"Lulu! I am home!"

Jun Mian opened the door, his eyes caught Luhan who was attending the cooking on the stove. Upon seeing his returning husband, wide smile stretched across Luhan's face. The smile turned confused as he saw how loaded Jun Mian's hands were.

"What some stuff you brought home, Dear."

Jun Mian grinned as he put down some buns, bananas, oranges, and living chicken on to the top of the table.

"There was a festival in town. People gave me these. They said it was for the reply for my kindness. I told them that these were not necessary, but they insisted that we have it. I couldn't say no, so I brought everything they shoved into my arms. The great side is we would not be starving for some days ahead."

A small laughter came out from Lu Han's mouth. It was as beautiful as usual, but Jun Mian still got the eye to notice that there was something different from his husband's expression. It was tense, weird pull that was subtly drawn on his face. He had opened his mouth to ask what had happened, but Lu Han had already put their dinner on the table.

"Alright, I will be making a set of very delicious food with those ingredients. Meanwhile, I have cooked something too. It is as delicious as chicken, even more!"

Jun Mian smiled at Lu Han while making a mental note to inquire the happenings later. They started eating and they both fell into lovely conversation as usual.

"Ummm, Lu Lu, I still have something for us to get rid of." Jun Mian said as they finished eating. He took something from his bag and boastfully showing it to Lu Han. "A wine for us tonight. I want to drink all of this and we will go to moon together tonight!"

Lu Han turned rosy before he pinched Jun Mian's arm. As Jun Mian grinned and rubbed his arm, Lu Han took two empty cups from the table and poured the wine. He handed the cup to Jun Mian, who looked at him lovingly.

"Thank you for staying with me, Lu Han. I know that I can't make you live prosperously yet, but I promise I will work hard to make you happy for the rest of your life."

"Hey, how many times should I say that you are my happiness. I don't care what will happen so long as we are together. Just promise me one thing, alright?"

"What is that?"

"Promise me that no matter what happens, even though we are facing the most difficult time in our life, you will never go away and leave me alone."

Jun Mian took Lu Han's hands, rubbing them before kissing them.

"I will stay by your side no matter what happens. I will never leave you alone. I will always be with you, in Earth and Heaven, or even Hell."

The wide smile but with the same trace of somberness Jun Mian saw earlier returned to Lu Han's lips. Again, the question had jumped to the tip of his tongue, but Lu Han had already raised his cup.

"To both of us." Lu Han smiled.

"To both of us." Jun Mian replied.

The small clicking sound hit the air as the two cups met each other rather hard. They drank the wine straight, feeling post alcoholic numbness. Jun Mian felt relinquished, it had been a long time since he drank wine. It felt very refreshing and warming for his body.

"This was really good! Do you want ano --, Lu Han? What happened? What's wrong?"

Luhan's face was frowning. He sent Jun Mian a very troubled, upset look that Jun Mian never witnessed from him before.

"What kind of wine is this?"

"I, I don't know. They said they distilled it themselves."

"It must be a sulphur-flower wine ...."

"Yea, yeah! I remembered they said something about that. They said it would ward off snake bites, giving us protection from demon. But what --?!"

Jun Mian couldn't finish his sentence as Lu Han's eyes bulged widely. His face showed a extremely painful expression. Lu Han cringed, pressing his chest before he scurried away from the dining table, going away in a flash into the bathroom. The door was slammed loudly, locked the following second. Jun Mian banged the door as worry engulfed him at all.

"Lu Han! Lu Han! What's the matter! LU HAN! Open the door please!"

No answer. The door didn't bulge a bit. Jun Mian kept banging the door frantically, growing more and more anxious in each hit.

"Lu Han! What are you doing inside! Please, don't frighten me! LU HAN!"

The banging grew weaker as Jun Mian slumped against the door. He leaned his face to the cold wood, trying to notice any sign of life from his beloved husband.

"Lu Han .... Please answer me .... Don't do this to me ...."

"Jun Mian ...."

"Lu Han? Lu Han?!"

"Do you ... still remember ... what you said to me ... when you proposed me ...?"

"Lu Han, please, get out!"

"Answer me ... please ... Jun Mian ...."

"No! I want you to get out now and let's have a check on you! Don't play on me, please, I beg you!"

"Jun Mian .... Please say it once again ...."

"No! I don't wanna say it!"

"If you don't ... I might never hear it anymore ... ever ...."

Jun Mian pulled his hair like crazy.

"Okay, okay! I will say it but you have to promise me you will get the hell out of the bathroom after I say it! Please!"

"Yes .... I will ...."

Jun Mian sighed. He cleared his throat as emotion, worry and nostalgia hit him at the same second.

