WangXian Forever Book 8

Chapter 55 Bridge

Wen Ning wasn't sure what to make of Gu Xing.

He was undecided on whether he was a good person or not, or what his agenda might be. And then there was the mystery of why no one had come to relieve him.

Had his family died out? Was he really the last of his ancestors?

It seemed like a terribly sad fate.

Not to know any more of his family, not to meet the next generation, if there was one.

Added to the fact that he had spent most of his adult life stuck here, whether he liked it or not...with no chance to have his own family...it was a melancholic existence.

Granted Wen Ning had never thought about falling in love before; there had been too much chaos in his previous life and with the ensuing war and the aftermath of the Sun shot Campaign...there hadn't been any time. He suppressed the memory of those working "camps", knowing from experience that there wasn't anything pleasant about them despite the name. He had spent much time in the "other place", one where only Young Master Wei had been able to reach him, had even tried and succeeded.

Their connection was truly remarkable in that they trusted each other implicitly...but then, that was the wonder of being part of his family. Young Master Wei might not have had a proper family of his own in his first life, but he had transformed his second life into one made of people who loved him regardless of his past. A new family made out of the people he wanted and loved in return.

That in itself was a true miracle.

And now that Hui Gai had his own family, a micro unit within the macro family, he knew exactly what Gu Xing was missing in his life.

The love and acceptance he found with A-Hua and Qing-Er was on another level, and in his humble opinion, he thought Gu Xing was missing out, dismissing the joys of living without having actually experienced them.

He saw SiZhui looking wistfully at him, and the disappointment on the faces of all his charges as they came to the understanding that they could not follow, that they were being left behind.

"Follow me step for step." The older man had instructed sternly, before they set off.

Maybe he thought Wen Ning was going to fail? Not step exactly where the curious man stepped?

Whatever the reason, Wen Ning schooled his thoughts and concentrated, remembering his sister.

She used to use the same tone with him, not quite believing in his abilities. So again, Wen Ning had to prove himself, realising that Young Master Wei was the only one who trusted in him, found the well of persistent skill hidden under self doubt and made it grow by watering it with truthful compliments, showing Wen Ning that he was capable.

Of many things.

Now, he hoped that the children and Zhitiao would stay out of trouble while he concentrated on finding their uncles and fathers.

The rickety rope bridge was exactly that. It swayed from the undercurrent of the wind that rose up from the valley under it, swathed in a mysterious dark mist. There was no way to tell how far the ground was from this height and Wen Ning didn't care.

He was far too busy placing one foot in front of the other safely, mimicking the guy in front, and holding on tightly to the rough hessian rope at his sides. It was woven in an interesting pattern, by obviously skilled workers.

Which led to the question: how did it come to be made? Who made it? Was it the previous GraveKeepers? And then how had they gotten it across?

Gu Xing had aptly warned him as Wen Ning found out; his heel caught on a rotten piece of wood, snagged on a splinter sticking out. The wood on this bridge was far from a good condition, open as it was exposed to all the elements. Thus he found some places completely rotten and Wen Ning wondered how he was going to get back.

Hopefully not this way.

He put that thought out of his mind. If Young Master Wei was awake again, he might think of something that would help.

When he tripped again, causing another piece of rotten wood to break off and fall into the chasm below, he heard an irritated sigh from the man in front, who didn't even stop to check if he was alright.

They were a quarter of the way over this bridge now and when Wen Ning turned around, he could see the children, all if them still watching them walk away.

It was kind of sad.

As they got closer to the middle of the bridge, it became more and more unsteady, making it difficult to maintain their balance. Even Gu Xing was having trouble maintaining his upright struggle, holding onto the sides to keep from falling over.

"Who is it on this side of the bridge that has you risking your existence for?" Gu Xing asked, casually, as if it did not matter to him.

But Wen Ning knew curiosity when he saw it.

He had seen it before in the eyes of less scrupulous men, intent on using him and his abilities.

Though he could not sense any malicious intent from this man, walking in front of him, black staff in one hand and sword strapped to his back, holding onto the rope just as Wen Ning was.

"Young Master Wei was the one who brought me back. He was my first friend, and has always shown me great loyalty." Wen Ning answered truthfully.

"There are many great qualities available in the mortal world." Gu Xing commented. "And just as many unfavourable ones. That is part of the reason why I am reluctant to go out there, even if i could leave." He waved his staff in the air, implying outside of whatever this place was.

"But does one outweigh the other?" Wen Ning asked, genuinely wanting to know.

"Most definitely."

"How can you say that without experience? It is easy to reject what you do not know." Wen Ning told him with conviction.

"I am sure of it. There is no need for me to leave and I am quite content." He replied. "And look! We've arrived." He stepped off the unstable bridge onto stony ground with Wen Ning following closely behind him.

Sure enough, they had finished crossing and were onto the other side.