Chapter 6 (1/2)

You can sense that Xiao Liu’s time being Xiao Liu is slowly coming to an end. Lost You Forever tells its story in years, tens of years, hundreds of years, since the leads are all mystical G.o.ds and demons and beings of magical spiritual powers. Because they seem to have it all, it makes it even more painful to see how they suffer more than a human would. The torture inflicted on s.h.i.+ Qi is beyond the pale, years of degradation at the hands of his own brother. Xiao Liu may get bitten and tossed around by Xiang Liu, and we can all argue that she kinda likes it and eggs him on at times, watching her get tortured by orders of Xuan in the last chapter was totally heartbreaking. Tong Hua delivers her giant hammers of pain and doom in ways that feel lyrical because so much is left unsaid. We know Xiao Liu is getting her hands gnawed on but we are with her as she relives the happiest times of her life in her memory. Her childhood happiness with her older brother cousin, a time that is probably so long ago for Xiao Liu, but that is the only true happiness she has ever known in a life that was born into greatness and then thrust into danger. When I read Tong Hua’s novels, I really allow myself the freedom of mind not to pa.s.s judgment on characters right off the bat. She always has a way of fles.h.i.+ng everything out throughout her story so that the my final opinion ends up being so very different than my initial impression. Her writing teaches me patience and an appreciation for story flow beyond what is shown. I love the way she allows her characters to expression emotions by the tiniest of details, or nothing at all but a meaning hidden between the lines. s.h.i.+ Qi is as straightforward as it gets for a leading man, his goodness without reservation. Xiang Liu is the opposite, even if he is nice to Xiao Liu you can tell he won’t ever let her think it. This chapter is equal parts action-packed battle scene and quiet contemplation between two people who are both so close yet still so far away from each other.

Chapter 6 – Like a Familiar Person Has Come:

Xiao Liu’s body was very unique so wounds healed faster than most. Jing also left a lot of good medicine ranging from the bones and elixirs from Jade Mountain, harnessed crystal, whatever was in the vast wilderness that was precious it was here. Xiao Liu’s injuries healed quickly.

Xiao Liu never hesitated or was shy about using anything, dumping the entire jar of bone essence to soak his hand in. But the only thing he never used was painkillers. Everyday he loudly howled in pain and jumped up and down. Xiang Liu initially just coldly stared, but later he was so annoyed by the noise that he snarked “I am pitying the person who tortured you. They gave you the flesh eating bug torture, you gave them the blood curdling noise torture.”

Xiao Liu pouted towards him “I really regret giving the voodoo bug to Xuan now.”

Xiang Liu laughed “Even if you raised a bug, you ought to raise a more vicious one. This bug you raised requires you to first harm yourself. Thank G.o.d you planted the other in Xuan where it might have some use. If you planted it in me, remember that I’ve got nine-heads. Even if you died from the pain, it likely wouldn’t hurt me much.”

Xiao Liu felt talking to Xiang Liu was just making himself angrier so huffed off and went to hide in the clouds. The days pa.s.sed and the pain decreased and Xiao Liu’s hand gradually recovered.

At dawn when Xiao Liu was still fast asleep, he suddenly felt a stirring in his body. Initially he didn’t understand but gradually he figured it out – the bug was sending him a message. Xiao Liu quickly got up and rushed out of the hut “Xiang Liu, Xuan…..”

“I know.”

There were more then ten masked men standing on the mountain top. Each man and their winged rides were all huffing with deadly intent and braced for battle. Clearly they knew Xuan was close, and seeing the way they fanned out, Xuan was bringing a lot of people.

Xiang Liu said to Xiao Liu “Xuan’s coming with murderous rage. I’m ready to kill him so tonight it’s a battle to the death. You find a place to hide safely.” Because he was wearing a mask, Xiang Liu’s face was covered and only his eyes was revealed, and it was so cold without a shred of warmth. Xiao Liu was too scared to bulls.h.i.+t, looked around a few times, then darted underneath a big rock crevice.

A little while later, Xiao Liu saw Xuan leading a group of men swooping down. Over three dozen men on various winged rides, with their wings spread blanketing the entire sky. Xiao Liu looked up in shock – who was Xuan really, to have such a powerful force behind him?