"I don't know what I did in the past, that Heaven sent you to me to be mine. All I took was a kiss and the wheels of fate turned and brought me to a perfect moment, of tenderness and also happiness. From now on, every moment and every second I have, I will spend it beside you to make you happy."

There was a choke, followed by a faint sob. Right through the door, Lu Han was covering his mouth with his fist, crying as he was listening to the words which Jun Mian vowed as he proposed him.

Why did everything turned into this mess?

Everything was okay. Very okay. He married Jun Mian, even though he was just a demon. He was living with the love of his life. What was wrong with him? Why Heaven seemed to be cursing him with the worst fate possible?

Today was alright. He had been trying to forget the incident two days ago where that damned monk almost killed him. He had been moving on from the threat, trying to clear his mind from the pain slashed by the monk's words. He was having a peaceful life, until he drank that bloody wine.

He should have known that it was a sulphur-flower wine. He should have noticed that from its fragrance, it was burning his nose like fire. However, he was distracted, just so unfocused that he loosened his grip of alertness once Jun Mian offered him the wine. He wanted to make his husband happy, he wanted to celebrate the moment with him. He just wanted to be one with his husband again tonight.

However, sulphur-flower was a poison to snake. It would kill snake just by digesting it through its system. For a snake demon like him, the effect wouldn't be lethal, but still, it was beyond painful and it would return him to his real form. It was happening now. A white, scaly tail began protruding from his lower body as his feet retracted inside his body. He was transforming into half snake now, his upper torso was still human but Lu Han could see that his skin had been slowly changing into pearly white. His skin felt thick, scales had been starting to grow.

BRUAGH!!    

The wall of the bathroom blasted. Yi Fan was standing at the empty lines, looking at Lu Han with cold eyes.

"I gave you a chance already. You didn't take it and instead you insisted to stay. You gave me no choice. I will take you away from this realm."

Tears rolled down Lu Han's cheeks as he defiantly stared at the monk.

"Why are you so intent on destroying our happiness, Monk?"

There was a bang on the door. "Lu Han? What was that? Whom are you talking to? Lu Han?"

Lu Han glanced at the door for one second. Jun Mian was still at the other side, waiting faithfully for him. Jun Mian, his husband, the love of his life.

And that was enough to explode Lu Han with pure hatred.

His transformation had completed, he was completely a giant snake now. Lu Han opened his mouth, showing Yi Fan two series of sharp, poisonous teeth on his jaws and he leapt to his enemy. He tried to bite Yi Fan, but the monk was quick to dodge his attack and instead of being attacked easily, he was able to hit Lu Han's body with punch and kick. Lu Han's skin was thick and hard but Yi Fan was using his inner magic that every blow Lu Han received was quite painful.

After some time, Lu Han, however, was beginning to feel numb against the attack. The fury that was burning inside him was enough to make him attack more wildly and frantically. The missed hit, the lost bite, all was just blasting his anger.

Lu Han finally gained the momentum and he trapped Yi Fan in the middle of the room. As quick as lightning, he slithered his long limbless body into the monk's. Yi Fan was stuck in the middle of the coil. Lu Han smirked, though lipless, to see that his enemy had started to lose his breath, weakening under huge pressure to his internal organs and bones. This was the time of revenge, he would surely pay off all the pain that this damned monk had done. He had to feel the pain he had inflicted to Lu Han. He deserved that.

But the door suddenly opened.

"AAAAAAA!!!"

Jun Mian's eyes were buldging out of his cavity as the image of a giant white snake was reflected on his eyes. He was stunned and so was Lu Han.

No ....

Three things happened at the same time. Lu Han let his constriction loose for a while, there was some huge force from the monk beneath him, and he was suddenly thrown to the wall, breaking the wooden stature into pieces. Lu Han couldn't control the momentum, he dragged Jun Mian along as his tail hit his husband chest and they both landed harshly to the floor.

Lu Han snapped. He leapt from his spot and began to ferociously attack Yi Fan. This time, he didn't hesitate. He aimed his attack more accurately and more aggressively. However, Yi Fan had already prepared himself for this. He got his wooden bowl ready and collected the energy inside it. As he jerked his arms upright, the golden light flashed through the room and sent another shock wave to Lu Han. Lu Han was thrown back, almost unable to control himself.

And there was a sudden, excruciating pain in his abdomen.

Lu Han turned his head, only to find Jun Mian holding the dagger that was being stabbed through his pale abdomen. His husband was frightened. His hands shook as he pulled the dagger back. Blood flowed from the wound, deep crimson on the tip of the blade and on the floor where it dripped on.

Lu Han's jaws was wide open. In a split second, he was ready to bite the person who had hurt him badly. However, as Lu Han gazed the brown orbs which were trembling with fear, the pain was not in the wound, but inside his heart. The pain flowed to his eyes, tears dropped to the wooden floor.

