Far across the icy lake, howling wind blew past the temple erected at the top of the hill. Along with the raging air came the noisy sound of tingling bells in each roof corner of thirteen story pagoda. The wild sound echoed through the night, penetrating the walls of the temple through its concrete walls and paper doors. It was even able to itself into the center of the temple, where all the monks were meditating around a giant Buddha statue. All the monks were chanting sutra attentively and they did not notice something wrong. However, the almost silenced echo was able to reach the only pair of ears, the ears of the highest ranking monk there.

Abbot Yi Fan opened his eyes and abruptly examined his surroundings. His heart was beating fast. Just a moment ago crimson was exploding in his mind. Never in his life did he ever experience such a thing during his meditation. He stopped chanting sutras and not long after that all the monks stopped their chanting, just like a wave rippling in the water. Everyone went quiet and all the silenced rumble was soaring into their auditory sense. Yi Fan looked at his right, Xiu Min was looking at him in worry.

“Master, what’s happening?”

“I’m not sure. But I don’t have a good feeling about this. All the bells in this pagoda never ring this loudly unless something grave is happening.”

The frown in Xiu Min’s forehead grew deeper. Everyone was confused and, in a way, worried.

Yi Fan stood from his seating and opened his mouth. The voice that came out next sounded very loud inside the defeaned hall.

“Everyone, check Lei Feng Pagoda. I am afraid something really terrible has just happened.”

Jun Mian stirred his body and a groan escaped his mouth. His body felt like after being crushed by a boulder. He tried to stretch his hands and he was surprised to feel something hairy and rough was in his fist. His alertness came back in a second, he was about to throw it away for he thought it was a kind of bug. However, just as it was about to slip from his hand, his finger caught the small root of the thing and he protectively wrapped his hand around it.

“I got it! I GOT IT!”

He almost danced merrily at the spot but the image of giant white snake with a wound in it abdomen kicked him into reality. He quickly made his way out to the window and climbed down to the ground. He hastily put his feet into any niche he saw on pagoda’s surface. A voice, timid and panicked, suddenly echoed through his mind.

Jun Mian-ge! Hurry up! Tons of monks are flooding to this pagoda! We need to go now!

Jun Mian groaned and he fastened his move down the pagoda. Even from there he could see tiny flickers of light that were getting bigger as they came closer. All the monks might be able to catch him if he was not hurrying.

At last he reached the ground and Jun Mian wasted no time to run to the spot where Chen had been waiting for him. The tiny mouse squeaked in a loud voice, jumping as adrenaline rushed in its blood.

“Do you get the herb, Ge?”

“Yes! Here! Let’s get out of here!”

Chen climbed to Jun Mian’s shoulder and he was preparing for the jolt of Jun Mian running down the forest like running tiger.

“STOP RIGHT THERE!”

Jun Mian almost fell down from the impact when he abruptly stopped. Just before his eyes the monks of Lei Feng pagoda made a barricade for him. Jun Mian cursed. He was trapped. He could not go any longer.

“Chen! You get this herb! Bring this to Lu Han now!”

“But what about you, Ge?” Chen squeaked.

“Don’t worry about me!” snapped Jun Mian. “Go now! Tell Lu Han that I love him with all my life.”

Chen hesitated for a while. He wanted to stay but he knew that he had no other choice than running away with the herb to Luhan. He looked up to Jun Mian, tears were b in his eyes as he saw Jun Mian smiling sadly to him. He nodded and jumped to the ground. His tiny feet found their way to run for his life.

“THE MOUSE GOT THE HERB!”

Some of the monks shouted and ran to Chen but Jun Mian was quick to push them with his shoulder, sending the group of bald men tripped like domino cards.

“How dare you did this! Get him!”

