Zhang Qiling
As soon as Zhang Qiling enter the meteor and headed up, while Wu Xie screamed his name, the pain on his head flared up ten times stronger than before, as well as the pain of letting go of Wu Xie. He was sure now that something wrong was going to happen there and that he may lose his memories yet again. He was not sure how he knew it, but he was sure that the pain on his head was related to it and perhaps the effects of whatever force was inside that place as well.
At the top of the stairs, he stop and looked around the semidarkness to get his bearing, trying to bypass the increasing pain on his head, but then, some flashes of memories assaulted his mind and he gasped in more pain as they come and went. He had been there indeed and there was something or perhaps someone who was waiting for him somewhere inside that place. For what and was it, he couldn't tell just yet.
He waited a few moments for the flashed to receded and follow the greenish light that shine coming from somewhere in the distance. Chen Wenjin was nowhere on sight so far and Qiling then walked ahead, finding that the meteor on the entrance was only a shell and that it was an entrance to another bigger cave that ends on a sudden cliff, quite similar to the one in the Changbai Mountain, which also had a huge pagoda in the center of the plain bellow, from where the green shine originated. The real throne of the Queen Mother.
Perhaps that was where Chen Wenjin had went, as he could see a rope tied to a rock that leaded all the way down the cliff and use it to go down as well, despite the pain that keep increasing as he slide down the rope. At the end of it, Qiling notice that there was something written in the face of the cliff and as he illuminate it with his torch, he found out that the engraving had been done by him, with his usual mark, but there was also a message that apparently he had left behind, which was unusual for him.
Pangzi had recently complained to him that his marks were pretty much useless if he didn't know the meaning, so that he actually write something else was completely knew to him and perhaps it was a warning done who knows how long ago, as he had no idea on how far in his past he had been there of if he had go there more than once. The characters were written in haste and as follow...
Side effects
Zhang blood
Memories
Wang Family
Bronze Door
Guard
Mystic Nine
Chosen Wu Xie
At that last one, Zhang Qiling's blood went cold and his pain increased to a point he thought his head was going to split in half, as more memories from his past assaulted him. They were far in his past, very far, to the time of the Mystic Nine in their full glory... to and old promise unfulfilled, to a man he could not clearly see, yet his voice was really familiar, telling him that he will be saved by someone he will come to love in the future.
"Not Wu Xie..." Xiaoge whisper to himself as fear assaulted his heart. There was an equally old war been fought and he had fought it on his own for a very long time. The promise was for him to have some rest... but they never came... never honor their words... then a kid was going to be chosen... to end the war... to free him... he was to be trained to be the same as the man with the voice that sounded familiar... but as it sounded like in a huge room that echos and is half lost, he could not recognize fully. Yet, there was the chance it was...
"No... not him..." Xiaoge said as he fall on his knees and grabbed his throbbing head in hope for some relief, but none came, then, when the pain was too much to bare and he lay down on the ground sure that he was going to lose it, he hear steps coming closer.
His torch was in the ground, facing at the road ahead and he thought it was Chen Wenjin coming back from the black pagoda that shined green in the distance, but to his surprise, what he saw was a man... a man with a face he will recognize anywhere, even without his memories...
"Wu Xie..." Zhang Qiling whisper in shock, as he saw the man more clearly, but then he notice the man had a longer hair and despite the striking resemblance he knew now that he was not his Wu Xie. Then, as the man bend to take him on his arms, Qiling fainted for good, wishing it was all an illusion.
Wu Xie
His yelling were proven useless, as well as his attempts to get inside the meteor, so what was left for Wu Xie was to wait for Xiaoge to come out on his own, as he promise and shortly after, Xiao Hua and Hei Xiazi came to meet with them.
"Xiao Hua..." Wu Xie greet him.
"We have to take a different route to get you guys after the ground start to shake." Xiao Hua said.
"And it wasn't easy, you know, with those nasty jade servants getting in the way and all..." Xiazi added.
"They didn't get in your way, I was the one who deal with them for you, as you lazily look at the puzzle."
"I was not lazy."
"You certainly took your time."
"You were doing fine and it required some thought."
"It was an easy puzzle."
"Thus I solved it without problems."
"I could have done it faster."
"But you are better at fighting. It's always a pleasure to see you in action."
"I see, so that's why, huh?"
"You are imagining things..." Then a cough make their small bickering contest end and Xiazi smiled.
"Sorry, sorry..." Xiazi apologize.
"What happen? Do you also encounter jade soldiers? Where are the others that went down with you? You look like you lose your soul." Xiao Hua asked as he gave Wu Xie a better look and this time, it was Xiazi who elbow him to take his notice.
"What?" Xiao Hua asked, as he looked at Xiazi.
"Yaba Zhang is gone, so he had indeed lose his soul. Be more gently..." Xaizi said and Xiao Hua then notice the man in black absence.
"He went inside the meteor along with Chen Wenjin, but he will come back soon." Wu Xie said.
"Of course... Yaba Zhang mix is different than that of Chen Wengjin. I'm sure he will come back, although I'm not so sure about Chen Wenjin." Xiazi said as he illuminate the dark entrance.
"So that's what we saw on the painting in that lab?" Xiao Hua asked.
"Yes... the place in where the Queen Mother went." Xiazy answer and Wu Xie look at him in surprise.
"What? She went in?" Wu Xie asked.