The battle commenced in the sky. Compared to Xiang Liu, Xuan was at an advantage with his number of men. But Xiang Liu’s men lived under the spectre of death and acc.u.mulated mutual understanding through blood shed. They were fierce enough that the two sides were evenly matched up.

A sudden boom and a golden fireball struck one man and he was obliterated along with his winged ride. Then another was sliced in half by a ma.s.sive ice sword. Two combatants swooped past and Xiao Liu couldn’t see clearly who it was. Something fell from the sky and shattered on the rocks. Xiao Liu picked it up and it was a b.l.o.o.d.y mask.

Xiao Liu couldn’t hide anymore and rushed out, climbing to the top of the highest tree.

The sky was ablaze in battle, with fire and smoke, but Xiang Liu’s presence was impossible to miss. His white hair, white robe, and white mask, on a white condor, he was like a snow patch swirling in the sky. Every move was beautiful but each was a deadly attack.

Four people encircled him, one of whom was Xuan, and each was a powerful opponent. Xiang Liu battled by only attacking and never guarding, it was to win or die. His weapon was a curved sword like a crescent moon, crystal clear like it was made of ice, and he wielded it so that it appeared to be ice droplets dancing in the air.

Xiang Liu didn’t care about protecting his back, he rushed forward and sliced through the ice blade attacks. A head went flying but Xiang Liu’s back was pierced and there was blood. Ice blades rained down on him but Xiang Liu didn’t hide and deftly dodged it. His blade went down and another man and his winged ride was gone. But Xiang Liu was hurt again and there was blood on the corner of his lips.

There was deadly leaves swirling towards him into a wood spirit maze but Xiang Liu didn’t even bother to solve it and instead pierced through the center and took out the man. That left only him versus Xuan, one on one.

Xiang Liu rushed Xuan but he was already injured and his spiritual power greatly decreased, whereas Xuan wasn’t even hurt and was full of power. Xuan held a wooden spirit long whip in his left hand and a golden short sword in his right hand. He was actually able to deftly control two different powers at the same time and attacked, with the whip like a snake and the sword like a lion.

Xiao Liu called out “Xiang Liu, left hand.” Xiao Liu smashed his left hand on the tree and the pain was excruciating. Xuan’s attack slipped.

“Right hand.”

Xiao Liu smashed his right hand on the tree and Xuan almost dropped his weapon.

Xiang Liu was able to laugh even in the middle of battle while Xuan glared in rage and send his whip flying towards Xiao Liu. Xiao Liu lowered his head and slid down the tree into the thick forest where the winged rides wouldn’t enter so Xuan couldn’t reach him.

Xiang Liu ordered “Left leg, right hand.”

Xiao Liu cursed but took a spiked branch and viciously smashed down on his left leg at the same time as he smashed his right hand on a rock. Xiang Liu summoned his powers and tossed his sword away as he flew towards Xuan, clearly intending to deliver the killing blow. Xuan was able to roll off his winged ride so Xiang Liu’s attack struck the beast instead.

Xuan fell from a great height and loudly smashed through a giant tree. He was greatly injured and covered in blood but he jumped right back up and started running while calling for his men.

In the deep forest, the trees were so thick the winged rides couldn’t enter so Xiang Liu jumped off his condor and started chasing after Xuan on foot.

Xiao Liu was jumping from tree to tree like a monkey and following along. Suddenly his eyes spotted something long and white. It looked like the tail of an animal. Before Xiao Liu could process it, his body froze. He jumped over and picked up the white thing hanging on a tree – it was a fluffy white fox tail. Xiao Liu’s entire person was immobilized. Then his lips curled into a smile, and within that smile there was tears in his eyes that were about to fall sorrowfully.

Suddenly his face changed and he charged after Xiang Liu and Xuan like a crazed person.

Xuan was flying but Xiang Liu suddenly darted out like a ghost from within the thicket, his hands already transformed into razor sharp claws like five daggers, and it was swiftly aimed at Xuan. Xuan blocked with his whip but the whip was destroyed but the claw hand was intact. Xiang Liu’s eyes glowed demon red and Xuan’s body was pressed down like a mountain was on top of him. He couldn’t move or dodge but he refused to close his eyes. If he was going to die, then he wanted to see clearly how he died.

