章 11: The Pillar Of Nature
-Yunlan-
Giving the nature of his line of work, he had been forced to prepare himself for unexpected circumstances of all types. One of those circumstances was of course, lose his cell phone while fighting a ghost or something worse. So he open one of the drawers he rarely used and took out one spare phone already programed with all his contacts. The one missing, would be that of Shen Wei's, but he was planning on got his contact number as soon as he see him again which he hoped it would be soon.
Then, he hastily grab Shen Wei's car keys and head out of his apartment. The black beauty, Xiao Wei had brought was certainly something else, just like his owner. A stunning elegant shining black (Alfa Romeo 8c), that should had cost him a fortune, was now at his personal use, since his motorcycle was still parked at the University and he had not the ability to travel hundreds of miles in the blink of an eye.
"Shen, babe, you sure have good taste, both in cars and men..." Zhao murmur, getting inside, feeling like a kid with a new powerful toy. Still, as soon as he begun driving he put aside his excitement. He marked the number one on the speed dial of his phone and soon, he heard Zhu's voice from the other side.
"Dragon City Guardians, Special Unit, how may I help you?" Was her introduction. Putting her on speaker, Zhao waste no time with formalities.
"Zhu Hong, we got serious troubles of epic proportions. I want you to call as many temples as you can and told them that the Order had issue a request for stronger wards and I mean the kind of what I used in the Professor's dorm, no less." He order, earning only silence from the other side.
"You are kidding me right?" Zhu asked with obvious incredulity.
"Nope. Apparently, the barrier that hold all Hell from the rest of the underworld and the human realm is going to break soon. The seal had weaken considerable over the last few thousands of years, so we do have one hell of a problem in our hands... literally." More silence, then...
"Say what?!!! Zhao, don't go around joking like that! Are you finally losing it? Did the Professor's rejection make you crazy or what?" She asked, angrily.
"Why would someone as smart as he, reject such a handsome man like myself? I'm not joking Zhu, as for right now, you all will stop looking for clues on the Ghost Slayer, he will probably show up soon enough anyways, and start looking for the locations of the Holly artifacts used to seal the world." A gasp of horror from the other side.
"Is it true then? How come? So suddenly? Are you sure?" She begin questioning in her panic.
"It's a beats me for most of your questions, but as for if I'm sure, the answer is yes. The evidence is even in the library. You can go ahead and have a look at the Guardian's book. There is a golden page, which held a sealed memory from the founder of the Order. He wrote a warning that the barrier may break soon if it is not remake. I even risked Professor Shen's life in the process, so I'm more than certain it's going to happen. Pass on the message to all the high officials that all barriers in the city must be changed for stronger ones as soon as possible."
"But Zhao..."
"This is a broken world we live in, so in matters of dangers coming from the underworld, we hold the highest authority. They are not to refuse our request, or all the lives lost in a coming war will fall on their heads as heavy sins. It will be of great help if you can ask your Uncle Four about the artifacts. As descendants of a goddess, your tribe may know something that can help us locate them."
"Of course, I will contact him right away..."
"I will be there soon, so please, don't panic too much. Finding the artifacts is urgent, but the world won't end tomorrow, okay?" He try to reassure her.
"Just speed up and come as fast as you can..." Zhao smiled.
"Trust me, I'm already braking the speed limit in a black beauty. See you soon." He hang out.
-Shen Wei-
He had left Guo with the monks, so he could ask for information and headed to the archive room underground. The temple belonged to Kunlun, so if there was a clue about what he knew it was coming, it may be there somewhere.
As soon as he concentrate in something other than Zhao's kiss, the pain had begun to subside to a more tolerant level, making it easier for him to work on the endless rows of scrolls left behind. However, many of them only told old stories that have nothing to do with Holy artifacts. Soon, he was so immersed in looking for a clue that he fail to notice Guo's presence at the door, several hours after their arrival.
"Lord Shen... Lord Shen..." Guo tried to call him, but failed. Still, he needed to tell him something, so he walked toward him, but before he could come even closer, His Honor, closed a scroll in frustration an throw it away, almost hitting him on a shoulder.
"Lord Shen..." Guo try again, taking the scroll from the stone floor. This time Shen Wei realized his presence.
