Wu Xie
Before midday, the weather had worsen and a constant rain begin to fall, as the sky darken. Wu Xie had called Pangzi, but perhaps the reception wasn't that good in the bad weather, because he had no response, so he waited for the rain to stop and the sky to clear up again, but he had no luck.
The rain keep falling way past late afternoon, making him unable to reach Xiaoge and Pangzi under the stormy weather, then it pretty much continue to drizzle all the way to nightfall, and he still could not reach them. Of course, that only make him worry, and he keeps pacing right and left inside his room, as anxiety filled his heart.
What if something happen? What if the lake had overflowed? What about the mudslides that Uncle Gui keep mentioning? What if they were in troubles and that was the reason he could not reach them?
"Ah, damn it! Why things like this keep happening to me?" Wu Xie asked himself and paced some more.
He just needed for the rain to stop for long enough for him to go back. He didn't care if they will not agree to have him back, because sick or not, he was not going to stay there as if nothing happen. He needed to make sure they were fine, and there was no power in the world that will stop him from for going there again.
Unable to rest well during the night, as his worry increased ten times, Wu Xie was up quite early in the morning. By then, the rain had stopped completely, although it was still cloudy, as soon as Mr. Gui showed up from his room, he talks to him to see if they can go back earlier than anticipated as he had lost complete contact to them since yesterday, but to his surprise, Mr. Gui had been reluctant to go into the mountains when it rained.
The old man had said that when it rains so copiously like yesterday, there were high chances of mudslides and that it was too risky to go up in a bad weather. The mountains around the town still had dense clouds surrounding them, and it was possible that heavy rain was still falling there, as the nearby river had swollen to double its normal size, although it was still safe to cross it.
Of course, the refusal only make him more desperate, because now he was sure that something bad had happened to Xiaoge and Pangzi. There was simply nothing else that could make them lose contact for an entire day, more so when Xiaoge will know that he will worry if no one pick up the phone and the proof of that was the last time they talked, he actually did pick up Pangzi's phone himself, which he had left it inside his tent to go fishing, when Xiaoge will not answer it for anyone else.
In his desperation, he tries asking the other hunters from the town, but no matter how much he offers or begged, no one was willing to go into the mountains while it was raining. He had no idea of how frequent a mudslide could happen in such short amount of time, but yesterday raining was really heavy and must hunters feared it could have caused some lose parts of the forest flora to give in and block the road.
So, with so many rejections, his patience was running low, while his fear grew more and more. He was willing to go alone into the mountains if he had too, but he could not remember all the way there, because not everything was easily distinguish like a well travel road, most of the time they walked between trees with just a small walking trail that could be easily miss if not careful paying attention. He could get lost there and be of no help when they need it the most... but if there was really no other way, he was willing to take the risk, whatever it takes for him to reach Xiaoge and Pangzi and keep his sanity intact.
He tried again and again, but with no better luck, so at the end, he packed what was more needed into his bag and decided to give it a shot. He had been in worse situations before and live to tell the tale, and he believed that somehow, he will find Xiaoge sooner or later. Their fate worked for them that way, separating them for a while, then bringing them back together out of the sudden. It had gone like that for years, and he prayed for it to not change when he need it the most.
"If you came to try to stop me from going into the mountains, you are wasting your time. I will find my friends no matter what." Wu Xie said as he resumed his task.
"I didn't come here to stop you, but to help you. I know who can take you to the mountains."
"Who? I asked all suitable villagers."
"You forget the most experienced one..."
"You mean...?"
"Yes, Panma. We should go see him."
"Wasn't him gone again?"
"He is in his house. I know that for sure." Yun Cai said seriously and Wu Xie regained some hopes.
"Alright, then let's pay him a little visit." Wu Xie said, and soon, they headed for the old man house. Luckily for them, they didn't have to call for him, as the man was sat on a chair, smoking his bamboo pipe.
"Mr. Panma... can you take Wu Xie to the mountains? No one else want to..." Yun Cai asked first. However, the man shock his head in refusal as well.
"No." He said firmly.
"Panma, we survived the Buffalo Trench..."
"Ah, yes... and since we did, I can say we are considered sworn friends... but that is one thing and risk your life a second time is a different matter. Of course, I can help you go back... but not under these conditions. We should wait until the rain stops in the mountain... which will be around three days..." The old man said as he stood.
"The rain had already stopped."
"It had stopped here, but not necessarily in the mountain. You must have seen the river at the entrance of the village... it's carrying more water than usual and is a disturbed one. Rain still falls in the mountain, that's for sure, and the villagers had done right to refuse to go."
