Chapter 24: The Ghost Town
-Shen Wei-
They make haste during the night and have a few hours of rest before sunrise, then they move again keeping up a good pace, until it was time to rest the camels. At those times, Shen Wei would stay by Yunlan, keeping him cool, as his fever begin to rise.
"Shen Wei... I will hold, don't worry..." Zhao whisper to him in one of those moments of rest.
"You are very sick, how can I not worry? Yunlan... Ah Lan, you most know by now that you are everything to me." Zhao smiled.
"It's the same with me, my Wei... Damn, I wish I could kiss you senseless, but been poison and all..." He caressed Wei's face instead and he closed his eyes, to feel the heated touch of Yunlan's warm hand. He loved the man so dearly, yet again the very same demon wanted to steal it from him. With every second that passes, his rage escalate.
"Shen Wei, don't get too mad... it will cloud your judgment."
"I assure you, my rage will not keep me from doing what it must be done. Is the talisman working?" Shen Wei asked, just to change the theme.
"Yes. The poison have not gone too far up. Apparently, Lóng Hún does know what he is doing."
"I'm so glad he is here to help you... I wish I could do more." Shen Wei whisper.
"But you are doing more than you give yourself credit..." Shen Wei looked away, trying to fight the desire to bury his face on Yunlan's chest and cry all his frustration out, along with his fears and worries.
"I'm the god of good luck, remember? I will not fall like this, stay strong Shen Wei... I will not leave you to suffer my absence, you already had more than enough of that." Shen slightly smiled and kissed his forehead.
"You are that strong, I know..."
"Then cheer up babe, we are going to live together, remember?"
"Yes, now more than ever Yunlan, I hope your apartment is big, because I have quite a lot of books." Shen smiled.
"No problem, somehow I have a lot of empty bookshelf's... I guess, I have always wait for you." Shen Wei, driving by impulse, bend to kiss him as he was still resting on his arms, but Yunlan stop him.
"No kissing this time, but when this is all over..." Shen blushed, remember the heated suggestions he whisper on his ear.
"We have a deal..." Then shortly after that, they were on their way. The ghost town was not that far now and if they hasted a bit more, they will reach it before sunset. As they got closer and closer, Zhao notice a change in his lover. It was subtle at first, as Shen Wei held him, his fever lower, then he felt his professor's porcelain skin become colder. There was also a rise in his energy, despite no one transferring it to him. Then, he remember his time with him as the Ghost Slayer, at the time he was the insanely strong Ghost King, which subdue even the King of hell. Was he awakening even further? Was he on his way to fully become the Ghost Slayer?
Inwardly, he smiled, because Shen Wei never failed to impress him not matter in which era they reunited. He actually was beginning to pity the woman in red, if Shen Wei actually fully awake, because he was ruthless in battle when serious and more so when it meant saving his life.
When they finally reached the ghost town, they sensed as they crossed the first barrier. They leaved the camels at the entrance of the town and urged Pei Zhi to wait for them a bit further away, so he would stay safe. All the remaining demons should concentrate on greeting them, the queen didn't have interest in an old man, nor his animals.
Shen Wei leave Yunlan on Lóng Hun's care, walking a bit ahead of the rest of the team, his mind focus in sensing the queen, which was waiting for him atop one of the abandon buildings. As they exchanged glances, Shen Wei's rage was almost eating him alive, yet somehow he stayed calm. She smiled mockingly as she looked down on him.
Zhao, who was still standing, although barely and with his gun in hand felt as the air begin to chill even lower and he knew Shen Wei was simply forcing himself to remain calm, which was a good sign, yet when the fight begin, they were going to be in his way. Then, a lot of demons begin to show themselves from all directions, going out of broken buildings and stores. There were traces of blood all over the sandy empty streets, which indicated the demons had killed many human in that small town.
They all, ready themselves for the last fight, however, Lóng Hún had a different plan. His new goal now, was not protecting the tower or fighting demons, not even to kill the queen, because he had promise the Ghost Slayer, to find a way to heal his lover and that was what he was going to do. As an ancient dragon, blessed with the blood of the dragon King, he had a few tricks under his sleeve, not even the two former gods knew about them.
