How To Polish A Pearl

Chapter 58 - Thinking

Opening the door to the main room, they step in and are greeted by a table full of food and more than enough wine to rehydrate them after their hot bath. The room is warm and new robes have been laid out on a chest for them. Unsure if this is thanks to Daiyu or Ah-Xiang, or maybe both since there was one for each of them, Zhou Xu distracts Wen Ke Xing by stripping off his cold and slightly wet robe. Tossing it to the side he aims for that dry and warm one.

Wen Ke Xing instantly materialize next to him as soon as the bare shoulders comes into his line of sight, forcing Zhou Xu to fend off those wandering hands, as they interfere with him trying to put on his robe. He shakes his head, laughs at the pouty lips on the man that is now sour that he has clothes back on, and walks towards the table. Left behind, Wen Ke Xing is still trying to navigate into his own robe after having been distracted by lots of milky and hot skin.

Sitting down, Zhou Xu takes a few sips from the closest wine bottle and almost purrs as he relaxes back in the chair. "Lao Wen, let's eat and sleep. I am actually quite tired." Aiming for the three plates with steamed buns, he smiles as he takes one of each, nibbling on the first which is stuffed with succulent pork. He is pleased that his man knows what he wants to eat late at night, or for lunch, and maybe breakfast too if he could. Okay, maybe it wasn't all that difficult to figure out what kind of food he liked.

Sitting down on the opposite side, watching Zhou Xu with three buns in one hand and a wine bottle in the other, Wen Ke Xing shakes his head. "Ah-Xu, slow down, no one is going to steal your food."

"I worked up an appetite before, just let me eat."

"Okay, okay, okay." With his hands raised in an apologetic gesture, he laughs and watches Zhou Xu stuff in more buns making him look like a nesting squirrel.

Three wine bottles later and all three steamed bun plates empty, Zhou Xu gets up and moves towards the chest with his luggage. Pulling out a small object, he walks to the bed and within seconds that fruity and exotic scent fills the pavilion.

"You brought that with you?" Wen Ke Xing walks up next to him, his voice is lazy and a yawn escapes before he can suppress it.

"Yes, of course." Zhou Xu watches the smoke plume for the second time, wondering how long this will take. "It will help us sleep."

"Ah-Xu, can you tell me why you are not sleeping well?"

Sighing, he is not sure if he should poke that bear, but it is the only excuse he can use to avoid suspicion, "Do you really have to ask?"

Instantly regretting the question since there are likely over one hundred reasons as to why he can't sleep and Wen Ke Xing was pretty sure that at least ninety nine of those reasons were his fault. I mean, it isn't like he can remember much else than what I have done since he got here.

Trying to change the subject but also because he is curious, Wen Ke Xing asks, "Does this thing have a name? Or is it just astilbe?"

With a lazy smile on his face, his voice a bit sore from the moaning screams and eyelids that are starting to droop, Zhou Xu thinks for a moment and then answers, "I think I will call it 'drunk like a dream'." (1)

(ꍞ ◡ ‿ ◡)(◡ ‿ ◡ ꍞ)

He still didn't feel any different after a second night with the "drunk like a dream". He was sure that it was the insense that made him sleep better, and not the fact that he had woken up all wrapped around his husband. He was also certain that he had dreamt all night, though frustratingly he could not remember any of it. Like it had all been wiped clean as soon as he drifted back into consciousness, like flicking a switch of things his mind knew when he was sleeping vs when he was awake. Thinking back, he was a bit confused realizing that his disappointment wasn't as potent as he would have thought it would be.

With a crease between his eyebrows, Zhou Xu watches Wen Ke Xing from where he is sitting high on the black stallion. They had arrived at the farms outside Gudi after a few hours ride, and by they—he meant both his husband and that bouncy annoying girl that was his tail. Wen Ke Xing had instantly transformed into the Guzhu, talking to the ghosts that had gathered to raise their issues and discuss the aid they needed.

His man, though fierce and commanding, Zhou Xu was slowly learning to see past it. Past the Guzhu who called them all ants and would snap their neck if they so much as breathed towards him. Kill or be killed.

Based on his kung fu, it was apparent that the Guzhu had lived here for a long time, likely since he was a child. His kung fu was stronger than anything Zhou Xu could remember, and it was a mix of hundreds of different techniques. However, the common thread through all of them was survival. He was fighting based on survival instinct, with every motion intended to kill instantly, rather than repeating a series of movements for thousands of times, to the point they become second nature. If that survival instinct had been indoctrinated into a person from a young age, it would also become second nature to kill whatever stands out and behaves differently. If you don't react, the other might react before you. Kill or be killed.

Part of him knew that he needed to sort out his feelings towards this Ghost Valley Guzhu that looked more like an angel than a ghost when he slept. Zhou Xu had watched him sleeping for the past week. Every night, or more accurately every morning, the raven black hair would be spread out over the pillow and around his shoulders, framing his jade white face. Though his lips were cold to the touch, they were soft and often curved into a subtle smile—specially right before he would wake up. For the past days, he had snuggled really close, nuzzling gently at the base of whatever area of Zhou Xu's neck he had access to.

The other part didn't want to go digging into whatever this was. It would make things more difficult when all that was currently locked away in his mind came flooding back. The mission, whatever it was, and the need to stay close to the Guzhu, it would hopefully all come back soon and he had to start thinking about how it would affect him. He wouldn't say that he was worried, but it would make leaving difficult—and he knew he would have to leave. It's not like I can stay in Ghost Valley forever and just be married to the Guzhu.

"Ah-Xu!"

"Hm?" Instantly back into reality he takes a few deep breaths, finding it increasingly more difficult to suppress the conflict that is going on within his heart.

"Come here. You are good at organizing, let's hear your thoughts for how we go through the area in the most efficient way." Meeting those black ones, Zhou Xu smiles and jumps off his stallion to walk over to the group of ghosts that are all staring intently at him. I don't even know if I will get my memory back so let's deal with that if or when it happens. For now, I will just deal with what is in front me.

Stopping next to his man, he nods as they all greet him as 'Nu Zhuren'. Focusing on the discussion and proposal for how and what they should look at, neither of the two notice the ghost intently staring at Zhou Xu, nervously clenching his hands to cover the tattoos in either palm.

〜(＞＜)〜

Author's Notes:

(1) 'drunk like a dream' – this is the stuff that will undo the damage that "the water of Lethe" has done on his memory.

In the drama, they used the herb Nepenthes for the "drunk like a dream" sleeping potion that Zhou Zi Shu makes. To be fair, Nepenthes is a cool flower – it is one of those carnivore flowers, but I needed a plant that could grow in Ghost Valley. Since the book doesn't mention what it is made out of – I just chose my own herb.