"Screw you, demon!"

The monk directed the bowl to Lu Han and it amplified the pain Lu Han was feeling. In asplit second, he jumped to the floor, breaking its wood, and disappeared in the water beneath.

Bruagh!!

A series of monk broke through the doors and windows in Jun Mian's house. They dashed to the big hole on the floor only to get prevented by Yi Fan.

"No need to chase him! He was stabbed by spirit dagger! He will be losing his vital essence! He can no longer hold on in his human form!"

There was a shake on Yi Fan's arm. Jun Mian was looking at him with fear and worry.

"Ma, master? Where is... where is my... my brother?! Did, did the snake eat him?!"

Yi Fan eyed him sharply.

"I know he is not your brother. You have done a very grave mistake. Your so called brother is actually the snake you saw before. You lived with a snake demon who has meditated for a thousand years."

All the power he possessed vanished from Joonmyeon, leaving him shaking and falling down the floor. The dagger dropped from his trembling hand, echoing loudly inside the room.

"No, no, no way! It's impossible!"

There was sadness that hit Jun Mian right into his chest. His eyes were suddenly misty, before letting out streams of tear.

"You should be grateful. There is no longer demon in your house. Your life will be fine now. Return to righteous path. Stay away from sins and mistakes. Amitabha."

Jun Mian didn't notice what Yi Fan said, nor did he pay any attention when he and his comrades left the house. All he did was leaning on the wooden pillar, eyes caught into the hole where less than a while ago Lu Han jumped in and escaped. All the scenes before flashed like wild fire, pounding his head with deep regret and guilt.

I hurt him. I hurt my husband. I hurt the man I love the most, whom I vowed to protect from everything. I broke my vow, I hurt him. I made him gone.

The hole in his heart was too big to overcome. It was devouring him inside.

Not far from him, there sat Chen, crying and sniffing to see what he always warned Lu Han finally happened.

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Far inside the forbidden forest, way past the twin waterfall cliff, laid a man with a huge snake tail on the ground. His body was embraced by a young man in green who was eyeing him in sorrow.

Shi Xun stopped meditating once he saw Lu Han entered the waterfall with his full snake form. Loud alarm rang inside his head, something was not right. Lu Han never went into this form if it was not urgent. His suspicion was confirmed when Lu Han dropped to the ground, unable to levitate anymore. He became worried to death as he caught blood trailing from the abdomen of his brother.

"Gege! What happened!"

He took the head of the snake. It slowly transformed into human, but the transforation halted when it reached his waist. Lu Han was not able to change his form to human for any longer.

"For demon's sake! What happened to you, Gege?"

Lu Han coughed before he could let an answer slip, blood dripped from his mouth.

"Oh no!"

Shi Xun flowed his inner energy to his free hand and he quickly put it on the wound on Lu Han's stomach. He hissed as the wound snapped him with burning sensation. Smoke came from the wound, making the wound look like a meat being grilled.

"! What happened to you, Ge?! How could you get wounded like this?"

"It's okay, Shi Xun. I'm fine."

"Fine my , Gege! ! I.... Gege, I will give you some of my vital essence."

Lu Han winced his eyes before he pulled a short, hard breath.

"It's no use, Shi Xun. I was stabbed by a very powerful weapon. It was the spirit dagger."

"Spirit dagger?"

"Yes. It had poisoned me inside, your vital essence won't be able to neutralize its effect. It would just weaken you if you help me. I don't want you to do that."

"No, Gege. I will help you."

Shi Xun raised his hand only to be held by his brother's shaky fingers.

"No. If you do that, the poison would flow to you. No. I can't let that happen."

Shi Xun hugged his brother tightly, hand his damp hair. Just as he was doing that, he saw what happened in his brother's mind. Anger and sadness were blasting in his heart.

"That bloody human did this to you! I would make him pay for this! I woulld make him pay!"

"Please, no.... Don't hurt Jun Mian, Shi Xun."

"How could you still side him? He hurt you! After all you have done to him, look at what he did to you! My.... We were wrong to come here. It wasn't worth at all, in the end, to see you ending up like this!"

Lu Han opened his eyes, there was a weak smile on his lips.

"Maybe I shouldn't have done this, but..., I have no regrets. I finally understand what a true love is...."

Shi Xun put his cheek on Lu Han's forehead. His eyes shot through the falling water.

"Love.... Is it really so important...?"

There was no other answer from Lu Han. His brother had ost consciousness.

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February 3, 2015

Tremendous apology can't make up the time passed for not updating this sooner. I am very, very sorry everyone. Life has been really hectic to me and yeah, I keep complaining. Just pray for me so I can update sooner. Thank you for all of you who have been waiting way too patiently.

Schandelierre