Wu Xie
Once they reached the city, all four of them go to the nearest hospital to have an examination and for Xiaoge to had the medical assistance he was in need at the moment. At the end, Pan Zi, Pangzi and Wu Xie, only suffer from minor injuries and dehydration, but Zhang Qiling's case was something else, that required a more specialize attention, so it was decided he will be transfer to Beijin, to the National Stroke Center.
Then in a blink of an eye, a month went by, with Xiaoge still not waking up and his fever persisting as on day one. The doctors had run all kinds of test on him, but could not find the reason of his coma of the raise of temperature, which only increased Wu Xie's worries tenfold and he basically lived in the hospital, only occasionally taking a break when he was called to go somewhere, like at that time, when he was called to meet with Xiao Hua.
He had been in the Xie compound before, so he knew the residence, even since the last time he had walked around, had changed a bit for the better. Xiao Hua was waiting for him on his practice stage, as he usually discussed personal issues there, always making sure to not be spy or overheard when it was things concerning the family.
As he walked to the stage, he saw that Hei Xiazi was talking with him, but as soon as he saw Wu Xie, he gave him a small smile and went away to leave them on their own. For the way in which they were talking before, so close to one another, Wu Xie could guess that those two were now in more intimate terms than the last time he saw them together. He even hear rumors that Hei Xiazi's jobs were now done in record time and now he could see why.
Xiao Hua was perhaps too impatient to have Xiazi gone for long months, as he used to do before and if Xiazi was as devoted as he looked, then it was understandable that he will rush his work to go back home sooner. He wish it could be the same for him too, but Xiaoge was still without responding and Wu Xie's heart still bleeding and broken.
"Wu Xie... you look awful. You should had some rest too, so when Zhang Qiling wakes up, you will look healthy." Xiao Hua said and from somewhere Wu Xie could hear a 'so heartless', probably coming from Hei Xiazi disapproval of their first meeting after a month.
"Ignore him." Xiao Hua said bluntly.
"Are you two together now? I hear rumors he rush his jobs to go back to someone." Wu Xie asked equally blunted.
"We are coming around... how are things going with Xioage? I hear he haven't wake up yet..."
"Yeah... the doctors don't know what's wrong with him and I guess it had something to do with more than whatever happen to him inside the meteor. I'm seriously consider it's also related with him be a Zhang... something we don't know yet about his unique blood."
"Perhaps... but this is not the first time he had lose his memories, so eventually he will wake up and set to look for them again."
"I just hope he wakes up soon... by the way, any news on Xie Lian Huan?"
"I have dig into it ever since we came out of Tamutuo, but so far there is nothing... it's like he vanish from face of the earth without trace... which is suspicious on itself, unless he is really dead or taken."
"Have you figure out what It is?" Wu Xie asked.
"No... by calling it like that, it had just make it more difficult to try to find what it is. A force? Well, there are many kind of forces out there and the ones who know about them are basically gone..."
"So we know nothing..."
"Xiazi is trying to look more into it between jobs and we are sure that everything is related with the old generation of the Mystic Nine and you..."
"Why me? He didn't want me to investigate his secrets... I can see now why."
"Just think about it, you were the only one Xie Lian Huan took around all his tomb raiding, even when he block all your attempts to know the true. Perhaps when baiting you into tomb raiding along with him and Xiaoge, he keep you interested for long enough to make whatever plans he was brewing to fit in place."
"You are saying he use me?"
"He choose you out of all the new generation of Mystic Nine."
"For what?"
"That is something I want to know as badly as you. He throw away the Xie family and leave me behind to face a future that was already uncertain on my own... I would have love to ask him the reason and that he would have answer me sincerely."
"You ask him before he went missing?"
"I try, but he remained silent... then he vanish..."
"This is all a mess... Xie Lian, my missing real uncle San... Xiaoge..." Wu Xie whisper as his eyes clouded with tears.
"It's been hard on you... but I'm sure it will get better son."
"I hope so. Keep looking into Xie Lian and It for as long as you can. Right now I have to face my own demons."
"Demons? What do you mean by that?" Xiao Hua asked.
"Back in the hospital, when I was checking for any clue of what happen to Xiaoge on his backpack, I found a notebook, along with a bunch of pills that looks like old remedies. The remedies, he tend to carry them on dangerous jobs, but the note was all empty except for two characters. Banai and the name of a man that probably knows something about Xiaoge's past." Wu Xie answer.
"How is that confronting your demons? It's a good thing for Xiaoge, when he wakes up..."
