the sides, Wu Xie finally relaxed into Xiaoge's arms.
"It's hot in here." Wu Xie whisper.
"It will be over soon." Xiaoge assured him and Wu Xie closed his eyes.
"I wonder what happened to Pan Zi and Pangzi's tent." Wu Xie asked to distract himself from the external hiss.
"It probably collapsed too."
"Yeah... but at least I don't hear Pangzi yelling that he had been bitten, so I guess they are fine as well."
"Hum. Try to have some rest."
"I can't fall asleep with so many deadly snakes outside."
"I'm here. I will make sure nothing gets to you."
"Ah I know, but seriously I can't sleep under this conditions."
"Alright... just hang in there."
"Sure... I have my guardian right beside me." Wu Xie whisper and Xiaoge smiled slightly, even if Wu Xie couldn't see it.
Hours later the snakes were gone and the raise of the new day was born and they went out of their tent to see just how bad had it been that snake wave. The camp was pretty much trashed, even more badly that when they had found it.
"Tianzhen! Are you alright?" Pangzi asked as soon as he saw him getting out.
"Ah, yeah... are you guys okay? You were not bitten, right?" Wu Xie asked, quite relieved to see them fine and been out of that suffocating mask.
"No, we got lucky, but the snakes pretty much leave us without a camp, not that I wanted to pass another hellish night in here, thought." Pangzi said.
"Did you guys lost your sight as well?" Wu Xie asked.
"Yep, pretty much for around twenty minutes. I tell you, it was hell trying to find the mask in the darkness, but luckily Pan Zi remember the direction of which he leave the backpacks from the bed."
"Of course, my sense of direction is better than yours, otherwise you may had never find it on your own." Pan Zi said.
"Who are you kidding? I have an awesome sense of direction."
"You couldn't find it."
"I was distracted by the sound of the snakes."
"You couldn't find it even if there were no snakes."
"Nonsense! You want to try me? Tianzhen come here and blindfold me and I will show you all how good I am." Pangzi demanded but Wu Xie ignore him.
"Never mind that, we should look for traces that my uncle may had left behind and be in our way. We definitely don't want to spend another night close to this camp." Wu Xie suggested.
"I agree. We should prepare something to eat, take a bath and be on head out. This is a den of snakes and Master San is still ahead of us for at least a day." Pan Zi added.
"Okay, you guys prepare the meal, Xiaoge and I will scout the place and see if we can find Wu San Xing's trace anywhere near." Pangzi said and so they got to work. By the time Xiaoge and Pangzi returned, they had make a good portion of porridge and served the two men a plate for each.
"So, did you found anything?" Wu Xie asked.
"We see the ruins of an old temple that way. There was no signs of anything closer, but at least it can give us some answers about this cursed place." Pangzi said as he pointed at the direction they had seen the temple.
"Well, anyplace is better than this one. Eat your porridge and Xiaoge... you eat too." Wu Xie give him a plate and Qiling comply. After the warm meal Pan Zi prepared a camping shower, high enough for all of them to fit under the falling water.
Only wearing black shorts, they bathe under the cold water, removing all the mud they had used before to prevent the snakes. Wu Xie didn't want to stare at Xiaoge bare chest, especially when they had explore a little more deeper their bodies in a more intimate way, yet he could not help himself but admire his lover as the rivers of water run down his skin.
"Tianzhen, you are drooling, get a hold of yourself, once this is over you can have him undressed all you want." Pangzi whisper and Wu Xie slapped the back of his head.
"I'm not undressing him with my sight." Wu Xie whined. Well, he had seen more of Xiaoge than just his well build chest.
"Yeah, right... Pan Zi, we better get clean ourselves fast, otherwise the water from the bag above us will vanish in steam from the fire coming from these two." Pangzi hushed.
"You can get out right now." Wu Xie said as he slightly kicked his butt.
"Leave them alone Pangzi. We had a long way ahead of us, so stop teasing them." Pan Zi said to their defense.
"You are too soft Pan Zi." Pangzi protested.
"Stop it. We need to find not only my uncle but also someone else." Wi Xie said, giving his lover a meaningful look and Xiaoge assented.
"What do you mean?" Pangzi asked.
"Chen Wenjin. She did left a message with Madam Dolma, remember? She said that she will be waiting for us in the final destination for ten days. After that she will enter alone if we don't show up and there is that 'it' she mention on her diary."
"Oh that..." Pangzi remember Wen Wu Xie had talk about it before, then he connected a few lose dots and get a conclusion.
"Well, now things make some sense. I was thinking that the mud guy was more of a woman than a man. Was that her?" Pangzi asked.
"Probably and she write on her diary that she was sacred of the 'it'." Wu Xie answer.
"Which explain why she dint want us to find her. She may think there is a mole working for that 'it' among us." Pangzi concluded.
"That's impossible, it's only us." Wu Xie said as he passed his finger into his wet hair.
"Who said you are not 'it' huh? I know I am the real deal... look at this..." Pangzi said as he pinched his cheek, corroborating he didn't wear any mask. Wu Xie then follow his example and did the same, yet Pangzi pinched him again to make sure it was real.
For Xiaoge, checking Wu Xie was not necessary at all. They had shared a night of passion together before the snake wave came and he could tell the others how real Wu Xie was, yet, as usual he just watch them in silence.
"What about Pan Zi?" Pangzi asked and was about to reach his face with his hand when Pan Zi slapped it away.
"I can do that myself." He said and pinch his cheek hard enough to prove Pangzi of his authenticity.
Then all eyes rested on Zhang Qiling, who look at them back as serious as ever. He didn't mind Wu Xie's touch, so he gave Wu Xie a glance that said so with his eyes and body language. Even Pangzi got the silent message, so he make way for Xiaoge to get closer to Wu Xie.
"You do it..." Pangzi suggested, afraid that if he did it, Xioage will get mad.
"Alright... you coward." Wi Xie said and smiled at Xiaoge as he did his job to check if he was the real thing, although last night he had proof enough of it.
"See? He is the real deal." Wu Xie said happily.
"Yeah and you were just dying to touch him." Pangzi teased again and Pan Zi, who had climbed the boxes that they had used to tie the water bag, released a water container over the joking Pangzi in one go, that fell over him like a very cold waterfall.
"Pan Zi!!!!!!" Pangzi yelled, putting an end to his jokes for good, then after drying up and changing clothes, they headed out to their next destination.
AN: Thanks for readin.