Hei Xiazi
Later that night, while Xiazi lay by his Master Hua's side on his king size bed after a passionate couple of hours of intense love making in the semi-darkness of his room, he sensed his man tense again under his hold.
"Are you still worry?" Xiazi asked as he pulled Xiao Hua closer to him.
"This is far from been over... and I feel like I owe Wu Xie for what my uncle did to him."
"I thought you have a little resentment with Wu Xie about that matter..."
"At first I did... I was envious and jealous of him for been chosen while I was left behind and discarded... but giving it more thought... I was actually spared of a greater pain..." Xiao Hua said and Xiazi accented.
"Xie Lian Huan did care for you more than he let you know. This whole mess is sinking Wu Xie on a field of quicksand that he may never get his head out in a very long time. It may had seen cruel to you of him abandoning you to take your cousin under his wings in your place... but to be honest and feeling really bad for Wu Xie... I'm glad it wasn't you."
"Which is why I need to help him. I need to find out about who is behind all this. If I got even a glimpse of what's happening behind the scenes, I can help Wu Xie prepare to face what's been thrown his way and perhaps help him face it."
"Oh you will... there is always a way... and before I came here, on my last job I hear some interesting things about Cox Hendry... he is making moves again..." Xiazi whisper and Xiao Hua raised his head up from Xiazi's naked chest to look at him.
"What kind of moves? Is he tomb raiding again?"
"Not exactly, but he is up to something, apparently making preparations for something big."
"You think he may call you for a job?"
"If he does then that's killing two bird with one stone. We both now he is quite interested in Wu Xie and he waste no time in involving him on his own mess... perhaps he had some info of the elusive party that had been playing with us in the darkness."
"Then, if it comes to that, you be careful... he is not trust worthy..." Xiao Hua said and Xiazi give him a soft kiss.
"I'm always careful... now more than ever..." Xiazi whisper and then turned to pin Xiao Hua under him and kiss him senseless for the next few minutes, once again initiating that inner flame that seems to have eternal fuel.
Xiao Hua was most of the time domineering, which was fine with him, but in rare occasions like that, when he was worry about something, he was more prone to be guided and perhaps... his cell phone started to ring and make annoying and unwanted echoes in the big room, interrupting his chance to top his lover.
"Damn it!" Xiazi cursed as he reluctantly moved to grab the damn thing and throw it on the nearest wall, but stopped as soon as he saw the name shining in the darkness, then he froze.
"Who is it?" Xiao Hua asked when see his dark expression.
"One big boss I don't particularly want to enrage... Wu Er Bai." Xiazi whisper and answer the call.
"Are you up to a job?" Er Bai asked on the spot, as he usually went right to the matter at hand.
"Is it about Wu Xie?" Xiazi asked, tasting the waters.
"Where you expecting it?"
"He meet with Master Hua not so long ago and he may get into troubles at some point, so yes."
"Then are you up to the job? It will be well paid, of course, but you will not rush this one." Er Bai warned him.
"Of course." Xiazi said without hesitation, because the man on the other side of the call was in another league, far above his third brother and more brutal too.
"Then I will send you the details later. Do no fail me." The man said before he ended the call right after that. Xiazi sighed.
"Is everything alright?" Xiao Hua asked as he sat by his lover.
"Things are really getting into motion in all sides." Xiazi whisper.
"So it seems... are you leaving again?" Xiao Hua asked.
"Yeah... don't know exactly when, but it may take a bit longer for this one." Xiazi said, laying back on the bed.
"Alright then... let's not waste the chance while we have it..." Xiao Hua said as this time it was him who moved over Xiazi's firm body, to keep their fire growing stronger. Xiazi could only moan his pleasure out.
Wu Xie
Wu Xie returned to Wushanju as soon as possible, in order to outdo his second uncle, but once again failed miserably. His uncle Er was nowhere to be found, nor even by phone and he used several ones to try contact him without an answer.
"They are all liars... none of my elders are reliable..." Wu Xie complained to Wang Meng.
"Even I try it several times with no luck... by the way Boss, did you notice? I cleaned all the old stocks. Updated the computer and cleaned the floor to shine... I also..."
"You will get your salary in a few days, I have not forgot about that." Wu Xie whined, quite tired from the trip back and the lies of his own family. His uncle probably only wanted to bring him back home, instead of staying in Beijing.
"Oh... alright then..." Wang Meng sighed in relief and went back to the computer desk.
Wu Xie decided to stay for the rest of the day and travel back to Beijing tomorrow or the day after. Xiaoge was in good hands back in the hospital and he was eager to try find some clues in the hints that were left for him to find the elusive answers.
However at mid-day, he was surprised to receive an unexpected guest that came to him looking for an item that belonged to Wu San Xing... the fake one.
