Wu Xie
Next morning, Wu Xie make sure he has everything he need on his backpack, took his medicine and waited for Panma to show up, which he did not too long after. Panma banged on Uncle's Gui door and when Wu Xie showed up, the old man urged him for them to go, as it was a long climb into the wet mountain.
Wu Xie took his bag, make a note for Uncle Gui so he will not worry for not finding there when he wakes up, then texted Xiao Hua who was supposed to be there at midday and told him he would leave him red ribbons as marks, so he could follow the trail and follow Panma out, which had also prepared everything for their hasted departure to the mountains.
They walked in silence for most of the way and giving the chance that Panma didn't look back in all their way up, Wu Xie tied the ribbons along the way and when Panma stopped and said he was going to scope ahead, he tied the next into a tree and waited.
He had found Panma's silence all their way up odd and suspicious. Also, he had notice that at some point, they have somehow deviated from what he remembers of the path Uncle Gui took, although they still should be in the area close to the lake. Giving the nature of his last stunt, Wu Xie had also contemplated of Panma wanting to get rid of him, like he had tried twice before, thus when the old man went ahead, he prepare himself for whatever could come next.
At least he was in the mountain and he could outrun the old man at the very least, if he really tried something and after some time, not too surprisingly... he did.
"The sun had come out and the rain stopped completely." Panma said suddenly, when he stopped in the middle of the road.
"That's great, it means there will be no mudslides, right?" Wu Xie said, keeping his distance.
"Well, that doesn't really matter for you, because even without a mudslide, you are still not getting off Yang Jiao Mountain..."
"I see... so you know..." Wu Xie said calmly.
"I really wanted to help you, because I thought you were different, but at the end, you were just like that other one who simply wanted to use me and blackmail me for years."
"I disagree... I may have trick you, but I have a good reason for it, two men lives are in danger back in the lake, my close friends for which I come to you for help, but you refuse it, leaving me no choice but to become the same demon you said you became out of necessity. You should know better than anyone of what a man is capable of if desperate enough. Still, I never meant to hurt you, nor blackmail you. I just wanted you to guide me, so I can rescue my friends... I trick you to save lives."
"It doesn't matter for what reason you did it, I don't care anyway... but you should had prepared yourself to take the consequences of your act. I killed many before and you will be my last one." Panma said as he took out his long knife and throw himself to Wu Xie, which dodged in time and turn to run away from the mad man.
However, as usual he finds himself tripping at the worse possible moment and Panma catch up to him faster than he expected and when he stood up again, the man was already too close to avoid and Wu Xie crashed his back against a tree trunk, while holding Panma's hand to keep himself from be stabbed to death.
"Panma!! Calm down, I truly don't want anything from you other than to lead me to the lake!"
"Don't lie, I have enough of that!" The old man yelled and Wu Xie struggle with him, then push him with all his strength, making the man fall to his side. Wu Xie sprinted to a mad dash, but once again, he tripped on a fallen branch and fell in all fours.
"Damn it!!! Just once, let me off the hook!" Wu Xie shouted to gravity in his frustration and was about to go back to his feet, when Panma was there, pointing him with his long knife.
"You are done for."
"Wait! Don't make the same mistakes all over again and regret it some more!"
"I am old enough to die at any moment, I will not have time to live to regret anything else!" Wu Xie backed away while on the ground, crawling backwards. He keeps his gaze on the mad man, while his hands searched for anything he could throw at him.
The last thing he wanted was to be killed by the hand of a murderer old man, while his lover and brother were probably facing dangers on their own. He could not fail them; he could not waste his life like that. He needed to overpower Panma... where was a damn rock when you need it the most?
"Time to go, you lose this game..."
"Panma! Will you kill me again?!" Wu Xie yelled, grabbing into his last hope... and it worked, because the old mad man stopped midway his knife swing toward him and looked at him in confusion.
"Don't you recognize me? I was here too... thirty years ago... when you killed my colleagues... I came from the lake... you ran away..." Wu Xie lie and the old man backed away a step in surprise, giving Wu Xie an horror look.
"You... that boy with long hair..." Panma said and Wu Xie frowned. He had lie in hope to gain some time, not expecting to become a confirmation of the riddle that puzzle him the most. Was the man that looked like him really with the expedition team back then?
"So, it was you all along! Get back to the lake, you demon!" Panma yelled as he moved his knife down to stab Wu Xie, but as Wu Xie moved his arm over his chest to protect himself, someone else grabbed the mad man from behind and push him away from Wu Xie.
"Come on old man, it's not nice to bully unharmed kids. Shame on you, he is newlywed...." Hei Xiazi said and Panma, which was already scared to the extreme, ran away like his life depend on it. Xiazi was going to chase after him, but Wu Xie stop him.
"Don't follow him... he had become berserk." Wu Xie said and Xiazi offer his hand to help him stand up.
