"The place we are going to ambush is not far anymore, Master. We are really close to it."

Yi Fan nodded.

"We better get ready then."

Yi Fan walked fast to direction where a strong demon aura collected. The smell was so nauseating that Yi Fan had to seal half of his olfactory sense, numbing them enough to keep tracking them.

He closed his eyes as a pang of sadness punched his heart. Yi Fan felt something missing in this mission. Yes, Bao Xian was not there. It had been four days since he disappeared from the temple. Yi Fan tried to chase the smell that Bao Xian left in the air, but Jin Shan Temple possessed the power to exorcize demon and purify the air that was stained by demon. Bao Xian's scent soon vanished as soon as he reached the shore and Yi Fan couldn't figure out where he was any longer.

Bao Xian's refugee was a hard hit for Yi Fan. Bao Xian had been his friend since the day he was taken into the care of Jin Shan Temple. Bao Xian suffered the same fate as his, his parents were also killed by demons. Bao Xian was his closest friend, a younger brother Yi Fan never had. Now Bao Xian was turned into demon and his whereabout was unknown. There was a scar inside his chest as worry and regret craved on it for he could not protect his beloved friend.

If only he was able to save Bao Xian before that bat demon bit him. If only he was able to come sooner ....

"Master, are you okay?"

Xiu Min was looking at him with concerned look. Yi Fan startled for a while before he shook his head.

"I am fine, Xiu Min. Thank you."

"I'm sorry about Bao Xian. There's nothing we could do now but honor himself by doing what we have to do."

Xiu Min smiled at him, showing his support through his determined expression. Yi Fan nodded.

"You're right. Let's do this!"

Yi Fan stopped in the front of the house where the scent was exploding like hell. He had been numbing half his olfactory sense yet the scent was still almost unbearable for him. He looked at the building, flowing energy to his eyes to reveal what kind of place it was. His eyes were more than able to look through the magic casted on it, he was able to see the dilapidated house.

"A tawdry illusion to unconscious humans."

He took an old, wooden bowl from his clothes. It was another magic item that was given by Master Shi Yuan before his death, inherited to him. It had the ability to trap demons and seal them inside it before they were imprisoned in Lei Feng Pagoda, leaving themselves to find a remorse and meditate, having their punishment so they could reincarnate in the next life.

Yi Fan lifted the bowl in the air. The bowl released golden strands of light that glowed and occupied the air surrounding the building. The grand, beautiful house vanished, leaving an image old, almost torn down house in front of them, making all the monks who followed him gasp in shock.

"Let's go! Send them all to demon realms!"

"Yes, Master!"

All the monks ran to the house, ready to catch the demons that inhabited the place. Yi Fan was about to follow them before he sensed great power approaching him. He jumped to the his left right right before an explosion bursted on the spot he was just standing.

He looked up and saw a handsome boy in green attire flying toward him. The boy's mouth mutttered inaudible chant and a moment later dark green smoke was shot to Yi Fan. Yi Fan lifted his bowl toward the darting smoke. It emitted golden light, shielding Yi Fan and reflecting the smoke out of him. The smoke hit the rock bed surrounding the hills, evoking explosion once it touches its hard surface.

The boy stood before him, shooting Yi Fan dark look. He was a demon, Yi Fan knew, with such high power. No lesser demon could make that huge explosion.

The demon started chanting something again and doing some movement with his finger in the air. The same green smoke began clouding around him, shaping itself into giant snake.

"Green snake demon."

The boy shot his smoke to Yi Fan. This time, Yi Fan took off his white robe and swirled it in the air. The smoke was collected in front of him before he released it to all direction, it exploded once it hit a surface.

Yi Fan could see the terrified look on the demon's face. He started chanting a mantra again but this time Yi Fan didn't want to wait. He leaped to the front, facing his bowl toward the boy. The smoke that the boy was making was cleansed by the golden ray the bowl emitted. The ray trapped the demon inside its range. Yi Fan kept leaping forward, pushing the demon back unwillingly. He wanted to corner the demon before he exorcize him.

