How To Polish A Pearl

Chapter 35 - Spying

A/N: Have you recovered? How are you all feeling? Personally, I was most excited about that kiss.... 

⊂ (▀▿▀) つ

Wen Ke Xing peeks out from where he is hiding at the top of a large Mount Hua pine tree (1) that is clinging for its life on the steep mountain slope. From here he has a good view over the trail that Zhou Xu and his army of guards are currently descending at a rapid pace. Though he suspects not as fast as Zhou Xu could have been able to travel since he is limited to the speed of the inferior guards. You negotiated freedom for this? Ah-Xu what are you looking for? You've been scavenging the mountains for days now.

This wasn't the first tree he had soared into today, but it was definitely the one where he was most exposed. The regular white pine trees were better but this high up the mountain range deep within the Ghost Valley, this was all that was available. He had even dug out an old grey robe with black trimmings to blend in with the surroundings.

Over the past few days he had covertly followed Zhou Xu and his guards as they methodically went through each pass and peak on the Qingya mountain range. They were currently about one quarter down from searching the entire mountain for whatever it was that they were searching for.

The excuse he had used to leave Ah-Xiang behind was that she needed to oversee the repairs of the manor whilst he went out to have a look at the damage throughout the valley. And technically, he was observing the damages as they moved through the valley. Every time he got back to Wu Ying, he would arrange for aid to be sent to the few inhabited areas that had suffered in the earthquake.

And each night he would be frustrated because the guards had been absolutely no help to him. The idiots. They didn't know what Zhou Xu was looking for and when they had tried to pry it out of him, Zhou Xu had apparently just smiled and said that he wanted to pick flowers for his pavilion.

Flowers? Really? I'll believe it when I see it. Seeing Zhou Xu turn a corner and out of sight, he shifts his gravity and skims along the mountain side at a safe distance from the group below.

It had been four days since that night in the hot spring. It had been amazing. Incredible. The taste. The touch. That kiss. Oh, that kiss. Ah-Xu. How could you just smile and jump out of the pool after that? No one has ever walked away from me after an orgasm.

It wasn't that he was upset that had kept him from going back since that night. He was the Guzhu of Ghost Valley, nothing hurts him. It was more that he felt that Ah-Xu should have wanted to come to him, which he obviously didn't want as he frustratingly enough hadn't showed up in Jianchan.

Wen Ke Xing was sure he hadn't imagined it. The sex had been incredible and he had made his man climax twice. Yet after the orgasms had faded and their breathing returning to normal, Zhou Xu had just watched him silently. Pulling back, he had removed the pearls around Wen Ke Xing's neck, leaving them draping down his own. He had wiggled free from the softening erection and the embrace, to lean back against the edge of the pool. Winking with his right eye, he had smiled, well more like smirked, then unceremoniously turned around and gracefully jumped out of the pool.

Wen Ke Xing had watched his firm ass bob as he walked towards his clothes. He had silently watched him cover those remarkable shoulders with a semi-wet soft blue inner robe and walk out of the bathing area, heading back towards his bed chamber. He had not spared Wen Ke Xing a second glance or invited him to come along. What was up with that? He really didn't have any bedside manners. Not that I would have stayed overnight anyway, but the polite thing to do is to ask.

Wen Ke Xing couldn't identify the feelings that were left swirling somewhere deep inside his stomach, but it could probably have been described as loss. He felt bare when the pearls had been removed from his neck. He felt like something was missing when Zhou Xu had pulled out of his embrace, like his arms ached a little bit. He felt lonely when he had watched those shoulder blades disappear around a bend, only leaving him with the fading footsteps echoing within the hallway.

The pool had felt empty when it was only occupied by him alone. His slow breathing being swallowed up by the dark stone walls, leaving the hot spring eerily quiet. The furniture casting long shadows by the few candles that were still burning.

Feeling a bit agitated, not wanting to stay another second, he had glided over to the steps, collecting his soaked clothes on the way. Justifying his sour mood on the fact that he had to put wet clothes back on, he left the hot spring and Hua Men, heading towards Jianchan pavilion. He had even strolled back up through the still earthquake damaged walkways, instead of his usual air travel, zigzagging between some fallen rocks yet to be removed. I need to have the maids bring over some of my clothes over to keep here. Just in case I need some in the future.

Scoffing, Wen Ke Xing shakes his head to disperse his confusing thoughts and almost misses that he isn't the only one stalking the group down below. With his lightning fast reflexes, Wen Ke Xing swerves to lean flush against the cliff he is currently scaling. Twisting his head downward, he sees two groups of ten men, each placed on either side of the trail. He estimates that it will take Zhou Xu and the guards roughly five minutes to reach the ambush.

ε=ε=┌( >_<)┘

Author's notes:

(1) The Pinus armandii, or Mount Hua pine (Huanshan Pine), is a version of the white pine species, which is native to China, and can survive in harsh conditions such as mountain cliffs. The white pine is also a symbol of long life in Chinese culture – the Taoist God of Longevity is almost always seen in paintings with a Mount Hua pine in the background.