Jun Mian ran back to the direction of pagoda, knowing fully that he was giving up himself as a prisoner. The pagoda was on the top of a hill with nothing but cliff around it. He had nowhere else to go once he was trapped there. However, it gave him a sort of satisfaction that he gave Chen a split second to run away. The tiny mouse disappeared already in amidst the twigs and grasses. Jun Mian took a quick breath, if he had to pick a fight, he would do that even if he practically didn’t know any kungfu of sort. His enemies were monks; he was the one to be beaten to death if he dared to challenge them but he would never give up to the end.

However a wild screeching sound as howling in the air, making Jun Mian freeze and tremble in his spot. He looked up and a very horrible creature was speeding toward him.

“Aaaaahhhh!!!”

An excruciating pain attacked his whole body. Jun Mian was levitating in the air, screaming like a mad man as countless hideous, scary demon entered his body and attached themselves with him. Jun Mian kept screaming as he felt skinned and chopped alive.

STOP THIS! STOP THIS!

But no one heard that since all the others heard was a piercing scream from his throat. The monks halted on the spot, afraid of moving any farther that the demons would snatch them as well, completely frozen in fear.

The crowd split as Abbot Yi Fan himself to the scene. His eyes darted to flying and screaming Jun Mian and his face fell pale at the very second.

“Dear Buddha….”

He quickly grabbed his outer white robe and pulled it off of his body. He threw it to Jun Mian and it flew to the tortured man, effectively wrapping him like a cocoon. Jun Mian might have been contained inside the layers of cloth but he was still letting out muffled screams and fists. Jun Mian was trying to escape and Yi Fan could not let it happen.

“Xiu Min, help me bring him to the great hall! The others, prepare yourself with purification ritual! We are in a great danger!”

Yi Fan put his gaze somberly at the palm of giant Buddha. There Jun Mian was already sitting, emitted by golden light that came from the golden bowl Yi Fan reversed on the top of Jun Mian’s head. It took a long time to transfer Jun Mian from pagoda’s gate to where he was sitting now. Yi Fan and Xiu Min had to carry the raging Jun Mian while numbing their bodies from the punches and kicks from inside. Once they were inside, they put Jun Mian’s cocoon on a bronze lotus carving that Yi Fan used for meditation. The ancient seating was made for the sake of enlightenment and it was able to clear the mind of anyone sitting on its surface. However, the demons in Jun Mian were too much to confine. Jun Mian was able to be made frozen but he didn’t stop screaming. The screaming got louder and louder as twelve monks tangled him with six braided-clothes pulled in six different directions outlining inner lines in yin and yang circle.

“Demons have been confined in Lei Feng Pagoda for aeons. The spirit herb kept them trapped. Your theft has caused catastrophe. Why did you do it, Jun Mian? Is saving that demon more important than being in righteous path under Buddha’s mercy?”

Yi Fan sighed as Jun Mian screamed in agony. His own voice was amplified by far gruffer, more hoarse voices of the demons entrapped inside his body.

“Let me go! Why are you keeping me here? Let me go! Let me go!”

Yi Fan shook his head. Pity was an understatement. Ever since he met Jun Mian for the first time on his boat, he had seen purity emitted in his eyes. It was tragic to see such innocence ripped out by savageness inside him.

“Please, Master, please! I need to save Lu Han! I have wounded him! I need to save him before he dies! Please let me go, Master!”

Jun Mian shook his body and two monks were jerked backward as the cloth snapped. Other two monks directly replaced their comrades’ places, one of them screamed at Yi Fan.

“We cannot hold the demons any longer, Master! They are too strong!”

Yi Fan looked at Xiu Min who was eyeing Jun Mian desperately. The latter’s eyes grew dimmer as Yi fan opened his mouth.

“Collect all monks in this temple now. We will cast Luo Han spell.”

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“I got the spirit herb! I got the spirit herb!”

The tiny squeaky voice echoed through the walls of the cave inside waterfall, setting Shi Xun alert at once. He sighed as he watched Chen tiny body running for his life to him. What made him elated was the root bitten by Chen between his jaws. Shi Xun gleamed at the mouse, feeling extremely relieved to see the cure for his brother.