A figure flew forward like a shooting star into Xuan’s embrace and blocked Xiang Liu’s thunderous blow.

“Ah———” Xiao Liu painfully screamed.

Xuan felt the exact same pain, it pierced him straight through the heart. But he only felt the pain and wasn’t actually injured. Xuan stared in shock at Xiao Liu, not understanding why Xiao Liu saved his life at his own expense.

Xiao Liu pushed him hard “Run!”

Xiang Liu wouldn’t let Xuan escape and tried to attack again. Xiao Liu turned and risked his life again, tightly grabbing onto Xiang Liu’s clawed hand to prevent him from attacking Xuan again.

Xuan’s men arrived and helped him escape, but Xuan turned and gave Xiao Liu a mystified look.

Xiang Liu was so close to victory but Xiao Liu ruined it. He was enraged and kicked Xiao Liu hard. Xiao Liu crumpled to the ground but still used every ounce of his might to hold on to to Xiang Liu’s leg so he couldn’t chase after Xuan.

Xuan was helped on a winged ride which rose into the clouds and disappeared. He leaned on his servant and tightly clenched his lips as he felt the same pain. The pain was in his stomach, his arms, every part of his body hurt. It was like his entire body was being ripped to shreds. But he knew he wasn’t going to be ripped to shreds, because this pain didn’t belong to him, it belonged to Xiao Liu.

Xuan stared out into the cloud sea and couldn’t figure it out. Why? Why did Xiao Liu first help Xiang Liu kill him, but at the very last moment, risked his own life to save him? He used a vicious torture on Xiao Liu, so Xiao Liu ought to hate him and want him dead. Why save him then?

Xiang Liu’s rage was like the churning ocean, threatening to swallow everything in its path. Xiao Liu knew Xiang Liu would kill him but felt no fear.

The red blood around her made her see the fire red phoenix flowers. Under the phoenix tree, there was a Mom who made a swing for her. She stood on the swing and welcomed the falling phoenix leaves. She rose high and her laughter blanketed the earth. Gege stood under the phoenix tree, looking up at her with a smile. When she came down, he pushed her up again. Her swing rose up, came down, rose up, came down…..

Xiang Liu’s razor sharp claw came down towards Xiao Liu’s neck but Xiao Liu’s eyes were wide open and he smiled sweetly towards him, his smile like a flower blooming in the Spring. Xiao Liu’s thin neck was in Xiang Liu’s hand, he only need squeeze and all trouble would be gone. Xiao Liu smiled and sighed softly, as if he was content. His head lowered and his eyes closed.

Xiang Liu jerked back his hand, picking up Xiao Liu and taking him away.

When Xiao Liu opened his eyes, he was in the middle of a cave, his entire body soaked in small pool. There was all sorts of precious medicines tossed into the pool For anyone else, mixing all these various herbs and medicines would do more harm than good. But for Xiao Liu’s weird body, soaking in all sorts of random things actually helped.

There was likely a painkiller medicine in there as well because Xiao Liu felt his body was soft and painless. Not far from the pool, Xiang Liu sat on a jade pallet, his brows furrowed as if all the energy was focused there, as if he was about to collapse at any moment. Xiao Liu didn’t dare move or speak so quietly closed his eyes.

“Why did you save him?” Xiang Liu’s voice was icy cold, containing his tamped down rage.

Xiao Liu’s mind twirled for a minute but didn’t even hesitate and said clearly “Because I know who he is.”

Xiang Liu’s brow lifted slightly.

Xiao Liu continued “A few days ago I was mulling over why you were so free with your time lately and actually spending every day with me. Then I realized you weren’t taking care of me, you were waiting for Xuan. Jing wanted me to hide in the mountains because he knew that you guys had been battling with the Xuan Yuan army for hundreds of years and they still couldn’t track you down. If you wanted, there was no way Xuan could have found me. But you guessed his real ident.i.ty, and you knew he wouldn’t let me live, so you used me to set a trap with the intention to kill him.

“So I used you as a lure. You have a problem with that?”