The demon hit the rock wall hard. He yelped before his eyes closed, fainted. Yi Fan collected his power on his left hand, absorbing the power from the bowl and forming it into ball of projectile, ready to kill the demon once and for all.

There was something flying in flash before him, blocking the demon from his sight. That thing spread its huge, leathery brown wing, shielding the snake demon from Yi Fan. The wind coming from golden energy ball Yi Fan was holding blew the clothes that masked his face. That thing spun his head, eyes looking to Yi Fan's.

Yi Fan felt like his heart stopped beating.

BAO XIAN!!

It took all of his strength for Yi Fan to swipe his hand out of Bao Xian's direction. The ball was barely projected elsewhere, but it managed to be shot to far rock bed and exploded there. Spun by its momentum, Yi Fan was pushed back, hitting the rock bed like the snake demon. His left arm was numb, he barely managed to to take a grip on the rock bed with his right arm.

Yi Fan looked at his left, where Bao Xian was looking at him with pleading look. Bao Xian he was looking at now was not Bao Xian he once knew. His ears were pointed and sharp, so were his fangs that protruded passed his lips. He had wings resembling the bat's. His skin was slightly brownish, unlike pale complexion he once had.

"Master, please ..., let him go ...."

Yi Fan couldn't avoid Bao Xian's eyes which started b with tears. Yi Fan himself was choked with emotion as he was looking at his best friend's condition.

"Do you know what you're asking for, Bao Xian?"

His voice cracked with emotion.

"Come back with me. Go to Jin Shan Temple, stay with me and your brothers there."

Bao Xian flashed him a sad, painful smile as he shook his head.

"Master, I can't go back anymore ...."

Tears fell from Bao Xian's eye as he gasped for air. It kept flowing down, glistened under the pale sunlight.

"I am sorry .... Yi Fan-ge ...."

Bao Xian tightened his hug on the demon. He bit his lips and flapped his wings.

"Yi Fan-ge, please take care of yourself ...."

He snatched the demon and fleed from Yi Fan. His wings were flapping very fast as he was gliding in the air, leaving stunned Yi Fan on the rock wall.

Yi Fan's chest felt like crushed by a boulder. He gasped for air and the tears that he tried to hold escaped from his brown orbs. His chest tightened, as memories of him and Bao Xian played in his mind, torturing him with unbearable pain.

This felt like the day he knew he lost both of his parents. Only this time, it pained him more than before.

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Shi Xun opened his eyes which felt like metal lid. The sound of wind was blowing him on his ears, almost deafening. He focused his sight and was seeing Bao Xian's tear stained face in front of him.

"Bao Xian?"

Bao Xian looked at him with sad, painful smile on his lips. Shi Xun's heart was liked ripped out when he saw the scene.

"What happened? Did we escape?"

Bao Xian nodded.

"So, I'am alive. We are not dead."

"Everything is alright. I will always protect you."

Shi Xun cupped his hands on Bao Xian's cheeks, touching the still warm tears.

"You saved me from the monks. You spared my life from your ... Master ...."

There was a temporary silence.

"It's alright. I will be there for you. I can't go back to them anyway."

Another tear fell from Bao Xian's eyes as he closed his eyes. Shi Xun wiped the tears away and pressed their forehead together.

"Thank you, Bao Xian. You saved me. If it weren't for you, I would be dead. Please don't be sad. I will be here, with you."

Bao Xian's smile was less painful than before. He tightened his hug to Shi Xun and flapped his wings faster, to the direction of Mount Er Mei, the place he considered a new home right now.

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June 15, 2014

Oh my God, my eyes were wet when I was making this. Fate can be really cruel someday ....

Sorry for the really, really late update. My internet was like hell. However, I just got my trailer. It eases me a bit! Do check it in foreword! Do comment on how you perceive the progress of the story. :)

Schandelierre