Back then, he was no more than a mischievous child, playing around among gods. He had met Kunlun in one of those time he leaved the palace to explore and play. He had leave during the night and fly around, until he saw a fire in which two gods were merely talking. Kunlun was telling the younger Ghost King, stories of the past and the young King was simply mesmerized with the tale and so was him, who also listen the stories hidden behind some bushes.
However, the young King had sensed his presence and invite him to join them with a welcoming smile. He had enjoyed the simple yet magical night and the young King kindness, moved his heart. When he was back to the crystal palace, he had asked his father to become a guardian of lost worlds and Nuwa had listen, silently approving of his request. So when the time came to seal the demons, he offer himself to battle along with other gods, and when the seal had been made, he offer to watch over it along with hundreds of others who had sworn loyalty to Kunlun and the Ghost Slayer.
"Come..." A soft woman voice he had not hear in ages whisper to the wind, making him smile.
"Nuwa..." He whispered back, coming closer to Zhao Yunlan.
"Fulfil your duty... come, my dear prince... I grant you permission and a father's gift..." She added and his smile widen even more. He move a hand forward and a small sphere of water formed over it, then he felt something heavy laying in his palm despite the very small size. He recognize it instantly, as was his father, the dragon King powerful cudgel. His way in to the temple and Kunlun's salvation.
"Shen Wei, I leave the queen to you!" He yelled to the professor who assented without looking back.
"Take good care of Yunlan!" He yelled back, making the queen laugh.
"We will see about that!" The queen yelled and all of her demons came at once to attack them, but then Shen Wei released a very strong wave of dark energy, sending all demons toward the buildings they came from. Seen the opportunity, Lóng Hún took Yunlan by the hand and both of them disappeared inside a bubble of clear water that came from the underground, in the moment the extended weapon of his father touched the sandy ground.
Seen that the dragon and the former god had disappear without a trace of their energy, the queen yelled in fury, sending bolts of lightings down toward the remaining guardians. However, Shen Wei sheltered the team with a very thick cloud of dark energy, and feeling he could at least do a bit of portaling, he transported Yunlan's team to the farthest part of the town to keep them from been harmed by the coming intense battle. They will still have to fight the other demons, but he knew they can handle them on their own, as they had done so many times already.
Then, the ground under his feet begin to shake, as hundreds of dark roots, emerged from the ground in all angles. Shen Wei jumped quite high in time to cut down a wave of them right under him, then as he fall back, he used his scythe to cut all the others. Then he froze over the ground with a thick layer of ice and changed his scythe into a dark staff with reddish runes shining like a molten sun.
"Come..." He challenge her as his body begin to disappear under a cloud of thick smoke, a black cloak that became his shield.
"Ghost Slayer... I will take you down!!" She throw a single tear of water his way, which became a huge water body like that of and enraged ocean, but Shen Wei simply smiled, moving his staff in a circular motion, he controlled the water around, turning it into a huge wall of ice, then shattering it, sending the big shards her way. She block them, once again turning them in water, falling harmlessly around her.
Then, she took out a hidden metallic fan and swan it, creating a storm of strong wing mixed with fire, heating the air as it came to him, but Shen Wei nailed his staff on the ground, who grew in size and crated a barrier, protecting him from the heat and wind. Thinking him vulnerable inside his barrier as the storm circle around him, she jumped down to face him with her own dark sword, but Shen Wei was ready for her strike and took the staff back to meet her sword, his own dark wave canceling the storm in a second.
"I was born a Ghost King for a reason, don't play with me!" He send her backwards toward a wall, who shatter under her impact.
"Let's see for how long you human body can hold." She threatened.
"Try me, I have just enough of you." He watched as she transformed into something else, a serpent half body with several snakes coming out of her back.
"You killed him!" She came to him, as well as several red vipers coming from the earth.
"You kill my brother and dare hurt Yunlan, you will taste my punishment as well!" As they fought, the earth trembled under the strong force. Lóng Hún looked up as he helped Zhao Yunlan walk down long stairs inside the temple. He had gained access to two more layers already.
"They are going all out, I hope my idiots are out of their way." Zhao said a bit worry.
"They are, I assure you." The dragon said as they come to a wide area. There was a flow of water surrounding the chamber and an altar in the right in the middle.
"Is that the source of power of this place?" Zhao asked.
