CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Xin Ai was inside the room they had booked. Lan Fei and Hua Ling were on the floor meditating.

"Young master should meditate as well, helps calm the Qi down after long travels" Lan Fei says.

Xin Ai sat on the lotus position next to them. Their palms slapped against each other as they started to meditate. Xin Ai sighs feeling power flow through his body.

He wondered how Jiang Qiang was doing. Was he safe? Did he solve the case already?

A shuffling sound outside their room made him open his eyes. His sword immediately flew out of it's sheath to stab the door sending it to fly open. Two men stood there in shock. The weapons in their hands making the young men to realize that they were under attack.

"Protect the young master" Lan Fei says before charging at the intruders.

Hua Ling and Xin Ai jumped out the window. Their feet thumped on the ground so hard they were sure it had cracked.

"Why are we running? I'm the general of our sect army for heavens sake" Xin Ai says in anger. He hated to appear as a coward.

Hua Ling was about to respond to him when Lan Fei was sent to the ground landing on his back, the young man coughed up dark blood before colllapsing.

"Enough of this" says Xin Ai, his divine weapon emerged with a strike of lightning. The dark wood guqin landed on the general's hands. He strums the strings and lightning strikes the two men. Hua Ling uses his own divine weapon, a spear that could make the toughest stone crack and aims the head at their necks.

"Who sent you!"

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Wei Zixin rolled up a sutra in his hand. He had been seeing this spider for the whole day now, he hated crawling things. The unsuspecting creature was swatted by the wooden sutra. A loud crash could then be heard from the cave's kitchen.

"Brother Guafu? Are you okay?" He calls out. When he hears no reply he shrugs and sweeps the dead bug out.

Minutes later Huli and Hai Wangzi returned to the cave with three bags of rice on them. Wei Zixin smiled seeing them.

"Sister Huli, Brother Wangzi. Welcome back"

The two smiled at him, he seems to be having fun around here. He's also alive so that means Guafu didn't kill him.

"Where is that grumpy old man? I have something for him" Wangzi saying. Zixin points to the kitchen.

"He has been in there for the day since.....since the potato incident"

The two seniors share a look. Potato?

"Okay.....I'll go check on him then"

Once Wangzi left Huli turned to Zixin.

"So what did you do all day?" She asks.

"Oh uhmm"

"Brother Guafu is dead!"

That caught their attention. They run to the kitchen to find Guafu on the ground looking pale. Zixin gasped. Sure he didn't like the man but he didn't want him to die!

"Where is his ying'er?"

Zixin frowns. That name, he'd heard it before. Wait, that's what Guafu called him yesterday!

"Ehm...what does that mean?" He asks.

"Baby, but he calls his spider that name"

His face scrunched up in disgust. Did Guafu compare him to a spider? Wait....spider?

"Uhm...is the spider black with a red dot in it's back?" He asks. Wangzi nodded profusely.

"Yes that's it. Have you seen it?"

He bit his bottom lip. That was the spider he killed minutes ago. He shook his head.

"No, but I'll go check outside" he says and scampers away.

Once he was outside, his eyes raked through the ground looking for a dead spider. Did the insect share the same life with Guafu or something?

"Oh please let me find it. I don't want to be in trouble" he says. He sighs when he sees nothing. He gets to his feet and turns to leave.

Crack!

He grimaces. That was the spider wasn't it? He lifts up his leg and he wanted to run away. Not only was the spider dead, it now lost two of it's legs.

"Eh? Zixin? You found it?" Wangzi says once he got out of the cave. They lock eyes and Wangzi could immediately tell what happened.

"Oh dear....Huli! Get out here we need your healing power"

Zixin watched in wonder as Huli healed the spider and brought it back to life. He smiles, at least he didn't commit murder.

"I forgot to tell you. Guafu is the spider king so he has this spider following him. It's like a loyal servant. Wangzi over here is the Locust king, he also has a certain locust that follows him around" Huli explains. It was her fault this happened, she was reckless.

"Oh....what about you? Are you followed around by a fox?" He asks making them laugh.

"No, i am the fox. I can shapeshift"

"Wow...wait what about me?"

Huli and Wangzi share a look.

"You....are the snake king, that snake you found in that forest was yours to keep"

He just stood there looking at them. He was the snake king? King of snakes? That's all he got?

"That's a load of bullshit"

═───────◇───────═

Jiang Ji was in his guest room having dinner, he was now wearing fresh clothes, his sect symbol was there for all to see as it was embroidered on his back.

Knock.knock.

He sighs.

"Come in"

The door slides open revealing Chang Pei. Her hair was now down with pink flower pins around her head like a crown. Her once combative robe now replaced with a soft pink one, it swayed with each movement she made.

"Sect leader Jiang, shall we head out to the lake?" she asks.

Jiang Ji swallowed hard. What was this feeling? He's sure he prefers men but why does seeing senior Sister Pei like this make his heart flutter?

"Ehm...yes, let's go"

They make their way outside and bump into the Zhang Wei and Shao Wen.

"Young lady where do you think you're going?" Shao Wen asks, he didn't like the idea of his daughter going to an unknown place with a man.

"We're going to rescue Jiang Ji's friend from Yucheng lake."

Zhang Wei frowned. Yucheng lake was now swallowing people?

"Yucheng lake is an abandoned place, nothing goes on over there" he says.

"Forgive me sect leader Zhang but I saw a large snake pull my friend into that lake. I know what I saw"

"Then go, take some discples with you" says Shao Wen.

The two young adults bow to them before rushing out. Zhang Wei sighs.

"This is getting more dangerous than we had thought"

Shao Wen held his hand as comfort.

"They'll be fine. Also, do you think that boy is...."

"I'm suspecting that as well, it'd be sad if the friend that got pulled into the lake was his love interest though"

Shao Wen sighs sadly, he couldn't imagine the pain.

"Poor thing, i hope he finds him"