"Yes according to the paintings we saw in a room." Xiao Hua answer.
"That explains the replacement..." Wu Xie whisper as he looked back to the throne.
"Did the mural said why she went in herself?" Wu Xie asked shortly after.
"To find true immortality." Xiao Hua answers.
"Apparently, the Shibi Pill was not the real thing and she found another way to make a better pill with ingredients that came from the meteor, but it had a catch..." Xiazi explained.
"What?" Pangzi asked.
"Only a certain bloodline or type of blood can withstand the effect of the pill." Xiazi continue.
"I believe Zhang Qiling may be distant descendant of that bloodline, unlike Chen Wenjin." Xiao Hua said to Wu Xie.
"So that's why Xioage needed to go there too?" Wu Xie asked.
"Perhaps... I can't tell for sure. I only guess for the effect of his blood on all kinds of things that hides in tombs and his lifespan is different than others that share a similar trait." Xiao Hua answer.
"Not to mention he seems to be connected with most tombs one way or another." Xiazi assured them.
"So he is definitely coming back, right? His blood is different..." Wu Xie asked for some reassurance.
"Most probably, he had a cute reason to come back, right?" Xiazi asked and Wu Xie blushed a bit and Xiao Hua cleared his throat.
"I will wait for him here." Wu Xie whisper, giving his back.
"Why here? We can go after him." Xiao Hua suggested.
"No can do, Master Hua..." Xiazi grabbed his arm when he moved forward.
"Huh? Why?" Xiao Hua asked.
"We already try it and couldn't." Wu Xie said.
"It's a place not fit for us mere mortals." Xiazi said.
"You know what's inside?" Wu Xie asked hopefully.
"No, but my good instincts tells me we are not meant to go in."
"Still I can give it a try." Xiao Hua insisted but Xiazi, still grabbing on his arm, dragged him away.
"Now what? You think I can't? I am physically stronger and more agile than Wu Xie." Xiao Hua argue.
"I know you are very capable, but trust me on this. Don't go inside." Xiazi insisted.
"Why?" Xiao Hua asked and Xiazi did something that he would had never expect, by taking off his glasses for him to see his eyes, which were tinted in an odd pale green color, that he found beautiful.
"I once went inside a place I shouldn't and this is what I got in return. Just like me, you are not Zhang Qiling... don't follow my example." Xiazi said and Xiao Hua understood now his insistence and he smiled fondly at Xiazi.
"I got it..." Xiao Hua said and as Xiazi put back his glasses, he moved closer to him to whisper directly on Xiazi's ear.
"I like them..."
"Then I will show them to you again in any private room you want me in." Xiazi whisper back and Xiao Hua smiled again.
"Still too forward... but maybe..." Then another cough make them back off from one another.
"Master Hua, can we please leave this hellish place and go back? I had lost so much since I come here... all my men..." Mop begged with trembling voice.
"Alright... there is nothing else to look for in here anyways." Xiao Hua said and he walked to meet with Wu Xie again.
"Wu Xie... I will go back now. I still have to retrieve the injured Wu San Xing... I only leave him with one man to guard him."
"Go ahead. Take care of Xie Lian Hua... I will follow you once Xiaoge is back."
"It make take some time. I will leave you some rations and I advise you to go back too before they run out. It's still a long journey back." Xiao Hua said.
"I know. Still, I can endure whatever it takes to bring Xiage home. You understand, right?" Wu Xie said as he glanced at Xiazi and Xiao Hua smirked.
"I do. I will leave marks for you to follow the route from where we came." Xiao Hua offer.
"Thank you and please take Pan Zi with you too. He can take care of Xie Lian Hua as well." Wu Xie said and Xiao Hua patted Wu Xie shoulder as he directed his gaze to Pan Zi, who assented in agreement.
"Please take care Master Wu Xie... I'm sure Xiaoge will not make you wait for too long." Pan Zi said and soon, after Xiazi leave them more rations, they left.
"So it's you and I now." Pangzi said as he pass a arm over Wu Xie's shoulder.
"Thank you for staying..."
"Don't mention it. We are brothers."
"We are."
"Then, what now? Do we play games as we wait?"
"Which game?"
"Tunnel... wait, no, we are short on one man."
"Then what else?"
"Mahjong?"
"Do you have it?"
"No." And a drop of water fell on Pangzi's face.
"Well, what about rock, paper, scissors? We can bet on each game." Pangzi suggested again.
"I don't have money."
"Not money then, but what about hotpot? Ramen? The loser pays the dinner for a few days."
"That's still money."
"But a lot less and it's healthy. We can add bets for Xiaoge too... like buying him new clothes when back home or something."
"Alright. Then at least three sets of jackets for Xiage and also pants and underwear." Wu Xie offered.
"So you think you can have three full sets for your boyfriend to his new home on my account? Dream on Tianzhen, I am a Master at this game... bring it on." Pangzi exclaimed, but as they were about to begin, the floor begin to shake again for a moment.
"Wow, what's that?"
"It was the same as last time. Does that means that the snakes are coming back?" Pangzi asked.
"I hope not... come on, let's have some rest... after our full sets game." Wu Xie added and Pangzi sighed, feeling that even thought he was indeed very good at the game, this time he may lose to Wu Xie's determination and luck.
AN: Thanks for reading and take care until next time. 💖💖