WangXian Forever Book 8

Chapter 76 Exchange

With Zago safely ensconced within the folds of his robes, Hui Gai as little Rumi looked harmless. He had made sure to mimic any mannerisms the baby demon had shown before, just in case the Sleeping Sickness Demon had already observed him previously.

Added to that, his purple eyes and black and white scales were an exact replica of his doppelganger so Hui Gai was confident of this part of the plan.

However, he was not certain of two things: firstly and their immediate problem, what the Sleeping Sickness Demon wanted with Rumi, and secondly, what to call the stupid stick, because if that was a weapon for sure, Hui Gai had yet to activate it.

He had tried all sorts of names but the "weapon" was still and lifeless, no hint of the previous electrical pulse running through it. What made it worse was that he was absolutely sure he was going to need it and very soon...so if he failed to activate it in time, he was certain that it was going to cost him dearly.

And adding to all of this stress was him missing his friend with an almost physical ache. He could do anything, take anything that came his way, but this missing presence in his life was jarring. Ever since his freedom was gained from knife handle, Hui Gai had been able to talk to Wei WuXian whenever he wanted to. So to not be able to...hurt.

He had tried countless times, searching through their mental connection to see if he could reach Wei WuXian...or even the Other One, but it was no use. They remained sadly silent.

He could not reach Wen Ning either, and whether this was because of some sort of blocking ward by the ancient dragons or maybe it was just too great of a distance to cover...he wasn't sure.

The only thing he was sure of, was that for now, he and Zago were alone.

They had to do their utmost best in keeping this stupid Sleeping Sickness Demon at bay, and prevent him from killing any more people.

Right now, he had to stop himself from patting the Jade pendant to make sure it hadn't fallen out. Plus he wasn't used to wearing clothes either and he really didn't understand how Rumi put up with it.

Rumi was a surprising child.

He only spoke in one word answers, and only Li XiWang and WingAndLaZhan seemed to understand what he wanted. Most of the time, he was a content child, observant and watchful. Hui Gai had no doubt that he understood what was going on around him, just that he chose not to engage.

Except when their lives had been threatened.

He remembered Wei WuXian telling him how Rumi had ripped out the throat of the old witch trying to kill him and Li XiWang. He still felt proud of the baby for doing that, as Wei WuXian had been, his words laced with admiration.

They reached the Ivory pillars of the gates of Cloud Recesses now.

The ward shimmered dangerously and Hui Gai heard a few oinks of the piglets that managed to enter...but he had no time to deal with that now, not when the Sleeping Sickness Demon was watching him with greedy eyes.

Hui Gai was extremely relieved that it was not the real Rumi going out to meet the Demon now. His heart clenched at the thought and he quickly put it out of his mind. He had to focus, that much was clear.

"I don't want to do this." There was desperation in XiChen's voice.

Jiang Cheng seemed just as reluctant, but he said nothing, only squeezing XiChen's hand quietly.

"I will be fine." Hui Gai mumbled under his breath, hoping the Sleeping Sickness Demon didn't notice.

He stepped back and bowed as a goodbye.

"Come back safely." XiChen called out, as Hui Gai crossed over the ward to the evil Demon.

"To be honest, I didn't think you'd do it." The Sleeping Sickness Demon said, a horrible disappointed look in his eyes. "I was looking forward to having some fun...but no matter. We have more important things to do."

He turned to walk away, holding Rumi's hand.

Hui Gai hated it; he didn't like touching people anyway, but this guy was just slimy.

"Wait!" XiChen called out.

The Demon paused but didn't turn around.

"Bring him back safely!" XiChen demanded.

"Or what?" The evil Demon laughed and laughed, the echoes of which sent shivers up and down their spines.

XiChen and Jiang Cheng watched as the Demon walked away, still laughing.

*************

Wen Ning watched the cocoon, his gaze never wavering. For anyone else, he knew how difficult it was to do that.

But not needing to sleep, eat, or anything else meant he could remain vigilant. Suanni had crept closer and curled around him, and Wen Ning wasn't sure if that was for himself to offer comfort or warmth, or whether it was for the overly large dragon.

Wen Ning wondered too, why Suanni was still here. Didn't he have duties to attend to?

He remembered Young Master Wei saying that Suanni was rumoured to be the steed of the Buddha...but then, did it mean that the Buddha didn't really go anywhere? Or was he teleporting like all of the other Celestials?

Suddenly, Suanni rose up and gave a low growl.

Immediately alerted, Wen Ning also sat up, looking around.

The membrane of the cocoon had steadily been getting thinner although it was still difficult to see inside. However, something was happening...

Wen Ning looked up as Suanni also concentrated on the cocoon. Shen Ling and Shen Qing were still providing spiritual energy to the array which hadn't stopped glowing green...but now even as Wen Ning watched, its colour became lighter...burning into a gold colour.

And when he moved closer to get a better look, he thought he saw movement!

Inside the cocoon, there were definitely changes happening...something was moving inside.