WangXian Forever Book 9: The Flower Demon

Chapter 36 Ordeal

Wei Ying was feeling pleasantly blissed out.

The lotus wine (which he had helped to develop) was even stronger than he remembers, and his eyes are closing by themselves. He can see a whole lake of lotus flowers swaying on the waters, groups of pink, white, and purple flowers, colourful explosions scattered among the green leaves.

The moon is bright and strong, right in front of him.

Her pale white light turns brilliant, and suddenly, he sees it is Chang'e.

She hurries towards him, looking around in fear.

"Do you remember your promise, Celestial Immortal?" She grabs his shoulders and shakes him gently. "Please! Try and remember! Otherwise, it'll be too late!" She says, sounding distressed.

"What promise?" Wei Ying tries to bow, but he is unusually unbalanced.

"Are you...it seems she has already poisoned your mind!" She exclaims. "Then let me remind you: in order that you were allowed to open the Book of Prophecies, you were asked to rise to a challenge which would come in the near future. You promised you would!" Chang'e shakes him again.

Wei Ying remembers bits and pieces.

"The moon tree reminded you! When you returned from the Nether world! Don't you remember?" She sounds desperate now.

Tears that resemble pearls are falling all around them, and suddenly Wei Ying is all alone.

But as his vision blurs and he notices that something is wrong.

There are red lotus flowers too, and from a distance, they look vibrant and alive. Wei Ying’s feet carry him forward towards them, and he realises that, in actual fact, they are dead.

That frightens him.

He doesn't want to be scared, but that terrible fungus is the one that looks like the flowers are bleeding...it is here.

Goosebumps have appeared all along his arms, and he can feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Wei Ying shivers.

The breeze around him is no longer warm and comforting...it is too cold.

Now, all around him, he is surrounded by infected flowers and plants, the stench of which is making him feel sick. He is standing in the middle of a red sea, and it reeks of death and decay.

There is someone there...right up ahead.

A lone figure stands with her back towards him.

Wei Ying can not see what she's doing, but he gets the feeling that it can't be good, whatever it is.

He walks towards her because their meeting is inevitable.

He is scared, but he has never run away from a challenging situation like this before,  and he's not about to start now.

She turns around, just as he gets close enough to touch her.

She's devastating in her beauty.

Her hair is thick and long, tied up in a bun on top of her head. No hair escapes, and her hairstyle is severe in how it looks. She has a fire brand in the centre of her forehead in between her eyebrows. It is deep red in colour.

Her eyes flash red, sharp, and discerning. She has already taken a measure of him.

Her skin is golden with high cheekbones. Everything about her is angular and abrasive-looking as she studies him in return. Her mouth is a red slash where she is wearing a sly smile.

Wei Ying is surprised when she bows.

He bows back simply out of politeness.

Then she lifts an elegant hand up, keeping her palm open next to herself. She twists her wrist in a circular motion while keeping her palm horizontal all throughout, and a tiny red lotus flower suddenly appears in the centre.

She is incredibly pleased by it as though it is a surprise.

And then she blows it away.

For that is no ordinary flower, even though it looks so innocent.

By her breath, it floats up to hover in front of her face, and Wei Ying sees her lips move... She's murmuring words that he can't make out.

The vivid petals separate from the stalk of the flower and shoot off towards the healthy crop of beautiful flowers, decimating them in seconds.

And all the while, the vile stench increases in power.

Wei Ying is shocked.

This person is solely responsible for destroying hundreds and thousands of beautiful lotus flowers...and this is how she does it.

"Who are you?" He says.

Why is nobody with him? He wonders, looking around. Why is he alone?

Where's Lan Zhan?

"I can tell you." She says. "I don't suppose it matters much now... not when I'm so close." Her mouth twists in a cruel smile.

Ironically, her robes are purple, and the sheer outer layers flutter in the night breeze.

Wei Ying feels sick.

"My name is EmoHua. They call me many other names, too. The Huntress...the Beauty. Though it has been a long time since that one." She saunters towards him, a misleading gaiety in her tread with her hands clasped behind her back. "And who are you?" She asks.

The situation is tense.

Not openly, because she is far too clever for that.

Wei Ying gets the feeling that she is way more dangerous than that little show she just put on for him.

"I think you already know. Why did you tamper with my wine?" Wei Ying asks, remembering Chang'e and what she tried to warn him about.

"I know of you." She laughs.

It is not a nice sound.

Wei Ying suppresses a shiver. More than anything, he wishes Lan Zhan was here.

"And since you have something that belongs to me...I think I shall take something of yours... until you give it back." She screeches with laughter. "Give me the JingLing, and I shall return what I am taking. It all depends on you." She looks as if she's about to disappear.

"Wait! EmoHua! Why are you doing this?" Wei Ying shouts.

She looks incredibly sad all of a sudden.

"It is none of your business, Immortal. Give me back my property, and I shall leave here, never to return." She snarls back immediately.

"But you're destroying our crops! Why are you targeting the flowers? You have to stop!" Wei Ying says urgently.

He tries to catch her, and she whirls out of his grasp as quick as a snake. She whips out her palm and produces the same red lotus flower as before. This time, she blows it straight at him.

Before it can reach him, Bichen flies at her with an alarming speed, and she vanishes immediately.

The only sound left of her presence is the echoes of her chilling laughter.