"Mr. Jin?" Wu Xie asked quite surprised. It had been a long time since he last see him.
"Hey kid."
"How may I help you?" Wu Xie asked eagerly and the man simply give him a piece of paper that reads as follow: "I, Wu San Xing, owe Jin Wan Tang a large vase."
"As you see there... I came to pick up my vase." The man said simply.
"Mr. Jin... this is something that my uncle owe you, not me. I don't have anything like that in here." Wu Xie said, as he returned the later back to the old man.
"When he gave me this paper he said you will have it with you in a few weeks... and it's been a month already, isn't not?" The man pressed.
"Why here? I haven't received anything from him in the past month, otherwise I would have been notify, right Wang Meng?" Wu Xie asked, just to be sure he was right.
"Yes Boss. You told me to notify you of anything coming Master San." Wang Meng confirmed.
"See? It's not here right now." Wu Xie said to the man.
"Why are your Wu family been so difficult? I just want to take something that had already been promise. Why are you making it so hard to get?" The old man complained.
"Look... Your uncle is either tricking you or he tricked me, which is not good, you know. So either I come home with the vase he owe me or... well you give me a refund." The man said, taking sit on the sofa and Wu Xie sighed.
"What kind of vase is it?" Wu Xie asked in resignation.
"A large vase with a pastel bird design." Mr. Jin answer calmly.
"How much is worth?" Wu Xie asked next, ready for another big loss, this time on his pocket.
"RMB 120,000." He answer like it was nothing.
"Well, I don't have the vase, nor the money right now." Wu Xie said back in the very disinterested way.
"I don't care if you don't. Your uncle told me personally that if it wasn't delivered to me in the accorded time, I will get it from you no matter what, so either you give me the vase or the money... it's not my problem if he didn't tell you or if you did not agree."
"Boss, really we haven't receive nor buy anything in the past year... the only thing that I received was the box of instant noodles I win two days ago." Wang Meng said and something in Wu Xie's brain clicked.
"Bring it here." Wu Xie said.
"Huh? Why? You want instant noodles now?" Wang Meng asked a bit shocked.
"Just bring it here and let's have a look at what you really won." Wu Xie demanded and Wang Meng go look for the box and bring it to his hot temper boss. Once they open the box, it was clear that what was inside were not noodles, but a vase that fitted the description of what Mr. Jin was looking for.
"Is this it?" Wu Xie asked at the old man.
"Yes, yes... the very same one." He answer and Wu Xie give the vase a better look, already smelling something fishy about the whole thing.
"This is clearly a fake that barely cost something... why would you want something this cheap from my uncle when he had more valuable items in his collection?"
"Hey, that's not a fake. This is clearly made during the reign of the Daoguang Emperor." The man protested.
"Yeah right, I am an expert in this business too, remember? This was made last year at most." Wu Xie insisted.
"No, no... no one have the skills for that craftsmanship anymore... just look at the pattern all over it... look at it well kid." Mr. Jin insisted and Wu Xie have the feeling that he really wanted for him to look deeper, so he did and as he turned and have a look to the inside, he notice that there was something in the vase. Perhaps the real thing his uncle wanted for him to find.
So after making sure there was really something inside, he shattered the cheap thing on the floor to find a camera hidden in between the scattered shards. Thus his instincts was once again right...
"Alright, now tell me, other than to ask you to come here in the appointed time, what else he said to you?" Wu Xie asked.
"Your uncle pay me RMB 20,000, to come and see you after a few weeks so you will look for the vase... but he also told me that if I broke the vase I will pay you for it, but if you did, then I will not owe you a cent. So don't expect me to pay it, you broke it on your own will." Mr. Jin said.
"That old fox..."
"Hey, are you saying I am a fox?" Mr. Jin protested.
"Not you, my uncle..."
"Ah... well I will tell you something else... the words on the streets says that your uncle is in troubles. Is he still alive?" The man asked.
"I have no idea." Wu Xie answer.
"If something happens to him... your guardian for this shop will be gone and many will come for you to give you troubles. So be very careful kid... this business is a dangerous one, after all." The man advised.
"I understand, thank you." Wu Xie said back and after Mr. Jin left, he gave Wang Meng the rest of the day free, so he could be alone on his home to see what else his 'uncle' prepared for him.
So he sat alone on his ship sofa and take the video camera with him, turning it on. In the memory there was a file with a date that took place before his uncle was know to go to Tamutuo to find the Queen Mother's Palace. Driven by the curiosity, he played the play button to see the content of the video and prepare himself for whatever could come next and the video started with Xie Lian Huan eating noodles.