"Wu Xie... I hate to say this but, please can't you stay out of troubles just for a few days? You have cost me a lot this time... and I really wanted to win this bet... Ah, I should have known better than to bet about that..." Xiazi whined.
"Idiot, don't go telling others about it." Xiao Hua said from behind Xiazi's back and Wu Xie smiled.
"Xiao Hua... you came early..." Wu Xie greet him.
"A good thing I did, otherwise you would have been killed by an old man no less." Xiao Hua said and Xiazi assented in agreement.
"I think he is too used to have Yaba Zhang around."
"Wu Xie, seriously, you should train yourself at least the basic of defense." Xiao Hua suggested.
"I can offer him a discount if he wants me to do it." Xaizi offer.
"Why will he want to pay you? He had Zhang Qiling."
"But he is missing, otherwise, your cousin would not be in this mess..."
"Well, that's true..."
"Hum, guys, I am right here, stop talking as if I wasn't." Wu Xie complained.
"Ah, right... what about a training session for just a few bucks?" Xiazi asked and Wu Xie sighed.
"I pass, I need to find Xiaoge and Pangzi before anything else." Wu Xie said as he looked around.
"Well... we follow your ribbons here, do you know the rest of the way?" Xiao Hua asked and Wu Xie try his best to recall his time with Uncle Gui. The lake should not be too far, because there was a cold air current coming from the north and that was where they will head for.
"North, we shouldn't be too far from the lake." Wu Xie said.
"Okay... let's go. We can update ourselves in the way." Xiao Hua said and they talked about the things that have happen in both sides while they walked toward the lake.
"So, you were right, Panma indeed killed those men in cold blood, which mean the team was replaced immediately afterwards... what a lucky timing." Xaizi said.
"I guess it was already been planned, Panma only make it easier for the switch to happen while the core of the expedition was diving in the lake." Wu Xie said.
"Yeah... by the way... shouldn't we be concerned about the old man? He is a killer in the run..." Xaizi said.
"Eventually we need to find him and turn him in. Despite what I first thought, he is not done killing just yet, but I made a promise to take care of his son... and I can't break that promise." Wu Xie said.
"Young man, you are too kind..." Xiazi said and Xiao Hua sighed.
"I wonder... Panma got away from us, but I doubt he could do the same with that slope-shoulder man." Xiao Hua added.
"Well... that's not up to us. He is a sinner after all." Xiazi said.
"Mn, true... Wu Xie, you said we should be close, right?" Xiao Hua asked.
"It must be after we go over this hill." Wu Xie said, quite sure of it.
"Just in case let me scope ahead... you too take it easy." Xiazi said as he walked ahead, leaving the two cousins on their own.
"So, Xaio Hua... I'm glad that you and Xiazi are doing fine."
"It had been better than expected... you and Zhang Qiling?"
"It was fine too... I just wish he didn't agree to send me off..."
"You were sick, of course he would have wanted you away from the lake. He cares too much and you know it."
"Yeah, but..."
"Wu Xie, he could not have known that something was going to happen to him while you were away."
"I was quite desperate to go back."
"Of course, you were, otherwise you wouldn't have tricked Panma that way. Hate to say it so boldly, but it was stupid, you almost get yourself killed."
"I thought I could handle an old man in worst case scenario."
"You are naïve indeed."
"Hum, just out of curiosity, what did you too bet this time?" Wu Xie asked curiously and Xiao Hua coughed.
"Trust me, you don't want to know." Xiao Hua said, walking just a little faster and Wu Xie followed, agree with his cousin when he could clearly see his ears tint with a blush. Indeed, he didn't want to know, those two were... too passionate... Once they reached the border of the forest, they hear Xiazi whistle.
"My, my... your camp is bigger than expected." Xiazi said and Wu Xie walked out of the forest.
"Bigger how? It's just a couple of old tents..."
"Then, you will be surprise now..." Xiazi said and both Wu Xie and Xiao Hua were shocked to see not one, not two, but dozens of domed tents of the highest quality placed in a wide area of the lake.
"Wu Xie..." Xiao Hua whisper his shock.
"It wasn't like that before... just what happen when I was gone?" Wu Xie asked as he looked at the huge camp.
"It's him." Xiazi said.
"You mean Cox Hendry?" Xiao Hua asked.
"I told you he was around." Xiazi confirmed.
"Then... losing communication with Pangzi and Zhang Qiling must have been his doing." Xiao Hua guessed.
"Let's go around our camp and see if we can find what happen first." Wu Xie said and they turned to walk in the opposite direction, to the empty camp, in where his lover and brother had been just a few days ago. Of course, there was nothing in the camp... nor in the vicinity they had searched quite thoroughly for a few hours.
There was only Cox Hendry's business card inside Pangzi's tent.
AN: Alright, Wu Xie, you will find your man soon enough, so just be a little more patient. Thanks for reading and see you next time, until then, take care. 💕💕💕