"You are an experience hunter that knows all kinds of shortcuts and roads into the whole mountain. You lived there for three years, some rain did not make you come back to town... you won't have as many problems as the others..." Yun Cai said.
"Yun Cai, you have grown there as well and should know of the many risk a mountain have when the weather worsen."
"I believe that you can make it." Yun Cai insisted.
"I can make it in three days... not sooner."
"Three days will be too late to rescue my friends." Wu Xie interrupted.
"I'm sorry for them... but no one will risk a mudslide, not even I." The old man said finally and Wu Xie stormed out of the house quite disappointed with Yun Cai closely following his trail.
"I can't believe it. He had experience everything in the mountains, and just how often are mudslides anyways? As far as I remember it had only happened once, and it had rained a lot since then. He is just a stubborn old man that don't want to walk into muddy trails." Yun Cai complained as Wu Xie desperation hit the breaking point and a crazy idea pop up on his head.
"It's not over... I have an idea to make him agree." Wu Xie stated.
"Huh? What idea? He really is a stubborn man." Yun Cai warned him.
"Don't ask... just try to get me a set of old overalls. Maybe your father have some... the older, the better and if you can a female wig as well, a short one if possible." Wu Xie said, and when Yun Cai gave him a confused look, he smiled.
"Just make me this favor... it can save Pangzi and Xiaoge's life..." Wu Xie said softly, hoping to reach her soft spot for Xiaoge... in love and war, everything was possible, right?
"Okay... I will try. Just give me some time to find it." She said, and Wu Xie sighed.
Thank you... let me know if you get them." Wu Xie said, and the girl assented, then headed back to her house while he closed his eyes.
What he had in mind was a bit despicable, but then again, Panma was not exactly a saint, he was a killer that went unpunished for way too long and in a way he was making justice to those he killed and never had a chance to rest in peace.
Thus, once Yun Cai gave him what he had asked for, he prepared his plan. He got the metal piece that Panma said that smelled like the dead and put it on a basin with hot water. The vapor hopefully should release whatever was left of the scent, and he wet the wig on it and let the stench paste on the clothes as well. Then waited into nightfall to put in motion his desperate plan.
He dressed in the old clothes, put his wet wig over his head and headed for Panma's house. He had already made a recording with his phone that sounded creepy and haunted and have practice the timing, in case Panma put some attention to details.
The old man was eating in his wooden porch, where he seems to spend most of his free time, and that fit him perfectly. The porch was wide and the stair that leads to it was at a side, so from where Panma was sat and under the low illumination of the porch, the old man will not have a clear view of him. It was also his luck that the night was cold after the rain and cloudy day and some mist had gathered around the town, making it look more eerie and with a sigh, he played the recorder and slowly approached the small stair.
"Panma... Panma... Panma..." The voice said in an eerie tone and the bit he could see from behind the long bangs falling over his face, he could see that the man was startle if not shocked to hear such a voice coming from the wind. It was working...
"That smell... who... who is out there?" Panma asked in fear and Wu Xie saw the chance to walk a few steps up to give him his final push, which worked better than he expected when Panma fall into the floor.
"Bring him to me... bring him to me... bring him to me, and you will be forgiven." Wu Xie whisper as the recording played, making it sound like his voice.
"Who? Who should I bring to you?" Panma asked in hurry.
"Bring him to me..." The voice repeated, as Wu Xie had anticipated most of Panma's possible reactions and conclusions.
"You mean... that boy, Wu Xie?" Panma asked and after a pause in the recording, the voice confirmed the name.
"Yes... Wu Xie..." The recording spread the name even in a creepier voice and after that, Wu Xie slowly backed away and leave the house behind.
It didn't make him feel good, what he had just done, but he had no other choice if he wanted to help the missing members of his Iron Triangle. Pangzi had always called him naïve and innocent, but apparently, when cornered and in enough desperation, he could turn himself into a demon, as long as he could save those he loved.
That night he didn't sleep much either, giving that his conscience was not exactly at peace... but he was sure that when morning came, Panma will come to see him, and he could go into the mountain and find his lost ones. He could always ask for forgiveness for taking advantage of another sin later, but finding them was his top priority, and only his own death will stop him from going where he should and rescue the two most important men in his life.
AN: Ah Wu Xie... you really love too deeply, and you are right, for love, you will do anything, but then again Panma was far worse than you, so don't feel too guilty. Thanks for reading, and see you next time. Until then, please take care. 💖💖💖