"Oh, Guo... did I hit you? My apologies... I was..."
"Distracted, I notice..." Guo finish for him.
"Yes, forgive my lack of manners. Did you find something?" He asked with hope.
"Sorry, no. I asked father and all the monks in the temple, but he told me that the location of the artifacts was kept secret, so those coming in search of them will never find them. They only know of the brush of merit, which you already know the location."
"Any signs of Chu finding something?" He asked, a bit tired.
"No, he had not come back from the underworld just yet." He said.
"Then I think is time for me to join him, I dint notice before, but it should be late..." Shen said.
"I... don't think Old Chu will find anything in the underworld either." Guo dare to add.
"Probably not, but it's still my duty..." Shen sadly smiled. He was about to open a portal when something caught his attention. In the wall, there was an old map of the providences before the moderns days. Out of curiosity, Shen moved toward it and have a better look. For a few seconds there was nothing out of the ordinary, however, as he stared at the very old piece of paper, something unexpected happen. Zhao's fire inside the necklace over his neck, begin to pulse over his cold skin, like a beating heart.
"Guo, turn off the lights..." And without delay, the young monk did so. Shen Wei, turned to look at him, and smiled. The monk wasn't too fond of the darkness, yet he obeyed him without any hesitation. "Don't be afraid, I'm still here..." He assure him, then he undo the first two bottoms of his shirt, to take out Kunlun's stolen fire, who shined in the darkness like a small sun.
"Please, show me..." Shen whisper and almost like an obedient child, the small sphere containing the divine flame, along with the rest of the chain, glided over his head and toward the map covering half the wall. Both, Shen Wei and Guo watched as the sphere stopped over a certain area of the map. No wasting any more time, Shen came closer to see the selected spot.
"River Village, Hanga Providence..." He whisper. "Pillar of Nature... I found you..." He smiled, taking back Zhao's fire and placing it where it belonged, where Kunlun himself had place it, before entering reincarnation.
"Is it there?" Guo asked.
"Yes." Shen answer. Then, the lights returned to normal. However, a freezing cold replaced the previous warm, as Shen Wei summons his dense cloak make out of black smoke. He was back as the Ghost Slayer, making Guo shiver. "Prepare yourself for a journey to the mountains. I will let Old Chu know." The Ghost Slayer said and a piece of his cloak, detached itself from his sleeve and transformed into a black bird, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Soon after, the hero of humanity also disappeared. He was to find Yunlan, as he had promise, however, he was not going to face him as Shen Wei, as he had thought. This time around, Zhao will have to deal with his other self and he will enjoy the performance, oh so very much.
-Yunlan-
"Damn it! Another dead end..." Zhao yelled in frustration, forcibly closing yet another heavy book that stink of mold, yet didn't gave him any answer.
"As if you will find it in the first book you open." Lin said without looking at him.
"Oh, shut up and keep making talismans. This is not the first book by far. Da Qing, any response from the fairies?" He asked in bad humor.
"It will take a day or two for them to even get the message. Stop nagging or I'll tell your Professor how nasty you really are."
"And you will dare alright. Having thrown me to the sharks once isn't enough for you? Forget about coming home in a week!" He threatened.
"Ha! You need me way too much for that. I'm the ol..."
"Yes, the oldest member of the Order, but for what use? You don't even remember where the artifacts were kept."
"I dare you to remember for that long ago!"
"Oh, this is really going to be such a pain in the a..." Suddenly, a freezing cold make them all shiver and Zhao slowly turned in his chair, to see the Ghost Slayer in the flesh walking pass the unbreakable barrier placed on the library's door. Unconsciously, Zhao shiver even more, as this was the first time, an outsider had cross it, without the entrance seal on the back of his hand.
"Greetings, Guardian Zhao..." He said with a deep voice. Zhao smiled charmingly, however, deep inside, he was cursing his bad luck as he was expecting Shen Wei to show up too. Inwardly, Zhao sighed, making a note to self to never let Shen run away from him again, because apparently he was quite hard to catch back.
AN: LOL, serves you right Zhao. The car name is completely optional. You can imagine whatever fancy your imagination, I simply like the one more than others. Thank you. See you next time. Things will get more interesting from here on. Take care.
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