"You kidding me right? Eating noodles when about to reveal something important? You old fox..." Wu Xie couldn't help himself but whisper with affection. It were many years of loving him as his uncle after all.
"Wu Xie... if you are seen this video, it's means that I probably gone missing... or maybe I die... I can't tell right now. Also... it's quite possible you may already know the true or have some more question I could not answer before. Either way, I truly owe you an explanation... well to a lot of people too, if you ask the truth..." At that Wu Xie smirked sadly, seen his uncle telling such serious thing with his mouth full of needles.
"You should have add at least and egg. You liked then in that..." Wu Xie whisper as he looked at his uncle in the very small screen.
"All these years you may have felt like I was lying to you over and over again and yes, you were not wrong in thinking like that. I did lie a lot. Both me and your Wu San Xing are all a hoax for a very long time... I'm not particularly proud of it kid, but back then it was necessary. Wu Xie... to be honest, it didn't really matter whatever I was Xie Lian Huan or Wu San Xing, because that didn't change the fact that you were my dear nephew and I your uncle."
"Although I have lie to you so many times, there was always one true behind and that was that I wanted to protect you. It never cross my mind to really hurt you. Wu San Xing and I will never do anything to harm or own, the Wu and Xie family. The true is that even I'm not sure or who I really am at this point. I had worn this disguise for so long it may already become real."
"Everything that happen had a cause and it begin with when an accident happen at the bottom of the sea in the Parcel Islands. There, Wu San Xing and I have no choice but to switch identities. Maybe do it was a mistake, or perhaps it was fated, whatever wrong or right... there was no turning back for us. I too have too many questions of what happen to the rest of our team twenty years ago, that we needed to find answers for the sake of our families."
"After Wu San Xing and I separate with Chen Wenjin and the rest of the group, we were never able to find them again, not matter how hard we tried it. After that, we investigate the whole archeological team and found that several of the backgrounds of the team were completely untraceable. Imagine, if we could not find the trace of those people backgrounds that went with us there, then that meant there was something bigger working behind us and we could not ignore it, because it meant for the destruction of the families... or even something grater we were connected with."
"No matter where we are now, there is still something I must do and something that Wu San Xing and I need to find out. Just like you, we have to find the answers, even at the cost of our lives. But Wu Xie, for you, I hope this is the end of it. Stop investigating on your own... this is really a dangerous road. Just live your live well along with Xiaoge and don't get caught in this anymore. This have nothing to do with you anymore..."
"You said it had nothing do with me, yet didn't told me the most important thing... so you still leave me to investigate on my own. It's not for just me, also for Xiaoge, who is now more lost than ever..." Wu Xie whisper to himself, then keep watching.
"Ah, yeah... I know you will still not listen to me and will keep investigating despite my warnings... but as a farewell message to you, keep it in mind, this is what your grandfather told us when he was alive and look what we did and ended. What's more terrifying than a ghost or even a monster of the most dangerous tomb ever, is the human ambition." His uncle finish with eating a good portion... of an egg.
Wu Xie smiled unconsciously at first, because he had wished his uncle would have added an egg and so he did, but after a few second of reality sinking in, he could not hold back the bitter tears that came to him like rivers and cry... for a very long time.
However, back in Beijing, Zhang Qiling finally open his eyes and look around the white room he was bedded. To his understanding, it looked like a hospital room and the many wired attached to his chest only confirm it for him. Then, his eyes searched for the one he needed to see, to make sure he was not an illusion of a long dream.
"Wu Xie..." He whisper with a hoarse voice, taking the attention of the man that was half asleep on the chair.
"Ah, Xiaoge, you finally wake up... it was about time..." Pangzi said with visible relief on his familiar face.
"Wu Xie..." He said again and at that, Pangzi stop smiling.
"He went away for a very short time. I will ask the doctor to have a look at you now that you are conscious and..."
"Take me to Wu Xie..." Xiaoge insisted, with a kind of urgency that was rare for the poker face man.
"Yeah, alright... poor Pangzi gets ignored after taking care of you for a whole month... Oh how ungrateful this Xiaoge is... and to think I have to buy you an entire wardrobe to go back home..."
"Please..." Xiaoge pleaded and that did it for Pangzi, because Xiaoge never pleaded, unless it was really urgent and important to him. Who was he to interfere with the ways of love?
"Okay... I will take you out as soon as possible, but you better get together if you want to see Wu Xie again. He is not doing all that well right now, understand?" Pangzi asked and Xiaoge assented. There was nothing that could put him together faster than seen the young man his heart painfully yearned for, one more time.
AN: Poor Wu Xie... but somehow this story it's taking form, even with all the things I have change and added. Thanks for reading, you are amazing readers and of course, take care, until next time. 💕💕💕