BOOK 5. This is mainly a love story following the couple through their first meeting and going on to finding out about each other, they survive a few difficult situations and have to deal with other problems along the way. Crime, violence, becaus...
The characters in this book are not mine, they belong to the wonderful author called Priest.
I have only borrowed them and changed them slightly to use for this story, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did while I was busy writing.
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Black Robe sat staring into the fire, watching the flames dance while giving off a gentle heat, enough to keep the night chill out of the cave. He used his skills to trap and hunt for basic food rather than go back to the city where there was no one to care for him. After Yunlan's death, their house was put into the hands of their lawyer with explicit instructions about its sale, making it impossible to buy, except for the one person, if or when he ever came back.
Shen Wei was having the same recurring dream that he'd had ever since he lost his partner and he became restless in his sleep with only the mountain as a witness, and cried out loudly one name, but the ending was always the same. Yunlan still died as he lay in Shen Wei's arms, asking him to stay alive and promise to find him again, but that would take time and Wei did not have the strength to stay in the city with so many faces around him, so he returned to the mountains and lived as a recluse.
The university had found a replacement for his position and through time, his name was forgotten. The police office where Yunlan worked also had changed its staff several times and his murder file had been put with the rest of the unsolved crimes. Chu had made up his mind to visit Shen Wei knowing exactly where he would be, to find out how he was coping emotionally, after being out of the city for such a long time.
Black Robe's senses had been honed to a high degree and he was aware of Chu approaching well before he arrived, he could hear him tramping through the leaves and fallen branches, so he put water on the fire to boil for the tea that Chu was bringing, and he went along some of the trail to meet him.
"You look in good health Chu, what brings you out here?"
"My Lord, I came to see how you were before I return to my cottage outside the city."
"I am well, I still have the dream but not so often now, and life is peaceful here, I have had time to heal. Why are you going home, is there a problem at work?"
"No My Lord, the staff have changed so much, that I don't know them any more and Da Qing has left to wander because he doesn't show his age, and he has to leave every so often to hide it. I just wanted you to know where I am if you need me." Chu said sadly because he missed Yunlan as a friend and his boss, someone who knew him well enough to understand his occasional show of temper or his quiet moments.
"My old friend, when or if I need you, I will send for you and Da Qing, but just now I think that you need to rest and recuperate, the cottage is the best place for you to brush up on your medical skills, take care of yourself."
Chu stayed long enough to enjoy some of the tea he had brought and see that Shen Wei was healing, before he said goodbye, leaving to go home to his cottage in the country and peace. Wei waved to him and planted a thought in his mind which would be active once he was safe in his home, he would never remember the place where he met Black Robe.
Many years had passed for all involved with the circumstances and the pain of Yunlan's death, to fade back into distant memories, and Shen Wei was now strong enough to return to the city. It was easy for him to buy a small flat and apply for a position in the university. The hard part was trying to pick up the threads of his life and carry on. The dream had been gone for years until his first visit to the old house, checking on the security of the building. Everything seemed fine but he never entered, he only looked from the outside but teleported into his locked room at the back where his cloaks were kept. Shen Wei had written a letter in the hope of someone buying the house, keeping it here, safe from prying eyes, along with Yunlan's whip and his favourite book which held too many of his secrets and was written as a history book.
That night the dream came back with a vengeance, Wei saw the poison being added to the coffee, and the cup was given to Yunlan who smiled, thanking the person for giving it to him before he drank it. Wei had never seen this part before, it was someone who had worked in the same office, someone who had a connection to the drug dealer that they had just charged, and someone higher up had given the order to kill.
He could do nothing because it had been so long ago, but why was he seeing this now and he immediately sent for Chu and Da Qing to retake their places in the office.
The next day there was a letter from the lawyer explaining that a buyer had shown interest in the old house and met the criteria for the conditions of sale. Did he want to go ahead, his name was Zhao Yunlan and he was a police detective? Shen Wei held the letter and had to sit down as his heart rate increased while he tried to steady his breathing, and he closed his eyes to concentrate. Maybe that's partly why he had that dream last night. He contacted the estate agent to inform them that he was lowering the price and to offer a showing if the buyer wished to see it tomorrow.
Later that evening, a visitor appeared and left two gifts in the library for the new owner to find, a wonderful history book and something that had been his for a long time but had been lost, now found and returned.
Zhao Yunlan bought the house even although he hadn't seen all of the rooms. Travelling to and from work every day, he didn't have any time for socialising, but Wei watched him while trying to work out a way of meeting him, especially if the dream was a warning rather than his usual nightmare.