“Normally no, since he wants to kill me so best take him out. But I know now who he really is. He is Zhuan Xu, one of the Xuan Yuan Kingdom princes. Not just any prince, he is the eldest grandson prince of the Yellow Emperor! If I help you kill him, then the Yellow Emperor will surely wreak vengeance on the world and I won’t have any peace. There won’t be a place within the vast wilderness that I can hide!”

Xiang Liu opened his eyes and stared “I used to think you had some guts.”

Xiao Liu responded “Sorry for disappointing you. You dare to make an enemy of the Yellow Emperor, I don’t. The rage of an Emperor, the blood flows a thousand miles! I cannot endure it!”

“How did you learn Xuan’s ident.i.ty?”

“When you were chasing him, one of his servants was so frantic he slipped and said something about hurry up and save Prince Zhuan Xu. It was mumbled but you were willing to endure ma.s.sive injury to try and kill him and there isn’t a lot of people in the vast wilderness that would get you that worked up. I thought about it and connected the dots.”

Xiang Liu stood up and walked into the pool, his hand grabbed Xiao Liu’s neck and slammed it against the stone side “You knew that I would risk severe injury to kill him!” Xiao Liu had no strength to resist so backed down “I ruined your big plan, so if you want to kill me then kill me!” He docilely stuck out his neck and closed his eyes.

Xiang Liu coldly laughed “Kill you? That’s be too easy on you!” He lowered his head and bit down hard on Xiao Liu’s neck and drank his blood as if to release his rage. Xiao Liu leaned his neck back and rested on the side of the pool. Thank G.o.d he was of some use to Xiang Liu. Since Xiang Liu was a nine-headed demon with a very strange form, it was near impossible for him to find medicine to heal his injuries. Which is why the equally strange form Xiao Liu was his best medicine.

Xuan was laying on the pallet and suddenly bolted upright and touched his neck. He was still alive!

In the beginning there was a sharp pain like teeth biting through the flesh. But gradually, the pain transformed into something odd. In the pain there was a sensation of numbness, a s.h.i.+vering feeling of bliss, as if someone was sucking, and licking, and lightly kissing.

Xuan felt his mouth turn dry and was suddenly very angry. With such severe injuries, was that guy crazy or what the heck was he doing?

Xiang Liu raised his head and stared at Xiao Liu, blood staining his lips, his eyes darkened, his breath slightly labored. Xiao Liu was initially sitting sprawled like a man but suddenly he slid down and unconsciously wanted to cover his chest, but he immediately stopped himself and continued to sit sprawled open.

Xiang Liu’s hand moved down from his neck, tracing his jawline, down his clavicle. Xiao Liu grabbed his hand and smiled “I’m a man. Even if you like men, you should find someone better looking.”

“You’re a man?” Xiang Liu’s slightly blood stained lips curved upward “If you’re a man, how did you lure the Jiu Jiu out?”

Xiao Liu blinked quizzically “I don’t believe you can’t change your shape as well as voice.”

“I trust a beast’s natural instinct.”

“If a beast’s natural instinct was so accurate, your Furball wouldn’t have been poisoned by me. There would be no such thing as traps, and hunters wouldn’t need to hunt.”

“What kind of transformation spell are you using? You have very weak powers but it’s completely seamless just like it’s your true form!”

Xiao Liu angrily said “This is my true form!”

Xiang Liu stared at him, his eyes as dark as ink, and Xiao Liu’s heart started racing. He violently shook off Xiang Liu’s hand and then spread himself open like a dead pig headed to boiling water “Touch me then, touch me. After you’re done then stop accusing me of being a woman!”

Xiang Liu glared at him “I’m not interested in your false form.” He released Xiao Liu, turned and walked out of the pool to go lay on the pallet and continued healing himself.

Xiao Liu’s wildly nervous heart finally relaxed. He was already severely injured, plus Xiang Liu drank his blood, so his head was woozy and he laid down in the pool to also start healing himself.

A day later, Jing arrived nearby. Xiang Liu was still injured and a very wary person so he would never meet someone that could be a threat. When he felt Jing close to the cave, he quietly left and the injured Xiao Liu was alone in the cave when Jing came in. He saw Xiao Liu floating in the pool, face completely white, body covered in injuries, eyes closed and fast asleep.

Jing felt for his pulse and immediately picked him up, carrying him out of the cave in quick steps while calling for his winged ride.