"No. That one, not even I can reach it even with Nuwa's permission. No mortal or immortal can enter that place. It's forbidden."
"Then?" Zhao asked again.
"These are healing waters and I have the dragon King cudgel, which can control all waters, among other things. This is more than enough to rid you of that poison, but it may hurt to the point you may faint."
"I can't faint, I need to help Shen Wei."
"He is a Ghost Slayer now, your presence there will distract him from his task. This is all fated, Zhao Yunlan. Restore your healing energy, so you can transfer it to your lover when the fight is over. A nearly full awakening will have his toll, the same way it did with the seal. Right now, he is absorbing a bit of this energy, so he should be fine, but once he defeat the queen the flow of energy will stop and he will feel the drain."
"He is going to be fine, right?" Zhao asked, just to confirm what he felt.
"You kidding me right? An enraged Ghost King had never lose a single battle." Zhao smiled as the place tremble a bit more. Shen Wei's energy reaching far down too. Zhao sighed, his King was doing just fine on his own.
"Alright, go ahead and do what you must with me." The dragon prince smiled mischievously.
"Oh, I will have so much fun torturing you..." Zhao became serious.
"Wait Lóng Hún, be gentle okay?" The mischievous smile became wider. "Wow, Lóng Hún, that was a joke right?" Zhao back off a bit.
"Nope, you know I don't have a sense of humor and it's payback for toying with me at the bath..."
"What? Wait, Lóng Hún, that was a playful tease... Have mercy..." However, the dragon laughed as he moved his golden cudgel and the waters raised from their resting place to surround Zhao Yunlan's body, sending him up in the middle of the room. Then, when the greenish water wrapped his poisoned arm, he yell, 'Damn you Lóng Hún!'.
Back to the fight above, Shen Wei blocked all the attacks from the long snakes, appearing and disappearing as he cut them one by one, sending waves of pain to the queen. Seen that her current form was useless, she backed off back to the top of a building and crated a huge ice dragon from the remnants of Shen Wei's own ice.
The huge white dragon cover with spikes was in fact a beautiful sight to behold, a pity it was created by the wrong hands. Shen Wei avoided its claw and ice spikes when released, at the same time as he avoided more snake portaling himself over and over to avoid it all. The having a small opening, he portal himself over the dragon and hit it with his staff which multiply his dark energy, shattering the dragon in tiny pieces, so they would not fall too far, probably hurting Yunlan's team. He had hear a lot of gunshots during his battle from their part but he trusted they were doing their part well.
Then, using the falling shards, he sent them toward the queen with quite the speed. She created a barrier, but as she avoided them sheltered in her bubble, Shen Wei was back to the ground, discarding his staff and turning it back into a scythe in seconds, a huge one that was humanly impossible to wield, yet he sliced the building from bellow to top, cracking her barrier along with her in one masterful movement. Then a huge cloud of ashes exploded, falling over him.
After that, those few snakes and demons that remained, came to him in rage as their queen was now gone, but he simply appeared and disappeared, turning into ashes all of them with rather ease. When it was all over, he stood there in the middle of the chaos he half created. He sensed Yunlan bellow, his energy more stable and clear now and the rest of the team running his way. He portal them back and after seen them safe and unharmed, just cover with a bit of ashes, he smiled with satisfaction. His shield disappeared, revealing back his human form. It was finally over. Shen Wei thought sighing and after moving a step forward, he fainted completely exhausted.
"Shen Wei!"
"Professor!" The others yelled as they approached to aid him, but the one who actually took Shen Wei in his arms was Zhao Yunlan, who had been portal back to the surface, breathing like he had run a mile. His body was aching with pain, yet Zhao took Shen Wei's body, bridal style and walked back to the water bubble that had brought him back, then both of them disappeared again, back to the healing waters.
In just a bit while they would be back to the surface and reunite with his team, then meet with the old man and back home. Ah, home... finally.
AN: LOL. Damn, I did it!! This story is basically over, with a grapping epilogue coming next. I'm a bit sad, but it was a good journey, so thank you guys for staying with me this far. It was my pleasure to present you with this lovely fantasy. This story was taken after Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe movie, mixed with some others movies and dramas. Watch it and you will see just how much I messed up with that story.
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