The King's Mate - Part 3: Guishi

Chapter 1

Xie Lian opened his eyes slowly, feeling extremely groggy. Though he simultaneously felt like he'd slept for a very long time. Despite that, his eyes didn't feel crusty, and he didn't feel tingly or numb anywhere either. In fact, he felt no pain at all, he realised through his foggy brain after a few moments of trying to wake up properly. It took him a few moments longer to figure out why he'd expected to feel some sort of pain to begin with, and when he did, he jerked up, throwing the blanket off him and loosening his robes until he could see his bare stomach.

His last memory was that of getting sliced open and being thrown through the air at an incredible speed. If he was honest, he felt like he probably shouldn't even be alive right now. But there was no wound on his abdomen, no scratch, no scar, nothing that hinted at any injury ever having been there in the first place.

He didn't even have a headache.

For a moment, he felt incredibly confused, before he realised that it must've just been a bad dream. After all, what sort of parent didn't fear being unable to protect their children in the face of danger? It must have taken a hold of him as well. And really, there was no way for a monster like that- that frog/stork creature to be real. His mind really had created some strange thing there, he thought, and couldn't help but chuckle while shaking his head at himself.

But if his dream had been so realistic, then how much of it had been part of the dream, and part of reality?

Looking around the room he was currently in, he realised it didn't look familiar at all. It did look like it belonged to royalty, but the style of furniture was rather strange, and nothing Xie Lian was familiar with at all.

Xie Lian could only come to one conclusion.

He must have been abducted. Though, from where and when, he truly couldn't be sure of, and it disconcerted him quite severely.

But whoever had put him here certainly wasn't expecting him to stay here, surely not. After all, there were no shackles, no ropes, nothing to keep him in place. So, Xie Lian got out of bed, only pausing for his dizzy spell to subside, before walking towards the only door he was seeing in this room. He opened it, and stepped out.

It was only then that he saw the two guards standing on either side of the door, both of them wearing black masks that covered their faces completely, with only a thin slit on eye level, which was rather terrifying. What was even more terrifying however, were the horns sprouting from their skulls.

"Sorry", Xie Lian squeaked, and promptly stepped back into the bedroom, closing the door firmly, and locking it as many times as the key would turn.

His heart racing, Xie Lian kept his hand on the door handle in case these- whatever they were tried to open it, but the handle didn't move for many long moments afterwards, and he eventually let go of it.

Well, he certainly had an explanation as to why he hadn't been tied up at least.

Xie Lian wasn't quite sure what to do now, so he took a closer look around the room. Apart from the foreign design of the furniture, there was nothing that really stuck out to him as strange. That was, until he saw what seemed to be a knee sticking out from the other side of the desk.

Frowning, Xie Lian circled around the desk cautiously, not sure what to expect. However, he soon realised that the knee was attached to a person. A person he knew all too well.

"San Lang!?", Xie Lian cried in horror, once he saw the limp, bloodied figure sprawled out on the floor.

He rushed to kneel beside his mate, and checked if he was still alive. Xie Lian breathed a long sigh of relief when he found a strong pulse and deep, even breathing. Then, he checked what he could do about the injuries, though he noticed very quickly that the blood wasn't Hua Cheng's. He had no injuries at all! So all that blood was that of the enemy! Xie Lian couldn't help but feel immensely proud of his San Lang.