"I would have thought that too, if it wasn't for the fact that the characters written on the notebook were not done by Xiaoge... but me." At that Xiao Hua look at Wu Xie in visible confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"I have never look at the inside of Xiaoge's backpack, nor give him a notebook with something writing on it... but no matter how I look at those characters... they are done with the same strokes I use, the same way I would had write them. It's not just similar or copy... it was like I had written them myself with my own hand."
"Wu Xie, there are a lot of people who dedicate their lives to made fake replicas and handwriting."
"Of course, but Xiao Hua, if you were to write a random name on paper, for example and an expert do the same right by your side after studying your writing for weeks or even months, would you be unable to distinguish between your own writing and his?" Wu Xie asked and Xiao Hua felt silent for a moment.
"No matter what I will be able to tell apart the one I wrote."
"Right... so do I Xiao Hua... I wrote those character hundreds of times while in the hospital and all of them looks exactly the same as the one I found on Xiaoge's backpack. Not a single difference, not a different angle, nor a line shorter or longer, even by a millimeter... all of them looked exactly the same, even when putting one over the other and over a light... there was always a perfect match."
"That should be impossible Wu Xie... if you didn't write it, then is obviously a very good fake..." Xiao Hua insisted, but at that moment Xiazi showed up and look at Wu Xie quite seriously.
"It's not impossible in the world of the Mystic Nine... they have so many secrets that it will take us the rest of our lives to unravel even a fraction, not to mention those who cannot be explained with logic, facts or science. The shibi pill on itself should be impossible and yet Chen Wenjin and Huo Ling were victims of it. Yaba Zhang own existence is a mystery no can comprehend in full, not even himself... his blood alone is a supernatural mystery that make no common sense, yet it works miracles with all kind of things on tombs that should also not exist... should I continue?" Xiazi asked as he looked at his Master Hua, who was obviously pissed now.
"Please don't help me out." Xiao Hua said with sarcasm.
"Sorry, sorry... but Wu Xie is right this time. There is definitely a force or perhaps two that are trying to manipulate both Yaba Zhang and Wu Xie into their own game. You must be very careful when giving into their traps..."
"He is not going to go to Banai..." Xiao Hua stated.
"Oh, but he will. If I were to lose my memories and they can be found in there, even when it may be all a trap, will you chose to ignore it? To keep me in the darkness?" Xiazi asked and Xiao Hua sighed.
"I will go, regardless of the danger..." He admitted.
"There you have it. Young Wu Xie here is so head over heels for his Yaba Zhang that he will gladly throw himself into the mouth of the dragon, if it can give back his memories... that means Yaba Zhang will be able to remember all those forbidden kisses he forgot and even..."
"You idiot, stop right there..." Xiao Hua scold him, while Wu Xie blushed madly.
"I will go to Banai once Xiaoge is good enough to travel. Trap or not, we both need to go and those secrets that the older generation had keep from us, I will make sure to unravel them... not for them, but for the ones I care for." Wu Xie said, then headed out now more determine to find the truth than ever.
"Will he be fine? I can send some of my men to keep an eye on him..." Xiao Hua whisper as he looked at the retreating cousin.
"I will keep an eye on them for you, don't worry... now that he is gone... you promise me a dark session on your bed, tonight... that's why I rushed here to the best of my abilities." Xiazi whisper into his ear.
"You have no shame..."
"My shame goes to the floor along with my clothes, remember that..." Xiazi smirked and Xiao Hua sighed, yet when Xiazi moved his head down to kiss him, he didn't resist it, but welcome it, as hungrily as ever in the past month.
Once Wu Xie returned to the hospital, he was determine to write to his uncle Erbai and tell him everything. If something were to go wrong, at least he needed someone in his family to know and the reason he may disappears on them too, if worse comes to the worse.
Shortly after, his uncle call him back and after a short argument, he agree to reveal some secrets to Wu Xie if he came to meet with him in Hangzhou. Giving the nature of his uncle Er, which was even more cunning than San Xing, he make plans to depart immediately, before his uncle could also disappear and let him once again searching for answers.
Before he leave, he give Xiaoge a kiss on his forehead and tell him they will see each other soon, then leave Xiaoge into the good care of Pangzi. However, as Zhang Qiling inner turmoil realize that Wu Xie was going away, something in his deep core stirred.
It was time to go back and protect the one he had come to care and have the answer he had been trying to find deep inside his mind.
AN: Another fast update, inspired by your amazing support to this work. I hope you like it and the little HeiHua included. Oh, they are now ahead of our Pinxie by the mile. Lol. Until next time, please take care. 💖💖💖