“Dear Demon! How could you manage to bring this herb here, Chen! How could you break into the pagoda? We cannot even step our limbs on its pathway gravel. That place is sacred and it wards off demon like us. What happened?”

Chen didn’t answer but dropping the herb onto the ground, panting as he was holding his chest. Shi Xun quickly snatched the herb and squeezed in his palms, extracting the juice of the herb. He quickly opened Lu Han’s mouth and dropped the clear golden. Lu Han stirred for a moment before laying still; there was golden ray shining on his wound.

“Great. It is working.”

Shi Xun put the remaining herb inside his pocket. The juice might have been extracted but the root could still be brewed and the water still possessed extreme healing property.

“Thank you, Chen. The herb is working its magic now. It will heal Gege very soon. We owe you so much.”

Chen shook his head.

“It wasn’t me who took it. Jun Mian-Ge gave it to me. He sneaked into the pagoda and stole it. Once he was out of the magical barrier of pagoda lane he gave it to me to bring it to you.”

Shi Xun’s eyes went marble. Chen always told the truth. He didn’t want to believe it but he knew perfectly well that no demon ever had penetrated the pagoda. The spell was too strong for the demons to barge in and steal the spirit herb. Only human or celestial being could make their way into the top of pagoda.

“He… did that?”

“Yes, he did.” Chen nodded.

There was a rumbling inside Shi Xun’s heart. He never liked Jun Mian. He was a fool mortal who was clueless but nastily selfishinside. He took away Lu Han from him, the only creature that he considered as a family. He had wanted to prove that demon and mortal could never be together with no avail. Lu Han chose Jun Mian, not him. He hated the mortal but he tried to act cheerfully before them in order to conceal his bitter disagreement alone. He came up with schemes which all involved killing Jun Mian. They were all unsuccessful. Jun Mian was alive and his brother’s love for him grew bigger and bigger.

However, this was all turned the table upside down. He had to admit that Jun Mian’s love for his brother was far bigger than he supposed. Jun Mian was not the nasty man she thought of before. His love was pure, all the time.

“Where is Jun Mian-ge now?”

With this question Chen suddenly trembled. His fur erected like a bunch of needles.

“He… was… captured by the monks.”

“HE WAS CAPTURED?!”

Shi Xun looked down. Lu Han was wide awake. There was no more trace of pain on his face; he was completely healthy.

But he was looking scary now.

“Tell me, Chen! Is it true?! Did he get my husband?”

Chen nodded sadly and fearfully. He squeaked when Lu Han suddenly jumped to his abdomen. His eyes shone bright blue and his tail disappeared, forming two legs at the same time. The scales began to vanished, Lu Han was almost human now. However, he was not Lu Han he had known for centuries. This Lu Han was unmistakably dangerous.

“Go with me to Lei Feng pagoda, Shi Xun. Let’s take Jun Mian back again with all the cost!”

“But, Ge, you just recovered. What if your wound ripped again?”

“I don’t care. He was in great danger to save me. Now it’s our turn to save him, to bring him back here.”

The dagger look that Lu Han gave him was enough to silence Shi Xun. He didn’t complain since he knew that his brother was very true. He nodded and jumped to his feet.

“He saved you, my brother, and I owe him my life for his deed. I have no doubt now that he is the right person for you. Come on, let’s save him. I’ll be by your side.”

The smile Shi Xun saw on Lu Han’s face was the brightest since the day he got married to Jun Mian. He nodded to his brother before leaping forward, following his brother who showed nothing but determination to save the half of his soul.

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5 December 2015

It felt like decades ago since I was posting any stories. Life has been really taking me on a toll this year. Marriage, work, pregnancy all stirred up my mind and made me unable to continue any of my stories. However, long holiday is awaiting in the front and I am ready to write once more. Thank you for those who have been texting me, messaging me to ask when I would write again. This chapter is simply dedicated for you, lighties. Please accept my apology for the long hiatus and enjoy this longer treat.

Schandelierre